Y U NO POST?!

So I'm really bad at keeping up with this blog.  Like, really bad.  Since I last posted, I failed out on Atkins, got back into it, failed again, fatted around for two weeks, and am now back on low calorie.

Not sure why Atkins proved so hard for me.  It does take a lot of planning, because you do have to be really careful.  Low-cal is much more forgiving.

Today and yesterday, I started out with 2 servings of Chobani greek yogurt, one blueberry and one black cherry.  Generally, I just stick to some fairly easy-to-throw-together for lunch and dinner.  For instance, here's an example:

5oz  cod filet
1 cup brown rice, cooked
1/2 cup black beans, canned, drained
1 cup mixed vegetables
2 tbsp salsa

414 calories, 55 carbs, 12 fiber(!), 4g fat, 36g protein.

I buy the microwavable bags of brown rice, frozen mixed veggies, and frozen fish.  Salt and pepper some fish, bake it, and microwave the rice.
In a microwave-safe container, throw in the rice, black beans, veggies, fish, and top with salsa.  Toss on some spices as you wish (italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, chili powder), and when you're ready to eat, toss in about a tbsp of water and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes.

This is a LOT of food, because I am a Large McHugefat and my appetite is terrifying.

The End of Induction... Maybe

So yesterday finished up the 14-day Induction period on Atkins.  I dropped 14.8 pounds in two weeks, which is pretty crazy.  I may continue to do Induction for another week, I haven't really decided yet.  Yesterday, I had a grand total of 15 net carbs, so might as well, right?

Also, last night my girlfriend made something that was crazy delicious.  Pork Tenderloin with roasted garlic, onions, and sauteed mushrooms.  Om nom nom nom nom.

Low Carb, Week One

Hi folks!  Sorry for the delay.  Work is a little hectic this week, and by a little hectic, I mean 11 hour days and 4 hours of sleep.  It's all for the greater good, though.  Anyways, after a week on the Induction phase of the Atkins diet, I'm down 9.3 pounds.

In a week.

Now, I believe most of that is water weight, but holy crap.  The fastest I dropped earlier was nowhere near this.  It took me 6 weeks to drop 15 pounds last year.  Low carb is SORCERY!

Update Tomorrow!

As week one draws to a close, I am pretty excited about the weight loss thus far.  I'll post in the morning what a full week garnered, but so far it's been pretty crazy.  Keto is sorcery.

Also, smoked gouda has zero carbs.  Hell yes.

Low Carb - the First Three Days

Let me just say that I am dating a genius.

I have a close friend that has done a ketogenic, or low-carb, diet before and was very successful with it.  When I talked about the daily allowance of carbohydrates, he had said that you looked at total carbs.  As it turns out, my girlfriend was right all along.  It's Net Carbs, which means you subtract the dietary fiber from the total carbohydrates.  So 20 Net Carbs a day is much, much easier to follow than 20 Carbs a day.

For example: Breakfast on Day One was four eggs and a cup of frozen mixed veggies in a tbsp of butter.  The brand of veggies I use has 6g of carbs in a cup, which starts me out over a quarter of the way into my daily allotment.  However, the veggies also have 3g of fiber, which makes it all come out as 3g of net carbs - so there's 17 left!  I'm very excited, as I was wondering how on earth I was going to meet my fiber requirements on the diet.  The good news is I found a fiber supplement that is 3g carbs and 3g fiber - so 0 net carbs - that I can use to supplement what I don't get.  My goal is to get at least 15g of fiber during the induction phase, which is usually done for 2 weeks, but I may take it a little longer because I definitely need some fat loss pretty quick.

One of the biggest challenges on the diet is to keep my fat where it needs to be, which is above my protein.  According to the diet, you should have more fat than protein in your diet.  To that end, eating food with more fat than protein has been surprisingly difficult - which is just another reason to love bacon!

After three days on the diet, I'm not really groggy or tired, I have been able to work out without problems, and I'm not really hungry.  I do miss mindless snacking that I had fallen back on while I was on a business trip (where I put on 20 pounds in just under 2 months!), and a lot of what I feel is just me wanting to snack, which I'm avoiding.  The 'carb crash' is supposed to hit me sometime within the next few days, but it soon passes.  Here's hoping I weather it well.

There are times that I really love the diet - breakfast more than any other.  Breakfast today?  4 eggs and a cup of mixed veggies with garlic powder, crushed red pepper, basil, and cracked black pepper with six (SIX!!!!) slices of bacon.  Did I mention the 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese on the eggs, or that I sauteed the veggies in bacon fat?  It was GLORIOUS.  The meal was 744 calories, which I don't worry about anymore - it was only 3 net carbs.

I'll report in on Monday to speak up on how much weight, if any, has been lost.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Low Carb, Day One

Coming back from a two-month stay at a hotel with no freezer or stove or oven, which came after a stint of following the diet off and on, I've ballooned back up.  This morning has me at 238.1 pounds.  I'm sick of the weight, and I'm going to go the Atkins route to drop back down.

I'm writing this in case anyone else out there is thinking of trying the Atkins diet but isn't sure where to start.  The best place to start, of course, is with atkins.com - great info there - and, if available, a friend who has already done it.

This is the start of Phase 1 of 4 - Induction - and is the most limited.  It's capped at 24 carbs a day, and with my breakfast (4 eggs, 1 tbsp butter, 1 cup mixed veggies), I've had 6.  It's important to note that the majority of your carbs need to come from vegetables, as that's where you'll get your fiber as well.

They also say that the first few days will have you feeling like turds - my girlfriend has attempted it and likened it to the flu - but it should pass, and all will be well.  Let us see.

One Year Later...

I'm back up. A lot. Like, 240 pounds up. Starting Low Carb in the morning to get back on track.