Look up the calories burned online, halve it because they always over-estimate and add it to your food allowance? Exercise doesn't burn as many calories as you might think, so a lot of people just accept the extra deficit.

Good work this first two weeks buddy

OK, that makes sense. Thanks!

Week 3, Day 4 - sorry I forgot to post yesterday. I did stay on target.

Baseline 329.7
Week 1 Avg. 325 (-4.7)
Week 2 Avg. 321.4 (-8.3)
Today 318.4 (-11.3)

BREAKFAST - Irish oatmeal w/wheat bran, milk, and dried cranberries

SNACK - nonfat mocha flavored Greek yogurt

LUNCH - Salad (3 cups greens, 2 hard cooked eggs, 1 Tb. shredded cheddar, 10 tortilla chips, dressing)

This can be OK as long as the reward is not food related. Strengthening the neural connection between unhealthy eating and success will not be beneficial in the long term.

Resistance training (weight lifting) in order to maintain muscle while on this prolonged caloric deficit should be your top priority in terms of exercise at this point. Adding in some low impact cardio (walking/swimming/biking) could also be fine but you don't have to be killing yourself with that stuff.

In terms of changing calorie intake I would see how you feel with the extra deficit and go from there. If you feel you need to add a few hundred calories you can absolutely do that, if you are ok sticking with the calorie range you have been at, that is fine too.

Sorry about the lack of updates - sick child, sick wife, and now sick me

Get well soon mate

Thanks! Took a day from work, slept, and I am starting to feel better.

WEEK 3, DAY 7

Baseline 329.7
Week 1 Avg. 325 (-4.7)
Week 2 Avg. 321.4 (-8.3)
Today 317.8 (-11.9)

BREAKFAST - 1 fried egg, 2 slices of low cab toast with a dab of margarine

LUNCH:
Tuna wrap (6 oz. tuna, 1 Tb lite mayo, lettuce, low cal wrap)
2 C sugar free 2% chocolate milk

SNACK - Melon chunks

Dinner will be a hearty soup with either a chicken or egg sandwich

WEEK 4, DAY 1

Baseline 329.7
Week 1 Avg. 325 (-4.7)
Week 2 Avg. 321.4 (-8.3)
Week 3 Avg. 318.9 (-10.8)
Today 317.8 (-11.9)

BREAKFAST - Fiber One, low fat granola, 100 calories of pecans, 2% milk, 1/2 C watermelon

SNACK - 1 square of bittersweet chocolate and 1/3 cup Fiber One

LUNCH - 3 oz. low fat cheddar cheese, 1 apple, 1 6 oz. mocha yogurt, 1/4 cup Fiber One

SNACK - 2 part skim cheese sticks

DINNER - 6 oz. pan fried salmon, 1 1/2 cups canned green beans

In theory I am supposed to eat more than I did today, but I am not hungry. So, good night!

And, I spoke too soon... One salad, some sugar free ice cream & Fiber One later and I went to sleep.

WEEK 4, DAY 2 (yesterday)

Baseline 329.7
Week 1 Avg. 325 (-4.7)
Week 2 Avg. 321.4 (-8.3)
Week 3 Avg. 318.9 (-10.8)
Today 317 (-12.7)

BREAKFAST - Something called "brannock cakes", basically lightly fried oatmeal. Filling, but I am not sure it is a real upgrade over, well, oatmeal!

SNACK - 2 part skim mozzarela sticks

LUNCH - 1 C french vegetable soup, 10 tortilla chips, 1 C roast carrots

SNACK - pecans and Fiber One

DINNER - 6 oz. pan fried salmon, salad w/ lite dressing, 2 low cal/high fiber rolls, 2 small squares gluten free coffee cake (wife's birthday)

WEEK 4, DAY 3

Baseline 329.7
Week 1 Avg. 325 (-4.7)
Week 2 Avg. 321.4 (-8.3)
Week 3 Avg. 318.9 (-10.8)
Today 316.4 (-12.1)

So, Thursdays are my day off. This means that it is not unusual for me to be out shopping when lunch time comes around. As you will see below, I went to Panera and tried one of their salads for lunch. I will not be doing that again - there was quinoa and almonds, but maybe 2 oz. worth total, when I have become accustomed to 4 oz. of protein at lunch. It satisfied me for a bit but I think I was catching up, hunger wise, for the rest of the day...

BREAKFAST - Fiber One, low fat granola, and pecans in 2% milk

SNACK - 2 part skim mozzarella sticks

LUNCH - Panera mediterranean quinoa salad and an apple

SNACK - 1 square 80% chocolate, 1/2 C Fiber One

DINNER:
Sliced turkey wrap: low cal wrap, 7 oz. turkey, 1/2 C lettuce, onion, 1 Tb lite mayo, mustard, relish
Applesauce with oat bran
1 square 80% chocolate, 1/2 C Fiber One

I don't think I ate enough yesterday. Either that or I had a crazy weight fluctuation.

Yesterday I was 316.4, this morning 314. Makes no sense to me, and I bet that 314 will either (a) remain the same over the weekend or (b) go back up to 15 and change by tomorrow.

This is the challenge inherent in daily weigh ins - variance!

Yeah lol variance. Ignore it.

It's just related to your current hydration levels and your sodium intake. (Sodium is associated with water retention)

Nice work though! 15+ lbs in less than a month is a great start.

Thanks! I expect it to slow down going forward because this still includes the first couple of weeks.

Yeah it will definitely slow at some point. The numbers aren't all that important though. Just keep plugging away and you'll get there eventually.

^This

I do daily weigh ins still now that I am at my goal weight as I am trying to learn how to properly maintain weight (146 - 150 the past 30 days) now. Wed morning I weighed 146.2, Wed night I drank a ton of bourbon and ate all sorts of jerky (high in sodium) and other carb loaded sweets. Thurs morn I weighed 148.6, this morning I was right back down to 146.2.

WEEK 4, DAY 7

Baseline 329.7
Week 1 Avg. 325 (-4.7)
Week 2 Avg. 321.4 (-8.3)
Week 3 Avg. 318.9 (-10.8)
Today 314.8 (-14.9)

As of tonight I have completed one month of my diet!
I am down nearly 15 pounds from my baseline, a healthy 3.7 pounds a week.
This week I added a hole to my belt.
While I have had some junk here or there, my self control is significantly better than it has been without a diet.

So, feeling good. I am not sure I will keep posting food since the menu is (purposefully) repetitive. Instead I will post a bit about my experiences and challenging days/moments.

Next goal - swim 2x and lift 1x a week, beginning with this, week 5.

A bit more personal - some chafing that had been bothering me since the summer has disappeared!

Backslid a bit - two days in a row my weigh ins have gone up. Not too much yet, but enough to tell me I have not been careful enough at following the food plan.

Back on track today, or so I hope!

WEEK 5, DAY 1

Baseline 329.7
Week 1 Avg. 325 (-4.7)
Week 2 Avg. 321.4 (-8.3)
Week 3 Avg. 318.9 (-10.8)
Week 4 Avg. 316 (-13.7)
Today 315.2 (-14.5)
Today 314.8 (-14.9)

You should probably move to weekly weigh-ins IMO. I obviously can't speak to much about your adherence but these daily fluctuations are often meaningless.

I am going to acknowledge that you are totally correct while also acknowledging that it has become an enjoyable part of my daily routine.

This is an irrational choice.

That's fine obviously. Just try not to change what you are doing based on the number the scale happens to spit out that day.

Well done on the 15lb month...great work...

WEEK 4, DAY 3

Baseline 329.7
Week 1 Avg. 325 (-4.7)
Week 2 Avg. 321.4 (-8.3)
Week 3 Avg. 318.9 (-10.8)
Today 313.4 (-16.3)

Had the first "normal" food day in a while yesterday, in which I stuck to my food plan 100%. I think one of my signals as to how the day went is whether I feel hungry at dinner.

I meant to take a picture of my pan fried salmon, but I ate it before I remembered...