My Calorie Counting Diet

Awhile ago, I decided to throw out all of the fad diets like Atkins and Scarsdale. Now, I am living by the plain and simple science of calories. Here are the rules that I abide by for counting:

1) Caloric Deficit = Calories Consumed - Calories Burned.
2) Maintain a deficit between 500 - 1000 calories
3) Always consume at least your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
4) Your burn rate is your BMR*1.2 (sedentary level) + calories burned during exercise.

Those are the most pertinent rules of calorie counting. No, it doesn't include the rule that "not all calories are good calories." But, obesity has the worst health effects over everything else. Achieving a healthy weight and body mass index (BMI) are the best things you can do health-wise above anything else. Losing weight beats whole-wheat. Of course, it's best to eat healthy while you count calories, but if you can only do the counting and not the purchasing of different types of food, you will still lose weight. Yet, for the most part, healthy foods have lower calorie amounts so you will be able to eat more.

Here are my calorie stats:

BMR: 1930 http://www.phord.com/cc/
Sedentary burn rate: 1930*1.2 = 2316 (Caories burned during the day if sitting at a desk)
Sedentary deficit: 2316-1930 = 386
Sedentary weekly weight loss= (386*7)/3500 = 0.77 lbs (1 pound of fat is 3500 calories)

To ever reach my weight goal, I need to exercise fairly consistently and for a fairly extended period of time.

Thus, for me, a 4 mile run at 45 mins, is about 600 calories (various sites can calculate this.)
Burn rate with 4 mile run: 2316 + 600 = 2916
Deficit: 2916 - 1930 = 986
If I were to maintain this deficit throughout the entire week: 986*7 / 3500 = ~2 lbs

This would surely get me to my godliness weight in a timely fashion.

Now, with all that said, does it work out like that exactly? Nope. All of these calculations are based on averages. All body types function differently. But at least this gives me the most control over my eating and requires me to monitor it with a log.

Yet, as simple as calorie counting seems, it can also start to get a bit confusing. This happens if you find yourself following the rules above and you're not losing weight! This can occur as a result of homeostasis. Homeostasis is the body's method of keeping stability. If you lower your calories and keep a constant deficit, your body can get used to this and lower your metabolism. Surely there are a ton of factors that can cause and prevent this, but there is a method you can use to "trick" the body and avoid homestasis. This is called "Zig Zag" calorie counting. Basically, instead of eating the same amount of calories each day, you reach for a weekly average. One day you eat lower than your base (the average you're trying to reach), and the next you eat your base plus the amount you lowered the previous day by. By doing this, you're body gets confused and cannot maintain consistency. The big eating days also boost your metabolism. Read here for a more thorough explanation of zig zagging.