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As expected, whey protein supplements don't taste good, especially not in water, and not in whole milk. Today I tried mixing it in almond milk, and that was awesome. It still isn't a taste to be craved, but it isn't as bitter as the taste of the protein in water and not as overpowering as the taste in regular milk. Almond milk is low in calories, carbohydrates and unfortunately, also protein. It contains 40 calories, 3 grams of fat, 2 grams of carbs, and 1 gram of protein. Once I finish off the almond milk, I am going to give soy milk a try. It contains 80 calories, 4 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbohydrates and 7 grams of protein. It is a little heavier than the almond milk, but I believe that the addition of the soy protein may be beneficial. Now that I have had time to adjust to taking in less calories per day, I am no longer having any issues staying under my limits for the day, so the excess 40 calories would hardly be noticed, if anything, they would be welcomed muscle fuel. 

Today was the first day I really tracked the details of the calories I consume. I don't seem to be doing that bad with things in the areas of carbohydrates and fats, they are staying below the acceptable range. The protein isn't going so well. I am overall consuming very low amounts of protein, which isn't good for muscle formation. I am starting to understand the need for protein bars and shakes, although, I would prefer to get my protein from more natural sources. I am going to work with the information I have recorded about my foods and try to come up with a balanced plan. 

A calorie is 4.1184 Joules, which is roughly 4 watts. A calorie is a physical unit of potential energy. When burned by the body a calorie produces electrical and thermal energy as needed throughout the day. Calories come from 3 things: protein, fat and carbohydrates. Oddly, the worse of the three are the carbs. One gram of protein is 4 calories, one gram of carbs is 4 calories, and a single gram of fat is 9 calories.

Protein is the best thing you can get from your daily calorie allotment, it powers your muscles and acts as a stored energy source throughout the day that can be easily accessed. It is best to eat protein rich foods before and after working out for the biggest benefit to your body.

Carbohydrates are evil. They break down very fast and should almost always be utilized immediately, or else, you risk them slowing you down as the metabolism revs up to burn through them and then  crashes you right back down after its done. Carbs are best to eat at breakfast, when you can use them as quick fuel to get you started and the chances of them being burned away almost instantly are very high. If you live a life that isn't active at all, eliminating carbs is likely your only hope for weight-loss, but keep your protein high to protect your muscles.

Fats are GOOD! Fat is very hard for the body to store as fat, because it is more complex and takes too long to break down (your stomach cant just pass fat out to begin building a fat monument on your abs).  Fats are relatively quick energy, and aren't reserved for high-level muscle use. Fast-twitch muscles need a lot of protein, but the slower fibers will settle for the fats. Saturated fats are bad, avoid them if possible. Fats in nuts and milks are usually the best for your body because they usually are carrying other things that are really great for the body.

There is some good news, you can blow off 10% of the calories eaten each day to the digestive process itself.

Want to know how many calories you should eat per day? To determine the number of calories you need to maintain your weight, take your current body weight and multiply it by 11, then take that number and multiple it by your energy multiplier, then add whatever you burn during a workout.  So.. in an easier form: (Current Weight*11*Energy Multiplier)+workout calories. If you want to gain weight (bulk), add 500 calories per day, if you want to loose weight, subtract 1000 calories per day.

*Energy multiplier: 1.3 (sedentary), 1.6 (light work), 1.7 (moderate work), or 2.1 (hard labor).

Just a little wisdom I picked up in my research. 

Three meals per day is convenient. You eat one meal when you first get up, one when the sun is at its highest point in the sky and then you eat again somewhere between finishing your objectives for the day and going to bed. Athletes aren't supposed to follow that schedule, it doesn't work for our bodies. I honestly don't know how I am going to find time and a schedule to be able to conveniently eat 6 times per day. I suppose it does help that one small meal is supposed to be eaten before working out and one is supposed to be eaten after, leaving only 4 meals left to place. I am trying to use the meal information provided in "Total Body Plan" to construct a basic idea of what I should be eating at each of those meals. 

I was reading the "Total Body Plan" text earlier and ran across a nice little fun fact, 500 calories per day can change your weight over 1lb per week. I am currently working on trying to adjust my diet so that I stay below 1500 calories per day. Going below 1000 is not recommended because it changes the way the body handles things, and can potentially cause weight gain, loss of muscle mass and an overall tendency toward being lethargic.  Staying below the total calories needed for a day will help with weight reduction and currently my calorie usage each day should be well above 2500 calories, meaning I am down by around 1000 per day, or about 2lbs per week. That is just in my current default state of being sedentary, but with higher amounts of activity I will burn more calories per day. Also, I will begin monitoring what types of calories I am consuming (protein, fat, carbs) next week. I am trying to make additional changes to what I do each week to allow me to make things happen gradually, so I can learn how things affect me and not just make huge changes all at once and have myself feeling like shit and not know why. There are a lot of factors I will be calculating per the guidelines in the "Total Body Plan" text. The book is very encouraging, especially in the area of weight loss. The book provides interesting tips, including a suggestion to not obsess about numbers. Anyone who knows me will know that numbers are my forte with any project I take on. At this time, GITI is being prepped to receive the data and advise me of things that need to be done.

I haven't had a carbonated beverage since Tuesday, and I am quite happy. There was no caffeine withdrawal issues or anything like that. Currently as far as drinks, I consume a lot of water, between 8 and 16 ounces of tea and about 8 ounces of juice per day.

Yesterday I consumed 1540 calories and today I consumed 1570.

I now understand the concept of an empty calorie. A simple glass (8oz) of iced tea requires spending 68 calories, and the amount of satisfaction received from that amount of fluid is minimal. If I am going to be disappointed in a drink, I think I will stick with water, 0 calories, unlimited refills. I started off my morning by measuring 3/4 cup of cereal and 3/4 cup of milk, creating a 250 calorie breakfast, which for the amount of movement I have done today, seems about right. Lunch was a little worse on me at nearly 300 calories for a ham and cheese sandwich. I have done some basic ab workouts today, so I don't feel horrible, but I am not where I want to be. I need to push myself to do ab workouts. I am supposed to hang out with Chris tomorrow, so I need to get this workout thing under control so I don't slip.

I haven't done dinner yet, that will be later this evening, but I am having a hard time finding anything that I feel I can justify eating.