As I sit here in the gym, I am nostalgic of a time not so long ago that I weighed less then I do now and I was leaner.  I have been busy teaching and working on new ideas, I also tend to get lazy and I need to stop and get myself in check.  I enjoy eating food that adds weight and can drink too much alcohol on a night out. This all needs to be balanced out.  Usually it’s with training and being sensible in the week, but as work and excuses have slowly crept in I have let that usually balancing effect slide.  So today I am going to write about the cyclical keto diet that will get me back to where I need to be.

WARNING THIS DIET IS NOT FOR VEGANS (JUST BECAUSE)

First off, I do not claim to be a dietician, nutritionist or doctor.  So please consult someone before taking part in any new extreme dietary changes.  Also this diet worked for me and if you want it to work for you, you have to be strict in the week and don't go too crazy on your cheat days.  So here is Lorenzo’s simple keto plan.

4/5 days of the week (depending if you want to take the fasting challenge as well).

Breakfast: 

Black coffee

During the week you only have a black coffee for breakfast.  If you want to ruin your coffee by adding butter be my guest.  I recommend a nice filter coffee. You can make them at home but need the equipment or a lot of independent coffee shops sell a V60, Kalita or some other filter style coffee, if you want a cold coffee I recommend a cold brew, otherwise an americano without milk or even better a double espresso.  

Lunch dinner things you can eat

Avocados

Guacamole is a great choice as it actually tastes nicer than just eating avocados, but if you must eat a plain avocado use a pinch of salt to bring out the flavour and some lemon juice goes well too.  

Egg mayo filler

Bare with me, this is a great snack and again, doesn't taste bad.  The biggest issue with these diets are the bland food you eat,  sometimes it feels like you are just eating a block of butter.  Egg mayo feels like breakfast and satisfies any cravings.

Bacon

Ok this is getting controversial, but you can buy ready cooked streaky bacon that makes a great snack.  It’s high in fat and has some protein.  

Sardines in olive oil

These taste great to begin with, but start to grate after a few days of repetitively eating them.  Mix it up with one of the other foods.

Leafy veg

Surprisingly if you want to be strict, vegetables can kill your carb intake.  I recommend leafy veg as its high in fibre and nutrients and won't give you the carbs you are avoiding.

Red wine

On days you are extra low on carbs or just feeling sorry for yourself, measure out 175ml of red wine and have that as a treat, again its low enough in carbs to not push you over, and all my favourite gurus seem to drink red wine.  I recommend a good Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon (lower in carbs and tasty).

Eggs

These are natures gift.  You can scramble them in some grass fed (pasture fed is the correct term) over priced French butter or you can use some extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of dijon to bring out some flavours.  Either way eggs are versatile.  A keto omelette with a side salad and some vinaigrette goes down a treat.

Cheese

Ok a lot of dieticians say cheese is a no no, but I love cheese.  Also I have just given up the thing I hold dearest next to cheese.. bread!!! They can’t have my cheese too.  I guess non pasteurised would be the way to go, but I love cheddar and all cheeses.  It also goes great in that omelette we mentioned with some spinach and peppers.

Cheat weekends

On the weekends I usually “cheat”  ok so this is limited and I still try and eat some good meals… ok I don't really like sweets which saves me.  I like burgers, pizza, duck sandwiches with duck fat chips, english breakfast, beer, beer… you get the picture.  I do try and reduce the impact by having a coffee for one of the breakfasts and trying to stick to meals and not snacking in-between.  If you feel you cant control yourself.  The other option you have is

Fasting

I tried this twice.  I felt so full from the weekend that on Sunday night to monday night i had a 24 hour water/black coffee fast.  This is painful but not as bad as it sounds.  It also helps you get back to the diet faster.  

Conclusion

This diet works fast.  Oh don't forget to drink plenty of water, as at the beginning you lose a lot of water, add some salt if you want to slow down the process.  In the meantime you can check out my food instagram account to get ideas for cheat days :)