December 19, 1999
I begin my dieting today with the planning stages.  I worked out the levels of food intake and took "before" measurements.  I will plan my workout also today, and e-mail Kevin (another dieter) with recommendations, and ask Ed Sturm’s advice on it all.  The 3rd of January I will begin a Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD) and report my findings more then.  Tomorrow I will begin my diet with some tapering off on my carbohydrate levels.  I will list a complete list of foods to be eaten sometime between today and the 3rd of January.

January 02, 2000
The new year is here, and my diet is still to go as planned.  I listed a separate report on my diet throughout the coming weeks.  The Monday - Friday diet is the same every day, Saturday is basically a large carb-up day and Sunday being more of a "balanced" type diet day.  I will begin my Ketogenic dieting tomorrow, and report how I feel then.  I will take measurements today and list them on my measurements report .

January 03, 2000
Weighed 178 LB this morning.

I followed my Monday - Friday diet today perfectly (the bacon was absolutely awesome!), and noticed no terrible effects.  I did feel very hungry around 3:30 PM but when I did my protein shake at 4 PM I was fine.  My leg workout today was harder than normal, but nothing I could not handle.  I also found myself a bit winded during my abdominal crunches, which is a new thing to me (the prior weekend having a "New Years Eve", 11 light beers worth of partying and not nearly enough sleep, most likely had a lot to do with that!).  I do feel a bit edgy but that may be just in my head I don’t know.

January 04, 2000
Another great diet day!  I did cheat a small bit, being that I "killed" myself at the gym and could eat a whole cow afterwards, I did sort of that.  I put approximately 2 oz of leftover lean steak in my supper salad.  I really don’t think that will harm me (or my ketosis level) much, and I felt good about it.  The only side effects noticeable today was the hunger again, this time from after lunch until my workout, then after my workout I sat down and became real hungry.  I ate my salad and feel very good about myself now.  I just hope these afternoon hunger feelings go away soon.  In Lyle’s book it does say that the hunger will subside, so I feel good about that.

January 05, 2000
My diet went well again today.  I think I have had a bit of an energy boost and maybe a small lack of concentration.  My wife says my breath smells medicine-like, so maybe that’s the ketones.  I have had today, a very strong odor from my urine (another sign of ketones.)  I will try out some ketostix next week and see how that goes.  I think everything is going great, but, I sure can’t wait for carb-up day.

January 06, 2000
Today went great!  I may have been a bit grumpy this morning, but I went to bed late last night so that may explain that.  I have had one concern today, and that is the lack of bowel movements.  I was told by a trusted friend (and I looked it up in Lyle’s book later as well) that is very normal to experience this and that I should get a fiber supplement to relieve this problem.  I will do that this weekend, if things are the same.  My energy levels are way up, and I feel great.  The hunger problems are subsiding.  It does not seem to be as urgent feeling to me to get some food. Tomorrow is the start of the carb-load. woo hoo!.

January 07, 2000
Weighed 173 LB this morning.

Another great day!  Not any grumpy-ness that I saw.  My hunger levels were normal.  Energy levels were excellent.  Everything went great.  Of course today was the start of carb-up day so I was motivated.  My workout went good, I had lots of energy to work every muscle.  Then, I came home and ate a big plate of spaghetti (carb load) and washed it down with protein shake made with (instead of water) milk!  Yummy!  I feel incredibly full and am just going to ease into my carb-up day from here out, being that I feel bloated from such a big meal.  The one meal was almost as many calories as I have been having all day during the week.  I will note in tomorrow’s diary entry the levels I eat during the "carb-up".  I am looking forward to the end of each week now so I can see the progress.  Also, the lack of bowel movements are not a problem any more, I think maybe because of the salads I eat for supper and maybe my body had to get used to all the changes.

January 08, 2000
Today went great, no problems at all.  I feel a bit guilty about all the calories I ate, but that is what the book said to do.
Here is a listing of the food levels for Saturday.

Carbs = 491 (OOPS did not make it up to 733)
Protein = 222 (a little high)
Fats = 138 (a little high)
Calories = 4094 (just a bit low)
I felt very good about all this so I felt it not necessary to gorge my way up on the levels of carbs being my fats and protein levels were high.  The calories were close to the double that were advised by Lyle’s book.

January 09, 2000
Pretty much the same as yesterday, except around half the calories.  They are detailed as follows.

Carbs = 199 (a little low)
Protein = 201 (a little high)
Fat = 70 (a little high)
Calories = 2230 (only 10 calories high)

I think these numbers are within the scope of things, I will try and hit them more close to "the plan" next weekend and see what happens.  *Note*  I paid more attention to the calorie restriction more than anything.   I hope it works out OK, that my carbs were a bit low.

January 10, 2000
Weighed 176 LB this morning (minus 2 LB from last Monday)

After my first week I feel good.  I would have been happier to see a little lower weight this AM, but maybe next week will be better.  After all, the book did say 2 LB a week loss.  I did not think it would be so literal.

The main things I notice are a "cutting up" effect in my chest.  Sort of like the line in my chest is more defined.  Who knows about that, but I guess it will become even better.  The diet to me seems very do-able after a week.  I plan to pay more attention next weekend and try to be more specific with my intakes.  Maybe that will help speed things up, but even at this pace I think my goals will be reached ahead of schedule.

Today I felt real good, and the hunger was nearly non-existent until this evening’s snack.  The snack (sharp cheddar cheese) is taking care of that nicely though.  My main goals now are just to continue to be real centered on this diet and reach my goals as planned.  I can’t wait for the time to go by.

Another note…  Diet Snapple is expensive!  I bought some Crystal Light ice tea mix (diet of course) to try to save some money.
The Snapple was 89 cents per 16 oz bottle vs
The Crystal Light that was going for
$3.49 to make 256 oz (8 quarts).
A savings of $10.75, now I just hope I like it.

January 11, 2000
Today went wonderful, hardly any hunger and feelings of great accomplishment so far!   Heck, my wife even noticed a little change in my appearances, that is a good thing.  (she hardly ever notices, or says that she does anyway)   I will just continue on and watch the fat "melt away"…haha   By the way, the Crystal Light Ice tea tasted just fine.

January 12, 2000
Again today went just fine.  I did the ketostix test this morning and it showed "small" amount of ketosis.  I am happy about that.   I half expected nothing, but now I can’t wait to see how soon I see anything next week.  I will test with the ketostix for the next week to see what comes of it, just out of curiosity.   I am noticing a more "vein-y" appearance in myself today, maybe this means I am "cutting up".

January 13, 2000
Today was another perfect diet day, I am motivated.  I may have been grumpy, I don’t think so, but some people (my boss and my wife) say that I am.  I guess I just dislike my job this week.   I did ketostix this morning and it showed moderate levels.  I think things are going well.  Not so hungry today at all.

January 14, 2000
Weighed 173 LB this morning.
Ketostix = Moderate

Things again went well, not much to report.  I started my carb load this evening and did pretty good, kept things more in control this time. I seem to be adjusting to this diet quite nicely.

January 15, 2000
Ketostix = None
Carbs = 564 ( a bit higher than last Saturday)
Protein = 165 ( a bit low)
Fats = 129 (a bit high)
Calories = 4077 (a bit low, but good as far as I am concerned)

I held my own today without going too overboard (on junk foods) like I felt I did last week.  Today went well, although I was very hungry.  My body must want the carbs a lot.  Tomorrow I plan to be real good (lower good carbs), to get myself into ketosis very quickly this week ( I hope).  I figure, the faster I get to 5% the faster I can get to a more "balanced" diet.

January 16, 2000
Ketostix = None
Carbs = 157 ( a bit low)
Protein = 201 ( a bit high)
Fats = 87 (a bit high)
Calories = 2215 (5 calories low)

It seems like another good day.  The measurements tomorrow will tell I guess.
 

January 17, 2000
Ketostix = None
Weighed 174 LB this morning (minus 2 LB from last Monday).

I recorded my measurements in the log but the main improvement is in my waist size, down ½ inch from two weeks ago!  My workout went well tonight, lots of energy and my hunger levels are just fine if not even low.

January 18, 2000
Ketostix = Trace

Today was brutal at work, I worked outside loading 600+ pound transformers all day and the high temperature was a balmy 11 degrees with a -7 wind chill.  Needless to say I am bushed, and being I have tomorrow off I am going to move my Tuesday night workout to tomorrow morning.  I hope it does not mess me up to much.  Other than when I got home my energy levels were way up all day, and I am not hungry at all.  I am beginning to like this diet a lot.

January 19, 2000
Ketostix = Small

Another good day, not much to report.  My delayed workout went well, lots of energy.  Hunger is non-existent, maybe a little hungry at night before bed, but nothing uncontrollable.

January 20, 2000
Ketostix = Small

Today again was uneventful.  The grumpy feelings that I had last week at this time does not seem to be an issue, which is good.  Again, I had a lot of energy.
 

January 21, 2000
Weighed 171 LB this morning.
Ketostix = Moderate

Very good day, lots of energy, but that changed in the evening, shortly after the carb-up.  I was outside in the cold most of the day, so that may explain why I was so tired, but it may be the carbs doing something funny too, who knows.  Other than being real tired at night things were fine.

January 22, 2000
Ketostix = None
Carbs = 470 ( a bit lower than last Saturday)
Protein = 134 ( a bit low)
Fats = 133 (a bit high)
Calories = 3613 (a bit low, but ok as far as I am concerned)

Another good day.  I felt a bit grumpy, and maybe I lack some energy, but it seems as if I may have the start of a minor cold.  I have the sniffles.  Again I spent some time out in the cold today.  I got a nice nap and I don’t feel too bad now.  Maybe if I was short tempered today, that may have been because of the tiredness or the cold.

January 23, 2000
Ketostix = None
Carbs = 164 ( a bit low)
Protein = 183 ( a bit high)
Fats = 96 (a bit high)
Calories = 2252 (a bit high, but ok as far as I am concerned)

Today went well, just cruised along milking my sniffles, and drinking lots of water!

January 24, 2000
Ketostix = None
Weighed 173 LB this morning (minus 1 LB from last Monday).

I don’t seem to have a cold anymore if I did in the first place.

I was disappointed when I only saw a 1 pound loss this morning, but I have to learn to not be such a perfectionist.  I have been getting good gains/losses, I should be very happy, besides I am looking "fabulous".  or at least pretty darn good.  I was major grumpy today, so I took it out on my workout, and almost threw up.  I did legs like I never did legs before.  They are going to be sore I bet.

The diet went well again today, there are absolutely no problems sticking to my plans, hopefully I only have 3 or 4 weeks to get to my goal of 5%.  I better start planning my maintenance diet to see how long I can maintain.  I may bulk a bit before summer, but I am not planning on bulking right after this diet, because mentally I may overdo it.

January 25, 2000
Ketostix = Trace

Today went good, lots of energy for my workout (I did extra weights compared to last week)  Things seemed normal and no problems rose up.

January 26, 2000
Ketostix = Small

Another good day, diet went perfect again, maybe I was a little snippy this evening, but everything seems great.  A whole lot of nothing going on.

January 27, 2000
Ketostix = Moderate

Today went great yet again.  Tonight I was really hungry, but fought my way through it.  It is not good to be restricting calories when work is slow, kind of makes you think about food all day, especially when you watch the TV for most of it, darn commercials!

January 28, 2000
Ketostix = Moderate
Weighed 168 LB this morning.

Things again went well, my workout was awesome!  I did some "major squats" today, they felt great!  I had lots of energy, and I am feeling healthy.
 

January 29, 2000
Ketostix = Moderate
Carbs = 420 ( a bit lower than last Saturday)
Protein = 193 ( a bit high)
Fats = 113 (a bit high)
Calories = 3469 (a bit low, but ok as far as I am concerned)

Things went well today, I did not have too much junk food.  Energy levels are fine.
 
 

January 30, 2000
Ketostix = None
Carbs = 198 ( a bit low)
Protein = 177 ( a bit high)
Fats = 89 (a bit high)
Calories = 2301 (a bit high, but ok as far as I am concerned)

Things again went well today.  I am looking forward to measurements tomorrow to see my progress.

January 31, 2000
Ketostix = None
Weighed 171 LB this morning (minus 2 LB from last Monday).

Today was busy, I had to relocate my workout for today to tomorrow.  I hope that does not hurt things too much.  I found out that I will be out of work (layoff) for 10 weeks approximately, so my diet and workouts may suffer, do to the search for work.  That is why I had to move my workout today to tomorrow.

February 01, 2000
Ketostix = Trace

I was going to do an all body workout today, but after doing legs, I could hardly move, so I will do upper body tomorrow.  Another long day of looking for work, it seems as if I may have to travel for work.

February 02, 2000
Ketostix = Small

My workout was tough today, I felt weak.  I think all the stress of trying to find a job is not helping.  I think I will do measurements tomorrow and see how I fair.  If things are close I may go off this diet in expectations of traveling.  Things are going well otherwise.

February 03, 2000

Well, this morning I weighed 165 pounds, I don’t think that is good (minus 6 pounds in 3 days?).  With the stress the last few days, of finding a job, I may be burning too much fat, or muscle or something, if there is such a thing.  My family is suffering from colds and sore throats, so maybe I am getting Ill, I hope not.  I feel ok though, so maybe I am just getting too low a body fat.  That all meaning that I do not want to go below 5% body fat being that it seems to be the lowest an individual male should go and remain healthy.

I used the calipers this morning and if I am not at 5% bodyfat I am real close.  I estimate my body fat level to be between 5 and 6%.  I will take "after" pictures tomorrow, and return to a normal low carb (100-200 grams a day) diet thereafter.  This diet has proved to me that I can in fact get to a very low body fat level (down from 9%) in a short amount of time (5 weeks), if it is something I need or want.  That is why I did this diet in the first place, and I am very happy with the results!  I am looking forward to getting to a more normal workout, and hoping my strength levels increase now, as throughout this diet, I have not been able to go up in weights much at all.  I will probably be doing this diet again this year just before summer so I can continue to keep the "cut up" look.

February 13, 2000

Just an update.  It has been over a week from being on the CKD, and I am now following a restricted carbohydrate diet (100-200 grams a day).  I have maintained a daily weight of between 168-172 pounds.  My main goal was 171 pounds and to maintain it, so far so good.  I feel great and hope to have my before-after pictures developed soon.  Other than counting my carbs (roughly), limiting bad fats and eating as much protein as I can get, I have been doing nothing else as far as diet goes.  I have been being real careful not to pig out, or eat any junk, things are going great!