Starting weight:  285.2
Calories/Carbs Goals (limits):        1400  / 30.0
Yesterday’s calories & net carbs:    1318  /  51.3
Yesterday’s exercise:    none
Weight Yesterday:: 240.8    Today:  241.6
Change today::  +0.8 lbs.         Loss-so-far:   43.6 lbs.          bmi:  45.65

It’s cool that I have this blog because I can look back at my own history and hopefully learn from it.  So today I scrolled back, all the way back to August, and read my own words describing all my good reasoning for cutting back on my caloric intake.  I had read an article about how some low-carbers had experienced slower weight-loss or even prolongued stalls because of their low-carb-but-high-calorie intake.  I recognized myself as one of those who had been indulging quite freely in cheeses and nuts, driving my calories higher and higher.  I had this wondrous insight on August 25.  I started counting calories the very next day.

So now I look back at the weeks before August 25.  Was I stalled?  Was I losing weight too slowly?  In those early weeks, I wasn’t logging in my food every day - and I wasn’t paying any attention to my calories, whether they were high or low, I didn’t really notice.  Well, this is my body - and it is unique - so today I took the time to go back and find those calorie numbers so I could see for myself how my caloric intake changed - and how my body responded.

 Week of   Loss/Gain     Daily Calories                                          Avg. Calories

    7/21     -1.6 lbs.    1656,695,1198,917,1169                                1127
    7/28     -0.6 lbs.     765,785,1033,1091,1353,1585,1425             1148
    8/4       -0.2 lbs.     1282,884,1155,1078,1055                             1090
    8/11     -3.8 lbs.     1175,1371,1286,1519,1464,1490,1565         1410
    8/18    +1.0 lbs.     1390,1134,2037,1812,1498,661,1861           1341

Ok, so in the 5 weeks before August 25, I was averaging 1223 calories a day and my net loss averaged 1.04 lbs. per week.  That felt too slow to me, so I made the decision to start paying attention to my calories.  I set a limit and thought that I was lowering my intake.  But look…

     8/25    -0.4 lbs.     1417,1749,1057,1301,1151,851                     1254
     9/1      -2.4 lbs.     1212,1153,1255,1192,1486                            1259
     9/8      -1.2 lbs.     1050,1123,1637,1158,1706,1161,1418          1321
     9/15    -1.8 lbs.     991,1313,1152,1103,1253,1309,884              1143
     9/22    -1.8 lb.      1311,1381,1081,1399,1407,1800,1311           1384
     9/29    -3.6 lbs.     1399,1216,1433,1241,1211,1702,1232          1347
     10/6    -0.6 lbs.     1099,1357,1275,1255,1388,912,1377            1237
     10/1    -1.0 lbs.     1342,1229,986,1455,1392,1288,1287            1282
     10/20  -3.4 lbs.     1397,1389,1185,1105,1418,1291,1477          1323
     10/27  +1.0 lbs.     1430,1364,1076,1353,1140,1128,1490          1283
     11/3    -3.0 lbs.     1399,1382,1362,1265,1213,1359,1274          1322
     11/10  +1.0 lbs.     1395,1407,1337,1255,1001,1252,1092         1248
     11/17  -4.4 lbs.     1320,1550,975,1549,1239,1161,1208            1286
     11/24  +0.4 lbs.     1074,1345,1134,TG,1534,1793,1148             1338*
     12/1    -3.2 lbs.     1277,1229,1240,1135,1065,1362,1185          1213
     12/8    +0.6 lbs.     1072,1087,1263,1158,1104,932,1463            1154

* Does not include Thanksgiving Day calories

In this 16-week period, I lost 23.8 lbs, for an average of 1.48 lbs. per week.  Better than the 1.04 per week in that first five weeks - BUT… I didn’t lower my caloric intake as I thought!  Actually, I raised it.  From an average of 1223 per day to an average of 1274 per day.  Not much of a change, but how surprising for me to find out now that instead of imposing a caloric limit back in August - I actually increased my daily calories!

So the question is now… If I increase it further, will I lose weight faster?  Well, hell, it’s time to find out!!!  I’m nervous about this step, but it’s a journey, right?!?  What’s a journey without a few scary twists and turns?!  We’ll call it an experiment and I’ll try it for a few weeks.  SOOOOOOOOOOOOO….

Today I went back to the zig zag calculator  that inkheartmeg has been using (which, ironically, I turned her on to!) and plugged in my info.  Here’s how it came back:

Monday         1928
Tuesday        1928
Wednesday    2314
Thursday       1928
Friday            1928
Saturday        2121
Sunday          1928

Yikes!  I’m not even sure I know how to eat 1928 calories a day anymore!!!  And here’s the reallllllly interesting part:  I want to stay low-carb.  How am I gonna get my calories up that high and still stay below, say, 40-50 carbs per day?!  Answer:  Cheese and nuts!  LOL.  So tonight I made myself a yummy low-carb-high-calorie meal, the same exact meal that I was rejoicing about before I started limiting my calories:

Broccoli casserole, cheddar bay biscuits, and a nice salad.  I’m hoping that with this kinda fuel I won’t be feeling so exhausted all the time!

I think I’m gonna like this experiment.  =D

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