A pound of fat = approx 3500 calories.

we all have a 'base metabolic burn'. just by doing nothing our bodies burn calories. for me, for example, it's 3400 calories. you can find out your own base caloric burn by using this basic formula: Multiply 12 calories times the number of pounds you weigh. That means a 130 pound woman burns about 1,560 calories a day just with normal activity (65 calories per hour). *the more you weigh this formula skews a bit. > 350lbs

so the math is easy.

if i eat 1500 calories in one day and i burn 3400 naturally in a day, that means i burn 1900 a day net/net. so a little more than 1/2lb a day. times that by 7 = 3.5lbs a week.

there is a point where if you don't eat enough you won't lose. your body goes into starvation mode and refuses to get rid of anything.

before getting banded i dropped 44lbs from aug 1st to dec 15.

i was eating approx 1900-2300 calories, hitting the gym at least 4 times a week. in my work out i was burning approx 600-800 calories.

so...eating 2000 - burning 700 = 1300. 3500 base burn minus 1300 = 2200. slightly more than 1/2 pound a day.

when i hit a plateau i added 500 calories to shock my body and it worked...craziest thing.

the problem for me was i had a flood at the house and had to move into a hotel for 3 months. Breakfast, lunch and dinner 'room service' = diet goes down the tubes.

*this is what has worked and has not worked for me. everyone is different. figure out what works for you.

Edited May 9, 200818 yr by RAS_STI

I was just reading something similiar to that on dailyplate. I have found now that I have joined a gym, I do actually need to eat more in order to keep the scale moving down.

Great information, things like this make it easier to visualize what we have to do!

I love the language of math, that's why I did so well with the Atkins diet a few years back.

A fat cell must have carbohydrate to metabolize it, aka shrink it. Those who just totally avoid sugar/carbs will not lose weight from fat.

Also, the only type of fuel the brain can utilize is carbohydrates...that's why when some diet and drastically reduce sugar...get memory problems and can't concentrate.

If you don't supply the energy for the body thru food...the body will turn to the reserve ....fat.

So if you can't burn calories like me due to whatever reason wether it be handicap/disability/or laziness... don't fret. The science supports actual weightloss without exercise...but it's more difficult.

Exercise is important for a great life, that's for sure. But if you can't, you have other options like I did.

I completely agree. When I hit a plateau I "shock" my body too by eating more for a day or two. It works wonders. I lost 100 lbs doing this 10 years ago. (Unfortunately gained it back plus some after a car accident - darn it!)

Anyway, I would maintain my strict diet and when I would hit a plateau I actually would indulge in a piece of pizza or a cheeseburger or whatever - nothing crazy - just some extra fat and calories and EVERY TIME the scale went down the next day.

I didn't go overboard - it was just a treat. I probably would do this once every month or month and a half.

It worked for me. I need to remember this in my current weight loss journey. Thanks for the reminder!

Erica, glad you said that.

Someone [seeming like they genuinely wanted help] came on saying they were at a plateau and were frustrated.

I recommended eating a Krispey Kreme and a coke (or what they could get down...it's so sweet I have a hard time eating half of one).

Needless to say, I was blasted for my comment. Everyone else said exercise more, eat less, count calories, food journals, etc.

Simply.... at a plateau, the body does need a little shocking as you put it. The body needs to know you aren't trying to kill it (starve it to death thereby going into survival mode and ceasing weight loss) and 1 dose of something sweet usually does the trick. It will also 'move' you as well.

Wow - you've lost a lot of weight! Congratulations! If anyone is going to know how to do it, you certainly would be the person I went to for advice.

Glad you agreed. Some people might not and they can do what works for them. It's an individual battle and I know what works well for me.

Again, congratulations on your success! I hope to be there soon!

Or, you can use one of the many online calorie calculators.... like this one....

Calorie Calculator

So if you can't burn calories like me due to whatever reason wether it be handicap/disability/or laziness... don't fret. The science supports actual weightloss without exercise...but it's more difficult.

Exercise is important for a great life, that's for sure. But if you can't, you have other options like I did.

Grace, congratulations on your weight loss, but with all due respect exercise isn't just about weight loss, it is also about having a healthy body. There are so many benefits to exercise that they are actually too numerous to list here, and a person cannot be considered truly healthy unless they engage in some sort of regular activity.

Furthermore, there are scores of people out there who are thin, but unhealthy. In fact there is something called "internal fat" which is fat that accumulates around the organs, but cannot been seen, the way subcutaneous fat (i.e, fat below the skin that you can see and that most of us have/had) can.

Nowadays many Dr.'s believe that being thin and sedentary can put a person at a higher risk for mortality than being slightly overweight and active.

An inactive, sedentary lifestyle is not healthy -- period. And the vast majority of us "big losers" exercise hard and often, and we are reaping the amazing mind and body benefits of doing so.

Erica, glad you said that.

Someone [seeming like they genuinely wanted help] came on saying they were at a plateau and were frustrated.

I recommended eating a Krispey Kreme and a coke (or what they could get down...it's so sweet I have a hard time eating half of one).

Needless to say, I was blasted for my comment. Everyone else said exercise more, eat less, count calories, food journals, etc.

Simply.... at a plateau, the body does need a little shocking as you put it. The body needs to know you aren't trying to kill it (starve it to death thereby going into survival mode and ceasing weight loss) and 1 dose of something sweet usually does the trick. It will also 'move' you as well.

I agree that sometimes you need to alter your activity or your diet to break a plateau, but I will never ever believe that a Banded patient should eat a Krispy Kreme donought and drink a Coke to do so. This is simply bad advice on so many different levels............

Grace, I'm really not trying to flame you here, I just do not think that the underlying message of these posts is beneficial to those of us struggling with weight and health issues.

Edited May 10, 200818 yr by Frangipani

Hi, no problem. You didn't flame me...you stated what I stated. But you just missed what I said....my last statement.

Exercise is vital for a healthy life...and I'll say it again 'exercise is important for a great life.

And I disagree, everyone on the board has different experiences. And we all have many ways of accomplishing the same thing. So if a member comes to the board frustrated because what they are doing isn't working out for them...they can read what others do. They will get many ideas and they can decide what they'd like to try or bring to their doctor's attention.

And for those that can exercise....great! But there is a small percentage of our population who are wheelchair bound or do not have the use of their legs for whatever reason. For these people, like me.... aren't able to use their large muscle group for typical exercise. They 'move', can do arm exercises, etc.....can be active...but just because they don't exercise by your definition...well, it's all quality of life.

Although I've come from a wheelchair and walker...yep, the kind with a basket and seat..... although I don't 'exercise' by your definition, my quality of life is enriched by the band and weightloss has given me more mobility. And now I can actually walk the length of a grocery store, or enjoy walking out to my garden.

So like I said my post was for those who aren't like you and most people...it's for me and people like me who have limited mobility.

But your post was great....people who can exercise should...but at least they know they have options.