After taking BMR tests from 8 different sites, my basal metabolic rate ranged from 2537 to 2878.1 calories per day. As I mentioned in my original post, I am not aiming to count calories, though I am tracking them to keep record. Ending weight was measured today, on Friday, which is why I'm not including today as part of my report.
Starting Weight: 327 lbs
Ending Weight: 323 lbs
Net Change: 4 lbs
Day 1: Monday, May 16th
I missed breakfast as I was getting blood drawn around noon, so my total caloric intake was lower than it normally would. By the time I finished getting blood drawn, I was starving and had to walk home from the bus stop, so I stopped at Qdoba. I ordered a naked chicken taco salad (naked as in sans the shell). For lunch I made myself a ham lettuce wrap with cheddar cheese and mayonnaise and cut up some leftover rotisserie chicken to eat on the side along with some citrus fruits. Dinner was a couple of cheeseburgers sans bun, steamed veggie mix, and a barbecued artichoke which didn't turn out as well as I would have liked. Snacks involved a few more oranges and a hard boiled egg. Total calories equalled 2,158.
For exercise, I walked the 1.5 miles to the bus stop and back again. I remained well hydrated throughout the day (mostly because they had so much trouble drawing blood so they made me consume water virtually nonstop for 15 minutes straight).
Day 2: Tuesday, May 17th
Lots of meat, pecans for snacking, some fruit and delicious veggies. Total calories for the day: 3481. Percent from carbs was listed at 13%, mostly from the veggies and fruits, although I suspect I was a little off since I overestimated the vegetables with my dinner, I think.
Very little exercise today as I spent most of my day reading and preparing for a tutoring assignment I had in the evening. Had to take an ibuprofin in the evening because I had a major headache, presumably from the lack of the carbs I'm so used to. I've been advised this is normal for the first week.
Day 3: Wednesday, May 18th
I was bad. Not bad in that I ate a lot of carbs, but bad in that I wasn't very thorough in tracking my food, so I'm not paying attention to the caloric total. I had some burgers, some tuna spread out onto lettuce, hot dogs, and more nuts for snacking. Dinner was a hot dog and a huge (200 calorie) serving of broccoli and melted cheese. Had friends over, and I even bought them a celebratory pie and ice cream, of which I had neither. I feel very good about that, even though I really wanted some of each. I did have some alcohol with them, though it was rum and diet coke. Neither of these have carbs, so that was fine. Although I know that alcohol will slow weight loss, I feel okay with this consumption since it will help factor out alcohol as a potential variable. If I can keep my alcohol consumption relatively constant (which is very low...a few drinks every 2-3 weeks) I shouldn't have to worry about that mucking up any results.
Still feel kinda crummy, though I also feel a little bit more energetic. It's possible that this is because of the psychosomatic component of dieting.
Day 4: Thursday, May 19th
I've decided not to go into great detail on each segment of my meals, since I eat a lot. Still, no major snacking, I just prepared small meals throughout the day. Baked some chicken with a marinade involving soy sauce, olive oil, Chinese fivespice, garlic, and a little bit of cayenne pepper. That turned out pretty well. Total carbs for the day made up roughly 10% of my meal.
I am feeling a little bit more energetic, though I'm also noticing that when I eat, I feel almost desperate about what I'm consuming. It's possibly because I have fewer snacks in between my meals, even though it takes more time to prepare each individual meal.
Weekly Summary
Oy, this diet is rough. If it becomes a habit, though, it very well might be sustainable. I'm not as dedicated to low carb as some people. I haven't cheated from the original plan, but as I've come to understand some people kick out all carbohydrates, including the small amount from some sauces or mixes, or even avoiding things like tomatoes. I can't do that. Still, I'm not having too much trouble avoiding refined carbohydrates like breads or sugars that you wouldn't find in fruits, and it seems to be having something of an effect. 4 lbs in 4 days seems pretty reasonable to me. We'll see if it keeps up like this.
I never personally found diet to be a big component of what makes me feel energetic... other than if I eat a bunch of bad (eg deep fried) stuff it makes me super sick and then I just want to die. What's always given me energy is lots of exercise. That's why I love kung fu... when I got started I wanted to die for the first month (or two) and then it's like WHOOPEE I'M FUCKING IMMORTAL BITCHEZ. XD
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear the first four days are going well. You're right about the ultra strict low carbers being a bit radical about sauces and tomatoes, things that in the grand scheme of things are not a big deal. The main thing about going low carb is getting down to a sane amount of carbs (~100g/day) vs the insane amount that packaged/processed foods make possible (>400g/day). Now, quality is also important, but the sheer absurd quantity that people blindly consume is the easy fix with 'low' carb eating. I think sane carb eating is a better name for the diet.
ReplyDeleteThe effect I'm feeling could be described as a minor version of the effect I often feel when I exercise. It's entirely possible the two are related, though I'm not sure.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes Adam, thus far roughly around 100g/day is where I've been. Occasionally I've gone a little bit over, but I also eat more calories in general due to my height and weight than most people just to be healthy.