[jendiet]

I see a lot of posts about this and I deal with the concept myself too.

How did I get so big???

In the beginning of 2003 I was a healthy 136 lbs. by the end of 2008 I was 196 lbs. How did that happen.

You know the saying 3500 kcals=1lb. So if you eat 3500 calories too much you will gain 1 lb.

Well it is 2009--so rougly 6 years passed from 136-196. That's 60 lbs in 6 years. That breaks down to 10 lbs a year.

That is 10 times I ate 3500 too many calories for me a year.

10*3500 =35,000. That means I ate 35,000 calories too much for that year.

If I break it down into daily amounts. 35,000 /365 days a year= 96 calories too much a day.

That means I ate about 100 cs too much for me a day for 365 days.

100 cs???? Are you serious? Maybe I better not eat that extra serving of potatoes next time.

Doesn't it just blow your mind???

[Idealmuse]

That's funny I just posted something similar to someone.

100 calories is nothing... most of us over do it by a lot more no wonder we can pack it on so quickly. I gained 50lbs 186-239 Between July and Dec last year.

'tis why tracking calories is such an important tool for most of us. Knowledge... the key to weight loss.

[L R K]

definitely is an eye opener, thanks for sharing

[kiramira]

One extra apple a day...
GAWD...

Kira

[cooperistic]

It's crazy but it makes sense. When I left high school I weighed 170 pounds. I would drink some sort of pop every day. When I left high school I pretty much never touched it for some reason and without even realizing, over the course of about a year I dropped around 25ish pounds. It shows you how the smallest choice or habit can make a hugh difference.

[mescelestus]

Wow, that really did just blow my mind...I mean I think about things a lot, but I never thought of it that way!

[doIlookfat?]

And don't forget, our metabolism is going down each year too! Do you exercise? I only walk when it's not too hot outside. (heath issues) Every year I will need to work out a little more and eat a little less just to break even! Depressing, isn't it?

[seagirl]

I moved from the city to the suburbs and 35 pounds crept on in 2 or 3 years. I didn't realize how much more walking I did (and I used to walk to the thai food restaurant at least once a week for takeout!) in the city, and what a difference that made in keeping my weight where it should be.

It's more work now, but I will get back there.

[SugarHabit]

deeppresssiiiinnggggg.

[JayEll]

Yes, and 100 calories is so easy! It's:

a three-egg omelet instead of a two-egg omelet
a handful of nuts
one tablespoon of butter, olive oil, mayonnaise, or salad dressing
a large cookie
an ounce of full-fat cheddar cheese
a third of a Snickers, Milky Way, etc. bar
half of a slice (1/8) of a 12" pizza.
a glass of 1% milk
half of a small-size BK french fries
a slice of bread
a half cup of cooked rice (white, brown, doesn't matter)

And so it goes... not much... but every day? It adds up.

Jay

[patchworkpenguin]

Thanks Jen for working all that out.

That really does make me stop and think.

[Samantha100]

When I attended university in Nice, France I walked everywhere. A trip to the beach was 2 miles one way and I had to take huge stairs down to the beach and then come back up them on the home. We used to get up in the middle of the night to walk from the university to the city area to a small bakery to get just-baked croissants. I ate anything and everything and I weighted just 135 lbs. Now I know I was much younger, but how we live a sedentary life, sit on the couch with a bat of chips had a lot to do with how I put the weight on.

[Truffle]

Boy, this sure is an eye-opening thread! Just goes to show why I haven't had any luck just "cutting back" without actually measuring or paying attention to what I'm really eating.
Just eyeballing a portion wrong means more pounds packed on.

[mygritsconfessions]

Yes, that does blow my mind. If I did my calculations, THAT would be even scarier, so I don't think I will!

Thanks for sharing though.

[Arctic Mama]

Ugh, you're killin' me here, people!