What are you eating/macro ratios?

Calorie calculators put me around 1500 cals/day for maintenance, if I'm
sedentary. I lost weight eating more than that, when I excluded starches and
sugars (so LC and/or VLC). I gained on more than that eating a grain-based
diet! I really think quality matters more than quantity, though I've noticed
that at least for some people calories do matter as they get closer to their
goal weight. This seems to happen more to women than men, among the forum I
frequent anyway. Damn you men ;)

Tracy

-----Original Message-----
From: Paleolithic Eating Support List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]
Sent: May 14, 2008 7:19 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: diet update

Ok, so I'm in the middle of round three of a diet experiment based on
Phinney's research into the effects of a very low carb diet on athletic
performance.  As I'd posted here previously, of the past few years twice I'd
attempted this experiment and twice found what to me are some fascinating
results.

So here's where I am.  It's the morning of day seventeen.  Excluding the
first three days water weight loss, I have dropped 7.2 pounds in two weeks,
a rate of 3.6 pounds per week.  I am now exactly one pound from my goal
weight.

Let's do the math.  Weight maintenance for me is about 2400 cals/day per the
Mayo clinic's online calculator given my age, height, weight, and activity
level.  And I'm told a pound of weight equals 3500 calories.  I am averaging
1800 calories per day right now.  Mathematically there is simply no way I
can be dropping 3.6 pounds a week or half a pound a day.  Half a pound a day
would be a 1750 calorie deficit, meaning of course that I'd have to be only
consuming about 650 calories per day.

Something else is going on here as, again, I'm averaging about 1800 calories
per day.  Hmmmm.

How am I doing athletically?  Well, I lost ground initially as can be
expected.  And pretty quickly I returned to pre-diet levels.  Energy is up
and down -- I don't believe I've given enough time yet to allow adaptation.


Jim Swayze
www.fireholecanyon.com