OK, here's how this works:

The formula is ((EatOutFreq * 2) + 5) 50 + 1758 - BirthYr

Arbitrarily doubling EatOutFreq and then multiplying it by 50 insures it ends up in the 100's position (or greater if you dine out more than 10 times a week).

The arbitrary +5 multiplied by 50 adds 250 to the arbitrary 1758, producing 2008, the current year, and why this only works in the current year.  (1757 offsets the whole thing if you haven't had your birthday yet).  By subtracting your age from this you are essentially subtracting your age from 2008 (or 2007 if you haven't had your BDay yet), and this two-digit number occupies the right two digits of the "answer".

Note if you are 100+ years old, this little number game will not work, as your age will overlap with your dining frequency in the 100's position, adding one to the times you eat out and decreasing your age by 100 years!

Whoa!  I feel like I'm on my MySpace account.

This will work next year as well: simply add 1 to the 1757 or 1758 respectively.

It's less mysterious If you don't want to eat out ANY times per week (0 x 2 = 0); you still have to add 250 (5 x 50) to the 1758, which comes to 2008. Although the instructions state you must use any number from 2 to 9 (it says MORE than once...), it will still work if you use zero but becomes more transparent.

The seemingly random incorporation of the number of times eating out per week is multiplied by 100 (first by 2 and then by 50; 2x50 = 100), therefore the single digit number will be multiplied by 100 and end up in the third column.

With apologies on behalf of dull facts everywhere.

Quaint little math game. Didn't work for me because I don't like to eat out at all. Too much garbage and why should I go out for salad when I make a much better salad at home. Plus there's no raw milk at restaurants in my state.

You'll always get your age, but it the last two digits have nothing to do with how often you eat out.  There's nothing freaky at all about this.  You even get your age if you put 0 as the number of times you eat out (my case), which basically cancels out that whole part of the equation.  Do that and you will realize all they do is have you add numbers together that add up to either 2007 or 2008 depending on whether you have had your birthday yet this year, then you subtract your birthyear.  Well, DUH!  Of course you're going to get your age!

Wow, that was freaky! I got 227 and guess what I'm 27!

Who on earth came up with that!

Very fun - Bob2 - I appreciate your deciphering the numbers game - I love it!

It'll work if you cut and paste the directions and do the math under each question so there are no mistakes. :>)

They should have said we can calculate age by how often we eat HEALTHY instead of eating out.  It would have been more fun!  Everyone of us would have started with 7

That doesn't work for me because I don't eat out (except when we are out of the country) and frankly, don't want to eat out.  I just need to stop eating.

Well I "want" to eat out less than once a week. It is not possible to control what you are getting when you eat out, but I did use the number 2 and it worked. Bob2 thanks for the explanation. Math is pretty cool. I wish I had a talent for it. Oh well....

Calculations like this have been floating around the Internet for years. If they ask for your birth year, it's pointless to do this kind of calculation. Just subtract your birth year for the current year and you get your age, duh. This may be a fun thing to do for 1st-graders, but for us, while it's also fun, I guess more a waste of time.

Yep, I'm 15

wow thats interesting!