Giving yourself a Break (without Taking a Break)

This week I was surprised to find that almost all of my clients sat down and told me the exact same story I’m about to tell you regarding my last weekend. If you are among those who have experienced this or will experience it in the next few days because of the holiday, I hope you will find it helpful:

I have been steadily losing body fat and consistently been doing well with my plan. I have gone without breaks or ‘cheat days’, including Thanksgiving Day. I’ve been rocking it thanks to the wonderful support I have been given by family, friends, and all of you readers. Thank you!

Unfortunately last weekend, I had something inside my brain snap. It has happened before and I’m fairly sure it will happen again: I was making cookies for my husband’s holiday work party. I decided to try the dough because it is the law when baking cookies to eat the dough. I tried a little… then a little more… then I decided that I had ruined my perfectly planned day and I might as well do whatever I wanted. Two bags of chips, three Cosmic Brownies, and a piece of Razzleberry Pie a la mode later, I lay on the couch in a food coma wondering how and why I did that. I logged it all when I came back to myself and found that I ate a 1500-calorie SURPLUS!

I was disappointed in myself to say the least. I was tempted to quit until the New Year. It was then that a bunch of my own quotes from this blog, from my conversations with my clients and even a quote I heard in church popped into my head:

·      “There is not magical time when weight loss/ health will suddenly be easier.”

·      “One bad day will not affect your program that much as long as you move right along. Plus, if you logged it, you know how to fix it.”

·      “If you don’t feel like praying, pray until you do” – I applied this one to fitness and told myself, “If you don’t feel like logging/ working out, log/workout until you do.”

That last one was extremely helpful in getting me to suck it up and get back on track. On Thursday I was at work doing my very best to stall getting to my leg day (which is my least favorite day) when my workout partner popped her head into the trainer’s office to keep me accountable. I grudgingly told her that I was going to go out and do my workout right then. About five minutes after she left, I finally dragged myself out of my chair and into the weight room. I picked up a couple of 25 lb weights and began the only effective leg workout I could possibly think to do in only 25 minutes; the lunge/ squat combo. In that short workout something special happened: Whatever it was that had snapped suddenly snapped back into place as the sweat began to pour down my cheek. I could feel the fire sparking again and, by the end of my workout, I was back (and I have been back ever since).  It took six days to get that fire back but it came eventually and only through continuing what I had started. After doing the math and looking back at the Friday Fiasco I realized that, because I had done what I was supposed to do the rest of the week, I still ended up with a deficit. I only lost about half a pound but I was still moving in the right direction.

So the main message I would like to leave with you all as the year comes to a close, you are with your families is that food will likely be a huge part of your celebrations. Can you really look me in the eye and say that Christmas is still Christmas without your great-great grandma’s homemade fudge? Mine won’t be. I feel a special warmth in my heart (and in my belly) when I eat certain holiday comfort foods. That is just the way it is so I am going to have to give myself a break and enjoy them as they are offered. That doesn’t mean I have to take a break from my progress though. I suggest you all enjoy your holiday however you enjoy it most. But here are some tips to stay on track:

·      Have a timeline for your celebrating – if Christmas Eve is your big celebration dinner with family. Enjoy it. But if the celebration starts Christmas Eve and ends New Year’s morning (food-wise) you will end up moving backwards. Decide how long you will be letting yourself eat what you want. Set an alarm if you must to remind you that it is time to get back on track.

·      Log it – at least you will know what the damage was. You can decide how long it will take to rectify any splurges. Knowing the damage might affect decisions you make the rest of the holidays.

·      Give yourself a break – enjoy yourself and don’t worry too much. If you have an unanticipated surplus just get back on it the moment the splurge is done. I promise damage will be minimal as long as you keep going. “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good”!

·      Don’t take a break now – taking a break means you stop trying until you think things will be easier. If you do this now I promise you will begin to slide backwards.

Well I am going to go to bed. I am going to my favorite restaurant with my family tomorrow morning for brunch and I am ordering whatever the heck I want. I am going to have a fairly normal day until our big Christmas Eve feast at around 4:00. I will also have whatever the heck I want including dessert. Christmas day might also be a lot of food but I’m not worried. I am not taking a break, just giving myself one. 

Month 5 Update

I just had my measurements this week and here are the results:

7/31- Start

Weight: 198 lbs
Body Fat %: 35.1
Lbs Body Fat: 69.5
Lbs Lean: 128.5


11/7- Last Measurements

Weight: 165.5 

Body Fat %: 27.5

Lbs Body Fat: 46.2

Lbs Lean: 119.3 

Total inches lost: 20

12/15- Current

Weight: 155.5 (-10 from last; -42.5 total)

Body Fat %: 25.5 (-2 from last; -9.2 total)

Lbs Body Fat: 39.6 (-6.6 from last; -29.6 total)

Lbs Lean: 115.9 (-3.4 from last; -12.6 total)

Total inches lost: 29.7

Successes: I have logged almost 100% of everything that went into my body. I also only had 3 days in the last 3 months where I ate above maintenance calories. 

I reached to of my goals: 1) to be under 27% body fat. My prize is a rug for my kitchen and 2) to not have any "cheat days for 90 days. My prize is a ceiling fan in my bedroom.   

Confessions: I did have a holiday stress freak-out where I ate a 1500 calorie surplus. I was absolutely distraught afterwards and it took five days to kick myself back into gear and to be motivated. I will be writing about this in a day or so. 

I'm in the home stretch! I only have about 4% to my goal and I would like to reach it by Valentines day. I am going to have to work really smart this holiday!

 Here's Where I started

Today

I'm super behind on my actual posts. My next blog might be posted tomorrow called, "Giving yourself a break without taking a break." It will be helpful for anyone who struggles with holiday guilt. 

Weight loss survival kit for the holidays

Everyone who has ever tried to lose weight during the holidays has probably experienced the frustration of going in with the best of intentions and ending up throwing in the towel sometime between October and mid-December.  This is the first year of my entire life that I have not done the same thing. Usually I am frustrated and decide right about now that life is getting too busy and my goal is too hard to do until the holidays are over. Besides, my weight loss goal was my New Year’s resolution last year.

But this year I have a few tools that I’ve never really had before or (if I did have them) didn’t utilize them properly. Here is what is different this year:

1) A support group

·           I know that I have not been the best at updating my blog lately since work has begun to pick up but I still receive emails, comments and texts from people cheering me on. So I’d first like to say THANKS for everyone who’s following. I am not saying that a weight loss blog is right for everyone but you have to admit that it is hard to be a perfect 10 on your own motivation scale 100% of the time. Especially during the holidays.

We as human beings enjoy pleasing one another and would usually be more likely to disappoint ourselves than to let other people down. So let people know what your goal is and how they can best help you. You may find that they have similar goals and were not sure how to enlist your help. Not everyone will be supportive and some may even unintentionally make things more difficult (I am sorry to say but I am almost always a terrible influence on my own mother). So have multiple people in your support group that you feel you can help support as they support and uplift you. You can do this in your church, friend circles or even with online programs and apps.

Please open yourself up. I know that your weight can be a personal struggle that you may not want to share. Take it from someone who recently decided to make hers very public – the more people you have on your side, the better.

2) Consistent accountability with zero exceptions  

By ‘zero exceptions’ I mean there is no excuse for not being accountable. I am not saying that you need
to follow a diet or eating/ workout plan perfectly.

If I had to pick one tool in my holiday survival kit that has made this year better than any other year, I would pick this one. This year I set a goal not to have any ‘cheat days’ (or days where I eat at a calorie surplus) for 90 days. In order to know whether I ‘cheated’ or not, I would have to log ALL of my food EVERY day no matter what.

I have had parties, activities, dinners out, my own wedding anniversary, and even travel where foods were served that I didn’t anticipate or I yielded to the temptation to eat something “bad”. Normally, after arriving to the unexpected event or eating the ‘bad’ item, I would stop logging and go crazy with the thought in the back of my head that I would be ‘good’ tomorrow, the rest, of the week or wait until Monday or whenever ‘life gets more manageable’.

This year, though, I have logged every bit of my good decisions and my bad decisions. With the information that I gather, I have been able to enjoy just about everything there is to enjoy about travel and the holidays and have been able to stop before ruining any of my hard work. I may have a few maintenance days but at least I can have the piece of mind knowing that I have not lost any ground that I work so hard to gain.

3) The allowance not to be perfect

·         It’s the holidays, people. Food is a HUGE part of enjoying them. Anyone who says differently is either lying or not a normal person. As much as you may try to deny it, food is a huge part of enjoying LIFE. We keep trying to forget that fact and treat food as if it is the enemy. Even if your goal is to eventually not use food as your go-to for emotional comfort (which is a fine goal to have) you probably won’t be able to change your deeply ingrained mindset in a few short weeks or even months. Let alone during the holidays. So if you fall to the temptation to have a comfort food, it is not the end of the world. You are not a failure. You are a normal person enjoying one of the greatest pieces of the holidays and quite frankly something that brings your family together. Don't beat yourself up for enjoying time with your loved ones to the fullest. 

One cookie will not make or break your goal. One dozen will. Somewhere in between one and one dozen there is a line. If you know how much your body burns in a given day and what you need to eat in order to lose weight, you know what the line is (or at least a decent estimate). If you cross it but logged it, you will have a clear indication of what you need to do to fix it.*

*Again, I am advocating logging food. I have had clients ask me in the past if I could just make them a nutrition program and tell them what to eat. That is called a diet. I don’t like diets because they don’t teach you how to live your life. So, yes, I could do that if you are willing to eat that way for  the rest of your life or at least the foreseeable future. If not, let’s log. If so, you’re a better man than I and I applaud your ability to shift lifestyles so dramatically and permanently.

My Progress: 

Weight: (Because I have been traveling and eating differently, I have decided not to step on the scale until I can be sure that my lack of water or bloating is not affecting the number. I know that I have logged a calorie deficit every day so no need to worry about it. However, the day before I left on vacation I weighed in at:) 158.8 lbs 

Successes: I didn't even cheat on Thanksgiving day. I logged all of my food including pumpkin pie and whipped cream and I was able to hit a deficit every single day. 

Confession: I have certainly not eaten a very nutritious diet even with a deficit... Lots of pie, not lots of fruits or veggies.

Month 4 Update

I just had my measurements this week and here are the results:

7/31- Start

Weight: 198 lbs
Body Fat %: 35.1
Lbs Body Fat: 69.5
Lbs Lean: 128.5


10/7- Last Measurements

Weight: 175.5 

Body Fat %: 32 

Lbs Body Fat: 56.16 

Lbs Lean: 119.34 

Total inches lost: 12.75

11/7- Current

Weight: 165.5 (-10 from last; -32.5 total)

Body Fat %: 27.5 (-4.1 from last; -7.2 total)

Lbs Body Fat: 46.2 (-9.96 from last; -13.4 total)

Lbs Lean: 119.3 (-.04 from last; -9.2 total)

Total inches lost: 20

I didn't reach my goal of 31% this month. It seems that, along with my fat, I am also losing quite a bit of lean body mass. I'll be cracking down a little more on my nutrition and set a goal for five days in the weight room this month. 

Successes: I have been logging everything everyday despite an entire week of being sick and unable to work out. 

I set a goal not to have any 'cheat days' for 90-days (except Halloween and Thanksgiving). A cheat day means that I eat a surplus of calories. I used to allow myself at least one a week but I want a ceiling fan in my bedroom and this seemed like a fun way to earn it. It has now been three full weeks and I have either been at a calorie deficit or at maintenance. 

When I wasn't sick, I did walk to the gym four times a week and I did do my weights. I set my new steps goal to 10,000/ day.  

Confessions: Though I have been doing a decent job logging my food and staying at a deficit I have not been doing a great job focusing on my macronutrients (proteins, cards, and fats). 

My goal for October is to reach 30% or less. My prize is a carpet for my entryway. Wish me luck!

 Here's Where I started

Today

I reached my goal to be under 30% body fat this month! My prize was a runner for my entryway. I have to say that it feels really good to go to the store, pick something I really like, put it in my house and every time I pass it think, 'I earned that.'

It's cheesy to add a picture of my prize but I EARNED it!

Successes: I have only had one day of a calorie surplus in over 40 days. My next goal is to try to stay at a deficit every day until Thanksgiving. It is getting harder and harder for a classic stress-eater like myself to not pick a weekend to go off rails but it is worth it for a ceiling fan in my bedroom. 

I'm doing a decent job getting to the gym four times a week though my current goal is five. 

Confessions: Still not focusing on my macronutrients (proteins, cards, and fats). 

My goal for November is to reach 26% or less. If I reach it I will have reached half of my entire fat loss goal! My prize is a bathroom decorating project. Wish me luck!

To my 'all of nothing' friends

Sorry this post has taken so long. I wrote it, realized it was too long, tried to edit, got overwhelmed and then deleted and started over again. Now I am a full week late. I read a book this week that I felt strongly about and I tried to write a post about my philosophies. Then I realized that this is not a blog about philosophies on health and fitness. It is a blog to document my own journey to my goal and to help others with this goal to reach theirs. That goal, if anyone has forgotten, is to lose body fat.

So what I found was that I was letting a bunch of philosophies on overall health overshadow the basic goal of this blog. Obviously I would like to live a long and healthy life. I would like that for all of you too. The last post that I kept deleting was all about the ideal lifestyle for a long, disease-free life. The problem, however, is that no one actually knows that formula. We have a basic idea: more fruits/ veggies, less 'junk food' (though the definition of what 'junk' is changes all the time), get to a healthy weight/ body fat percentage, and exercise more. We tend to argue, though, over the specifics: what is 'junk' (gluten, carbs, sugar, etc), ratios of macronutrients, ratios of food groups, etc. 

I ended up coming to the conclusion that it is kind of pointless for me to dwell on specific ideals for perfect health when I know I am so far from perfect it isn't even funny. I realized that, that kind of thinking has consistently contributed to my problem. I am an ALL OR NOTHING fat loser. I want to get to my goal and I am going to do it perfectly. When I don't, I tend to go off the wagon for the rest of the week until I can start again on Monday. I can't make this week perfect so I have to wait to start again on Monday so next week can be perfect. 

I shared my thoughts about this with my husband this past week. I told him that it was silly of me to try to be perfect when the smartest people in the industry, the people conducting thousands of really expensive studies have absolutely no idea and can't agree on what 'perfect' is. He quoted Voltaire by saying, "Don't let perfect be the enemy of good."

So the main point of what I am trying to say is: We don't know what perfect is. Focus on what you can do right now. For me it is simply staying at a calorie deficit every single day. Some days I hit my maintenance calories but I have not had a surplus in 36 days. Just focusing on calories (which is something that I can do REALLY well) I can get much closer to my goal much faster than trying to be perfect, failing, going off the handle, and then ending up with more ground to make up than I had in the first place.  Find something that will get you closer to your goal. Something that you can do really well right now. Make that your main focus and add to it little by little. 

You may have heard that, those who reach their goals more slowly tend to stay at their goals longer. Well that may be a little misleading. Many of us know of and have tried programs that promise to get us to our goals faster. The problem is that we end up getting close without actually finishing. So really, switching to a focus on little changes made over a longer period of time may, in reality be a faster course to a goal because the habits set during that course may actually get you to your goal. Period.

I know many of you are frustrated. I am too. But hang in there. The holidays are coming up and so many of us give up this time of year thinking that somehow the New Year will magically be easier. Focus on what you can do now. If it isn't a calorie deficit, maybe it is simply keeping a record of your calories. No matter what or how much you eat, log it all. That will make a huge difference in and of itself. Or find something else that works for you and that you can focus on. You know what you can do. My job is to believe you can do it!

My Progress: 

Weight: 169.1 lbs 

Successes: I went on my 2-year wedding anniversary trip this weekend and didn't overeat! I ate exactly what I wanted at the Old Spaghetti Factory with bread and spumoni. People, if you haven't figured it out yet, logging is a beautiful thing. It honestly and truthfully sets you free.

Confession: I may have been able to keep my deficit this week but I definitely did not do well this whole weekend with meal frequencies or overall health or macronutrient balance of the foods that I ate. I am excited to get back to a normal day tomorrow.

Month 2 Update

I just had my measurements this week and here are the results:

7/31- Start

Weight: 198 lbs
Body Fat %: 35.1
Lbs Body Fat: 69.5
Lbs Lean: 128.5


9/10- Last Measurements

Weight: 184.6 (-13.4)
Body Fat %: 33.5 (-1.6)
Lbs Body Fat: 61.8 (-7.7)
Lbs Lean: 122.8 (-5.7)

Total inches lost: 9.35

10/7- Current

Weight: 175.5 (-9.1 from last; -22.5 total)
Body Fat %: 32 (-1.5 from last; -3.1 total)
Lbs Body Fat: 56.16 (-5.7 from last; -13.4 total)
Lbs Lean: 119.34 (-3.5 from last; -9.2 total)

Here's where I started 

Last Month

Today

I didn't reach my goal of 31% this month. It seems that, along with my fat, I am also losing quite a bit of lean body mass. I'll be cracking down a little more on my nutrition and set a goal for five days in the weight room this month. 

Successes: I have been logging everything everyday despite an entire week of being sick and unable to work out. 

I set a goal not to have any 'cheat days' for 90-days (except Halloween and Thanksgiving). A cheat day means that I eat a surplus of calories. I used to allow myself at least one a week but I want a ceiling fan in my bedroom and this seemed like a fun way to earn it. It has now been three full weeks and I have either been at a calorie deficit or at maintenance. 

When I wasn't sick, I did walk to the gym four times a week and I did do my weights. I set my new steps goal to 10,000/ day.  

Confessions: Though I have been doing a decent job logging my food and staying at a deficit I have not been doing a great job focusing on my macronutrients (proteins, cards, and fats). 

My goal for October is to reach 30% or less. My prize is a carpet for my entryway. Wish me luck!

Week 9 - The body is a construction site

Sorry for the late post this week! I got a sinus infection and have been trying to catch up since.

I wanted to talk about the body today in the context of a construction site to dispel a few myths about nutrition, strength training and weight loss.

Myth #1: I should focus more on cardio when losing weight because it burns more calories.

- Cardio may burn more calories in an hour but only for that hour. You will be burning fat that you have already stored from food you have already eaten.

Now to the construction site analogy: I want you to think of your body as a Wreck It Ralph game. You build and repair tissues and cells constantly (and the materials used in your repairs comes from your nutrition). When you take in more nutrition than is needed for repairs, it is stored as body fat. When you lift weights properly, you unleash Wreck It Ralph on your muscles. He breaks them down and they need to be repaired by Fix If Felix. Felix gets his hammer and some proteins, carbs, and fats and goes to work over the next few days to make those muscles, not only withstand the weights you just put them through but also makes a few improvements so Ralph has to work harder next time to break them down (you get stronger).

When you lift weights and break down muscle, you send a work order for nutrients to go to repairing that tissue. You can't store something that is being used. Then, with denser (not necessarily bigger) muscles on your bones, your basal metabolic rate increases so you burn more calories simply by existing than you did before. In the long run, you will stay at your goal longer with a focus on strength training rather than cardio (but still do cardio! I am definitely NOT against cardio!).

Myth #2: Weight lifting will make me bigger.

- I have tried to explain this one until I have become blue in the face and I feel that the construction site analogy is most helpful in trying to dispel this silly myth.

If you try to build a 20 story building and you only provide 15 stories-worth of materials, how much of a building can you construct? This is not a trick question. The answer is only 15 stories. What if you pay your workers more (by lifting weights)? It doesn't matter. YOU CAN'T MAKE SOMETHING BIGGER WITHOUT GIVING IT MATERIAL TO GROW! So, ladies, if you are eating at a calorie deficit (you eat less than you burn), you CANNOT get bigger. (It also takes AT LEAST six weeks for any MEASURABLE muscle gain. Most strength gains in your first six weeks are neurological, not structural. Your body gets better at lifting, not bigger.)

If you have experienced a slight increase in circumference after lifting weights it is probably just water. Weight lifters often refer to that phenomenon as 'getting swole', referring to getting swollen. If you have caused tiny tears in your muscle you have essentially injured it. Any time you injure a body part, fluid rushes to the site to bring nutrients to repair the tissue. The bloating will subside in a day or so and will not happen every time you lift weights because your body will adapt.

Myth #3: It doesn't matter what I eat as long as I eat less of it

- Calories are key in losing fat. However, you probably want to keep the fat off long term which means that you probably want to keep as much muscle as possible. When you eat a low carb, high junk food, or any type of diet that is deficient in one or more of the macronutrients or too high in others, you will lose weight but it might not all be from the right source.

Last building analogy: You want to build a 20 story building. You have enough of all the materials except nails. You only have enough nails for 15 stories. How much of that building can you complete? You've got it! Only 15. What if you give your workers more wood? Still doesn't fix the problem. So your workers will do what they can and they will build you your 15 story building and put the rest of the materials into storage. Where is that on your body? Fat. So Wreck It Ralph will continue to beat your building down and you will continue to build up as much as you can (though Ralph will probably break it faster than your limited materials can repair it) and you keep storing the excess. You lose more pounds of muscle than of fat.

See how that is working against yourself? I would rather lose weight more slowly if it means that I am keeping the lean body mass if the weight that I am losing is coming straight from body fat. Last time I worked on this goal, I did it right. I focused on getting the right macronutrient balance and lifted weights. When I lost my first six pounds it looked like I had lost 15. That's because I was losing cleanly.

My next nutrition post will be on macronutrients but I encourage anyone who wants to start treating their bodies like the construction site to ask a knowledgeable trainer (or email me for help with this) to start seeing where they can improve.

My Progress: 

Weight: 175 lbs (There was a typo last week. I was actually 180.2 lbs. I am down this week, not up). I have measurements tomorrow afternoon so we will get an official verdict on how my last month has gone. 

Successes: I logged everything and stayed under my calorie burn all week despite my sinus infection and lack of workouts. I had family dinners, a trip to Burgerville, and a coupon for an unexpected free dinner for two at Chipotle (including chips and guacamole) and I STILL managed to stay at a deficit. To anyone who does not yet believe in food logging I must testify, LOGGING MAKES YOU FREE! You can enjoy so much more food if you know what you are eating and simply plan for it. 

Confession: I got a GREAT leg day in on Monday... and that was it. 

Week 8 - That moment when...

So this weekend I went on a date with my husband and I wore an outfit that I had worn hundreds of times. It was a pre-pregnancy outfit.

Let's preface a little: I had my baby three months ago and have lost about 20 lbs so far. I have felt really good about the last few weeks with people commenting on my progress. So when I put on this outfit and looked in the mirror I felt completely deflated when I realized just how far from my goal I still am. I also realized that I was not going to reach my goal by January even if I had mostly perfect days until then (thanks to that break I took in week 3-4). I am still at least 35 lbs from where I want to be.

My feelings right now

It is always kind of depressing to realize that you have climbed so far to not even be half way to your destination. I have seen it with a lot of clients and in past attempts to get to a cosmetic goal. In this instance I may not have liked what I saw but I am actually kind of glad that I had the experience. 

I was getting to a point of complacence. I have seen many clients stop their programs right around this point in their progress because they think, "I've go this." But the reality is that, when you feel complacent, you are in the most danger of starting on the slippery slope back down the mountain. You may dismiss your support group (weight loss consultant, trainer, or other group - why pay the money if you have already gotten into a good routine?), you become okay with missing a few days of food logging or working out and slowly but surely your initial fire starts to die. You have a special occasion which causes a larger-than-usual splurge and then a bad weekend of eating out turns into; "I'll just get back on it when the holidays are over." 

So if you have lost some weight or body fat but are not quite to your goal yet, here are some reasons to stick it out with your method of accountability even if it costs money:

• The tools you have learned so far may not be enough to take you to your goal. Your body is a master of acclamation. Your metabolism will change as will your muscles with an eating and exercise program. You need to know how to follow the principal of overload to avoid plateaus. You will have to shake things up and a trainer or another form of accountability can help avoid the rut. 
• You may eventually get bored. Who hasn't eventually quit a workout program because it was boring or stopped an eating plan because you couldn't eat the same prepackaged meals one more day or you might smash your microwave? Your support system may help you to find fresh ways to stay interested in your program or simply help you suck it up and stick with it. 
• You may need to find more reasons to get to your goal. You were initially encouraged to start a program for a particular reason. Something sparked a flame of motivation. You found a program and the flame ignited. Within a few weeks, that flame might lose fuel and you may need to light another and someone else could give ideas of what and how to keep the fire alive.   

I'm going to have to thank my workout buddy right now for being at the gym EVERY time to support me because if she weren't there to keep me accountable, I would not have gotten my workouts in. I'll also have to thank you readers for giving me a reason to write every week. Thanks!

My Progress: 

Weight: 170.2 lbs 

Successes: I had a full week of calorie deficits! Not a single splurge! I also hit my steps taken (10,000 steps) goal tree times this week. 

Confession: My Basis armband's strap broke so I have three days without an accurate reading of calories burned. That may not be my fault but it is a setback (By the way, I contacted customer service and was blown away by how great they were. Fantastic product!).