Things we want but can’t have:
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👉Teenagers who never eye roll & huff out of the room.
👉Zero calorie cookies.
👉An exact starting number of calories to eat for weight loss.
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It’s all plug and play my friend. You find the number (more a range of numbers) that works through trial. The formula I’ve given here will get you a good starting point for that trial. Relax if it’s a little different than another formula you’ve seen. Remind yourself it’s all just a good estimate.
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Take the number you figure here and use it consistently for 4 weeks. By that I mean hit your target daily including weekends for that period of time, preferably while weighing your food as often as possible and accounting for licks, bites, tastes and sips.
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As you do this weigh yourself daily and keep track of those data points. After 4 weeks look at the trend in your weight. Is it down? Don’t worry about daily fluctuations. Those are 100% normal and expected. Look at the overall trend. A good average rate of progress is half a pound to two pounds per week. So after a month, have you lost 2 pounds? If so you’re on the right track. If not, adjust your numbers down slightly and go again.
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Remember that the scale is only one measure of progress. Use progress pictures, circumference measurements and fit of clothes in combo with your weight to evaluate your progress.
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One note about choosing your goal weight. It doesn’t *have* to be your ultimate goal weight if you have a lot to lose. So if you’re 250 pounds and want to get to 150, you might not want to choose 150 as your goal weight (but you could.) You could choose an intermediary goal, say 200 or 210 pounds.
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So let's wrap up with just a reminder that’s all plug & play and you can’t mess this up if you keep going! Don’t you quit.
