Consistent

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27th September, 2016

47.2kg

Food

1. 2tbsp 3.25% milk in coffee
2. 90g chicken breast + veggies (spinach/broccoli)
3. 90g chicken breast + 110g sweet potato + 1tsp olive oil + veggies (spinach/broccoli/red pepper)

Activity

Another long day.

Stress

Nothing much to report today. I am unsure whether I am consuming an adequate amount of protein. I have a history of favouring carbs over protein so for me even 28g of protein per meal looks like too much. I'm currently consuming approximately 56g of protein a day. I understand that DRI is 0.8g/kg of LBM whereas when dieting it is "1.5 g/kg (0.68 g/lb) as a minimum for the obese non-training individual of protein per pound of LBM".
At 47.2kg if I assume I am approximately 27% body fat then my LBM is roughly 35kg. This puts my daily protein intake at a range of 28g-52.5g. Perhaps I am consuming too much protein?

[semipartial]

Note that 90g of chicken does not equal 90g of protein. 100g of uncooked chicken has about 20-25g of protein in it. When you consume 180g of chicken you only consume 40-50g of protein on a daily basis.

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28th September, 2016

46.8kg

Food

1. 3tbsp 3.25%milk in coffee
2. 90g chicken breast + 15g walnuts + veggies (spinach/red pepper)
3. 87g chicken breast + 110g sweet potato + 1tsp olive oil + veggies (broccoli/red pepper)

Activity

22min run/walk (average pace still slow 7:55km/h)

Stress

I have been watching my food intake for 6 days and so far have lost 2kg. I still have a long way to go though. It's unlikely to be 2kg of actual fat loss.
I want to run to the kitchen or go off and buy chocolates on days I am exhausted I must admit. I am missing sugar.

[PhysiologyIsPhun]

Just keep pushing through the sugar cravings and you'll be in the clear in no time.

A couple things that might help you out:
I didn't see anything about fish oil when you were talking about supplements. Fish oil is SO good for you all the time, but especially when you're dieting. I'd definitely recommend taking it. Also, a multi is a good idea on that low of calories because it will be near impossible to get all of your required micronutrients without one. I never see anyone talk about it on this forum, but especially for females, calcium is very important. You are approaching the age where peak bone mass is achieved, so to avoid future problems with osteoperosis, you'll want to make sure you're getting a good amount of calcium in a day. If you're not going to be consuming dairy, a quick fix is taking 1 Tums tablet every day.

As far as the cardio goes, I hate running too, so I feel you there. If you can force yourself to run every day, good for you; however, I know I find it super hard to get the motivation to go out and run 3-5 days a week. In the end, cardio is all about creating a larger deficit (especially important for someone of your size who doesn't get to eat much as it is). I find incline walking or even just normal fast walking is a good way to add to your deficit as long as you have the time for it, and you will recover much faster from it than other more intense versions or cardio.

Good luck!

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29th September, 2016

46.8kg

Food

1. 85g egg whites + 0.5tsp sunflower seeds + 1tsp salsa + veggies (carrot/tomato) + 1tbsp 3.25% milk in coffee
2. 87g chicken breast + 110g sweet potato + 11g chicken skin + 1tsp olive oil + veggies (spinach/cabbage)
3. 58g chicken breast + 110g sweet potato + 9g chicken skin + 1tsp olive oil + 15g walnuts + veggies (cauliflower/spinach)

Activity

5km walk

Stress

Would be nice to see the weight drop linearly everyday but alas that's not the case.

I have started snacking on raw veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots & cherry tomatoes the last 2 days. I should omit this snacking or I might have to start counting these. I am a little person I'm sure these are not unlimited to me.
Adding more fat to help with satiety between meals. I'd prefer to stick to 3 meals without snacks to keep things simple and enjoy larger meals.

I did learn a few things today, which makes me happy! Distribution of nerves, control of respiration and histology. I find it so ironic in how I treat my body when I read physiology or anatomy. The body is a machine and I should treat it that way. But I can't circumvent the higher centres / limbic system and hormones interacting. I need to have better control over those.

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Originally Posted by PhysiologyIsPhun

Just keep pushing through the sugar cravings and you'll be in the clear in no time.

A couple things that might help you out:
I didn't see anything about fish oil when you were talking about supplements. Fish oil is SO good for you all the time, but especially when you're dieting. I'd definitely recommend taking it. Also, a multi is a good idea on that low of calories because it will be near impossible to get all of your required micronutrients without one. I never see anyone talk about it on this forum, but especially for females, calcium is very important. You are approaching the age where peak bone mass is achieved, so to avoid future problems with osteoperosis, you'll want to make sure you're getting a good amount of calcium in a day. If you're not going to be consuming dairy, a quick fix is taking 1 Tums tablet every day.

As far as the cardio goes, I hate running too, so I feel you there. If you can force yourself to run every day, good for you; however, I know I find it super hard to get the motivation to go out and run 3-5 days a week. In the end, cardio is all about creating a larger deficit (especially important for someone of your size who doesn't get to eat much as it is). I find incline walking or even just normal fast walking is a good way to add to your deficit as long as you have the time for it, and you will recover much faster from it than other more intense versions or cardio.

Good luck!

Thanks for your feedback, I really appreciate it!

I'll be going to the chemist to grab a multivitamin and fish oil. I am taking vitamin D and calcium. I see Lyle recommends 6-10 capsules of fish oil. Given my size I am wondering whether to take less than 6.

"Runners" always say when they first started they hated it until a few months of persistence turned into delight. I'm not sure. Walking is time consuming but I have no excuse on a day off. Whilst I am no member of a gym I should probably look into bodyweight resistance exercises as well.

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30th September, 2016

46.9kg

Food

1. 50g whole egg + 0.5tsp sunflower seeds + 1tsp salsa + 2tbsp 3.25% milk in coffee
2. 60g chicken breast + 0.5tsp olive oil + 15g walnuts + 9g chicken skin + veggies (spinach/cauliflower/onion)
3. 87g chicken breast + 28g whole wheat pasta + 1tsp olive oil + veggies (spinach/tomato/cauliflower/onion)

Vitamin D + Calcium + 950mg EPA / 464mg DHA

Activity

3 x 7-minute workout

Stress

Bit frustrated that the scale has not moved for 2 days however it’s not a reason to pack it in and give up. Felt a little tired today and had some difficulty concentrating on the study. I think it’s too early to make anything of that. I’ve been reading more about carbohydrate intake. I understand that physiologically there is no need for carbohydrates however ketosis can make someone feel horrible even after weeks of persistence. Given I have a tendency toward insulin resistance due to PCOS and low activity levels I am going to persist with low carbohydrate intake. Just don’t want my mental acuity affected with exams in 8 weeks! But that could have more to do with the calorie deficit than the composition of my calories.

I use MFP to log calories but I disregard the protein amounts it adds from vegetables/starches. I only count protein from meat, eggs, nuts and dairy; aiming for ~ 54-55g/day. I vary carbohydrate/fat intake around this trying to limit total calorie intake to 900. Carbs these last 7 days < 100g/day. According to MFP my intake over the last 7 days have averaged out to 700 calories/day. I hope I make more progress in week 2.

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1st October, 2016

46.8kg

Food

1. 50g egg + 1tsp sunflower seeds + 1tsp salsa + 1.5tbsp 3.25% milk in coffee
2. 70g chicken breast + 1tsp olive oil + veggies (cabbage/onion/carrots)
3. 75g chicken breast + 1tsp olive oil + 7g walnuts + veggies (cabbage/onion)
4. Bannoffee pie with whipped cream & icecream

Activity

6km walk in an hour

Stress

Not seeing the scale move but just going to keep at it for another 2-3 weeks before reevaluating. I’m sticking to 54g protein, 30g fat according to Lyle’s recommendations.
The dessert with friends was unplanned for a friend’s birthday. What I’m disappointed about is what I chose to have for dessert and then ate the whole thing instead of half!
I should probably fast tomorrow's breakfast & lunch to make up for it the increased calories today.
Will be expecting the weight to increase tomorrow’s weigh-in.

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2 October, 2016

47.1kg

Food

1. -
2. -
3. Massive dinner out with friends with too much sugar.

Vitamin D + Calcium + 950mg EPA / 464mg DHA

Activity

3km run/walk

Stress

I have learnt over the last 2 days that even when I'm out I tend to make poor choices. Even if friends are having sugar I shouldn't feel compelled to, it's ridiculous. It's almost like I do in order to avoid the peer pressure conversation that would be inevitable. Absurd! Anyway it's good to reflect and learn from it.
Smaller portions are key and not ordering a whole dessert for myself because I will end up eating it all!
I have also learnt my lesson that as a little person I REALLY need to bump up my activity levels as I get very little food allowance as it is. Balance the increased activity with the increased hunger.
Tomorrow will be a full day fasting to make up for the high calories the last 2 days. I expect tomorrow's weigh in to also be high.
I'm still keeping this journal to keep on up and keep improving. Life's too short to not TRY to better myself.

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3 October, 2016

47.3kg

Food

1. 1.5tbsp 3.25% milk
2. -
3. Iceberg lettuce

Multi + Vitamin D + Calcium + 950mg EPA / 464mg DHA

Activity

8km run/walk

Stress

Very tired but really need to make up for 2 days of overindulgence. Back on track tomorrow.