It's all about the math.

I like math. (went to math camp 5 years in a row. I really like math.)

Numbers make sense to me. Numbers make things simple.

Today I'm breaking the numbers down so I have a plan.

The beautiful thing about weight loss is it is all about the math. No - you cannot predict the exact amount of weight you will lose in a week. Incidental exercise, temperature, hormones ... these things all play a part. But you can get a pretty good idea.

Weight loss in theory is simple. Calories in - calories out. That's it. It's all the other stuff we tie to weight loss such as our emotions, our supporters and our sabateurs that make it tricky.

But as for the math
The basal metabolic rate is basically - in laymans terms the amount of calories your body uses up in a day "just being". To calculate this go to http://www.michellebridges.com/ and click on the tools

Right now my BMR is 1517 calories. This will drop with weight loss.

Our food intake for the day is 1200 calories

To lose 1kg a week I need to have a deficit of 7000 calories a week.

That is the food I take in, minus the energy I burn x7 days must be 7000 calories.

1200- 1517 is a deficit of 317 calories a day or 2219 calories a week.

To lose 1kg a week I need to burn an additional 4781 calories.

That means I have to work.

If I have one rest day a week, I need to burn on average 797 calories a day. That is a LOT for me!

This is why weight loss tends to slow as you get slimmer. Your BMR drops as your weight drops. Which means to sustain weight loss you either need to eat less (not recommended as 1200 calories is on the low end of the scale) or move more.

I am going to have to move!

My plan
Monday - Double class. Group Power + Zumba + cardio before the first class = 1000 calories
Tuesday - tap class - 300 calories (I am going to suggest my friend and I go for a 30 min walk while we are waiting for the girls to finish ballet to burn a few extra!)
Wednesday - a run day. Aim is for 700 calories
Thursday - Double class. Group Power + Zumba + cardio before the first class = 1000 calories
Friday - run day - aim is 500 calories
Saturday - Super Saturday session - this is the big ask. If I haven't made up extra calories in the week I need to burn 1281. But it CAN be done!

This is ideal. No week is ideal. But it gives me a plan. My goal is so close I can taste it. I haven't been in the healthy weight range since I was in my very early 20s. And I am so going to be there again! I love my double class days. Which is a good thing ... since they are calorie burners.

And my job as a nurse helps too. We walk an incredible amount.

But I like to break the numbers down. It's all about the math


**** ETA ... a fall apart Thursday afternoon due to a tired girl and her needed some "chillaxing" after school has drummed home to me the importance of flexibility. Especially as I am an on call shift worker. So the new plan is - if i am not working I need to get a morning walk in EVERY day *even the "rest" day*. This should give me 200 cal a day ... 1400 a week and a LOT more flexibility in my routine!****