I love a good project, especially one that requires me to learn something new.
It’s rewarding to do the research and figure out the approach that best suits me.
I started treating my body as a project this summer after getting a Dexa scan and seeing that my body fat was at 24.6%
As detailed in my Burning Fat article six weeks ago, I followed the Slow Carb diet and got decent results.
I lost 6.7 pounds and reduced my body fat to 23%.
But some of those pounds came from muscle loss, which isn’t what I wanted to happen.
Digging into the issue, it seemed like increased protein intake would help. So I set a daily target of 175 grams of protein.
I also stopped following the Slow Carb diet so strictly. Instead, I now use it as a guiding philosophy.
The reason people lose weight on Slow Carb is simple – calorie restriction. If you follow the rules, it’s an easy way to consume fewer calories and lose weight.
For some people, counting calories is stressful and they abandon it. Or they go over their target and feel shame, often leading to abandonment.
With Slow Carb, you’re not supposed to count calories – you just eat the approved food groups and the calorie restriction takes care of itself.
Personally, I don’t like the black box approach. I want to know the numbers.
For the past month, I’ve been averaging under 2,000 calories per day while eating mostly Slow Carb foods with little indulgences here and there.
I got a Dexa scan this morning and the results are even better than the last one.
The Results
7.0 lbs fat lost (vs. 4.2 lbs lost)
1.3 lbs muscle gained (vs. 2.5 lbs lost)
19.3% body fat (vs. 23%)
I also reduced my VAT (Visceral Adipose Tissue) down to 1.02 lbs. This is an 18% reduction since my last scan and a 47% reduction from my first scan this summer.
What’s Next
More of the same. I feel like I’ve got my eating habits dialed in to continue losing fat and gaining muscle.
And importantly – I’m enjoying it. This doesn’t feel like a chore or something I can’t wait to be done with.
Artwork created by Midjourney with the prompt: outline of human body on blueprint paper.