Carb Lover's - Day 1

Starting weight: 313.6

Yesterday I stocked up on all the Carb Lover's essentials:



Very green bananas, eggs, salmon, zucchini, tomatoes, frozen chicken and shrimp, Amy's black bean enchiladas, Lean Cuisine Salmon and Basil, Greek yogurt and stir-fry veggies.



Corn flakes, corn chips, Fiber One cereal, 1% milk, fiber granola bars, lettuce, potatoes, corn tortillas, Parmesan cheese, corn tortillas, whole grain thin buns, oat bran pitas and dried cherries.

Cost
All in all I spent $80 on groceries this week. My normal budget is $30-50. Many of these things will last me more than one week. Items that may spoil after a week I can pop in the freezer and pull out as I use them (bananas, breads, etc). So, hopefully my grocery bill next week isn't as high.

The Plan
The 7-day kickstart meal plan on Carb Lover's claims to help you dive into Carb Lover's and lose up to 6 pounds in 7 days.

When researching CL I was concerned that the calorie intake was too low (1,200 for kickstart and 1,600 for immersion). I used the handy 'Ask the Expert' tool on the Carb Lover's website to ask their registered dietitian Sonthe Burge about my concerns. Below is the answer she provided.

Q. At first glance of this diet it mentions limiting your caloric intake to 1200 calories. I am 6 feet tall and weigh 316 and feel like this calorie goal is inadequate for my size. Please advise.

A. I agree, the calorie recommendation may be difficult for you to stick with. Add 500 calories to both plans, by increasing your portions at breakfast and lunch and adding a snack. Make your first goal to follow the meal plan. with larger portions. You'll be surprised these foods will fill you up. Good luck.

I am planning for 1500-1600 for kickstart and 1800-1900 for immersion. The menu today had 3 meals and one snack. I was really unsure about the Banana Shake that was on the menu for breakfast keeping me full all morning long, so I brought some fruit to have as a morning snack. I'm glad I did because I was ravenous by 11. I should have eaten it earlier (around 10) but I was trying to hold out. I also brought a fiber granola bar to eat at 4 pm, before my 5 pm workout.

What I ate today
(items in red were not on the meal plan in the book, but I added them to bring up the calorie count)
B: Banana shake (1% milk, green banana, honey and ice)
S1: 10 Strawberries
L: Amy's Black Bean enchilada, string cheese, apple, a few carrots and hummus
S2: Fiber granola bar
D: Chicken pita sandwich (chicken, spinach, green peppers, tomatoes and light Italian dressing) w/baked potato

And I'll probably have some Greek yogurt as a snack before bed.

Calorie count: 1,614 (with Greek yogurt)

How I feel
I've been hungry and tired all day. I'm not sure I can blame Carb Lover's for either of those after coming off a 4-day vacation. But I hope I'm not either of those tomorrow.

My diet for the last 2-3 years has been similar to CL so I don't feel super restricted. Of course the calories are more restricted than I have been doing and I'm not yet finding that these foods are more filling than what I was eating before. I'm not normally good at following something so structured and as you see from above I added things into my day that weren't on the menu (but I think they are still safe). All of the foods on the menu are super tasty though, so from that aspect the diet is good.

Day one check!