Which is actually better, a Rule or a Suggestion?

A Rule is –

a prescribed guide for conduct or action;
an order or direction;
a regulating principle;
a usually valid generalization;
a standard of judgment.

To Suggest is -

Suggest stresses putting into the mind by association of ideas,
awakening of a desire, or initiating a train of thought

to seek to influence;
to mention or imply as a possibility;
to propose as desirable or fitting;
to offer for consideration;
to serve as a motive or inspiration for.

A Suggestion is –

The process by which a physical or mental state
is influenced by a thought or idea.

The process by which one thought leads to another
especially through association of ideas.

Even though the general scientific rule is "3500 calories = 1 fat lb",
that doesn't mean this loss (or gain) immediately shows on the scale.

Although, with effort, we can control what food goes into our body,
we cannot control what our body does with that food...
and the timing of how fat is lost is a very large part that we cannot control.

Our bodies are always shifting water about,
and the majority of our lean body weight is actually water.

Also, our bodies don't always react the same ways,
and just because we achieved the same result a few times,
doesn't mean the same behavior will always result in the same outcome.

I've found my predictions can be accurate IN GENERAL,
 but frequently are not SPECIFICALLY accurate.

Furthermore, even with careful weighing and measuring of food,
carefully reading all labels, along with the careful daily recording of our food,
all calorie counting is STILL only an ESTIMATE.

 We do the best we can.
But labels can have a 20% (or more) error,
the sugar count of fruits etc. can vary from season to season,
and there are often individual differences in the way we measure,
and the way the food company measures.

For example, I measure 1/4 cup of oatmeal as a level 1/4 cup,
but when that is compared to the gram weight on the label,
I see that the listed gram weight is the same to an amount that is below the rim of 1/4 cup.

Therefore, we do the best we can to measure and record the calories in what we eat,
but we must be aware that this is NOT an exact science, 
and most of our errors tend to be underestimates.

Regarding graphing data.
I have a great deal of personal data about my own calorie intake,
and my body weights etc.

I enjoy making graphs of that various data,
and am always looking for new ways to look at the data,
hoping that this will help me to spot something new.

 But the key words here are "I enjoy".
I find it an enjoyable pastime, but it isn't necessary,
and it really isn't all that helpful except to keep me focused on the issue.

Although I am responsible for my Behavior with food,
I am not responsible...and have no control...over the Results that my body gives me,
including the timing of the weights I see on the Scale.

Perseverance = Steadfastness

Steadfastness =

firmly fixed in place;
not subject to change;
firm in belief, determination or adherence;
loyal;
faithful

On Saturday afternoon I was lying on my bed with my laptop,
feeling a bit out of sorts about the interruption to my activities
due to my broken wrist, along with a bit of self-pity for my physical discomfort. 

I decided to seek some online words of comfort and inspiration,
and I did an advanced Google search of the words:

“Inspiration, motivation, comfort, recovery broken wrist”.

On  Google's search results, page 2, I found MYSELF here at DietHobby
…one of this week’s articles. 
I was amused, more than comforted, but perhaps that was actually what I needed.

I also found an article that told me to nurture my spirit.
It told me to take care of myself and remember what makes me feel good:

“Comfort comes in a variety of ways and uses some or all of our senses:

the touch of feather pillows and a soft comforter while resting on an overstuffed sofa;

the sight of the stunning beauty of the colors of creation;

the smell of freshly cut lawns or flowers;

the sound of birds singing, wind chimes, relaxing music, or a phone call from a kind friend;

the taste of favorite comfort foods.”

 Okay…the taste issue got my attention. It seemed to be the most immediately appealing.
However, in my past I’ve frequently experienced the taste issue, and doing that made me really Fat
…so I chose to direct my Focus toward a different way of comfort and distraction.

                                 

To maintain one's current weight,
energy input needs to match energy output.

To lose weight,
energy input needs to be less than energy output.

Despite occasional contradictory statements of a few health food gurus,
and the understanding that any person's calorie numbers are estimates
depending upon many factors--and not a cut-and-dried issue--
the established scientific principle is still: Calories in, Calories out.

Each of us burns a different amount of energy (calories),
This is based on our heights, our weights, our sex, and our ages.
A smaller part of this is also based on our activity level.
Due to each of these factors most of our individual metabolisms differ.

I am a short, small, older female.
Within the past couple of years, I took a medical Resting Metabolism Rate (RMR)
computerized breathing test at a Hospital Facility.
It showed that my metabolism is NORMAL or AVERAGE for my height, weight, age, and sex:

That my "normal" "average" RMR is around 1000 daily calories, and
after adding an 1 hr or more, for 7 days a week, of intense low-impact exercise
(plus strength training) my normal daily calorie burn should be about 1400 calories.

Unfortunately, my personal calorie records do not verify this test’s results.
My own food data indicate that my entire calorie burn is a bit under 1100 calories.
and this includes both both my RMR and the activity factor together.
However that discrepancy is not the point of this discussion.
In this discussion, we can assume that these Metabolism Tests were accurate.

Looking at the food I would normally choose to eat
if I were allowed to eat 3 normal sized dinner plates of food each day,
or the equivalent of a similar food exchange program,
my calculation of the calories in 3 normal sized dinner plates
of whatever food I might like to eat is around 2000 calories daily.

 2000 Plus calories
is what some larger people need to maintain their weights.
However, 2000 minus 1400 calories equals a 600 daily calorie excess.
3500 calories = 1 fat lb.
Therefore every six days of eating in that manner
would cause me to have a fat gain of 1 lb.
365 days a year divided by 6 equals 60,
so I could gain around 60 lbs in one year by eating in this manner.
(It would actually be a bit less since this simple calculation
ignores the slight MR increase that would occur due to a weight gain.)

There are diets that use various meal size limitations,
along with other rules, as a substitute for calorie counting.
There are also many  diets that use “food exchange” charts for the same reason.
The intention is that eating in this manner will cause a "natural limitation"
of the food we eat, and result in us eating less (or at least the same) calories
as we burn up in energy.

Eating less food is good.

However, I frequently caution people who restrict calories in this manner
of this simple Truth.

 We are NOT All the same.

Although almost everyone needs to exercise conscious portion control,
How much food to eat is an individual call.
One that is based upon our sex, our age, our height, our weight,
the activities that we engage ourselves in….and our other genetic data.

We cannot all eat the exact same amounts of food
and expect to maintain our weight or to lose weight.
It simply is not physically possible.