Richard’s Personal Blog

Breakfast: two breakfast claws, 480; muffin, 210.
Lunch: two muffins, 420; green salad, 260; shrimp salad, 250.
Dinner: two enchiladas, 680; juice, 100; candy, 100.
Total calories: 2,500. A nice round number.

Scrambled eggs, 275; sausage, 120; pita bread, 170; rice cakes, 70; tomato soup, 225; cereal with milk, 530; enchiladas, 680; juice, 145; applesauce, 130. Total calories: 2,345.

Today, much better: cereal with milk, 370; bagel, 290; chai tea, 130; grilled chicken sandwich, 550; pickle, 15; various juices, 325; candy, 118; rice cakes, 280; bread, 172; vegetables, 55; root beer, 250, calamari steak, 250. Total calories: 2805

I feel like I’ve done much worse today, and yet the numbers indicate otherwise.

Cereal with milk, 365; Jack in the Box Sirloin Steak Melt (tried one for the first time; so much processed cheese food and saucy çráp in there that I felt like I was eating straight lard), 880; small curly fries, 270; root beer, 250; chips and salsa, 300; ground beef tacos, 390; rice cakes, 140. Total calories: 2,595

Starting to think about my food intake again. Doesn’t mean I’m on a diet; my weight has been quite stable over the past year. I’m more curious than anything, but I wouldn’t object to losing 10% of my body weight. OK, so what the heck did I eat yesterday?

Cereal with milk, 480; apple juice, 145; an Indian curry, 750; naan, 400; can of root beer, 140; chicken curry casserole, 750; ramen noodles, 380; small candy bar, 50. Total calories: 3,095.

According to the Calorie Calculator for Men, my basal metabolic rate (calories needed to maintain my current weight with virtually no exercise) is 3,044 calories per day, and it suggests intake of 2,900 calories to lose weight over time with my typical sedentary activity levels. The Mayo Clinic suggests around 2,700 calories to maintain current weight, and Discovery Health suggests 2,231 calories as long as I stay in bed all day.

Three calculators, same data, three different results. One confused calorie burner.