How Many Carbs Do You Eat In A Day?

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When going low-carb, vegetables become your primary source of carbs. Image courtesy of Apolonia and FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When going low-carb, vegetables become your primary source of carbs. Image courtesy of Apolonia and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Thinking of going low-carb, but now sure how low you should go? No need to worry. Authority Nutrition has a great breakdown of how many carbs you should have a day for a healthy diet. The article provides daily carb count ranges based on what your goal is – weight maintenance or weight loss.

With low-carb diets, there isn’t a specific carb count to follow because we’re all different. Optimal carb intake depends on a lot of factors – gender, age, weight, activity level, and metabolic health, to name a few.

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Weekly Weigh-In: Down 3 Pounds

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I lost 3 pounds this week. I'm back to where I was before the strep throat!

I lost 3 pounds this week. I’m back to where I was before the strep throat!

Hot damn! I dropped 3 pounds this week and officially lost the weight I gained during my strep throat. Phew! With the injuries, illnesses and frickin’ snow out-of-the-way, it feels like I can finally see daylight.

Chances of me reaching my short-term goal of weighing under 200 pounds by the end of April are looking pretty slim. It’s looking like the end of May is more realistic. As long as I get there I’ll take it.

Food wise, I stuck to eating 25g of carbs a day. I did have one little slip (or should I say sip). Yes, I broke Lent with a glass (or two) of wine. Sigh…but on the bright side, wine is low carb. Anyway, I’m back on the wagon and will not drink for the rest of Lent.

In addition to eating healthy, I kicked my workout schedule up a notch. With all the weight lifting, biking, walking, running, yoga classes and my burpee challenge, I worked out a total of 11 hours this week. Awesome!

This week I’m adding an extra challenge to my workout schedule – my first day hike this year. I’ve got my sights set on Manassas National Battlefield Park. The park has 40+ miles of hiking trails and my goal is to cover 11.5 miles.

 

The Blood Work Is In & I’m Awesome!

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Results of my 3rd annual physical are in and my new routine helped I've turned the clock back 20 years! Image courtesy of smokedsalmon and http://www.freedigitalphotos.net.

Results of my 3rd annual physical are in and my new routine helped I’ve turned the clock back 20 years! Image courtesy of smokedsalmon and freedigitalphotos.net.

Last week I had my annual physical and, unlike most people, I actually looked forward to it. I mean, who doesn’t like sitting on a tissue-covered examining table wearing a very large paper towel opened in the back? As fun as that sounds (and it does sound fun), I didn’t always feel that way.

When I went in for my first-ever physical, in 2012, I wasn’t the same tissue-sitting-lovin’, paper-towel-with-holes-wearin’, physical-takin’ aficionado I am today. I knew I wasn’t in perfect health, and I expected the usual from my doctor: lose weight, get more exercise, been there done that, please pass the ketchup. You know, like what doctors say to normal people.  Right?

Wrong. Unfortunately for me, I got what can only be described as a punch in the gut. I was well on my way to a heart attack and to becoming a diabetic. Only time would tell which would hit first if I didn’t change my life.

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Weekly Weigh In — Up 3 Pounds

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I'm up 3 pounds this week. Not great, but not unexpected after eating lots of carbs while sick.

I’m up 3 pounds this week. Not great, but not unexpected after eating lots of carbs while sick.

Over the last 2 weeks I’ve gained 3 pounds. Those misgivings about eating lots of carb-laden soups and soft breads during my strep throat were well-founded. I also ate out a lot this past week — probably because I was cooped-up in the house for 7 days. While I ate the best low-carb friendly foods on the menu, I always do better on the scale when I make my own meals.

It doesn’t help that I’m sore from resuming my lower body workouts. Sore muscles mean water retention. Hopefully I’ll lose the water by next week’s weigh-in along with a few pounds.

While I’m not happy about gaining weight, I’m not freaking out either. I had a great physical and am no longer taking my blood pressure medication. I know I’m on the right path. I just have to keep chugging along.

Am I Eating Too Much Protein?

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I decided to investigate if I'm overdoing it on the protein front. Turns out my body is much smarter than I realized. Image courtesy of amenic 181 and FreeDigitalPhoto.net.

I decided to investigate if I’m overdoing it on the protein front. Turns out my body is much smarter than I realized. Image courtesy of amenic 181 and FreeDigitalPhoto.net.

Last night I started reviewing my food logs in My Fitness Pal and noticed that my diet breaks down as 10% carbs, 30% protein and 60% fat. I’m eating low-carb, so that means my fat intake goes up to compensate for my cut in carbohydrates. That got me wondering if I’m eating too much or too little protein.

My diet is low-carb, high fat (LCHF). I’m averaging about 115g of protein a day. That daily average dipped in March (83g/day) but that’s mostly due to illness. Strangely, now that I feel better, my protein intake hasn’t bounced back up to 115g. As a result, I’m feeling hungry late at night and tired in the afternoons. Suspecting lack of protein was the culprit, I deal with my hunger by whipping up some late night scrambled eggs with hot sauce — yum!

Clearly, eating 115g of protein a day helps with the hunger. But is 115g a day the right amount of protein?

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Weekly Weigh-In: Goodbye Plateau, Hello Antibiotics!

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Success! Down 5.4 lbs. this week and finally broke free of the plateau.

Success! Down 5.4 lbs. this week and finally broke free of the plateau.

I woke up this morning with a throbbing ear and a sore throat (just the left side) and promptly called my doctor’s office to see if I could get checked out today. The last thing I wanted was an ear infection over the weekend with no meds. After scheduling the appointment I decided to weigh-in today. If I have to eat carb heavy soups this weekend, I might as well weigh myself before the damage is done.

Good move! I lost 5.4 pounds this week and that puts my total weight loss at 110 pounds. Eating 20g of carbs a day paid off and kicked that plateau to the curb.

“Wow! That Throat’s A Hot Mess”
After weighing in, I headed straight to my doctor’s office. Now I’ve felt tired for the last couple of days and had a very runny nose for a few weeks. I naturally assumed I was fighting a cold and starting to lose the battle. But this morning the pain in my ear and throat was intense.

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CarbFest Over The Weekend; Time To Reboot Diet

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Image courtesy of KEKO64 and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Image courtesy of KEKO64 and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

I’m not sure what got into me, but while ordering lunch at a restaurant I skipped my usual grilled chicken salad with oil and vinegar. I went straight for the bacon cheeseburger (with bun) and fries.  It was my first burger and fries in more than 8 months. It was glorious!

That began my spiral on Saturday — a day filled with popcorn, pizza cravings and late night pancakes.

Maybe it was the warm, sunny weather over the weekend. Or maybe I was long over due for a binge.

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Plateau Continues; Up 1 Pound

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I'm up a pound. This little plateau is putting up a big fight. Time to cut back on my carbs and shake free of this plateau's grip.

I’m up a pound. Time to cut back on my carbs and shake free of this plateau’s grip.

Well crap! This little weight loss plateau is putting up a big fight. After a week on Simple Start I’m up a pound. Time to really shake things up by cutting back on my carbs and changing my exercise routine.

Daily Carbs Target: 25g
My daily carb count bounced between 75-125g a day on Simple Start.  Time to drop my daily count to 20-25g.  The bulk of my weight loss came when I ate 20-25g of carbs daily. A week or two eating at this level should help me shake free of this plateau.

Putting My Knee To The Test
Besides cutting my daily carb count, it’s time to test my knee. Occasionally I have minor stiffness after a workout, but no pain. I think it’s time to try a little running.

It’s about 60 degrees out and the sidewalks and bike paths are clear — perfect for interval training. I’ve felt like my workouts were getting stale — weight training, spinning and yoga only get you so far before boredom sets in. Crossing my fingers in hopes my knee holds up.

My Paleo Experiment Comes To End…Or Does It?

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Today I end my Paleo Challenge, but in reality, I've pretty much ate that way for the last two years.

Today I end my Paleo Challenge, but in reality, I’ve pretty much ate that way for the last two years.

Today marks the end of my Paleo Challenge. While the first couple of weeks were bumpy (not because of the paleo diet!) I think I finished strong. I also learned that paleo really isn’t that different from my normal diet. This week, I ate what I regularly eat and it was consistent with paleo. Hmmm…..so maybe this isn’t the end.

Here are some random thoughts on this little challenge.

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Fighting Sugar Cravings — Back To Basics

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Since the start of my Paleo Challenge, my sugar cravings have grown in epic proportions.

Since the start of my Paleo Challenge, my sugar cravings are back.  The sugar monster inside of me raged the last two weeks.

I’ll find out tomorrow, but I think my weigh-in will show a gain. For the last couple weeks I’ve wrestled with sugar cravings. As a result, some unhealthy foods appeared on my plate this week (a little too much wine and those blasted pancakes). It’s time to get back to basics and stop feeding that sugar monster.

What isn’t helping is the lack of exercise. I had a great workout on Wednesday with my trainer, but I tripped over a locker room bench and twisted my injured knee. I’ve iced it, but this morning it’s swollen and stiff. So no spin or yoga classes today and no muscle workout tomorrow. I need to baby it for the next few days.

Frustrated? You bet. Exercise keeps me focused on the prize and my eating in check.

While my knee is still on the mend, I think it’s a good time to get back to basics with my food. That’s how I started this little journey 100 pounds ago. It’s time to refocus and get back to eating 20g-25g of carbs a day for the next couple of weeks.

I’m still doing the Paleo challenge, but I’m going to simplify. I’m skipping the Paleo recipes this coming week. Instead I’ll eat veggies and a simple protein with each meal.  But I’m adding back in one very non-Paleo item. My protein shake.

My sugar cravings are still raging this week (hence the wine) and I think fruit is the trigger. Since starting Paleo, my fruit intake is way up and I’m craving the sweet stuff as a result.

I started cutting back on fruit last week, but all that did was release the kraken. On Wednesday morning I went cold turkey to get the sugar monster off my back once and for all. My cravings reached a fever pitch Thursday afternoon. This morning I feel fine, but banning fruit from my diet isn’t a solution.

Which gets me back to the protein shake. I always added ½ banana and ½ cup of a berry with my protein shake. The fruit improves the taste of the shake and feed my muscles after working out with weights.  When I blend the fruit with the shake, I have zero sugar cravings.

So my shake will be my one break from Paleo. And to me, that’s OK.

I’m trying to lose weight, not conduct a science experiment.