June 30, 2011: Day 32, Post 180

 Goal Weight: 188 pounds  

Today's Weight:        204.2 lbs
Yesterday's Weight:    203.2 lbs

Net Loss/Gain:         + 1.0 lbs

Please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you!

I seem to be over my digestive problems. Now I have to figure out how to get back to losing weight, losing fat.

This is not paying too much attention to my daily weight. This is keeping track of trends, and what is working.

What is not working for me is the maintenance section of NHE. I think I need to try something else. My initial idea is to go back to the 'Inductance' diet I began with: Low carbs, no carb-load meals. As my weight loss from this 'kicks in', when I get near my desired weight, I may add a 'cheat day' to the mix. That is TBD.

Meanwhile, I am 3 days away from my original goal date. While I have met that goal, I have not been able to hold the line.

If I have more weight gain tomorrow, I will probably do a mini-fast, as I did in the past. Skip breakfast, probably lunch, eat only dinner.

We'll see, right?

Food Log

Breakfast

Protein shake: Whey protein (1 scoop, 24g), 1C almond milk, 1/2C blueberries, 1/2C kale, 1-1/2C Spinach, 3T chia seeds, 1/2t stevia-erythritol blend.

    Carb count: 14 g. Net

Lunch

Organic smoked turkey breast with tomatoes, on Spring Mix greens with balsamic vinaigrette.

      Carb count: 1 g. Net

Snack
Large amounts of various nuts, and a lot of Manchego cheese, too.  
     Carb count: 18 g. Net

Dinner 

3-egg omelet with sauteed onions and mixed cheese, topped with salsa, and mashed cauliflower (made with 1-1/2T butter, 1/4C yogurt, 2T chia seeds).

   Carb Count:  4 g. Net

Day total carbs:  

    ~40 g. Net carbs. 
Net carbs = total carbs - fiber 

The approximation "~" includes an amount added for calculation error and unknown (therefore, uncounted) carbs.

Liquid Intake
    Coffee:  20 oz,   Water: 108+ oz.

Please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you!

Day 31, Post 179 - Carb-load Dinner

 Goal Weight: 188 pounds  

Today's Weight:        203.2 lbs
Yesterday's Weight:    201.8 lbs

Net Loss/Gain:         + 1.4 lbs

Please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you!

Kind of grateful that I didn't gain more weight after last night's silly gorging on ricotta cheese. I ate that as if I would never be able to get it again (not true). This is what happens when I get over-tired. I am very vulnerable to having 'cravings'. It's a good think I don't keep a lot of crap food around.

Today I went a little nuts with my carb-load dinner, and included some grains in dessert.

Food Log

Breakfast

Protein shake: Whey protein (1 scoop, 24g), 1C almond milk, 1/2C blueberries, 2-1/2C kale, 3T chia seeds, 1/2t stevia-erythritol blend.

    Carb count: 14 g. Net

Lunch

Organic uncured ham on Spring Mix greens with balsamic vinaigrette.

      Carb count: 1 g. Net

Snack
Fried pork rinds..  
     Carb count: 6 g. Net

Dinner 

No pictures. Here are the things I ate: Reduced-fat, no-sugar-added chocolate ice cream, brown rice pasta with french-cut string beans and pomodoro sauce, corn bread and oatmeal cookies.
    Carb Count:  N/A for carb-load dinner.

Day total carbs:  

    N/A for carb-load  days

The approximation "~" includes an amount added for calculation error and unknown (therefore, uncounted) carbs.

Liquid Intake
    Coffee:  36 oz,   Water: 108+ oz.

Please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you!

Day 30, Post 178

 Goal Weight: 188 pounds  

Today's Weight:        201.8 lbs
Yesterday's Weight:    201.8 lbs

Net Loss/Gain:         - 0.0 lbs

Please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you!

Yesterday's doctor's visit leaves me in a quandry. I believe the doctor was sincere, and trying to be helpful, but the advice she gave me was very mainstream, 'conservative' in a way that hearkens back to government-approved dietary guidelines that I know are faulty, and that, in order to lose weight, I have had to reject. These are the guidelines that have seen our population get fatter and fatter for decades. These are the carbs-are-good, fat-is-bad, and lose-weight-by-burning -more-calories-than-you-consume guidelines that have been proven wrong over and over again, and yet are still the model. 

I can't go for that.

I don't know whether to take it further, and see a GI specialist. Taking senna has almost completely relieved my IBS symptoms, and what is left is the 'bruising' from the last bout, and that seems to be healing. The idea of adding in more fruit is probably a good one, but doesn't fit in with my current dietary goals - except for my carb-load meals, and I will make it a point to add fruit then, from now on.

I don't disbelieve that it is important to get exercise, but I am at a loss on what to do for year-round exercise here, where we only get about 5 months where being outdoors is palatable. I don't want to join a gym, because I don't enjoy them. I don't like and/or don't have the equipment for winter sports.

The obvious choice is calesthenics - situps, pushups, that sort of thing. But that is... boring.

I guess we'll see. I'm thinking about it...

Meanwhile, I completely binged out on ricotta cheese late last night - I don't know what I was thinking...

Food Log

Breakfast

Protein shake: Whey protein (2 scoops, 24g), 1C almond milk, 1/2C blueberries, 2-1/2C kale, 3T chia seeds, 1/2t stevia-erythritol blend.

    Carb count: 14 g. Net

Lunch

Organic uncured ham on Spring Mix greens with balsamic vinaigrette.

      Carb count: 1 g. Net

Snack
Pepperoni and ricotta cheese.  
     Carb count: 6 g. Net

Dinner 

Natural chicken sausage with spinach and feta, with broccoli.

    Carb Count:  1 g. Net

Late Snack
Cashew-almond butter, ricotta cheese.
    Carb Count:  20 g. Net


Day total carbs:  

    ~45 g. Net carbs. 
Net carbs = total carbs - fiber 

The approximation "~" includes an amount added for calculation error and unknown (therefore, uncounted) carbs.

Liquid Intake
    Coffee:  24 oz,   Water: 128+ oz.

Please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you!

Day 29, Post 177

 Goal Weight: 188 pounds  

Today's Weight:        201.8 lbs
Yesterday's Weight:    199.2 lbs

Net Loss/Gain:         + 2.4 lbs

Please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you!

 Do not focus on weight. Do not focus on weight.  Do not focus on weight... 

Today I had an 'emergency' doctor's appointment to discuss the reduction in gastrointestinal motility that began towards the end of my experiment with the Slow-Carb Diet. Problems with GI motility are usually called IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, although IBS can take other forms. GI motility is about the contractions which move your food through the intestines, particularly the last sections of the lower (large) intestines. This is my problem: It has slowed down for me. The result is that too much moisture (water) is removed from the stools, creating a very painful (and less frequent) bowel movement.

I had a rather long conversation with the doctor - not my usual doctor (but she said my doctor was her doctor). She had in her career been a licensed nutritionist, and was very interested in my weght loss. She felt that my diet was excellent, (it worked!) and her Number One suggestion was to exercise, especially exercise my core. Abdominal crunches, and/or yoga or Pilates. 

Since the last two would require a group/class setting, which means some kind of membership somewhere, I reject them out of hand. I hate ab exercises, always have, but that is all that's left. I will be learning to use a kettlebell for exercise, but that is whole body strengthening, only incidentally core strengthening. 

The doctor also suggested doing aerobics, but I think aerobics, per se, are inefficienet and perhaps detrimental, and I can't do them outside 6 months of the year, or inside, ever. I am more inclined to do High Intensity Intervals, but again, 6 months of the year, I have no place to do them.

As I said, she approved of my diet; her only suggestions were to eat more fruit and cut some of the protein out. (Very much counter to the diet plan I am following). She handed me a list of guidelines from the government.  I think the government recommendations are a bad joke and based on junk science if based on anything other than commercial interests at all. It is obvious - to me, at least - that the government recommendations for a healthy diet run counter to any reasonable expectation of weight control and good health. 

Finally, on to the subject of my visit,  my painfully poor motility, she explained that weight loss was not-so-infrequently accompanied by this problem - there is a 'shrinking' of the body, and also a 'shrinking' of the intestines. She emphasized that she felt exercise was necessary help the gut keep up with the task of motility. Her ideas about taking senna (which has been the only thing so far that gives me any real relief) are that it is better to take the tea, and you don't want to become reliant (addicted?) to anything that affects your motility one way or the other.


There you have it. My weight and blood pressure were all good. There were no other labs, so there's nothing else to report. I have to think about how I'm going to incorporate a small apple into the daily plan. Maybe go down to one conventional serving of protein per meal. But probably, I will pretty much ignore everything the doctor said about diet, and start some kind of exercise program. And buy some senna tea.

Food Log

Breakfast

Protein shake: Whey protein (24g), 1C almond milk, 1/2T macadamia nut oil, 1/2C blueberries, 2-1/2C kale, 3T chia seeds, 1/2t stevia-erythritol blend.

    Carb count: 14 g. Net

Lunch

1/4-lb Grass-fed Roast Beef on Spinach and Field Mix with a (whole, medium) sliced tomato and balsamic vinaigrette.

      Carb count: 5 g. Net

Snack
1-1/2 oz of cashew-almond butter on celery ribs.  
     Carb count: 9 g. Net

Dinner 

Appetizer (not shown): Pepperoni and cheddar cheese. Dinner: "Bangers and Mash": Organic chicken sausage with spinach and feta, mashed cauliflower  (made with coconut oil, chia seeds and yogurt).

    Carb Count:  3 g. Net

Day total carbs:  

    ~33 g. Net carbs. 
Net carbs = total carbs - fiber 

The approximation "~" includes an amount added for calculation error and unknown (therefore, uncounted) carbs.

Liquid Intake
    Coffee:  18 oz,   Water: 128+ oz.

Please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you!