Crash Diet – Day 3 & 4 (Or: How I Lost 8lbs in 4 Days)

Day 3

• Starting Weight: 194.6 lbs
• Total Calories: 1614 (above goal)
• Protein: 211 g (met goal)
• Fat: 58 g (above goal)
• Net Carbohydrates: 105 g (above goal)

Day 4

• Starting Weight: 192.4 lbs
• Total Calories: 1900 (above goal)
• Protein: 188 g (met goal)
• Fat: 71 g (above goal)
• Net Carbohydrates: 43 g (met goal)

So let’s start with the obvious — I’m down almost 8 lbs from Monday.  Exciting, right?  But let’s look at reality…

According to calorie calculators (such as this one), my daily caloric needs are approx 2700 calories / day.  Looking at my total deficit (through day 3), I’m only down about 3800 calories — which is approx 1 lb of fat.  So what are the other 7 lbs?  Probably just water — weight that would quickly come back if I started consuming higher carbs again (carbs make the body retain extra water).

So while it feels good to see the scale weight dropping so quickly, it’s important to keep perspective.  With that out of the way…

Yesterday was the first day I felt pretty hungry by the time I went to bed (despite eating 1lb of chicken w/ stir fry vegetables for dinner).  I also continued having cravings for carbs… I suspect at some point I’m going to have to start removing some of these temptations from around me (such as the spicy cheesy bread on the counter) — my willpower isn’t going to hold out forever!

I also learned that Panera is a terrible place for a business lunch when on a low-carb diet. Not a lot to eat there + way too many tempting smells!

It’s also difficult to eat out, in general. Salads with chicken breast are good, but the dressings often contain a bit too much fat.  My lunch today at HuHot seemed appropriate, except I didn’t realize how much sugar the sauces contained — oops.

I’ll be at a friend’s wedding over the weekend, so I expect to exceed my goal-limits a bit.  Saturday I have a scheduled “refeed” — 5 hours when I’m allowed / supposed to eat more, including carbs.  So that works out – and I’m sure dancing at the reception will help burn a few of those extra calories I will consume!

I don’t expect to post any more updates until next week, so hopefully this has been interesting / helpful to follow my experiences!