FEAR OF GETTING FAT AGAIN

At the end of every diet, the path curves back to the trough.
Mason Cooley

I am a saver. You never know when you might need that thing again. It took years of ridicule from my daughter before I removed those large shoulder pads from my jackets and quit wearing my theme sweaters. So last week when I stood in front of approximately 30 pairs of slacks and jeans accumulated over the past decade, I experienced a myriad of emotions. Joy that they were falling off of me. Disappointment that some had only been purchased this winter and I really-really like them. And fear that one day in the future I might once again need them because I had regained all my weight back. And I know I am not the only dieter that wonders that.

Last week, Dr. Zambada spoke about what is necessary to gain one pound in a day:

3500 calories + your BMR.

The B.M.R. or Basal Metabolic Rate is the amount of calories you use at rest. The amount of calories it takes to keep your heart beating, your lungs breathing---basically the amount of energy you would need if you just stayed in bed all day and did nothing more than think. For most of us that is well over 1000 calories. We have to have this much energy intake to stay alive.

To calculate your BMR you can go to one of the following websites.
I checked them all and they vary by only a few calories.

Discovery Health
Internet Fitness
BMR Calculator

So if you want to gain a pound in one day you will need to ingest your BMR (for me that is 1230) calories + 3500 calories (that are in one pound). That means I need to eat 4,730 calories in one day. Can it be done? Sure. One piece of my favorite dessert from Cheesecake Factory could easily use up my BMR. But I would have to have a hearty breakfast, lunch and a large dinner to reach the 4000 calorie mark. Should I ever indulge that much, the next day I need to go back on
Phase 1--a Low Carb day. Hopefully, my pancreas will be in a more functional condition thanks to Ideal Protein and I can burn my calories more efficiently. And hopefully, now that I understand what carbs do to my body, my enlightened consciousness should overrule my gluttony.

Yes, it is possible that I might regain all 25 pounds and those slacks that are falling off of me now, may fit snugly once again. It is also possible that large shoulder pads will come back in style and my daughter will wish I had bequeathed all my theme sweaters to her in my will. Anything is possible. But I must tell myself that nothing tastes as good as thin feels. Or to quote a Founding Father---

We never repent of having eaten too little. ~Thomas Jefferson