New Diet, Energy Levels, Two Weeks Completed

The first two weeks of my new diet/fitness routine are in the books.

Wednesday, I go to get body fat measurements (pinch test).  My weight loss has been noticeable and satisfying, but honestly, the shape of my body has changed enough that I'm pretty happy.  Especially since I'm only 2 weeks into it.

Unfortunately, weight-loss is my primary goal and that comes mostly from diet.  Unless I were working out, say, an hour a day, I won't be doing enough sustained aerobic activity to lose any noticeable weight.

One thing they promised on this new diet is that my energy levels would increase.  I think they really have.  It's not like I take a hit of speed or anything.  However, yesterday, I cleaned the gutters in the house, edged and trimmed both yards, mowed the 2nd house lawn and cleaned the living room carpets in the first house.

All of those were things I had been meaning to do for months, but frankly, I was just too lazy to do. 

Near as I can figure I'm plateauing.  I haven't really lost any weight for the past week or so.  I'm down maybe 6 pounds from my starting point, though.  So, I'm not unhappy.  I am probably also adding a pound of lean muscle mass here and there, too. 

Because I'm eating a lot fewer carbs, I find that my energy is pretty low while running.  Right now, my routine isn't that rigorous.  Basically, I'm shooting for 30 minutes of relatively easy running, 4 times a week.  I'll be bumping that out farther and farther as my fitness improves.  My next goal will be to do the same run, 5 times a week.  Then, to add 5 minutes, etc. 

Ultimately, I'd like to be running about an hour a day.  That's where I saw the greatest weight-loss progress, the last time I lost a lot of weight.  (65-70 pounds, back then.)  This time, I would be very happy to lose 20 pounds, which is no small feat, but not nearly the daunting task it was to lose almost 1/3 of my body weight. 

I do notice that because I'm not taking in that many carbs, that my runs are harder to do than normal.  Could just be lack of fitness, but I notice that even if I only run for 30 minutes, I'm sweating out that amonia smell that indicates ketosis.

Measurements at the 2 week point indicate that I went down about 2% in body fat.  Time to keep the momentum moving in the right direction.