… for a Klondike bar?  I have to say I think about this catchy commercial often.  Not that I really enjoy Klondike Bars. Rather, I am constantly thinking when I eat a Klondike bar ANYTHING, what will I have to do to burn off the calories.  What does it equate to in terms of minutes on the treadmill, bike or elliptical? Is the candy bar in the vending machine that calls my name every time I walk by really worth 15 minutes of running?

For over 6 months now I have managed to have success by continuing to eat whatever I wanted to (in moderation).  The key has been to ensure that I stay below my daily calorie budget.  Back when I started “the journey” on July 11th, I was able to consume 2,792 calories a day and still lose two pounds per week.  As of this week I am down to consuming 2,220 calories per day to lose two pounds per week.

However the issue as of late has been that I am not losing the 2 pounds each week.  It has fluctuated with some weeks losing zippy, and occasionally even gaining a little. Now I have not limited myself to just eating 2,220 calories, or whatever the total for the day is.  In fact, Lose It! lets you input your food calories consumed as well as exercise calories burned to give a net calories total for the day.  So there are days that I have managed to throw down 3,000 plus calories.  I figured as long as I netted out at zero or positive for the day, I would keep the scale moving down. I have figured wrong.

So now I have decided that I am going to treat my daily calorie budget like a bank account.  Every day that I work out, I will make sure that I leave a minimum of 500 extra calories in “savings”.  If I am able to workout 5 times a week, that’s a surplus of 2500 calories weekly.  Over the course of a month, that nets out at an extra 3 pounds of weight lost. In this case, saving every penny (or calorie) does add up. Being a finance major at Radford is finally paying dividends!

Over the weekend I did see a couple of friends that I had not seen in almost a year.  Their reaction when they both first saw me was exactly what I was hoping for. It definitely helps to get some positive feedback for all the hard work being put in. And it helps to remember and draw from those moments when I feel myself wavering. So next time I am thinking of what I would do for a Klondike Bar, I’ll just think of these commercials and laugh instead of actually going through with the act of eating.

Both of these scenarios may or may not be things that really happen in the Franklin household on a daily regular basis.