Life After Carbs

A real person eating (mostly) real food

My LCHF week in review: July 20 – July 26

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Starting weight = 217.4 lbs Ending weight = 215.2 lbs It was a solid week on the LCHF diet front for me, resulting in a 2.2 pound weight loss. That's over one-percent of my current body weight. To me, it's a perfect amount to lose in a week. If I can keep it up, I'll reach my target weight of 199 pounds by the end of September. I've lost five pounds in the past three weeks, just a touch under the two-pound a week average. One complication has entered my life. I've been having mysterious pain … [Read more...]

My LCHF week in review: July 13 – July 19

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Starting weight = 217.8 lbs Ending weight = 217.4 lbs It was an odd week. The averages are misleading. I started the week in the middle of a "fat fast," trying to get 85% of my calories from fat while keeping my calories low (around 1,400 per day in my modified version of a fat fast). I followed this regime for three consecutive days (through Tuesday of this week), and dropped over two pounds. The hardest part of the fat fast was hitting the 85% target for fat. In fact, I only managed it one … [Read more...]

My LCHF week in review: July 6 – July 12

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The drop wasn't pronounced or dramatic, but I did lose a couple pounds over the course of "Bust the Stall" Week. I finally got off the 219 pound plateau last Wednesday, and then stayed below it for the rest of the week. I lost weight on a majority of days. The numbers in the table aren't telling me a lot beyond that, but it does seem that I need to keep my daily total carbs and net carbs under 55 grams and 35 grams respectively. I gained weighed after every day where my carbs were higher. My … [Read more...]

Calculating Skaldeman’s fat burning quotient

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When I started this blog many years ago, I was eating a "low-carb" diet. Now I'm eating a "low-carb high-fat (LCHF)" diet. The change in terminology is significant. The goal is not to replace excessive carbohydrate with excessive protein, but with quality fat. I'm trying to get more than 70% of my daily calories from fat. A useful tool for deciding what to eat on an LCHF diet is "Skaldeman's fat burning quotient." The quotient is named after Swedish diet guru Sten Sture Skaldeman, who … [Read more...]

Dark chocolate to the rescue!

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I was in danger one day of falling short of my dietary goals. After a modest dinner of a chicken thigh (skin eaten) and steamed broccoli and cauliflower with butter, I was under 1,700 calories for the day, with just over 69% of my calories having come from fat. My goals were 2,000 calories for a day, and more than 70% of calories from fat. I also had the goal to avoid night-time snacks. So dinner needed to last me through the night until breakfast. I had doubts that it would. … [Read more...]

Calories up, fat up — weight down

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OK, this is more like it. Yesterday (Monday, July 6) I consumed 2,400 calories, with 73% coming from fat. That's about 800 more calories than I consumed on an average day during the previous week. Today my weight is 219.4 pounds, down eight-tenths of a pound from yesterday. I don’t put much stock in a one-day weight loss. In fact, as a regular reader of this blog knows, I have made a point of NOT weighing in every day. I even have my doubts about a weekly weigh-in. But I am pleased that … [Read more...]

My LCHF week in review: June 28 – July 5

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Starting weight = 220.2 lbs. Ending weight = 220.2 lbs. [Correction: I've discovered one incomplete day in my food log for the period covered in the above table. Thursday, July 2, I recorded no foods after lunch, but am positive I ate dinner! Probably a snack, too. So my best guess is that I ate an additional 500 - 600 calories that day. Therefore, my daily average calories was higher than is shown, though still under 1,700 per day. In other words, still low!] If my goal were to maintain my … [Read more...]

My LCHF week in review: June 14 – June 20

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Starting weight = 219.6 lbs. Ending weight = 219.2 lbs. If I round my starting and ending weights off to the nearest pound, then I could say that I lost one pound this past week. But being honest, I have to say I ended the week on the same plateau that I began it. My percent of calories from fat (71%) was closer to where I want it to be, and my average net carbs per day of 38 grams was OK. I ate more than usual. My average calories per day were nearly 200 more than the previous week, and … [Read more...]

My LCHF week in review: June 7 – June 13

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Starting weight = 221.6 lbs. Ending weight = 219.6 lbs. Since the end of April, my weight has been stuck around 220 pounds, going up a little one week and down a little the next. This week, the direction is downward. I lost two pounds. But although I edged up to 219 pounds nearly a month ago, I've yet to fall below that mark. In short, I've been on a diet plateau. Probably everyone who tries to lose weight has to cross one or two plateaus along the way. Maybe more. It can be frustrating. … [Read more...]

My LCHF week in review: May 24 – May 30

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Starting weight = 220.4 lbs. Ending weight = 219.4 lbs. It was a reasonable LCHF week for me. I lost a pound, even though my average daily calorie count was higher than the previous week when I gained a pound. My average daily calories weren't just slightly higher, either. The numbers were 1,805 vs. 1,673 -- or +132 (8%) per day. My activity level didn't change. So much for calories in / calories out (at least for this guy and this week). (I admit my activity level needs to increase, but not … [Read more...]