I have decided to put a very basic plan online after being asked by so many people how I have lost some weight and what is all this Low Carb High Fat / Keto Stuff. I personally have spent countless hours in research, reading both sides of the debate in the SAD (Standard American Diet) vs the LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) or Atkins or Ketogenic or BulletProof and who knows what else in the future.
I’m not the guy to be able to give you the exact science, as with most things in my life I just want to know what works and this has worked for me and now many others who have taken my advice. I may not know much but I know this works, I lost 11 kgs 83kgs down to 72kgs and now hover around 74kgs because I cheat on weekends and enjoy myself within my approved weight range which for me is 71kgs – 76kgs if I hit 76kgs I’ll slowly increase my exercise and stop weekend binging until I’m back in the middle ground.
Aside from some weight loss the other benefits I’ve experienced are decreased Hunger, (I could eat and eat) Increased Energy, (No more 3:30pm slump) Improved sleep, Better Mood, (occasionally grumpy but mostly much calmer) Reduced Back Pain, (I’m not completely there but my pain has gone down by around 40%) and Weight Loss but for me the best part was when my brain fog lifted so that finally after about 20 years I can think with much more clarity. (Carbs you have a lot to answer for) These days I have so much more energy to serve God, love my family and do life with my community/church and I love all three.
Transition to a low carb life
The below is just some very quick thoughts on how to transition but seriously do your own research, if you have preexisting conditions then speak with your doctor. If you are reading this and know me personally then feel free to message me as I’d love to help and answer any questions you have.
After your Lunch and Dinner meals, you should take some MCT tablets or oil or powder, whatever you can get your hands on. This will help your body to use fat as fuel and keep you in a state of Ketosis. I’ve just ordered some powder from https://au.myprotein.com/sports-nutrition/mct-powder/10575138.html up until now I have been using these which have also been great https://au.iherb.com/pr/Now-Foods-Sports-MCT-Oil-1-000-mg-150-Softgels/46305
I really noticed a difference when I exercised before breakfast, it made such a big difference to both my weight loss and mental focus/energy for the rest of the day.
SNACKS – If you get hungry in between meals then you could snack on, pistachios, almonds, macadamias, fat bombs, hard boiled eggs, cheese, streaky bacon (I do this often) or just eat some grass fed butter (yep I’ve done that too)
So for what it’s worth this is my extremely simplified transition plan and it’s worth noting that there is so much more that can be learned. In fact the more you learn the more you will benefit but everyone needs to start somewhere.
Week 1 – Replace Breakfast with a Bullet Proof Coffee
NOTES – This should keep you satisfied until Lunch, do this for a week without changing anything else in your diet so that you can transition slowly.
BPC RECIPE
200ml Black Coffee using quality Beans (I use filtered coffee)
20ml Thickened Cream
2.5ml Vanilla Extract
20ml MCT Oil
20gms Grass Fed Butter (Kerry Gold from Woolworths)
1tsp hermesetas
Macros – Calories 396, Fat (g) 40.7,Carbs (g) 3.2, Protein (g) .7
Week 2 – Replace Lunch
NOTES – I like to introduce some green veggies for this meal. Be creative, look online for Keto or LCHF recipes that work for you.
Lunch Recipe Ideas
IDEA 1 – Tasting plate, with some low carb dip, cheese, seed crackers, Celery, almonds, even fry up some Bacon.
IDEA 2 – Bacon (Streaky), Eggs, mushrooms, avocado and baby spinach with salt and pepper.
IDEA 3 – Veggie Mix with Bacon. Slow fry some (streaky) Bacon, remove the bacon and use the bacon with a bit of extra butter to brown off some garlic, then add some green veggies of your choice such as Broccolini, zucchini, Brussel Sprouts, baby spinach, etc add some herbs for flavor and some Ground Cayenne Pepper. Finish off with some more butter, Salt n Pepper, and sesame seeds.
Week 3 – Replace Dinner
NOTES – By the beginning of week three you should have your hunger under control and be ready to replace your final meal.
Dinner Recipe ideas
IDEA 1 – Zucchini noodles with Salmon. (Fairly straightforward)
IDEA 2 – Keto Butter Prawns https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfh-V7VzsWk
IDEA 3 – Scrambled eggs with Avo and Greens.
FURTHER LEARNING
https://www.bulletproof.com/head-strong-book (Read this book it will educate you in all things LCHF and Polyphenols, Mitochondrial health)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoA5yAvbN5U (Keto spokesperson Jason Wittrock, very well balanced approach)
Hazza’s top tips to add to what you said here:
Eat as much fat and as few carbs as you can in the first two weeks. If you feel at all hungry eat some triple Brie, drink some cream, go for it with no guilt. You’ll be excited that you can eat tons at first and then you’ll start to feel so full that you won’t want to eat anything and your portions will get themselves under control.
Hit the berries, cream with grated 90% chocolate on top when you want something sweet… or you’ve had a crappy day
Drink water. When you’re hungry drink something first, you might just be thirsty.
Drink bubbly water it’s full of salt which will help stop you getting headspins
Use high fat cuts of meat like shoulders and braise them for a long time so the fat renders and makes them super tender
Don’t buy store bought sauces and marinades (too much sugar). Use salt, butter, spices and herbs for flavor.
Eat vegetables. No. Potato is not a vegetable in this instance. Eat leafy greens. This ain’t Atkins. Eating too much meat isn’t good for the world and you need to somewhat control your protein intake because there are pretty solid studies that show meat eaters die first. Ohhhh controversy.
Last but not least: don’t make sub-par alternatives to delicious carb loaded food. Your zoodles suck, no one wants to eat your “cauliflower rice” it’s just mushy, overcooked gross vegetable, meatza? In the words of the Swedish Chef “Bort de fork!?!” Lchf waffles? Well… they aren’t as good as regular waffles but maybe I can be persuaded on some things. I’m more of a “food has to be delicious before it’s healthy” type of guy. Stick to foods that were designed to be low carb in the first place. Stuff like peanut butter on celery. I’d eat that even if I wasn’t into keto. Food has to be good or you might as well go hungry.
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I’m just getting into the ketto diet and your article is quite supportive of the cause.
Thank you!