I’ve done some math and I actually have been eating more than I thought during my Daily Plate days. As I restricted to 1200 only part of the time, I knew that an average, if taken, would be higher, although I would have guessed closer to 1450. The number is more like 1550 – 1650. Although this means I still should have seen more weight loss than I have, the disparity between what “should be” and “what is” is actually less than I thought. Enter the calorie-restricted, low-carb diet. I’ve never been daft enough to think that metabolic advantage would get me weight loss at any number. I guess I just thought that with an RMR of 1980, I could get away with 1600 – 1700 calories. Now I’m keeping it in the neighborhood of 1200 net, which in the past I had thought was too low. I used to be very hungry on 1200. Now that the majority of my calories come from fat, 1200 is not really so hard. I’m netting 1200 too, not grossing 1200, so on very active days I will be liable to eat closer to 17 – 1800 calories.

Distention is still at bay but I feel a little puffy now and then. I eat things that I know I shouldn’t and I react but not as badly as I used to. I know that means that I am healing, and I know I should not keep eating these things, if I want to continue to heal. It seems that inulin is still a bad idea, although not nearly as bad as it was only a little over a month ago. Wheat is really not a good idea, nor is soy.

I have upped my carbs from induction numbers and I feel water retention. I’m thinking ketosis is a good place for me right now, yet I’m having trouble reconciling my desire for ketosis with my need to work out a lot. I’m doing Pilates most every morning and trying to make it to yoga twice a week, a sculpting class once a week, and cardio most other days. I need to find ketosis above induction numbers but most probably below 40 g. Perhaps a Fage after workouts would help.

I’m still at The Daily Plate and can’t get used to Fitday or any of the other calorie/nutrient counters, but I will say that the environment there is a little stifling. I guess my bad for being annoyed by the very thing that attracted me to the site in the first place – the “calorie in, calorie out” anyone can do it mentality. I wanted it to be true so badly, many times 1200 calories badly. Now that I’m low-carbing it, I’m reading more posts in the forum on the topic and I really can’t believe how close minded people are. No that’s not it – I my mind was super closed on the topic at one time. What I can’t believe is how vocal people are about their close mindedness, and how they can be that way in the face of others who are screaming loudly “this works/worked for me!” they continue to make blanket statements about low-carb, statements that include the words “believe,” and “water weight” and “stupid.” There are also so many low carb apologists. They don’t do it long term, its not very healthy, but they feel just great, and hey it works! but they eat whole grains, don’t get them wrong.

It’s true, all carbs are just fine and everyone should eat them all the time. Or at least just eat the “right” ones, no matter who you are. People who restrict a single nutrient (unless that nutrient is fat) are just crazy and obsessive. It’s not healthy to cut carbs. And its not at all telling that there are currently three active forum topics on the Daily Plate about breakfast cereal (there is only one about chocolate and one about kale.) And one of them is called “Cereal = Crack” and there are over two pages of posts by women talking about how they can’t stop after one bowl and they’re obsessed with Cheerios and they could eat all their calories in cereal and have done so on certain days.