Day 274: 269 lbs

I returned from my trip last night, and found that I had lost four pounds in the two days. That's encouraging, since I've been disciplined about my diet even while traveling--yesterday I managed to stick to my diet despite the lunch meeting with a client--but I don't want to get too carried away at this point.

Part of the weight I lost may be because I could still be a little dehydrated from all the air travel. And part of it may be the "easy weight" I always lose at the start of a new diet (and gain back at the end).

I'm not sure what this "easy weight" exactly represents: it may be water, or contents of my digestive tract (for lack of a more delicate phrase), or some other adjustment that my body makes when I start a diet. But I have noticed over the years that any time I start a diet I lose 5-10 pounds in the first few days. That's much faster than is possible to burn actual fat (at least without running a marathon) since it implies burning tens of thousands of calories per day.

My best estimate of my calorie burn is in the 4,000-5,000 calories/day range. This varies by my weight and activity level (of course). When I get to a reasonable weight (my goal is 185 lbs, which might actually be a little too skinny for a man my height), it will be in the ballpark of 2,500-3,000 calories/day.

And I have found that if I'm not careful on a diet, my capacity for self-deception is almost unlimited. Just look back to entries I posted back several months ago, when I thought I was consuming 1,500 calories per day but not losing any weight. Even if my body had adjusted and was burning fewer calories than normal, somehow I must have been eating twice as much food as I thought.

That's what I need to watch out for. For me, allowing any leeway in my calorie tracking is a very slippery slope. If I put anything into my mouth (other than diet drinks and fresh vegetables) which I don't carefully measure and log, then I'll quickly figure out some way to justify eating everything.