The Diet Science

Weight loss is math and science, combined with some will power and self discipline.  Here is the technical stuff.

To lose one pound of fat, you need to burn 3500 more calories than you consume.

One gram of fat is 9 calories.
One gram of carbohydrates is 4 calories.
One gram of protein is 4 calories.  

Our bodies will burn calories, even if we aren't doing anything.  To figure out where to start, you should discover your Resting Metabolic Rate.  This is the number of calories your body burns without any consideration towards exercise or even getting out of bed.  There are a number of RMR calculators on the web, but I used http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php, even though it's a bit more difficult to navigate.  Once you go to the page, click on the link for BMR & RMR Calculator, fill out the fields, and click calculate.  After doing so, you'll notice a list of numbers referencing factors and categories.  We'll get to those in a second.

First off, we want to look at your RMR.  This number is important because this is how many calories you can eat while staying absolutely still and neither gain or lose weight.  Seeing that most of us get out of bed to at least use the bathroom once or twice, this number isn't our guide, but it is our foundation.  Next comes the list of numbers.

Everyone's life is different.  I work a desk job and I hardly get up from my computer while at work.  Therefore, my life classifies as sedentary.  But the fact that I do get out of bed in the morning means that I'm burning more calories than my RMR, so I get to times my calorie limit by 1.2, meaning that I get my RMR count plus an additional amount to supplement my movement.

This new number is the number of calories we can eat in a day without losing or gaining weight. 

Losing 1 pound a day isn't reasonable or healthy.  It's better to think of things on a weekly basis.

Now here's the math to losing weight.

Say my RMR is in the 1300 range and with my sedentary lifestyle, I can eat in the 1575 range.  That would be 1575 calories a day, over 7 days.  1575 x 7 = 11025 calories a week.  Now we want to subtract a pound a week.  As mentioned at the beginning of this post, a pound is 3500 calories.  So 11025 - 3500 = 7525.  With a goal of losing 1 pound in 1 week, I need to limit myself to 7525 calories a week or (divide by 7) 1075 calories a day.  That is assuming I don't exercise.  The more you exercise, the more calories you can eat since you'll be burning them off.

This math is good, and it's the same math used by any calorie tracking tool you find out there.  However, you'll eventually end up with a snag if you keep following this.  This snag is that after about a week of depriving your body of calories, your hormones (one called Leptin in particular) starts to panic because it thinks that your body is starving.  It then decides to start storing fat, making your weight loss cease.  That is why I endorse a weekly over eating day.  You can ask my sister-in-law, it works.  Eat whatever you want, pizza, burgers, whatever, over the span of one day, and then drop back into your reduced calorie diet the rest of the week.  I'd still recommend tracking it, since you should have close to 1000 calories above your average just for that one day. 

This next part really isn't important, but since I'm a programmer, I like to understand how to calculate everything.


Since we now know how much we can eat, we can look at what to eat.  A calorie will land in one of three sections: Carbohydrates, Fat, and Protein.  I listed the values of each at the beginning of this post to explain how calories are calculated. If you take the time to examine food labels, you'll see these three values listed and with a bit of math, you can see how they add up.  Pay attention to the grams (g) and not so much the percentage.  If you see 1g of fat, then that means that 9 of the listed calories are from fat.  If you see protein and carbohydrates listed at 1g a piece, then you get 4 calories each.  My Red Bull is 110 calories and with 28g of carbohydrates (28 x 4  = 112), you can see how that adds up.  A typical recommended diet will be 55% carbs, 25% protein, and 20% fat.  I wouldn't worry about this so much since different goals have different percentages.  An athlete will consume more carbs.  A body builder will consume more protein.  Me, I typically average 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat.  It works for me.

With the 40/30/30 percentages in mind, we break that down into how many calories in each category we can eat.  Back to my limit of 1075 a day, that means that 430 of those will be carbs, and 323 (rounding) will be protein and another 323 will be fat.

Does your head hurt yet?  Let's break it down even further. 
Since 430 calories are carbs, and there are 4 calories in 1 gram of carbohydrate, then that means I can have 108 (rounding) grams of carbs.
Math goes on to say I need 81 grams of protein and 36 grams of fat.


As a side note, I'd like to mention that it's best to eat several times a day.  I aim for six.  To break that down in a diet sense,  that's 1075 / 6 meals a day, or about 179 calories a meal.  That's not a definite rule, but it's a good guideline.  It's the same concept of snacking throughout the day and it keeps that hormone I mentioned earlier happy and out of starvation mode.  A small snack a couple hours apart will help with the weight loss battle.


TL;DR

That is how effective dieting works.
1. Calculate how many calories you need in a day
2. Take that number and times it by 7 to get a weekly value
3. Subtract the calorie deficit needed to lose weight (3500 x #ofpounds)
4. Divide by 7 to get a new daily value and don't eat more than that
5. Splurge one day a week


I hopes this helps explain how dieting works.

Sincerely,

Loni

The plot thickens!

I should really pay my sister-in-law a consulting fee for the great ideas she passes on.  I've struggled with writer's block when it comes to the twin.  Political intrigue would be fantastic, if only I knew how to get it.  Well, Abi has a few thoughts up her sleeve and another mention in one part of the story takes off with a whole new venue of possibilities.  The Commander shares a few of his thoughts regarding the zealous Miasho upholders that are a bit too dedicated to the old ways for his tastes and the Twin gets to deal with the extremist groups head on.  She pointed out that someone will always be trying to wrestle to gain power.  Considering that the Thanmir stick to their own provinces, it's going to be the Miasho loyalists who think that the elementals are demeaning and need to go.  They have valid points.  A majority of the elementals (though the reader doesn't see them) do have a superiority attitude.  It shows in the rules laid down, setting conditions for the human habitation on Chikara.  The Miasho upholders take the view that their gods are powerful and the humans outnumber the elementals when it comes to the mortal/beast plane.  They think they can survive without elemental rule and use the fire province as an example. 

The political intrigue comes in the form of playing the characters off of each other.  Ira wants power.  Landau (who is the leader of the extremist group) wants the elementals stripped from sovereignty.  Harim wants Ira dead.  Aito wants MaTisha.  Kaio, the twin, is pulling the strings with his merry band of retrieval experts (kidnappers), business mediators (assassins), and information specialists (spies), all of which either work for or belong to the Hobbs family (Alistair is one of eleven sons). 

Hopefully it turns out as well as I'm planning.

Sleep Disorders, Names, Book Reviews, and Costumes

A couple friends brought up that I might have a sleep disorder.  When I lay down to sleep, no matter how tired I am, it takes no less than a half hour for me to finally drift off.  It's due to the fact that I'm usually thinking, which was what spawned this whole blog thing to begin with.  They are probably right, but I doubt I'll look into treatment for it.

Just a quick blurb about my writing.  I've been working my way through the twin's point of view and have found that my sister-in-law thinks like an evil political genius, which is what the twin is.  I might have to hire her to write a speech or two for me.  I've also decided that some things need to change.  For one, I need to name my provinces.  For another, I think I'm going to rename the Commander.  His name is Kieser.  First off, that's not a very human name.  It's also pretty close to the Twin, Kaio.  I don't want the readers getting confused between the two, so I think Kieser is going to become Cameron.  Finally, I'm going to rework the main character/female lead story a bit to take out some of the dreams that preordain them to be together and add in more desperation to return home, which will then make the decision to stay that much harder for the hero to make.  It's got to be believable. 

I recently completed four of the proposed seven book series by Lisa Shearin about Raine Benares, an elf seeker stuck with a soul-sucking rock.  It's been entertaining so far, but it brings to light things that I want to avoid.  Such as repetitive descriptions, tons of exposition, and an unbelievable character or two.  Over the top is fun.  Unbelievable makes it hard to accept.

Since my sister-in-law only had the first four on audiobook, I've decided to move to a different series that I've been meaning to get to for a while.  The Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher.  I'm about halfway through the first book and though it's not as lighthearted as the Shearin series, it is captivating.  I read the negative reviews on goodreads.com and I'm pretty sure I won't have the same issues that many of those readers suffered with.  A: I haven't read the Dresden Files yet.  B: Violence in a book where a war is breaking out doesn't bother me.  C: I know it's fantasy, not sci-fi.

I read one book review for George R.R. Martin that I had to appreciate.  The writer said something to the effect of "just because the book isn't the style that you like to read doesn't mean that it's a bad book and deserves a low rating.  Judge it by the writing which is fantastic."  The writer was commenting on a book that I finished, but I couldn't continue with the rest of the series since it was so darn depressing.  Some may disagree with the reviewer, but I don't.  The writing is good.  It's just too much for me.

Last item on my list of updates is costumes.  Halloween is coming up and I've decided that I'm going to make Kimi a ghost costume.  She loves pulling fuzzy blankets over her head and walking around like that.  I figure, just get some white fleece material, cut a couple of little holes, and viola!  Hopefully she likes it.  If work allows me, I'm going to dress up like a pirate.  My sister-in-law has many articles of clothing that will work for the task so it'll require minimal effort to throw together.  This year, I hope to take Kimi trick-or-treating through the HP facility.  I'm looking forward to it.

Music and Characters

I'm often inspired by music when it comes to visualizing my characters.  For instance, two songs that often make me think of my hero are "Whenever, Wherever" by Shakira and "I've got a feeling" by Black Eyed Peas.  It represents how Derek is passionate and carefree.  Granted, he doesn't always appear that way in the book, but the songs still apply to his personality.

I've finished writing the primary part of the first book which is from Derek and MaTisha's point of views and now I'm focusing on the twin, Kaio Geotellus.  Much like I struggled with the Commander, I'm stuck thinking about what kind of situations this character will get into.  He's a very powerful man, ambitious, and completely devoted to his brother.  His song is "You're gonna go far, kid" by The Offspring.  Kaio is willing to start a war for the sake of his brother's happiness and eventually declares himself Sovereign after his brother is killed. 

The next few weeks will be focused on feeling out the Twin's story, finding out what he's truly capable of, and making him a lot more gray than black or white.  He's got an arsenal at his command.  Assassins, spies, powerful Miasho upholders, and an army of men ready to do his bidding.  With what I have written now, he seems like a man resigned to having to fight if he must.  It's my goal to turn him into a very dark, yet seemingly reasonable master of war.  He's not the bad guy, at least, not in this book.  I want the reader to understand why he's doing what he is, feel his loyalty, and not blame him for taking the actions that he does.  If I can do that, then I will consider it successful. 

My Goal: Christmas

I have about 150k words typed towards my book.  The upper limit of a fantasy novel is 200k.  As I reread my work, I know there are parts that are going to get rewritten since my first draft is grossly lacking.  It's far more tell than show.  But my goal is to have a rough first draft by Christmas.  I think I can do it.  It's only taken me half of my life to get to this point. 

Chris has asked me if I've looked into publishers.  The entire idea is quite daunting.  But I don't want to settle for self publishing.  This book is for me, writing because I love writing and this story is clawing its way to freedom.  If I go the route of self-publishing first, then it makes me feel like I'm doing it for the money, which I'm not because I have a great job and I enjoy what I do.  Is it important to me that other people read my book?  I don't know.  I think I'd like to share it with friends and family.  I think it would greatly please me to hold a physical copy of my book in my hands, complete with cover art and synopsis, just to say that I did it.  I got the story down on paper.  And for that reason, I don't want just an e-book either. 

I don't know if I'd ever be able to make it big as a writer.  I ask "why" all too often.  Not "why won't I make it".  That's not the issue.  It's also not "why do I write".  I know that.  But "why does Derhan not eat Kieser?"  "Why doesn't he just use this power and get the whole thing over with?"  "Why don't they see that attack coming?"  With each question, it morphs into further considerations and tweaking of the story.  Tweaks in the story cause the butterfly effect.  I think way too much.  But who knows?  Maybe I'll get a following like my favorite authors have and be a top seller.  I think I'd be able to sell at least 10 copies (with the support of my family).  Heck, I'd even autograph them!  But before I get carried away, I better get back to writing.  Christmas is my goal.  Wish me luck!

Isto

I really should be asleep right now.  Unfortunately, my husband hurt his shoulder and I woke up about an hour ago to rub some Tiger Balm on his aching body.  As usual, I started thinking instead of falling back to sleep.

The past couple of days have been dedicated to working on my book.  To make my main character more interesting (since he wasn't complicated enough) and throw my readers off, I created a fairytale monster called an Isto.  My main character is accused of being one and thus all that encounter his elemental/seal-covered form go running in terror since an Isto is said to be the vengeful dead.  It is common belief that they are immortal since "how can you kill something that is not alive?"  They take on many forms so any sort of terror or foolery is blamed on Isto...Istos?  Or Istoes?  I haven't decided yet.  I think I'll leave out the 'e'. 

On to what has been keeping me up for the past hour.  I really don't have much content for my second book.  I have a basic outline which deals with the consequences of the first book.  There's a plague killing off jespers.  Rin is introduced to help find a cure.  Derhan finds his last guardian on an island.  LaTonya has to keep her half-brother from dying.  The earth clan demand a new Teymir.  The guardians have lost their marks.  MaTisha and Kieser must settle the unrest and unite the provinces.  It all sounds rather uneventful, doesn't it?

In comes the Miasho deities and the Isto.  De, Tu, Li, and Na hunt down their brother Ko with some bad news.  Taking on the niniers (which was never part of Derhan's master plan) has upset the balance, releasing the monsters that they had to imprison long before the humans or elementals existed.  These are the Isto and they aren't just fairytales this time.  The first to be targeted are the upholders.  Miasho power kept them at bay so the first item of business is to destroy their adversaries.  That means Nicholas, Alistair, Alissandria, and Satch all have their hands full with undead monsters who wish to rip them to shreds.  That should add a bit excitement to the storyline.  How will the hero vanquish the Isto and save the day?  Not sure yet, but the details will work themselves out.

Back on Track

In the midst of illness, child care arrangements, mini-vacations, and football games, I'm finally back on track.  For the past two weeks, I've been out of the swing of things, binge eating fast food, desserts, pizza, chips, and other forms of junk food.  I also haven't worked out at all.  But today is the last day.  Starting tomorrow, I'll be eating healthy and exercising once again. 

Though I've been a lazy bum, I have reveled in the fact that I've gotten the opportunity to write.  A great deal of time spent thinking through my story and revising certain facts.  For instance, if the reader is able to figure out what my main character is, then shouldn't the people traveling with him and spending all waking hours with him also figure it out within a reasonable time period.  On that note, the reason why he kills all the people that he does is because he's recognizable as a fire elemental when he's transformed.  If it's just the hair and eyes, it'd make more sense to have him wear a hat and some form of glasses or blindfold instead of killing a bunch of guys.  And if the guys know that he's an elemental, why would they try to fight him?  Instead, they run in terror!  Well, a short man with red-glazed hair and red eyes just isn't that scary.  Let's throw some creepy black markings on his skin (all the seals on him becoming visible) and make his skin glisten like polished bronze, and his eyes glow with a backlight of fire.  Now that, that makes him a bit more scary.  The glowing eyes bit started with Jebaliah and I decided to keep it as an elemental trait.  Since MaTisha's power is sealed, she doesn't have that trait until her power is released.


In addition to the deduction of my hero being a fire elemental, I asked myself "why wouldn't my characters take advantage of the Miasho art to hide from authorities?"  I decided that they would.  So MaTisha gets a new scarf to hide her identity, which doesn't work on Derek, of course, since he's a Miasho deity.  With the changes I've made, I've been rewriting several scenes to make them flow and adding a few scenes to try to add more life to one of my favorite characters, Alistair.  I want to make sure to do him justice on paper.  A highly intelligent, sociable assassin.  I liken him to some of the popular anti-heroes in television, like Spike from Buffy or Xellos from Slayers.  Hopefully it shows in print.