Response to Anna and Weight Loss Calculations

Anna commented that my potential target weight of 132lbs wasn’t really reasonable. I agree that 132lbs would be a little slim for me. But just think about it, I would go from a 40 inch waist to a 28. I would be hot.

Her comment got me thinking. How long would it take me to get to 132lbs (60kg)? What would be involved? To achieve that kind of weight loss, I would have to create a caloric deficit of 392,000 calories [ (244-132) * 3500 ]. At best, I think I could create a daily deficit of about 1200 calories at my current weight. It would take me approximately 326 days of continuous dieting, if I could sustain a 1200 calorie deficit. Unfortunately, that is not possible. As I lose weight, my ability to post the required deficits will decrease. The time line will grow and grow as I lose more weight. This prompted me to figure out how to calculate the real time to lose the weight. I came up with 505 days. This is based on running 1 hour a day at an 11 minute/mile pace. That means I am covering 5.45 miles per day. And during this challenge I would run a total of 2752.25.

The math goes something like this. Take your weight and subtract your daily weight loss. And do this repeatedly until you hit your target weight. Don’t forget to track the number of times you need to do this calculation. To calculate your daily weight loss multiple your current weight by .79 (Running Coefficient) then multiple by the distance in miles you ran and then divide by 3500. [current weight * distance * .79 / 3500].

Anyone who does this on paper should send me a scan of it, I will post it. I am a little lazier and wrote a PHP program to do it for me. Here is the code:

<php>
$Weight = 244; // Starting weight
$Target = 132; // Target weight
$Days = 1; // Counter for duration of torture
 
while ($Weight &gt;= $Target){
// Lets lose that weight
$Weight = $Weight - ($Weight * 5.4 * .79/ 3500);
$Days++;
}
echo "Days: " . $Days . " Weight: " . round($Weight, 0);
</php>

When I listed each day’s weight from my calculation, I was surprised by how well the results aligned with the results of my previous weight loss 2 years ago. It took me from January to June (181 Days) to go from 258lbs to 198lbs. The calculation says it should take me about 219 days. However, if I bump the distance up to 6.5 miles then the calculation lands a day short at 180 days. To be honest, when I was working on the weight loss then, I was mountain biking 10-15 hours per week and going to the gym. So, I was working a little harder then the original calculation accounts for.

Weight loss is pretty simple. Just create the necessary caloric deficit. This can be accomplished by changing the input or the output. Eat less calories or exercise more. In my case, I need to do both. If I am dedicated, I can plan my weight loss by counting the input and calculating the output. If I want to lose more, then I need to change one of the variables.

This isn’t easy. I wanted a Magna bar yesterday so bad! I was obsessing about it, I couldn’t think about anything else. I felt desperate, like I was starved for air. I honestly felt that bad. I had to make a decision not to stop at Oxxo and get one. When I got home, I ate a couple of egg whites and a piece of toast to quench the hunger. It is a series of small decisions that lead to big results.

Notes: I got my Running Co-efficient from Cool Running. I took a look at their JavaScript calculator and lifted it. I haven’t verified it. None of my calculations take into account any of the other changes your body will under go.