Well, I have a love/hate relationship with Tuesday. Tuesday has always had a good ring to it, for whatever reason. Tuesday always brings with it the realism that I made it through yet another Monday. Tuesday is also home to The Biggest Loser! I usually find myself counting down the hours to 8PM when it’s show time! On the flip side, Tuesday brings with it a weekly staff meeting, a plethora of e-mails and appointments, and the reality of 3 more days of work. And so my love/hate relationship with Tuesday continues.
The week so far has been good! Work has been really busy, but I have managed to stay on top of everything. E-mails are under control (knock on wood) and my “customers” seem to be in good spirits. Graduate work is well… not going anywhere. I don’t know why I can’t seem to get things done without added pressure. I have a paper due on Saturday and my goal was to get it done by tonight so that I could begin working on a final project that is due the Monday after Easter. BF’s parents and my sister are in town next week, leaving no room for me to get the final project done, so I’ve really got to get both assignments done this week and weekend! Lets hope that I can make it happen and can accomplish these goals!
On the weight loss front, I’m feeling pretty good! I have been using The Daily Burn for 3 days now and have stayed below my calorie goal. I’m still having a hard time sticking to their carbohydrate range (145-191 grams). I have also worked out each day, staying on track for my goal to work out 3 weekdays, Saturday, and Sunday.
Sunday: ate 1495 calories, burned 745 calories, ate 219 grams of carbohydrates (+28 grams)
Monday: ate 1642 calories, burned 530 calories, 257 grams of carbohydrates (+66 grams)
The bulk of my carbs come from breakfast (cereal, soy milk, fruit, or oatmeal) and snacks (granola bars, fruit, greek yogurt)… I wonder how my weight loss will look come Thursday. I may have to adjust my carb intake. I stumbled upon a pretty interesting website, Mark’s Daily Apple, that breaks down carbohydrate intake as the following:
300 or more grams/day – Danger Zone!
Easy to reach with the “normal” American diet (cereals, pasta, rice, bread, waffles, pancakes, muffins, soft drinks, packaged snacks, sweets, desserts). High risk of excess fat storage, inflammation, increased disease markers including Metabolic Syndrome or diabetes. Sharp reduction of grains and other processed carbs is critical unless you are on the “chronic cardio” treadmill (which has its own major drawbacks).
150-300 grams/day – Steady, Insidious Weight Gain
Continued higher insulin-stimulating effect prevents efficient fat burning and contributes to widespread chronic disease conditions. This range – irresponsibly recommended by the USDA and other diet authorities – can lead to the statistical US average gain of 1.5 pounds of fat per year for forty years.
100-150 grams/day – Primal Blueprint Maintenance Range
This range based on body weight and activity level. When combined with Primal exercises, allows for genetically optimal fat burning and muscle development. Range derived from Grok’s (ancestors’) example of enjoying abundant vegetables and fruits and avoiding grains and sugars.
50-100 grams/day – Primal Sweet Spot for Effortless Weight Loss
Minimizes insulin production and ramps up fat metabolism. By meeting average daily protein requirements (.7 – 1 gram per pound of lean bodyweight formula), eating nutritious vegetables and fruits (easy to stay in 50-100 gram range, even with generous servings), and staying satisfied with delicious high fat foods (meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds), you can lose one to two pounds of body fat per week and then keep it off forever by eating in the maintenance range.
0-50 grams/day – Ketosis and Accelerated Fat Burning
Acceptable for a day or two of Intermittent Fasting towards aggressive weight loss efforts, provided adequate protein, fat and supplements are consumed otherwise. May be ideal for many diabetics. Not necessarily recommended as a long-term practice for otherwise healthy people due to resultant deprivation of high nutrient value vegetables and fruits.
Any thoughts? How many carbohydrates do you eat a day?
