High Protein / Very Low Carb Diet Plan - Day 4 of 7

The dreaded Day 4 is upon us!  Have the cravings become too intense yet!?  Have my glycogen stores been completely depleted!?  Are energy levels near zero!?  Has irritability consumed my psyche!?  Has any variety been added to the diet plan yet!?

Here's what happened on Day 4...
First, here's a quick recap of my goals for the daily diet plan:
Total daily calories in the 2,100 - 2,300 range.
Protein will be held in the 50% - 55% range of total daily calories.
Fat will be held in the 40%- 45% range of total daily calories.
Carbs will be held in the 5% range of total daily calories.

I did not get a whole lot of sleep last night.  Five to six hours at the most.  Doing the leg workout later in the evening (along with dropping about 125mg's of caffeine) seemed to keep me up later than I wanted.  I also added an additional serving of whey protein to my drink before I went to bed.  It looks like this may have attributed to the relative static weight reading. 

Scale Weight (first thing in the morning)

175.8lbs

Foods Eaten During the Day - Cals -- Protein -- Carbs -- Fat

8:30am -- 2Meal replacement drink -- 292 -- 34 -- 10 -- 10
11:15am -- 1c cottage cheese           -- 240 -- 28 -- 10 -- 10
2:45pm -- 2 salmon packets             -- 140 -- 26 -- 0 -- 4
2:45pm -- 2tbsp full fat mayo           -- 180 --  0  -- 0 -- 20
5:25pm -- 1oz plain almonds           -- 160 --   6 -- 3 -- 14
5:25pm -- 14 slices pepperoni         -- 140 --   5 -- 0 -- 13
6:45pm -- 8oz chicken breast           -- 200 -- 42 -- 0 -- 13
6:45pm -- 2 slices provolone           -- 140 -- 10 -- 0 -- 10
10:15pm -- 2 scoops whey protein    -- 240 -- 48 -- 6 -- 2
11:35pm -- Pre-bedtime protein       -- 224 -- 51 -- 0 -- 1
11:35pm -- 1tbsp Flaxseed oil          -- 135 -- 0 -- 0 -- 15
11:35pm -- 1 scoop whey protein     -- 120 -- 24 -- 3 -- 1

Totals                                       -- 2,211 -- 274 -- 32 -- 104

*** Clarification of some of the food items:
- The Meal Replacement drink is a pre-formulated product.
- The cottage cheese is a large curd, full fat variety.
- The salmon is a single serving size in foil packet and I'm sure you figured that the mayo was mixed in with the salmon and I didn't gulp down 2tbsp by themselves...I can't imagine what that's like...
- The provolone cheese is melted on top of the seasoned chicken breast
- The almonds and pepperoni are surprisingly tasty together! This is a full fat, pre-sliced standard pepperoni.
- The Pre-bedtime protein is a pre-made combination of whey, casein, calcium caseinates and milk protein to cover the full spectrum of fast acting through slow digesting proteins.
- The tablespoon of flaxseed oil is mixed in with the protein drink. Flax oil is much better for you than other oils and I would recommend using this over vegetable oil.


Workout

No workout today.  I thought about doing some cardio (really, I did!) but, decided against it.  The legs were definitely feeling it from yesterdays workout. 

How I Felt Physically and Mentally

Again, I'm pleasantly surprised that things feel pretty normal mentally.  For anybody who's tried low carb diets before, I'm sure you can relate to and understand what it's like when you get to the point where it becomes hard to think.  You just can't seem to click with your thoughts and have trouble articulating what you want to say.  This really hasn't seemed to happen yet.  Maybe it has and I'm just oblivious to it and nobody has decided to tell me yet!  Overall, I'm pleased. 
I did stick with my three cans of diet soda today.  It seemed to be more routine than anything.  There wasn't really any part of the day where I felt wiped out.  I have noticed that I'm not drinking quite as much water as I should be.  On the workout days it's easier for me to do but it seems to fall to the wayside on these off days.

As you surely noticed from above, there has been very little variety in the diet still.  This hasn't bothered me at all and I find it very easy to stick to this regimented plan.  I prepare everything the night before and it's all ready to go when I need it the next day.  All I have to do is look at the clock, eat what's next and wait until the next 'feeding' comes along.  I have found in the past that this is the best way to approach strict eating.  Don't necessarily view it as a 'meal' per se, but more of a 'feeding'.  Believe me, I LOVE going out to eat and enjoying a nice dinner but that's not on my agenda at the moment.  Right now, I'm looking to 'feed' my body with the proper nutrients it needs, in the proper ratios so I can accomplish a specific objective.  Fancy meals aren't going to get me there.  Strategic feedings are the way to go.  It may just be a mental trick, but it certainly helps. 

I have still yet to have a single craving for anything sugary or carb related.  There was a small bowl of M&M's on the counter when I got home and my initial reaction was one of reaching in to have one or two.  It was purely instinctual in a mechanical way.  I wasn't hungry for or craving an M&M - it was just there, I saw it and my reaction was to grab some and eat them.  It's funny how that works.  Needless to say, I didn't partake and they're still out there not beckoning my name! 

Physically, my legs are slightly sore from yesterday's workout but I feel good.  I don't feel like I'm overtraining or not getting enough nutrients.  It just feels like everything got worked sufficiently and it's time to repair and rebuild.  I do feel like sitting on the couch and relaxing, though!  My goal is to get a decent amount of sleep tonight or at least more so than last night. 


Stay Tuned For Days 5 through 7 !

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