The High fat, high protein trial.
I started on Wednesday 27th of January a High fat-high protein, low carb diet. I came off a drastic calorie restriction Low Starchy carbs, Low to medium Fat and High Protein diet that I followed from the 28th of December to the 22nd of January.
That diet gave me great results as I passed from 89.9kg to 85.5kg in that short period of time.
The formulas and numbers:
HARRIS BENEDICT EQUATION for BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate or the energy needed for my body yo function daily).
BMR=66+ (13.7 x weight in kg)+(5xheight in cm)-(6.8 x age)
MULTIPLIER ACTIVITY LEVEL FOR BOTH GENDER
SEDENTARY= BMR x 1.2 , little or no exercises, desk Job.
Lightly active BMR x 1.375, light exercise or sports, 3-5 days per week.
Moderately active BMR x 1.55, moderate exercise, or sport 3-5 days per week.
Very active BMR x 1.725, hard exercise or sports, 6-7 days per week.
Extremely active BMR x 1.9, hard daily exercise or sports and physical labour job or twice a daytraining.
TDEE is the Total Daily Energy Expenditure
TDEE= BMR x MULTIPLIER ACTIVITY LEVEL
FAT LOSS LEVEL
Maintenance weight or no loss= TDEE
VERY CONSERVATIVE FAT = -15% of TDEE
CONSERVATIVE FAT LOSS= -20% of TDEE
MODERATE FAT LOSS= -25% of TDEE
VERY AGGRESSIVE FAT LOSS= -30 of TDEE
MY DATAS:
Step 1: BMR CALCULATION
66 + (13.7 x 89.9)+(5 x 178) - (6.8 x 41)= 1297.63+890-278.8=1908.83
My BMR was 1908.83 calories.
Step 2: MY TDEE
BMR x activity level= 1908.83 x 1.9 (extremely active)=3626.77 calorie allowance per day.
Step 3: The fat loss level
I decided on very aggressive fat loss of 30% = 3626.77 calories x 0.3=1088.03 calories.
It is a drop of 1000 calories a day for a final daily calorie intake of roughly 2500 calories a day.
The results and datas of the calorie restriction diet: Diet ran from 28th Decmber to 22nd January 2016.
Age: 41yo
Height:178cm
Starting weight: 89.9kg
Final weight: 85.5kg
Starting Body Fat: not registered but was in double digit as it corresponded to the after Xmas period and I could hardly see my abdominal muscles.
Final Body Fat: between 5-12% measured with a ski fold caliper
Muscle loss & stamina: I believe I didn't lose any lean body mass and I did gain strength and stamina. This is a subjective data, nevertheless, during my Physical preparation I wrote a diary #cuttingweight day... In which my my physical improvements are recorded on a daily basis. To add to that all my opponents at the BJJ European Championship made mention of my "superior" conditioning level.
Mental state:
The diet I went through was a Quick fix, a boost, an aggressive approach for a short term deadline. It is an aggressive approach that demands focus and compliance.
I lost 4.4kg of body weight, without losing lean muscles, dropped my body fat level to the range of 5-12% and was moody and stressed.
The truth been told, my mental state was highly influenced by the competition I was preparing and the high training routines coupled by the work commitment and family life with little sleep.
Nevertheless, I was craving starchy carbs all the time. I believe that I complied with the diet calorie allowance 7-10 day out of 27 days. The rest of the time, I was slightly above my calories allowance.
The conclusions of the Calorie restriction Low Starchy carbs, Low to medium Fat and High Protein diet are:
The results are positive as the goal has been reached, nevertheless the focus on low Starchy carbs, Low to medium Fat and High Protein didn't work well for me.
I need to find an approach that aloud me to forget about being hungry or simply to feel that I am dieting, I need to find that magic formula that aloud me to lose fat by switching to food that make me feel good and keep me healthy, lean and strong.
After reading and researching I came up with some changes to my approach and I will embark in a month trial of High Fat, High Protein and Low Starchy Diet.
My data have changed slightly.
MY BMR IS NOW : 1862.25 calories
MY TDEE IS NOW: 3538.275 calories
MY Maintenance Level equates my TDEE, There is no more "strict" calorie counting, nevertheless I need to remain below my TDEE, over wise I will put on weight.
The Trial was officially meant to start on Friday the 29th of January.
The truth been told my "Long weekend " has been really bad, I thought that having so many calories to use would make of being consistent something easy.
In fact, there is only one truths, YOU NEED TO PLAN YOUR MEALS, otherwise it does not work. From Friday to Sunday I was on average 1000 calories over my daily allowance, simply because I did not have a meal plan to follow.
Nevrtheless, this is some valuable information, as I also could see how my body react to high intake of starchy carbs, mainly bread.
The results was interesting, I felt bloated, sluggish and had digestion issues and a bad tummy (full of gas). Another important point was that I was hungrier, as an example, on Sunday we went to eat a roast dinner at 1.45pm and I decided to have peanut butter on toast with 2 mince pies, 2 slices of bread with Nutella and peanut butter. After eating the 2 first slices, I went for another 3.
I was not hungry, but quite happy to keep on eating. On the other hand, when I eat protein or fat my body just stops me when it feels satiated.
After that "terrible weekend" the experiment officially starts on Monday the 1st of February.
There will be a weekly post each Wednesday during the whole month of February, explaining you about what is happening, the way I feel and a comparison of datas.
Guys follow the tale and please feel free to comment or ask questions.
Wednesday 27th January, weighed at 86.5kg body fat measured 14%