It is late, I am doing laundry for work and to keep up on the piles we seem to make out of nowhere. I am a little nervous for tomorrow. Starting in earnest seems to make me think it will be more difficult than it has been thus far. Truth told, it has not been difficult to do but an exercise in planning more then denial.
My wife needs me to help her get up for the gym in the AM, so I am going to get up at 5:15 tomorrow and make sure she is moving. That gives me time for Shapers and Shredders, so no excuses. I am planning on jump rope for Shred, since the kids will be home and it is getting towards winter and chilly time and I am a wuss to begin with.
I am going to make calendars for the first month I hope to show what needs to happen when to make a good guide for both of us. I snuck on the scale earlier today and found I was under my tentative 263 goal already. If that is the case tomorrow AM I will amend my goal as such: Under 263 at end of week or down 2.5 pounds+ from scale weight. Do-able and not huge for first week.
Good luck to myself and all of you
-chris
Day -1 10/26/2014
First Sunday on the plan! Really the last day before we I go live. Wife has done this longer and I am joining her for motivation and to help myself as well. I have learned things this half week that should help me along the way.
- Plan ahead for meals. Work can be tough for me to eat at in both time and quality of food. Packing ahead and having backup plan for missed meal times is good
- Zone Perfect bars are in my desk just in case. They are not 'low carb', but will be better than missing a meal
- Make ahead for meals is also key. Making for a day or 2 does help, although we seems to eat a lot of chicken around here...I like chicken and it is easy and cheap to make as well as fast and tasty
- Water, water, water. No kidding on the "You may go 2x 3x per hour" while low carbing it up..I think I urinate more then I can ever remember in my life
- Peas are a starchy veg...I knew about corn, but not the peas. I will be eating a lot of broccoli and normandy mix in the coming days I think
- Set a timer. This has helped a ton early on. I have a 3 hour timer on my phone I start when I have finished my meal to keep my pace for the next. In fact, it beeped while I was typing the point above.
Today I am not going to get too caught up in food. I will go whole hog on water, but I had cinnamon powder doughnuts for breakfast and it was yummy if a bit heavy. Cannot believe how fast I seem to be changing on food.
Happy eating - updates later
-chris
***LATER***
Went to the mall to get my wife eye exam. This coincided with the kids being hungry. This led to me buying them Taco Bell and getting food for me even though I really was not hungry or supposed to eat. This is a temptation I need to watch for this next week. I had Nachos Bellgrande and a soft taco without lettuce that was not eating by Matt.
Also I had about 10-12 oz of Baja Blast. I love that soda but know its bad for me. I also missed a meal late afternoon due to other commitments around the house. I did get it in, but 2 hours late. I pushed my last meal until about 10:45p, which is late indeed.
Better luck next time, I need to make my own luck in future
-chris
***LATER***
Went to the mall to get my wife eye exam. This coincided with the kids being hungry. This led to me buying them Taco Bell and getting food for me even though I really was not hungry or supposed to eat. This is a temptation I need to watch for this next week. I had Nachos Bellgrande and a soft taco without lettuce that was not eating by Matt.
Also I had about 10-12 oz of Baja Blast. I love that soda but know its bad for me. I also missed a meal late afternoon due to other commitments around the house. I did get it in, but 2 hours late. I pushed my last meal until about 10:45p, which is late indeed.
Better luck next time, I need to make my own luck in future
-chris
Day -2 Update - A Night Out?!?!
Well, that did not go as thought or planned. I had thought my wife was going out with friends to see a movie and eat dinner and would be with the boys. Normal stuff, Minecraft and my planned meal.
Boy was I wrong. The"friend" bailed and left my wife upset and feeling down. I pulled some strings and found a last minute sitter for the kids and I filled in for her on the night out. It was good to be away from the kids with just her. We had dinner and did a small amount of birthday shopping for the older boy. Then we saw St. Vincent, good and touchingly sad movie. I am glad I went, because I would not have seen the movie otherwise as it is not to my watching tastes.
Food was terrible as it relates to Carb Cycling but amazingly good to eat. I had a top sirloin steak with greek salad and fries. Also I had soda both with dinner and movie as well as Reese's Pieces to snack on.
Not anything like the diet, but I feel I needed to live in the moment and go with it. We never get out as a couple and I was not going to get all picky with food and drink and spoil her night out. Tomorrow is another day..a low carb day.
Actually we talked about that and are not sure what to do as it relates to Sundays. Our High Carb days are Mon/Wed/Fri when she has cardio at her gym. Tues/Thurs/Sat are Low Carb since she is doing resistance workouts those days. Sunday could either be a free day or a low day.
We thought about hybridizing it and making at a low carb day with cheat meal since it is family time. That gives us flexibility to eat well and still have a little fun with the kids and not have to wait all week for more "cheats". I am not trying to undue the plan, but modify it a little to suit my situation without going overboard.
Time will tell
-chris
Boy was I wrong. The"friend" bailed and left my wife upset and feeling down. I pulled some strings and found a last minute sitter for the kids and I filled in for her on the night out. It was good to be away from the kids with just her. We had dinner and did a small amount of birthday shopping for the older boy. Then we saw St. Vincent, good and touchingly sad movie. I am glad I went, because I would not have seen the movie otherwise as it is not to my watching tastes.
Food was terrible as it relates to Carb Cycling but amazingly good to eat. I had a top sirloin steak with greek salad and fries. Also I had soda both with dinner and movie as well as Reese's Pieces to snack on.
Not anything like the diet, but I feel I needed to live in the moment and go with it. We never get out as a couple and I was not going to get all picky with food and drink and spoil her night out. Tomorrow is another day..a low carb day.
Actually we talked about that and are not sure what to do as it relates to Sundays. Our High Carb days are Mon/Wed/Fri when she has cardio at her gym. Tues/Thurs/Sat are Low Carb since she is doing resistance workouts those days. Sunday could either be a free day or a low day.
We thought about hybridizing it and making at a low carb day with cheat meal since it is family time. That gives us flexibility to eat well and still have a little fun with the kids and not have to wait all week for more "cheats". I am not trying to undue the plan, but modify it a little to suit my situation without going overboard.
Time will tell
-chris
Day -2 10/25/2014
I am trying to post more naturally as I go through the day rather then late. Here goes
Today's work food. I took a picture to show a portioned meal as I see it:
That is my 3 meals for work today. about 3 oz chicken thigh, 2 cups veggies and almonds. The picture shows all of the 3 portions, I hate wasting bags so I put them all together.
Calories for the meal are (105+140+170=415cal)
Breakfast was the same shake as it has been: 12oz of 2% milk and 2 scoops Chocolate Whey Protein for 443 calories.
Lunch was the above meal for 415 calories
Mid Afternoon was the same at 415 calories
Dinner should be the same
Late Meal will also be very similar if not identical in caloric count
Last meal should be something similar to the above meal and would give me a tentative total of just over 2100 calories.
Water:30 60 90 120 150 180
Today's work food. I took a picture to show a portioned meal as I see it:
Calories for the meal are (105+140+170=415cal)
Breakfast was the same shake as it has been: 12oz of 2% milk and 2 scoops Chocolate Whey Protein for 443 calories.
Lunch was the above meal for 415 calories
Mid Afternoon was the same at 415 calories
Dinner should be the same
Late Meal will also be very similar if not identical in caloric count
Last meal should be something similar to the above meal and would give me a tentative total of just over 2100 calories.
Water:
Day -3 10/24/2014
First "High" Carb day based on the diet
Food was good overall. I had a shake for breakfast and 2 home made meals at work. I also had a cheat meal from Arby's with the family. Not as good as I hoped to keep it, but I think things went well considering we did not get to eat inside. I had planned on a sandwich and water, but since we were relegated to the drive thru I went with ease of ordering and got a combo. Not sweating it
My last meal was the same as the work 2 plus a frozen yogurt from Healthy Choice that is 100 cal per serving...very nice.
Water - I had 150oz+ a small amount of mountain dew with my cheat meal.
Calories:
B - 260+183 (mix + milk) = 443
L - 180+195+70 (Chicken + rice+veggies) = 445
MA - 180+195+70 (Chicken + rice+veggies) = 445
D - 480+230+25 (Cheat Meal - Grand Turkey Club, Sm Cake and Dew from Arby's) = 735
LM - 180+195+70+100 (Chicken + rice+veggies+FroYo) = 545
2613 Total Calories I was over the 2000 goal, but it was my first cheat day so I am not sweating it.
Food was good overall. I had a shake for breakfast and 2 home made meals at work. I also had a cheat meal from Arby's with the family. Not as good as I hoped to keep it, but I think things went well considering we did not get to eat inside. I had planned on a sandwich and water, but since we were relegated to the drive thru I went with ease of ordering and got a combo. Not sweating it
My last meal was the same as the work 2 plus a frozen yogurt from Healthy Choice that is 100 cal per serving...very nice.
Water - I had 150oz+ a small amount of mountain dew with my cheat meal.
Calories:
B - 260+183 (mix + milk) = 443
L - 180+195+70 (Chicken + rice+veggies) = 445
MA - 180+195+70 (Chicken + rice+veggies) = 445
D - 480+230+25 (Cheat Meal - Grand Turkey Club, Sm Cake and Dew from Arby's) = 735
LM - 180+195+70+100 (Chicken + rice+veggies+FroYo) = 545
2613 Total Calories I was over the 2000 goal, but it was my first cheat day so I am not sweating it.
Day -4 10/23/2014
Well, I started the food on a low carb day. The day before I had Pizza Rolls and junk in mental preparation of today. The best part of cycling is "I can have it tomorrow if I want". Cheat meals on high carb days do take some sting out. I was nervous about the low carb days..I like carbs.
Breakfast was a chocolate smoothie of whey protein and 2% milk. No almond milk for me, that may be my one crutch because we have kids. I moved from whole to 2% already...that is enough.
Lunch was 4oz of Salmon and about the same amount of green beans. Fresh frozen farm beans are nice change.
Mid afternoon was 4oz of chicken strips I warmed with about the same mixed veggies from a frozen mix
Dinner was suppose to be the same as lunch, but I was busy at work and missed it.
Late meal was the same as lunch plus a salad with 1/2oz shredded cheese and balsamic vinagrette added for bulk.
Misc: I had about 6 regular M&M's and a Mini Almond snickers...I was hungry and missed a meal. I need bars or something to help with that.
Water - I had 150oz in total
Calories:
B - 260+183 (mix + milk) = 443
L - 280+50 (salmon + beans) = 330
MA - 133+85 (chicken + veggies) = 218
D - 0
LM - 280+50+20+70+90 (salmon + beans+salad mix+dressing+cheese) = 510
Total for day 1501 calories + misc food calories of about 200
1700 Total Calories
I had planned on the salad with more chicken at home, so I would have only added another 133 calories with all my planned meals. So, 1634 was the day's setup. I need to make sure my last meal is not the largest. That is a bad habit to have and difficult to break.
I may need to weigh my food to get better calorie counts..I an picky that way. The system uses hand portions, which I like..but I may have messed up for the next day's food by getting carb and veggie backwards..Oh well. Live and learn
Breakfast was a chocolate smoothie of whey protein and 2% milk. No almond milk for me, that may be my one crutch because we have kids. I moved from whole to 2% already...that is enough.
Lunch was 4oz of Salmon and about the same amount of green beans. Fresh frozen farm beans are nice change.
Mid afternoon was 4oz of chicken strips I warmed with about the same mixed veggies from a frozen mix
Dinner was suppose to be the same as lunch, but I was busy at work and missed it.
Late meal was the same as lunch plus a salad with 1/2oz shredded cheese and balsamic vinagrette added for bulk.
Misc: I had about 6 regular M&M's and a Mini Almond snickers...I was hungry and missed a meal. I need bars or something to help with that.
Water - I had 150oz in total
Calories:
B - 260+183 (mix + milk) = 443
L - 280+50 (salmon + beans) = 330
MA - 133+85 (chicken + veggies) = 218
D - 0
LM - 280+50+20+70+90 (salmon + beans+salad mix+dressing+cheese) = 510
Total for day 1501 calories + misc food calories of about 200
1700 Total Calories
I had planned on the salad with more chicken at home, so I would have only added another 133 calories with all my planned meals. So, 1634 was the day's setup. I need to make sure my last meal is not the largest. That is a bad habit to have and difficult to break.
I may need to weigh my food to get better calorie counts..I an picky that way. The system uses hand portions, which I like..but I may have messed up for the next day's food by getting carb and veggie backwards..Oh well. Live and learn
Some Basics on Food and Water
How to Build a meal for CARB CYCLING:
This is the wordy version
This is the picture version of complete meals
Carbs:
Flavorings:
This is the wordy version
Ingredient
|
High Carb Meals
|
Low Carb Meals
|
Proteins
|
1 portion
|
1 portion
|
Carbs
|
1 portion
|
None
|
Veggies
|
Unlimited except for root/starchy veggies they count as carbs
|
Unlimited except for root/starchy veggies they count as carbs
|
Fats
|
None
|
1 Portion
|
Flavorings
|
1 portion, plus unlimited herbs, spices, seasonings
|
1 portion, plus unlimited spices, seasonings
|
This is the picture version of complete meals
 |
| High Carb Meal Hand Portions |
 |
| Low Carb Meal Hand Portions |
And the portions at a time so they are clear
Protein:
 |
| Palm of your Hand (3-4oz or 84-112g) |
 |
| Clenched Fist, about 1 cup (90-100g) |
Veggies:
 |
| 2 Fists worth, about 2 cups. Generally unlimited unless starchy |
Fats:
 |
| End of thumb. About 1 Tablespoon (15g) |
 |
| 2 fingers worth. About 2 teaspoons (10g) |
Water is very important as well. The recommendation is a minimum of 100 oz. Most sources say at least a gallon per day (128oz) or to divide your weight in half and consume that...so for me 133oz today. I am aiming for 5x30oz glasses per day so 150oz is my target.
Weight Change Through Carb Cycling? I hope and think so!!
So, my wife wants to get in better shape. She has done so in the last year very well. She had twins in June and has done a FXB 90 day challenge and lost inches and gained strength. I am so proud of her for that! It made me jealous and envious a little, the best time for her to go would be the best time for me as well...that makes it difficult for us both to go. The people I have met from there are awesome and honest folks. I bet I would like it, and the cost keeps me on track..I hate wasting money.
But my wife hates the food tracking. To be honest it can be fairly tricky. It also makes portioning food ahead more of a challenge for both of us since the numbers would be different for me. That means I make portions for her and do not get enough myself. That seems to make me binge eat later on since I did not get enough food. Work can be tough on eating as well...I sell cars and people seem to buy around my meal times. I need some grab and go food that is not junk at work.
My wife decided to try Carb Cycling. Chris Powell uses it on TV and has great results. I was skeptical on it since everything works on TV and under close supervision. She bought the books and read them and liked the idea. She works out Mon-Sat with Cardio Mon/Wed/Fri. Those need to be her high carb days and the others are low carb.
We discussed Sunday, she does not work out and she does not like a free day. I think Low Carb is the way to go. That makes the schedule:
I weighed 265.0 on 10/20 and have been weighing myself every Monday since January. I plan to keep that up. Weight is after morning evacuations, but before food or water. Underwear only for clothes. The books say good results are around a pound a day for a 30 day cycle. That means I will start my month 10/27/ and it will be 4 weeks later on 11/24. I will set a weekly and monthly goal for my weightloss.
Ideal would be 30 pounds lost for an ending weight of 235. That is on par with the books
Realistic for me would be a loss of 15 pounds. That is 250 and half the books.
Low end "happy"goal would be loss of 10 pounds. That is 255 and a real low goal. I hope to look that in the rearview mirror early on. I will set weekly goals. My first week's goal is to lose 3 pounds in total. I have started early with cycling to see how it works and bet I will have lost already. My goal is to be 262 or less on 11/3/2014. A stretch goal is 3 lbs down from weight 12/27.
Daily food entries with calories should be put on here as well. I am starting diet only and may wait a month to add exercise to it, but we shall see how that works out for me.
-chris
But my wife hates the food tracking. To be honest it can be fairly tricky. It also makes portioning food ahead more of a challenge for both of us since the numbers would be different for me. That means I make portions for her and do not get enough myself. That seems to make me binge eat later on since I did not get enough food. Work can be tough on eating as well...I sell cars and people seem to buy around my meal times. I need some grab and go food that is not junk at work.
My wife decided to try Carb Cycling. Chris Powell uses it on TV and has great results. I was skeptical on it since everything works on TV and under close supervision. She bought the books and read them and liked the idea. She works out Mon-Sat with Cardio Mon/Wed/Fri. Those need to be her high carb days and the others are low carb.
We discussed Sunday, she does not work out and she does not like a free day. I think Low Carb is the way to go. That makes the schedule:
- Monday - High Carb
- Tuesday - Low
- Wednesday -High
- Thursday - Low
- Friday - High
- Saturday - Low
- Sunday - Low
I weighed 265.0 on 10/20 and have been weighing myself every Monday since January. I plan to keep that up. Weight is after morning evacuations, but before food or water. Underwear only for clothes. The books say good results are around a pound a day for a 30 day cycle. That means I will start my month 10/27/ and it will be 4 weeks later on 11/24. I will set a weekly and monthly goal for my weightloss.
Ideal would be 30 pounds lost for an ending weight of 235. That is on par with the books
Realistic for me would be a loss of 15 pounds. That is 250 and half the books.
Low end "happy"goal would be loss of 10 pounds. That is 255 and a real low goal. I hope to look that in the rearview mirror early on. I will set weekly goals. My first week's goal is to lose 3 pounds in total. I have started early with cycling to see how it works and bet I will have lost already. My goal is to be 262 or less on 11/3/2014. A stretch goal is 3 lbs down from weight 12/27.
Daily food entries with calories should be put on here as well. I am starting diet only and may wait a month to add exercise to it, but we shall see how that works out for me.
-chris
