This work in progress page answers the questions people posed to me, as well as share my system. I feel enough people fall off the keto or low-carb bandwagon because they find it hard to follow, restrictive and boring. The idea of this post is to be a quick introduction to help you build / tweak your system so you enjoy low carb diets enough to stick on it for a long enough period to see results. This is just my n=1 notes – I am not, nor do I pretend to be a doctor or a nutritionist.
What worked for me in the past
Controlled portions of low carb nutrient rich food in an intermittent fasting protocol (one meal a day) eliminated cravings and brought mental clarity and eliminated acid re-flux.
What do you wish to achieve:
- Lose weight effortlessly with minimal exercise
- Eliminate mental fog / bloating /gas post over-eating, acid reflux
- Achieve mental clarity that one feels after ~14-16 hours of fasting on a fat-fueled brain
The goals any diet must hit:
- Minimize carbs
- Control your portions
- Minimize your eating window
Do this consistently so that your hunger actually reduces in ~2-3 weeks on the program.
The system you must put in place to actually achieve it:
- Eliminating sugars, fruits and cut other starchy carbs that spike blood glucose and feed craving. If you plan to adopt the keto system, please count net carbs using apps like MyFitnessPal and keep them under 30.
- Hack satiety:
- My hack is to load my food with cheese. This is key to portion control since I have zero willpower and love junk food
- Add chillies to your diet. Food that’s spicy slows your food consumption down, indirectly controlling portions.
- Consume paneer, veggies, eggs, meats, good fats, whey protein with NEW recipes:
- These new recipes can be Salads or stir fries with cruciferous vegetables and spices to make food yummy in a new way.
- If you consume the old foods, your brain’s dopamine pathway activates old habits and cravings. Like I compulsively need makki ki roti with sarson ka saag, or chawal with rajma.
- Sauces I purchased for reprogramming my palate:
- Huy Fong sriracha
- Lee Kum Kee Light soy sauce
- Borges Balsamic vinegar
- Nirulas sauces – chilli, mustard, green chilli
- Kraft barbeque sauce
- Supplement fat to your meals – snack on cheese slices or add extra virgin olive oil to your salads! Eat cheese omelets!
- Consume limited amount of cruciferous vegetables (radish, cabbage, cauliflower etc) for fiber
- Start consuming black coffee or green tea to extend your fast by delaying your meals
- Supplement where required – this can be anything from chelated magnesium to collagen (for skin/bones) to Omega 3 to whey isolate protein.
- This list only compiles products I consumed – I am not warranting that they are the best out there, etc!
- Record your meals honestly & review periodically:
- Capture even the handful of chips or bite of chocolate to keep yourself honest!
- I suggest making an airtable sheet shared with a merciless yet supportive friend to keep you honest!
- This is critical for people who have been overweight for a LONG time. An untrained friend who lovingly and firmly enforces the protocol is worth ten fancy nutritionists.
What kind of food do I eat now?
Basis for my system
Why even do this?
Humans are creatures of habit, i.e our unconscious systems. For those of us who are obese, we need drastic changes / new systems to break old habits that are destructive in every way. On carbs, I had issues of satiety (needed to snack every 3 waking hours), constant acidity besides a complete absence of portion control. Unless you approach weight loss from a systemic approach, your disconnected one-off efforts (exercise, part food changes within the old palate) would result in temporary benefits at best.
The science of carb restriction
The gurus can be read here:
- The Obesity code, Dr. Jason Fung [ also useful for intermittent fasting science]
- The calorie myth, Jonathan Bailor
- Why We get fat, Gary Taubes
- Diabetes unpacked, Tim Noakes Anna Teicholz, Dr. Jason Fung, Zoe Harcombe
Mandatory disclaimer:
Information pm this page or the overall website does not comprise or substitute medical advice, which requires inputs specific to your pre-existing conditions and assessment by a qualified doctor. If the reader or any other person has a medical concern, he or she should consult with an appropriately-qualified healthcare professional prior to implementing any content from this website.