Lin, isn't it amazing? I rarely yell but I DID yell at DH about this issue (finally), and he did such an about face. He must have whiplash! But I'm not knocking it--I'm very grateful for his support.

To figure out your bmr (basal metabolic rate), nutritionists use the Harris-Benedict Equation:

Females: 655 + (9.6 x weight in kg) + (1.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age)

To get your weight in kg, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. This number is, in theory, the number of calories your body should burn in a day just to function. Any activity (ANY activity, even getting out of bed in the morning) requires more calories. I don't know what standard my nutritionist used to figure the 800-1000 calorie need for my exercise. But if you drop below your bmr your metabolism slows down to compensate, a lesson I am learning the painful way.

This is an important (and painfully obvious) thing I figured out through the last couple of days:

Caloric need and bmr are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. Your bmr is the baseline--you MUST have those calories. Your caloric need is the extra* calories you need to get up and move around and exercise and all that fun stuff. So when they say "cut 250 calories from your diet and try to burn 250 more by exercising to end up with a calorie deficit" they're meaning "cut 250 calories out of the EXTRA amount you need for your daily activity level". DUH. This was painfully obvious. But, live and learn.

Yesterday I was thoroughly challenged by eating this much food (healthy food). I was telling DH that I could easily do it if I ate "bad for me" stuff--sugar and fried foods and the like. But this much healthy food (especially, being vegetarian, this many vegetables) is really, really hard. But then I remembered about the existence of peanut butter and graham crackers. Healthy fat! Protein! Calories! YAY! :lol:

I'm feeling slightly pudgy, well, more pudgy that usual, but I'm gritting my teeth, staying off the scale, and determinedly eating up to my bmr. Gotta get my metabolism turned back on. I've been eating in the 36-40 range for 4 days now, due to a weekend with two "occasions" (DB's graduation BBQ and Father's Day). So, here's hoping. I have a consultation tonight with my Spinning instructor, we'll see what she thinks about my intake. She agreed that it's hard to eat enough calories on a vegetarian diet, but when I said my nutritionist thought I wasn't eating enough her face indicated that she didn't agree. Hmm. We shall see.

Lauren, I had a dream last night about those poor baby birds. :( Is it possible to move the tree onto your property? Or is it (ack) too late? :( That makes me so sad. All this improvement stuff is destroying our world. :(

Oh, Lin, about the charm bracelet: I bought a real* charm bracelet last year, and discovered that the dangly bits drove my hand nuts. WAY too much stimulation, I can't wear it (the nerves in that hand are damaged, and I wear my watch on my other wrist so I can't wear it there). Anyway, BF and I tested these bracelets on my hand, and there's nothing that dangles, and consequently nothing that rubs. You can even get it as long (loose) or as short (tight) as you want. A little loose but not loose enough to slide up and down my wrist is good for me.

Okay, so, news from my Spinning instructor:

She agrees, not enough calories. She also sympathizes with how hard it is to get that many calories, as a vegetarian and as a healthy eater. She suggested protein bars that were low in carbs. She also said I need a bit more protein--she suggested 150 grams as a goal--and possibly watching the sugars (like in milk and cereal). It was heartening when she said yeah, it's hard to see these things when you're so close, that's why you need someone else to look at it. So, I've gotta eat this much. ACK. I've got 37 points today. Man, was that effortful! I Finally gave up and resorted to macaroni and cheese--but still the light kind. Wow, I really have nothing bad for me in this house. It's a miracle my husband is still here! :lol:

Erika also said that it sounds like I'm adding just the right amount--about 300 calories. And 7-10 hours of exercise a week is obivously not typical, so if nothing budges still, try adding another 200. She also hooked me up to a heartrate monitor--gotta get me one of those! Wow, nice. :) Easy to use--you strap a band across your chest and wear a watch and that's it. Boom, it reads your heart rate constantly. Yay! A very useful training tool.

Anyway, Turtles, I've gotta go get a bath. Bye! :)

Hi, turtles. Haven't felt much like posting, though I've been reading. They started to take the tree down as I was typing my last message here, so yes, Erin, it's too late. In terms of moving the tree -- no, that would've been impossible. It was massive, about three times the height of our (two-story) house. It provided shade for the four houses at the end of our street.

I'm not sure why I watched them take it down, but I did, and it was excrutiating. They pulled down seven others just like it on our block (and this isn't a large block), so our street now looks denuded. It's awful. They came around again yesterday with another smiley-face bag that says "Happiness is a newly paved street!" This one contained a rubber construction worker doll in it, of all things. I've found a certain satisfaction in crushing the daylights out of it.

Anyway. Eating is going OK, weight is holding steady. I've gotten in five hours of exercise this past week, which I'm happy about, even if it hasn't been as rigorous as it could be. I found I was just too bored doing the more vigorous videos I've got, so I'm back to doing Richard Simmons. He's too easy for me now, but I figure it's better than doing nothing, which is what I was starting to do. And I enjoy his workouts. They're like learning dance moves at a party.

Today I'm going to watch a pet photographer photograph dogs. Did I mention that? I got it into my head a while ago that a character in one of my stories would be a pet photographer. Since I know nothing about the field, I contacted a local pet photographer and asked if I could observe her sometimes. We had a great talk, and she was very receptive. So today I'm going to go see my first doggie sitting. (She has photographed dogs, cats, rabbits, iguanas, hamsters, racing turtles ... she said the turtles were a real challenge, because when you put them down they just take off! :lol: Made me look at turtles differently.)

--Lauren

Hi, Turtles,

We're getting long. So, off to a new thread. See you all there.

Lin