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Day #7 - LAST DAY - of no sweeteners! Yay!!!!! I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve....can't wait for tomorrow!
So, "for me"......the dropping of sweeteners from my diet appears to make no significant difference at all. I understand the Atkins restrictions due to some people being sensitive to them and/or the sweetened taste setting up cravings, but it appears they're not an issue for me. I always thought that was the case, but this was the first time I tested out having NO sweeteners. I had dropped sugar alcohols before, but not the SAs PLUS other sweeteners like Splenda and aspartame.
Walked 2.8 miles this morning before the rain was due to come in. DH and doggies were along too. I won't be in the pool today, or probably for the next couple days due to cooler temps, but I enjoyed yesterday's time in the pool.
My upcoming "Tweak of the Week" will be to control net carbs, as usual, but put a ceiling on calories of either 1300 or 1400 - absolute - haven't made the decision on which one yet. I'd rather work with the 1300 ceiling, but it may prove to be too much for me to handle.
The new Phinney & Volek book (The Art & Science of Low Carbohydrate Living)shows a graph near the back section of how a hypothetical 5'6" woman (like, me??) would apportion her dietary intake as she moves between 180 lbs. and 140 lbs. (like, me??). They show that at Induction, she's at 1300 calories.
To be clear, they're NOT focusing on total calories, but rather showing how this hypothetical person changes their percentage of the macronutrients as they move through the 4 stages of Atkins. But.....one can easily see that this particular hypothetical example does not approach 1500-1800 calories in either Induction or OWL. Perhaps it's because they're talking about a "smaller" individual?? I don't know and there's no explanation of it, probably because they're focusing on how one's fat intake increases rather dramatically, esp. going into Maintenance.
Now, I'm NOT proposing, or arguing, that the 1500-1800 calorie range for women talked about in the Atkins book is wrong or inappropriate. In fact, calories are not a target or even to be counted for most people. Depending on where one's weight loss journey begins, one's age and activity level, the 1500-1800 (sometimes even more) is undoubtedly appropriate and that's why it's written about. But for those of us who have lost a good deal of weight and are slowing or stalling, it's time to reassess all our dietary parameters.
But I also believe that the authors didn't pull these numbers out of thin air....rather, that they showed this example because it was typical, based on their research and studies. So if an "average" woman at about 180 pounds begins Atkins at about 1300 calories in Induction, I have to believe that a woman who's a bit lighter in weight, post-menopausal, not an athlete, etc. might have to go even a bit lower??? But because I'm not in Induction, I'll go to either 1300 or 1400 - FIRM - keeping NCs low and we'll see what happens.
For me to keep the calories under control and not have hunger, I'll probably have to up my veggies, which will mean my total carbs will go a bit higher than they've been recently. This tweak is more complex than just dropping sweeteners, or limiting calories, because I've got to make sure everything else stays in balance, including getting the appropriate amount of protein each day. (I need a Diet Coke!)
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70.3 kg
Lost so far: 36.3 kg.
Still to go: 4.5 kg.
Diet followed: Reasonably Well.
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1384 kcal
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Fat: 102.55g | Prot: 86.11g | Carbs: 29.95g.
Breakfast: Johnsonville Brown Sugar & Honey sausages, eggs, Pieces & Stems Mushrooms. Lunch: Kraft shredded colby jack cheese, beef, cut like stir fry, Tumaro's multi-grain low-in-carbs tortilla. Dinner: Jones cherrywood smoked bacon, Armenian cucumber, romaine, salad toppins, Wishbone ranch dressing. Snacks/Other: hard-boiled egg (9:30 PM), Sorrento Colby Jack Sticksters, Jones cherrywood smoked bacon. more...
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1871 kcal
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Exercise:
Walking (exercise) - 3.5/mph - 46 minutes, Resting - 15 hours and 14 minutes, Sleeping - 8 hours. more...
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steady weight
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