Day 10

I've been in somewhat of a rut. (Or is it a groove?) I've been eating a lot of pork lately. I'm not complaining, understand. When cooked properly, pork is very good. And who can argue with the "magical animal" that produces such wondrous delights as spare ribs, bacon, pork chops, and ham?

Tonight's dinner was a pork roast cooked slowly in the oven for a couple of hours. For a side dish, I ate half a cup of pumpkin, mixed with a little butter, cinnamon and Splenda. Before this, I really thought pumpkin was only good for pies, but this was really quite filling and very tasty. Unfortunately, it had to be canned pumpkin, as the real ones aren't quite ready here yet. Maybe in a few more weeks, as the leaves start to change.

A couple of days ago I called my doctor's office and ordered copies of my cholesterol tests from back in May. Dr. Eades asked participants for the information "if we have it." As I said, the tests were done in May, so I hope they can still be considered relevant, even though I started the plan in late August.

At the time, my doctor was concerned about my total cholesterol and LDL values, which were as follows:

• Total Cholesterol: 257
• HDL: 57
• LDL 172
• Triglycerides: 141

She immediately began talking about the importance of bringing that pesky LDL number down. She went on about how important it is to cut back on the red meat and eat a low fat diet. I have to admit to being a bit nervous. I knew I was overweight, and being over 40 suddenly put me into that danger category. I was a heart attack waiting to happen!

Fortunately, I had recently read one of Dr. Eades blog posts where he discussed that a more telling indication of heart attack risk isn't in looking at LDL or Total Cholestorol. Instead, we should look at the ratio of Triglycerides to HDL. The lower this ration, the better. A value greater than 5 is worrisome. As you can see, my value is 2.47.

Using this ratio and simple arithmetic our guides, it easy to see what needs to be done: raise HDL and lower triglycerides. And which type of diet does both of those things quickly and effectively? NOT the government-approved low-fat/high-carb diet. In fact, people on the latter diets tend to lower HDL and LDL together, and often increase triglycerides -- exactly the opposite result we're looking for. Low-carb diets, on the other hand, can reduce triglycerides and raise HDL in just a few weeks! (See this post by Dr. Eades for a good explanation.)

One more comment about LDL numbers. Evidently modern labs don't bother measuring LDL. It's difficult and expensive to measure directly. Instead, your LDL value is calculated based on your other values. In fact, there is a note on my lab report that says quite plainly, "Note: LDL result is a calculated value." For most people, it seems, this calculation is close enough not to be concerned about. However, as triglycerides get lower, the multiplying ratio used to calculate LDL gets skewed so that it's no longer valid. Thus, anyone following a low-carb diet for any length of time, your LDL calculation in your lab result is likely to be higher than it actually is. So what can you do about it?

You actually have a few options. One is to ignore the LDL value and tell your doctor that you won't take statins for a non-existent problem. You could also insist that your LDL value be measured directly, which may end up costing you. Finally, you can use a different formula the Dr. Eades describes in this post, from an Iranian medical study. This formula is considered to be a more accurate method of calculating LDL. I won't go into the reasons here. You can read all about it at the link I provided. However, I will share the formula:

LDL = (total cholesterol/1.19 + triglycerides/1.9 – HDL/1.1) – 38

Applying this formula to my numbers, we get 200 mg/dL. So in my case, the "better" equation actually produces worse results. As Dr. Eades points out in his article, the formula makes the most sense for people with low triglycerides, which I certainly do not have yet.

I've scheduled a follow-up test for the first week of October, which is immediately following the end of the six-week plan. I will be sure to post the results as soon as they're available, and I will be sure to show both the lab's calculations for LDL as well as the one above.

Finally, for those keeping score at home, here are my FitDay.com numbers from today:

	Grams	Calories	%-Cals
Calories		1,828
Fat	98.0	879	47	%
Saturated	44.1	395	21	%
Polyunsaturated	12.3	110	6	%
Monounsaturated	30.0	270	14	%
Carbohydrate	36.4	141	8	%
Dietary Fiber	8.5
Protein	207.1	839	45	%
Alcohol	0.0	0	0	%

Day 9

Today was the start of the second work week during Phase 1. Dinner was pork chops and steamed green beans. FitDay's breakdown for the day is as follows:

	Grams	Calories	%-Cals
Calories		1,516
Fat	76.6	689	45	%
Saturated	33.5	301	20	%
Polyunsaturated	11.2	100	7	%
Monounsaturated	22.4	202	13	%
Carbohydrate	21.9	86	6	%
Dietary Fiber	2.0
Protein	189.6	765	50	%
Alcohol	0.0	0	0	%

There is little else new to report. However, I have started to exercise just a bit. At the top of every hour, I do an ab exercise that's described in Chapter 4. Although it's quite simple, it does leave you surprisingly sore. But sore in a good way. More on that as it develops.

Day 8

Sunday, the day of rest. Except for me, that is. As a person who works from home and sits in front of a computer all day, Sundays tend to be anything but restful. I drive more, speak more, and interact in person with more people on Sunday than any other day of the week (yesterday's popcorn sale notwithstanding).

That's why I decided that on Sunday during weeks 1 and 2 I'd make breakfast my big meal. Breakfast this day was a massive 3-egg omelet, with half a cup of cheddar, half a cup of diced ham, and three slices of bacon.

Because Sundays are so busy for me, I actually neglected to have my mid-day snack altogether. Lunch was late, and by the time I got home it was almost time for dinner. Thus, my overall caloric intake was down considerably. I still can't figure out whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.

	Grams	Calories	%-Cals
Calories		1,502
Fat	84.7	760	50	%
Saturated	39.7	355	23	%
Polyunsaturated	7.2	64	4	%
Monounsaturated	27.1	243	16	%
Carbohydrate	25.2	99	7	%
Dietary Fiber	0.8
Protein	160.1	657	43	%
Alcohol	0.0	0	0	%

In any event, my spirits and energy levels are still high, and my hunger is practically non-existent.

Week 1 Report

Week 1 of this 6-week plan has ended. Is it possible to evaluate a diet or fitness plan after only a week? I don't know, and will let the numbers speak for themselves. I will refrain from making an overall judgment until the very end, and try to present just the facts where the plan itself is concerned. When I stray into opinion, I will try to stick to describing how I feel at any given time.

Now it's time to review the results. So after the first week on the plan, I have lost 5.4 pounds, and a little bit off my waist, hips and chest. In that week, I haven't felt deprived of anything. My sleep has improved, and I seem to have more energy.

	Start	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Week 5	Week 6
*Weight and Body fat taken on a Tanita Body Fat Monitorimmediately upon waking.
Weight (lbs)*	216.4	211.0
Body Fat % *	32.0	31.4
Waist (inches)	46.5625	45.875
Hips (inches)	45.875	44.0
Chest (inches)	44.0	43.50
SAD (Standing)	12.0	12.0
SAD (lying down)	11.375	10.25

You'll notice that I've added two measurements to the chart that weren't in the first chart: namely, the SAD, or "Sagittal Abdominal Diameter" values. Without complicating things too much, this measurement helps to determine how much of your abdominal fat is on the surface as opposed to being packed in the abdominal cavity. The latter fat is the more dangerous of the two. Evidently, gravity affects the two types of fat differently. Taking the same measurement standing and lying down provides you with two different numbers.
To quote briefly from the book, "The closer the two readings are together, the  more likely it is that there is a significant amount of middle-body fat stored in and around the vital organs within the abdominal cavity." A more thorough examination of abdominal fat is presented in Chapter 3. How to take and interpret the measurements are described in Chapter 5.

As I noted at the beginning, the plan is divided into three 2-week phases, so I'm half way through the first phase now. I'm actually looking forward to the second phase, but I'll until next week to describe it.

Day 7

As I mentioned previously, today was the day of our Scout Troop's popcorn sale. Today was also the day that Hurricane (Tropical Storm?) Danny brushed New England, so it was cold and wet the entire time. As it happens, this was the first of four or five such sales. Our Popcorn Kernel (yes, he's actually called that) decided that because we were so successful, selling almost our entire stock in five hours of rain, we'll order more and do it again. Oh well, it's for a good cause, right?

I was a bit concerned about being around all the popcorn for a long stretch of time, particularly since we were supposed to be offering free samples. Fortunately, our entire stock consisted of various varieties of caramel corn (which I don't like) and microwave popcorn. Thus, no temptation.

After the sale, coming home and drying off, it was time to sit down with the family for dinner. We had chicken breast and broccoli. The rest of the family ate it served over steamed rice, which I declined. I passed on dessert.

Today's nutritional chart is below.

	Grams	Calories	%-Cals
Calories		1,442
Fat	55.2	496	34	%
Saturated	29.0	261	18	%
Polyunsaturated	4.1	36	2	%
Monounsaturated	13.5	121	8	%
Carbohydrate	32.4	125	9	%
Dietary Fiber	6.8
Protein	208.9	839	57	%
Alcohol	0.0	0	0	%

My next post will detail the results as of the end of week one.

Day 6

The first week is rapidly coming to an end. Like the past couple of days, I experienced no hunger today, forgot my afternoon snack, went out and played tennis for over an hour, and am just now getting ready to sit down to a late dinner with the family.

Tomorrow, as I mentioned earlier, is our scout troop's popcorn sale at Hunter's IGA in Wolfeboro, NH, from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM. I've also set up a landing page on my web site for anyone to use. One of the coolest things they offer is a link that lets you send a donation of popcorn to our military troops serving abroad.

On my way home from playing tennis today, I passed the track at the local high school. Running around the track was a woman in a sweatsuit, and she had to be 300 pounds. She was barely moving. You have to admire the drive and determination, but it saddens me that people have bought into the myth that you have to exercise to lose weight, or that you have to eat fewer calories than you burn. It just doesn't work that way, at least not for most people. In fact, your body's first response to a lower caloric intake is to go, "AH! Starvation! Quick, shut down every non-essential movement!" You won't fidget as much. You'll feel very tired, and you simply won't want to move. Here is a post that describes the phenomenon much better than I can. If you're looking for a better authority, here's an older post from Dr. Mike Eades' blog where he discusses runners and their health.

Today's nutritional breakdown, according to FitDay.com, is as follows.

	Grams	Calories	%-Cals
Calories		1,439
Fat	56.8	511	35	%
Saturated	30.4	273	19	%
Polyunsaturated	3.0	27	2	%
Monounsaturated	15.0	135	9	%
Carbohydrate	31.2	121	8	%
Dietary Fiber	3.5
Protein	204.1	827	57	%
Alcohol	0.0	0	0	%

As you can see, a much lower caloric load today, and I'm not really sure how that happened. Carbs are still where they belong, and protein is over 200g. I'm absolutely astounded at the amount of energy I have on so little food. It's amazing.

Day 5

Today was grocery day. My wife and daughter left around 9:00 this morning with a shopping list that included everything I'll need for Week 2. What else she brought home almost had me in tears: three of the largest peaches I've ever seen, a big bag of seedless grapes, a basket of apples, and a big box of Oreo Cookies. The fruit is diet approved, in moderation, but I need to stay away from the Oreos, which happen to be my favorite brand of commercial cookie. Fortunately, she also got a fresh pound and a half of steak. Yes, I know we just had that on Monday, but I love steak.

I feel as though I'm finally into a groove with this plan. I'm almost never hungry anymore, even when it's time to eat. As I did yesterday, I had to force myself to have my 3:00 snack. The book doesn't mention anything about skipping meals or snacks one way or the other. However, as part of my agreement with the authors, I promised to stick to the plan as best I can.

Tonight's dinner was the aforementioned steak, of which I ate almost half, or approximately 12 oz. I grilled it with just a bit of sea salt sprinkled on it. With the grill just touching 400 degrees, the steak was almost a perfect medium/medium-rare after 22 minutes. Eaten with the steak was a salad of romaine lettuce, baby spinach, real bacon bits, and a little olive oil.

I don't have too many weeks of grilling left, I'm afraid. As the summer comes to a close, keeping the grill at a decent temperature after dark gets more difficult. The outside temperature drops quickly as soon as the sun drops below the treetops. The grill takes longer to heat up, and requires a lot more fuel to keep the temperature high enough for grilling. Once the winter rolls in, the outside temperature can dip into the single digits. At that point, it's almost impossible to use the grill, even if I do shovel a path through the snow to get to it. Oh well, that's life in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.

FitDay's breakdown of my nutritional breakdown is as follows:

	Grams	Calories	%-Cals
Calories		1,926
Fat	86.2	774	40	%
Saturated	33.4	301	15	%
Polyunsaturated	11.7	105	5	%
Monounsaturated	29.2	261	13	%
Carbohydrate	29.8	118	6	%
Dietary Fiber	3.7
Protein	259.5	1,063	54	%
Alcohol	0.0	0	0	%

It appears that no matter what I do, I'm going to end up around 1900 Calories. Notice that protein was 54% of my total, and carbs were below 30. This seems to be a pretty good balance.

Even though I'm only on day 5, I can already see results. My clothes and wedding band fit looser and I seem to have a slightly slimmer profile in the mirror. I'm looking forward to Saturday night's weighing and measuring. The book recommends weighing yourself only once a week, so I'm sticking to that.

I've also started noticing something non-weight-related. My knees and knuckles often have pain on and off throughout the day. I'm told it's the beginnings of arthritis, which runs in my family. Since starting this plan, I've experienced no knee pain at all, and my fingers feel much better too.