The world does not need yet another fad diet especially one based on a single anecdote instead of a rigorous scientific study. And yet here I am, adding to the noise of fad diets. I have resisted this urge for a long time but more and more people are asking me how I lost 40 pounds eating as much cheese as I do. So I am documenting how I cooked up a diet by combining some scientific studies on nutrition, ketogenic diets, intermittent fasting and some arm chair behavioral psychology. That said, I am no doctor or dietitian, so this is not medical advice, I am just documenting what I did and why. Follow it at your own risk.
Why Veggie Keto
- You can expect atleast 5 pounds lost per month for 3-4 months.
- It is very easy to follow due to tasty food, no calorie counting, cheat days and a only a few strong restrictions.
- Can be followed by meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans alike.
- Intermittent fasting has many other benefits including anti-aging (study).
My Story
I am 5’8″ Indian male. In 2014 my weight spiked to around 195 pounds and my Triglycerides hit 430 (normal levels <200). I was on the brink of being obese, this was a wake-up call. I thought I was already eating a healthy diet, no sodas, no fries, very occasional pizza and desserts, so I decided to focus on adding exercise. In 2015, I joined a Cross Fit club and did a very rigorous exercise regimen for 3 days a week for 1 year but my weight and belly fat did not budge much. When asked about this, my trainer said that belly fat is “made and lost in the kitchen”. So I started researching into various diets. But as a vegetarian I could not adopt the meat heavy Paleo and Keto diets that are popular in the Cross Fit community and as an Indian, I could not eat the bland tasteless food that people who follow these diets eat. So I decided to cook my own diet by mixing some scientific studies. I started my diet in January 2016 at around 190 pounds and by October 2016 I was at 156 pounds. In the past 1.5 years I have been successful in maintaining this weight loss while relaxing my diet considerably and with 1 hour exercise 3 days per week.
My Results
I generally test my blood every October and those are the results shown below. In 2016, I tested myself again in December after a 3 week India trip where I ate typical carbohydrate heavy Indian food and you can see the spike in my cholesterol and triglycerides, though they did not record my weight in the report.
Cholesterol / Triglycerides / Blood Pressure reports
Before/After pictures
Who is this diet for?
This diet is only for weight reduction in people who are above normal BMI (calculator) as shown in the chart below. If you are already in the normal range or even underweight and still feel like losing weight, you may have an eating disorder and I would recommend consulting a doctor. If you have genetic or hormonal reasons for being overweight this diet is not for you.
This is not only about physical appearance. Obesity can lead to many costly medical complications and its prevalence is increasing as our lifestyle becomes more sedentary and our food becomes more abundant as compared to our ancestors.
And now, without much further ado, the diet
The Diet >