Hey Mike,

I think you might have misunderstood something.

There are, IMO, 4 numbers you need to know to lose weight.

1. What your BMR is: BMR Calculator FitDay does this calculation for you too - more or less.
2. How many calories you burn from activities - FitDay is a huge help here.
3. How many calories you have eaten in a day - be careful of serving size - because almost everyone under estimates the amount they eat - at least at first. FitDay is also a huge help here.
4. There are about 3500 calories in a pound of body fat.

So, to lose weight - eat about 1000 calories less then you burn (BMR + activity).

If you go too low - your body will try to conserve calories - so make sure you stay above about 1200-1500 cal/day.

If you go too high (over BMR + activity) you will gain weight.

If you stay at a deficit of about 1000 cal/day you will lose about a pound every 3 days or 2 pounds a week which is generally considered a safe rate to lose weight.

You'll probably lose a lot more the first couple weeks, but bounce around a bunch. I weigh daily and expect about a 3-5 pound +- daily difference, but if you are prone to being bothered by "not making progress" you might only weigh once a week so that differences in hydration and um, intestinal bulk don't make you think you are failing.

The FitDay charts are great to see the whole picture and see the general trend downward. :)

(But we are kind of in the wrong thread for this conversation) :)

I'll respond to the shirataki noodles then! I LOVE them, dieting is so much easier with them. Last night I had them with tomato sauce and tuna, delicious! I use the no calorie ones I buy online at konjacfoods.com. Everyone should try them!

I'm resurrecting this thread because I tried the angel hair version of these noodles today in a stir-fry, and I thought they were terrific! With a tasty stir-fry sauce on them, I couldn't tell the difference. They sure made a difference in my calories for the day, though, with only about 20 calories in what I ate vs. 150-200 calories in regular pasta.

I had tried the fettuccini style ones before in a lightened up fettuccini alfredo and was less than impressed. They were ok, but not something I would seek out. I'd recommend the stir-fry much more. With all of the flavors and veggies and the thinner noodles, they seemed much more like a "regular" noodle.

One thing I haven't seen anyone mention: they stink! They smell truly awful when you open the package, but they fortunately do not taste at all like they smell. Once you rinse them (very well!) and toss them in sauce, they are just fine. But that first whiff will send you running if you aren't prepared! :D