Technology & Life Hacking

[Week 1 Update] 30 day slow-carb experiment

Published on 20/07/08
by Colin Loretz

It’s been one week since I started the 30 day slow-carb diet experiment and I have some things to share.

The first thing I tried to do was create a log to track everything I was eating. This failed after the first two days and signifies a barrier than many people face when trying to change their lifestyle. I have never done well with keeping journals, class notes, etc. and I shouldn’t expect to start now. That will be the next thing I can work on. This can be translated to counting calories. What I like about the slow-carb experiment is that you aren’t counting anything. By sticking to protein, vegetables, and legumes you can eat until you’re comfortable. Counting calories or recording notes may help some people but if you’re not used to doing those things it may become a barrier to your success.

Here are some of the meals I ate over the past week:

Breakfast
Egg Whites with 1 whole egg for flavor and southwestern salsa
Black or Pinto beans
Spinach

Lunch/Dinner Meals
Chicken breast with southwestern salsa
Black or Pinto beans
Salad

Turkey burger
Black or Pinto beans
Corn

Chicken breast
Lentils
Asparagus

Naked Chicken Taco Salad from Qdoba with extra black or pinto beans

These meals were very similar but I haven’t gotten bored with them quite yet. You can mix and match pretty much anything from the three categories and with some creative cooking, make a great meal. I was never a big fan of spinach so I stayed away from it for years and I have rediscovered why. I still don’t like it. I’ve started to replace spinach with peas or mixed vegetables. Fresh asparagus is a good substitute as well.

I have stuck to only three meals a day instead of four because it is kind of hard to have two meals during a work day without either getting up early to make and bring in food or cooking extra food the night before.

Finally, I actually found it difficult to stick to the plan while eating at restaurants. I know mexican food can fit within the parameters pretty easily but when you’re on the run and need to find something quick, it can be hard. Qdoba fits into the quick mexican food category as you can see from my list of meals. The lack of options forced me to break the rules while I was out of the house for 4-5 meals out of the weeks 21 or so meals. I compensated for this by not having an “eat whatever you want day” for this week.

Finally, the workout plan has failed as well. It sounds like we’re off to a great start! I did hit the gym for 3 hours last week which included running, cycling, swimming, and weight training on machines. Changing what I eat has been much easier than finding time to go workout.

Added bonus: I spent at least $25 less on food and restaurants then the week prior to starting the experiment.

That's it. What Next?

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