Help with Diet

I am on a diet and would like to make a spreadsheet to help track my
progress. I weigh in every morning and I now have about one month’s worth of
data, so I am anxious to get started – the problem is that I know almost
nothing about Excel. I have bought a book, Show Me, which hasn’t helped me
much.
More specifically I have a year-long plan. (Yes, I got that column figured
out – and I can live with 30-day months) So, I have a beginning number
(weight on January 1) and an end number (goal weight for December 30) I plan
to enter my weight each day and would like to have the spreadsheet calculate
how I am doing (the number of pounds, + or -, [above or below] the predicted
weight that I should be at on that day – assuming a linear weight loss of 60
lbs from the first day to the last day - 360 days later) OK, so I am
compulsive, but it’s working! I lost over 10 pounds already. Put on a pound
or two and it shows up right away.
I have messed with the Graph Wizard and even trend lines – I love this
program, but I need a jump start. Any sympathetic gurus out there?

Congratulations on your progress so far!

It sounds like you want to get up to speed with Charting.

I suggest you reserve some hours and look through:

Jon Peltier's site:
http://www.peltiertech.com/index.html

Andy Pope's site:
http://www.andypope.info/charts.htm


--
Rob van Gelder - http://www.vangelder.co.nz/excel


"Jack144" <Jack144@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:279700B6-FCDE-4937-8C44-F58FBBD4969D@microsoft.com...
>I am on a diet and would like to make a spreadsheet to help track my
> progress. I weigh in every morning and I now have about one month's worth
> of
> data, so I am anxious to get started - the problem is that I know almost
> nothing about Excel. I have bought a book, Show Me, which hasn't helped
> me
> much.
> More specifically I have a year-long plan. (Yes, I got that column figured
> out - and I can live with 30-day months) So, I have a beginning number
> (weight on January 1) and an end number (goal weight for December 30) I
> plan
> to enter my weight each day and would like to have the spreadsheet
> calculate
> how I am doing (the number of pounds, + or -, [above or below] the
> predicted
> weight that I should be at on that day - assuming a linear weight loss of
> 60
> lbs from the first day to the last day - 360 days later) OK, so I am
> compulsive, but it's working! I lost over 10 pounds already. Put on a
> pound
> or two and it shows up right away.
> I have messed with the Graph Wizard and even trend lines - I love this
> program, but I need a jump start. Any sympathetic gurus out there?
>

Hi Jack

if you arrange your spreadsheet with dates in column A
target weight per day in column B
actual weight per day in column C
variance in column D
then you can have every day of the year and still graph it.

e.g.
.........A....................B..........................C.........................D
1....Date................Target lbs...................Actual
lbs..............Variance
2....1/1/05..................................................xxx..
3.....1/2/05.................=C2-0.166......................xxxx.......................=C3-B3
4.....1/3/05...............=C3-0.166.......................xxxxx.......................=C4-B4

this makes your daily target based on the previous day's actual rather than
on your total weight loss goal ... however, if you did want to make it based
on the goal (as per your post) then use

.........A....................B..........................C.........................D
1....Date................Target lbs...................Actual
lbs..............Variance
2....1/1/05....................................................xxxx..
3.....1/2/05.................=C2-0.166.....................xxxx.......................=C3-B3
4.....1/3/05...............=B3-0.166.......................xxxx.......................=C4-B4

the formulas (and dates) can then be copied down using the fill handle
(bottom right hand corner of the cell and drag down)
note - ensure in column C that you only enter the numbers not the number
followed by "lbs"

to graph it, click on A1 and drag down the days and across to column C for
the dates you want to graph, once you've selected the range (make sure you
include row 1) press the F11 key - a graph will be automatically generated
for you showing the target weight and your actual weight.

I hope this helps - there's a few things you can add to neaten it up - so
please feel free to post back if you'ld like more assistance - and good luck
with the wieght loss.

Cheers
JulieD

"Jack144" <Jack144@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message ne
ws:279700B6-FCDE-4937-8C44-F58FBBD4969D@microsoft.com...
>I am on a diet and would like to make a spreadsheet to help track my
> progress. I weigh in every morning and I now have about one month's worth
> of
> data, so I am anxious to get started - the problem is that I know almost
> nothing about Excel. I have bought a book, Show Me, which hasn't helped
> me
> much.
> More specifically I have a year-long plan. (Yes, I got that column figured
> out - and I can live with 30-day months) So, I have a beginning number
> (weight on January 1) and an end number (goal weight for December 30) I
> plan
> to enter my weight each day and would like to have the spreadsheet
> calculate
> how I am doing (the number of pounds, + or -, [above or below] the
> predicted
> weight that I should be at on that day - assuming a linear weight loss of
> 60
> lbs from the first day to the last day - 360 days later) OK, so I am
> compulsive, but it's working! I lost over 10 pounds already. Put on a
> pound
> or two and it shows up right away.
> I have messed with the Graph Wizard and even trend lines - I love this
> program, but I need a jump start. Any sympathetic gurus out there?
>

"Jack144" <Jack144@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:279700B6-FCDE-4937-8C44-F58FBBD4969D@microsoft.com...
> More specifically I have a year-long plan. (Yes, I got that column figured
> out - and I can live with 30-day months)

You don't have to. Put 01/01/2005 in A1, and just goto the botom-right of
the cell until the cursor changes to a black, cros, click and drag down, it
will auto-increment the date.