It’s been a while since I messed around with my handy weight loss spreadsheet, so following a few comments from blog reader Dana, I opened it back up to see what improvements could be made.

Behold! Version 4 of my Weight Loss Spreadsheet based on Tom Venuto’s Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle ebook with the following features and additions:

Download: Weight Loss Spreadsheet V. 4

NEW FEATURES
* Added Start Date field
* Added Target Date field
* Added calculated program length (in days) field
* Added a line in each existing program block (Regular, Accelerated, and Manual) to estimate how long it will take to reach your goal weight loss/gain using that program’s calorie levels.
* Added a “Time-Based” program to the Unisex, Female, and Male calculations that generates a low calorie day and high calorie day target intake based on your Target Date and your Target Weight Loss/Gain.
* Updated instructions

EXISTING FEATURES
- Automatic calculation of calorie targets per day and per meal based on your entered data (age, height, weight, body fat % if known, meals per day, low calorie days per week, preferred macronutrient ratios, goal body fat %, and goal lean mass increase).
- Automatic calculation of carbohydrate, protein, and fat grams per meal to help you make smart choices when dining out, creating your own recipes or choosing prepackaged foods
- Calculates how much you can eat on your cheat/free day and still lose weight
- Calculates how much you should eat on your high zigzag days
- Calculates your current lean body mass, fat mass, and Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Calculates your target weight and weight loss/gain.
- Calculates your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)–How many calories your body requires just to perform basic functions each day–based on the Katch-Mcardle and the Harris-Benedict formulas.
- Calculates your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), or the amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight with your exercise activity level taken into account
- Provides separate figures for Unisex (body fat %-based), Female (weight-based), and Male (weight-based)
- Can be used for either weight gain or weight loss

INSTRUCTIONS
To use the spreadsheet, open it with Microsoft Excel, Quattro, Openoffice.org (free download at http://openoffice.org) or any other spreadsheet application capable of opening Excel files and just fill in your stats in the yellow boxes. The rest of the data (and there is a LOT of it) will be calculated for you.

You can either use the spreadsheet just once to plan out a program you will stick to for your entire challenge, or you can make more precise tweaks along the way by updating your stats every 2-4 weeks.

How easy is that?

:prop:

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YESTERDAY’S EATS

1. 1/3 c. oatmeal, 3 T. raisins, 1 whole egg, 3 egg whites
2. 1 peach, 1 scoop whey
3. 6 oz. chicken breast, 1 c. mixed Chinese vegetables, 5 oz. potato
4. 1 unsalted rice cake, 1/2 T. all natural peanut butter, 1 scoop whey
5. 2 oz. chicken breast, 3 c. Romaine salad, 1 apple, 1 T. FF Italian dressing
6. 1 c. light soy milk, 1 scoop whey

Water: 16 cups

Supplements: multivitamin, calcium 600+D, EAS l-glutamine, Instone Pre-Workout Intensity

Calories: 1537 calories (53.5% carb/34.9% pro/15.2% fat)

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YESTERDAY’S WORKOUT

* FGX Legs/Abs (40 minutes)
* Treadmill Run (6.5 mph / 0-2% incline / 30 min)

Calories burned: 619 calories

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DEFICIT: -770 cal (Target: -632 cal/day)

BUDGET NOTES: None