I went to the bookstore today, and checked out Dieting for Dummies. Here's the formula to calculate how many calories you need to maintain your present weight.

I take my current weight and multiply it by 10 = 168 pounds X 10 = 1,680, this amount equals the number of calories I burn by my body being just at rest. This is called your BMR or basal metabolism rate.

Then I take BMR and multiply it by my activity level, a number from 1 - 5. 1 - no exercise, 2 - walking 1 mile a day, 3 - walking 2 miles a day, 4 - moderate exercise, 5 - heavy exercise. I add a decimal point because that's the percentage of my BMR that I burn for my activity level.

I picked 4 since I walk anywhere from 4 - 6 miles a day.

168 X 0.4 = 672

I add the amount of calories I burn for my activity level to my BMR; 1,680 + 672 = 2,352.

(BMR + Activity Level) X 0.10 = this number is the amount I burn for your bodily functions, which is 10% of my BMR + activity level; 2,352 X 0.10 = 235

I add 235 to my BMR and my activity level; 1,680 + 672 + 235 = 2,587.

2,587 is the amount of calories I would need to eat to maintain my current weight.

Since I want to lose two pounds a week, I've cut 1,000 calories from my daily intake, and so far it's working.

I've been worrying about gaining some of the weight back, like I did before. I used the formula above and put in 130 pounds, which is my goal weight. I would have to eat about 2,000 calories a day to maintain that weight level. To be on the safe side, I took my activity level down to 0.3. That's alot of calories; it's 500 more than I'm eating now. I think that if I just keep tracking my calories, I'll be able to maintain my weight loss once I get to my goal weight without fear of it coming back. And I have the added bonus that I can now eat about 500 calories more a day.

At least that's the theory and the plan. I must admit I'm a little sceptical. Nothing in my life, including my body, seems to work the way everyone else's does. Tomorrow will mark one month since I've been on this new eating plan, and it's really not that bad. I can't eat the way I used to, but it's not like I'm starving or deprived of my favorite foods either. In fact, I ate 2 pieces of See's candy today and I'm still under my calorie count.

The weight is coming off very slowly, but at least it's coming off. I expect to be at my goal weight by the end of the year, if I contintue to lose 2 pounds a week. I wonder what my body will look like then. I can't wait.