The Low Carb Diet Journey
The easiest way to get started is to join my 7 day mini training series called 7 Days to Ketosis Challenge. It will give you all the basics to get you up and running right away!
The major complaints that I hear people say about low carb diets is that they are unbalanced, cut out entire groups of foods, are fads and are unsustainable. Ouch!
And this is why education is so important. And that is why I created the mini-training to give you the basics and make sure you are informed.
Making choices that are right for you is so important. Working with your doctor to understand your unique needs is paramount. Always make sure that you check with your doctor before trying this way of eating to make sure it won’t cause any problems with any pre-existing health conditions.
In order to be successful transforming your life to this way of eating, I feel there is a 7 step journey that one must go through. See the Low Carb Journey Infographic.
Step 1: Start clean eating with whole real foods.
A low carb diet means cutting out processed sugary foods filled with additives and preservatives. Learn to make your own delicious recipes that are easy and only take a few ingredients. If you have already been eating a clean, whole real food diet similar to a Mediterranean style diet or a Paleo diet you will have a much easier time switching to a low carb diet.
Step 2: Confirm your health.
Always confirm with your doctor to make sure you don’t have any health conditions that could cause problems on a low carb ketogenic type diet. More and more doctors are prescribing this way of eating, not just for weight loss, but for prevention/treatment of type 2 diabetes and prevention of heart disease and other metabolic illnesses.
Step 3: Learn low carb.
Understand that our society eats way too many carbohydrates, especially sugars, both refined and naturally occurring. Learn what that is doing to our bodies and how it is contributing to insulin resistance. Cut out refined sugars, breads, and pastas.
It is amazing how many nutritious vegetables you can fit into your daily life when you are not filling the space with crackers, pasta and breads…even if whole grain. Which do you think has more vitamins and nutrients in it: a serving of pasta or a serving of fresh spiralized zucchini noodles?
Preparing your food ahead is very helpful for success. Here are some tools to get you started. Click here to find some tools and items to help you prepare.
Step 4: Learn the ketogenic approach.
Decrease your level of net carbohydrates to between 20g – 50g a day so that your body switches into metabolic ketosis and becomes a fat burning machine! Learn to balance your diet choosing the macros that are right for your gender, height, and goals. Macros are the ratios of carbohydrates, proteins and fats and balancing them in the low carb ketogenic way will nourish your body, helps you feel full and keep you healthy.
You will experience more energy and mental clarity. No more afternoon lethargy and brain fog! Oh yeah…and weight loss as your body burns your fat.
Step 5: Discover intermittent fasting.
I used to think that fasting meant starving yourself for days at a time and seemed unpleasant and unattractive to me. That was until I discovered intermittent fasting. This involves eating most of your food within an 8 hour period and then not eating for 16 hours. Especially since once you are in ketosis, your food cravings often disappear, this is not difficult at all! If you add in Bulletproof/Keto coffees and lattes, you won’t feel like you are missing out at all. In fact you will feel alert and energetic! It can help remove weight loss plateaus and ramp up your weight loss.
There has been some great work done by Dr. Jason Fung who actually reverses type 2 diabetes using intermittent fasting techniques. Dr Joseph Mercola uses fasting to improve mitochondrial health to lower your risk of cancer and many other health benefits.
Step 6: Experiment with cyclical ketosis
Once you are “fat adapted” and your body is used to burning fat instead of glucose (usually after one or two months) , many doctors recommend incorporating “carb ups” or “carb cycling” into your weekly routine. Once or twice a week, you can add around .5g additional net carbs for every 1lb that you weigh. This means more variety in your diet and adding in other healthy carbs you may have been missing!
Step 7: Rock the low carb ketogenic life and reap the health benefits!
You now understand how your body reacts to this way of eating and the health benefits. You will know how to use these techniques to manage your weight and you will absolutely love the freedom from food cravings and have more energy than you ever had before. You will have a whole new menu of delicious flavorful food that is fast and easy to prepare. Enjoy!
This really is a journey and you will have the best success if you take the time to un-learn what you have been taught your whole life and learn this “new” way of life that is quickly gaining attention in the medical world.
Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed and don’t know where to start? To help you out I have created a very affordable course to work you through all the basic information above. All the information you need in one place!