:The "C" Word

Noooo, not that one. dirty minds. I am taking about CONSISTENCY. The less sexy counterpart to commitment. Why am I talking consistency? Because consistency is the only way you will lose weight. I was reading a blog a few weeks ago. This individual would have a great week and then have a 12000 calorie weekend. During the week this person would have a 500-800 calorie daily deficit. A pretty decent total. But that weekend total completely blew away his week day loss and not only was he not losing, he was gaining. He was frustrated, very frustrated. The thing is, it really is simple for about 90 percent of us. Calories in, calories out. Say he burns 2500 calories a day. During the week he eats 1800. (that's generous) so, 700 calorie deficit. On Saturday he eats 6000 cal. , on Sunday, an additional 6000 calories. So, 12000-5000=7000 excess calories. After that binge fest it would take him 10 days of calorie deficit just to break even. Now, before the lot of you trundle off muttering *good GOD, how can anybody ingest 6000 calories a day* Here's a little list from some of our favorite restaurants.

McDonald's French Fries
small: 231 cal.
Med: 380 cal.
Large: 500 cal.

Big Mac: 540 cal.
large coke : 320 cal.

so large fry, large coke, and large french = large person (1360 cal.)
I used to go to chipotle until I found out my chicken burrito with rice, chicken, fresh tomato salsa and cheese totaled a whopping 1240 calories.

1 on the border spicy chicken chimichanga WITHOUT THE SIDES (I hope your sitting down)
1160 KILLING CALORIES.

One piece of fried chicken.....about 500 calories, not counting sides like mashed potatoes and coleslaw.
Let's not talk about rice. 1 cup 205 calories.
2 Oz. pasta 210 calories
1 CUP pasta sauce prego 180 calories
40z. hamburger 93% lean 230 calories.

1 cup hagen daz ice cream 540 calories
1 Tablespoon of sugar 45 calories.

I will stop now. Let's just say you can be trucking along, trying to eat healthy and your day could end up looking something like this.

1 cup Quaker granola 420 calories
1cup 2% milk 122 calories
1 apple 80 calories

2 cups coffee
4 T sugar 180 calories
4 T half and half 80 calories

Lunch
2 slices whole wheat bread 200 calories
4 slices ham 120 calories
2 slices cheese 200 calories
1 banana 100 calories

Dinner
1 to 1.5 cups of rice 250 calories
6 oz. Steak 320 calories
1 cup broccoli 55 calories
1 T butter 100 calories

Desert
1 cup ice cream vanilla 280 calories

That my friends was a 2507 calorie day. A woman my height (5'3, at 35 years of age, at 135 lbs) needs about 1350 calories to maintain that weight without exercise. With exercise I can add maybe 300 calories on the day I move...maybe 400. My grand total for any day would be 1600 to 1750 calories a day. If I over ate like that daily (or worse) I would be over consuming by about 800 calories a day. In five days I could gain 1 lb.
Even if you were just 100 calories over, in 35 days, you would gain 1 lb. In one year you would gain 11 lbs. Through the power of CONSISTENT overeating, in 10 years you too could be like me, over 100 lbs overweight.
Here's the rub, it's alot easier to not pay attention and overeat, than to pay attention and under eat. That is why I count my calories and I measure my food, all of it. It isn't hard for anybody to go over their daily allotment. A cup of ice cream here, a bowl of popcorn there, next thing you know, they are fitting you for a pacemaker. So, don't go for the big deficit. Go for the consistent deficit. The one you know you can handle. You will get there, but in the mean time you will be learning portion size, calorie totals and the like. So, whether it's one hundred, five hundred or a thousand, make it consistent.
Yours in consistency ( and occasional boredom)
Chris