Update on Low-Carb Experiment-of-One

                                    
Due to the information contained in Gary Taubes’
'Why We Get Fat And What To Do About It',
in January I began a low-carb eating experiment-of one.

I followed that plan through January, then went back to normal eating during a vacation week early in February.  Immediately after that vacation, I began low-carb eating again.On 3/20/11, Sunday,  I completed another 6 consecutive weeks.I'm calling my Plan VLC-2011 (for very-low-carb, year 2011).

My plan is to do my best to maintain the same eating Habits that I've previously established, including tracking all my food in my DietPower food journal, while working toward keeping my net carbs at, or less than, 30 per day, and my daily calorie average similar to my past year's amount.

This is not a plan I can recommend to anyone.  I don't even know how it will work in my own body.
I'd like to do this experiment for a 6 month period, but if my weight climbs...or there are other unforeseen side-effects, I will terminate it early.

Years ago, my DietPower journal became an enjoyable Habit for me, and it easily tracks my carbs, fats, proteins and calories etc. I also log in my daily scale weight and DietPower graphs it for me, which enables me see whether my weight is trending up or down over time.

So....
Thus far, I am still enjoying the novelty of eating this low-carb way. I'm not following a specific low-carb plan. like Atkins or Protein Power etc., I'm just working to restrict my carbohydrate intake, and trying to keep my protein and fat intake around the same number of grams.This results in my fat Ratio percentage being about twice my protein Ratio percentage, because protein is 4 calories a gram and fat is 9 calories a gram.

Allegedly, my minimum protein requirement is between 20 grams (WHO) and 36 grams (US RDA).  I usually take in between 50 and 100 grams.

I am aware of the Atkins "carb ladder", which puts foods in about 10 categories, but I am choosing not to follow it, rung by rung etc. The current Theory is that each of our bodies is different in the way it tolerates carbs, and that some people need more restrictions than others. I found it Interesting that Sugar and Refined Grains are NOT on the ladder at all... meaning they are off-limits to everyone, always.
Makes sense to me.

I have been avoiding sugar and refined starch, and I have also been mostly successful at avoiding complex carbs
including whole grains, dry cooked beans, and starchy veggies like corn, potatoes etc,  because these have a really high carb count....  AND I've found that eating a small amount of them causes me to crave much more of them, plus it seems to start up a craving in me for foods with sugar and refined starch as well.

I found that after the first week, my cravings for sugar and starchy foods were greatly reduced. Although they still exist, they are not as severe. Right now, they are sort of an occasional thought..."um, that would taste good"...
instead of an incessant yammer..."GET ME THAT". I still want the carby substance, but mostly I don't feel like I HAVE to have it. which is a change.

 My morning weight is mostly staying inside the 115 - 116 lb range. This is good.
It is also somewhat different, because on a "normal-balanced" diet, my morning weight bounces around a great deal from day to day, and my norm is to easily bounce within a 5 to 8 lb range during any one month.

I have many different measures of Success in this Low-Carb Experiment.  However, Failure would be an upward weight-trend,
and/or Hunger and Cravings greater than I experience while eating a "normal-balanced" diet.

So....in that I am not currently experiencing Failure...thus far, it is a Success.
My quote for today is:

"A person who never made a mistake
never tried anything new."
.........................              Albert Einstein