ma, if you feel depleted, then you need to eat more. Otherwise, just enjoy the weight loss!! 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. And data. It helps me stop with the head games!

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!

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 - 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