Mentioning the principles, for me they were:
15g or under Total carbohydrate per day.
1200 or less calories per day, trying to get the bulk of calories in the order of the LCHF pyramid,as pictured.
I will say now that this diet is not sustainable in the long term. I did it for six months, and have repeated it over and over again for shorter periods of time… It’s kind of turned into my go-to diet for me years down the line, and I’m pleased to say I’ve maintained a middle ground in terms of weight and fitness – yes, it’s been a permanent change for me. I incorporate LCHF meals several time a week and always feel better after an LCHF meal than a traditional “balanced” meal. My total weightloss may have come just from the calorie counting, however for me, the LCHF aspects helped me a ton, and I found it so easy to lose weight it was scary!
My personal maintenance calorie count is around 1800 a day, so if I wanted a treat, for example a drink, I could have some spirits (Rum/Vodka etc) with 0 cal mixer; or for a snack, a non-cake, some nuts, or LCHF dip with salad. I would allow myself to go up to around 1800 calories on those days when it was hard, when I needed some encouragement.
I went into this with my eyes open, after reading everything I could find on the interweb. I didn’t dive straight in, however initially cut my carbs from whatever I was on (Crazy levels), to 100g a day, then 50g, 25g and 15g or under – this took a few weeks, and I avoided the common symptoms, such as mood swings etc. The gradual adjustment to the diet meant that it was/is easy to stick to and easy to follow. The Recipe Book contains a lot of the recipes I use for the diet on a daily basis.
I’m sure, if you’re reading this, that you know what Ketosis (Fat burning mode!) is (If you don’t, go Google it!), and that by sticking to the LCHF diet you enter this state. I bought a blood test meter and some strips to monitor my progress, and generally speaking I can now go from eating carbs on a diet-break, to a 2.2 level of ketosis inside 4 days of strict diet; so it is possible to take a holiday, live a little and not lose everything.
After the months on the diet, I found it very hard to actually over-eat, even when presented with the open opportunity to do so, sometimes it’s difficult to hit the maintenance level of calorie intake without extras, or treats.
As for exercise, I can assure you, the gym is not necessary for the weight loss – for the first couple of months, I didn’t alter my routines at all, and I’m an office-worker! What I did do after the first couple of months, is ditch the lift/elevator, and use the stairs – I won’t lie – this was hard at first, and I was always out of breath / sweating etc – six months on – I can run up 4 flights of stairs carrying a 40lb backpack, and whilst slightly out of breath, it’s nothing. Generally speaking I manage 20 to 30 flights of stairs daily now. Another routine I implemented was jogging up a couple of floors, walking around the floors some, and back down again when I needed the toilet – OK, it takes 5 mins more each time, but it is a way of burning some calories, and getting moderate exercise into your daily life. I have also read that exercise during the day in little bouts is generally better for fat-burning, as it keeps your body active all day, rather than just in one gym session! I’m now fitter and more able than many of the people who I’ve previously thought of as “Normal”; it’s a damn fine feeling.
I’m not going to say always consult a doctor, or a nutritionist before / during / after going LCHF, however I will say go visit your doctor if you’re concerned or curious about what’s going on with your body, and you wanna ensure that your levels of x are where they’re supposed to be. Personally I was never as healthy as when I was doing LCHF… It’s now years down the line, I have sustained weight loss, and permanently altered my diet to a partial LCHF one, I don’t feel as good as I did when I was 100% LCHF, but I am enjoying life and food!