[Hermit Girl]

As copied from my personal blog page. Perhaps we could all investigate our goal weight & lifestyle caloric maintenance, and just speculate? I'm thinking it's similar to our present program, but am curious to see.

*****

DRIFT DIET ~

For ME : 1500-1700 calories per day life style, depending on my activity level per day/week.

All theoretical right now, but what I plan to do is to plug in the maintenance requirements for the goal weight I want to be, for the age range and activity level I plan to be at that weight (135 to 145) ~ call it my program ~ and drift toward it. By the time I reach my goal, I will have gotten a year or so practice living that maintenance too already. Sounds good for one who is more interested in learning to maintain a sane lifestyle than dieting... or for one who resents having to be on a diet.

I calculated on-line and came up with around 1750, for moderate lifestyle, at my goal weight, which I think is totally reasonable for long-term. Of course, this means I have to count calories... but I also realized that the food I eat is basically the same, with few variations, so calorie counting isn't as hard as I thought. I will eat plenty unaccounted for, and there'll be days when I eat well over my 1700 calories, even near 3000 (regular habit these days, as I gain rapidly even as I hike my butt off) , but I will strive for the averages. Averages is Key. Average over the week, for instance, as Friday night pizza and other lazy days, mixed in with more virtuous hard exercize and good-eating days over the week.

Doing the Math:

I have been gaining weight into obesity through my forties, figuring I likely eat on average between 2000-3000 calories daily . I looked up the calorie requirements to maintain a 180 body with exercise 3x a week and these are the numbers:

RESULTS - GUIDELINE ONLY for 180
Maintenance: 1913 Calories/day
Fat Loss: 1531 Calories/day
Extreme Fat Loss: 1440 Calories/day

Then I did the same for my goal weight 135 pound body at 50 years old, exercising 5x per week, and came up with a good round number of 1735 (results below) averaged over the week. I think it's a good round for now, given that i am going to push walking 5 days a week, and be more active with house chores and yard work, to lose slowly and surely.

RESULTS - GUIDELINE ONLY -- (calculated for female , 135lbs at 50 yrs)
Maintenance for 135lbs: 1736 Calories/day
Fat Loss from 135lbs: 1389 Calories/day
Extreme Fat Loss from 135lbs: 1080 Calories/day


Drift diet Recalculted as of Sept. 12:
Almost a week into this, with several Bust Days, I'm still at 182. I guess , even though I've calculated calories for a moderate 135 lb 50 year old, I'm really just tweaking calories, learning what the range is, with several bust days, and , most importantly.... I've been fairly sedentary in last week. I think the way to do this Drift Thing is to err on the safe side, and calculate for 135 lb with sedentary lifestyle. Yup. THen the rest is just icing on the cake. Well, more like dip on the celery stick... ;-)

1420 is the new Daily Caloric Base line. That's only 300 away from 1730. I was in my mind getting use to 1700 to 2000. I think I will round this off to 1500 to 1700 cals to shoot for. I can knit all I want, practice music, be sedentary as I hike 5 times per week (and begin to cycle on the weekends) and on days I exercize harder, I can come home and pig out on fruit, and have icecream in the evening. In fact, earning icecream 'points' , instead of assuming them, is the way to go.

It will find it's way. It's complex though, as I need to fine tune to my exact life, which is not consistant from day to day !

The interesting thing, is for FatLoss at 180, I need to eat 1530, (says above) which is the same number of my sedentary maintenance of 135. So 1500 is the new Number... the new Lifetime Happy Zone... and I need to plan splurges around exercize, to make up for the higher cals. For instance, Friday night Pizza might be a good time for Saturday bike ride? Also, I might get away with 2 slices rather than 3. I'll figure this all out over the next few weeks and months.

[caryesings]

Yep, my plan was based on keeping my average where I wanted it and rarely stepping on the scale.

[Hermit Girl]

Caryesings ~ Wow, and you have done colossally well !

[2Bees]

What jumped out at me is the phrase 'after almost a week" you changed your plan. In 5 days or so you have not created a 3500 calorie deficit that would make you lose a pound. You haven't done anything to make you lose those magical 3lbs that diet plans count on to suck you in-water weight usually that you pee away and dehydate yourself.(and you shouldn't) You have to give whatever your chosen level is more time.

I do approve of the newer lower level, it is both in range for your target goal and a fat losing level for your current weight.
IMHO being on for 4days a week and having 3 high calorie days will not serve you well. Any small deficit on one day will be used up by your ice cream or pizza night. That's how we got to where we are now. A moderate day with an allowance for 350calories of a not great choice within your 1500 will work-then your exercise will count for something.

I'm losing only a pound a week and glad to get it. I'm on the Sonoma diet that limits portion by having you fill a 9 inch plate with appropriate foods. I average per Fitday about 1350 and I am now at 206 heading south. It is drifting fast enough for me and I can make choices that fit in that calorie count and allowable foods.
Good luck ps keep this thread active so we can see your progress or link to your blog. OH AND where did you get those numbers for maintenance at different weight levels? Fitday does something like that -says my caloric needs at current weight is 1720

[Mary from Maine]

I know this thread is about a month old but I just found it and wanted to comment because the "drift" part is exactly what I've been doing. I too decided on a reasonable goal weight, figured the calories to maintain that weight at a sedentary lifestyle, and have been keeping to those daily calories, averaging them daily and keeping to a total of 10,500 per week. Have lost 40 pounds on this "drift" program! Nice to have a name for it now. Thanks, Hermit Girl!

[elisaannh]

I have found (and I am a calorie counter) that it doesn't matter whatever formula there is out there to calculate all of these things, what ends up working is going to be unique to you, your lifestyle, your activity level and your current weight. I agree that averages are far more important than daily numbers. I pay close attention to my average for a month, compare it to the month's weight loss and make adjustments for the new month.

I have heard about the theory of eating at a goal weight's maintenance, but I am not sure about it. For my body, when I lost 120 pounds in the 1990's and kept my weight off for 7 years, I had to eat 1400 calories or less to maintain that weight. At 160 pounds, I should have been able to eat more. I rode a bicycle to work every day, I was active, still I could not eat much or I would gain weight. So theory is interesting, but only the feedback your body will give you will give you the true answer.

I started my diet by recording everything I ate and then each week reduced the calories. I found the level I lost best on and also discovered that my body will lose weight when it is good and ready too, that even the perfect calorie "number" didn't always create a weight loss. This is why I leave calculations alone, because I would get too frustrated with not getting the results I expected. Dieting just isn't an exact science and often we have to discover our own body's quirks.

Hope you find your answers and hope I didn't sound too negative...just sharing my experience.