Almost a week...

Almost a week in of no grains. Feel good, but not noticeably great. Sleeping better, though. If I can make it a week, I can make it a month. Popcorn smelled good last night but it passed. Felt a little sluggish running, but felt better as I warmed up. No energy loss from lack of carbs. Still working out morning eating routine sans banana. A little heartburn, but very slight. Rotisserie chicken was tasty and greasy, but hard to measure. Palace 5K this weekend; curious to see how I do with low-carb.

Food Log Day 6:

Coffee (Black, ~3 cups)
8oz Kefir Strawberry/Banana
2 Whole Egg Omelet
Mixed Diced Peppers
1tbsp EVOO
1 Orange
~18oz Rotisserie Lemon Pepper Chicken
1 Bag Bird's Eye Broccoli Cauliflower Carrots
2 servings Raw Spinach
Chunked Tomato
1tbsp Total EFA Oil
2tbsp Newman's Own Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
Multi, VitC, Fish Oil

2000 Cals: 68g Carbs, 170g Protein, 112g Fat

I'm digging those macros!

Monday Day Off

Had a free day yesterday. Ate at the Shroom, had meatballs w/red sauce and mozzarella, and a chicken caesar salad sans croutons. The dressing was oil based. Then had 20pc buffalo wings. First fee day no grains! Caught up on rest, feeling fine.

Food Log Day 5:

Coffee (Black, 3 cups)
1 Cantaloupe
1pckt Muscle Milk Banana Creme
3 Whole Fried Eggs
1tbsp EVOO
1 Orange
1 Larabar Apple Pie
2/3 Mellow Mushroom Meatball App
1 Reg Chicken Caesar Salad (no croutons)
Unsweetened Iced Tea
20pc Wingstreet Buffalo Wings (Bone-In, Traditional, Mild)
Multi, VitC, Fish Oil

I'm guessing 3500 Cals.

I'm going to up my daily cals every 3 days or so to keep the metabolism from slowing down too much. Still feeling fine!

Sleepy

Bad night of sleep last night. I blame coffee. Will cut back to 3 cups a day. Free meal today! Still hungry often.

Food Log Day 4:

Coffee (lots, black)
1 Banana
1scp Protein Powder
5oz Fresh Strawberries
3 Whole Fried Eggs
1tbsp EVOO
2.5 servings Broccoli
6oz Shrimp
2 servings GG Healthy Weight
1oz Raw Almonds
2 servings Raw Spinach
1tbsp Total EFA Oil
2tbsp Newman's Own Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
Organic Burger w/Ketchup
Can of Albacore w/Lite Mayo
Multi, VitC, Fish Oil

2100 Cals: 133g Carbs, 171g Protein, 98g Fat

Getting Harder

Well, 3 days in and I'm craving carbs a bit. I'm also pretty hungry, which makes sense due to my low calorie intake. I've been keeping it low to lose fat, but I'm really getting hungry more frequently. I think I'll try to bump it up a bit. On the plus side, my abs feel tighter.

Food Log Day 3:

Coffee (lots, black)
1 Banana
1scp Protein Powder
8oz Fresh Strawberries
3 Whole Scrambled Eggs
8oz Turkey
2.5 servings Broccoli
2 servings Raw Spinach
1tbsp Total EFA Oil
2tbsp Newman's Own Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
Organic Burger w/Ketchup
Can of Albacore w/Lite Mayo
Multi, VitC, Fish Oil

1450 Cals: 81g Carbs, 157g Protein, 59g Fat

Good so far

Day Two down, and no real problems. Miss popcorn, but not cereal really. Looking leaner, no problems other than hunger. Felt fine with weights this morning.

Food log Day 2:

Coffee (lots, black)
1 Banana
1scp Protein Powder
1c FF Milk
8oz Fresh Strawberries
3 Whole Scrambled Eggs
8oz Turkey
2 1/2 servings Green Beans w/Almonds
6oz Shrimp
2 servings Raw Spinach
1tbsp Total EFA Oil
2tbsp Newman's Own Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
Salmon Cup
Multi, VitC, Fish Oil


1500 Cals: 95g Carbs, 163g Protein, 53g Fat

Day 1 Down!

Made it a whole day without grains. No cereal in the morning, no bread for lunch, no popcorn at night. Was a little hard, and I was hungry at only 1600 cals, but I made it. I'm going to try to look it at one day at a time, like AA. I am confident that this diet will produce results. I just hope the transition isn't too painful. Already hungry.

Here's my Food Log Day 1:

Coffee (lots, black)
1 Banana
1scp Protein Powder
1c FF Milk
8oz Fresh Strawberries
3 Whole Scrambled Eggs
8oz Turkey
3 1/2 servings Baby Lima Beans
6oz Shrimp
2 servings Raw Spinach
1tbsp Total EFA Oil
2tbsp Newman's Own Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
Multi, VitC, Fish Oil

1600 Calories: 135g Carbs, 158g Protein, 45g Fat.

Gonna try to lower carbs to 80g, while keeping protein at least 150g. Fat will take care of itself.

Going Grain-Free on April 1st

Yes, on April Fool's Day, I will start a one-month experiment by eliminating grains from my diet completely. For the entire month of April, no grains of any kind will enter my body. No bread, no cereal, no popcorn, no rice, and alas, no pizza (this will be hard!). I will still have free meals, but it won't have any grains in the ingredients. Examples of free meals: buffalo wings, cream sauces, sausage maybe. I'll one have one free meal a week, so I'll think of them as they come up.

Along with the grains, I will making a few other adaptations to my current diet. Here are the guidelines I will be following:

• I will not worry about front loading or back loading, but will try not to eat 2 hours before bed.
• I will not worry about macro-nutrient percentages, but will ensure I'm getting at least 150g of protein daily.
• I will not plan the frequency or balance of meals, instead just eating according to work breaks and hunger.
• I will try intermittent fasting.
• Only 1 free meal a calendar week.
• I will only worry about weekly total of calories, not daily.

That's enough rules for now. I may adjust them as needed.

Next post on April 1st!