Last time, I used an online calculator to determine by basal metabolic rate or BMR—the number of calories it takes to keep me a alive, albeit catatonic (and hungry). At 250 pounds, the magic number was 2,256.4 calories per day. Thanks to The Machine, I don’t quite way that much anymore, but let’s start with that figure anyway.

Strolling back to the online BMR calculator, I punch in my info again, click the button, then click the link marked Harris Benedict Equation. (Sounds intimidating, but it’s not—this from someone who hates math.) Continue reading

It’s fine to climb on The Machine and try to eat better, but if I’m going to do this right, I need more information. How many calories am I burning, at rest and while exercising? How many am I eating? How many do I want to eat? Though, in truth, this last should probably be rephrased: How many do I need to eat? (Eating what I want—eating everything I want—is what got me here to begin with.)

Getting solid numbers turns out to be more time-consuming than I’d imagined, but a bit of research leads me to what seems the most accurate method I can employ from home. An added bonus: the same site allows me to calculate several other figures I’ll be needing. BMI, BMR, body fat percentage, and hip to waist ratio have just become part of my vocabulary. Continue reading

So, I’m losing weight, but the speed at which I’m doing it seems less than stunning. What can I do to speed things up? Do I want to speed things up? Time to hit the keyboard. Here, in a nutshell, is what I find… Continue reading

The skimpy instructions that came with The Machine tell me to start by working out every other day. Fine by me: half the workouts I was planning on. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all. That makes this my first day off, so to speak.

I step on the scale, expecting to see the pounds sloughing off. I mean, sure, I only ellipticaled for 13 minutes yesterday—but that’s still 13 minutes more exercise than I’ve been getting, right? I check the readout, only to find that I’ve picked up two-tenths of a pound. WTF? Continue reading