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 CONTENTS
Introduction
1 How we got fat
2 Why we need to eat more protein
3 The science of keto
4 The Fast 800 Keto programme
5 It’s all in the preparation
6 The diet in practice: how to stay on track
7 Exercising and keto
And finally...
Recipes
Meal planners
Endnotes
Before and after measurements
About the authors

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 Introduction

In 2012 my world was turned upside down when I was told that a recent
blood test had revealed that I had Type 2 diabetes. But threats are
sometimes opportunities, so that was also when I decided to re-examine my
beliefs and prejudices and find out if there was something I could do to cure
myself of what promised to be a nasty, progressive disease.
I did my medical training at the Royal Free Hospital, part of University
College, London, in the early 1980s. The Royal Free was a wonderful
medical school, but the five years I spent there left me with some pretty
fixed beliefs about diet. These included the belief that fats were bad, carbs
were good, fasting was ridiculous, probably dangerous, and if you
discovered you had Type 2 diabetes then you had better start on medication
ASAP, since we all knew that this was a lifelong disease for which there
was no cure.
And yet the dean of the Medical School also told us, in a talk he gave on
our first day there, that much of what we would learn during our studies
would, in time, prove out of date, so we had better keep up with the
research. Another thing he said, which I still remember vividly, was that
four of us in the room, who had not yet met, would end up marrying each
other. He was right. Clare, who is now my wife and who creates all the
recipes for our books, was in that room listening to the same talk.
Anyway, fast-forward 30 years and there I was, in early 2012, a happily
married father of four (albeit significantly overweight), being told by my
lovely GP that I had an incurable disease which I knew would double my
risk of heart disease and dementia, take up to 10 years off my life
expectancy, probably make me impotent (75% of men with diabetes have
erection problems) and increase my risk of having a finger or toe amputated
17-fold. It was a shock. I had already seen the impact that raised blood
sugars had had on my father, who had been diagnosed with the same
condition in his mid-fifties, at around the age I was then. Despite following
medical advice, he had died of diabetes-related complications at the age of
74.
 So, rather than follow my own doctor’s advice, which was to start on
medication, I began to look around for alternatives. And that was when I
discovered something called ‘intermittent fasting’.
Long story short, I decided to make a film for the eminent BBC Science
series, Horizon, all about intermittent fasting called ‘Eat, Fast, Live
Longer’. I wanted to see if I could use this approach to cure myself of Type
2 diabetes, or at least put it into long-term remission, something I was told
was impossible.
I went to the US, met a range of experts who were studying fasting,
including Professor Valter Longo, a longevity specialist from the University
of Southern California, and Professor Mark Mattson, a leading
neuroscientist, based at the National Institute on Aging, and author of
dozens of studies on intermittent fasting (or what he more correctly called
‘intermittent energy restriction’). Based on his advice, I put myself on a 5:2
intermittent fasting diet, lost 9kg and returned my blood sugars to normal.
That documentary had an astonishing impact. It helped trigger a
worldwide interest in different forms of intermittent fasting, ranging from
the 5:2 diet to Time-Restricted Eating. It also led me to develop a rapid
weight loss programme which forms the basis of this book.
The dean at the Royal Free Medical School was quite right – like so
much in medicine, the science behind diets and dieting is constantly
evolving as we discover new things about the impact of particular foods on
our bodies and brains. And I’ve made a point of keeping up with the latest
research – I really am obsessed with how to improve mood, sleep and
metabolic health and finding better ways to lose weight and keep it off.
That’s why I’ve adapted and improved my extremely popular Fast 800
plan to accommodate new findings which highlight the importance of
protein in the diet and the many health benefits of combining intermittent
fasting with ‘going keto’.

Keto – the new/old kid on the block

Like intermittent fasting, keto was barely talked about back in 2012. A
standard keto diet is one where you eat large amounts of fat and very little
in the way of carbs, normally less than 50g (1.8oz) a day – the amount
you’d find in a bagel. The idea is that cutting right back on carbohydrates
forces your body to rely on fat as its main source of energy. Without sugar,
bread, pasta and rice, your body increasingly depends on your fat stores for
fuel, converting them into ‘ketone bodies’, which put your body into a state
of ‘ketosis’.
Ketogenic diets promise rapid fat loss and – as a bonus – going keto
should stop you from feeling hungry. So it is hardly surprising that keto has
taken off, fast. By 2020, ‘keto diet’ was the most googled diet of all.
When a new diet or health regime suddenly becomes popular, you can be
sure it will soon be accompanied by misconceptions and confusion. And I
will be honest, when I first heard about the keto diet it struck me as a
nutritionist’s nightmare. The idea of eating lots of fat and very little in the
way of carbs is pretty much the opposite of what most people regard as a
healthy, sustainable diet.
Yet I discovered that, at least in the short term, a keto diet can work really
well at suppressing appetite and helping people lose weight. It has been
used, for more than 100 years, to treat epilepsy (as the brain increasingly
relies on ketones for fuel, this reduces brain cell ‘excitability’ and therefore
seizures). And there is mounting evidence that it can help people with Type
2 diabetes return their blood sugars to normal, without medication.
I also discovered that it is possible, on a keto diet, to opt for healthy
sources of fat, carbs and protein (what I would call a Med-style keto diet),
which ensures you get plenty of the right nutrients.
For all these reasons and more, I am now a convert to the keto approach,
at least in the short term, which is why it forms the starting point of this
new programme.

A combined programme for accelerated weight loss

The Fast 800 Keto is a carefully researched, flexible three-stage programme
which starts with a low-calorie ketogenic diet. Most standard keto diets are
not calorie restricted, but as I will show you, a short-term low-calorie keto
diet, particularly one where you add an element of intermittent fasting, can
be very effective for rapid weight loss and restoring health.
When we used this approach for my recent Channel 4 television series
‘Lose a Stone in 21 Days’, our volunteers were really impressed with how
easy they found it. Once they had gone into ketosis they weren’t tormented
by hunger pangs and they not only lost significant amounts of weight – fast
– but also saw big improvements in their blood sugar levels, blood pressure,
mood and overall energy.
Stage 1 of the Fast 800 Keto programme involves sticking to around
800–900 calories a day, of which less than 50g come from carbs and at least
50g will come from protein. As I have mentioned, one of the challenges
with standard keto, where you are not restricting calories, is that you have
to eat huge amounts of fat and fatty foods to sustain you. Although that may
sound tempting, it is hard to maintain, can soon get very boring and, if you
are largely eating meat and dairy (cheese, cream, butter etc), will add
significantly to your carbon footprint.
On our healthy, Mediterranean-style keto diet, however, you effectively
get the best of both worlds. Although fat is an important part of the diet
plan, you will be eating healthy fats (olive oil, oily fish, nuts and avocados),
and only in calorie-counted moderation. So you do restrict your calories –
but not as much as on the Fast 800 (indeed, on days when you are feeling
hungry, you can choose from a range of keto-friendly ‘add-ons’ to take your
daily quota up to 1000 calories). And yes, you do have to restrict your
carbohydrates – but not for long. By Stage 2 of the diet you can start eating
more complex carbs, such as lentils or beans, with your fish or omelette
(and obviously always lots of greens).
It is also important, during every stage of this diet, to keep eating plenty
of protein, well above current recommended levels. Extra protein,
combined with some easy-to-do exercises which I describe in Chapter 7,
will not only help reduce your appetite and cravings, but ensure that you
preserve your muscle mass as you lose weight, fast. You will read far more
about the importance of protein, and the major role that lack of good-quality
protein has played in our obesity epidemic, in Chapter 2.
If this all sounds a bit technical, you can be reassured that the recipes and
menus in the book have been carefully tailored to ensure you hit those
calorie, carb and protein targets while also making sure you get all the
necessary minerals, vitamins and essential micronutrients. And they are all
super easy to follow.

Adrian’s story

In 2020 Adrian Vieyra, then aged 44, was one of five people who
volunteered to take part in the ‘Lose a Stone’ TV series. Adrian is married
with three children and runs an IT consultancy company. When I met him
in June 2020, he described himself as feeling ‘old and sluggish’. He said his
kids had begun teasing him about the size of his stomach.

I’ve always been a little bit chubby but I felt that I was good enough.
Asian families are feeders, so if you are putting on a bit of weight this
is often seen as a healthy thing.

Adrian was determined to tackle his dad bod but didn’t know how. He
was really worried about getting Covid-19 because he was aware that men
of Asian ethnicity who are out of shape are at much higher risk of ending up
in intensive care.
When I checked him over, I discovered that he weighed 80.5 kg, and had
a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 27.2, which put him in the overweight
category. This didn’t worry me. What did worry me was that he had a waist
size of 42in (107cm), his blood pressure was too high, his blood sugars
were borderline prediabetic and his cholesterol was also well above the
healthy range. I told him that I could start to transform his health in just
three weeks, but he would have to stick closely to the plan.

Being told that I would have to confine myself to 800–900 calories a

day was a big shock. I often drink that amount of calories in a night
and there you were telling me that this was to be my total calorie
allowance for a whole day. I didn’t think it was possible in the
beginning, to be honest.

It was possible, but it certainly wasn’t easy to begin with, as his body
started to adapt to the new diet:

I didn’t feel good for the first two or three days. I found the cravings
hard to deal with and I felt a bit dizzy at times but I did get into a
routine – and I love routines. Having the other volunteers do it at the
same time was also great; I would’ve found it harder to do it on my
own.

On Day 4, Adrian went into ketosis and suddenly everything became

easier.
 I felt good. I thought, yes, this is going to work, this is what Michael
told me would happen and it has happened.

Apart from the occasional glass of wine, Adrian stuck with the diet and
after just three weeks there were some remarkable changes. He lost 6.4kg
and 13cm (5in) off his waist. His blood sugars, blood pressure and
cholesterol all returned to normal. His blood levels of an enzyme called
ALT, which had previously indicated he might have signs of early fatty liver
disease, fell by 28%, suggesting his liver had returned to good health.
Adrian moved on to a 3:4 pattern of eating (a form of intermittent fasting
where you restrict your calories on four days a week, and eat normally on
the other three – more on this later) and lost five more kilos. When we
retested him six months after starting the diet, he weighed 69kg (he had lost
11kg overall) and, like the others who took part in the Channel 4
programme, showed no signs of the dreaded ‘starvation mode’ (where, if
you don’t consume enough calories, your body protects itself by slowing
down your metabolism to conserve energy). His metabolic rate was exactly
what you would predict for someone his age and weight. He has remained
on track ever since.

I learnt so much from you and Clare and I know that this is something
I can stick with long term. I keep a fairly close eye on my weight and if
it creeps up, I go back to basics and hit it on the head. My kids are
proud of what I’ve done, and so is my wife. I can’t thank you enough.

What’s new?
Since writing The Fast Diet in 2012, I have adapted and tweaked the
programmes I have presented in response to new research in multiple
different ways.
The great thing about this new combined programme is that it not only
puts you into ketosis faster than a normal keto diet but is also, I believe,
healthier and more sustainable. For this reason, I’m convinced that if you
want to improve your health and shift a substantial amount of weight, fast,
this is my most effective programme yet.
In this book, after bringing you bang up to date with the latest keto
science, exploding myths and showing not only why going Fast Keto is so
effective, but crucially how to do it safely, I will take you through a clear,
easy-to-follow diet plan, which includes both Clare’s delicious recipes and
plenty of tips and advice on how to stay on track. People who have done the
Fast 800 Keto programme have found, for example, that using ‘keto sticks’,
which tell you when you are in ketosis, is particularly motivating.
Along the way, I am going to introduce you to all sorts of people who
have tried this diet, including Dr Gary Lamph, a mental health researcher,
who used the Fast 800 Keto approach to shed 4 stone (25kg) in just a few
months. As you’ll see, this led to big improvements in his physical and
mental wellbeing. Drawing on his experience as a cognitive behavioural
therapist, helping people overcome their addictions, Gary provides some
very valuable advice on how to remain focused and handle any potential
weight loss plateau (see Chapter 6).
Gary is just one of many people who have already found this diet life-
changing. I hope, if you decide to try it, the same will be true for you.

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 1
How we got fat

I don’t think any of you will be surprised to hear that obesity is a very
common problem, worldwide. But it is shocking when you realise just how
recently – and how quickly – the world got fat.
Since I was a medical student, 40 years ago, rates of obesity have almost
tripled. Two billion adults are now overweight or obese, as are 39 million
children under the age of five. If you look at the world’s major economies,
the US has the highest rates of obesity, closely followed by Mexico, New
Zealand, Hungary, Australia and then the UK.1
Most of us get fatter as we get older. Between the ages of 20 and 50 we
typically put on weight at a rate of about 1lb a year (0.5kg). This doesn’t
sound that bad, but it means you can find yourself in late middle age 15kg
heavier than you were in your twenties.2
That’s what happened to me. I was under 12 stone (76kg) when I was in
my early twenties, and 30 years later I had not only put on about 2½ stone
(15kg) but had also developed Type 2 diabetes. Despite the fact that I was
snoring the house down and having to buy ever-larger trousers, neither
Clare nor I really noticed what was going on. Because it happens so
gradually, most people who are overweight or obese, have, like me, little
idea how bad things have got. A survey by researchers from University
College, London, found that only 11% of women and 7% of men with a
BMI over 30 realised that they were obese.3
Large waists are now so common we have got used to them. Being a bit
on the chubby side is entirely normal. Muffin tops and double chins are
everywhere. And, while the fat acceptance movement is right to challenge
the stigma around obesity, and celebrating curviness has been, in many
ways, a desirable response to unrealistic skinny supermodels, it remains a
sad fact that too much fat in the wrong places has serious health
consequences.
 Which is why, along with the expansion of our waists, there has been a
surge in people needing to be treated for weight-related cancers, joint
problems, infertility, hypertension and raised blood sugar levels. Around
one in three middle-aged people in the UK, US and Australia have
metabolic syndrome (a combination of diabetes, raised blood fats, high
blood pressure and obesity), which puts them at increased risk of heart
disease and stroke. It also increases the risk of dying, prematurely.
Covid has turned this from a distant to a more immediate threat. If you
have an underlying health condition, like metabolic syndrome, and contract
the virus, then you are also six times more likely to end up in hospital and
12 times more likely to die.4

The ‘fat makes you fat’ fallacy

If you look at graphs showing rates of obesity in the US from 1960 till the
present day, you will see a relatively flat line from 1960 to 1975. Then rates
start to shoot up, for every age group, from teenagers to 60-year-olds, and
every ethnic group.5
So what happened? Some blame less exercise, poor sleep or increased
anxiety. Others blame the increasing gap between rich and poor. For a long
time, it was thought that we were becoming fat because we were eating too
much fat; then it was because we were eating too much sugar. I think the
evidence points elsewhere. But I will come to that in a moment. Let’s first
take a quick look at the usual suspects, beginning with fat.
To understand how fat became top villain in the diet wars, we need to go
back to 1957, when the American Heart Association went on a mission to
persuade the American public to eat less of it. Their real target was
saturated fat, which was seen as a major driver of heart disease, but the idea
of ‘good’ fats and ‘bad’ fats was thought to be too difficult for the public to
grasp, so the message was simply ‘cut out the fat’. People were encouraged,
for example, to cut the fat off meat, eat low-fat dairy products and replace
butter with margerine spreads.
The upshot was that, in time, they reduced their intake of beef and full-fat
milk, but they didn’t pile their shopping trolleys instead with healthy stuff,
such as fruit and veg. No, they now ate ever-increasing amounts of heavily
marketed, sugary carbohydrates (in the form of low-fat cakes, biscuits, fizzy
drinks, etc) and lots of vegetable oils, sales of which soared.
 Most of those vegetable oils were highly processed. To turn oil into
margarine, the manufacturers used a process called hydrogenation, which in
turn led to the production of trans fats. Trans fats, until recently found in
most shop-bought biscuits and cakes, are the Lord Voldemort of the fat
world. They are major triggers of heart disease. They have been largely
phased out.
And further collateral damage was caused by the fact that the ‘war on fat’
didn’t really distinguish between different types of fat. We now know, for
example, that the sorts of fat that you find in nuts and oily fish are good for
our hearts and our waistlines. Yet to many supporters of the low-fat diet this
was heresy.
One of the early and most controversial supporters of the idea that there
are ‘good fats’ and ‘bad fats’ was Professor Hugh Sinclair, a rather
eccentric academic based at the University of Oxford. In the 1940s,
Professor Sinclair had travelled to northern Canada to study the Inuit and
had become intrigued by their high-fat diet and low rates of heart disease.
He wondered whether omega 3 – an essential fatty acid found in oily fish –
was protecting the Inuit from heart attacks. In 1956, he wrote a letter to the
Lancet, entitled ‘Deficiency of essential fatty acids and atherosclerosis’. In
it he argued, among other things, that heart disease was the result of
consuming too little essential fatty acid, rather than too much.
This letter led to such a storm of criticism that for the next 20 years
Sinclair retreated from the medical mainstream. Eventually, in the early
1970s, he decided to test his theory by putting himself on an Inuit diet,
eating nothing but seal, oily fish, molluscs and crustaceans. Throughout his
experiment, Sinclair measured his bleeding time, the time it took for his
blood to clot, by cutting himself every week (he did this because blood clots
are one of the key causes of heart attacks and strokes).
While making a series for the BBC on self-experimenters, I decided to
repeat his experiment. We tried to import seal from Canada, but it got
impounded by customs, so I lived on nothing but fish. Sinclair stuck to his
diet for three months; I managed a few weeks.
On his new diet, Sinclair’s bleeding time increased from three minutes to
a terrifying 50. Mine doubled.
Sinclair had found part of the reason why eating fish oils is so good for
the heart: it reduces the tendency of platelets to stick together and thus the
risk of forming clots. Since then, many other studies have shown that eating
oily fish not only reduces your risk of heart attacks, strokes and death from
heart disease, but may also lead to slower rates of mental decline.
Other studies have shown that people who eat fish regularly are much
less likely to become depressed and that supplementing your diet with
omega 3 can reduce depression.6 It has also been shown that people who eat
oily fish at least once a week have more grey matter in areas like the
hippocampus, which is responsible for memory.7
Clare and I are big fans of fish, and lots of our recipes are fish based. As
well as being rich in omega 3, oily fish is a great source of high-quality
protein. Moreover, eating fish has a much lower impact on greenhouse
gases than eating meat.8

What about cholesterol?

It was not only fat but also cholesterol that took a beating in
the 1950s. If it was common sense that eating fat would clog
up your arteries, then it was common sense that eating
cholesterol would too. After all, it was cholesterol in the
arteries that was doing the clogging.
Foods rich in cholesterol, such as eggs, were shunned.
Governments warned consumers to eat no more than one egg a
week; restaurants pushed the merit of white-only omelettes and
supermarkets were stacked to the rafters with foods that
declared themselves ‘cholesterol-free’.
Yet it turned out that the impact of the cholesterol we eat on
the cholesterol levels in our blood is relatively small.
It is a myth that has taken a very long time to die. After
years of warning of the dire consequences of eating eggs, the
American Heart Association now says, ‘In healthy individuals,
consumption of an egg a day is acceptable.’ In fact, a meta-
analysis of studies of more than 200,000 people, followed up
for 30 years and published in the British Medical Journal in
 2020, concluded that ‘higher consumption of eggs is not only
safe but may actually lower your risk of heart disease’. 9

The Mediterranean diet

These days fat, at least in part, has been rehabilitated. The Mediterranean
diet, widely seen as one of the healthiest diets on the planet, is actually
quite high in fat. That’s because, as well as plenty of vegetables, fruit and
legumes, it contains lots of oily fish, nuts and olive oil.
In a really important study called Predimed, 7447 men and women were
randomly allocated to either a standard low-fat diet or a higher-fat
Mediterranean diet, in which they ate at least three portions of fruit and
vegetables a day, plus fish and legumes (peas, lentils, beans) a minimum of
three times a week.10 They were also encouraged to eat nuts and olive oil
and allowed the occasional glass of wine with their meal.
Not surprisingly, people on the Med diet were far more likely to stick to
their regime than those on the low-fat diet. Indeed, this trial was stopped
early because those on the higher-fat Med diet were doing so much better
than those on the low-fat diet, with 30% fewer heart attacks and strokes.
When you look at a breakdown of the macronutrients that people
allocated to the Mediterranean diet were eating, it comes in at 41% fat, 41%
carbs and 18% protein. It is a diet that is much higher in fat and protein, and
lower in carbs, than the sort of diet we are normally recommended.

The rise and fall, rise and fall, then rise again of low-carb diets
Although mainstream medicine has long favoured low-fat diets, for many
people it is carbs that are the problem. The thing about carb-rich foods, like
biscuits, cake or white rice, is that they are swiftly broken down in your
body into sugars, which then cause your blood sugar levels to soar. Your
body responds by releasing the hormone insulin, which brings your blood
sugars back down again. But a rapid rise and then fall in your blood sugar
levels (a blood sugar crash) can make you ravenously hungry. I find that if I
have cereal or toast for breakfast, then a couple of hours later I really want
to snack. Whereas if I eat something protein-rich, like an omelette, I stay
full until much later in the day.
There are good carbs and bad carbs. Many fruits and vegetables are rich
in carbs, but they also contain lots of fibre, so your body finds these sorts of
food harder to break down. Not surprisingly, you get much smaller blood
sugar spikes after eating an apple than after eating an apple pie.
Eating lots of processed carbs, like white rice and packaged bread, is fine
if you are doing lots of exercise or hard manual labour, because your
muscles will burn through the sugar that is flooding your body. But if you
just sit around after a carb-heavy meal, your insulin levels will surge, as
your body struggles to bring those blood sugar levels down. And the way
insulin does this is by tucking those excess calories away in your fat stores.
Your body has good reasons for doing this – it cannot tolerate high levels of
sugar in the blood – but the fact remains, when insulin goes up, fat-burning
goes down. And if you have high levels of insulin circulating, it also means
there are fewer calories in your bloodstream for the rest of your body to use.
So you get hungry and overeat.
Another problem is that our bodies did not evolve to deal with the huge
amounts of sugar that we currently consume. So over time, as our levels of
body fat rise, we develop something called ‘insulin resistance’. Our cells
become resistant to the impact of insulin, so our pancreas has to crank out
more and more of it to get our blood sugars down. This leads to prediabetes
(where your blood sugars are raised, but not yet in the diabetic range), and
unless you change your diet and lose weight, it often progresses to Type 2
diabetes and fatty liver disease.
One obvious way to counter this is by eating fewer highly processed
carbs.

The first low-carb diet

One of the first people to write about the benefits of going on a low-carb
diet (though he didn’t call it that), and capture the public imagination, was
William Banting, a 19th-century Victorian undertaker who, among other
things, prepared elaborate burials for members of the royal family.
Banting’s problem was that he was obese; just five and a half feet tall, he
weighed over 200lb (90kg). His obesity was so bad that he had to go down
the stairs backwards, and on his knees. He had tried everything to lose
weight, from Turkish baths to huge amounts of rowing. The trouble was
that all the exercise did was make him hungry.
And then, in his early sixties, he went off to visit Dr William Harvey. Dr
Harvey told him to cut out sweet, starchy foods, like buttered toast and
pastries, and instead stick to meat, fish, vegetables and unsweetened tea.
Beer was out, but he was allowed gin, whisky or brandy (all of which are
low carb).
Banting stuck to the diet and lost 35lb (17kg) in 36 weeks. He could now
walk downstairs, forwards, felt better than he had for years and claimed that
his hearing and eyesight had both improved. He wanted to share the good
news, so in 1863 he published a pamphlet called ‘Letter on Corpulence:
Addressed to the Public’.
You can find it online; it is a very short but entertaining read and in many
ways it is surprisingly modern. Banting starts by claiming that, ‘Of all the
parasites that affect humanity, I do not know of, nor can I imagine, any
more distressing than that of Obesity’, before going on to explain his new
diet in a very succinct form:

For breakfast, I take four or five ounces of beef, mutton, kidneys,

broiled fish, bacon, or cold meat of any kind except pork; a large cup
of tea (without milk or sugar), a little biscuit, or one ounce of dry
toast.
For dinner, five or six ounces of any fish except salmon, any meat
except pork, any vegetable except potato, one ounce of dry toast, fruit
out of a pudding, any kind of poultry or game, and two or three glasses
of good claret, sherry, or Madeira – champagne, port and beer
forbidden.
For tea, two or three ounces of fruit, a rusk or two, and a cup of tea
without milk or sugar.
For supper, three or four ounces of meat or fish, similar to dinner,
with a glass or two of claret.
For nightcap, if required, a tumbler of grog – (gin, whiskey, or
brandy, without sugar) – or a glass or two of claret or sherry.

And that was it as far as Banting’s dieting advice went. But his pamphlet
struck a chord; it sold like crazy, and the first low-carb diet was born.
Banting himself lived to the ripe old age of 82; he died of pneumonia.
The Atkins diet

After Banting’s death, interest in his diet faded away and it would be a
hundred years before another low-carb diet book caught the public
imagination in such a vivid fashion. This time it was Dr Atkins’ Diet
Revolution, which was published in 1972. Written by a former cardiologist,
Robert Atkins, who had lost lots of weight by going low carb, it became
one of the bestselling books of all time.
Doctors hated the Atkins diet, which focused on eating foods like cream,
cheese, bacon and red meat, while avoiding potatoes, rice and wholegrains.
But most people who tried it lost weight without having to worry about
calories, which is why it became insanely popular.
The Atkins empire rose to giddy heights (at one point 10% of Americans
were said to be on the Atkins diet) … and then it all fell apart. In 2003,
Robert Atkins died, after slipping on ice and hitting his head. Although his
widow refused to allow an autopsy, his medical records were leaked. These
revealed that at his time of death he was hugely overweight and had signs
of advanced heart disease. In 2005, the company he had founded, Atkins
Nutritionals, filed for bankruptcy.
But the low-carb diet didn’t die, and many doctors, particularly those
who see and treat patients with Type 2 diabetes, became interested. One of
them is a GP, called Dr David Unwin, whom I know very well.

Dr Unwin’s breakthrough trial

As a GP, David had, for most of his life, given his patients the conventional
low-fat advice. But he had become gloomy about its impact. He told me
that between 1986 and 2012, there was an eightfold increase in the number
of patients in his practice with Type 2 diabetes, many of them shockingly
young.
Then, in 2012, a former diabetes patient turned up – 10% lighter and free
of diabetes. ‘She mystified me. But I am always fascinated by stories of
success so I asked her what she had done.’
She replied, ‘You’re not going to like this, doctor.’ She had read about
the benefits of a low-carb, high-fat diet and given it a go.
David did some research and decided to do a small trial. He recruited 19
patients who had Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes and gave them a very
simple diet sheet.
 ‘Reduce starchy carbohydrates a lot (remember they are just concentrated
sugar),’ it read. ‘If possible, cut out the white stuff like bread, pasta, rice. As
for sugar – cut it out altogether, although it will be in the blueberries,
strawberries and raspberries you are allowed to eat freely.’
Instead, patients were encouraged to eat more protein, butter, full-fat
yoghurt and olive oil: ‘Eating lots of veg with protein and fats leaves you
properly full in a way that lasts,’ he wrote in capital letters.
The patients who took part in this early trial started out with an average
weight of 100kg (220lb) and over the eight months of the trial lost over 9kg
(20lb), much of it around the waist.
By the end, only two of the 19 still had raised blood sugars and even they
had seen a huge improvement. There were also big improvements in blood
pressure and cholesterol levels, despite the fact that his patients were now
eating far more eggs and butter.
Since then, David, who is an expert clinical adviser for the Royal College
of GPs, has helped more than 100 patients with Type 2 diabetes come off
drugs and published more studies. He, and other GPs like him, have not
only changed their patients, but also changed how doctors view low-carb
diets, particularly in the context of Type 2.

Ultra-processed foods – the real villain

Although I believe that lower-carb diets can be very helpful, particularly for
people with Type 2 diabetes, I don’t think that most people get fat simply
because they are eating a lot of rice and potatoes. It is also hard to blame
sugar for the present obesity crisis, as consumption of sugar has been falling
in most developed countries over the last decade, while rates of obesity
have been rising. And as I regularly point out to people who claim that
sugar is addictive, I feel no compulsion to eat sugar cubes or dip a spoon
into a bowl of sugar and snack on that. Nor, I suspect, do most people.
No, I think the real villain, the main driver of obesity worldwide, is the
rise and rise of ultra-processed food, the sort of brightly packaged,
aggressively marketed products that fill our supermarket shelves. Typically,
they are high in both fat and sugar, along with mysterious preservatives and
emulsifiers (E numbers). I suspect the main reason that David’s patients are
losing weight and getting healthier is not just that they are cutting down on
the carbs, but that they are eliminating the ultra-processed foods. We are
going to take a closer look at the science behind this claim in the next few
pages.

What is an ultra-processed food?

In 2009, a team led by Carlos Monteiro, Professor of Nutrition and Public

Health at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, published a hugely
important paper called ‘The issue is not food, nor nutrients, so much as
processing’.11
They argued that while people have, for decades, been blaming fats and
carbs for the rise in obesity, they have largely ignored the importance of
processing, the extent to which the foods we eat have been manipulated and
altered by the big food manufacturers before they reach our plates.
So, they set about identifying different categories of food, ranging from
those that have been minimally processed to those that are ultra-processed,
and created the NOVA classification system.12
NOVA breaks down foods into the following groups:

Unprocessed or minimally processed foods

These are foods that are fresh, frozen, pasteurised, fermented, bottled
or packaged. They are not all completely untouched, as nature
intended them, but whatever processing they have been through is
minimal. The important thing is that there are no added sugars, oils or
fats.
Foods that fall into this category include: fruit, vegetables, rice,
legumes (i.e. lentils, chickpeas), meat, poultry, fish and seafood (fresh
or frozen). Then there are eggs, oats, pasta, couscous and polenta.
Nuts, without added salt, are also part of this group, as are herbs and
spices, milk and plain yoghurt, tea, coffee and water.

Processed foods
These are often foods taken from the first group, with a bit of salt or
sugar added. They include fresh bread, salted, cured or smoked meats,
tinned fish, tinned fruit, butter, cheese, wine and beer.

Ultra-processed foods
 The foods in this group are not so much foods as formulations: they
are made in factories and are designed to imitate the taste and smell of
fresh or minimally processed foods, while actually being produced out
of cheap industrial ingredients and additives. They contain lots of
sugars, fats and salt, as well as, according to the World Nutrition
Journal in 2016, ‘dyes and other colours, colour stabilisers, flavours,
flavour enhancers, non-sugar sweeteners, and processing aids such as
carbonating, firming, bulking and anti-bulking, de-foaming, anti-
caking and glazing agents, emulsifiers, sequestrants and humectants’.
The reason manufacturers add these strange-sounding ingredients to
their products is to give them a long shelf life and to make them
‘hyperpalatable’. In other words, to keep us coming back for more.
The ultimate aim of the Big Food manufacturers is, of course, to make
Big Bucks. And they certainly do.
The foods in the group include some pretty obvious candidates, like
chicken nuggets, burgers, chips, pizzas, hotdogs, pre-packaged meals,
fizzy drinks and packaged fruit juices. But it also includes most mass-
produced breads (brown as well as white, just look at what it says on
the label), shop-bought biscuits, cakes, buns and sweetened breakfast
cereals.
Mass-produced ice-cream, fruit yoghurts, chocolate, sweets, crisps,
energy bars, margarine and pretty well anything that says ‘instant’ –
i.e. instant noodles, soups, desserts – also fall into this category.
Vegans and vegetarians are being increasingly targeted with ultra-
processed convenience foods, such as vegan sausage rolls. Just
because it’s plant based doesn’t mean it’s healthy.
How can you spot an ultra-processed food? Read the label. If there
are five or more ingredients, and those ingredients include numbers or
have names you don’t recognise, the chances are it’s ultra-processed.

Sue’s story
Sue Bernard, a former IT manager, knows exactly what it is like to be in
thrall to ultra-processed food. In her case, the problem was late-night
grazing.

I would have a healthy dinner, and then after dinner I was dreadful. I
ate crisps and chocolate and ice cream. It was non-stop. It was a
 complete compulsion. And I would even say to my husband, ‘Why am I
doing this? Why am I going back into the kitchen to open the fridge
and eat more chocolate when I know I cannot be hungry?’ It was
almost as if I had a fat wish; we talk about a death wish but this was
definitely a fat wish. It was as if I wasn’t in control.

I was stick thin as a child. We didn’t have a car, I walked everywhere.

Until my first son was born, I was nine stone and a size 10. Then I had
three children and with each child I put on a bit of weight and didn’t
lose it. Over the years I’ve tried different ways to lose weight but none
of them worked. The catalyst moment was when I saw a photo of
myself and I thought I can’t share that – I look huge. I remember the
moment incredibly clearly – it was the 10th December 2020.

At that point, Sue was 14½ stone (92kg). She had arthritis in her knees
and constant back pain:

All the problems you have when you are hugely overweight. And I kept
thinking, I’m not going to live to see my family growing up.

She saw my Channel 4 documentary, ‘Lose a Stone in 21 days’, and

decided to put herself on my diet.

I saw those people lose all that weight and I thought, ‘I can do that’. I
decided this would be the start of a new life. It was as if a switch went
in my head.

To start with it wasn’t easy:

A couple of nights in the first week I wanted desperately to eat

chocolate or ice cream so I went to bed. I started drinking lots of
water. In the morning I started drinking black coffee instead of white
coffee so I could still enjoy my coffee.

I lost 35lb (16kg) in the first 12 weeks and then I switched on to the
5:2 diet. I have now lost 60lb (27kg). I went from a size 20 to a size 12.
Though to be honest it’s not really about being size 12, but I know that
being size 12 means that I’m healthy.
 Now I’ve lost the weight I can bend my knees, something that I
couldn’t do before.

We have a couple of small dogs and I do take them out for a walk every
day, a couple of miles. When I realised I could move more I joined a
local gym and three or four mornings a week I go to the gym and do
the bike and the rowing machine. I do crunches and stretches.

How do I keep on course? I always plan. It is a way of life and not just
a way of eating. I don’t want the sweet things any more, I don’t crave
them.

My youngest son said to me the other day, ‘Do you know what, Mum, I
thought you were on your way to an early grave and now you have a
real brightness, a real spring in your step.’ I thought that was lovely.

Big Food
It might shock you to find out (it certainly shocked me) that just 10
companies control most of the world’s large food and drink brands. Some of
them are names you will know; some are less familiar. The Big 10 are:
Nestlé, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Danone, General Mills, Kellogg’s,
Mars, Associated British Foods and Mondelez.
The biggest of the big beasts are Nestlé, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. They
each own dozens of other brands, and are worth, together, more than $700
billion. If you had invested in them when Covid struck in March 2020, you
would have made a killing because sales of their incredibly profitable
products soared during lockdown.
Along with additives and strange-sounding chemicals, ultra-processed
foods tend to come wrapped in lots of packaging.
In 2020, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola were rated, by the pressure
group ‘Break Free from Plastic’ as ‘the top plastic polluters’ for the third
year in a row. This claim was based on a survey they carried out of 55
countries, which showed that the packaging and containers produced by the
Big Three were the ones the group’s volunteers were most likely to find
discarded on beaches, and in rivers and parks.13 They are certainly the most
common forms of litter I find on the road outside my house, along with
cigarette packets and energy drink bottles.
I suppose this is not surprising, because, according to a report by the
Ellen MacArthur Foundation, these three companies produce over 6.7
million tonnes of plastic every year and recycle less than 10% of it.14
How can you cut back on ultra-processed foods? The advice of the
Brazilian scientists who are behind the NOVA classification is, as you
might expect, to go for water and milk instead of soft drinks, fruit and nuts
instead of cakes and biscuits, and to cook at home rather than rely on
takeaways, pre-prepared frozen meals and shop-bought desserts.

The impact of ultra-processed foods on our health

There have been a number of studies which suggest that eating more ultra-
processed food increases your risk of hypertension, heart disease, Type 2
diabetes and some cancers.15
Most recently, in an influential Spanish study, published in 2019, 19,899
Spanish university graduates, with an average age of 38 years, were asked
to complete a detailed dietary questionnaire and then followed for an
average of 10 years.16
The researchers found that people eating lots of ultra-processed foods
(more than four servings per day) were 62% more likely to have died during
that time, from all causes, compared with those eating fewer than two
servings a day. It was a clear dose response; in other words, for each
additional daily serving of ultra-processed food, your chance of dying over
the following 10 years increased by 18%.
The link between consumption of these foods and poor health, not only
physical but also mental – as evidenced by the higher rates of depression
and anxiety – is very clear. But to what extent can we blame ultra-processed
foods for the expansion of our waistlines? And what is it about these foods
that means we find them so hard to resist?
The rise in obesity, worldwide, which began in the 1980s, certainly
coincided with an increase in marketing and consumption of ultra-processed
foods. When I was in medical school, back in the 1980s, the average UK
family diet was made up of roughly 58% fresh ingredients and 26%
convenience foods.
 By 2014 those numbers had reversed, with us Brits getting 57% of our
calories from ultra-processed food, which also accounted for two thirds of
the sugar we were eating. And the trend has continued. Countries which
have some of the highest rates of obesity in the world, like the US, UK and
Australia, are also countries where many people are getting well over half
their calories from ultra-processed food.
When you look at the people in those countries who are eating the most
ultra-processed food, they are also the ones who have the highest rates of
obesity and all the complications that come with being obese, such as Type
2 diabetes.
And what is really concerning, for the future, is that it is the young who
are consuming ultra-processed foods in the largest amounts. A recent study
from the US showed that over the last 20 years, the percentage of calories
that children and adolescents get from ultra-processed foods jumped from
61% to 67%.17 Since we know that eating ultra-processed foods not only
makes you fat but also contributes to anxiety and depression, this is a very
worrying trend.

My big fat ultra-processed diet experiment

In 2020, I decided to do a self-experiment in which I would put myself on a
medium-level ultra-processed food diet for an Australian documentary
called ‘Australia’s Health Revolution’. I didn’t go crazy; I just moved onto
a fairly typical Australian diet in which at least half my calories came from
ultra-processed food.
I went back to eating cereal for breakfast, fruit yoghurts, plenty of snacks
and some microwaveable frozen meals. Several times a week I also went to
a fast-food restaurant and had a burger and chips, with Coke to wash it
down, or fried chicken and chips, again with a sweet, fizzy drink.
I had my weight, waist, blood sugars and blood pressure measured before
starting on this diet, and then at the end of two weeks.
At the start I quite enjoyed it, eating the sort of food I hadn’t had for a
long time. I also ate foods I had never tried before, like the cheese sausage,
a sausage stuffed with cheese which I am told is particularly popular with
Australian truckers. When I checked out the ingredients of a typical cheese
sausage online, this is what I saw:
 Pork, water, cheese, milk, potato starch, sodium nitrite (a preservative),
dextrose (a form of sugar), diphosphate, sodium acetate, sodium
carbonate and sodium ascorbate.

Yummy. One of the things I quickly noticed, on my new diet, was that
within hours of eating, I would get really hungry and crave more junk food.
I soon started sleeping badly, snoring loudly, and in a matter of days I felt
far more lethargic than normal. I was tracking my blood sugar levels
throughout the two weeks and within a few days they started to rise,
alarmingly. I was more anxious than normal, and that contributed to my
need for more comfort food.
After two weeks, I did repeat tests. By now I had put on 3kg, my waist
had expanded by around 3cm and my blood sugar levels had gone into the
diabetic range. My blood pressure had also soared to 140/90, which alarmed
the GP who tested me.
So I got out my keto urine sticks (in order to be able to measure levels of
ketones in my urine) and put myself on the Fast 800 Keto diet. Within 10
days I had shed the weight and when I was retested, everything had
returned to normal, which was a huge relief.
A friend of mine, Dr Chris van Tulleken, who is particularly worried
about the impact that ultra-processed foods are having on the bodies and
brains of children (as I pointed out earlier, they eat far more of the stuff than
adults), did a similar self-experiment for the BBC for a programme called
‘What Are We Feeding our Kids?’.
He went further than I did. For a month, 80% of everything he ate came
in the form of ultra-processed food, such as cocoa-flavoured breakfast
cereals, chicken nuggets and microwaveable lasagnes. Eighty per cent
sounds like a lot, but that is what around one in five Brits eat.
Like me, he soon started piling on the weight. He slept badly, felt
sluggish and became constipated. He also started craving more and more
junk food.
In four weeks, he put on 6.5kg (over a stone), much of it fat, and there
was a significant rise in his appetite hormones. But the most striking
changes took place in his brain. He had his brain scanned before and after
the experiment, and to his horror discovered that eating all that ultra-
processed food had, in a month, literally rewired his brain.
 Rachel Batterham, who is Professor of Obesity, Diabetes and
Endocrinology at University College, London, and who supervised his self-
experiment, told Chris that she had detected a lot of new connections in his
brain, many of them between the reward centres and the cerebellum, an area
that controls automatic behaviours. In other words, he appeared to have
been reprogrammed by his new diet to seek out and eat even more of these
unhealthy foods. Chris managed to lose the weight he had put on, but who
knows if his brain will ever fully recover.

The sceptical researcher

Further direct evidence that ultra-processed foods are behind the rise in
obesity comes from an experiment carried out by Dr Kevin Hall, an
American researcher who started out as a sceptic. He thought it was very
unlikely that ultra-processed foods were as bad as people were claiming, so
he decided to do an experiment to find out.18
In 2018, he and his team recruited 20 healthy volunteers, 10 men and 10
women, and asked them to spend four weeks at the National Institutes of
Health Clinical Center, near Washington DC, where they could be closely
monitored. They were randomly allocated to two weeks of eating meals that
were made up of either ultra-processed foods or minimally processed foods.
Then they swapped over for two weeks.
To give you some idea of what they were fed, an ultra-processed
breakfast might consist of a bagel with cream cheese and bacon, while the
unprocessed breakfast was porridge with bananas, walnuts and milk.
The clever thing was that the ultra-processed meals and the minimally
processed meals all contained exactly the same balance of calories, sugars,
fibre, fat and carbohydrates. The volunteers were told they could eat as
much or as little as they wanted of each meal and of various snacks, which
were readily available.
So what happened? Well, although the volunteers said that they found the
meals, ultra-processed or not, equally tasty and filling, it turned out that
which regime they were on had a big impact on how much and how quickly
they ate.
When the volunteers were eating the ultra-processed food, they
consumed about 500 calories more per day than they did on the
unprocessed diet. Yes, an extra 500 calories. As a result, they put on an
average of 0.9kg, or 2lb, over the two weeks that they were on the ultra-
processed diet, and lost roughly the same amount while they were on the
unprocessed diet.
Why did this happen? Dr Hall is not entirely sure. The volunteers ate the
ultra-processed food faster, probably because it was generally softer and
easier to swallow. And the faster you eat, the more you eat.
One way to reduce the amount you eat, of course, is to linger over your
meal, and give yourself time to realise that you are feeling satisfied. Even
more important, though, is to ensure that you are eating foods packed with
fibre.
Foods that are high in fibre, such as veggies, legumes, fruit and
wholegrains, not only provide volume and stop you getting constipated, but
also delay stomach emptying and slow down the passage of food through
your intestines, which means that you feel full for longer on fewer calories.
Furthermore, fibre feeds the good bacteria that live in your gut – your
microbiome – which help keep your brain and immune system in good
shape. The problem with many convenience foods is that – in order to make
them palatable and give them that long shelf life – they have had most of
their fibre removed.
Another possible explanation for why people ate more on the ultra-
processed food diet – which Dr Hall plans to test in future experiments – is
that, although the meals were matched for carbs and fat, they were not
precisely matched for protein. Fourteen per cent of the calories in the ultra-
processed foods were made up of protein, versus 15.6% of the calories in
the healthier meals. The difference appears small, but Dr Hall thinks it may,
nonetheless, have contributed to the very different outcomes.

Summary
• Although fats, carbs and sugar have in turn been blamed for the current
obesity crisis, there is mounting evidence that the real problem is ultra-
processed food, which is typically high in poor-quality fat, carbs, sugar
and salt, making it incredibly calorific and hard to resist. And as Dr
Chris van Tulleken discovered, once you start eating these foods they
can mess with your brain.
• We know that eating lots of ultra-processed foods, particularly when you
are young, contributes to anxiety and depression.
• Not only are ultra-processed foods full of the unhealthy stuff, they also
tend to be low in fibre, so we go on eating them without feeling sated.
On top of that, given that eating fibre is essential for keeping your gut
bacteria in good shape, a diet high in ultra-processed foods is going to
damage your microbiome and lead to inflammation in the gut.
• And finally, ultra-processed foods tend to be low in protein, and as we
are about to discover, protein is a key driver of appetite.

OceanofPDF.com
 2
Why we need to eat more protein

The three main macronutrients that our bodies need are protein, fats and
carbohydrates. These are our ‘macros’. We need micronutrients such as
vitamins and minerals too, of course, but most of us get what we need from
our usual diet.
The traditional dietary advice has been to pile our plates with plenty of
carbs, like bread, pasta, rice and potatoes, because they provide energy,
while low-carbers and classic keto dieters emphasise the importance of
eating lots and lots of fat (oil, butter, cream, etc). But I am fascinated by
emerging science which shows the vital importance of that other
macronutrient, protein (eggs, fish, meat, tofu, and so on) – and mounting
evidence that, far from eating too much of it, as many dietitians claim,
many of us aren’t eating enough.
We know that fat is vital as an energy reserve, for insulation and
protection of our organs, and for absorption and transport of fat-soluble
vitamins. Carbs provide energy for our muscles and central nervous system
during movement and exercise. Carbs, in the form of grains, fruit and veg,
are also our main source of fibre. But protein is, in many ways, even more
essential. We need it to build muscles, enzymes and much of the
infrastructure of our bodies. Every cell in our body contains protein, and
eating enough of it is absolutely vital for growth and repair.
Protein is made up of strings of different amino acids. Our body needs 20
amino acids in all, and can make 11 of them on its own. However, there are
nine ‘essential amino acids’, so called because our body cannot make them.
We have to get them from the food we eat.
Foods such as meat, fish, eggs and dairy contain high levels of all nine
essential amino acids. It can be difficult to get enough if you are on a
vegetarian or vegan diet because plant-based foods not only tend to be
lower in protein, they are also ‘incomplete’ – i.e. they contain lower levels
of at least one essential amino acid. The secret is to mix and match.
 Ultra-processed foods, particularly snacks, normally contain little quality
protein – partly because protein is expensive, at least compared to fats and
carbs. Instead, the manufacturers use artificial flavourings to try to fool our
taste buds into thinking we are eating protein, when we’re not.
Beef-flavoured crisps, for example, taste as if they contain lots of protein,
but actually consist mainly of carbs and fat. There is just 1.6g of protein in a
smallish bag, so if you ate nothing but crisps you would need to eat at least
30 bags to meet the current recommended protein requirements, which is
50g a day, and to achieve that you would be consuming 4000 calories a day,
along with three times your daily salt allowance.
Two leading Australian researchers have developed a theory called the
‘Protein Leverage Hypothesis’, which argues that we have a specific
appetite for protein and that the relatively low levels of protein in ultra-
processed foods have been one of the major drivers behind the current
obesity epidemic. This theory is currently gathering a lot of fans (including
me).

The Protein Leverage Hypothesis

Professor David Raubenheimer and Professor Steve Simpson both work for
the Charles Perkins Centre, at the University of Sydney, where Steve is also
the academic director. It is a very unusual place, where they bring
researchers from all sorts of different areas of science together with the goal
of improving global health by finding new ways to combat chronic lifestyle
diseases.
They have recently written a brilliant book called 5 Appetites (also called
Eat Like the Animals in Australia and the USA), which distils a lot of their
research. In the book, they claim that we don’t have just one appetite, for
food in general, we actually have five: one each for protein, fat, carbs,
calcium and salt. We have sensors in our mouth, in the lining of our gut and
within our brain which detect the presence of these nutrients. If we don’t get
enough of any of them, we develop cravings.
But it is the need for protein that dominates the others. Or, as they put it,
‘We overeat fats and carbs not because the appetites for these nutrients are
stronger, but because the appetite for protein is strongest of all! If protein is
diluted in the food supply, we overeat until we satisfy our protein appetite.
On high-protein diets, the protein appetite will be satisfied sooner – when
fewer total calories have been eaten. This is what we call the Protein
Leverage Effect.’19
In other words, if we are surrounded by foods which are rich in fats and
carbs, but low in protein, we go on eating and eating with no restraint until
we have satisfied our protein hunger.
That’s why it’s so easy for some of us to polish off a big bag of crisps or
a packet of biscuits in one sitting. A chocolate biscuit, of the type I love, is
60% carbs and only 6% protein. If I ate all the biscuits in a packet (which I
am quite capable of doing), I would consume 1300 calories (almost my
daily allowance), but only 16g of protein. No wonder I can just keep going.
If, on the other hand, I was offered a plate of fish or chicken, which
comes in at close to 30% protein, I wouldn’t be able to eat anything like as
much, calorie wise. My protein appetite would soon be satisfied.

The perfect swarm

I first met Steve through a mutual friend, back in 2015. Born in Australia,
Steve studied at the University of Queensland, did his PhD at King’s
College London on ‘locust feeding physiology’ and then spent 22 years at
my old university, Oxford, before returning to Australia to become director
of the Charles Perkins Institute.
It was that early research for his PhD that led him to concentrate on
locusts when he and David started to study the impact of protein on human
hunger signals. One of the key things they showed early on was that they
could make locusts extremely fat or very thin, simply by altering the protein
content of their food. If you give locusts a low-protein diet, they will eat
and eat, until they become fat, in a desperate attempt to top up their protein
levels. Steve told me that, among other things, this drive for protein helps
explain why locusts swarm.
Locusts are normally solitary creatures, but every so often they get
together in giant swarms, which devastate the countryside. These swarms
are so dramatic that they are mentioned in the Quran and the Bible. Three
thousand years ago, the Chinese created the role of ‘anti-locust operative’ to
try to manage them.
The key trigger for the swarms, as Steve explained, is a shortage of
protein in the plants that the locusts normally feed on, which means they
have to go looking for other sources of protein-rich foods. And for most
locusts, the closest and most convenient source of a protein snack is another
locust. So they become cannibalistic. What you are really seeing in a swarm
are locusts trying to eat the locusts in front of them and avoid being eaten
by the ones behind.
Fortunately, we do not usually turn cannibal when we are running low on
protein, but a shortage can drive us to overeat. Steve and David
demonstrated this in an elegant experiment they published in 2011 called
‘Testing protein leverage in lean humans: a randomised controlled
experimental study’.20
For this experiment, they recruited 22 healthy volunteers and kept them
locked away in hotel-style accommodation in Sydney University. They
were allowed out for supervised walks, but the researchers kept a very close
eye on them to check they weren’t sneaking in any extra food.
On three separate occasions, the volunteers took part in four-day
experiments, during which meals were provided, as well as access to lots of
different snacks. The volunteers didn’t know the real purpose of the
experiment and they weren’t told that their meals, although matched for
calories, contained very different levels of protein.
On one of their four-day visits, the meals contained 10% protein, on the
next it was 15% and on the third it was 25%. What the scientists wanted to
see was whether this would make any difference to how much the
volunteers ate, and if so, how much. It certainly had an effect. Without
realising it, the volunteers ate, on average, 210 calories more per day when
they were on the low-protein diet than they did on the higher-protein diet.
Do that on a regular basis and you would soon find yourself piling on the
weight.
The volunteers also reported feeling much hungrier a couple of hours
after eating the low-protein breakfast, despite eating the same number of
calories as on higher-protein days. That is certainly what I find. When I eat
eggs or fish for breakfast, I stay full until lunchtime. If I eat the same
number of calories in the form of cereal or toast, I am craving a snack by
mid-morning.
What I found particularly interesting in this experiment was that most of
the extra calories the volunteers ate came from eating savoury snacks, not
from eating bigger meals or the sugary snacks that were also freely
available.
 So are we eating less protein than we used to?
A key claim of the Protein Leverage Hypothesis is that to satisfy our protein
hunger, most of us need to get around 15–20% of our calories in the form of
protein. As their Sydney experiment showed, go below 15% and your
protein hunger will make you want to eat more.
So does this help explain our obesity epidemic? They think it does. Far
from eating too much protein, as many claim, an analysis of data collected
by the US Department of Agriculture between 1970 and 2010 reveals that
the proportion of protein in the American diet fell, while consumption of fat
and carbs soared. And over those 40 years, rates of obesity tripled.21
According to a Pew Research study published in 2016,22 between 1970
and 2010:

• The average American increased the number of calories they consumed

by around 500 a day, up from an average of 2000 to 2500. A lot of these
extra calories were in the form of snacks.
• Consumption of meat and fish remained stable, but there were big falls in
consumption of protein-rich eggs and milk.
• By 2010, Americans were eating more than three times as much
vegetable oil – mainly in the form of highly processed soybean, corn or
rapeseed – as they were in 1970.
• They were eating less cane sugar, but far more corn-derived sweeteners,
such as high-fructose corn syrup.
• And they were eating far more bread, pastries and other baked goods –
roughly 122lb per person per year.

The increase in the consumption of vegetable oil is because people are

eating so much more junk food, which is often fried in it, while the heavy
marketing of ultra-processed foods has led to a huge increase in easily
digestible carbs, like breakfast cereals.
Tragically, people with metabolic diseases, like Type 2 diabetes, are still
being told to eat a low-protein, high-carbohydrate diet, which puts them at
much greater risk of obesity and ill-health.
A recent study by researchers at Ohio State University, which looked at
the dietary habits of a representative sample of more than 23,000
Americans with Type 2 diabetes, found that more than half were eating less
than the recommended daily intake of protein (which is a miserly 50g a
day). Instead, they were filling up on sugars and unhealthy carbs.23
Their low-protein diet had a big impact on their strength and ability to do
even basic tasks like ‘stooping, crouching, kneeling, standing for long
periods, and pushing or pulling large objects’.

What level of protein should we aim for?

Current guidelines say women should be aiming to eat around 45g of
protein a day, and men should be aiming for 55g. But many experts think
these numbers are far too low. If you follow these guidelines, and also stick
to the recommended daily calorie intake (2000 calories a day for women,
2500 for men), then you will only be getting 9% of your diet in the form of
protein.
This is how you do that calculation:

There are 4 calories in a gram of protein. So a woman eating 45g of

protein would be consuming 180 calories a day in protein. Which is
180/2000 x 100 = 9% of her recommended daily calorie allowance.

For a man, 55g of protein means 220 calories, which is 220/2500 x

100 = 8.8%.

A classic Mediterranean diet, of the sort used in the Predimed study,

contains around 18% protein, which is nearly twice the recommended level
and gets you much closer to the Protein Leverage Effect ideal. As you get
older it becomes even more important to raise your protein intake to avoid
age-related muscle loss. A recent review of the evidence concluded that
‘higher intakes of high-quality protein (1.0–1.5g/kg of body weight per
day), evenly distributed throughout the day, may maximally stimulate
muscle protein synthesis, thereby contributing to maintaining muscle mass
in older adults’.24
What this means is that someone who weighs 80kg, as I do, should be
aiming for at least 80–120g of protein a day, which is far higher than the
current official recommended levels.
 Protein doesn’t just help strengthen and build muscles – it keeps your
bones healthy too. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation,
eating more protein (a lot more) ‘is associated with higher bone density, a
slower rate of bone loss, and reduced risk of hip fracture, provided that
dietary calcium intakes are adequate’. In other words, if you want to keep
your bones strong as you get older, you had better increase the protein (and
calcium) in your diet.25
Why should you need more protein as you get older? Well, it is mainly
because our ageing bodies are not as good at absorbing or making use of
protein as they used to be. And too little protein not only leads to muscle
shrinkage but also puts you at increased risk of infection and frailness. This
seems to be especially true in women.
In the Framingham Heart Study Offspring, in which 2917 middle-aged
men and women were followed for an average of 23 years, they found that
women who were eating at least 90g of protein a day scored better on
measures of frailty, including things like grip strength, being able to go up
and down stairs, walk half a mile or dress themselves, than women who
were eating 60g of protein a day, or less.26
It is also particularly important that pregnant women get enough protein.
In a study carried out at the John Hunter Hospital, in Newcastle, Australia,
179 women were asked to fill in detailed food questionnaires during their
pregnancy.27 They also had detailed ultrasound scans done at four different
points during their pregnancy, so researchers could see how their babies
were growing.
What the researchers found is that the mothers who were eating relatively
low levels of protein (less than 16% of their daily diet) had babies with high
levels of fat around the tummy, which is unhealthy. Having a chubby baby
is fine, but you want them to have fat around the thighs and arms, not the
tummy.
For these reasons, another recent review recommended that pregnant
women should be eating 1.2–1.5g/kg per day of protein, which is, again,
well above current recommended levels.

KayleighAnn – the junk-food vegan

Lots of people go vegan for ethical and health reasons, but just because
your diet is vegan it doesn’t mean it is necessarily healthy. When I met 29-
year-old KayleighAnn, she told me that her friends called her a ‘junk-food
vegan’. She weighed over 17 stone (108kg), was anaemic and had the
fitness level of someone twice her actual age. Although she was on a plant-
based diet, a lot of the foods she was eating were ultra-processed, high in
fat and carbs, but low in protein. In fact, a food diary, which I asked her to
keep, revealed that she was only eating around 30g of protein a day.
So, I recommended she up the protein in her diet, by including more
chickpeas, tempeh, quinoa and edamame beans. I also got her to cut down
on the junk food and become more active (see Chapter 7).
By making these relatively simple changes, she lost nearly a stone (6kg)
in three weeks and recently ran a half marathon.

Can you overdo protein consumption?

You might be thinking that when it comes to protein, more is always better.
But that isn’t necessarily true. According to Professor Simpson, their
experiments, and those of many others since, have shown that animals that
are put on a very high-protein, low-carb diet tend to die younger. That’s
because, at least in mice and other experimental-study animals, a high-
protein, low-carb diet seems to supercharge the metabolic pathways that
lead to rapid ageing, switching off repair mechanisms and promoting
changes that can lead to cancer and heart disease.
A very high-protein diet might help keep you slim, but it won’t
necessarily be healthier for you in the long term. There are also concerns
that eating lots of protein could be bad for your kidneys, so if you have
kidney disease you need to be especially wary of going on a very high-
protein diet.
That said, in the short term, a diet comprising anything up to 30% protein
seems to be safe – although most long-term studies suggest we should be
aiming to eat 15–20%, with the amount you eat going up after the age of 65,
when, as I just pointed out, you need to eat more protein to preserve your
muscle mass.28
When you start on the Fast 800 Keto diet (Stage 1) you will be getting
20–25% of your diet as high-quality protein (around 50g a day). Combined
with the fact that you are in ketosis, this should help suppress your appetite.
When you move on to Stage 2, you will be eating more calories, so we
also recommend you boost the amount of protein you are eating, to ensure it
remains at around 20% of your total calories. This should take you up to
60–70g a day.
By the time you reach Stage 3 – a Mediterranean-style diet – the amount
of protein in your diet still needs to be 15–20% of your total calories, which
for most women means eating 70–80g of protein a day, and for men 90–
100g. As I mentioned earlier, this is nearly twice the amount that is
routinely recommended.
But remember, if you have a kidney problem, there is a risk that a higher
protein diet could make it worse, so do talk to your doctor.

Summary
• Eating adequate amounts of good-quality protein is vital for keeping you
strong and slim. This is particularly important as you get older, or if you
work out a lot.
• We have a powerful appetite for protein, and if you aren’t getting
enough, or if it is being ‘diluted’ by lots of fat and carbs (so that the
percentage of protein in your diet dips below 15%), you will find that
you are often hungry.
• One of the tricks that the producers of ultra-processed foods play on us is
adding flavours that fool our taste buds into thinking they are eating
something that is protein-rich, when it is not. That is one of the reasons
why we go on eating more and more of these foods, in a desperate
search for protein that is not there.

Good sources of protein

Meat is a particularly rich source, delivering 33g of protein for
every 100g of meat (a small serving).
Fish is also rich in protein, with 21g per 100g. It doesn’t have
to be fresh – it can be frozen or canned. Oily fish is also a great
source of omega 3 fatty acids (good for the heart and the
brain).
Greek yoghurt. I love it with some berries as a quick
breakfast or dessert. It typically contains twice the amount of
protein as other yoghurts, with a 200g serving providing
around 17g.
Nuts. A small handful (something like nine almonds) can
make a filling snack. They contain lots of fibre and a couple of
grams of protein as well.
Eggs. I love eggs. They make a great breakfast and each one
delivers around 7g of protein.
Lentils. I used to hate them but they have become one of my
favourite foods. One cup of cooked lentils (200g) provides 21g
of protein.
Black beans. Buy them ready cooked in tins or packets. One
cup (170g) contains over 15g of protein and lots of fibre.
Edamame beans make a great addition to salads and stir-fries.
A cupful, roughly 150g, contains 17g of protein.
Tofu. This is a great meat substitute, and gives you 18g of
protein per 150g serving.
Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans and is something of
an acquired taste. But it has more protein than tofu. One
serving will deliver almost 25g of protein.
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 3
The science of keto

The Fast 800 Keto is a keto-based diet (the clue is in the name) but what
exactly does that mean? Well, let’s start with where you get your day-to-day
energy from. Your body works like a hybrid car, able to run on two different
fuels: sugar (glucose) and fat. Although protein can be converted into sugar
and used as fuel, this is not your body’s main priority. It prefers to use the
protein in your diet to make hormones, muscles and other essential
components to ensure good functioning.
Your body’s main go-to fuel is glucose. Glucose is easy for your body to
access and provides almost instant energy. If you have to escape from
danger, such as an attack by a lion (not very likely these days, but it would
have been a bigger problem for our remote ancestors living and foraging on
the plains of Africa), then your body will release glucose into your blood so
you can run as far and as fast as your legs will carry you.
That said, your sugar stores are relatively limited. You have just 4g (a
teaspoonful) of glucose circulating in your blood at any one time.29
This amounts to only about 16 calories. And, since most of us need
around 2000 calories a day to sustain us, that won’t last long.
Fortunately, you have another 500g of sugar, stored as glycogen, in your
liver and muscles. That represents about 2000 calories, so these glycogen
stores could keep you going for a while, unless you are exercising heavily.
In practice, though, you are unlikely to seriously deplete your glycogen
stores because every few hours you probably eat something sugary or with
carbs in it, which tops them up.
People often worry that if they don’t eat every few hours, they will faint
due to lack of energy. But evolution has provided us with body fat as a
massive reserve of energy. As far as your body is concerned, the fatty layers
you have around your gut are money in the bank, energy stored away for
the lean times when you can’t find enough to eat (not a big problem for
most of us). There are nine calories in a single gram of fat and most of us
are carrying around at least 25kg of fat, so those fat stores would provide
enough energy to keep us going for ages even if we ate nothing at all.
Most of the time, your body is drawing on a combination of fat and
sugar, but it is only when your glucose stores start to run down (because
you are fasting, exercising heavily or haven’t eaten any carbs for a while)
that it switches over to burning fat in a major way.
Your body does this by releasing fatty acids from your fat stores and
converting them into chemicals called ketone bodies. These can be used by
most cells in your body (including your brain) as fuel.
The process is known as ‘flipping the metabolic switch’. It is what your
body has evolved to do; so, like a hybrid car going from relying on
electricity to using petrol, it should be relatively seamless. But because so
many of us are topping up our sugar stores from first thing in the morning
till last thing at night, we rarely get to flip the switch, so we rarely do a
serious dive into our fat stores.
The idea behind the keto diet is that you cut your consumption of carbs
down to such a low level that you drain your glycogen stores and force your
body to go into ketone-producing, fat-burning mode. Be warned: unless you
are keto adapted (i.e. you have done this before, multiple times), the process
can be a little uncomfortable. You will probably feel tired, and may
experience ‘brain fog’. Some people feel so bad they compare it to a mild
case of the flu (which is why they call it ‘keto flu’). You may find it hard to
exercise – I certainly did. For a few days, everything can feel like a real
effort. As you go into ketosis, people may comment that your breath smells
‘funny’. Clare says she can always tell when I am in ketosis because my
breath smells like nail polish remover.
And then, suddenly, you will start to feel completely different. As you
switch into major fat-burning mode, your energy levels soar and your mood
lifts. It really does feel like you have suddenly found another gear. This can
take a few days, in some cases a bit longer. The more often you do it, the
easier it gets.

What is the difference between a low-carb diet and a keto diet?

The main difference between a low-carb and a keto diet is the degree to
which you restrict the amount of carbs in your diet. A low-carb diet will
typically restrict your carb intake to anywhere between 50g and 150g of
carbs a day, which is normally not low enough to induce significant ketosis.
On the first stage of the Fast 800 Keto diet, you reduce your carb
consumption to less than 50g a day and, because you also reduce your
calories, you will go into ketosis within days. This is surprisingly doable for
most people – I will be showing you how in Chapter 4.
The downside of a keto diet is that it can be very restrictive. When you
realise that there are nearly 40g of carbs in a baked potato, or a serving of
pasta, you can see there are quite a lot of standard foods you will have to
avoid.
But the beauty of my Fast 800 Keto plan is that it allows you to gradually
add carbs back into your diet as you move through the three stages, so you
don’t have to torment yourself with the thought that you’ll never crunch
into a baguette again, or enjoy a roast potato with your Sunday lunch.
That’s what makes this approach sustainable long-term.

A short history of keto

The term ‘keto diet’ was first coined by Dr Russell Morse Wilder, a
physician based at the Mayo Clinic in the US. Dr Wilder wasn’t looking to
create a weight loss regime. He was looking for a diet that would help
children with epilepsy.
It had been known for more than a thousand years that fasting can help
treat epilepsy (as well as other health conditions, like diabetes), but for
children fasting was not a practical long-term solution.
So, Dr Wilder decided to see if he could produce the same effect by
putting children with epilepsy on a very low-carb diet, one where they
would eat just 15g a day, the rest of their calories coming from protein and
fat. He called it a keto diet because children, once they started on the diet,
started to produce high levels of ketones in their urine. He carried out the
first epilepsy trials using his new keto diet more than a hundred years ago,
in 1921, and they were a great success.
The keto diet worked so well it remained one of the main ways to treat
epilepsy until the discovery of effective drugs. It is still used for people with
epilepsy who don’t respond to medication. We don’t really know why it
works, but the combination of low carbs and high fat seem to reduce the
‘excitability’ of the brain, and therefore the tendency for seizures.
 So how and when did a diet aimed at people with epilepsy become a
wildly popular way of losing weight? If you go to ‘Google trends’ and type
in the word ‘keto diet’, you will see that there was very little searching for
this term until December 2016, when interest exploded. Some of this is
thanks to Dr Dominic D’Agostino, an associate professor at the University
of South Florida, and an expert in neuropharmacology. Between 2015 and
2017, he appeared in a number of hugely popular American podcasts,
including ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ (listened to by over 30 million
people worldwide). The main focus of Dr D’Agostino’s work is trying to
understand how a ketogenic diet protects the brain, and also how it may
have a role in protecting people from cancer. He follows a keto diet himself.
Soon after those podcasts went out, Kourtney Kardashian announced that
she was ‘going keto’ and the rest, as they say, is history.

The pros and cons of going keto

Let’s start with weight loss, as that is what a lot of people are using it for,
and for which it can be extremely effective. A number of studies have
shown that when you go into ketosis you feel less hungry, lose weight and
shed body fat. This may be due to an effect of ketones on your appetite
hormones, your brain or perhaps on your gut microbiota. Most likely, it is a
combination of all of these. Other changes that have been seen in short-term
trials include rapid falls in cholesterol, blood sugar levels and blood
pressure.
The short-term benefits of a keto diet, then, can be impressive. However,
in studies which run for a year or longer, scientists have found that,
although short-term results are good, by the end of a year many of those
initially allocated to a keto diet are no longer doing it. The problem with
standard keto is it can be hard to stick to. When you cut out the carbs you
have to anticipate some fairly strong cravings for carb-heavy foods like
bread and potatoes.
That is not to say it can’t be done. If you have found that a keto diet helps
your epilepsy or has reversed your Type 2 diabetes, you may well be able to
resist the lure of carbs and find, with time, that your cravings diminish.
Another criticism of keto is that you are encouraged to eat lots of red
meat, cream and bacon, which is not only bad for the planet (producing
these foods tends to generate a lot of greenhouse gases) but also unlikely to
be good for your health, if consumed for a prolonged period.
The answer to this is to modify your diet, make it healthier and more
sustainable, by going for keto-friendly foods that are high in healthy fats,
like olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds and fatty fish. This sort of adjustment
does make long-term keto an option. But in my view, going keto long-term
is not ideal, and is best left to those who benefit from it for health reasons,
like epilepsy or Type 2 diabetes.
If you want to lose weight and improve your metabolic health, then,
based on lots of studies, I think the best thing you can do is go on a low-
calorie keto diet for a limited period to kick-start rapid weight loss; then
switch to a more sustainable intermittent fasting pattern, before moving on
to a lowish-carb Mediterranean-style diet, a way of eating backed by a huge
body of research showing just how good it is for the heart and brain.
Most keto diets don’t restrict calories, but my plan does because studies
show this is the most effective way to get into ketosis and lose weight, fast.
And when it is done in stages, with a gradual introduction of more carbs
and calories, the weight loss and other beneficial changes are also more
likely to be sustained.

How low is low calorie?

Over the last few years, there have been a number of studies which have
looked at the benefits of going on a short-term, very-low-calorie keto diet
(VLCKD). Typically, they involve two to three months on very-low-calorie
meal replacement shakes (600–800 calories a day). These shakes normally
contain less than 50g of carbs and at least 50g of protein a day. After Stage
1, you spend a couple more months upping your carbs and calories and
gradually eating more normal food.
A meta-analysis, published in 2020, looked at 12 studies that used this
approach and concluded that it is a safe and very effective way to help
people who are overweight or obese shed the fat and improve their
metabolic health.30
Average weight loss among those who stuck to the diet for eight weeks
was 15kg, and there were additional impressive reductions in waist size
(down by nearly five inches, or 12.6cm), blood sugars, total cholesterol,
blood fats and blood pressure. Around 7% of people who started these
studies dropped out, which was similar to the drop-out rate in the control
groups, who followed a standard low-calorie diet. Side effects were also
similar.
Most of these studies were relatively short-term, but one followed
patients for two years and, though there was a bit of weight regain, the
results were still impressive.31
Not only had those who were initially on the VLCKD kept off an average
of 12.5kg, after two years, but they had shrunk their waists by almost 11cm
and lost three times as much visceral fat as those on a standard low-calorie
diet.
The Fast 800 Keto is not as low calorie as some of these programmes. In
fact, there are two key differences between the approach used in these
VLCKD studies and my plan. First, although you can use meal replacement
shakes for some meals if you wish, we encourage you to cook and eat real
food, based on our recipes. That way you will be better prepared for when
you move to Stage 2 of the diet (which lifts the calorie restriction and
reintroduces complex carbohydrates), having built up a repertoire of easy,
healthy core meals that you can tweak and add to.
Secondly, we recommend that you do not go as low calorie as is
demanded by a VLCKD. On our diet you should aim to eat 800–900
calories a day, and no less than that, because we have found this is enough
to effect dramatic weight loss, and to instigate the healthy benefits of
fasting, without leaving you feeling so hungry that you struggle to stick to
the plan. This is the basis of our menus. And indeed, on hungry days, you
can also choose from a range of protein add-ons to help get you through
without compromising your weight loss success.
Just to be clear: eating less than 800 calories a day for many weeks
counts as a very low-calorie diet (anything over 800 is, technically, a low-
calorie diet), and should, ideally, be medically supervised.

But what about starvation mode?

One of the common worries about any diet, particularly one which involves
rapid weight loss, is that your body will be so desperate to hold onto its fat
that you will go into ‘starvation mode’. The fear is that as a result, your
metabolic rate, the number of calories your body needs to keep you alive,
will fall dramatically, so you end up worse off than you were when you
started.
This fear is based, in large part, on the Minnesota Starvation Experiment,
a study carried out at the University of Minnesota in the 1940s. For this
experiment, a group of young volunteers agreed to go on a semi-starvation
diet for 24 weeks, so that scientists could study the impact of this on their
bodies and minds.32
The volunteers, who were already slim, were kept on a low-calorie diet
(around 1500 calories a day), consisting largely of potatoes, turnips, bread
and macaroni. This was to mimic the sort of diet being eaten by wartime
refugees in Europe. The volunteers lost a lot of weight and the diet had a
terrible impact on their mood, with one volunteer getting so depressed he
cut off three of his own fingers with an axe. Their metabolic rate crashed,
and when they were allowed to eat again, they gorged and gorged.
But, although this experiment is often cited as an example of why you
shouldn’t diet, what it really demonstrated were the dangers of not eating
enough protein. The diet the volunteers were on was incredibly low in fat
and protein, so it is not surprising they reacted so badly to it.
Contrary to accepted wisdom, when it comes to weight loss, whether you
do it fast or slowly, there is very little evidence that people go into
‘starvation mode’. While it is true that when you lose weight your
metabolic rate slows down, it is mainly because you are carrying less
weight around than you were before you started.
The big question is, does dieting slow your metabolic rate down to an
even greater extent than you’d predict, based simply on your weight? This
is known as ‘metabolic adaptation’ and if it happens you will almost
certainly find it harder to keep the weight off, long-term.
The answer is, it largely depends on how you lose the weight.
Surprisingly enough, while a low-calorie keto diet has been shown to
preserve your metabolic rate, a low-fat diet, involving lots of exercise, can
lead to some dramatic and what appear to be permanent falls. Let’s look at
the evidence.
In some of the recent studies in which patients were allocated to a
VLCKD, of the sort I described earlier, researchers not only measured
changes in weight but also tracked what happened to the patients’ metabolic
rate. In a recent Spanish trial, for example, where obese patients lost 20kg
in four months, researchers measured the patients’ metabolic rate at the
beginning and end of the study. They found no evidence of ‘metabolic
adaptation’. In other words the patients’ metabolic rate at the end was just
what you would predict based on their new weight.
When I made the ‘Lose a Stone’ series for Channel 4, we found the same
thing. We retested our five volunteers six months after their initial dramatic
weight loss and not only had they maintained that weight loss but their
metabolic rate was exactly what you would expect. There was no sign of
metabolic adaptation, let alone ‘starvation mode’.
The results of the Biggest Loser Experiment were very different.

The Biggest Loser Experiment

The Biggest Loser was a TV series which ran for many years. It involved
very overweight contestants competing to see who could lose the most
weight in a short amount of time. They did this by going on a low-fat diet
and doing huge amounts of exercise. By the end of each 30-week series,
one contestant was crowned the winner. The average weight loss among the
successful contestants was around 58kg. But some smart researchers from
the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
wanted to see what happened to them in the long term, particularly to their
metabolic rate.33
So the scientists measured the weight and metabolic rate of 14 of the
contestants at the beginning of the competition, then revisited them six
years later.
What they found was that although the contestants had regained most of
the weight they’d lost, they had still kept off around 17kg. But the bad news
was that since the start of filming, their metabolic rates had fallen
dramatically. They were now, on average, burning 500 calories a day less
than you would expect for someone of their weight and level of activity. In
other words, their metabolic rate had slowed down and stayed down. Why
might this be?
No one really knows, but strangely enough there is evidence that if you
do lots of exercise your body responds by trying to save energy, and it does
this by making your overall metabolic rate fall. This is the opposite of what
we’ve been led to believe.
In a recent study, scientists from the University of Roehampton carefully
tracked the calories burnt by more than 1750 volunteers while they were
going about their normal lives. Although the volunteers used up more
calories while they were exercising, which is what you would expect, their
bodies then compensated for this by burning fewer calories than normal
when they were doing things like sleeping!34
The scientists found that regular exercise slowed the basal metabolic rate,
or BMR (the calories needed to keep their bodies ticking over), of slim
people by 28%. The situation was much worse in those who were
overweight or obese; in them, only half the calories they burnt while doing
exercise translated into real calorie loss at the end of the day. Which means
that, far from burning, say, 120 calories every time you run a mile, once you
account for the impact that running has on reducing your overall metabolic
rate, you are only really burning 60 calories.
All of which sounds rather depressing, but it is actually very liberating.
The truth is, you don’t have to do lots of exercise to lose weight. I am not
going to ask you to take up running or to spend hours at the gym as part of
this programme.
Instead, to lose weight, fast, and preserve your metabolic rate, I am going
to ask you to start on a keto diet and then slowly build up your activity
levels. This will include doing more walking and some resistance exercises,
which you can do at home, in just a few minutes. Don’t get me wrong. In
the long term, becoming more active is a great way to boost your mood, cut
your risk of heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes and give your sex life
a boost. But, by itself, exercise is not an effective way to lose weight. More
on exercise in Chapter 7.

Summary
• The Fast 800 Keto diet is a great way to start your weight loss journey,
because you swiftly go into ketosis, and when that happens you start to
burn fat, fast.
• Research shows that there are multiple benefits to being on a keto diet,
short-term, but the jury is still out about its benefits in the longer term.
• Going keto can certainly be a life-changer if you have epilepsy or Type 2
diabetes, but many people struggle to stick to it. That’s why I
recommend starting with a low-calorie keto diet, then switching to
intermittent fasting, before moving on to a low-carb Med-style diet for
long-term weight loss maintenance.
• Remember, by far the best way to lose weight is by changing the way
you eat. Exercise is more about fitness and wellbeing. The next chapter
goes into much more detail about how to do each stage of the journey.

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 4
The Fast 800 Keto programme

Now you’ve read all about the many fantastic reasons to follow the Fast
800 Keto programme, you’re probably keen to get started.
If you are familiar with my original Fast 800 programme, some elements
of this new regime might seem familiar, but I’ve introduced a number of
important changes, which should make it not only more effective, but much
easier to do.

Stage 1: rapid weight loss

The first and most impactful part of the plan is the keto phase, and it’s also
the simplest. You just need to stick to a low-carb regime of 800–900
calories a day for anything up to 12 weeks. Do this, and you should, at least
initially, lose weight at the rate of around 2kg (4lb 6oz) a week (though it
will slow down a bit – more on this later).
The combination of low calorie and low carb will ensure that you very
rapidly move into ketosis – where you start using your stores of body fat as
your main energy source. The first fat to go will be visceral fat, the fat
around your tummy, which is also clogging up your internal organs, such as
your liver and your pancreas. As that fat disappears, your waist will shrink
and your metabolic health will improve. Like the people you’ll meet in this
book, you should soon see significant improvements in blood pressure,
blood sugars and cholesterol, as well as your mood and energy levels. In the
first four weeks, you can reasonably expect to lose up to 7kg (a stone), most
of it fat.
The easiest way to do the diet is to use our recipes, which are designed to
put you into ketosis – fast. They are high in protein and low in carbs, as
well as low in calories, and are packed with fibre and nutrients, so you
won’t go hungry. They are also extremely tasty and very easy to prepare.
 That said, if you prefer to make your own meals, that is fine too. The
important thing is to ensure you are sticking to the calorie count, while also
getting enough protein and not overdoing the carbs. I will give you some
tips on how to do this in the next section.

A word on calories

For the Fast 800 diet, we recommended you stick to 800 calories a day on
the rapid weight loss phase. But with this diet, you can be a bit more
relaxed about your calorie intake – eating 800–900, and even on the odd
day up to 1000 calories. This is because the combination of restricting your
calories with going very low carb/keto will put you into ketosis even if you
are taking in slightly more food.
This does not mean you can go mad. Our meal plans at the back of the
book offer you daily menus adding up to between 800 and 900 calories. But
we want you to feel free on some days to add small amounts of high-
protein/high-fat, keto-friendly add-ons, such as a spoonful of Greek
yoghurt, a stick of cheese, some extra tofu or nuts (see add-on options). In
our view, including a healthy add-on is far, far better than giving into a
craving and reaching for a pastry, a chocolate bar or a packet of crisps.

Low carb does not mean no carb

Although this initial phase is very low carb, it is not no carb. On the Fast
800 Keto, we recommend you enjoy carbs in the most filling and nutritious
form possible – in vegetables, and in small quantities of complex carbs such
as chickpeas and pulses, nuts and seeds, all of which are built into the
recipes.
And, because the nutritional benefits of salads and green leafy vegetables
massively outweigh any downsides of adding a few extra calories or carbs,
we believe you should pile your plate high with them in all three stages of
the Fast 800 Keto plan. Drizzling them with a little extra-virgin olive oil is
fine, too. These are all keto-friendly foods.
Remember, to achieve ketosis you have to stop feeding your body carbs
that can be easily converted into sugar in the blood. Which means, for this
stage of the diet, all bread, cereals, cakes, biscuits, pasta and potatoes are
off the table, out of the house or given to the neighbours.
 We also recommend you avoid starchy vegetables and most fruit (apart
from berries, which are not only a great source of nutrients, but also packed
with fibre, so, when eaten in small quantities, can be digested more slowly
without compromising your body’s ketogenic state). Unfortunately, a
biscuit or a small bar of chocolate could be enough to tip your body out of
ketosis and back into sugar-burning mode.

The Rule of 50

Whichever approach you decide on – following our recipes or designing

your own – you need to keep a close eye on your ‘macros’, that is, the
amount of protein and carbs you are consuming.
During the rapid weight loss stage of the diet, you are aiming to consume
at least 50g of protein a day, but to keep your daily carb intake at less than
50g. I call it the Rule of 50.
The meal plans at the back of the book have been carefully calibrated to
achieve this. Our recipes also show you, at a glance, how many grams of
protein and how many grams of carbs there are in any given dish. If you’re
going it alone and making your own dishes, as long as you know the Rule
of 50, it shouldn’t be too difficult to work out your own menu plan. Just
check the protein and carb content on the packaging of any given item, or
look it up online (e.g. one chicken breast is 31g of protein per 100g, a 100g
tin of tuna contains 28g of protein). Don’t feel too worried if you are
slightly out on any given day – you just need to aim for an average <50g
carbs and >50g protein over a typical week.

Protein in every meal, but not to excess

The reason we are keener than ever that you have plenty of protein on your
plate every time you eat is that, as I explained in Chapter 2, protein is a key
driver of hunger and, unlike fat and carbs, it is not stored by your body. So
making sure you have decent levels of high-quality protein will not only
help you to maintain your muscle mass but also keep your appetite
suppressed. However, a word of caution. In Stage 1, you also have to put
limits on how much protein you eat, because if you eat much more than you
need your body will convert any excess into sugar (by a process called
gluconeogenesis), which could sabotage your attempts to go into ketosis. It
is a balancing act.
 As you transition to Stages 2 and 3, you will be increasing your daily
protein intake. Later in this chapter, I will explain how.

Two meals or three?

Throughout each phase of the Fast 800 Keto plan, you get to choose
whether you prefer two meals a day or three. Many people find having two
slightly larger meals each day is more convenient and satisfying than three
smaller meals. One popular pattern is having a late breakfast, skipping
lunch, then eating an early evening meal. Try the different approaches and
see what works for you.
The advantage of going for two meals like this is that you are doing
Time-Restricted Eating (TRE), a form of intermittent fasting in which you
eat your day’s meals within a narrower time window. This is a great way of
boosting the impact of ketosis, and the evidence for its general health
benefits is growing.
The original TRE studies were on rats, and it took a while for human
studies to get going. In fact, I was involved with one of the first human TRE
studies, carried out by Dr Jonathan Johnston of the University of Surrey.35
For this study, which was published in 2018 in the Journal of Nutritional
Sciences, he recruited 16 healthy volunteers and measured their body fat,
blood sugar and cholesterol levels. They were then randomly assigned to
TRE or a control group.
The TRE people were asked to stick to their normal diet but to move
their breakfast 90 minutes later, and their dinner time 90 minutes earlier.
This meant that for three extra hours each day they were without food (i.e.
fasting). Everyone kept a food and sleep diary to ensure they were eating
the same amount as normal.
Ten weeks later, they repeated the tests. They found that the group who
had eaten breakfast later and dinner earlier had, on average, each lost
around 1.6kg of body fat. They had also seen bigger falls in blood sugar and
cholesterol than the control group.
A more recent study did something similar. This time, researchers took
19 overweight volunteers with metabolic syndrome (raised blood sugar,
blood pressure and cholesterol) and asked them to eat within a 10-hour
window (i.e. a form of TRE known as 14:10). Although the recruits were
asked to eat as much as normal, many of them said they were eating less,
due to the shorter eating window. Extending their overnight fast also led to
a significant reduction in body fat, blood pressure and total cholesterol.
Blood sugar and insulin levels also improved.36
At the back of the book, you’ll see a series of meal plans offering you a
choice of two or three meals a day. Either way, you can be confident all
your nutrients will have been calculated for you, and your total calories for
the day will have added up to between 800 and 900. Add as many non-
starchy vegetables as you like.

What about meal replacement shakes?

Although it is preferable, as explained in Chapter 3, to try to cook most

meals from scratch, meal replacement shakes can be very helpful because
you don’t have to worry about counting calories for every single meal. They
are particularly helpful when you are dashing out first thing in the morning,
or you need something to take to work for lunch.
Our range of shakes, available at thefast800.com, come in a variety of
flavours, are very low in carbs and contain plenty of high-quality protein, as
well as decent amounts of fibre.
You buy them in 500g packets, which each provide 10 meals. A 50g
shake – made up of five scoops of powder mixed with 300ml water –
provides 199 calories, and makes a surprisingly filling breakfast, lunch or
evening meal, containing 22g of good-quality protein, 7g of fibre and just
5g of carbs, as well as a quarter of all your daily vitamin and mineral needs.
Instead of water, you can mix the shake powders with a cup of almond
milk. This gives it a creamier texture, a bit more protein and fibre, very few
carbs (1.8g) and adds just 39 calories. Unfortunately, you can’t use cow’s
milk because it is far more calorific and contains lots of natural sugars.

Using keto sticks

When you start the Fast 800 Keto, it is likely to take four or five days,
perhaps a little longer, for your body to go into ketosis, and you will be
understandably keen to find out when the magic moment happens.
One of the best ways of keeping an eye on your progress is by using keto
strips. These are thin strips of plastic with an active agent on one end, and
are cheap and easy to use. You can buy them online, or in pharmacies. They
come with full instructions, but basically you dip the end of the strip into
your urine stream or into a clean container holding a fresh sample of your
urine, and then compare any colour change with a colour chart on the side
of the packet. The darker the colour, the higher your ketone levels. You are
aiming for what is called ‘nutritional ketosis’, where the strips are telling
you that you are in ‘small’ or ‘moderate’ ketosis, not ‘large’ ketosis.
These strips were originally created for people with Type 1 diabetes, to
detect diabetic ketoacidosis, a dangerous and potentially life-threatening
condition. This is very different from nutritional ketosis, and happens when
your body isn’t capable of producing enough insulin to bring your blood
sugars down. This should not happen on a keto diet, but if your ketone
levels are registering as very high, you might want to introduce a few more
carbs into your diet.
You can also measure your ketone levels by pricking your finger and
testing your blood, or using a keto breathalyser; but these methods are more
expensive.
I found using keto strips, while doing the diet, was enormously
motivating, and that’s what lots of other people have told me. It is genuinely
exciting seeing the strips change colour and a surprisingly useful deterrent
if you are tempted by a biscuit. (I remember thinking to myself, ‘If I eat that
biscuit then I will no longer be in a state of ketosis and I won’t be seeing a
colour change next time I go to the loo. How disappointing that would be’.)

Becoming more active

Although many people will be turning to the Fast 800 Keto to lose weight
fast – and this is the best possible way to do that! – your main goal should
be to improve your overall health. Losing weight is good, but being more
active is very important too. I am not asking you to run a marathon (which
would be an extremely bad idea while on a rapid weight loss diet) but
everyone on this plan benefits significantly from increasing their activity
levels.
As I will show you in Chapter 7, by combining resistance and aerobic
exercises with a higher-protein diet, you will be improving your aerobic
fitness, as well as preserving your muscle mass.
Just as important, becoming more active will boost your mood and
improve your sleep (you will find more on this in Chapter 6). All of which
will keep you on track when it comes to following the diet, and will also
help you maintain weight loss, long-term.

How long should I stick to Stage 1?

This very much depends on your reasons for following the diet and how
you feel on it. If you are only carrying a few kilos of excess weight, or you
want to get your eating habits back on track after a holiday or a period of
indulgence, then a few weeks on Stage 1 might be enough. But if you have
been warned that your blood sugar levels are too high, if you have Type 2
diabetes, or if you have quite a bit of weight to lose, it is safe for you to stay
on Stage 1 for longer, but no more than 12 weeks. Although people have
stayed on 800-calorie-a-day diets for longer than 12 weeks, they are
normally under medical supervision.
Once you have decided it is time to move on, you can switch to Stage 2
and continue to lose weight, though more slowly. Be warned that when you
first come off a strict keto diet you typically put on a bit of weight, almost
all of it water. That’s because, as your glycogen sugar stores rebuild, they
trap water. So, expect the numbers on the scales to stand still for a while, or
even rise a bit. You will still feel good and your waist won’t suddenly
expand, but the numbers probably won’t go on falling at the rate you have
got used to.
The other point worth repeating is that this programme is really flexible
and you can, of course, skip Stage 2 and go straight to Stage 3, which is the
long-term weight maintenance phase, designed to keep your weight stable.
Again, expect a temporary weight blip as your body takes on more water.
Switching over (and switching back) can be done at any time that suits you.

Stage 2: intermittent fasting

For Stage 2 of the Fast 800 Keto, I recommend that you follow, at least
initially, a 3:4 plan. This means being strict with yourself, sticking to your
‘fasting days’ of 800–900 calories a day on a very low-carb diet on four
days a week (Monday to Thursday), and then taking a more relaxed
approach over the weekend: eating normally, without counting calories, but
adding in more protein and more complex carbs, and generally being
careful.
 This is a popular form of intermittent fasting. In previous books (such as
The Fast 800), I have written extensively about the science behind
intermittent fasting, so I won’t go into it in great depth here. The basic idea
is that you cut your calories a few days a week (if it’s four days, then it is
3:4; if it is two days then it is 5:2), and otherwise eat normally. You still
lose weight, albeit more slowly than on the rapid weight loss stage; you still
switch on your body’s reboot and repair mechanisms; and you will get
health benefits from continuing to regularly flip the metabolic switch, going
between burning sugar and burning fat. (If you are interested in learning
more about the benefits of intermittent fasting, I recommend an article
written by one of my scientific heroes, Professor Mark Mattson, and
published in the New England Journal of Medicine – ‘Effects of
intermittent fasting on health, ageing and disease’ – which provides an
excellent summary of some of the latest research and is available, free,
online.)37

The 3:4 plan

The 3:4 approach is based on feedback from the more than 44,000 people
who have done our online Fast 800 programme. Many of them, after doing
really well on Stage 1, have felt nervous about going straight on to 5:2,
where you stick to 800 calories two days a week. This seemed like too big a
step. So we have introduced 3:4 as an option, and the feedback has been
excellent. It is what Adrian and Katie from ‘Lose a Stone’ did (see here and
here); it is also what Curtis still does (see here). They, and others, have
found this 3:4 pattern fits best into their busy working lives.
If you stick to a keto diet during the week, and add more protein and
carbs at the weekend (and even the occasional alcoholic drink), you will be
doing what is known as ‘keto cycling’, regularly flipping the metabolic
switch and going in and out of ketosis. This is what our bodies evolved to
do naturally and the more you do it the easier it gets. Research done with
male athletes has shown that, as well as being a stepping-stone from full-on
keto to something that is more sustainable long-term, keto cycling leads to
more muscle growth, higher levels of testosterone and better performance
when combined with resistance exercises.38

Upping your carbs and protein

On the three days a week when you are not being so strict with your
calories, we recommend you move to eating a healthy, Mediterranean-style
diet, one that includes more carbs (somewhere between 50 and 120g a day)
and more protein.
The carbs you add in should be fibre-rich ‘complex carbohydrates’ (so
called because the body metabolises them slowly), including root
vegetables (carrots, butternut squash, sweet potato), wholegrains, lentils and
beans. You can occasionally include a slice of brown seeded or sourdough
bread, a healthy dessert or a piece of fruit. At the end of many of the recipes
in this book you’ll see we have also included ‘non-fast day’ options with
suggestions for healthy protein ‘add-ons’, such as a tablespoonful of Greek
yoghurt, some cheese, or a handful of edamame beans. Some recipes allow
you to double the size of your portions.
Incidentally, key to the success of this stage of the diet is keeping your
fasting days consecutive, so your body has a chance to go into ketosis and
stay there. Your body will swiftly adapt to this new regime and you will
find that you flick in and out of ketosis each week without any difficulty
and without experiencing side effects, like keto flu. You will also find your
cravings have diminished, which means you will find it easier to avoid
sugary foods and processed carbs.

Adding in Time-Restricted Eating (TRE)

For Stage 2, if you haven’t already done so, we encourage you to introduce
an element of TRE.
I recommend establishing a pattern you can comfortably manage, long-
term. Start with 12:12 (which means fasting for 12 hours and eating within
a 12-hour window each day – for instance between 8am and 8pm), but aim
to widen your fasting window if you can.
The easiest way to start is to aim to stop eating at least three hours before
bed, and then not eat again until at least an hour after you wake up. You can
obviously drink water and a splash of milk in tea or coffee is fine, but don’t
overdo it.
In the evenings, when you have stopped eating, you can have as many
calorie-free drinks as you want – water, herbal teas, etc – but, obviously, no
alcohol!

When to move on to Stage 3

The obvious answer to this is when you reach your target weight or have
reached whatever other goal you may have set yourself. However, be aware
that if you are trying to reverse Type 2 diabetes, you should be aiming to
lose at least 10% of your body weight, and you should continue dieting
even if your blood sugars return to normal before you achieve that amount
of weight loss. This is because lower blood sugar levels do not in
themselves necessarily mean that you have fully reversed your Type 2 and
got your pancreas back on track. Professor Roy Taylor (who is leading the
field with research on reversing Type 2 diabetes through rapid weight loss)
has shown that the pancreas can take up to a year to fully recover.
Some people find that, rather than suddenly moving from Stage 2 to
Stage 3, it works better to gradually increase the amount of carbs in their
diet until their weight loss starts to slow. At this point they know they have
reached their own personal carb threshold – i.e. the amount of carbs they
can safely eat before they start to put on weight again. Everyone’s threshold
is different. It can be high, or it can be low. But it can only be judged by
trial and error. Knowing our threshold is a useful step towards maintaining a
healthy weight for life.

Stage 3: the long-term maintenance plan

This stage is about going back to normal eating, but not to the way you used
to eat before. Do that and you will undermine all the hard work you have
done. Instead, I would suggest that you move on to a relatively low-carb,
high-protein Med-style diet, which is the most effective way not only to
keep the weight off long-term, but also to reduce your risk of heart disease,
cancer, Type 2 diabetes and dementia. It is a way of eating that has been
shown to reduce depression and anxiety, as well as improve sleep.
Research shows that if you stick to a lowish-carb Med-style diet – to
recap: one which includes plenty of oily fish, nuts, olive oil, vegetables,
legumes, yoghurt and fruit, and modest amounts of complex carbs, such as
brown rice, lentils and beans – you can stop counting calories and will not
regain the weight you have so diligently lost, while still enjoying the
occasional glass of wine or slice of cake.
This is how I live my life. Unlike my wife, Clare, I am not naturally slim.
I have to keep an eye on my weight and my waist, or I would balloon. By
sticking to a healthy Med-style diet, and doing the odd fasting day to
compensate if I have overindulged or I feel my trousers pinching, I manage
to keep my weight, waist, blood sugars and blood pressure down, without
calorie counting. You will find much more on how to follow a Med-style
diet in Chapter 6.

Upping your protein further

Now that you are not on a calorie-restricted phase of the diet, you should
increase your protein levels again. Ideally, you should now be eating 1g of
protein per kilo of your body weight. In other words, if you are 80kg, like
me, by Stage 3 you should be eating between 80 and 120g of protein a day,
which is considerably more than you will have been doing in Stage 1.
If you eat a couple of eggs for breakfast, that is 12g of protein. A
smallish bit of fish for lunch with some lentils is around 30g, and if you
have grilled chicken and veggies for your evening meal that is another 40g.
All of which takes you above 80g for the day.
Eating more protein keeps me on the straight and narrow – it means my
muscles and bones have the amino acids they need, and I’m much less
likely to be tempted by cravings.

Keeping the weight off long-term

Many people believe that long-term weight loss is next to impossible; I

have heard over and over again that 99% of diets fail and that people who
go on them end up as fat, if not fatter, than when they started. I’m not sure
what the origin of this myth is, but it may be a study published in 1957 in
which 100 people with obesity were put on a diet and two years later 98 of
them had put on most or all of the weight they had lost.
There are lots of crazy diets out there, many promoted by celebrities, and
most of them will undoubtedly fail. But even a cursory read through recent
research will show you that if you follow a decent diet (one which has some
science behind it), there is a good chance you will keep some, or most, of
that weight off. And, contrary to what many people believe, rapid weight
loss diets can be more effective in the short, medium and long term.
That’s because losing weight, fast, is very motivating and many studies
have shown that the amount of weight that you lose in the first four weeks
of a diet is a powerful predictor of how you will do, long-term.
 A meta-analysis by American researchers looked at dozens of studies in
which standard advice had been compared with a rapid weight loss
approach, and where they had followed participants for up to five years.
The researchers found that people following a rapid weight loss approach
were more successful ‘at all years of follow-up’. At the five-year follow-up,
they found that 58% of men and 48% of women had kept off at least 5% of
their body weight, which is enough to make a big difference in terms of
health.39
In the next two chapters, you will read a lot more about how to plan for
and follow the different stages of this diet, and, crucially, how to turn the
core principles of the programme into a way of life.

The Fast 800 Keto at a glance

How to fast What to eat
Stage 1 800–900 cals a day Real food (see recipes)
Rapid for up to 12 weeks, or meal replacement
weight loss with the possibility of shakes, based on eating
protein add-ons more than 50g protein
taking you up to 1000 and less than 50g carbs
cals when needed. a day.
Stage 2 800–900 cals, a few On fast days: real food
Intermittent days a week (ideally (see recipes) or shakes.
fasting: the on consecutive days), On non-fast days: Med-
3:4 or the taking a more relaxed style diet, upping your
5:2 approach on non- protein to 60–80g and
fasting days; and practising some portion
adding in TRE. control.
Stage 3 No calorie counting, Healthy Med-style diet,
Maintenance though you need to with more protein than
keep an eye on your before: 90–100g a day
weight and waist. for men, 70–80g for
women.

OceanofPDF.com
 5
It’s all in the preparation

As you will have gathered from the outline of the Fast 800 Keto
programme in the previous chapter, the initial rapid weight loss stage will
represent a short, sharp change to your current eating and drinking lifestyle.
In my experience, you are far more likely to be successful if you take a bit
of time to plan for how you are going to manage it in advance. This really is
important. As the great Benjamin Franklin, scientist, diplomat and one of
the founding fathers of the United States, eloquently put it, ‘By failing to
prepare, you are preparing to fail.’ Here are some of the key things that you
would be wise to do before you start.

Speak to your doctor

If you have any concerns about your health, or if you have a lot of weight to
lose (anything over 2 stone, or 15kg), it’s a good idea to talk to your GP or a
health professional before starting on the Fast 800 Keto plan. This is
particularly important if you are taking medication, as the dramatic changes
in body composition that are very likely to result from being on this diet
might affect the dosage of any medication you are on.
If you have Type 2 diabetes, your blood sugar levels will come down,
often within days, so if you are on medication you will need a plan in place
for reducing it accordingly.
If you have high blood pressure, losing weight may mean you are able to
reduce or even come off tablets completely. I’d advise getting a home blood
pressure measuring kit. If you start feeling dizzy it can be a sign that you
are over-medicated. Your GP should be happy to help monitor your
progress and work with you to taper off your medicines as and when
appropriate.
My hope is that most doctors will be delighted that you are taking
responsibility for your own health but some might not approve of rapid
weight loss. If so, point out that recent studies show rapid weight loss can
be more successful than slower methods, long-term. If you think it is
helpful, do print out or offer to email your GP links to key research which
you can find at https://thefast800.com/health-professionals/.
Those of you with Type 2 diabetes might also suggest your doctor look at
a link on the Newcastle University website, which includes a factsheet for
doctors written by Professor Roy Taylor (one of the UK’s leading diabetes
specialists).40
I know a lot of doctors who have themselves followed earlier versions of
my Fast 800 plan, lost lots of weight and now recommend it to their
patients.
Having said that, we don’t recommend this diet plan if you are under 18,
underweight, have a history of eating disorders, are pregnant or
breastfeeding, have a significant psychiatric disorder or medical condition,
including epilepsy and gallstones, or are on certain medications. It is also
not appropriate if you are recovering from surgery, or if you are generally
frail.

Clear the decks

I’m the first to admit that when it comes to sweet treats, I have almost zero
willpower, and I find that, in the words of Oscar Wilde, once I have been
tempted, ‘The only way to get rid of the temptation is to yield to it. Resist it,
and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to
itself.’
The truth is that willpower is hugely overrated and relying on it is one of
the main reasons why so many diets fail. If you’ve spent years eating
whatever you like, whenever you like, your old habits are likely to be hard
to break.
You have to create an environment in which it is easier to succeed than to
fail. This may mean changing your route to work, your kids’ school or the
gym to avoid passing your favourite coffee shop where you buy your frothy
coffee and muffin (a cappuccino and muffin easily add up to 500 calories).
And it almost certainly means clearing your house of tantalisingly tempting
junk food and ‘treats’. These include cakes, biscuits and sugary breakfast
cereals, as well as crisps and other savoury snacks. I want you also to keep
clear of alcohol, at least for the first month, so whether you pour your booze
down the sink, give it to your friends or put it in a cupboard, out of sight, is
up to you.
For me, it is relatively easy to steer clear of temptation as our children are
grown up and have all left home and my wife, Clare, does not have a sweet
tooth. But what do you do if your partner insists on keeping biscuits in the
house and eating crisps in front of you? Or if your kids say, ‘I’m starving’
as soon as they get back from school, and complain about the lack of
snacks?
This is a tough one, and your best bet is to try and get your friends and
family on board with what you are doing. The research shows that people
do better if they do it as a couple, and I have seen countless cases where
because one person decided to give the diet a go, other members of the
family joined in and were amazed by the changes.
As for the kids, well, they really don’t need to be eating junk food any
more than you do, and by removing ultra-processed foods from the house
you will be doing them a favour, long-term. If you learn healthy eating
habits when you are a child, you are far more likely to be eating healthily
when you are an adult. Plus, you are creating a healthy microbiome for the
future.
When I was a child, we were allowed sweets once a week, which we
went out to buy at the local shop, and we only had biscuits or crisps as a
special treat.
If you find this is too challenging, then all I can suggest is that you put all
the junk in one cupboard and either lock it and give the key to your partner,
or put a large skull and crossbones on the door and hope that will deter you.
Remember, this diet is not forever; the key rapid weight loss stage is for 12
weeks, or less, and within a few weeks your cravings for junk should begin
to fade.

Stock up with the healthy stuff

Once you have emptied your cupboards and fridge of any tempting junk
foods, it is time to fill these spaces with the healthy stuff. Take a look at the
recipes at the back of this book and decide what you are going to eat during
the first week of the diet, and write a list of the foods you are going to have
to buy. You might want to practise a few recipes before the diet itself
begins, just to reassure yourself that they are tasty and filling.
 If you have to travel, or go to work, you may also want to plan, well in
advance, what foods you can cook and take with you.
In the keto phase of the diet, you are going to be eating plenty of healthy
protein (fish, meat, tofu, etc). You will also be allowed generous amounts of
leafy green vegetables of all kinds (spinach, kale, cabbage, broccoli,
cauliflower, Brussels sprouts) and salad basics (lettuce, rocket, endive,
cucumber, tomatoes, pepper), drizzled with olive oil. You will need some
nuts for the occasional snack, and do stock up on eggs as, besides being one
of our favourite protein-rich breakfasts, a boiled egg makes a satisfying
high-protein, low-carb, low-calorie snack.
It is important that you try the recipes and cook from scratch as much as
you can, but there will always be moments when you simply don’t have
time for this. In those circumstances, having a supply of low-carb, high-
protein meal replacement shakes to hand can be invaluable. I’ve tried a lot
of meal replacement shakes and unfortunately most not only taste horrible
but are also surprisingly high in carbs. That’s why we created the Fast 800
range of shakes, which are all keto-friendly. If you fancy trying them out,
they are available on our website.

Record ‘before’ and ‘after’ measurements

You may encounter bumps along the road on this diet, and even find you
enter weight loss plateaus, so keeping ‘before’ and ‘after’ measurements is
vital for showing you how far you have come, and for occasionally
reminding yourself why you are doing this. Do make sure to write them
down (copy the chart template), either on paper, on your phone or
somewhere accessible.

Weigh yourself
Before you begin, I want you to weigh yourself and work out your Body
Mass Index (there are plenty of online calculators that will do this for you).
If you identify as White, then a BMI of 25 or over is considered
‘overweight’, while a BMI of 30 or over is considered ‘obese’. But if you
are from a Black, Asian or Hispanic ethnic background these numbers are
going to be lower.
In China and Japan, for example, you are considered overweight if your
BMI is 24 or more and obese if it is 28 or higher. In India, they are even
less generous. You are considered overweight with a BMI of 23 or more,
and obese with a BMI of 27 or over.
That’s because, as we saw with Adrian, if you have an Asian ethnic
background you are far more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes, heart
disease or hypertension than someone who identifies as White with the
same BMI.41

Measure your waist

BMI has its critics, not least because you can be slim and very muscular and
still have a high BMI. This is not a problem for most of us, but since we
know that where you store your fat is as important as how much you are
carrying, I do recommend you also measure your waist.
To do it properly, you first find the top of your hip and the bottom of your
ribs, then put a tape measure midway between those points. It should be just
above your belly button. Breathe out naturally before taking the
measurement – don’t hold your tummy in! Make sure it’s reasonably tight,
but isn’t digging into your skin.
You are measuring your waist because it is a good way of estimating your
levels of visceral fat, the fat which collects in your tummy and infiltrates
your internal organs when there is no more room to store it under your skin,
and which in turn is linked to metabolic syndrome.
Visceral fat is the fat I want you to lose. Broadly speaking, you can
expect to lose 1cm off your waistline for every kilo you lose, so the changes
you see with the tape measure will be much slower than those you see on
the scales. Try to measure your waist every couple of weeks (at the same
time each day) just to check you are moving in the right direction.
According to the British Heart Foundation, if you are a man, a waist size
below 94cm (37in) is considered low risk, while above that is high risk. For
women, low risk is below 80cm (31.5in), high risk is 80–88cm (31.5–
34.6in) and more than 88cm (34.6in) is considered very high.
But if you are ethnically African Caribbean, South Asian, Chinese or
Japanese, the numbers are lower. For men, a waist size below 90cm (35.4in)
is low risk, while women have to be below 80cm (31.5in) to be considered
low risk, and anything above is very high risk.
According to the most recent surveys, in the UK an alarming 80% of
middle-aged women and 70% of middle-aged men have a waist
measurement which puts them in the ‘high’ or ‘very high’ risk categories.
 If you don’t have a tape measure, another simple way to measure your
waist is to do the ‘string test’. You get some string, cut it to your height,
fold it in half, then see if it fits around your tummy. Your waist should,
ideally, be less than half your height. I am 180cm tall, so I try to keep my
waist below 90cm.

Test your blood pressure

Raised blood pressure – hypertension – is a common but hidden disease. A
third of British adults are hypertensive, rising to half of those over 65 (I am
64). All the contributors we tested for my TV series, ‘Lose a Stone’, had
raised blood pressure before beginning the programme.
High blood pressure puts a strain on your blood vessels, your heart and
other organs, including your brain and kidneys. But unless you’ve been
tested you won’t know if you have a problem because there are rarely any
symptoms. The first warning may be when you have a heart attack or
stroke.
I feel passionately about the dangers posed by raised blood pressure
because two close male friends – both of whom were younger than me –
have died as a result of untreated hypertension. I also have a strong family
history of heart attacks and strokes, so I know that I am at increased risk.
That’s why I keep a portable blood pressure monitor at home (you can
buy them for less than £20 from a chemist or online) and test myself at least
once a month.
Your blood pressure is a measure of how hard your heart has to work to
drive blood around your body. Mine hovers around 125/75, depending on
the time of day and how stressed I am feeling. When I put on weight (as I
did on the ultra-processed food diet I wrote about earlier), it shot up to
145/95, which is very unhealthy. The NHS says an ideal blood pressure is
between 90/60 and 120/80 – you’re considered to have high blood pressure
if your reading is 140/90 or higher.
The good news is that if you are hypertensive your blood pressure should
start to come down within weeks of starting the Fast 800 Keto programme.
If you can reduce your systolic blood pressure (that is the larger number) by
10 points, you cut your risk of having a stroke by 33% and your risk of a
heart attack by 20%.42
But I repeat: if you are on blood pressure medication you must talk to
your doctor before starting the programme, so they can adjust your
medication if necessary. Otherwise, there is a danger that you will feel dizzy
due to being over-medicated.

Take a photo

Before you start the diet, take a selfie or get a friend to take a photo of you.
Keep this somewhere safe so you can compare the outward changes. You
will want to show people the ‘before’ and ‘after’ in a few weeks’ time and
you’ll kick yourself if you haven’t got photographic evidence.
Your ‘before’ picture should also help you resist temptation when you
find yourself standing outside a bakery looking longingly at the pies. Before
you go in, remember that picture, and all the aches and pains that came with
it; instead, give an approving nod to your strong, slimmer reflection in the
window, throw back your shoulders and walk on by.

Keep a diary

Along with recording things like weight, waist and blood pressure, I
recommend you keep a dedicated notebook or have somewhere on your
phone to jot down how you are feeling, as well as ideas for recipes or tricks
that work for you, and any that don’t. Whatever you think might prove
useful.
It is also a good idea to write down the main reasons why you want to
lose weight. There will be times over the coming weeks and months when
you will experience moments of doubt and be tempted to stop and go back
to your old ways of living and eating, so it is important to clearly set out
your goals somewhere you can flick back to whenever you feel a wobble
coming on.

Garner support
If you want to maximise your chances of weight loss success, it is essential
you tell your friends and family about your plans and your reasons for
doing it. Making a public commitment like this means you are more likely
to stick to it, and you never know, someone might want to join you on the
programme – then you can buddy up and keep each other going.
If people know you are on this diet, they are more likely to be considerate
about what they eat around you and less likely to offer you ‘treat’ foods or
put temptation your way. Encourage them to try out the recipes with you –
they don’t have to stick to 800 calories per day (many of the recipes have
tips for how to adapt them for non-fast days), but the more you can do
together, the better.
Studies show that being part of a group – even if it’s just you and one
friend, a fasting buddy – will significantly improve your chances of success.
You can also join thefast800.com community, where you will get lots of
professional support.

Decide when to start!

You’ve bought this book, so you are obviously keen to lose weight. All you
need to do now is decide when. Choose a time when you can focus on it for
at least two weeks without too many distractions. It’s fine to keep working;
in fact, keeping busy will help, but better to have a period with fewer
pressing social engagements. You don’t want your 50th birthday or a
friend’s wedding to derail you just as you get into the swing of things. That
said, I know quite a few ‘mothers of the bride’ (and some fathers) who have
decided they need to go on this diet to get in shape for the big day.

Summary
• If you are frail, have a medical condition or are on medication, do see a
health professional before starting. And visit thefast800.com to see if
you are suitable for this approach.
• Measure your weight and your waist and use home test kits to measure
your blood pressure, so you can see the before and after changes.
• Clear the junk food out of your cupboards.
• Read the recipes at the back of this book, plan what you are going to eat
during the first week and buy the necessary ingredients. You might want
to practise cooking some of the meals in advance.
• Tell your friends and loved ones what you are doing and get their
support.

OceanofPDF.com
 6
The diet in practice: how to stay on track

So, you’ve done the preparation. You’ve decided on your goals, restocked
the cupboards, told your friends and family. Above all, you know why you
are doing this diet, how important it is for your health and happiness. This
chapter is all about what the diet feels like in practice; what to expect at
each stage; and how to stay motivated when you are struggling, or your
weight plateaus, or simply when life gets in the way. I will be offering you
lots of tips and advice on how to build a sustainable routine, as well as
inspirational stories from other Fast 800 Keto dieters, to help you stay on
track.

Stage 1: what to expect

How you’ll feel in the first two weeks

I won’t lie: it’s not easy to cut your calorie intake right back, when your
body (and brain) have spent most of your life eating so much more. You’re
going to have to go through a process of adjustment – but it is so going to
be worth it!
The first week or two are likely to be tough as your body adapts to fewer
calories and to flipping the metabolic switch, to burning fat rather than
sugar. The best way to minimise ‘carb withdrawal’ is by drinking lots and
lots of water. Tap water is fine, but it will probably be more enjoyable if
you keep a jug cooled in the fridge. A few slices of lemon will also jazz it
up. Any time you feel tempted to eat a snack, have a glass of cold water and
wait 10 minutes. I promise you, the cravings will pass.
Aim to drink a big glass of water when you wake up in the morning, a
big glass mid-morning and a glass with each meal. Black tea, herbal tea and
coffee are a good distraction, if you do feel hungry, but try not to have more
than four cups of coffee a day, as it may interfere with your sleep and push
up your blood pressure. If you want a splash of milk you would be better off
with something like almond milk, rather than cow’s milk. But no fruit juice
or smoothies.
If you are not drinking enough you may get headaches and become
constipated. You can also tell if you are getting dehydrated by looking at
your urine, which should be straw-coloured.
Basically, you should be drinking enough fluid so that you are going to
the loo to wee at least 6–7 times over a 24-hour period. After a leading
academic gave me this tip, I found myself logging whenever I went, and it
was always 5–6 times during the day, and once at night. You might want to
use going to the loo as a cue to do some press-ups and squats. Perhaps 10
press-ups and 10 squats after every loo break? That will really add up.

Katie’s story
Katie was one of the volunteers for my recent ‘Lose a Stone’ TV series.
When we first met, back in July 2020, she was 34 years old, a teacher and
married with two young kids, aged five and seven. When Katie was
younger, she was a keen dancer, with no worries about her weight or what
she ate. But after she had her children she not only became far less active,
but started eating more junk. Not wanting to waste food, she also began
eating whatever the kids left on the plate.
She slowly piled on the weight, and when we met, she was 89.8kg (14st
1lb), with a waist size of 102cm, putting her in the ‘obese’ range. The blood
tests we did also revealed that she was prediabetic, with an HBA1c of 43.3,
which is very bad news for someone that young.
Katie knew she needed to do something. She also knew that she would
not be able to stick to a standard, slow and steady diet. Nevertheless, when
she learnt she would be cutting down to just over 800 calories for three
weeks, she found that intimidating.

When I first heard it was going to be just over 800 calories a day, I
wondered if that was even possible. You think of 800 calories, and you
think that’s barely one meal. So, one of the first big surprises was
realising how much food you can have for 800 calories, if you follow
Clare’s recipes. I thought that I was going to get really hungry, but that
wasn’t the case. I was lucky that my husband, who is very interested in
food, was hugely supportive and volunteered to join me. So I would
 cook meals for us, and separate meals for the kids. It worked
surprisingly well.

She felt tired for the first few days of the diet, and ‘extremely grumpy’,
but, by Day 4, when her keto sticks began to change colour, her mood lifted
and she realised that she actually felt really good.

I found that having the keto sticks was really helpful, and extremely
motivating. It made me think, ‘Today is a good day, it’s a purple colour,
so don’t go and ruin it by having a snack.’

In just 10 days, Katie lost 4.5kg, and by the end of the 21-day programme
she had lost 7.7kg (1st 2lb) and was down to 82.1kg. Although some of that
weight loss was water, much of it was fat. She lost an impressive 12cm off
her waist and her HBA1c fell from 43.3 mmol/mol (prediabetic) to 33.5
mmol/mol (healthy).
Since then, she has lost a bit more weight and found a healthy pattern of
eating that suits her and her family’s lifestyle. She and her husband go low
carb during the week, but will then eat foods like pasta and pizza at the
weekend. She says that for her the secret is that she preps the family meals
in advance (still leaning heavily on Clare’s recipes, but with larger portions)
and resists the temptation to finish off any food that the kids leave on the
plate.

I say to myself, ‘Is having that fishfinger or pile of pasta the kids have
left really worth it? How am I going to feel when I’ve eaten it?’ The
answer is ‘no’ and ‘terrible’, so these days I just tip it in the bin.

She also has a different approach to the occasional lapses.

I used to be prone to catastrophic thinking. If I had a biscuit, then I

would say to myself, ‘I might as well finish the whole pack.’ Or if I had
a bar of chocolate which I hadn’t intended to eat, I would feel so bad
about it that I would spend the rest of the day eating junk. These days I
don’t think like that. I see it as a lapse, not an excuse to eat badly.

She allows her kids to have biscuits, but only a few, and she has found
brands that they like and she doesn’t, so she is rarely tempted to swoop on
the biscuit tin. She is back at school, teaching, and takes in a prepared lunch
with her. She has told her colleagues and friends why she wants to keep the
weight off, so they don’t tempt her with sugary snacks. She has also found
that telling them has made her more accountable.

I know I would feel bad if, having made this into a big thing, they saw
me sneaking in a biscuit.

She doesn’t preach, but she has noticed that many of her fellow teachers
now bring in healthier snacks.

Your two-week check-in

While you are doing Stage 1, rapid weight loss, I think it is wise to build in
a routine in which every two weeks you pause and check in with yourself,
just to assess how things are going. Hopefully you will be feeling in control,
slimmer, energised, but it’s good to check you’re not pushing yourself too
hard. Diets can be tough even if you are in good health. Ask yourself:

Are you losing weight?

In the first two weeks of Stage 1, you should see the numbers tumbling on
your scales. Studies show you can expect to lose up to 4kg (9lb, or over half
a stone) in the first two weeks, with some losing more and some losing less.
If your weight is not shifting, double-check you are sticking to 800–900
calories and not unconsciously snacking (that stolen chip off your partner’s
plate, the extra spoon of yoghurt, a handful of crisps – they all add up). By
now you should be in ketosis, which will be helping to keep your hunger
under control.

Is your appetite under better control?

Because the food you are eating is very low in carbs, but relatively high in
fat, protein and fibre (fibre is a carbohydrate, but not digestible by your
body), you should soon stop feeling hungry. Most people report feeling less
hungry by the end of Week 1, and you should find you are less bothered by
cravings. If you are still feeling hungry, check you are eating enough
protein (50–60g per day) and that you are in ketosis.

Do you have bad breath?

Some people start producing the sweet, fruity smell of ketones on their
breath. It’s a bit like nail polish remover. This is a good sign and shows the
diet is working. Brush your teeth regularly and press on!

Are you feeling light-headed?

You might experience mood swings, irritability and dizziness as you adapt
to the ketogenic diet, but this will pass. If you are not already taking a
supplement, a good multi-vitamin/mineral tablet that contains magnesium,
potassium and vitamins B and D can help, as low levels are linked to
fatigue. You may simply be dehydrated, so up your water consumption.
Remember, you should be drinking enough water to pass six or seven good
volumes of urine a day. If you are on blood pressure medication, it could be
that you are now over-medicated. Talk to your doctor.

Are you sleeping OK?

If you are struggling to fall asleep or waking up in the night feeling hungry,
try eating your main meal a little later in the day. You may also want to
increase the amount of veg and protein that you are eating with your
evening meal, as there is evidence that protein and fibre help boost deep
sleep. Increasing your activity levels can also help, particularly going for a
brisk early-morning walk. This resets your internal clock and improves your
mood. Mindfulness and breathing techniques can help too (see here).

Are you constipated?

A change from your normal diet can cause temporary constipation, but this
can be redressed by increasing your water consumption and adding more
non-starchy vegetables to your plate at each meal. Berries, chia seeds or
flax seeds can help too, or ask your pharmacist about a natural soluble fibre
such as Fybogel or Movicol or lactulose, which work by drawing more fluid
into the gut, softening the faeces.

Are you coping emotionally?

You may feel more irritable and possibly ‘hangry’ but that can often be
offset by the pleasure of seeing the weight fall off. A prolonged drop in
mood might be something to discuss with a professional. But most people,
once they have gone into ketosis, report a boost in energy and mood.
Intermittent fasting has also been shown to improve mood, as has cutting
out junk food and switching to a Mediterranean-style diet.
Are you managing to stick to the diet most of the time?
My hope is your answer is a resounding ‘yes!’ But if you find yourself
having frequent lapses, you may want to consider slowing things down a
bit. Try jumping straight to Stage 2.

Veggies and vegans unite!

There’s absolutely no reason why you can’t do the Fast 800 Keto if you’re a
pescatarian (no meat, only fish) or a vegetarian. In fact, we’ve included lots
of lovely fish-based and vegetarian recipes in this book, plus a vegetarian
meal planner to get you started.
If you are vegan you will have to be clever in your protein choices, as
many ‘fake meat’ products come with hidden carbohydrates which would
take you out of ketosis. Even wholesome vegetable sources of protein, such
as legumes and pulses, have quite a high carbohydrate content.
Focus on high-protein foods, such as tofu, tempeh, edamame beans and
seitan. Adding a big spoonful of nutritional yeast to soups and sauces can
help too (51g of protein per 100g). See here for more protein add-ons.
Because protein is so important, we suggest vegans allow themselves to
go over 1000 calories if necessary. You will still lose weight, just not quite
as fast, and you may not go into ketosis. But that is OK.
An easy and effective way to keep your protein levels up and help you go
into ketosis during Stage 1 is by taking a vegan-friendly protein powder and
meal replacement shakes (see www.thefast800.com).

What about exercise?

During this first, rapid weight loss stage, many people worry about doing
exercise, wondering if it could be dangerous to do so when eating less than
1000 calories a day. The short answer is ‘no’, because most of us have a
large fat store to draw on, so we aren’t going to be running out of energy
any time soon. Nonetheless, I do suggest that you start gently, as exercise
can make you feel more hungry – I will be going into this in more detail in
Chapter 7. During the first week, you are also likely to feel quite drained,
but as you go deeper into ketosis your energy levels should return.
I would recommend that if you normally exercise regularly you should
keep it up throughout this diet. Exercise will push you into ketosis faster,
which means you will be increasing its effectiveness.
 At a bare minimum, it’s a good idea to schedule a brisk walk into your
day, every day – even if it’s just 10 minutes around the block.

How to transition to Stage 2

Stage 2 is when you start to introduce more calories, as well as TRE, if you
haven’t already done so. During Stage 2, you’re still being quite strict about
calories and carbs.
When you start Stage 2, I recommend initially following a pattern of 3:4
intermittent fasting, which means sticking to our 800–900 low-carb recipes
from Monday to Thursday, then adding in more protein, fats, carbs and even
the occasional alcoholic drink (if you like) over the weekend. You will
continue to lose weight, but more slowly, as you gradually move towards a
more sustainable way of life. When you get close to your goals, you may
want to drop a couple of fast days and follow the 5:2 pattern (eating
normally five days a week, and sticking to our 800–900 low-carb recipes on
two).

Keep on weighing in

During Stages 1 and 2, I recommend you weigh yourself at least once a

week. I know opinions vary on this, but research shows that people who
keep a close eye on their weight and act swiftly if it starts to rise are much
more successful at losing weight and keeping it off.
One thing to bear in mind, when you make the transition, is that your
rapid weight loss may stall for a bit. The dreaded plateau. That is mainly
because when you start eating more carbs, the glycogen stores in your
muscles will refill, and for every extra gram of glycogen you store, you
store 3g of water. So your weight will go up, even though you are still
burning through your fat stores. As well as weighing yourself you might
want to keep an eye on the tape measure, as this is a more reliable measure
of fat loss.
If you do reach a plateau or your weight does start to creep up, you might
need to reduce the amount of carbs you are eating on your non-fast days,
and check you are not unconsciously nibbling at snacks between meals.
Another option is to increase the number of 800–900-calorie days each
week. We have found it is best to keep to a regular pattern each week.
Changing your fast days week by week tends to mean you will be less
likely to stick to them.

Can I have a little tipple?

While you are trying to lose a lot of weight, fast, my advice is that you cut
out alcohol completely. During Stage 2 you can go back to some social
drinking at the weekends, but alcohol really isn’t great for weight loss for
the following reasons:
• It seriously weakens your willpower – I find that once I’ve had a drink
my willpower, always weak to begin with, almost entirely disappears.
• It gives you the munchies. When I am drinking I cannot resist crisps.
• It is extremely calorific. One (large) glass of wine is 230 calories, which
is the same as a bar of chocolate or a bowl of ice cream – or a whole
extra meal.

What if I get invited round to friends?

In an ideal world, any social engagement should fall on one of your non-
fast days if you are on Stage 2 of the Fast 800 Keto plan. If not, you can
adjust your week so that this becomes a non-fast day, to take a little
pressure off yourself. But actually, even during Stage 1, once you’ve got
properly under way and are feeling the smug satisfaction of seeing your
weight beginning to drop, you should be able to cope with the odd lunch or
dinner invitation.
Herewith 10 tips on how to manage these:

1. Let your hosts know beforehand that you are following a healthy eating
plan, as this should minimise any undue pressure on the day. You might
also need to confess to any health concerns to avoid too much ‘oh, but
you don’t need to lose weight’ coercion, which can be quite seductive
when you’re staring at a loaded pavlova.
2. Offer to bring a dish, and pick something from the menus at the back of
this book, or a huge (healthy) salad to share.
3. Bring fizzy water to drink.
4. Time your previous meals so you don’t arrive hungry.
5. Decline alcohol.
6. Do not touch the nibbles. Not even one crisp. I find that once I start I
don’t stop. Try to ensure you are never sitting or standing near them. I
once did an experiment in which we asked people to watch a TV drama,
and critique it afterwards. In fact we were interested to see who would
eat the snacks placed near them, and how much. One contributor ate a
large bowl of crisps (around 800 calories) without appearing to notice.
7. Make a healthy selection from the food on offer, basing your meal on
protein and green leafy vegetables or salad.
8. Have a well-prepared ‘speech’ ready for anyone who tries to persuade
you that dieting is pointless or that ketogenic diets are unhealthy.
9. If cravings strike, take a moment to run through a quick deep-breathing
exercise.
10. Remind yourself, these get-togethers are all about the people, not the
food.

How about going out to a restaurant?

Most restaurants are not particularly diet-friendly, so a little forward

planning might be called upon.

1. Check the menu online if you can and decide what you plan to order.
2. Get into the habit of asking for extra salad or extra green vegetables in
place of potatoes or rice. For me nothing beats a lovely piece of fish
with vegetables.
3. Time your other meal or meals that day so that you are not starving
hungry when you go out.
4. Offer to be the designated driver so you have a good excuse not to
drink.
5. Ask for tap water for the table and keep drinking throughout the
evening.
6. Refuse bread and breadsticks.
7. If everyone is ordering a starter, ask for a simple green salad.
8. If you can’t find a healthy meal which ticks all your Fast 800 Keto
boxes, order two starters instead.
9. Eat slowly, putting your knife and fork down between every mouthful.
10. Skip dessert.

Curtis’s story

When I first met Curtis, in the summer of 2020, he was 30 years old and
unhappy in himself. He had recently returned from a teaching job in China
and was living with his parents. His beloved grandmother had recently died
from Covid and he was comfort-eating. He had put on a lot of weight and
was very stressed.
Although he told me he had always been ‘the fat kid’, he had never been
this big before. He weighed in at 95.7kg (just over 15 stone). His BMI,
32.5, put him in the ‘obese’ category, and I was particularly concerned
about his 112cm (44in) waist.
When I measured his blood pressure, it was way too high, and when we
tested his bloods his cholesterol and his blood fats were truly shocking for
such a young man.
Curtis also had a big neck – 43cm (17in). This extra fat around his
windpipe was causing him to snore, very loudly, and I was convinced that if
he did nothing about it he was likely to develop sleep apnoea. This is when
you stop breathing during the night for up to 20 seconds at a time. It leads
to high blood pressure, fragmented sleep, loss of libido and feeling
shattered all the time.
Things for Curtis were not looking good, but I was convinced my Fast
800 Keto plan could turn his health around, as long as he was prepared to
stick to it.
Thankfully, he was a star pupil. Clare provided him with lots of keto-
friendly 800-calorie menus and he really got stuck in. Within four days, he
had gone into ketosis and rang me to say, ‘I’m smiling because the keto test
has changed colour. I am so excited to be in ketosis mode.’
I knew he was faithfully following the diet because every week he’d send
me a picture of his latest keto stick.
He decided to try TRE and stick to eating two meals a day: a late
breakfast at around 10am, then an early evening meal which he would
normally finish by 6pm. This meant that he was eating within an eight-hour
window and fasting, overnight, for 16 hours.
 In the morning I might have a couple of eggs or some cheese and
mushrooms and spinach (the superfood!). And then in the evening it
was chicken or fish and lots of vegetables. The food I missed most was
white rice with my curry, but it didn’t take long to get me converted to
the idea of cauliflower rice, and now I can’t imagine eating anything
else.

In just three weeks, Curtis lost 11.3kg (1½ stone), and had slimmed down
to 84.4kg (just over 13 stone). His blood pressure, blood fats and
cholesterol score all fell, returning to normal, healthy levels, and he also
stopped snoring. He told me he felt ‘fabulous’.
Curtis then decided to move on to Stage 2 of the diet and chose a 3:4
pattern of eating, being strict with himself during the week, and letting go (a
little) at the weekends.
He reached his target weight of 74kg (11½ stone) over the next few
weeks, having lost a total of 21.7kg (3½ stone) and 25cm (10in) off his
waist. I am delighted to say that 18 months later, he has kept all that weight
off. So how does he do it?

I am strict with myself from Monday to Thursday, sticking to around

1000–1400 calories per day, eating lots of protein and lots and lots of
vegetables. I don’t drink alcohol at all during those days. I weigh
myself several times a week and, though I typically put on about 1kg
over the weekend, I know most of that is fluid and will soon be gone.

I’ve got used to cooking classic dishes which are healthier and lower
in carbohydrates, so I usually carry on doing that over the weekend.
But if I get invited out for a meal with friends or there’s some sort of
celebration going on, then I don’t really restrict myself. Equally, I don’t
go crazy any more. These days I can eat one or two biscuits rather
than the whole pack.

If I have a bit of a blow-out (the other day I cooked for a Moroccan-

themed party with 12 courses with lots of wine) I’ll just fast the next
day, sticking to 800 calories and no carbs. It’s not hard, I just don’t get
hungry any more.
 As part of his lifestyle change, Curtis has bought a bike and is now
cycling as much as possible.

Every week is different, but on average I manage about 40 miles per

week. I love it. I am 3½ stone lighter than I was and full of energy. I
feel so much better, a lot more confident and with so much more
bounce.

Curtis’s top tips:

• Don’t worry about a bit of yo-yoing. Over the last 18 months I’ve put
some weight back on (overeating at Christmas and again at Easter), and
then lost it again. But now that I’m not bingeing I find it much easier to
maintain my weight. In fact, it gets easier because my metabolism has
improved and I have been building a bit of muscle as well.
• Keep busy. It’s when you’re sitting watching TV that boredom kicks in
and you find yourself thinking about having a snack. When I am at work,
teaching, it’s relatively easy, because I am on my feet and busy. It is
during the holidays, or at weekends, that I am tempted. I know, from
long experience, that there are certain points in the day when I will feel
hungry, such as 2 o’clock in the afternoon. So, I make sure that I am out
cycling or walking or doing something. By 4pm I’m not hungry any
more.
• Explore and self-experiment until you find a rhythm that works for you.

Stage 3: the way of life

Well done! Getting this far is a real achievement. You should be feeling
healthier, sleeping better, and you will have dropped a few sizes – so this is
a good time to buy yourself some new clothes to celebrate. You will have
more energy, and many of our dieters report they feel happier, brighter and
lighter, more confident and in control.
But you can’t go back to your old way of living and eating. You need to
be honest with yourself: the reason you gained weight in the first place was
because you were eating and/or drinking too much. You need to find an
enjoyable way of living which also prevents creeping weight gain.
 As you know, the third and final stage of the Fast 800 Keto is based
around a Mediterranean-style diet. But what exactly is that? A group of
Spanish researchers have come up with a scoring system, which is widely
used by international researchers, and which I have adapted. You get a point
for every ‘yes’ answer. A score of 10 is good, but the higher the score the
better.43

1. Do you use olive oil as your main cooking fat and dressing?
2. Do you eat two or more portions of vegetables a day? (1 serving =
200g/7oz)
3. Do you eat two or more portions of fruit a day?
4. Do you eat less than one serving of processed meat a day? (1 serving =
100g/3.5oz)
5. Do you eat plain yoghurt at least three times a week?
6. Do you eat three or more servings of legumes – e.g. peas, beans, lentils
– a week? (1 serving = 150g/5.25oz)
7. Do you eat three or more servings of wholegrains a week? (1 serving =
150g/5.25oz)
8. Do you eat oily fish, prawns or shellfish three or more times a week?
(100–150g/3.5–5.25oz)
9. Do you eat sweet treats like cakes, biscuits, etc, less than three times a
week?
10. Do you eat a serving of nuts (30g/1oz) three or more times a week?
11. Do you cook with garlic, onions and tomatoes at least three times a
week?
12. Do you sit at the table to eat at least twice a day?
13. Do you drink sweet, fizzy beverages less than once a week?

NB:
• Potatoes do not count as a vegetable
• Processed meat includes ham, bacon, sausages and salami
• Wholegrains include quinoa, whole rye and bulgur wheat
• Nuts should include walnuts, almonds and cashew nuts, and should be
unsalted
It’s good for your mood as well as your waist
There is abundant evidence that the Med diet is a fantastic way of keeping
your body and brain in good shape, as well as boosting your mood. In one
study, called Smiles, Professor Felice Jacka and her colleagues at the Food
and Mood Centre in Melbourne, Australia, showed that switching people
from eating a typical Australian diet (high in ultra-processed foods) to
eating a Med-style diet led to big improvements in mental health, in just 12
weeks.44 Surprisingly enough, the researchers also showed it was no more
expensive eating healthily than eating badly. Cut out the takeaways and
snacks and you will find you are saving money.
One of the things you want to know about any dietary approach is
whether people can stick to it, long-term. In a remarkably long study, called
DIRECT, researchers in Israel randomly allocated 322 overweight men and
women to either a low-fat diet, a low-carb diet (Atkins) or a Mediterranean
diet, and then followed them for six years.
Although, initially, the low-carbers lost the most weight, by the end of six
years it was those who had been following the Mediterranean diet who
came out on top, with an average weight loss of 3.2kg. That figure looks
more impressive when you realise that over six years most people put on
around 3kg. The Med dieters also saw the biggest improvements in blood
fats, blood sugars and insulin levels.45

Some general rules to keep you on track

Catch weight regain before it escalates

Down the years I have talked to many weight loss specialists, looking for
answers to the fundamental question, how do you keep on track, long-term?
The first thing they all say is: don’t think you can go away at the end of a
diet, any diet, and eat ‘normally’. Normally for you is usually too much,
that’s why you put on weight in the first place. Maintaining awareness and
conscious control of how much you’re eating is really important.
Second, keep accountable. You can weigh yourself regularly, or put a
tape measure around your stomach, or track your blood sugars, whatever it
is that works for you. In long-term studies, the people who’ve lost weight
and kept it off are almost always regular self-weighers. It’s much easier to
catch weight regain before it’s gone too far than wait and have a bigger
hurdle to jump.
Third, you have to change your environment, so it is easier to stick to
your goals. In other words, keep tempting treats out of the house.
Fourth, tell friends and family. Say, ‘It’s going to be hard. And there will
be times when I’m going to fall off the wagon. But I need you there to
encourage me.’

Beware snacks and snacking

Contrary to what the food manufacturers claim, ‘eating little and often’ is
NOT a good thing. In fact, studies show that regular snacking (the classic
‘five small meals a day’) is the best way to put on weight. Compared to 30
years ago, we not only snack more but eat more when it comes to our
regular meals. The evidence is that the more we snack the more we eat
overall. So do try to avoid them.
That said, if hunger beckons, rather than succumb to the temptation for
something starchy and sweet, try and go for something healthy. Here are a
few high-protein, low-carb snacks to have at the ready:
• Nuts: a small handful of almonds (10 weigh around 10g) should be
enough to take the edge off your appetite. Because of their tough
structure and large amounts of fibre, quite a lot of the fat in nuts will not
be absorbed by your body. In fact, it has been estimated that 15% of the
calories you take in when you eat them goes straight out the other end.
• Hard-boiled egg: one medium-sized egg is 78 calories, contains 7.7g of
protein and no carbs.
• Veggie dips: sticks of cucumber, red peppers or broccoli dipped in
guacamole make a healthy keto snack. You can buy guacamole in tubs
from most supermarkets, or make it yourself by mashing up a ripe
avocado with red onion and lime juice. A whole avocado comes in at
300 calories, so you wouldn’t want to be eating more than a quarter in
one go. But the good news is that it contains lots of fibre, minerals and
vitamins, and has hardly any carbs.

Try to reduce stress and improve your sleep

Stress makes successful weight loss harder because stress hormones, such
as cortisol, interfere with hunger signalling, making you more likely to be
tormented by cravings, and they also instigate metabolic changes that
encourage your body to hold onto fat.
Lots of us already have stressful lives and starting on a diet, any diet, can
be stressful too. There will be times when you are really busy and up
against a deadline, nowhere near a healthy meal and far too close to a
convenient but unhealthy snack. There will also be times when you’ve had
bad news, the kids are screaming and all you want is some sugary comfort
food. When things get difficult, willpower crumples and you could easily
find yourself undoing all your good work.
So, it is a great idea to have a few stress-busting techniques up your
sleeve to calm your stress response in heated moments, and hopefully
improve your sleep quality too: mindfulness, breathing exercises,
maximising your gut health, to name a few. ‘Headspace’ is one of many
apps which will teach you how to meditate and practise mindfulness to
reduce anxiety and stress. Do shop around to find a method that works for
you.
Also crucial for keeping your cortisol levels regulated and your stress
levels down is getting enough sleep. In my book Fast Asleep, I offer lots of
different tips and techniques to help you sleep better and longer. Often, the
simplest ideas work the best. Try this breathing exercise, which is
recommended by NHS Choices. I find it really useful for reducing stress
and helping me go back to sleep if I’ve woken in the night. You can do it
standing, sitting or lying, but you get the most benefit if you make it part of
your daily routine.
• Start by breathing in as deeply as you can, through your nose, without
forcing it, to a count of four.
• Hold it for a count of two.
• Then, gently exhale, through your mouth, to a count of four.
• If you keep doing this for a few minutes, you will find that your heart
rate slows down and you will begin to feel calmer.

Dr Gary Lamph’s story

Gary is 44 years old, and a senior research fellow in mental health at the
University of Central Lancashire. He is also an experienced cognitive
behavioural therapist and treats patients who are keen to turn their lives
around. He is married to Sharon, a nurse, and has two boys, aged 16 and 19.
He told me he had always been a bit of a yo-yo dieter, but during the Covid
pandemic he reached 17st 9lb (112kg), with a BMI of 38.7, his heaviest
ever. He started on the Fast 800 Keto in early 2021 and in a few months not
only lost 4 stone (25kg) but regained his zest for life. I particularly like the
way he used his expertise as a mental health specialist to keep on track,
developing strategies to overcome common weight loss hurdles. This is his
story.

I realised I had to do something about my weight when I was out with

my wife on a short walk and I kept having to stop because my legs
were so tired. My wife had also noticed that I regularly stopped
breathing for periods during the night, which suggested I had a
condition called sleep apnoea. So I went to my doctor and discovered
that on top of everything else I had high blood pressure, and high
cholesterol. My doctor wanted to start me on medication but I asked,
‘Is there anything else I can do?’ And he said, ‘Lifestyle. I will give
you six months to turn your life around.’

So Gary decided to do some research, and came across the Fast 800 Keto.

Before starting, I made a list of my problems and identified the goals I

wanted to achieve and worked out how I would measure those goals.

One of my goals was I wanted to lose weight because I felt it would

make me more confident. So I wrote down, ‘On a scale of 0 to 8, where
am I now? Where do I want to be? And when?’

There was also the problem of the high blood pressure and cholesterol.
I have a family history of heart disease; men in my family have died of
heart attacks in their early fifties or even in their forties. So I decided
to keep a daily record of my weight change, and to keep track of my
blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

I began the day after my 44th birthday, at the end of January 2021.
During the first week on the diet I developed keto flu. I felt tired and
headachy. The thing that kept me going was knowing what it was that I
wanted to change. And knowing that the keto flu would pass. I was
 also doing it with my wife, and that was a big plus. When there are two
of you doing it together, if one of you is having a bad day then the
other can pull you through it.

I went into ketosis within five days. I remember seeing the colour
change on the keto sticks, and celebrating. I thought that to lose
weight I would have to do massive amounts of exercise, so I was
surprised that your programme begins with only a modest increase in
activity.

One of the first things I noticed, when I went into ketosis, was this
huge improvement in energy and also in my cognitive ability. I am a
researcher, so my job requires me to be relatively sedentary but I have
to do a lot of thinking and writing. Being able to think so clearly was a
big plus.

In less than three months he lost nearly 4 stone and 11in (28cm) off his
waist.

As the weight started to fall off, I was able to go for much longer
walks, and those walks turned into runs. I then fell in love with
running. I’ve never been able to run before because of my weight. By
now I was doing twice weekly HIIT exercise as well as running.

I run on an empty stomach and I feel absolutely fine. I can only assume
the energy is coming from the fat I’m burning.

Be warned, at some point you will probably plateau. It happened to me

after about 10 weeks. Instead of feeling depressed or frustrated, I used
this as an opportunity to try something else. What could you do
differently? You could increase your time-restricted eating. It might be
that you need to cut back on the carbs a bit further for a while. It might
be that you need to increase your physical activity. Plateaus are often
temporary. My weight began to fall again once I made some subtle
changes to my plan.

Gary’s tips for how to avoid common mental traps:

 I have been a practising cognitive behavioural therapist for over 10
years and have experience of working with people with eating
problems, including binge eating. Food can be very emotional, both
positive and negative. The way you think affects how you react, which
affects how you see and feel emotionally and physically. You have to
learn to challenge your thinking.
• A common trap is thinking along the lines of, ‘What’s the point, my
family are eating all this lovely food, why don’t I just take the night
off?’ The problem here is that you are not seeing the bigger picture.
What you have to recognise is that it is the ‘lovely stuff’ they are
eating that is responsible for making you overweight and is making
you ill. It is the stuff that makes you feel rubbish, keeps your weight up
and is making you old before your time.
• Another mental trap to be aware of is ‘all-or-nothing thinking’. You
eat the biscuit and you think, ‘I failed, I might as well eat the rest of
the packet.’ This is known as self-sabotage. These days, I sometimes
sneak across the road and buy a sausage roll, but I don’t then eat loads
more junk on top of that.
• If you have cravings, try urge surfing. I used to be able to eat
takeaways until I felt sick; now I say to myself, ‘Gary you’ve had
enough. Have a glass of water. If you sit with the urge for long enough
it will pass.’
• I weigh myself every day so I can see the impact of the decisions
I’ve made. Don’t wait until the end of the month, when things may have
got worse.
• The things that keep me on track are the support of my wife and
family, reminding myself of what my goals are, and stamping on weight
gain before I drift. I expect setbacks to happen, but I am now better at
spotting them and quick to correct them. For me this has become a
way of life.

The secrets of naturally slim people

Some people, partly thanks to their genes, find it much easier to maintain a
healthy weight, when surrounded by endless temptation, than others.
 A typical example of this is my wife, Clare. She is 60 years old, but she
is much the same size and shape as when we first met at medical school, 41
years ago. I suspect she could still fit into the clothes she wore then. Despite
having had four children she has never put on weight, never dieted and
never bothers to weigh herself. The reason she remains slim is not that she
has a super-fast metabolism or a particularly strong will but mainly because
she, largely unconsciously, has adopted lots of healthy habits which she
sticks to without having to think hard about it.
I am completely different, and probably more typical of most people. I
ate a lot of junk food when I was a teenager, but that didn’t really matter
because I was extremely active. In my twenties, I put on weight because I
was still eating a lot of calorie-laden snacks, but sleeping badly and
spending less time playing sport.
I continued to steadily put on weight through my thirties and forties, until
by my mid-fifties I was nearly 90kg, around 15kg heavier than when I first
met Clare. It was only when I was told that I had Type 2 diabetes that we
realised I had to act. I lost 9kg and that turned my life around.
Since then, I have kept the weight off, but it isn’t effortless. My weight
goes up and down, though not by much, and I am constantly aware of the
need to self-regulate. I have studied Clare closely, and gleaned some
interesting insights from her example. These days, I try to copy what she
does.

1. Clare very rarely sits for long. She does most of the household chores
and almost all of the gardening, so she burns a lot of calories through
everyday activities. Because I do a lot of writing, I spend too much time
sitting down. I have bought a stand-up desk, which I use some of the
time, and when I am not using it I set an alarm to make sure I get up for
a couple of minutes every hour.
2. Clare also fidgets, a lot. She doesn’t watch much TV, but when she does
she likes to do something else at the same time, like knitting, or asking
me annoying questions about the plot. I love TV and would happily
gorge on it. I have to ration myself to a couple of hours a day.
3. Like me, Clare does resistance exercises first thing in the morning. Over
the years she has increased the number of push-ups she can do from a
couple to around 20. I can still beat her, but that is mainly because I am
male and have the genetic advantage.
4. We go for a walk every day, often more than once. When we walk,
Clare likes to walk fast, something like 110 steps a minute (which is not
far short of jogging). If I am walking by myself I have a tendency to
dawdle, but I find listening to music, with a fast tempo, helps push me
along.
5. We both cycle into town, when we can. We live at the top of a very
steep hill, so it is really hard work on the way home.
6. Clare almost never snacks. She tells me that she likes the feeling of
being slightly hungry, the anticipation of the meal ahead. I find snacking
very hard to resist, particularly when I am bored or stressed. I used to
snack on chocolate or biscuits, but these days make do with a small
handful of nuts because there are no unhealthy snacks in the house.
7. Clare very rarely eats anywhere but at the kitchen table. I would happily
eat in front of the TV, despite the fact that I know it is a really bad habit.
Studies have shown that if you eat while watching TV you eat more.
8. Clare has a savoury tooth and she is not particularly interested in sweet
things. I love chocolate and if there is any in the house I will sniff it out
and eat it up. There is some evidence that sweet or savoury preferences
have a genetic component, but be warned, you can put on just as much
weight eating savoury snacks as you can eating the sweet stuff.
9. Clare loves vegetables and will fill at least half her plate with them. I
have slowly learnt to love vegetables, but even now I am not as
generous with the veg as I could be when I am doing the cooking.
10. Clare has taught me to enjoy and savour food. I used to wolf it down,
without paying much attention to what I was eating. But, as we have
seen, if you eat fast, you eat more. It was striking in Dr Hall’s study (see
here) that when people ate ultra-processed food they ate much faster.
11. When Clare was growing up she occasionally had puddings, but it
wasn’t a big deal. Whereas I always expected pudding, which I thought
was the best part of the meal. Even now I crave something sweet at the
end of a meal, but will usually stick to a bit of fruit or some yoghurt and
berries. One rule I have found relatively easy to stick to is that I never
order dessert when we go out for meals (but might eat some of Clare’s).
12. When we go out for a coffee, Clare sometimes buys a muffin, but
rarely feels the need to finish it. I can’t do that. If I buy a muffin, or a bit
of cake, I will peck away until it is mysteriously gone.
13. When Clare gets stressed, she will go for a walk. When I get stressed, I
feel an intense urge (which I normally resist) to go and buy a packet of
biscuits.
14. A couple of years ago, we agreed to stick to a 3:4 pattern when it
comes to alcohol. We don’t drink on Monday to Thursday, only on
Fridays and at weekends, and even then, not that much.
15. Clare never weighs herself. She doesn’t need to. Her brain somehow
just keeps her on track. I weigh myself once a week, as well as
occasionally checking my blood pressure and blood sugars. I also wear a
tight belt. If I didn’t do that, I know that I would put on weight.

Summary
By now you should be ready to put theory into practice. Yes, the first couple
of weeks on the Fast 800 Keto can be tough but you will love our recipes
and if you stay strong you will achieve your goals. Here are the key points
to take on board:
• Accept that you are going to be making some pretty big changes to your
life, but they are absolutely worth it.
• Kicking off with rapid weight loss will keep you motivated and will also
help preserve your metabolic rate, which will make it easier to keep
weight off long-term.
• By cutting back on ultra-processed food and switching to a
Mediterranean-style diet, you will be improving not only your body and
brain but also your mood.
• Do make sure that you are eating plenty of good-quality protein. Think
meat, fish, eggs, tofu, Greek yoghurt, lentils and chickpeas. 15–20% of
your diet should be protein, which means that after Stage 1 you should
be consuming around 70–100g of protein a day, which is well above the
recommended amount of 45g–55g.
• Make sure you are also consuming plenty of fibre, as this will act as a
brake on your appetite, as well as feeding the ‘good’ bacteria in your
gut.
• Once Stage 1 is over, you can eat more carbs, but try to stick to complex
carbs, like beans and brown rice. Keep away from the processed carbs
 you find in cakes, biscuits, pies and white bread, as they will send your
blood sugar levels soaring and set you up with hard-to-resist cravings.
• Try serving yourself smaller portions than you used to before you
embarked on the Fast 800 Keto, and eat slowly and mindfully. Don’t be
afraid to leave food on the plate.
• Give TRE a go, and if it works for you, stick to it. You should aim to eat
within a 12-hour window, maybe even 14:10 (i.e. 14 hours of fasting).
Do this most days of the week.
• Weigh yourself regularly – one large study found that people who
weighed themselves daily were, on average, 6.5kg lighter at the end of
the two-year trial than those who weighed themselves monthly.
• Stay active – this is something that most successful long-term dieters do.
The good news is that when people lose weight, they find that activities
like walking or cycling become easier and much more enjoyable.
• Cook more – that way you know what is going into the food you’re
eating. Plus it keeps you on your feet.
• Drink plenty of water and aim for seven wees a day.
• Prioritise sleep – poor-quality sleep raises your stress hormone levels,
which leads to increased hunger and cravings, particularly for high-carb
and high-calorie foods.
• Limit your alcohol intake – you might even try giving up alcohol
completely. But if, like me, you find life is enhanced by a glass of red
wine, or a cold beer on a sunny day, then perhaps try a 3:4 rule, where
you only drink at weekends, or on special occasions.
• Like Gary, when you are tempted to give up, think about why you’ve
been doing this. You might not adhere to the Kate Moss edict that
‘nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’, but you want to live to a healthy
old age, don’t you? You want to be free from disease, fit and happy, able
to bend down and to do up your own shoelaces. Whatever your motives
were when you started on this plan, it’s good to remind yourself of them
from time to time.

Cautions & Exclusions

If you have Type 2 diabetes, are on insulin or high blood pressure
medication, please talk to your health professional before starting this
diet.
The Fast 800 Keto programme is not recommended for people who
are underweight and/or experiencing an eating disorder or have a
history of eating disorder; children (under 18 years old); Type 1
diabetics; pregnant women; breastfeeding mothers or anyone
undergoing fertility treatment; people who have a significant
psychiatric disorder; anyone who has moderate or severe retinopathy,
epilepsy or gallstones, or who has a significant medical condition or is
under active investigation or treatment. For more information, please
refer to thefast800.com/frequently-asked-questions/

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 7
Exercising and keto

Exercise can and should be included as part of the Fast 800 Keto
programme, but it is best if you start off gently. During the first week of the
new diet, you are likely to feel drained as your body goes into ketosis,
switching from burning sugar to burning fat; then, when you’ve flipped the
metabolic switch, you should feel a real surge in energy, and that is what I
want you to really capitalise on.
As we saw in Chapter 3, exercise alone is unlikely to lead to weight loss
(that’s what the studies show, I’m afraid), but it’s absolutely vital in so
many other ways: being active and fit means better health and better mood;
it can cut your risk of heart disease and stroke by up to 35%, of Type 2
diabetes by up to 50% and of early death by up to 30%.
And don’t be daunted by what you might think is involved in getting
fitter: the really brilliant thing is that you can quickly and safely overhaul
your fitness while doing the Fast 800 Keto, and you don’t have to join a
gym or pound the pavements to do it.

Get your steps up

As you will see from Wayne’s story later in this chapter, if you are not
particularly fit, walking is a great place to start. It is a cheap and safe way to
exercise and the best time to do it, if you can fit it into your life, is first
thing in the morning, before breakfast. That way you not only manage to
wake yourself up but you also get exposed to early-morning light. Bright
light in the morning helps reset your internal clock, which in turn will help
you sleep better at night. If you can’t do it then, find another time that
works. And it doesn’t have to be done in one chunk. Lots of people find it
easier to schedule in three brisk 10-minute walks a day. You can find a free
app called Active 10 that will guide you at
www.nhs.uk/oneyou/active10/home.
 HIIT
The idea behind High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is that you really
push yourself by doing quick, but intense bursts of exercise, followed by
short recovery periods. You shouldn’t do HIIT every day and, as with any
exercise, if you suffer from underlying conditions seek medical advice first.
But it is a really effective way of improving your aerobic fitness in a
remarkably short period of time.
HIIT breaks down glycogen, the form in which sugar is stored in your
muscles and liver, which means you will go into ketosis faster. This also
sets off a cascade of other reactions, including the release of something
called ‘signalling molecules’, which help to stimulate the growth of muscle,
including heart muscle.
HIIT is also very effective at targeting visceral fat, burning away the fatty
deposits that can lead to insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes.
Recent studies have shown that as well as improving fitness, HIIT can
actually reverse the effects of ageing on mitochondria – the power-houses
of our cells. As we age, the ability of mitochondria to obtain energy by
burning glucose declines. In tests, however, HIIT boosted the performance
of mitochondria by 49% in people aged 18–30, and by a stunning 69% in
people aged 65–80.
The other great thing about HIIT is that it’s adaptable to your own fitness
level and suitable for all ages. So provided you push yourself during each
short burst, you should reap the benefits.
The secret to doing HIIT is not speed, but effort. You have to push
yourself, whether you’re on an exercise bike, doing sprints, jumping jacks
or even running up the stairs. As long as you are putting in your maximum
effort, at whatever speed that happens to be, it will improve your health. It
is about getting your heart rate up during a 20-second burst of activity.
One of the problems with exercise is that it has a tendency to trigger
compensatory eating. People go on a treadmill for 30 minutes, burn 300
calories, then reward themselves with a muffin. HIIT seems to be more
effective at suppressing your appetite, so this is less likely to happen.
There are lots of different ways to do HIIT. If you have an exercise bike,
try the regime I describe below. You can also swap cycling for running up
stairs for 20 seconds or putting in short, flat-out sprints when jogging. You
can also do it while swimming. Again, it is just a 20-second burst.
 If you have an exercise bike at home, try this:

1. Warm up with some gentle cycling.

2. After a minute or so begin pedalling fast, then swiftly crank up the
resistance.
3. The level of resistance you select will depend on your strength and
fitness. It should be high enough that, after 15 seconds of sprinting, your
thighs begin to feel it and your muscles begin to fatigue.
4. If, after 15 seconds, you can keep going at the same pace, the resistance
you’ve chosen isn’t high enough. It mustn’t, however, be so high that
you grind to a halt. It’s a matter of experimenting. You’ll find that as
you get fitter, the level of resistance you can cope with increases. Each
20-second workout should involve maximum effort.
5. After your first burst of fast sprinting, drop the resistance and do three
minutes of gentle pedalling.
6. Then do the 20-second sprint again.
7. Finish with a couple of minutes of gentle cycling to allow your heart
rate and blood pressure to return to normal before stepping off the bike.

Resistance training
As well as looking after your heart and lungs through HIIT and regular
walking, you need to pay attention to your muscles. Unless you do
resistance exercises, you will lose around 3–5% of your muscle mass every
decade after the age of 30. And if you are not eating enough protein, the
problem is even worse. The best way to counteract this is by maintaining a
protein intake of around 70–100g a day and doing regular sessions of
strength or resistance training. Not only will this keep you strong and
protect you from injury, but it will improve your insulin sensitivity,
reducing your risk of Type 2 diabetes.
I am a particular fan of something called High-Intensity Circuit Training
(HICT), which involves no equipment, apart from a chair, and which is a
mix of resistance training and an aerobic workout. You can do this in just
seven minutes and, despite the scary-sounding name, you can make it as
intense (or not) as you like. Essentially, you do 12 different exercises,
which work different muscles in your body, and you do each one for just 30
seconds, with a 10-second break in between.
Most mornings I get out of bed, activate my 7-minute workout app (there
are lots of ‘7-minute workout’ apps you can find online – the J&J version,
which I use, is free), and do a series of jumping jacks, wall sits, push-ups,
squats, abdominal crunches, triceps dips and the plank – in roughly that
order.
The J&J version is the original ‘7-minute workout’ and was developed by
Chris Jordan, Director of Exercise Physiology at the Johnson & Johnson
Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Florida. He once called it a
‘hotelroom workout’ because it was designed for people who didn’t have
the time or equipment to exercise while travelling.
HICT is popular because it is very short, and because it gives one set of
muscles a chance to recover while you are working out another set. You
start with the upper body, then move on to the lower body. I suggest you
start by doing one set of 7-minute workouts three times a week, and if you
are super-keen, pick it up from there. There are also excellent exercise
programmes on thefast800.com for all levels of fitness.

The best exercise ‘cocktail’

The recommended advice – that we all do 150 minutes of moderate-
intensity exercise per week – is simple and clear, but the latest science
shows that doing a mixture of different exercises is best.
Fascinating data from six studies, which included more than 130,000
adults in the UK, US and Sweden, used mathematical modelling to
determine how different combinations of activities – including moderate-to-
vigorous exercise (such as brisk walking, running or other activities that
increase heart rate), light physical activity (such as housework or casual
walking) and sedentary behaviour – affect mortality.46
If you are largely sedentary, punctuating your day with ‘light activity’ is
key. According to the researchers, the ideal exercise cocktail consists of 12
minutes of light activity or three minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity
for every hour you spend sitting. You can do this in a chunk, or break it up,
but do try to get up and move around every hour. This could be enough to
reduce your risk of early death by 30%.
 If you’ve got young children, or an active job which requires you to be
on your feet for much of the day, your ‘light activity’ is covered, and your
challenge is merely to find time to squeeze in some proper exercise
regularly. But if you work long hours behind a desk, or if you’ve got into
the habit of sitting all day playing computer games or watching TV, a little
light activity could save your life.
Even something as fleeting as a four-second burst of exercise has been
shown to be worth it. You just need to be active – you could do some
squats, a short wall sit, nip out for a brisk walk, or pump out a few jumping
jacks.47
One way in which short bursts of activity help to optimise health is by
waking the body up out of ‘sleep’ mode, flicking on the digestive switch
and making us better able to process nutrients.
Similar research has shown that a 20-second exercise ‘snack’ (in this case
racing up three flights of stairs three times a day for three days a week) is
enough to increase aerobic fitness by 5% in six weeks. It also boosts muscle
strength and leg power.48

10 ways to introduce more activity into your life

1. Buy a bike and cycle when you can. It saves lots of time and money.
2. If your destination is less than a mile away, why not walk? It will take
you less time than waiting for a bus or finding somewhere to park.
3. Stand while talking on the phone. You’ll burn calories and sound more
assertive.
4. Use a basket at the shops rather than a shopping trolley. That way you
do a bit of resistance training at the same time.
5. Drink lots of water. This not only keeps you hydrated but also increases
the need for bathroom breaks, which means in turn more short, brisk
walks.
6. Try, where possible, to take the stairs. I always run up escalators.
7. If you normally take a bus or train to work, get off at an earlier stop than
usual and walk the rest of the way.
8. If you drive to work or the supermarket, park at the far end of the car
park.
9. Keep resistance bands – stretchy cords or tubes that offer resistance
when you pull on them – or small hand weights near your desk. Do arm
curls between meetings or tasks.
10. Organise a lunchtime walking group. You might be surrounded by
people who are just dying to lace up their trainers. Enjoy the
camaraderie and offer encouragement to one another when you feel like
giving up.

Wayne’s story

I first met Wayne in early 2021 when he volunteered to take part in a TV

series I was making called ‘The 21-Day Body Turnaround’. Wayne, who is
married with three children, was 42 years old, and struggling. His catering
business had been hammered by Covid; he was tired, stressed and very
overweight. He was desperate to change. Before starting, we carried out a
range of tests on him, which revealed he had high blood pressure, high
cholesterol and the aerobic fitness of an average 58-year-old. When I gave
him the bad news he was visibly shaken.

I knew I was in a bad shape but not as bad as you found. I went to my
car after you told me my results and cried. It was a combination of
shock and fear. I have a family history of heart disease so I couldn’t
believe that I’d allowed myself to get to that point.

Wayne decided he wanted to go straight onto the Fast 800 Keto. He

started using the recipes that Clare had provided and embraced TRE from
the get-go. His oldest son, Jack, and his partner, Jen, joined him.

They were hugely supportive. They weren’t as strict as me, they did
more like 1000 calories and I know my son had the occasional cheeky
takeaway because I would find the remains in the bin. But he was good
enough not to eat them in front of me.

I asked Wayne not only to change what he ate but to try and increase his
average step count. I also suggested he join in some online HIIT classes,
which started quite gently but then built up over the course of the three
weeks we were filming the series.
 At the start I was doing only about 4000 steps a day, but I soon built
that up to 10,000 steps. I would look at my monitor, see where I was,
and when the kids had gone to bed I would go out for a walk with the
dog and get in lots of extra steps. It was pretty challenging because
normally at this time of the day I would sit down in front of the TV with
a snack and a drink.

I warned Wayne that the first few days on the Fast 800 Keto would be
tough. And they were.

I didn’t really feel hungry, but I felt incredibly lethargic. Doing the
exercises was really hard. Then suddenly it was like a switch had gone
off, I got a lot more energy and the exercises became far easier. Almost
addictive. My son did the workouts with me and he would often join me
for the walks so we would chat and that was lovely. Time together
which we wouldn’t have had if I was slumped in front of the TV.

He was amazed by how quickly everything improved.

I think the change in my mood was the biggest thing that I noticed first.
I rediscovered a taste for life. If my kids wanted to play then I was
there to play.

By day 10 I had already lost 4.5kg (10lb) and my skin was clearer, I
felt better, I looked better. I didn’t look bloated and I was really
astonished by how quickly that all happened.

In just three weeks Wayne lost 8kg (18lb) and 8cm (3in) off his waist.
His blood pressure came down, his stress levels improved (we measured his
cortisol levels) and he went from having the aerobic fitness of a 58-year-old
to that of a 44-year-old (just over his real age).
Since then he has stuck to his new regime, continuing to lose weight and
get fitter.

I eat a lot more protein, particularly fish. Far more than I have ever
had before in my life. We also eat far more veg than we ever did and
less starchy foods like potatoes or rice. I still eat junk food sometimes.
I am human. But we are much stricter with the kids, and give them fruit
to eat rather than biscuits or a cake as a snack. It’s amazing how
quickly they change.

My family was really proud of me. My partner and son both noticed the
impact on their bodies and brains of eating differently, eating right
rather than eating junk.

The biggest thing I would say is focus on being what you want to be. I
didn’t want to be the guy I was before. But if you do slip up, well, that’s
fine, just put it behind you and get straight back on it.

My current regime is that I do a regular 20-minute HIIT workout twice

a week and do lots of walking. It is about seeing what you can fit into
your life. I have also started cycling again with my dad, which is
lovely. I don’t panic about doing exercise: if it fits in it fits in. If it
doesn’t it doesn’t.

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 And finally...

I do hope you have success with this diet, which is based on the work of
numerous scientists from around the world, far too many to mention
individually, though I would like to say a special thanks to Prof Roy Taylor,
Prof Mike Lean, Prof Susan Jebb, Prof Stephen Simpson and Dr Mark
Mattson.
Remember, you don’t have to lose a lot of weight to see big
improvements in health. Indeed, even just changing your eating habits,
cutting out ultra-processed foods and cooking more meals from scratch will
make a huge difference to how you look and feel. Obviously, I hope you
will do this. But there is also a wider message that needs to be delivered
loud and clear to our politicians. While we can, individually, decide to do
something about weight gain by reducing our reliance on factory-made
food, it is imperative that governments also introduce legislation to curb the
food giants.
That, in the end, was what made a difference when it came to curbing the
power of the big cigarette companies.
According to a recent study by the Institute of Health Metrics and
Evaluation, published in the Lancet, unhealthy diets are now responsible for
11 million preventable deaths every year – more deaths than from
smoking.49 This is not to mention the hundreds of billions of dollars spent
treating complications of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
Most governments have favoured a hands-off voluntary arrangement with
food manufacturers, encouraging them to make their products healthier. In
reality, this has made very little difference. A study by researchers from
Oxford University, which looked at foods sold in English supermarkets
between 2015 and 2018, found they were selling less sugar-laden fizzy
drinks, the direct result of a sugar tax introduced in 2018, but there was no
evidence that anything else had improved.
We know, from the long war on tobacco, what works and what doesn’t.
Expecting food manufacturers to police themselves doesn’t work.
Repeatedly telling people these foods are bad for them might make a small
difference, but probably won’t.50
The only way to make a big difference is to tax unhealthy foods,
subsidise healthier alternatives and reduce or ban advertising of junk food,
particularly to kids. Despite numerous reports, which have said much the
same thing, governments are often reluctant to act due to fears of being
accused of implementing a Nanny State. That has to change, and soon.

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 Recipes
by Dr Clare Bailey
and food writer Kathryn Bruton

Our recipes are specially designed to help you through Stage 1 of the Fast
800 Keto programme. You may find it easier to use our meal plans at first,
to ensure that you are getting the right daily amounts of protein and carbs,
while keeping to the 800–900 calorie count. But do also feel free to put
your own menus together, mixing and matching different recipes to suit.
Just keep an eye on the nutritional information to ensure you are meeting
the Rule of 50 – that is, less than 50g carbs and at least 50g protein per day
(see here).
A few things to note:
• When it comes to non-starchy veg, no calorie counting is required. So
pile your plate high with greens and salad, and add any of the veg sides
for free.
• On hungry days you can go to 1000 cals – choose from the list of protein
add-ons to supplement any of the recipes.
• Dressings need to be considered, but if they encourage you to eat more
nutritious veg we regard this as a good thing, so be aware of the extra
calories but don’t get too hung up on them! See our simple dressing
recipes, all of which are less than 100 cals per portion.

When you move on to Stages 2 and 3, do keep using our recipes as a base
repertoire. They are all designed to be easily adapted – either by doubling
up portion sizes or adding in extra foods. We have included ‘non-fast day’
tips and options at the end of most of the recipes to help you do this. But get
creative: stick to a lowish-carb Med-style way of eating and you can’t go
wrong. Just remember to keep an eye on your protein intake – which by
now should be around 70–100g per day, i.e. almost twice what you ate on
Stage 1.
Bon appétit!
You can follow Clare on Instagram @drclarebailey
for tips and more recipes

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 BREAKFAST
Breakfast Traybake

Per serving: 361kcals, 25g protein, 4.5g carbs

Take the fuss out of making a full cooked breakfast! While the oven works
its magic, you can get on with your morning. Simple swaps, such as
vegetarian sausages and halloumi, will make this a nutritious meat-free
meal.

Serves 2
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

1 large tomato, sliced into 4

2 portobello mushrooms
2 Cumberland or vegetarian sausages, halved lengthwise
2 rashers back bacon (or 100g block halloumi, sliced in 2)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and line a baking sheet with
non-stick baking paper.
2. Place the tomato, mushrooms, sausages and bacon (or halloumi) on the
prepared tray. Drizzle the olive oil over the tomato and mushrooms and
season them with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place in the
oven and bake for 20 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven, break the eggs onto the tray and bake for
another 5 minutes, or until the yolks are just set.
NON-FAST DAY: Serve with a thin slice of wholegrain or seeded
sourdough buttered toast.

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 Keto Pancakes with Yoghurt and Berries

Per serving: 187kcals, 8g protein, 4.5g carbs

Super-easy to make, these pancakes are delicious served with yoghurt and
berries.

Serves 4 (makes 12 small pancakes)

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 8 minutes

30g ground almonds

60g cream cheese
2 medium eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract (or lemon zest)
15g butter
200g fresh berries, such as strawberries, raspberries or blueberries
4 tbsp full-fat Greek yoghurt

1. Whisk together the ground almonds, cream cheese, eggs and vanilla
extract in a medium bowl until smooth.
2. Melt half the butter in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.
Drop in 4 tablespoons of batter to make 4 small pancakes. Cook for
about 2 minutes, or until golden, then flip and cook on the other side for
the same amount of time. Transfer to a plate and continue with the rest
of the butter and batter.
3. Serve the pancakes topped with fruit and yoghurt.
TIP: Any leftover pancakes can be frozen for another day.
NON-FAST DAY: Top the pancakes with a handful of flaked almonds
or pecans, or an extra handful of berries.

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 Rapid Bircher with Apple and Cinnamon

Per serving: 300kcals, 8g protein, 16g carbs

This scrumptious take on a Bircher muesli is ready in seconds but can also
be made in advance and kept in the fridge for a ready-made breakfast.

Serves 2
Prep time: 5 minutes

1 tbsp chia seeds

2 tbsp rolled oats
170g full-fat Greek yoghurt or non-dairy equivalent
1 red apple, such as Gala, coarsely grated
30g pecans, roughly chopped
½ tsp ground cinnamon

1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl with a pinch of salt and 2–3
tablespoons of water and mix well.
2. Eat immediately or leave in the fridge for up to 24 hours (see tip below).
TIP: The chia seeds will thicken with time, so simply add 1–2
tablespoons of water to loosen the mixture.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase the portion size and add extra pecans.

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 Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon, Feta and
Avocado

Per serving: 320kcals, 19g protein, 2g carbs

Scrambled eggs are my favourite breakfast, especially with the addition of

smoked salmon. This is a particularly filling version that will power you
well into the day. Add a pinch of dried chilli flakes to give it a kick, or
scatter some freshly chopped herbs, such as parsley or dill, over the top
before serving.

Serves 2
Prep time: 3–5 minutes
Cook time: 3–4 minutes

4 medium eggs
10g butter or 1 tsp olive oil
60g smoked salmon, diced
40g feta, crumbled
½ large avocado, peeled, destoned, sliced and dressed with a little fresh lemon juice
2 tsp mixed seeds (around 10g)

1. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and season with salt and freshly ground black
pepper.
2. Melt the butter in a non-stick saucepan over a low heat. Pour in the eggs
and stir continually for 3–4 minutes, or until creamy and just starting to
set.
3. Immediately remove from the heat and stir in the salmon and feta.
Season with a generous grind of black pepper.
4. Serve with the sliced avocado alongside and the mixed seeds scattered
all over.
NON-FAST DAY: Serve with a thin slice of wholegrain buttered toast
and add marmite for extra flavour, if you like.
OceanofPDF.com
 Baked Eggs with Spinach and Chorizo

Per serving: 361kcals, 29g protein, 0.5g carbs

A fantastic high-protein breakfast that will kick-start your day. It would also
make an appetising lunch or supper with a mixed salad (see dressings).

Serves 2
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 12–15 minutes

300g frozen spinach, defrosted

1 tsp olive oil
50g good-quality chorizo, diced
25g Cheddar, coarsely grated
4 medium eggs

1. Place the spinach in a sieve and press out any excess liquid.
2. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan or casserole with a lid and fry the
chorizo over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes, or until crisp. Add the
spinach and Cheddar and stir to combine. Season with salt and ground
black pepper.
3. Make four small holes in the mixture and break an egg into each one.
Cover the pan with a lid (or a large piece of foil) and cook gently over a
low heat for 4–5 minutes, or until the whites are set but the yolks are
still runny. Serve immediately.
TIP: For a quick hit of extra heat, garnish with some chilli flakes.
NON-FAST DAY: Serve with a thin slice of wholegrain or sourdough
toast. A nice addition – mix ½ teaspoon paprika with 2 tablespoons of
Greek or natural yoghurt and spoon this over the dish before serving.

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 Cheese and Chive Muffins

Per serving: 194kcals, 10g protein, 1.5g carbs

These cheesy muffins make a tasty alternative to the starchy toast we often
crave in the morning. They are quick to make and will keep in the fridge for
a day or two in an airtight container. They benefit from a few seconds in the
microwave before eating to bring out the flavours. Try them with wilted
spinach on the side.

Makes 6 muffins
Prep time: 5–7 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

115g ground almonds

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 medium eggs
50ml milk
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
50g Cheddar, grated
5–10g fresh chives or parsley, finely chopped
25g pine nuts

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and line a muffin tray with 6
muffin cases.
2. Mix the ground almonds and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl with a
generous pinch of salt and plenty of ground black pepper, making sure
everything is evenly combined.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
4. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake for 15 minutes, or
until golden and risen.
TIP: Keep any uneaten muffins in the freezer. They can be defrosted
easily, ready for a quick breakfast on the go.
NON-FAST DAY: Serve two muffins per person, instead of one, and
enjoy with a colourful dressed salad.

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 Microwave Eggs with Spinach and Mackerel

Per serving: 299kcals, 20g protein, 0.5g carbs

This high-protein breakfast makes a great start to the day. Keep a close eye
when cooking eggs in the microwave. If left for too long they can explode!

Serves 1
Prep time: 2–3 minutes
Cook time: 4–5 minutes

50g frozen spinach

1 tbsp crème fraîche
50g cooked smoked mackerel, skin removed and broken into pieces
1 medium egg

1. Place the spinach in a ramekin and microwave for 3 minutes. Stir in the
crème fraîche and mackerel, and season with salt and ground black
pepper.
2. Crack the egg on top and use a sharp knife to pierce three holes in the
yolk.
3. Cook in the microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds, checking every 15
seconds from then on, until the white is set and the yolk is still runny
(or cooked to your liking).
TIPS: Use a standard 9 or 10cm ramekin for this recipe. Smoked
salmon can be used in place of mackerel.

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 Cashew, Vanilla and Fig Breakfast Shake

Per serving: 183kcals, 10g protein, 12g carbs

A smooth, luxurious shake with a delicate flavour.

Serves 2
Prep time: 2 minutes

150g silken tofu

100ml full-fat cow’s milk
25g cashews
1 dried fig
1 tbsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blitz until completely smooth.
TIP: If this is one of your main meals, serve as a single portion. The
shake will keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours. You can use almond
milk instead of cow’s milk, in which case calories per serving will be
157 and protein 8g.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase or double the portion size.

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 BRUNCH & LUNCH
Pea and Mint Soup

Per serving: 161kcals, 8g protein, 9g carbs

The classic combination of pea and mint tastes wonderful in this easy-to-
make soup. Served hot or cold, it makes an ideal packed lunch – just pour it
into a flask or jar. Swirl in a tablespoon of full-fat yoghurt to make it extra
creamy, or scatter over a tablespoon of toasted seeds for a bit of crunch.

Serves 2
Prep time: 2–3 minutes
Cook time: 8–10 minutes

1 tsp olive oil

30g smoked lardons or pancetta cubes
200g frozen peas
300ml hot chicken or vegetable stock (made with ½ stock cube)
50ml full-fat milk
4 sprigs of fresh mint, leaves picked (or ½ tsp dried mint)

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and fry the lardons for 3–4 minutes
(2–3 minutes if using pancetta).
2. Add the peas and stock, bring to the boil and simmer for no more than 5
minutes.
3. Remove from the heat, add the milk and mint and blitz with a stick
blender until smooth. Season with salt and plenty of ground black
pepper.
TIP: Adjust calories if using non-dairy milk (50ml full-fat dairy milk =
34 cals)
NON-FAST DAY: Serve with a wholegrain bread roll and/or top with
some grated Cheddar or more fried smoked lardons or pancetta.
OceanofPDF.com
 Chunky Courgette and Dill Soup with Prawns

Per serving: 162kcals, 17g protein, 5g carbs

When a soup has texture to it, it feels more filling and satisfying. Leftover
chicken would work well in place of prawns. This is also a great way to use
up a summer glut of courgettes.

Serves 2
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium leek, trimmed, quartered lengthwise and sliced
2 medium courgettes, trimmed, quartered lengthwise and sliced into cubes
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
600ml hot chicken or vegetable stock (made with 1 stock cube)
10g fresh dill (or parsley)
150g cooked prawns

1. Place the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and sauté the leek and
courgettes for 4 minutes, adding a splash of water if necessary.
2. Add the chilli flakes and stock, then cover with a lid and simmer for 5
minutes.
3. Transfer half the soup to a blender, add the dill (or parsley) and blitz
until smooth. Return to the saucepan and remove from the heat.
4. Stir in the prawns so that they warm but don’t cook any more. Season to
taste and serve immediately.
TIPS: Raw prawns can be used instead of frozen; simply add to the
soup and simmer for an extra 2–3 minutes, or until they have turned
pink. A squeeze of lime juice adds extra zing. To prepare this soup
ahead, complete to the end of Step 3, then store in the fridge until
ready to serve. Warm it up and add the prawns immediately before
eating.
NON-FAST DAY: Serve with a thin slice of sourdough toast or a
wholegrain bread roll.

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 Curried Smoked Haddock Chowder

Per serving: 281kcals, 34.5g protein, 10g carbs

This light and aromatic soup makes a remarkably indulgent low-calorie

meal.

Serves 2
Prep time: 7–10 minutes
Cook time: 15–20 minutes

2 smoked haddock fillets (around 300g total weight)

200ml full-fat milk
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium leek, halved and sliced
1 medium carrot, trimmed and diced
½ tbsp mild curry powder
1 tsp ground turmeric (optional)
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1. Place the fish in a small saucepan, cover with the milk and gently heat.
Once the milk starts to bubble, remove from the hob, cover with a lid
and set aside.
2. Place the olive oil in another saucepan and sauté the leek and carrot
over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Add a splash
of water if they begin to stick.
3. Add the curry powder, turmeric, if using, and 350ml water. Bring to the
boil, simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat.
4. Remove the skin from the fish and flake the flesh into the vegetable
mixture. Stir the poaching milk into the pan and season with salt and
ground black pepper. Garnish with the chopped parsley to serve.
TIPS: It is worth keeping a few fillets of haddock in your freezer – the
remaining ingredients in this soup are likely to be in your cupboard or
fridge. Onions can be used instead of leeks, and you can play around
with adding different greens, such as spinach, green beans and finely
sliced cabbage.
NON-FAST DAY: Serve the chowder with a poached egg on top
and/or add 2–3 tablespoons of cooked pearl barley to the chowder in
Step 4.

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 Goat’s Cheese Frittata with Greens and Diced Figs

Per serving: 301kcals, 21g protein, 10g carbs

We love our eggs – they are low carb, high protein and incredibly
nutritious. When our children are home, this makes an easy breakfast or
brunch and keeps us full for ages. The goat’s cheese adds a salty tangy
flavour, which is balanced by the sweetness of the fig. Parmesan or Cheddar
would work, too. Serve warm with a mixed salad (see here for dressings) or
let it cool and cut it into slices for a delicious packed lunch.

Serves 4
Prep time: 7 minutes
Cook time: 10–12 minutes

1 tbsp olive oil or small knob of butter

1 medium onion, peeled and diced
60g leftover leafy green veg (cooked weight)
8 medium eggs, lightly whisked
80g goat’s cheese, sliced
3 dried figs, diced

1. Place the oil or butter in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium
heat and sauté the onion for 4–5 minutes, or until soft and translucent.
Meanwhile, preheat the grill to high.
2. Add the greens to the frying pan and heat through. Stir in the eggs, half
of the goat’s cheese and all the figs. Season generously with salt and
freshly ground black pepper. Cook over a medium heat for 2 minutes,
using a wooden spoon to draw the egg towards the middle of the pan
and allowing it to run back towards the side of the pan as it cooks.
3. While the egg is still slightly runny, top with the remaining slices of
cheese and place the pan under the grill with the handle away from the
heat. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until the top is set and slightly
browned.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase the portion size and/or add roasted squash
in Step 2.

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 Protein Wrap Two Ways

Per serving: 192kcals, 16g protein, 3.5g carbs

So simple to make, these are brilliant lunchbox fillers – and a healthy

alternative to a starchy wrap. Best eaten the same day.

Serves 1
Prep time: 2–3 minutes
Cook time: 4 minutes

2 medium eggs
1 tsp wholemeal flour
½ tsp olive oil or butter

1. Crack the eggs into a cup or small bowl and whisk lightly.
2. Add the flour, a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper and whisk again
until smooth, making sure there aren’t any lumps.
3. Place the olive oil or butter in a medium non-stick frying pan and use a
piece of kitchen roll to spread it evenly over the base.
4. Pour in the egg mixture and cook gently over a medium heat for 2
minutes. Flip the wrap over and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from
the pan and leave to cool before filling with one of the following
combinations.

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 Beetroot, Rocket and Feta

Per serving: 279kcals, 21g protein, 10g carbs

Prep time: 5 minutes

1 cooked beetroot, sliced into matchsticks

Small handful of rocket
20g feta

1. Place the beetroot on one half of the wrap and top with rocket and
crumbled feta. Season with salt and ground black pepper, roll up and
serve.

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 Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese and Capers

Per serving: 379kcals, 29g protein, 8g carbs

Prep time: 5 minutes

2 tbsp cream cheese

50g smoked salmon
1 tsp capers
A few Little Gem or romaine lettuce leaves

1. Carefully spread the cream cheese over the wrap. Top with the salmon,
capers and lettuce. Season, roll up and serve.
TIP: Rocket or other lettuce leaves would work well, too.

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 Spinach and Ham Omelette

Per serving: 148kcals, 13g protein, 0g carbs

We often have this tasty omelette for brunch. Serve tangy sauerkraut or
kimchi on the side for a spicy kick (no calorie counting needed) and your
microbiome will love it, too. Definitely a family favourite.

Serves 2
Prep time: 2–3 minutes
Cook time: 4–5 minutes

30g baby spinach, roughly chopped

2 slices smoked ham, diced
½ tbsp olive oil
4 medium eggs
10g Parmesan, grated

1. Place the oil in a small-medium-sized non-stick frying pan over a

medium heat. Add the spinach and ham and fry for about 2 minutes, or
until the spinach has wilted.
2. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a small bowl, season with a little salt
and some freshly ground black pepper and whisk lightly. Pour the eggs
into the pan and, using a wooden spoon or spatula, draw in the egg from
the edge of the pan to allow it to run back towards the side of the pan as
it cooks.
3. When the eggs are almost set, scatter the cheese on top, then fold the
omelette in half and remove it from the pan.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase the portion size and/or serve with a dressed
salad sprinkled with toasted nuts or seeds.

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 Protein Salad with Tuna, Roasted Red Peppers,
Edamame and Harissa

Per serving: 436kcals, 27g protein, 11.5g carbs

This satisfying salad is packed with protein and vibrant flavours, enhanced
by the unusual harissa dressing. The Little Gem leaves act as healthy taco
shells but you could add extra leaves to the filling or serve them on the side,
too, if you like.

Serves 2
Prep time: 10 minutes

1 × 145g can tuna in oil, drained

60g pitted black kalamata olives, halved
100g roasted red peppers, sliced
100g frozen edamame beans, defrosted
2 Little Gem lettuces, torn into leaves
20g mixed seeds

Dressing
2 tbsp harissa
2 tbsp olive oil
80g silken tofu
2 tbsp cider vinegar

1. To make the dressing, place all the ingredients in a blender and blitz
until completely smooth. Season with salt and freshly ground black
pepper.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the tuna, black olives, roasted peppers
and edamame beans. Add the dressing and toss to coat.
3. Arrange the leaves on two plates and spoon some mixture into each one.
Top with the seeds and serve.
TIP: To prevent any tofu going to waste, simply make a larger quantity
of the dressing and keep it in the fridge for another day. It will keep for
up to five days. Served as a dip with crudités, it would make a quick,
healthy snack.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase or double the portion size and/or add 2–3
tablespoons of cooked quinoa, bulgur wheat or brown rice.

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 Waldorf Salad

Per serving: 417kcals, 32g protein, 7g carbs

Forget those unsatisfying diet salads, this is a gratifying and filling meal –
with texture and crunch in the apples and walnuts and quality protein in the
chicken.

Serves 2
Prep time: 10 minutes

100g rocket or mixed leaves

1 red apple, cored, finely sliced and tossed with a little fresh lemon juice
1 large celery sick, diced
200g cooked skinless chicken, diced
6–8 radishes, trimmed and sliced
40g walnuts, roughly chopped
30g soft blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled

Dressing
2 tbsp full-fat Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp good-quality full-fat mayonnaise
Zest and juice of ½ lemon

1. To make the dressing, mix all the ingredients together and season with
salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the rocket or mixed leaves, apple, celery,
chicken and radishes. Pour in the dressing and toss to coat well. Top
with the walnuts and blue cheese to serve.
NON-FAST DAY: Serve with a thin slice of sourdough toast, a
wholegrain bread roll and/or 2–3 tablespoons of cooked quinoa or
bulgur wheat.

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 Cheesy Asparagus Prosciutto Bites

Per serving: 116kcals, 9g protein, 0.8g carbs

These savoury wraps can be eaten straight from the pan, or on the go. A
colourful salad with a light dressing would go well with them.

Serves 2
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes

4 slices prosciutto ham

4 asparagus spears, woody ends broken off
20g Gruyère cheese (or Jarlsberg), sliced into 4 equal lengths
½ tbsp olive oil

1. Lay the slices of prosciutto on a clean, flat surface. Chop each piece of
asparagus in half and lay two pieces in the middle of each slice of ham.
2. Place a piece of cheese on top of the asparagus and roll the ham up
tightly and securely.
3. Place a frying pan over a medium heat, add the oil and fry the rolls for
2–3 minutes, turning them to make sure each side is nice and crispy.
4. Remove from the pan and place on a piece of kitchen roll to absorb any
excess oil. Leave to cool or serve warm.

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 Lunchbox Salad of Broccoli, Feta and Piquanté
Peppers

Per serving: 320kcals, 14g protein, 11g carbs

The sweet and mildly spiced peppers are a perfect foil for the tangy feta in
this simple salad. Get to love your broccoli, if you don’t already, for its taste
and versatility, as well as its long list of health benefits, which include being
low in calories but high in the nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants that help
to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, inflammation
and cancer – it really is an impressive ‘superfood’!

Serves 1
Prep time: 5–7 minutes
Cook time: 1 minute

½ small head of broccoli, cut into bite-size florets

4 piquanté red peppers from a jar, quartered
25g feta, crumbled
10g pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp cider vinegar

1. Place the broccoli in a saucepan of salted boiling water and simmer for
1 minute. Drain immediately and refresh under cold water.
2. Place the peppers, feta and pumpkin seeds, along with the cooked
broccoli, in a bowl (or lunchbox) and drizzle the oil and vinegar all
over. Toss to coat and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
TIP: Piquanté peppers are readily found in supermarkets, but you can
use roasted red peppers from a jar instead.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase or double the portion size and/or serve
with 2–3 tablespoons of cooked brown rice, quinoa or wholewheat
pasta.
OceanofPDF.com
 Cheesy Biscuits with Two Delicious Dips

Per serving: 100kcals, 6g protein, 1g carbs

These biscuits make a great snack on their own, or a dunking device for the
dips. They will keep for up to a week in an airtight container.

Makes 10 biscuits
Prep time: 8–10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

60g Cheddar, coarsely grated

60g Parmesan, finely grated
60g ground almonds
3 tbsp mixed seeds
1 medium egg white

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5 and line a large baking sheet
with non-stick baking paper.
2. Place all the ingredients in a bowl, season generously with freshly
ground black pepper and mix together well.
3. Use a dessert spoon to scoop the mixture onto the prepared sheet,
pressing each biscuit flat with the back of the spoon. Place in the oven
and bake until golden – about 15 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.

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 Beetroot and Blue Cheese

Per serving: 189kcals, 7g protein, 3g carbs

Serves 2
Prep time: 5 minutes

1 medium cooked beetroot

2 tbsp full-fat Greek yoghurt
25g blue cheese, such as Stilton
30g walnuts, chopped

1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl with a generous pinch of salt and
freshly ground black pepper. Blitz with a stick blender until smooth.

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 Smoked Mackerel and Lemon

Per serving: 165kcals, 12g protein, 0.5g carbs

Fresh herbs, such as dill or parsley, or finely chopped rocket or spinach,

would make a lovely addition to this dip.

Serves 2
Prep time: 5 minutes

100g cooked smoked mackerel, skin removed

2 tbsp full-fat Greek yoghurt
Zest of 1 lemon

1. Mash the mackerel fillets in a bowl with a fork until broken down but
still a bit chunky.
2. Mix in the yoghurt and lemon zest, and season with freshly ground
black pepper.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase the portion size or serve the dips with
fingers of toasted wholemeal pitta or thin wholegrain crackers.
TIP: These dips would also work beautifully with fresh vegetable
crudités, such as celery, radish, cucumber, peppers and crispy Little
Gem lettuce leaves.

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 Roasted Broccoli and Kale with Halloumi and
Harissa

Per serving: 396kcals, 18g protein, 9.5g carbs

Nothing quite beats the ease of a traybake. This one is packed with flavour.
A real winner.

Serves 2
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

200g Tenderstem broccoli, woody stems trimmed

50g kale, tough stalks removed
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
120g halloumi, cut into thin slices
10g pine nuts or mixed seeds
2 tbsp full-fat Greek yoghurt
1½ tbsp harissa paste

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and line a baking sheet with
non-stick baking paper.
2. Place the broccoli and kale in a bowl and toss with the vinegar, olive oil
and a generous pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper, making
sure everything is thoroughly coated.
3. Spread the vegetables over the prepared baking sheet. Lay the halloumi
on top and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven, scatter over the pine nuts and cook for a further
3–5 minutes, or until the pine nuts are nicely browned.
5. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set aside. Beat the yoghurt
and harissa together, then pour the mixture over the traybake and toss
everything together.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase the portion size and/or serve with 2–3
tablespoons of cooked brown rice or a mixture of wild rice and brown
basmati.

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 Simple Saag with Tandoori Halloumi

Per serving: 516kcals, 24g protein, 20g carbs

The halloumi adds texture and protein to this flavoursome vegetarian curry.
For extra protein, drizzle with a spoon of Raita or Greek yoghurt, or top it
with a poached egg.

Serves 2
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
260g frozen spinach
1 × 400g can chopped tomatoes
1½ tbsp tandoori curry powder
125g halloumi, cut into 2cm cubes
30g cashews

1. Using 1 tbsp olive oil, sauté the onion, garlic and ginger in a large
frying pan over a gentle heat for 2–3 minutes.
2. Add the spinach, tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of the curry powder and
bring to a simmer. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring from time to time to
break up the blocks of spinach. Season with salt and freshly ground
black pepper, transfer to a bowl and keep warm.
3. Wipe the pan clean and return to the heat. Fry the halloumi in the
remaining olive oil for about 3 minutes, or until browned and crisp. Stir
in the remaining curry powder and cook for 30 seconds more.
4. Spoon the spinach mixture into bowls and top with the halloumi and
cashew nuts.
TIPS: The tandoori halloumi makes a great quick snack. The spinach
mixture could be made ahead or doubled up and kept in the fridge for a
few days.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase the portion size and serve with 2–3
tablespoons of cooked brown rice or a wholemeal chapati. You could
also stir in some extra protein, such as edamame beans or cooked
chicken.

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 Tomato, Chorizo and Mozzarella Pizza with Rocket

Dough per serving: 313kcals, 9.6g protein, 12g carbs

Topping per serving: 160kcals, 12g protein, 2g carbs

There is something indulgent about a pizza, but the standard base is starchy
and fattening. This dough – which uses protein-rich almonds instead of
white flour – is much lighter. We suggest a tomato, chorizo, mozzarella and
rocket topping, which is our family favourite, but you can be creative with
your own variations.

Makes 5 pizza bases/Topping for 1

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

140g ground almonds

60g psyllium husk
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp fine sea salt
3 egg whites
200ml warm water
50ml olive oil
2 tsp cider vinegar

For the topping:

1 tbsp tomato purée
15g chorizo, diced
¼ ball mozzarella, torn
½ tsp dried oregano
Small handful of rocket

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add the egg whites,
warm water, olive oil and cider vinegar and give it all a quick mix until
well combined. It should form a dough-like ball.
3. With a few drops of olive oil on your hands to prevent sticking, divide
the mixture into 5 balls. Place one ball on a piece of non-stick baking
paper and place another piece of baking paper on top. Press down with
your hands, then use a rolling pin to roll out the base until it is just 1–
2mm thick. Repeat with the remaining balls or store them in the fridge
or freezer for another day.
4. Transfer the non-stick baking paper to a baking sheet. Spread with the
tomato purée, then scatter the chorizo and mozzarella over the top.
Sprinkle with the oregano and season with a little salt and plenty of
freshly ground black pepper. Bake in the hot oven for about 15 minutes,
or until it is just getting crispy and golden brown around the edges.
5. As soon as it comes out of the oven, scatter with the rocket to serve.
You can add extra leafy salad to fill half the plate to get your greens –
no counting required – and see here for a light dressing.
TIP: If you have calories to spare or are feeling you need a few extra,
you can add ½ tbsp grated Parmesan.
NON-FAST DAY: Use the dough to make four pizzas instead of five.

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 MAINS
Tomato and Pepper Sauce Three Ways

Per serving: 540kcals, 12.5g protein, 57g carbs

This versatile tomato and pepper sauce makes a great base for all sorts of
savoury meals. We use it as a base for steamed fish, baked meatballs and a
soup with chicken and spinach (see here). The recipe makes one batch, but
you could double up the ingredients and use half now and store half in the
freezer for another day.

Makes 1 batch
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

2 medium red onions, peeled and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
3 peppers, any colour, deseeded and cut into 2cm pieces
1 × 400g can chopped tomatoes
2 tsp paprika
½ tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)

1. Place a frying pan over a medium heat and sauté the onions and garlic
in the oil for 3–4 minutes, or until softened.
2. Add the peppers, tomatoes, paprika, chilli flakes (if using) and 100ml
water and stir to combine. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes,
stirring halfway through. Season with salt and freshly ground black
pepper.

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 Steamed Fish with Tomato and Pepper Sauce

Per serving: 434kcals, 28g protein, 29.5g carbs

The tomato and pepper sauce marries beautifully with white fish. Add half a
plate of green veg to make a light meal with fabulous Mediterranean
flavours.

Serves 2
Prep time: 3 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

1 × batch Tomato and Pepper Sauce

1 tbsp green or black olives
70g green beans, trimmed
2 × 120g thick, skinless white fish fillets (such as cod or haddock)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 lemon wedges, to serve (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.

2. Cut out two large rectangles of non-stick baking paper and place half
the Tomato and Pepper Sauce in the centre of each. Top with the olives,
green beans and fish, then drizzle the olive oil over. Season with salt
and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Fold the baking paper over and carefully seal all the edges to make
parcels. Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
4. Serve with a wedge of lemon if using.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase or double the portion size and/or roast
small cubes of butternut squash alongside the fish and serve with 2–3
tablespoons of cooked green lentils.

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 Baked Meatballs with Mozzarella

Per serving: 459kcals, 25g protein, 14.5g carbs

Serve these meatballs with a very generous helping of greens or thin beans.
A hit of chilli works well here, too.

Serves 4
Prep time: 3 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

1 × batch Tomato and Pepper Sauce

12 small, good-quality beef, pork or lamb meatballs (around 350g)
125g mozzarella, torn into pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.

2. Pour the Tomato and Pepper Sauce into a baking dish and place the
meatballs on top. Scatter the mozzarella pieces over and season with
salt, freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of chilli flakes if you like.
Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
TIP: Fresh basil leaves make a delicious garnish for this dish.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase the portion size and/or serve with
wholegrain noodles or 2–3 tablespoons of cooked brown rice.

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 Easy Chicken, Spinach and Tomato Soup

Per serving: 393kcals, 24.5g protein, 28.5g carbs

This is a hearty, chunky soup that will be ready in minutes and leave you
feeling full and satisfied.

Serves 2
Prep time: 2–3 minutes
Cook time: 5–6 minutes

1 × batch Tomato and Pepper Sauce

1 chicken or vegetable stock cube
100g frozen spinach
120g cooked chicken, diced

1. Place the Tomato and Pepper Sauce in a medium saucepan and stir in
the stock cube, spinach and 450ml water. Bring to the boil, then reduce
the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the spinach has fully
defrosted.
2. Add the chicken and simmer for 30 seconds more to heat through.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase the portion size and serve with a thin slice
of wholegrain or seeded sourdough bread.

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 Baked White Fish with a Parmesan Crust

Per serving: 249kcals, 28g protein, 0.7g carbs

Forget fattening battered or breaded fish that piles on the pounds and try
this crispy oven-baked version instead. Even reluctant fish eaters will love
it!

Serves 2
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

1 tbsp olive oil

20g ground almonds
2 x 120g skinless white fish fillets
20g Parmesan, finely grated
¼ tsp paprika

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and line a baking sheet with
non-stick baking paper.
2. Pour the olive oil into a bowl. Place the ground almonds in a separate
bowl and add a generous pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Dip the fish in the oil to coat all sides, then dip it in the ground almonds.
Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and bake in the oven for 5
minutes.
4. Meanwhile, mix the Parmesan and paprika together in another bowl.
After 5 minutes, remove the sheet from the oven and sprinkle the
Parmesan all over the fish. Return to the oven to bake for another 10
minutes, or until it is nicely browned. (You may need to cook the fish
for a few minutes longer if the fillets are thick.)
5. Serve with plenty of cooked green veg or a crunchy salad.
TIP: Using defrosted frozen fish is fine.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase or double the portion size and/or serve
with 2–3 tablespoons of cooked quinoa or lentils.

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 Cauliflower Rice Risotto with Chicken, Edamame
and Roasted Red Peppers

Per serving: 355kcals, 25g protein, 11.5g carbs

Here, cauliflower rice takes the place of traditional risotto rice. The chia
seeds give the risotto a smooth, creamy texture, while keeping starchy
calories to a minimum. Serve with half a plate of green veg, a salad or some
baked courgettes.

Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

½ medium cauliflower, cut into small florets and leaves roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 vegetable or chicken stock cube
100g frozen edamame beans, defrosted
100g roasted red peppers (from a jar), finely chopped
200g cooked chicken, finely sliced
60ml full-fat crème fraîche
50g Parmesan, finely grated

1. To make the cauli rice, place the cauliflower in a food processor and
blitz until fine. If your food processor is small, do this in two batches
(or grate by hand).
2. Place the oil in a large frying pan and sauté the onion for 3–4 minutes,
or until it starts to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Stir in the cauli rice, 400ml water and the chia seeds, and crumble in the
stock cube.
3. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring from time to
time, for 7–10 minutes, until the liquid has almost completely
evaporated and the cauliflower is cooked but still retains a little bite.
4. Stir in the edamame beans, roasted red peppers, chicken, crème fraîche
and Parmesan. When thoroughly mixed and heated through, remove
from the heat and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
TIP: The base of this risotto will lend itself to any flavours or toppings.
Some diced fried chorizo and leftover leafy greens would work well,
as would lots of lightly fried mushrooms. For alternative proteins, try
prawns, halloumi or bacon, or see here.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase or double the portion size, add 1–2
tablespoons of cooked quinoa to the pan in Step 4 and/or replace
100ml of water with white wine in Step 2.

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 Beef Stroganoff

Per serving: 493kcals, 27g protein, 3.5g carbs

Who says diets are about deprivation? This rich and indulgent dish is full of
flavour and will leave you feeling pleasantly satiated. It’s delicious served
with cabbage pappardelle, steamed greens, or cauliflower mash.

Serves 2
Prep time: 8–10 minutes
Cook time: 10-12 minutes

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
300g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1 sirloin steak (around 225g), excess fat removed and thinly sliced into 1cm strips
80ml full-fat crème fraîche
½ tsp paprika
1 tbsp English mustard

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium nonstick frying pan and
fry the onion and mushrooms for 8–10 minutes, until softened and
browned. Add the garlic and fry for a further minute. Use a slotted
spoon to transfer the mixture to a bowl.
2. Place the remaining oil in the pan and, when hot, add the steak and fry it
for 1½ minutes, stirring it once or twice while cooking. Cook for 30
seconds more if you like your meat well done.
3. Return the onion and mushrooms to the pan and stir in the crème
fraîche, paprika and mustard – it will bubble immediately. Remove
from the heat and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase the portion size and serve with 2–3
tablespoons of cooked brown rice.
OceanofPDF.com
 Black Bean Chilli

Per serving: 172kcals, 8g protein, 16g carbs

This tasty dish provides plenty of gut-friendly fibre to keep your

microbiome healthy and happy. Serve with steamed greens, such as sliced
savoy cabbage or cavolo nero, and a side of cauli rice.

Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
150g mushrooms, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 × 400g can black beans, drained
1 × 400g can chopped tomatoes
1 vegetable or chicken stock cube
4 tbsp full-fat yoghurt
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander or parsley to serve (optional)

1. Place the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion,
pepper and mushrooms and sauté for 3–4 minutes, or until softened.
2. Add the cumin, garlic and chilli flakes and cook for a further 30
seconds.
3. Mash half of the beans roughly, then add them to the pan, along with the
whole beans. Stir in the tomatoes and stock cube and simmer for 15
minutes.
4. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve topped with
a generous spoonful of yoghurt and the herbs scattered over (if using).
TIP: If you have any leftovers, use them to make another dish. Thinly
slice one aubergine and fry it in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
Layer the slices in a small baking dish with the leftover chilli and top
with 30g grated Cheddar. Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C/fan
180°C/gas 6 for 20–25 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and
bubbling.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase or double the portion size and serve with
2–3 tablespoons of cooked brown rice.

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 Pulled Pork with Cider Vinegar

Per serving: 387kcals, 32.7g protein, 8g carbs

Traditionally slow-cooked over wood, this simple, oven-baked version is

succulent and tender and has a lovely smoky flavour.

Serves 6
Prep time: 7–10 minutes
Cook time: 4.5 hours

1 boned and rolled pork shoulder joint (roughly 1kg)

2 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped
150ml cider vinegar
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 bay leaves or ½ tsp cloves
1 tbsp honey

1. Preheat the oven to 140°C/fan 120°C/gas 1.

2. Place the pork in a medium casserole with a lid. Add the onions, cider
vinegar, 1 teaspoon of the smoked paprika and the bay leaves or cloves,
and pour in enough water to half cover the pork. Put on the lid and
place in the oven for 3.5–4 hours, depending on the size of the joint,
basting occasionally.
3. Carefully remove from the oven, scatter the remaining paprika over the
pork and drizzle with the honey. Return to the oven, uncovered,
increase heat to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5 and cook for 30 minutes.
4. Take the casserole out of the oven and carefully lift the pork onto a tray.
Remove any excess fat and use two forks to shred the meat. Discard the
bay leaves or cloves from the sauce, return the shredded meat to the
casserole, stir everything together and season with salt and freshly
ground black pepper.
5. Serve with a salad.
TIP: Choose a fatty joint of pork.
NON-FAST DAY: Roast small cubes of butternut squash on a baking
tray alongside the pork in Step 3.

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 Speedy One-Pan Thai Red Curry with Salmon

Per serving: 401kcals, 26g protein, 7g carbs

A fragrant, creamy keto curry, which is super-easy to make. Add extra

Tenderstem broccoli, if you wish.

Serves 4
Prep time: 8 minutes
Cook time: 10–12 minutes

1 tbsp olive oil

1 red (or white) onion, peeled and roughly chopped
5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
½ × 400ml can full-fat coconut milk
200g Tenderstem broccoli
4 salmon fillets (around 450g total weight)

1. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and sauté the onion and ginger, stirring
often, until softened – about 3 minutes.
2. Add the curry paste and coconut milk and bring to the boil. Season with
salt (or ½–1 tablespoon of fish sauce, if you have it) and freshly ground
black pepper.
3. Place the broccoli on top of the sauce, followed by the fish. Cover with
a lid or a piece of foil and simmer over a medium heat for 8 minutes.
4. Serve with Cauli Rice or Cabbage Pappardelle.
TIPS: A squeeze of lime or lemon juice before serving will make all
the flavours sing. Thai curry pastes differ in flavour and intensity –
start with 2 tablespoons and add more if necessary. The jar may tell
you how much paste is needed per 400ml can of coconut milk. Stir the
coconut milk well before pouring it into the pan as it often separates in
the can. You can also buy 200ml pouches, ideal for this recipe.
NON-FAST DAY: Serve with wholegrain noodles or 2–3 tablespoons
of cooked brown rice.

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 Tarragon Chicken with Bacon and Mushrooms

Per serving: 355kcals, 32g protein, 1g carbs

This classic dish is one of our favourite comfort foods and, like many of
these recipes, works well for the whole family. So, on a fast day, Michael
will have a portion served with cooked greens, a salad, cauli rice or steamed
cabbage pappardelle, while we add a few tablespoons of wholegrains, such
as quinoa or brown rice.

Serves 2
Prep time: 5–7 minutes
Cook time: 30–35 minutes

2 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on and trimmed

1 tbsp olive oil
2 rashers smoked back bacon, diced
150g chestnut or white mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp dried tarragon
3 tbsp crème fraîche
1 tbsp cider vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.

2. Season the skin of the chicken with salt and freshly ground black
pepper, drizzle over half the olive oil and roast in the oven for 30–35
minutes, or until the juices run clear when pierced with a knife.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and fry the bacon and
mushrooms for 2–3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the garlic
and tarragon and fry for 1 minute more.
4. Just before the chicken is ready, remove the frying pan from the heat
and stir through the crème fraîche and vinegar. Season to taste with salt
and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Serve the sauce with the chicken on top and plenty of steamed greens.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase or double the portion size and/or roast
small cubes of butternut squash alongside the chicken in Step 2, or
serve with 2–3 tablespoons of cooked Puy lentils.

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 Quick Veg and Salmon Stir-Fry with Ginger and
Oyster Sauce

Per serving: 355kcals, 21g protein, 9g carbs

Using a shop-bought stir-fry mix and cooked salmon, this recipe requires
little-to-no effort and beats any takeaway.

Serves 2
Prep time: 3–4 minutes
Cook time: 4–5 minutes

2 tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced (optional)
5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 × 300g pack stir-fry vegetables
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 fillets cooked salmon (about 180g total weight), roughly broken into chunks
¼–½ tsp dried chilli flakes

1. Heat the olive oil in a wok or a deep frying pan. When sizzling hot, stir-
fry the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, then add the vegetables and
stir-fry for 2–3 minutes.
2. Add the soy and oyster sauces and cook for 30 seconds more to heat
through.
3. Finally, stir through the salmon, season and sprinkle with chilli flakes to
serve.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase or double the portion size and/or serve
with wholegrain noodles or 2–3 tablespoons of cooked brown rice.

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 Aubergine Parmigiana with Lentils

Per serving: 322kcals, 14g protein, 10g carbs

Aubergine Parmigiana is comfort food at its finest. Serve with a generous

colourful salad.

Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 50–55 minutes

5 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 × 400g can chopped tomatoes
1 beef or vegetable stock cube
2 small aubergines, trimmed and sliced lengthwise into 0.5cm strips
125g tinned green lentils
½ tsp dried oregano
1 × 125g ball of mozzarella, thinly sliced
40–50g Parmesan, finely grated

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.

2. To make the tomato sauce, place 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a
saucepan over a medium heat and fry the garlic for about 1 minute, or
until just starting to brown. Stir in the tomatoes and stock cube, and
simmer for 3–4 minutes. Remove from the heat and blitz with a stick
blender until completely smooth. Season with freshly ground black
pepper.
3. Place a large frying pan over a high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the
olive oil. Lay half the aubergines in the pan and fry for 3–4 minutes, or
until nicely browned. Flip over, add another tablespoon of olive oil and
cook on the other side for the same amount of time. Repeat with the
remaining aubergines and oil – you should only need to cook in two
batches.
4. To assemble the Parmigiana, pour the lentils into the base of a medium
baking dish. Layer half the aubergines on top and season generously
with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Top with half the tomato
sauce, half the oregano and half the mozzarella. Repeat with the
remaining aubergines, sauce, mozzarella and oregano, making sure to
season the second layer, then roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until
golden brown and bubbling. A few minutes before it is ready, sprinkle
over the grated Parmesan and return to the oven to finish cooking.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase or double the portion size and/or serve
with a thin slice of sourdough toast or a wholegrain bread roll.

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 Prawn Curry with Coconut Milk

Per serving: 338kcals, 25g protein, 9g carbs

I keep frozen foods, such as prawns and edamame beans, in the freezer for
healthy last-minute meals like this creamy curry. Frozen fish and veg retain
their nutrients well and are often cheaper than fresh. Serve with Cauli Rice
or Cabbage Pappardelle.

Serves 4
Prep time: 7–10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and diced (or ½ tsp ground ginger)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
1 × 400ml can coconut milk
100g frozen edamame beans
500g large frozen cooked prawns, defrosted

1. Place the oil in a large pan with a well-fitting lid over a medium heat.
Add the onions and fry gently for about 3–4 minutes, then stir in the
garlic, ginger and spices and cook for a further minute.
2. Pour in the coconut milk, cover with the lid and simmer for about 4
minutes.
3. Add the edamame beans and simmer for 1 minute more.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the prawns. Leave for a minute or so
for them to heat through.
TIP: You can defrost the prawns in the microwave, or simply immerse
the bag in a bowl of warm water for about 30–60 minutes. If you are
more organised, you could take them out of the freezer the night before
and leave them in the fridge.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase or double the portion size and/or serve
with 2–3 tablespoons of cooked brown rice or a mixture of wild rice
and brown basmati.

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 Simple Salmon with Fennel, Tomatoes and Lemon

Per serving: 354kcals, 26.5g protein, 5g carbs

Salmon, fennel and lemon are a trio of flavours made for one another and
they combine here to make a mouth-watering dish that is high in protein,
fibre and vitamins. Serve with half a plate of cooked greens.

Serves 2
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes

1 fennel bulb, topped and tailed, halved lengthwise and each half sliced crosswise into half-
moons about 0.5cm thick
120ml hot stock (made with ½ vegetable stock cube)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 x 120g salmon fillets
250g cherry vine tomatoes
Juice of ½ lemon
Pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.

2. Place the fennel in a medium baking dish and season with salt and
freshly ground black pepper. Pour over the hot stock and olive oil and
roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.
3. Remove the dish from the oven and place the salmon on top of the
fennel. Scatter the cherry tomatoes around it, drizzle with the lemon
juice and season once more with freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle
with chilli flakes, if using, and roast in the oven for 15 minutes, or until
the salmon is cooked through.
NON-FAST DAY: Increase or double the portion size and/or serve
with wholegrain pasta or 2–3 tablespoons of cooked brown rice.

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 Sesame-Crusted Chicken Kiev

Per serving: 372kcals, 31g protein, 0.5g carbs

Using Boursin, a soft cream cheese with herbs and garlic, to stuff the
chicken speeds up prep and you still get that luxurious burst of flavour
when you cut into the chicken. We have kept this dish keto by avoiding
starchy breadcrumbs and crusting it with sesame seeds instead.

Serves 2
Prep time: 5–6 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

3 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp garlic Boursin
1½ tbsp olive oil
½ lemon, sliced in half

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and line a baking sheet with
non-stick baking paper.
2. Place the chicken thighs between two pieces of non-stick baking paper
and bash with a rolling pin until they are half the thickness.
3. Divide the Boursin between the chicken thighs, spreading it over one
half of each piece. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper,
then fold the chicken in half to cover the Boursin and press the edges to
seal.
4. Tip the sesame seeds onto a plate and dip each thigh into them, ensuring
both sides are coated.
5. Place the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. When hot,
add the chicken and fry for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden.
Transfer the thighs to the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven
for 25 minutes.
6. Garnish with a lemon wedge and serve with steamed veg or a mixed
salad.
NON-FAST DAY: Roast small cubes of butternut squash alongside the
chicken or serve it with 2–3 tablespoons of cooked wild rice and
brown basmati.

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 Tuscan Lamb Stew with White Beans

Per serving: 355kcals, 26g protein, 17g carbs

An irresistible, melt-in-the-mouth, slow-cooked stew, fragrant with

rosemary and garlic and finished with delicious cannellini beans.

Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 45 minutes

1½ tbsp olive oil

400g lamb neck fillet, cut into 3cm cubes
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
2 celery sticks, diced
1 × 400g can chopped tomatoes
1 chicken stock cube
3 sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked
1 × 400g can cannellini beans, drained

1. Place a medium casserole with a lid over a high heat and add 1
tablespoon of the olive oil. Carefully place the meat in the casserole,
without overcrowding it, and fry for about 5 minutes, or until it is nicely
browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2. Add the onion, garlic, celery and the remaining oil (if needed) and fry
over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring often, until softened.
3. Return the meat to the pan, along with the tomatoes, stock cube,
rosemary and 250ml water. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid, reduce
the heat and simmer for 1½ hours, checking occasionally to make sure
it isn’t drying out.
4. Add the beans and cook for a final 5 minutes to heat them through. Add
extra water to loosen, if needed. Season with salt and freshly ground
black pepper.
TIPS: Stirring ½ tablespoon of cider vinegar through just before
serving gives a lovely zing to the dish and really brings the flavours to
life. You can double the quantities and freeze portions to look forward
to at a later date.
NON-FAST DAY: Add an extra can of beans to the stew and/or serve
it with 2–3 tablespoons of cooked brown rice.

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 Wok-Steamed Sea Bass with Pak Choi

Per serving: 233kcals, 20g protein, 4.5g carbs

This dish has a sense of reveal as you lift the lid, releasing a burst of exotic
aromas and, as you move the greens, exposing the fish in a puff of steam.

Serves 2
Prep time: 5–7 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil

Dash of sesame oil (optional)
2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and diced
2 fillets of sea bass or another white fish (around 180g combined weight)
1–2 spring onions, trimmed and diced
2 pak choi, quartered lengthwise
½ tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
1 tbsp soy/tamari sauce or Thai fish sauce

1. Place a wok or large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the oils and
fry the ginger for 30 seconds.
2. Place the fish and spring onions in the pan, then cover with the pak
choi.
3. Sprinkle with the chilli, if using, and drizzle the soy or fish sauce over
the top, along with a tablespoon of water. Cover with a lid and cook for
8–10 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat, uncover and push the pak choi to one side to
reveal the fish underneath.
TIPS: If the fillets are thin, they might cook more quickly. Check they
are ready by inserting a fork into the middle and pulling it apart
slightly – if it is opaque and flaky, it is done; if not, cook for a little
longer. If you don’t have a lid for your pan or wok, cover it with some
foil.
NON-FAST DAY: Serve with wholegrain noodles or 2–3 tablespoons
of cooked brown rice.

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 Tandoori Chicken Kebabs

Per serving: 322kcals, 41g protein, 16g carbs

Brilliant grab-and-go food that tastes equally good hot or cold. Serve with
Raita and a generous mixed green salad dressed with a little olive oil and
lemon juice.

Serves 2 / makes 4 kebabs

Prep time: 15–20 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

2 chicken breasts, cut into 2cm cubes

2 tbsp full-fat Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp tandoori curry powder (or curry powder of choice)
4 wooden skewers
2 small red onions, peeled and cut into quarters
1 medium-large courgette, trimmed and sliced into 1cm rounds
1 red or yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into 16 chunks
1 tbsp olive oil, to drizzle

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and line a baking sheet with
non-stick baking paper.
2. Place the chicken, yoghurt and tandoori powder in a bowl, season with
salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well. If time permits,
marinate for 30 minutes.
3. Thread a piece of chicken onto a skewer, followed by pieces of onion,
courgette and pepper. Repeat the process until all the chicken and veg
have been used up and you have four tightly packed skewers.
4. Place the skewers on the prepared baking sheet, drizzle with the olive
oil and roast in the oven for 25 minutes.
NON-FAST DAY: Serve with 2–3 tablespoons of cooked brown rice or
a wholemeal chapati.
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 VEG SIDES
(no calorie counting required)

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 Baked Courgettes with Parmesan

Baking courgettes in this way really enhances their flavour and makes them
a versatile side that will complement almost any savoury dish. They are
surprisingly filling and work well as a light snack, too.

Serves 2
Prep time: 3–4 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

2 medium courgettes, trimmed and halved lengthwise

1 tbsp olive oil
20g Parmesan, finely grated

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and line a baking sheet with
non-stick baking paper.
2. Place the courgettes cut side up on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle
the olive oil all over. Toss to coat thoroughly.
3. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top, season with freshly ground black
pepper and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
TIP: Scatter 1 tablespoon of capers over just before cooking for added
flavour.

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 Cabbage Pappardelle

An ideal keto alternative to starchy pappardelle pasta.

Serves 2
Prep time: 2 minutes
Cook time: 2 minutes

1 sweetheart cabbage (white or savoy works, too), finely shredded

1 tbsp olive oil

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.

2. Gently add the shredded cabbage, bring back to the boil and simmer for
1 minute.
3. Drain, toss with the olive oil, season with salt and freshly ground black
pepper and serve.

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 Creamy Cooked Kale

A side dish of greens that keeps you feeling full for longer. Kale is rich in
nutrients and adding fat to it with this creamy, garlicky sauce will help your
body absorb them more easily.

Serves 2
Prep time: 1–2 minutes
Cook time: 4 minutes

200g curly kale, tough stalks removed and leaves sliced

1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
3 tbsp full-fat Greek yoghurt

1. Place the kale and olive oil in a large pan, cover with a lid and cook
gently for 2–3 minutes, stirring once or twice.
2. Remove the lid, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
3. Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little before adding the
yoghurt. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to serve.
TIP: For extra flavour and a bit of crunch, scatter 1 tablespoon of
toasted flaked almonds over the top before serving (add 40kcals).

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 Cauli rice

A great swap for high-carb rice. You can stir in some chopped parsley or
coriander, or squeeze over some fresh lemon juice for added flavour.

Serves 2
Prep time: 2 minutes
Cook time: 3–4 minutes

200g cauliflower, leaves removed

1. Hold the cauliflower at the stalk end and coarsely grate in short, sharp
movements in a downward direction to create tiny shavings of
cauliflower resembling grains of rice. You can also do this in a food
processor but don’t let the pieces get too small or they will turn to a
paste.
2. Either add the raw cauli rice to a stir-fry, or steam or sauté for 3–4
minutes. You can steam it in a microwave – place in a microwave-proof
bowl and cook on high for 2–3 minutes. The rice should retain a bit of
bite, like al dente pasta.

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 Cauliflower Mash

This creamy ‘mash’ is made with cauliflower instead of potato so is low

carb but still tastes great. We add a drizzle of olive oil or a knob of butter to
make it even more luscious.

Serves 2
Prep time: 1 minute
Cook time: 15–20 minutes

350g cauliflower, broken into small florets

½ tbsp olive oil or a small knob of butter

1. Half fill a saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add the
cauliflower and return to the boil. Cook for 15–20 minutes or until soft.
2. Drain the cauliflower, then return to the pan. Add the olive oil or butter,
a couple of pinches of sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
and blitz with a stick blender until smooth. You could also leave it to
cool slightly and blend it in a food processor.
TIP: You can mash the cauliflower by hand, but it won’t be as smooth.

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 Quick Pickled Red Onion and Radishes

Easy to make and so low in calories, they don’t need counting. Pile this on
top of fish or use it to add a bit of instant zing to your veg or salad.

Serves 2
Prep time: 10 minutes

¼ red onion, peeled and very finely sliced

8 radishes, trimmed and very finely sliced
1 tbsp live organic cider vinegar

1. Place the red onion and radishes in a bowl, rub in a generous pinch of
fine sea salt and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Mix in the cider vinegar and, if you have time, leave to marinate for up
to 30 minutes for the best flavour.
3. Drain off the liquid before eating.
TIP: This pickle can be kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

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 ‘Pickled’ Cucumber

This is actually a ferment, rather than a pickle (which would be sterilised

and preserved in vinegar). Fermented foods support your gut microbiome to
keep you healthy. Once you get a taste for them, you’ll find you are eating
them on a daily basis – on scrambled eggs, in salads, with fish, alongside
stews and in packed lunches.

250ml filtered or spring water

1 tbsp sea salt, such as Maldon or kosher salt
1 tsp black peppercorns
3 sprigs of fresh dill (or 2 tsp dried)
½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
1 tsp coriander seeds (optional)
1 tsp mustard seeds (optional)
2 bay leaves (optional)
2 organic, short, knobbly cucumbers, or 1 small–medium regular cucumber (about 400g)

1. You will need a clean (but not sterilised) 1 litre jar with a well-fitting
lid.
2. To make a brine, place the filtered water in a mug or bowl and stir in the
salt until it has dissolved. Place the peppercorns, dill and your chosen
herbs or spices in the jar – any combination should work.
3. Rinse the cucumbers under the tap. Cut them in half lengthwise.
Remove the seeds with a spoon. Cut each half in half again lengthwise.
Slice the pieces into sticks that will fit, standing upright, just below the
neck of the jar. Try to keep them the same length.
4. Pour over the brine to just cover, then firmly close the lid. (Reserve the
remaining brine to top up the level as you eat the cucumbers.) Place the
jar in the kitchen at room temperature and out of direct sun.
5. Over the next few days, release the tiny bubbles produced by the
ferment. Use a wooden or stainless-steel spoon to press gently on the
cucumber and shake it a little from side to side. You will need to ‘burp’
 it once or twice a day for 7–10 days. It is an anaerobic process in which
the veg is kept away from air in order to allow it to ferment. The
bubbling usually slows after 3–5 days.
6. I like to eat it after 5–7 days, before the flavour gets too strong, but it
depends on the surrounding temperature. It should smell sweet and
yeasty with a hint of cucumber. You can test it by cutting a piece off
with a clean knife. When it is ready, place the jar in the fridge and the
fermentation will almost stop. If it has brown spots, smells bad or goes
mushy, then discard it. It will keep for a few months in the fridge.
TIP: Filtered water doesn’t contain chlorine, which can reduce
fermentation.

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 Dressings

You can use one of these dressings to pep up your salad or veg as an add-on
without having to count the calories, as they are all less than 100 cals per
serving.

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 Olive Oil and Mustard

Serves 2

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp live apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard

1. Place all the ingredients in a jar and shake until emulsified. Season with
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
TIP: To get ahead, make double or triple the recipe and keep it in the
fridge for when needed.

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 Yoghurt and Lemon

Serves 2

4 tbsp full-fat Greek yoghurt

2 tbsp good-quality full-fat mayonnaise
Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl or jug. Season with salt
and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

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 Raita

Serves 2

4 tbsp full-fat Greek yoghurt

¼ cucumber, grated
Pinch of cumin seeds

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl or jug. Season with salt
and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

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 OCCASIONAL TREATS
High-Protein Seeded Bread Rolls

Per serving: 224kcals, 9g protein, 11g carbs

This is adapted from a classic keto bread recipe. It may not taste quite like
your usual bread but it is remarkably low in carbs and high in nutrients,
protein and fibre.

Makes 6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 35–40 minutes

140g ground almonds

60g psyllium husk
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp mixed seeds (any of the following or a mixture: sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, poppy,
flax)
1 tsp sea salt
3 egg whites
250ml warm water
2 tsp cider vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4 and line a baking sheet with
non-stick baking paper.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
3. Add the egg whites, warm water and cider vinegar and give it all a
quick mix until well combined. The mixture should form a dough-like
ball.
4. With a few drops of olive oil on your hands to prevent sticking, shape
the dough into 6 rolls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in
the oven for 35–40 minutes, or until the base sounds hollow when
tapped. And if, rather than rolls, you want more of a sandwich pocket,
shape the dough into flatter, squarer pieces and remove them sooner
from the oven.

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 Dark Choc Bites

Per serving: 41kcals, 1.5g protein, 4.5g carbs

These scrumptious bites will not only satisfy your cravings for a sweet but
also deliver a burst of protein and fibre.

Makes 12
Prep time: 5–7 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

1 ripe banana, peeled and mashed

6 tbsp ground almonds
4–6 dried pitted dates, diced
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tbsp coconut oil

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and line a baking sheet with
non-stick baking paper.
2. Place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix with a fork until
combined.
3. Use a teaspoon to spoon 12 small balls of the mixture onto the prepared
baking sheet. Flatten each one slightly with a fork and bake for about
15 minutes.

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 Raspberry Fool

Per serving: 107kcals, 4g protein, 6g carbs

This elegant raspberry dessert is deceptively easy to make and won’t spike
blood sugars.

Serves 2
Prep time: 5 minutes

140g full-fat Greek yoghurt

½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp honey
50g frozen raspberries, defrosted

1. Mix the yoghurt, vanilla and honey together in a bowl.

2. Divide the yoghurt mixture and raspberries between two small bowls.
Gently stir the raspberries through the yoghurt, creating a marbled
effect, to serve.
TIPS: Add 10g grated chocolate (70% cocoa solids) for added
decadence. Frozen raspberries are slightly better than fresh here, as
they release lots of lovely juice when they defrost. If you’re using
fresh, simply mash with the back of a fork before adding to the
yoghurt.

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Strawberries Dipped in Dark Chocolate and Chopped
Pistachios

Per serving: 184kcals, 4g protein, 18g carbs

A classic chocolate treat which is also keto-friendly. Strawberries are sweet

but surprisingly low in sugar, while dark chocolate has anti-inflammatory
properties and may reduce heart disease. Enjoy!

Serves 2
Prep time: 10 minutes

14 strawberries, washed and dried, leafy tops left on

30g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), melted
2 tbsp pistachios, finely chopped

1. Dip each strawberry into the melted chocolate, then into the pistachios.
2. Allow to cool and harden before serving.
TIP: Add a pinch of dried chilli flakes or freshly ground black pepper
to the pistachios for a touch of heat.

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 ADD-ONS
Protein

Maintaining an adequate protein intake is important when you are fasting.

During Stage 1, we recommend you eat at least 50g daily. Then, as you
transition to normal eating, you should ramp your intake up – see here. By
Stage 3, the recommended amounts are 70–80g per day for women, and 90–
100g for men.
Here are some examples of how to top up your protein on days when you
are a bit low on it – even if your calories then increase to closer to 1000.
(NB. If you are vegan, you will find you need to top up your protein every
day and will go over 1000 calories on most days, unless you are using a
protein powder – see here. Don’t worry too much about this, as you will
still be losing weight, and it’s not all about the calories!)

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 Meat

1 tbsp (about 7g) chopped dry-fried bacon (23kcals/1.7g protein) – scatter over the
Lunchbox Salad
1 tbsp (10g) diced chorizo (40kcals/2.7g protein) – sprinkle on the Pea and Mint Soup
75g cooked chicken breast (115kcals/22.6g protein) – serve alongside the Goat’s Cheese
Frittata

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 Fish

45g drained tuna in oil (85kcals/5g protein) – add to the Roasted Broccoli and Kale
4 drained anchovies in oil (23kcals/3g protein) – add 1 anchovy to each Cheesy Asparagus
Prosciutto Bite
75g cooked prawns (59kcals/10g protein) – add to the Prawn Curry with Coconut Milk

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 Dairy and Egg

1 tbsp (about 40g) full-fat live Greek yoghurt (53kcals/2.2g protein) – dollop on top of the
Rapid Bircher
10g Parmesan (42kcals/3.5g protein) – grate and sprinkle over the Baked Meatballs with
Mozzarella
15g full-fat feta (37kcals/2.3g protein) – scatter over the Easy Chicken, Spinach and Tomato
Casserole
30g Cheddar, about matchbox sized (124kcals/7.5g protein) – grate and sprinkle over the
Spinach and Ham Omelette
30g halloumi, sliced, lightly fried in 1 tsp olive oil for 4–5 mins (145kcals/6g protein) – serve
along side the Aubergine Parmigiana
1 medium egg (78kcals/7.7g protein) – have an extra egg with the Microwave Eggs with
Spinach and Mackerel

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 Grains, seeds and nuts

15g mixed seeds (55kcals/2.2g protein) – sprinkle over a green salad and serve alongside the
Tandoori Chicken Kebabs
2 tsp (about 10g) sesame seeds (60kcals/2.1g protein) – sprinkle over the Quick Veg and
Salmon Stir-Fry with Ginger and Oyster Sauce
80g cooked shelled edamame beans (110kcals/9g protein) – serve alongside the Baked White
Fish with Parmesan Crust
15g almonds (95kcals/3.8g protein) – roughly chop and toast in a dry frying pan, then sprinkle
on top of the Tuscan Lamb Stew
Handful of nuts, around 30g, e.g. walnuts or hazel nuts (185kcals/7.6g protein) – toast in a
dry frying pan and sprinkle over Keto Pancakes
100g cooked Puy lentils (143kcals/10.6g protein) – stir into the Simple Saag or serve
alongside the Sesame-Crusted Chicken Kiev
100g canned beans (109cals/7g protein)
100g cooked quinoa (185cals/6g protein)
100g tofu (123cals/12.5g protein)

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 Simple Greens and Non-Starchy Veg

Greens and non-starchy vegetables are such an important part of your diet
that you should eat them freely without counting the calories. Examples of
greens and non-starchy veg include: cabbage, spring greens, chard, kale,
pak choi, cavolo nero, spinach, green beans, mange tout, courgettes,
broccoli, tomatoes and salad leaves.
Adding flavour will help you eat these veggies regularly. Try first just
adding some seasoning – flaked sea salt or soy sauce and freshly ground
pepper will make a big difference for a start. A pinch of dried chilli flakes,
for lovers of heat, or a little crushed garlic are also good, and a squeeze of
lemon or lime juice over some broccoli or cabbage goes really well.
For salad dressings, see here. And here are some other low-calorie ways
to add flavour:

1 tsp butter (25kcals) – good on any veg

1 tsp olive oil (27kcals) – good on any veg
1 tsp hoisin sauce (12kcals) – try this on wilted spinach or steamed broccoli florets
1 tsp nigella seeds (32kcals) – sprinkle over green beans or cabbage
1 tsp grated Parmesan (8kcals) – scatter on top of roasted courgettes or cauliflower florets

TIP: Remember, if you want to add a little something to your plate,

always choose a protein add-on or some non-starchy veg, rather than
carbohydrates.

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Meal planner – 3 meals a day

Day Total carbs protein

cals
1 Keto Pancakes with 844 40.8g 49g
Yoghurt and Berries
Cheesy Asparagus
Prosciutto Bites
Steamed Fish with
Tomato and Pepper
Sauce
Raspberry Fool
2 Rapid Bircher with 885 33g 51g
Apple and Cinnamon
Pea and Mint Soup with
15g feta add-on
Pulled Pork with Cider
Vinegar
3 Scrambled Eggs with 848 28g 50.2g
Smoked Salmon, Feta
and Avocado with 15g
mixed seeds add-on
Goat’s Cheese Frittata
with Greens and Diced
Figs
Black Bean Chilli with
Cabbage Pappardelle
4 Spinach and Ham 830 17g 73.5g
Omelette
 Curried Smoked
Haddock Chowder
Speedy One-Pan Thai
Red Curry with Salmon
5 Cheese and Chive 895 19.5g 53g
Muffins
Protein Wrap with
Smoked Salmon, Cream
Cheese and Capers
Aubergine Parmigiana
with Lentils
6 Cashew, Vanilla and Fig 854 44g 53g
Breakfast Shake
Waldorf Salad
Black Bean Chilli
Two Dark Choc Bites
7 Microwave Eggs with 816 17g 62g
Spinach and Mackerel
Chunky Courgette and
Dill Soup with Prawns
Cauliflower Rice Risotto
with Chicken, Edamame
and Roasted Red
Peppers

Extra days – 3 meals

Day Total carbs protein

cals
1 Rapid Bircher with 948 29.5g 51.1g
 Apple and Cinnamon
Quick Veg and Salmon
Stir-Fry with Ginger and
Oyster Sauce with 2 tsp
sesame seeds add-on
Wok-Steamed Sea Bass
with Pak Choi
2 Keto Pancakes with 904 32g 51g
Yoghurt and Berries
Pea and Mint Soup
Sesame-Crusted
Chicken Kiev
Strawberries Dipped in
Dark Chocolate and
Chopped Pistachios

Sample vegetarian days – 3 meals

Day Total carbs protein

cals
1 Keto Pancakes with 1004 34.5g 53g
Yoghurt and Berries
Goat’s Cheese Frittata
with Greens and Diced
Figs
Simple Saag with
Tandoori Halloumi
2 Cashew, Vanilla and Fig 913 31.5g 51.2g
Breakfast Shake
Protein Wrap with
Beetroot, Rocket & Feta
 Roasted Broccoli and
Kale with Halloumi and
Harissa with 15g mixed
seeds add-on
3 Cheese and Chive 1085 24g 50.2g
Muffins x 2
Lunchbox Salad of
Broccoli, Feta and
Piquanté Peppers with
15g mixed seeds add-on
Aubergine Parmigiana
with Lentils

Meal planner – 2 meals a day

Day Total carbs protein

cals
1 Tandoori Chicken 811 42g 72.2g
Kebabs with Raita
Tuscan Lamb Stew with
White Beans
Two Dark Choc Bites
2 Easy Chicken, Spinach 797 16g 52g
and Tomato Soup
Prawn Curry with
Coconut Milk with 80g
edamame beans add-on
3 Breakfast Traybake 797 16g 52g
Protein Salad with Tuna,
Roasted Red Peppers,
Edamame and Harissa
 4 Microwave Eggs with 840 36g 52g
Spinach and Mackerel
Steamed Fish with
Tomato and Pepper
Sauce
Raspberry Fool
5 Protein Salad with Tuna, 837 18.5g 53g
Roasted Red Peppers,
Edamame and Harissa
Speedy One-Pan Thai
Red Curry with Salmon
6 Simple Saag with 903 28g 56.7g
Tandoori Halloumi
Pulled Pork with Cider
Vinegar
7 Scrambled Eggs with 785 30g 57.5g
Smoked Salmon, Feta
and Avocado
Curried Smoked
Haddock Chowder
Strawberries Dipped in
Dark Chocolate and
Chopped Pistachios

Extra days – 2 meals

Day Total carbs protein

cals
1 Lunchbox Salad of 973 23.5g 51.7g
Broccoli, Feta and
Piquanté Peppers with 1
 medium hard-boiled egg
add-on
Beef Stroganoff
Two Dark Choc Bites
2 Protein Wrap with 813 27.5g 57g
Smoked Salmon, Cream
Cheese and Capers
Steamed Fish with
Tomato and Pepper
Sauce

Sample vegetarian days – 2 meals

Day Total carbs protein

cals
1 Goat’s Cheese Frittata 1001 48g 49g
with Greens and Diced
Figs
Simple Saag with
Tandoori Halloumi
Strawberries Dipped in
Dark Chocolate and
Chopped Pistachios
2 Roasted Broccoli and 1052 30.5g 50g
Kale with Halloumi and
Harissa with 80g
edamame beans add-on
Aubergine Parmigiana
with Lentils with a
High-Protein Seeded
Bread Roll
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 Endnotes
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5 Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity, and Severe Obesity Among Adults Aged 20 and Over: United
States, 1960–1962 Through 2015–2016, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
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8 Quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from global aquaculture, Scientific Reports, 2020.
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9 Egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease: three large prospective US cohort studies,
systematic review, and updated meta-analysis. BMJ, 2020. www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m513
10 Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with
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12 NOVA. The star shines bright. World Nutrition, 2016.
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13 The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo and Nestlé named top plastic polluters for the third year in a
row. www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2020/12/02/top-plastic-polluters-of-2020/
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commitment/signatory-reports
15 The UN Decade of Nutrition, the NOVA food classification and the trouble with ultra-processing.
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nutrition/article/un-decade-of-nutrition-the-nova-food-classification-and-the-trouble-with-
ultraprocessing/2A9776922A28F8F757BDA32C3266AC2A
16 Development and validation of a food frequency questionnaire in Spain. Int. J. Epidemiol., 1993.
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17 Trends in Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods Among US Youths Aged 2-19 Years, 1999-2018.
JAMA, 2021. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2782866
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19 How to eat like the animals for good health, 2020. www.sydney.edu.au/news-
opinion/news/2020/05/06/How-to-eat-like-the-animals-for-good-health.html
20 Testing protein leverage in lean humans: a randomised controlled experimental study. PLoS One,
2011. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22022472/
21 The Potential Role of Protein Leverage in the US Obesity Epidemic. Obesity (Silver Spring),
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22 What’s on your table? How America’s diet has changed over the decades. Pew Research Center,
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23 Low-Protein Intakes and Poor Diet Quality Associate with Functional Limitations in US Adults
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6643/13/8/2582
24 Introduction to Protein Summit 2.0: continued exploration of the impact of high-quality protein on
optimal health. Amer. J. Clin. Nutr., 2015.
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25 Benefits and safety of dietary protein for bone health – an expert consensus paper endorsed by the
European Society for Clinical and Economical Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis, and
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26 Protein Intake and Functional Integrity in Aging: The Framingham Heart Study Offspring. The
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27 Protein and Amino Acid Requirements during Pregnancy. Adv. Nutr., 2016.
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28 Protein Requirements and Recommendations for Older People: A Review. Nutrients, 2015.
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29 Four grams of glucose. Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab., 2009.
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30 Efficacy and safety of very low calorie ketogenic diet (VLCKD) in patients with overweight and
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31 Obesity treatment by very low-calorie-ketogenic diet at two years: reduction in visceral fat and on
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32 The Starvation Experiment. https://eatingdisorders.dukehealth.org/education/resources/starvation-
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biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)01120-9
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40 Reversing Type 2 Diabetes and ongoing remission.
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41 Ethnic Differences in BMI and Disease Risk, Obesity Prevention Source.
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42 Blood Pressure and Stroke: An Overview of Published Reviews.
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44 A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the
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id=10.1371/journal.pone.0254833

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Before and after measurements
Copy this template and use it to keep track of your measurements.
OceanofPDF.com
 About the authors
Dr Michael Mosley is a science presenter, journalist and executive
producer. After training to be a doctor at the Royal Free Hospital in
London, he spent 30 years at the BBC, where he made numerous science
documentaries. Now freelance, he is the author of several bestselling books,
The Fast Diet, The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet, The Clever Guts Diet and The
Fast 800. He is married with four children.

Dr Clare Bailey, wife of Michael Mosley, is a GP of 30 years who has

supported hundreds of patients to lose weight, reduce their blood sugars and
put their diabetes into remission at her surgery in Buckinghamshire. A
health writer and journalist with a particular interest in parenting and
childhood nutrition, she is the author of the bestselling 8-Week Blood Sugar
Diet Recipe Book, Clever Guts Diet Recipe Book, Fast 800 Recipe Book
and Fast 800 Easy. Instagram @drclarebailey

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The content of this book is intended to inform, entertain and provoke your
thinking. This is not intended as medical advice. It may, however, make you
question current medical and nutritional advice. That is your choice. It’s
your life in your own hands. Neither the author nor the publisher can be
held responsible or liable for any loss or claim arising from the use, or
misuse, of the content of this book.

Published in 2021 by Short Books,

an imprint of Octopus Publishing Group Ltd
Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment
London, EC4Y 0DZ
www.octopusbooks.co.uk
www.shortbooks.co.uk

An Hachette UK Company
www.hachette.co.uk

Copyright © Parenting Matters Ltd 2021

Michael Mosley has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be
identified as the author of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owners and the
publisher.

eISBN: 9781780725031

Cover design by Smith & Gilmour

Recipe consultant: Kathryn Bruton

Recipe editor: Jo Roberts-Miller
Recipe tester: Caroline Barton

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 Table of Contents
Title page
Contents
How to use this ebook
Introduction
1 How we got fat
2 Why we need to eat more protein
3 The science of keto
4 The Fast 800 Keto programme
5 It’s all in the preparation
6 The diet in practice: how to stay on track
7 Exercising and keto
And finally...
Recipes
Meal planners
Endnotes
Before and after measurements
About the authors
Copyright

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