How Long Does It Take?

I was wondering... I know that 3500 calories equals one pound, so a defecit of 3500 calories between what is consumed and what is expended results in a one-pound weight loss. But how long does that process actually take?

There are all kinds of things going on in our bodies on a daily basis that cause the scales to show variation in our weight. As I mentioned the other day, I always weigh about 2 pounds more before going to bed than I do the very next morning (usually because I go to the bathroom before I weigh myself). But how long does it take for a "real" one pound weight loss/gain to show on the scales? I'm sure it's not an intantaneous thing, but does your body measure input and output on a daily basis? Hourly basis? Weekly basis? What? What I'm trying to figure out is how much of a buffer do I have between consuming an extra few calories and that overage resulting in actual weight gain? If I make it to the gym within a certain period of time, can I avert inevitable weight gain?

Just wondering...

On the food and exercise front, today was pretty much like any other: gym, breakfast, work, snack, work, lunch, snack, snack, workout, dinner, blog (ha ha).

Since my bike had a flat I had to take the streetcar to work (blech!). I did a 30-minute Gravity/strength class and even went up one setting for the leg workout (went from a 6 to a 7, with 8 being the highest). Since I was teaching today that's all I had time for this morning.

I remembered to bring my protein shake to the gym today and I really noticed a difference in my hunger and overall "peckishness" throughout the day (it was lower than yesterday). I also took my vitamines, which seems to help, too. Now that I think about it, I didn't have a mid-morning snack, but did have a second cup of coffee. I had a healthy lunch from my favourite pita place. Afternoon snack is always a challenge for me: today, I had my fave rice crispy square, but at least did not binge on Junior Mints like yesterday. After work, I had a B00st high-protein shake and a handful of trail mix before my bike workout.

I rode for just over an hour in total this evening. I met up with a few friends on the ride, so it was nice to have company. We did one segment together at a fairly slow pace but then for the final loop I dropped the hammer a bit and picked up the pace. I don't think I worked as hard this week as I did last week because my legs weren't as jelly-like when I got off to do my run. I ran the same little 1.5K as last week and did it 12 seconds faster than last week. It's no land speed record, but it's always nice to do better from one week to the next.

The plan for tomorrow is this: do a quick run on the treadmill at the gym in the morning. I don't have time for anything else since I'm teaching all week. I still can't ride my bike to work because I'm giving a friend a lift home after work tomorrow so I'll need my car. And here it is "save the air" week. I'm such a bad urban dweller! After work, IC and I are driving to my neighbourhood to my weekly triathlon clinic. This week's topic is cycling and IC is a very experienced cyclist, so I asked him if he would come out and put us through our paces. I probably won't really get a workout myself as I'll be making sure that everyone else is taken care of. Such is the responsibility of the leader!

So now it's back to watching Canadian 1dol!