The Hacker's Diet - January 2008

4 more pounds lost in January. I didn't really plan it that way -- again, like in December, I would have been happy with 3 but I'll take it! I was afraid that the Las Vegas trip in the middle of the month would mess things up but I didn't eat much while I was there so it was a wash I guess.

Since the start of the diet I've lost 18 pounds and I have 12 to go. So I'm 60% of the way there. My BMI dropped into the 27's about a week ago. None of my pants fit properly but I'm still going to wait until I lose those last 12 lbs before I buy more pants.

In January I worked out 18 of the 31 days, averaging only 263 calories per workout. I think this is a good happy medium where I don't get too worn out by exercising on an empty stomach.

Now here's something tangible.

I've been attempting to record calories eaten per day. I have two full months of data to work with. Check this out (all units are calories)

Avg. consumed per day: 1741
Avg. loss per day: 412
Avg. workout per day: 136

From these numbers I can compute how many calories I burn on average each day WITHOUT working out. That is, if I do not work on a given day this is how many calories I would burn just sitting around:

1741 + (412 - 136) = 2017. Let's just call it 2000 calories a day. That's my allowance.

Lost in January: 4 lbs
Total Loss since starting Diet: 18 lbs

Halfway There

This week I made it half-way to my goal of 30 lbs down -- my trend line passed 175 sometime on Tuesday night. 15 pounds lost, 15 pounds to go.

Let's review some stats.

• 15 lbs lost in 16 weeks
• Starting BMI: 30.41 (technically "obese")
• Current BMI: 28.30
• Calories Lost (3500 x 15) = 52,500. That's a lot of calories!

Say hello to my new best friends.

• 100-Calorie Yogurt (the Thick and Creamy is the BEST).
• Lean Cuisine. 300 Calories for lunch.
• A 100-Calorie Dorito pack for an afternoon snack.
• Lots and Lots of Decaf Coffee.

The above regime allows me to get home in the evening after having consumed only 500 calories, which is especially great if I start off the day burning 200-300 calories at the gym. Not a bad trick.

At the rate I'm going I should reach my goal of 30 lbs lost in another 16 weeks -- sometime around my birthday in April. That will be a nice present. Maybe I'll buy myself a thong.

The Hacker's Diet - December

Its a good thing I had low expectations of December. I was convinced that I could not keep up a pound a week diet with all the parties and celebrations and days inside. I told myself I would be happy if I could lose three pounds in December and you know what? I just made it, just barely.


This is a weight trend/time graph from the day I started the Hacker's Diet until yesterday (the end of the year). Look at the last two weeks of December! It was actually going backwards there for a while -- the peak of that little bump is Christmas Day itself. It was a total binge-fest. Almost uninterrupted feasting all day.

But I was successful in my expectations: the month started at 179.1 and ended at 176.1, exactly three pounds. Take THAT Santa.

I have a similar goal for January -- 3 to 4 more lbs. These lowered expectations are because of a four day trip to Las Vegas where I do not intend to be counting calories. :)

Lost in December: 3 lbs


Total Loss since starting Diet: 14 lbs