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You are offered the chance of dinner or a day out. How do you decide what to do ? The answer, the same as you did before.

Ignoring your spreadsheets for a day or two cannot do any harm, as long as you don't indulge in obvious excess, sabotaging your own efforts. You will know precisely what that means as you make progress. Your expertise on this subject will astound you before too long.

It would prove rather tiresome to attempt to apply the spreadsheets to these departures from your typical routine. It would also take the edge off any occasion.

You could still note your daily weight if that is not inconvenient or impossible. If it is impossible, use your previous figures to keep the table up to date and make a note on the table accordingly to remind you later if you note an aberration.

Remember, there will inevitably be routine fluctuations anyway. On some days your body may store more liquid. Your weight may increase a little as a result. The length of your waking (not walking) day may vary. I do however know for certain everything will inevitably balance out if you stick with your kcal numbers. All that matters. Trust the science and the numbers.

Temporary alterations to your lifestyle, be they occasions or arduous activity, will not be registered by the bathroom scale for up to 36 hours. I have had exceptionally hard days walking in the hills, yet paradoxically my weight appears to have suddenly increased that night, sometimes significantly. There are good reasons for this, especially in hot weather.

It is hugely important to remember this. I once witnessed someone repeatedly working-out on gymnasium apparatus with alarming intensity, then leaping onto an analogue scale from time to time to see if it had any effect. It definitely does not work like that and analogue scales cannot be accurately read. They may be deadly accurate instruments but they cannot be accurately read, as they rely on a needle and need repeated calibration which they may not get.

Your body does not instantly discard weight following exercise. I know that from my own experience when I have had a hard day pounding the hills in boots only to note my weight has apparently increased (water retention). My weight rises in hot weather because of water retention which may be a natural protective measure (like a camel). Two or three days of sudden cooler weather and the weight drops off again. I have now had several years of maintaining my weight perfectly to be able to confirm this.

Do not worry about anything. Be consistent over time, stick rigidly to your kcal threshold numbers and your results will inevitably follow through. No other outcome is possible.

 
         
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