SCD update: so far so good

A few weeks ago I decided, on a whim, to try the slow carb diet. So far I’m pretty impressed.

All of these things are noticeably improved:

• all-day energy (no afternoon crash)
• satiety (rarely feel hungry, which is very new to me—I’m always hungry)
• mood and self-esteem (pride in eating well creates virtuous cycle)

Here’s a summary of some other findings and results.

cheat day

The once-a-week scheduled cheat day comes just often enough. By cheat day I’m eager for bagels, ice cream, fruit, cheese and whatever else I’ve been avoiding all week. I indulge for a day, ride the energy roller coaster, and then I’m completely ready to dive back into the regular SCD rules the next day.

Having the cheat day scheduled eliminates anxiety related to the thought of “giving up” something forever.

I’ve not been consistent in terms of which day of the week is cheat day; I choose it to fit my schedule, aligning cheat day with my company party that featured an ice cream buffet, for example.

key foods

I’ve found eggs and lentils to be key components to the diet. Both are easy to keep on hand and cook on short notice. Beans are great, but I prefer dried to canned and those require some forethought to soak and prepare. I’m probably doing about 2:1 lentils:beans, and about half of my protein from eggs.

Other foods I’ve been eating a lot of:

• roasted chicken from the grocery store (cost effective and convenient)
• foil packs of salmon and tuna
• mini cucumber and carrots (great snacks)
• tomatoes (substitute for apples which I would often east as a dessert)
• spinach
• broccoli

schedule

The last week or so I’ve also gone back to more of an intermittent fasting schedule where I don’t have my first meal until midday or later, eschewing the “30 in 30” rule of SCD. I haven’t been particularly hungry in the morning and trying to fit in a real meal at that part of the day is inconvenient most of the time. I haven’t noticed much difference in my hunger levels, energy levels, or anything else either way, so at this point the convenience factor is winning out.

In tandem with the morning fast I’ve started drinking a quart of water first thing in the morning each day. I’ve been adding LMNT to the water and finishing the whole quart within about a half hour of waking up—creating my own “30 in 30” rule (a quart is just over 30 oz).

weight loss

Weight loss is not a main goal of this diet for me, but for what it’s worth I’ve lost about 5-7 pounds in 3 weeks. During that time I’ve felt great in every sense, rarely been hungry, and indulged in all manner of culinary delights. I’ve been active, but no more than normal.

next steps

I plan to stick with the diet for the foreseeable future, experimenting at the margins. I just picked up an e-copy of The 4-Hour Body to get more into the details behind this approach.