So. many. unhealthy. foods… haha My body and wallet are crying…Read my logs from the past week in file below:

After about a week of consuming large amounts of protein per day, I have concluded that I am eating too much protein and actually think I am gaining weight rather than either remaining stable or losing a few.

I will say that just in the last two weeks as I have exercised more, participated in activities that work the body, and have upped my protein take, I have noticed quite a change in my body composition.

I have less soft fatty parts – especially on the upper arms, stomach, and thighs – and things are a lot more solid and firm. Basically, I am gaining back some muscle tone that I haven’t seen in awhile. This is great! However, I think the excess of protein is going to eventually make me bulk up, which is not what I am going for.

This morning, my pants were more snug around my waist than I expected, and this made me consider if I am eating too much protein (along with that, fats which often go hand in hand with dairy proteins, nuts, and meats).

The trouble is, I find it hard to go under about 42% for my daily carbohydrate intake. It’s not that I am eating tons of bread or grains… in fact I am eating very little of that compared to before. A lot of my carbs are coming from the various other foods which contain different types of carbs- veggies, fruits, and starchy items.

Another theory is that since I indulged a bit more this last week – eating very sugary and carb-filled items – , and I am just seeing a weight increase and bloating as a result. For example, I ate an entire chicken, bean, rice, and cheese burrito on Sunday (it wasn’t as big as Chipotle, but I definitely overate). The tons of protein, carbs, and sodium caused me to feel uncomfortably bloated, and I think the extra sodium gave me a head ache.

So, what should I do going forward?

I have tried to avoid this, but I have realized for my body type that eating a lot of vegetables, and getting a huge chunk of my carbs from them is a good next step for me. Also, I think I might cool it on the protein shake… or at least just put 1/4 or 1/2 scoops in my smoothies instead of the full scoop and make sure I am exercising to utilize that extra protein boost.

The struggle for me is that I can’t just eat a salad. Due to the Crohn’s disease, I avoid all roughage. So, I usually have to opt for either raw veggies that are softer, or cook all my veggies to soften them. I have to consume a low fiber diet.

I’ll find a rhythm that works for me at some point…