Daily Bread #101

I did my second Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) test last week.  The first was a year and a half and a hundred pounds ago.  The rate was of course different, but in some interesting ways.  The weirdest thing was that I got taller.  Not much, just a third of an inch, but given that people tend to get shorter as they age, getting taller is fairly miraculous.  Less weight on my spine, standing straighter, my new knee, are all possible explanations, but who cares?  I will take the miniscule physical growth along with larger emotional and spiritual growth (maturity) that can make us wiser as we age.

My resting energy expenditure went down from 1555 to 1210.  It takes fewer calories to, for example,  pump blood through a smaller body, so I knew that number would go down.  If you add in daily activities and 30 minutes of exercise, the total average calories my body is estimated to burn is 1573.  The really good news is that my metabolic rate is only 8% slower than the average for people of my height, weight and age.  During the last test, I was 11% slower.  The difference is likely due to my exercise routine and increased muscle mass.

In terms of the number of calories I need to eat in order to maintain my weight, the test was only marginally helpful, as it gave a maintenance range of 1210-1573, which seems fairly wide.  I have been eating roughly 1400-1500 calories a day, but then again I exercise more that 30 minutes most days.

I love math, but it isn’t perfect.  Still, it really is calories in versus calories out.  This last week I exercised a lot more as my cold was better, and burned around 2000 more calories than I did last week.  I ate about the same amount and so the scale showed a 1.3 pound loss.

Everyone has been talking and worrying about the corona virus.  I am in a “sensitive category” due to my age, but my health is so much better I am much less worried than I would have been 2 years ago.  No more “underlying health conditions” for me!

In any case, life always involves risks.  And you need to live it if it is going to mean something.  The only real change I am making is washing my hands much more often and for longer.  We will hunker down in our house if the situation gets worse, but for now I am still enjoying my walks.

L’Chaim!  This week’s stats: My Fitbit report shows 65891 steps last week for 27 miles.   I ate approximately 10570 calories and burned 13827 for a deficit of 3257. My average weight this week is down 1.3  pounds from last week’s average for a total loss of 164.9.