ma, if you feel depleted, then you need to eat more. Otherwise, just enjoy the weight loss!! :D Not every week will be like that, so enjoy it! If you start to run more, and it's hard to know how much to add, you might consider a Fitbit. I was fine until I started training for a half marathon last fall, and then I needed to add more food. But in the past, that was one of my downfalls -- I ran 26 marathons, and it was really tricky to eat enough but not too much. When I get back to marathons in a year or so, I don't think I'll have the same problem, because now I have the Fitbit, and I have a good idea of my calorie deficit, no matter how active (or inactive) I am.

K9Owner- You got this. The scale wont know whats coming ;). Good luck on your run tomorrow.

Queen Sarah- I really should look into the fit bit. Just spent money on my garmin running watch and dont feel like I can dole any out on more techno gadgets right now. That would be the solution to my crazy head games I'm playing with myself though.

I love my Garmin running watch, too! I had that for years before I got the Fitbit, and won't run without it. In fact, last fall, it finally broke, and I was *happy* because it was an excuse to get the latest technology Garmin.

If you do find yourself with $100 to spend, and decide to get the Fitbit, you'll find that it is not accurate with regard to miles. (There's a way to get it to be more accurate, by adjusting your running stride length on the website, but I don't need to be that fussy, because I rely on the Garmin for mileage).

The Fitbit is great for those activities that aren't set apart as "exercise." Like today, I didn't leave the apartment building, but I did a lot of laundry and other walking around that burned calories.

Sigh. I think I am addicted to gadgetry. :o And data. It helps me stop with the head games! :dizzy::)

Went 50 calories over my 1550 calorie limit :( I have make up for that tomorrow..i have to say no to breadsticks & cheese sauce :(

I am sticking to my plan 4 days now, and I am eating very healthy and clean. The weird thing is that I don't feel hungry so I have to make myself eat more. Maybe I need to add in more exercise. My plan is about 1250 Cal a day, it's more between 1100 - 1300 though.

QueenSarah- I know! I have only had it a few weeks but it has been awesome! Until the snows of last week I have been running trails in the foothills. After having my garmin I have come to the realization that I was over estimating my milage when doing foothills runs. Not by a crazy large amount, like .25 miles. But this is very exciting for training. Plus I LOVE being able to know my elevation gain and average speed etc. Such a motivating tool. As far as head games a fitbit would be the solution for sure. I had my BMR measured a few years ago. I was really surprised at the time that it was measured at like 1920 calories or something. At that time I weighed 165 and had been consistently lifting weights for months. Plus I was 4 years younger. Now I feel I have no clue what my BMR is. Calculators are simply educated guesses, and a persons actual calorie burn could be greatly different than the guestimates. Maybe I'll start hinting to the husband how much I want one ;).

In the meantime I am done with the freaking out worrying about whether my calories are right. I will continue to shoot for 1700, and as long as I am still losing and still have energy for my workouts I wont worry too much about the usual few hundred I have been going over, and I wont worry about changing from the soft goal of 1700.

Thanks for the advice and support of all you ladies on this thread. You have been so great!!

Philana- Thats awesome! Good luck on your 4 days. You got this!

Down another 2lbs. this morning. It's working! :carrot:

Going to bump my cals up today and tomorrow, but stay under maintenance, then back to the 1300-1500 range Mon-Fri. That's what I did last weekend/week.

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b: cheese and veggie omelet, grapefruit, coffee - 400
l: 10 ritz w/p. butter - 360
d: 1 slice pizza hut pan pizza - 400
s: I made monkey bread :eek: - 500

Total: 1660

s: cheese puffs <-- wth? someone left them on the counter and they jumped into mah mouth! - 200

Total: 1860. Enough already!

Ok, I'm confused and I hope that someone can help me. I steamed frozen spinach a few minutes ago and the nutrition label said 1 cup of spinach = 30 calories. I measured out 3 cups (frozen) = 90 calories. After the spinach was steamed and I was preparing my food, I measured the spinach again. The final measure after the spinach was steamed measured only 1 cup. So now I am very confused. Do I count my calories by using the frozen spinach measurements or do I count my calories using the final result of the spinach being steamed resulting in 1 cup = 30 calories? Thanks for any help.

How many serving are in the entire container? For example if the bag says it contains 4 serving at 1 cup and it looks like you have taken 1/4 of the bag then your 3 cups steamed to one must be one serving. But of the bag is 3/4 empty you know you needed to count frozen cups.

Hope that helps. I don't know how else I would be able to know for sure but by the bag's emptiness relative to servings you have taken.

Hi all. Down 2 more pounds this week so I am happy about that, especially with needing to eat lunch out one day and having a few bites of a turtle and some fudge at the choclatier.

Yesterday came in at 1550.

Today, I have everything planned out, coming in at 1350. This cold is taking away my appetite. I should probably add in a snack later if I feel up to it.

200 egg white omelet and toast
250 sandwich
110 cocoa
160 yogurt
200 chicken(ended up being fried so now 350)
160 slaw
120 beans
150 coffee

***Change of plans. The store was out of rotisserie chicken so we ended up getting fried chicken. I personally wouldn't have made that choice but I am sick so I wasn't the one out shopping. It did put my calories up to 1600 and that's more my calorie range. I am not feeling at all snacky tonight so I think that should be good for the day. If I need a snack it will likely be an ounce of chocolate chips for 70 cals or a granola bar for 100....

Hope everyone has a great day!

Perfect explanation !!! I understand exactly what you said. After reading your reply, I went and measured the remaining spinach in the bag. There were 4 cups of frozen spinach left in the bag. The bag says 6 cups per serving (in the bag) but the bag had 7 cups of frozen spinach. So the bag calls for you to measure 1 cup of frozen spinach (as 1 serving) and not 1 cup of "cooked" spinach. So that is not a lot of spinach at all if I want to have 1 cup (frozen).

I surely appreciate you breaking it down for me. Now I will know how to calculate the calories based on what's in the bag.

Thanks again!!!!!

Calorie Limit-1550

Calories Used-972

Calories Under-578

Yesterday I burned 665 more calories than I consumed. That's the best day I've had in awhile, and pretty good for barely leaving the apartment!

Calories burned: 2133
Calories logged: 1468

brunch: coffee, 1 cup linguini, chicken, sauteed veggies, 2 tblspn balsamic vinaigrette (Ken's) - 550
s: banana w/p butter - 150
d: planned: chicken salad (homemade), rice, side salad - 600 or so

Total: approx. 1300

Mah sweet tooth woke up but I didn't know what I wanted so I nommed on some Honey Nut Cherrios outta the box. Didn't measure or anything but did control it. 200 cals.

Total: 1500