Funk Diets

Since I can't run without nearly throwing up from back pain, I decided to take a closer look at my diet. No, I'm not going on diet. Fuck diets. Diets are evil. I just want to eat a little more healthier. You know, eat less junk, eat more green. So I revisited what worked for me in the past. I used an online program before called Sparkpeople but I didn't want to be stuck entering everything I eat into a computer. I tend to lose interest within a month and then forget about it. I ended up downloading their App (for iPhone), instead. I gotta say - it's a fantastic little program. Very easy to use and completely free. (I like free). It doesn't just add up calories but also shows the 3 major macronutrients: carbs, fats and protein. I love the barcode scanner! That is extremely handy in entering foods.

They seemed to have overhauled the platform (on the computer) since I've used it last. Seems easier to use (with a slight learning curve). It has a massive database of every food you could think of. If it's not in there, just add it yourself!

There's many different features such as entering your exercise and getting daily/weekly graphs of your nutrition (if you're a graphs type of person.) There are also loads of articles and recipes along with forums and goal setting boards you can make. It's a terrific (and did I mention FREE? Free is good.) resource if you're looking into wanting to eating healthier and/or losing weight.

I decided to do a little experiment and kept my carbs lower than what they said was appropriate for weight loss. Had them hovering around 70-90 grams (instead of 135-152). Anyway, I lost 10 pounds in under 2 weeks. Oops. I was also dizzy as hell and extremely tired. So I decided to follow their recommended carb count. I gained back 3 pounds but I feel a heck of a lot better. I'm not "obese" or even considered "overweight" by BMI standards, so losing that kind of weight so quickly isn't exactly ideal. 

It's interesting how my body reacted to a lower carbohydrate count, though. Sure, I lost weight fast but I also felt like I was going to pass out every time I stood up. I don't know how people do Atkins or the  Bernstein diets for long periods of time (and are still able to exercise). Just goes to show, everyone loses weight differently - just have to find what works for you! If you want to lose fat and gain muscle, it's imperative to choose wisely what you put in your mouth. You can exercise all you want but don't expect to be truly "healthy" by doing crunches and the treadmill, alone. (I speak from experience. Ugh.)