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Friday, March 6, 2015

Pushing-up numbers



By now we should all know how much calories we need to just maintain our weight. When reading a table that determines that amount of calories, it’s important to keep in mind it is based on people who are in relatively sedentary occupations.

Let’s say your number to maintain your weight is 2400 calories a day, on average, you are burning about 100 calories an hour. But really, are you burning that much calories while sleeping? No! You might be burning 60 calories while sleeping for 7 hours and the remainder of the calories the rest of the day. I’ll save you the calculation, it would be about 115 calories while awake. Those numbers are by no means scientific, I can’t really say with exactitude but it will do just for the purposes of this post. However, if I had to put money on that, I would!

I’ll use the table you can find on this link for the next paragraphs: http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist4.htm

The table shows that if you weight 205 lbs and walk at a 3 mph pace, for a whole hour, you will have burned 307 calories.

Now on this walk there is a bakery, you were walking toward it and the wind was in your direction… the smell made you want to speed up the pace to get there faster. You entered, you are not disappointed, there are shelves and shelves of every things that your dreams are about. It’s the only bakery in the world where they don’t put the price tag on the pastries, they put the calories.

You just burned 307 calories, and it happens there is one at 307 calories. “If that was not a sign, I don’t know what a sign is!’ you rationalized. Should you take it, it will be just too bad for this day’s work out, you are telling (or more likely your tummy is telling) yourself.

NO! walk out of the bakery right now, don’t look back, walk away and make sure the wind will not carry the aroma. What we all forgot, you burned 307 calories but if you had stayed home, you would have burn 115 calories. If you had taken that pastry from hell, you would have gained weight. In fact it would have been more beneficial weight wise to just stay on your couch and not eat a pastry because you would have burned 115 calories instead of taking an extra 115 calories! How about that!

At this rate, you would gain a pound in a month. Often, it’s the small stuff that gets you.

This “errors” is also something that I’m aware of with gizmo like Fitbit, it gives you the number of calories at the end of the workout. It’s not a license to increase your daily allowance consequently.

My strategy is to eat healthy, that is, my balance weight minus the number of calories I need to burn to lose 1.25 pound a week. Whatever activities I do, I’ll put those calories in the bank (I don’t mind if the bank account gets fat). If I want to indulge, I’ll plan it and not associate it with my activities.

That’s it, I have no more number to push-up, the next time I post something about a more technical side, it will be about food research.

Darn now I want a pastry!

I hope everyone is doing great with their goals. I’ll tell you a secret about myself, when I’m writing my post or comment on your blog and you are doing great, I can’t help myself, I have a smile in my face and in my heart. So pleeeease keep me smiling :) life is just too enjoyable to be miserable!

10 comments:

  1. Wow congratulations Richard I think you are on the right path. Eat healthy is the best way to loose weight combine with a bit of exercise of course. I will do similar in a couple of weeks, for now I am only trying to motivate myself. Not quite there yet, but need to do something with my weight very soon. Keep going, your goal is near by.

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    1. Bonjour, there is never a better time to start to get healthier then right now at this moment. The first step is one that is easier to take with the wind to your back... If I may, let me be that wind.

      You already have in you all the tools within you, as a matter of fact the most important one is your mind. Take that step you will not be disappointed. Don't look back to the past, you are starting this journey with a bright new page, it is your day to start to fill-up the page with a story that will keep you smiling for a long time. Let's go out and have a bite in life's apple!

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    2. Thank you very much, I will stop pushing it back and start now. All my life I struggled my weight. I also battled with breast cancer a while ago. I should of learned from that difficult situation that keeping a good weight is very important to regain a good healh. I think I was born lucky since I never relapsed. Many times I tried to eat healthy, I successed for a couple of months, but something happens and I am back in my old pattern again. I will follow you on your goal and I will come everyday to read about health and how you deal with it day after day. Your are an inspiration for me. Keep up the good work Richard.

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    3. Please keep me update of your progress, if you need a little wind in your back, I'll be there :)

      Grapes are on sale at IGA, this is really healthy, it's not only dogs that eat grapes LOL

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    4. Ok I will keep you informed.

      My dogs don't eat grapes, not good for them, I don't know where you got that one ???

      *smile*

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  2. You've forgotten to calculate all the extra calories it would take to walk back with the extra weight of a pastry in your stomach!

    - WWE

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    1. It would not add to anything if the pastry is so fluffy and light

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  3. Keep up the good work. And thanks for sharing your adventures with us.

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