D-318

I'm setting up this blog to chronicle an experiment I am conducting on myself to figure out the effects of diet and exercise. Briefly, this is nothing even remotely scientific. I am the only subject and I am not testing a single independent variable. This is simply my attempt to log and study the effects of a comprehensive program.

At the outset, I am 6'2" and 192 lbs. Using the US Army's body fat calculation method, which is not accurate, but will at least be consistent to allow me to compare results over time, I am presently at 15% body fat. That is 28.8 lbs of fat and 163.2 lbs of lean mass (assuming little in the way of excess water weight). My first short-term goal will be to reach single-digit body fat without much change in body weight. This will require me to lose roughly 12 lbs of fat and gain 10 lbs of muscle, although simply losing 12 lbs of fat will also put me in single digits.

I have no strict desires regarding the means of achieving this, so method will be based in part on other things. My readings into diet have led me to believe that an optimal diet for wellness and longevity is something like the twelve steps prescribed by Dr. Kurt Harris. Because this diet is likely to lead to fat loss without any particular changes to induce growth, I will first focus simply on the fat loss. Putting muscle back on after that will be another matter.

According to this calculator for optimum nutrient composition on a ketogenic diet, to lose weight without losing muscle mass, I should aim for 2,455 calories a day, composed of 131 grams of protein, 40 grams of carbohydrate, and 197 grams of fat. This will theoretically lead to 1 lb of fat loss per week, putting me down around 9% body fat in 12 weeks. I may tinker with it, depending upon the effects on my athletic performance, but this is roughly what I will stick to for now.

I also intend to get a lipid profile taken some time soon to establish a baseline of sorts (although I have already been eating close to a ketogenic diet for about a month now, though higher in calories than this).

My planned consumption for the day actually happened to coincide almost exactly with these recommendations anyway, so that is what I will stick with, and each day's consumption should be roughly similar, even if the foods change a bit.

First meal (1200):

6 eggs
1/2 large avocado (about 3/4 cup)
Half a can of full-fat coconut milk (about 7 oz)

Second meal (2000):

1 lb grilled lamb
Half a can of full-fat coconut milk (about 7 oz)
2 cups steamed kale

Total nutrition for the day:

2,455 calories
130.9 grams protein
36.2 grams carbohydrate
205.3 grams fat

Fat breakdown:

119.7 grams SFA (42% of total calories)
56.2 grams MUFA (20% of total calories)
12.3 grams PUFA (4% of total calories)

I'm not sure of the n-6:n-3 ratio, but Dr. Harris recommends keeping n-6 to 4% of total calories or less, which is obviously the case if total PUFA is 4%. The lamb is grass fed, so the ratio should be fine. I have been supplementing with fish oil, but plan to stop, as it doesn't seem to be necessary on this diet anyway.

There is likely some amount of underestimation here as well, as I cooked the eggs in butter. Adding a tablespoon of butter to the calculation adds about 100 calories, mostly SFA with a small amount of MUFA.

I also ran today, but only very briefly, three 400m repeats at a 6:00 mile pace (1:30 per repeat) with 2:00 rest between, after a 3:00 warmup at a relaxed pace.