I had to go out to Mom's to feed the cats tonight, and sat there to make sure they got to eat some of it (they are outdoor kitties, and something else is eating their food if there is extra left over--probably possums or foxes, maybe raccoons). The humidity broke today when it got dark, and it was very pleasant sitting there on the porch. The fireflies were lighting up the hayfield and the treeline in a light display worthy of movie special-effects, just amazing.

Imagine dim-grey landscape, a light night-time breeze, the vaguely cinnamon smell of blooming flowers (my mother's gardens would be worthy of Michelle's flower pr0n were she web-inclined) and about a thousand tiny lights winking at various distances and heights, rippling across the field and up into the trees. Every once in a while I would catch a flash of something in the windows of the house, which startled me until I realized it was the reflection of the fireflies lighting up in the field. I'd take pictures except that I know it would never do it justice. Lovely.

---

So I've decided to try keeping a food diary. I may lose interest in this pretty quickly, but I think it would be nice to get a real idea of what I consume, and more importantly what is in what I consume. I've already learned that soda is devastating to the calorie count (duh, but still) and that I don't get enough fiber (though these were lazier eating days--I'll be curious to see how other days shape up). Now you will all get to see the amazing amounts of cheese I eat! Sorry it's boring, but I'll always put it at the end of the entry so you can ignore it :) I'm hoping that recording it here will help me remember to keep track.

I'm not really dieting, at least as most people would think of it--no strict list of can or cannot eats, or anything like that. I am pseudo-dieting...or to translate, I already seem to slowly be losing weight since I graduated law school (lack of time tends to encourage bad eating-habits). I've lost about 10 lbs over two years though, and I'd like to seriously bump that up and lose about 15 pounds this summer. I want to get an idea what I consume so I can make small changes to help. (My BMI is about 25.5--I want to get that under 25.)

And FYI, no, I am not precisely measuring everything I eat. I'm guesstimating as accurately as possible :) I'm not currently recording water or soda water.

Okay, for my reference, according the 2002 info I got from a Food and Nutrition Board page here are the recommended (or adequate) intakes for my height (at a BMI of 24.99--I'm calling it close enough) and/or age. I'm claiming a "low" activity level, since I spend all day on a computer but do get up and do some structured physical activity several days a week--the only thing that changes is that the calories needed to maintain go up with activity level (choices: sedentary, low active, active, and high active). Here's the calculation I didn't do:

PAL = total energy expenditure / basal energy expenditure
PA = 1.0 if PAL >= 1.0 < 1.4 (sedentary)
PA = 1.12 if PAL >= 1.4 < 1.6 (low active)
PA = 1.27 if PAL >= 1.6 < 1.9 (active)
PA = 1.45 if PAL >= 1.9 < 2.5 (very active)

All the info except the calories per day remains the same regardless of activity level:

Cal per day: about 2395 (range is 2,239 to 2,459)
Fat: ND
Saturated fat: As low as possible while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet
Fiber: 25g
Protein: 46g

Separate info: Losing 1 to 2 pounds per week is considered a healthy rate. That roughly means a decrease of 300-500 calories a day.


Food Diary

Saturday

exercise: housework/grocery shopping

Food	Cal.	Tot Fat Cal.	Sat. Fat	Fib.	Prot.
2 oz sharp chedder cheese	220	160	10g	0g	14g
1 veggie and mozz smartwich	270	50	2.5g	3g	15g
3 oz sharp cheddar cheese	330	240	15g	0g	21g
1 can Chef Boyardee Beefaroni	520	180	9g	3g	10g
2 slices bread	140	10	0g	0g	4g
1 baby dill pickle	5	0	0g	0g	0g
1 nectarine	70	9	1g	3g	1g
1 slice bread	70	5	0g	0g	2g
1 Tyson chicken patty	180	90	2.5g	1g	10g
1 slice american cheese	60	40	2.5g	0g	3g
1 tsp ketchup	5	0	0g	0g	0g
2 cans Coke	280	0	0g	0g	0g
1 can Sobe Adrenaline Rush	140	0	0g	0g	1g
1 veggie and mozz smartwich	270	50	2.5g	3g	15g
Totals	2560	834	44g	13g	96g

Sunday

exercise: 1 hr playing with the fire staff

Food	Cal.	Tot Fat Cal.	Sat. Fat	Fib.	Prot.
1 pepperoni pizza Hot Pocket	360	150	6g	3g	10g
2 oz sharp chedder cheese	220	160	5g	0g	14g
1 nectarine	70	9	1g	3g	1g
1 can Beefaroni	520	180	9g	3g	10g
2 baby dill pickles	10	0	0g	0g	0g
12 baby carrots (raw)	90	0	0g	6g	2g
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese	90	20	1g	.5g	12g
1/2 cup lemon sherbet	100	10	1g	.5g	1g
1 can Coke	140	0	0g	0g	0g
1 bottle Mountain Dew	240	0	0g	0g	0g
Totals	1750	509	22g	15g	38g