I did not consider myself a "math guy." That all changed when I was working at Skyview Jr High. My Department Head there was Chris Harrison, perhaps the best math teacher to walk the planet, and he is a hands-on teacher/leader. My first year there, he observed my class, engaged me in conversations about math and teaching, and without me realizing it, taught me to refine my craft as a math teacher. I can attribute a great deal of my students' success to my conversations with Chris.
Also while working at Skyview, I met Bobby. To put it mildly, Bobby is a Baseball Nutt! Bobby loves to watch, attend, discuss and live baseball. For a few years prior to my arrival at Skyview, Bobby had run a Fantasy Baseball League named after his favorite player, Roberto Clemente. The league owners consisted of other baseball nutts, math teachers and stat-heads. Although this league never competed for money, the owners in this league took it very seriously, and spent hours compiling and analyzing stats. I was invited to take over a team and did not realize right away what it takes to be successful in this league.
During the draft, which takes a month to complete at one round per day over email, owners maintain several spreadsheets of data to analyze where their players and available players are strong, or weak. My first year, I kept one spreadsheet for my team. In subsequent years, I maintained up to 15 spreadsheets. One for each team in the league (10), one for available infielders, one for outfielders, one for DH, one for pitchers and one for relievers. Our league used non-standard stats that took a little more effort to track. OBP instead of BA. K/BB ratio instead of K's. This added to the analytical nature of the league. Bobby would send us articles on certain players and how these stats were better predictors to a players true abilities. If you have seen, or read "Money Ball" you know what I am talking about.
Chris and Bobby became the owners that I discussed and debated players with during my time in the league. They were always one step ahead of me in thinking about the numbers instead of the players, or teams for which they played. After my second year in the league, I had a break-through, mathematically speaking. Instead of a guy who was good at math, and a good math teacher, I became a "math guy." I could look at a situation and immediately see the rate, probability, or function. Because of the Roberto Clemente League, and my conversations with Bobby and Chris, I now saw the world differently. I now figure out the exact minute I would cross the bridge into Oregon based on the various speed limits along the way when leaving my house in Woodinville. I now base all of my decisions while playing board games on the probabilities, which some friends say, "Takes all of the fun out of playing." But that is fun to me now.
"Ok, Ryan. Let's wrap this up and bring it back to your weight loss."
My original weight was _ _ 4. With that last number being a 4, my mind plays with that, and creates math problems for me to complete in order to get to the next 10. Here is what I mean: Starting with that number which ends with a 4, if I lose 5 pounds, I am into the next set of 10 pounds. If the number were 134 and lost 5, it would be 129, and I would think, "Yeah! I am in the 20's!" It gives me a little goal to work towards. But then, if I lose 5 more, I have lost 10 pounds, which gets me to another 10-type number. So every 5 pounds, I break another 10. Either the next "decade," 30's, 20's, etc, or I lost 10, 20, or 30 pounds. Goals galore!
It does not end there. I have learned that 700 is a key number as well. Everyone's body has a set amount of calories they could eat each day to maintain their weight. One of my first posts stated that mine was 3900-something...a deficit of 700 calories per day, over the course of a week is one pound lost. A surplus of 700 a day, over the course of a week is a pound gained. I am currently on a planned deficit of 1400 a day. Currently 2180 calories per day. So yes, I track my calories on myfitnesspal, but my mind is playing with these numbers constantly. When I have my next small goal to the next 10, my mind is figuring out how calories deficit is needed. How many calories per day? How many per meal? How many days will it take? How many meals will it take? How many pears would that be? It goes on and on. Sometimes being a "math guy" is draining...but being a math guy has helped me stay focused. Thank you Bobby and Chris!
The 29th will be my next weigh-in. 5 days away, 7000 calorie deficit away, 2 lost pounds away?
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