Low Energy Diet

Dr. Ted Naiman, has been successfully treating his patients with a low carbohydrate, moderate fat and adequate protein diet. He follows this same protocol himself, and his photos prove its efficacy. If you have been following an incorrect low carbohydrate diet, with restriction of protein and mountains of added fat, then this would be a good step in correcting it.

This is an effective protocol for weight loss, stabilizing blood glucose and reversing metabolic disease.

OVERVIEW:

• This protocol should not be mistaken as "high protein". Like I have stated before, there is no such thing. This is an adequate protein diet.
• This is a proper long term nutritional protocol, so it can be followed safely, for the entire month or for life.
• The purpose of this protocol is to preserve and build lean body mass, while burning body fat. 
• Exercise is encouraged, on this protocol, as its goal is to also reduce excess muscle glycogen. Lowering glycogen is very important for people with metabolic syndrome, as they have exceeded their glycogen storage capacity.

RULES:

• Nutritional density, from high quality foods, is the benchmark of this diet. Your meals must incorporate whole, animal foods and non starchy vegetables. You can have 2 - 3 meals a day.
• A recommended, daily, minimum consumption of 1.0 grams of protein, per pound of ideal body weight. Protein should be derived from whole, animal based foods, like fresh meat.
• There is no need for added dietary fat. You have enough fat on your body already. Fat should be derived from foods that already naturally contain it, such as eggs, olives, nuts, cheese and lean meats and/or what's needed for cooking. Do not consume more than 150 - 160 grams of fat a day.
• No more than 50 grams of carbohydrate a day. Carbohydrates should come from whole food sources only, like above ground vegetables. No sugar, grains or starches.
• This diet does not count calories, unless the person is not experiencing normal satiety signaling.
• An intermittent daily fasting regimen of 16 -18 hours is encouraged.

KEEP IN MIND:

• Remember that meat is not pure protein. It also contains fat and water. Make sure you are basing your calculations on the protein grams in your chosen cut of meat and not on the total grams of meat.
• For weight loss, keep protein grams over your desired (ideal) body weight (in pounds) and keep non-protein energy (fat/net carbs) under same target.
• Keep in mind your protein to energy ratio. This will help you choose the most nutrient dense foods. You want to maximize foods with nutrient density and minimize foods with energy density. Processed carbohydrates, like bread and isolated fats like butter, are high in energy and low in nutrients. Please refer to Dr. Naiman's Protein:Energy Ratio Chart.
• A lot of people may be beginners and not comfortable with intense exercise, so you can follow my walking advice and incorporate some simple bodyweight exercises. You can find many tips for this under the blog label 'Exercise'.
• As with all carbohydrate restricted diets, keep electrolytes in mind and supplement accordingly. At least 5 grams of table salt, every day. A recommended electrolyte guide can be found here.
• If you are a type II diabetic, on medications, do not start this protocol without first discussing it with your healthcare professional, as combining this diet, alongside glucose lowering medications, can cause dangerously low blood glucose.

MORE INFORMATION:

For more information and sample recipes, macro calculators, exercise recommendations and informational graphs, visit Dr. Naiman's website.