Calorie Bank

 

At the end of each day, if you've eaten fewer calories than your budget called for, Diet Power deposits the surplus in your Calorie Bank. Conversely, if you've overeaten, the program withdraws calories from the bank. You can use the Calorie Bank to save up for days when you want to splurge. Monitoring your account will also help you understand your long-term eating and exercise trends.

 

To check your Calorie Bank balance...

 

...look at your Body History screen. Your balance appears under "Bank Balance" at the bottom of the screen. Or check the bottom of your Food Log or your Exercise Log.

 

(You can also see a list of your bank balances for every day since you began using Diet Power. Just open your Diet History.)

 

To view your complete Calorie Bank statement:

 

From your Home Screen:

  1. Open the Food Log or the Exercise Log, by
     

or

  1. Click the tab labeled "Calorie Bank."

Interpreting the Bank Statement

 

The left column shows calories for either today or the working date you've chosen. From the day's budget (listed first), Diet Power subtracts the calories eaten (second line); then it adds those earned through exercise (third line) to yield the number still available (bottom line). (If the bottom line is negative, you've eaten more than your budget and exercise prescribed.)

 

In the middle and right columns, headed "Previous Days," Diet Power displays a similar calculation for all the calories accumulated since your current diet began. (These figures won't include today's, since calories are banked only at the close of each day.) The middle column reports the totals; the right shows the average per day.

 

Your Calorie Bank balance is the bold red number in the middle of the bottom line, marked with an asterisk. If the balance is zero, your net calorie consumption is on target. If the balance is positive, you've been eating too little or exercising too much. If it's negative, you've been overeating or exercising too little.

 

On days when you don't log any foods...

 

...Diet Power will estimate your food intake by looking at your weight change. It will also factor in an assumption that you burned the same number of calories in exercise as your average for the preceding 30 days. Then it will withdraw or deposit calories accordingly. For details, see Skipped Days.

 

Your Calorie Bank and Weight History are related.

 

In order to lose a pound, the average adult needs to forgo 3500 calories of food. This means you should be about a pound under today's target weight whenever your Calorie Bank shows a balance of 3500. The same relation holds when your bank balance is in the red. If your balance is -7000 calories, for example, you should be about two pounds heavier than planned.

 

Most people find that their Calorie Bank and Weight History track closely. That's because, instead of assuming you have an average metabolic rate, Diet Power monitors your personal rate by comparing your weight change with the foods and exercise you've logged, and (unless you've chosen a constant budget) bumps your calorie budget up or down a few points every day to counter any fluctuations. If you log infrequently or inaccurately, however, your bank balance and Weight History may eventually drift out of kilter. In that case, it's best just to start a new diet (see Goal Setter), which resets your bank balance to zero.

 

To print your Calorie Bank statement:

  1. Click the Print button at the bottom of the Calorie Bank window. (If the button is not visible, see Taskbar, Hiding to Make Screens Deeper.) The Windows Print dialog will appear.
     

  2. Change your print settings, if necessary.
     

  3. Click OK or press the Enter key.

To leave the Calorie Bank:

 

If you'd like to stay in the log, click another of its tabs. The other page will come to the top.

 

If you want to return to the Home Screen, press Enter or click OK or Cancel. (If these buttons are not visible, see Taskbar, Hiding to Make Screens Deeper.)

 

 

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Last Modified: 6/30/07