Day one

This is my first time blogging or really even writing in a public/private forum.  Today I decided to trial different types of diets while I am deployed.  This blog will be a place I can compare and describe what I go through during each fad diet.  The diets I have chosen are low carb, keto, plant based and intermittent fasting.  I will undergo each diet for 2 months at a time.  I hope to learn more about each trend by reading at least 2-3 books on each topic and by really trialing each diet to the best of my ability.  This blog will help me keep track of how i feel and how difficult each diet is to achieve.  I wont be able to track health benefits but I will be able to comment on weight loss, changes in waistline and issues with energy. 

A little about me: 

I am a 31 year old active duty physician.  I have specialize din Internal Medicine and have dealt with multiple patients who struggle with weight loss.  I hope to undergo this year to better understand the fad diets and in hopes to give my patients better information when they ask me how to lose weight.  I am currently deployed and have a lot of time on my hands.  This is both good and bad. 

Good reasons to do this now:  I have time to research and commit to the diet.  If i undergo lack of energy, keto flu I dont have a lot of responsibilities and can feel like crud for a bit.  It will also help pass my time while here.

Bad reasons: I do not have access to a grocery store and all food is cooked for me.  I am unsure of how they prepare the food most of the time and this will limit the variety of food I can eat.  I can get supplements through the mail, though not ideal as i would like to get most of my intake from actual food. 

Current plan:

Low carb from Nov 27th to January 26th. 
Keto from Feb 5th to March 31st
Plant based April 9th to June 1st
Intermittent fasting June 11th til I go home approx July 15th


Low carb: 
Say yes to:  Fish, meat, eggs, above ground veggies
Say no to: sugar, bread, pasta, rice, beans, potatoes and fruit

Keto:  Need to read more about this but I found it is much lower carbs, mod protein and high fat
Daily breakdown: 75% fat, 20% protein (0.69-0.8 grams/lbs LBW/day) and 5% carbs (<30grams/day)

For me:  Currently 145lbs with 28% fat. 
145lbs X 0.28= 40.6 lbs of fat
Lean body weight= 145- 40.6= 104.4 lbs

Protein calculates out to approx.  72grams- 83grams /day
Carbs: <30 grams
Fats: 324 grams per day:  Minus 50 for weight loss so total 275 grams per day

Say yes to: Whole eggs, full fat cheese, beef, chicken thighs/legs, fish, bacon, nuts, green leafy vegetables
Say no to: sugar, bread, pasta, rice, beans, potatoes and fruit

Need to supplement Na,K, Mg as easily lost when in ketosis- use chicken broth, extra salt- can get supplements

Supplement if needed: Myoplex ketogenic?-  already has 75/20/5% in each serving- easy

Need:  Keto urine sticks to make sure in ketosis

This diet is very different than my current diet and i need to read way more!!

Plant based diet: 
Follow G-BOMBS- Greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries. seeds
Veggies: 6-8 servings/ day
1 cup beans/legumes/ day
4-5 fresh fruits/ day- low glycemic (grapefruit, oranges, kiwis, berries, melon, green apples)
Limit: starchy foods (squash, corn, potatoes, rice)
No more than 1/4 cup of nuts per day

AVOID: animal protein, dairy, oils.  Soy is ok

Intermittent fasting:
Multiple ways to do this, but I am going to do 16 hour fast with 8 hour eating window.  Hope to eat at 11am and 1800 in order to be able to use the DFAC.  Will work out between meals in order to not crash to quickly.  May have to add protein supplement in order to remain full throughout night.  Coffee is ok!! life saver!


More to come.  I have one more day to do what I want and will start this journey Monday.  I have planned 1 week in between each diet which will help.  My biggest fear is going from the different diets ecspecially keto to plant based (lots of fat to minimal fat).  This will be interesting.