Meal planning is very simple once you have learned the basic components of the diet.
Lets look at the steps:
- Cycle 3 low carb day with 1 high carb day and monitor your weight. Increase the number of high carb days if the weight loss is higher that 2 pounds per week. This minimizes the loss of lean body mass.
- Calculate the calorie requirements and macronutrient ratios (number of grams of carbohydrates, proteins and fats) for low carb and high carb days.
- Divide your diet into 6 meals.
- Taper the carbohydrates and include only fibrous carbohydrates for the last 2 meals of your day; ( On high carb days you may eat starchy carbs for all 6 meals).
Now I am going to list the different categories of foods so you can pick from them easily and prepare your meals: (You may want to print out these pages for easy reference)
| Starchy carbohydrates | Fibrous carbohydrates | Fruit rich in dietary fiber and simple carbohydrates |
| Green Peas
Carrots, Beet White Sweet Corn, raw Sweet Potato Potatoes Oatmeal Lentils, Plantils, Beans Barley Yam Brown Rice Cream of Rice Rye, Oat bran, Whole grain bread (100%) Whole grain cereal (100%) Whole grain pasta (100%) Other whole grains Legumes |
Cauliflower
Mushrooms Asparagus Broccoli Tomatoes Green beans Cucumber Lettuce Spinach Artichokes Plantain Turnip Okra Brussel Sprouts Peas Squash Zucchini Salads Red & Green Pepper Kale
|
Apples
Applesauce Asian pears Bananas Pineapple Strawberries Blueberries Raspberries Blackberries Dates Figs Oranges Peaches Pears Grapefruit Prunes Raisins Tangerines
|
| Lean Proteins: | Dairy Products (1% low fat, skim, or non fat) | High quality fats |
| Chicken breastFish and sea food
Turkey breast Eggs (Mostly whites-use one egg yolk for every 5 egg whites) Lean red meats (Top round, lean sirloin, flank)
|
Milk,Yogurt,
Cheese, cottage cheese, etc. |
Olive oil,Flaxseed oil
Canola oil, Natural peanut butter, Fish oil / fat Nuts & seeds, Olives |
Our basic definitions:
Low carb day = 30% carbs+ 45% protein+ 25% fat (80% of total calorie requirement)
High carb day = 50% carbs + 30% protein + 20% fat (100% of total calorie requirement)