Ketogenic Diet Day 30: Decreased consumption

I took AD LIBITUM to another level:

Teriyaki Hawaiian Chicken-180 cal., Avocado-364 cal., Butter (on veggies) 140 cal., and Cheese-150 cal.  Total is approximately 934 calories counting the cup of coconut milk I drank.  

...and now I'm gonna fix it!

AD LIBITUM (adjective) - in accordance with one's desires.  In the world of nutrition, it means as much as one feels like eating.

 If you've been keeping up with my food posts, you've probably seen the high-volume and high-calorie breakfasts (between 1300-1500 calories) I've consumed over the past month.  I'm at exactly 30 days of being on this diet and have steadily lost weight but not enough, at least in my mind.

A 2008 study involving obese men on a high protein Ketogenic diet had subjects losing approximately 14 pounds (6.34 kg) over the course of 4 weeks, all while eating as much as they wanted.  Granted, I'm not obese, but I expected to lose more than the 3.5 pounds I've lost this past month.

The one point I wanted to get across in my posts was that I've been eating to my heart's content; I haven't made any effort to limit my calories this whole month and have been losing instead of gaining weight.  I think I might have done too much to make that point.  You see, I would practically force myself to finish the food I prepared in each post (but c'mon, you gotta admit it was some tasty food!)  It pains me to admit that there were even times when my stomach would actually hurt from eating so much!

Another study published in 2003 compared the effects of a low carbohydrate diet vs. a low fat diet on overweight adolescents and it showed subjects that consumed a low-carb diet (ad libitum) losing an average of 21.78 pounds over 12 weeks, that's 7.26 pounds per month and over double what I've lost!

My clothes fit me better, I've maintained my strength, and my fitness levels have improved so I'm happy but I could afford to lose more fat.

My plan now is to decrease (NOT LIMIT) my breakfast calories.  Today's total was approximately 600 calories less than what I've been eating (934 instead of 1500) and I still felt full after eating it.  I'll continue to focus on eating 1-2 meals a day with occasional snacks.  Race day is exactly 2 months from yesterday so I've gotta get leaner faster.  #RippedbySeptember

I'll keep you posted.

DAVE