Diet Update and Other Stuff
256.0: -11.2 pounds, 22 days
Yes, it was a good day yesterday. I was on target as far as my eating, and I spent 60 minutes on the treadmill, going 3.6 miles and burning 711 calories. Afterwards, I wasn't really hungry, but snarfed down one of those Atkin's Indulge bars and had maybe 5-6 ounces of turkey smoked sausage for dinner.
I probably won't get to work out tonight unless we get out of bowling early again. I had 2 scrambled eggs and 2 sausage links for breakfast, and I'll be having an Atkins shake for lunch. Dinner tonight will consist of baked salmon in a tequila-lime marinade, and steamed asparagus.
Are you using craigslist yet?
I've been using craigslist a lot lately. The raleigh version, that is. Most major metropolitan areas have their own craigslist - even Norfolk. In the last few days, I've purchased a 16" pink bicycle for Emily for $20 (it's a birthday present so don't mention it to her!), and a very nice Yamaha musical keyboard for $50. I've also sold some items on craigslist lately too - a wood entertainment center that we'd purchased at Ikea about 18 months ago, some bose bookshelf speakers I'd purchased in the early 1990s, and a few other things.
Ebay is nice for things that are easy to ship, but certain things are a lot easier to sell on craigslist, and you can get rid of items at a fixed price much quicker. Heck, my parents sold a utility trailer that they bought 15 years ago for over 70% of the original purchase price! And they did so within 6 hours.
You are not logged in, so your subscription status for this entry is unknown. You can login or register here.
Anyways, with all that cardio, you will be burning off fat and muscle, which is pretty hard to avoid. If you stop dieting, you'll have the classic rubber band results and it will be that much harder to work off later.
Lifting is also a great way to boost the metabolism...so you can eat more :) I don't do much cardio, I know I should, but I eat like a cow and never put any weight on.
You're right. Cardio DOES burn muscle if there are no carbs in your blood. That's why most track runners eat high carb stuff before meets, things like pasta and stuff.
But I'm not doing cardio. I'm doing fat burn ... ie, keeping my heart rate around 130-140. Your body won't burn muscle at the lower heart rates. I have run a few times, but only on days when I've eaten a lot of carbs.
For me, the primary benefit of Atkins and low carbing is that it reduces my cravings dramatically. It's a good kick start for me because it has gotten me out of my really terrible snacking habits, and after christmas I'll start doing more weights and eating "healthy carbs" like those found in fruits and whole grains.
Anyways, for the fat burn, it sounds like a lot of time spent to me. In that much time, you could lift and mix in some interval training(HIIT). Your metabolism will be rocking, and then you can snack more, which is a good thing anyways(keep the fire burning), well provided it's not too bad for you.
I'm just throwing ideas out there, don't want to come off as barking. In the end, it's what you find enjoyable and can keep up with.
You may not believe that Atkins is well studied and safe, but it HAS been well studied by legitimate institutions for lengthy periods of time (Johns Hopkins and Duke University have both done Atkins diet studies that *I* am personally aware of). Duke has actually done multiple studies, one of which my sister participated in.
http://www.dukemednews.duke.edu/news/article.php?id=5676
http://www.dukemednews.duke.edu/news/article.php?id=7598
Johns Hopkins actually recommends a modified form of the Atkins Diet for treatment and prevention of seizures in children with epilepsy.
Here's another summary of an article from this year int he New England Journal of Medicine:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_research_related_to_low-carbohydrate_diets#New_England_Journal_of_Medicine:_2006
There are a number of other scientific studies on that page as well.
I also trust my doctor.
The studies go both ways, that was my point, not that it wasn't studied at all.
It's the extreme cases of the diet that I can't agree with, ie people eating bun-less burgers for every meal. The diet works because you are cutting out high caloric foods, ie twinkies and alcohol. It's all calories in the end, all of these type of diets are masking the fact that you need to know your maintenance levels and go under it. Although, not too far under or you'll f--- with your metabolism and also lose muscle too fast.
Anyways, I skimmed your articles and they are iffy on long term effects. So what if they are studied, if they come out with unanswered questions after. I want proof, use mice if they have to :)