You might remember that I’ve been trying a diet experiment the last few weeks — I dramatically reduced carbohydrate intake to see if it was true that carbohydrates might be having an adverse effect on things like my mood, my energy level, my sense of optimism, etc. The effects were immediate and profound; in fact, I could almost map frustrating days at work to to days I had more carbohydrates than others.

Those Doritos in the office snack room I used to grab to keep me alert enough to keep working? Seems like they were counterproductive.

It was explicitly not an attempt to lose weight, however. I was trying to see if I could effect mood through diet, and the answer is yes. You can.

So I’m taking it one step further. I’m cutting carbohydrates back even further — to around thirty grams of “net” carbs a day — to see if I can get an even stronger effect. And this time to see if I can lose weight and prove myself wrong.

So far I have lost four and a half pounds in five days, much of it probably water. Much of any weight you lose is likely to be water since people are mostly water to begin with, but I am guessing a greater proportion of weight loss is attributable to water than not. That’s fine; if I’m carrying half a gallon of water less around, that’s still an improvement. It’s apparently water I didn’t need — I am certainly staying hydrated enough.

Previously I was able to cut back on carbohydrate intake without experiencing much in the way of carbohydrate cravings, but thinking back on that it was probably because I was satisfying some of those cravings with different carbs — grains and some high-carb fruits. Now that I’ve cut those out, the carb cravings have certainly arrived. But I have been able to withstand them without too much trouble.

In the meantime I am sleeping better, waking up more alert, and having less difficulty concentrating. My energy levels are high. Overall, I just feel better.