Food Protocol - Our Blueprint for a Healthy Diet
1 . Intro
This is a guide to eating and training.
It starts with a few simple rules to follow to get your mind into a new gear and make the much needed habits. This is essential to reach your bodyweight goal and keep a healthy & strong body for the rest of your life.
Remember this: You cannot out train a bad Diet. You cannot lose weight in the gym, if you don’t make adjustments in your kitchen.
Loosing weight & living Healthy is 80% Diet and 20% training.
Here are the 10 Rules of the Protocol.
Low Carb Diet = 75% Proteins & 25% Carbs
Intermitted Fasting (8 to 10 hour eating window)
1 x Cheat day per week. (2 days if you really struggle to stick to plan)
Training 40-50minutes. 3 times per week.
No Sugar or sweetener. (Use Honey instead)
No Processed foods.
No Alcohol (or very limited use of alcohol).
No Soda/Sugar drinks (not even Diet or Lite. No Fruit Juice)
If you cannot make in your own kitchen don’t eat it.
Use Single-Ingredient foods in your meals (which cuts out sugars, breads, rice, pastas, fruit juice, etc.)
Basically, if it comes in plastic or has a list of ingredients, don’t eat it.
2. Why Discipline vs Motivation?
Discipline conquers Motivation - all the time. Motivation comes and goes but Discipline is etched in stone and builds your habits.
Achieving goals: Without discipline, you won’t achieve your goals. Discipline allows you to focus on what you want to accomplish and take the necessary actions to make it happen. Motivation is always short-lived.
Self-control: Discipline allows you to control your thoughts, emotions, and actions, which can lead to greater self-awareness & personal growth. Motivation on the other hand can play tricks on your mind and emotions.
Improving habits: Discipline allows you to form positive habits and break negative ones. It allows you to make changes in your life that will lead to long-term benefits.
Improving productivity: Discipline allows you to manage your time and energy more effectively, which can lead to increased productivity and success.
Developing resilience: Discipline allows you to overcome challenges and setbacks, and to bounce back from failure.
Improving decision making: Discipline allows you to think clearly and make better decisions, which can lead to greater success in personal and professional endeavours. Overall, discipline is a key factor in personal and professional success, and it is important to develop and actively work it out regularly. Example: Eating in an 8 hour eating window. At first, you haven’t built the discipline to do it. But everyday you have an opportunity to “workout” that skill.
3. Habits
The more consistently an action is repeated, the more likely it is to become a habit. However, it's not always a linear process and some habits may be harder to form than others.
Turning a goal into a habit:
1. Start small: It's easier to build a habit if you start with small, manageable steps. For example, if you want to make exercise a habit, start by committing to a short walk every day, rather than running a mile everyday.
2. Set specific and measurable goals: Having clear and specific goals is essential. We have 4 goals: 10k steps, 8-hour eating window, 1-ingredient foods, 3x workouts a week.
3. Create a routine: Establishing a routine will activate autopilot mode. Makes it feel like a natural part of your day. For example, if you want to make 10k steps a habit, write it into your schedule at a specific time every day. Then pair it with something that is already established in your daily routine. Example: I listen to a podcast a day. Only listen to podcasts if walking.
This is called habit hacking.
4. Use reminders: Set reminders or notifications to help you remember to do something. For example, after my alarm goes off I have a notification to “mediate with breathe work” reading that makes me open my insight timer app and viola. I do it more days than not creating the habit over a long enough period of time.
5. Reward yourself: Give yourself rewards for sticking to your habit. For example, if you've been going to the gym every day for a week, treat yourself to new clothes for the gym. While also sparking new motivation to keep progressing.
In this course, depending on the speed and level you want to achieve I suggest giving yourself one or two days every weekend to forget fitness and just go live life. If you are executing flawlessly Mon-Fri no matter what you do, you can not screw it up from being 5 days on 2 days off. I don’t personally do that anymore but it was a really useful tool when getting some momentum. Now I just prefer my new lifestyle vs my old one.
6. Be patient: Habits take time to form, and it's normal to slip up occasionally. RULE: Don't ever let it be two days in a row.
If you find yourself there, you gotta ask yourself if you really want this. Might not be effortless in the beginning but make sure you stick to that 5-2 rule and if you slip up in that 5 day window, it's never back to back. That’s a clear and specific goal to stick to. There’s no way around doing that besides building the discipline muscle. Remember: to build discipline. MAKE A SCHEDULE. IT’S REALLY THAT SIMPLE
7. Stick with it: The most important thing is to stick with it. Habits are formed over time, so be patient and keep working at it. With persistence and dedication, you can make anything a habit.
4. Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fasting isn’t a diet hack. It isn’t aimed to restrict calories. It is the single most important thing you can do to skyrocket your natural hormones.
You have to force your body into a state to “wake up” to start functioning properly. Intermittent fasting limits the frequency of meals, which also allows you to rely on fat burning for all the time between meals and while you’re sleeping. A nice added benefit. Here’s what most people's day looks like…
Eating three to five times a day—with snacking.
Frequent eating throughout the day causes chronic sustained higher levels of insulin. Every time you eat something you “reset the clock on getting into a state of stress that causes naturally occurring hormones that self regulate your body and keep you functioning properly. In today's fiat world even things like gum or synthetic sugar free artificial sweeteners will cause insulin spikes, therefore never allowing your body to self-regulate.
Benefits of Fasting
Insulin sensitivity: Intermittent fixes insulin sensitivity
Cardiovascular health: Intermittent fasting reduces blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels and improves overall heart health.
Inflammation: Intermittent fasting reduces inflammation in the body, which is a risk factor for many chronic diseases.
Longevity: Intermittent fasting increases lifespan by improving the body's ability to repair and rejuvenate cells called Autophagy.
Cognitive function: Intermittent fasting improves cognitive function and protects against age-related cognitive decline.
Fasting Methods
The 16/8 method: Involves fasting for 16 hours and then eating during an 8-hour window. For example, you might eat between 10am and 6pm, and then fast until 10am the next day. These are interchangeable; another common time would be 12-8pm. Any 8 hour window works.
Fixing Your Body
Eating less often with no snacks to spike insulin in between meals is the most powerful way to correct insulin resistance. To do this, first start with three meals per day—NO snacks—absolutely nothing between meals but water, black coffee and other non-caloric, non-insulin spiking drinks.
Keeping insulin at a normal level between meals and during sleep allows the pancreas to rest and recover. However, some people have a hard time going from one meal to the next because they experience blood sugar crashes and severe hunger. This is what bad habits repeated year after year will do. Your body is tricking itself. It doesn’t like this once you start eating in a 8 hour window for a few weeks. Hack: consume more fat during the meal. Fat not only satisfies you the most; it triggers insulin the least. Consuming lean protein and low-fat meals keeps you hungry, so the answer is more fat. EAT MORE BUTTER. Low-calorie diets do not work because they keep you hungry and craving—even worse, they deprive you of nutrients, eventually slowing your metabolism. As you adapt, it will be easier to go longer before your first meal.
Make sure to use the discipline chapter as a resource. First few weeks might be challenging, but your body will adjust, and you will feel amazing once you do.
Allow your body to adjust to running on fat. For some true sugar junkies, this can take a few weeks. But your cells will eventually adjust, and you’ll enter full fat-burning mode. Then it gets really easy to resist snacking because you have no cravings and are not hungry anymore. When you see the weight melting off, this will motivate you to stick to your
new way of eating. Eventually this will become effortless. Your body simply won’t be hungry outside your normal window. Your body has an internal clock, so train it. When you create a habit and then you see a result directly from said habit, you’ll be addicted to it again… which is where the gym will come in but first things first. This protocol is written in order of importance. Fasting is first on the list.
5. Nutrition Education
Now that you are working on mastering your discipline with a plan laid out. Now you need to a diet that’ll provide you with the nutrients to grow.
I’d say after 3 months of committing to a minimum of 5 days on 2 days off. Your body should be functioning properly internally. Side Story:
Fasting can be annoying if let’s say you have a family brunch on Saturday and you are thinking about your fitness goals. Achieve balance. Work week is for the grind, it also feeds into more productive work habits. Use the weekend to decompress. Get social. I know I keep repeating myself with that, but I want to emphasize that doing 5 days on 2 days
off for basically the rest of your life is maintainable and has to be a lifestyle for it to stick.
80% Diet and 20% Training
6. Food Education
This is just an overview of the food basics but the most important part is only using One ingredient Foods in your cooking One ingredient foods are self explanatory, but worth addressing. They are foods that are made with only one ingredient
Examples of one ingredient foods include:
Fruits: Apples, bananas, oranges, berries, etc.
Vegetables: Carrots, broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, etc.
Nuts & seeds: Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds etc.
Whole grains: Quinoa, oats, brown rice, etc.
Meat and fish: Chicken, beef, salmon, pork etc.
Basically if it comes from a natural source such as animals, out the ground or from a tree or was grown on a farm or your garden you are good to eat it.
These types of foods are often high in vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and calcium, and low in calories. A diet that is rich in nutrient-dense foods prevents nutrient deficiencies, maintains a healthy weight, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases.
7. Foods to avoid
A quick overview:
If its made in some factory with a long list of ingredients or added sugars and it comes in a nice colourful plastic package. DO NOT EAT IT.
If you cannot make it in your own kitchen. DO NOT EAT IT.
If its White… Its not right. DO NOT EAT IT.
By White I mean. Bread, Pasta, sugar, Rice ect… Refined Carbs.
White ingredients such as potato, cauliflower ect… are okay.
Although bread and other high carb foods should be avoided, Alternatively you can eat Rolled Oats, Muesli & nut mix, Brown Rice, Whole wheat or rye Bread, whole wheat tortilla wraps Or stoneground wheat Flour bread. Just keep it to a minimum.
Just stick to the 75% & 25% ratio of Protein vs Carbs and your body will keep burning and using fat for energy.
Example 1. Breakfast: with 2 or 3 eggs, few streaks of bacon or sausage with 1x slice of toast.
Example 2. Lunch: Whole Wheat Tortilla wrap with steak strips, cheese & your favourite fruit on the side.
Example 3. Dinner: A Curry Stew made Ground beef or other meat and some veggies. A small portion of brown rice will be okay.
8. Gut Health
Gut health refers to the overall well-being and balance of the microorganisms that live in the digestive tract.
What Does a Healthy Gut Do For You? A healthy gut can provide a number of benefits for overall health and well-being.
1. Digestion: The gut is responsible for breaking down food and absorbing nutrients. A healthy gut is able to efficiently process food, which can lead to better overall digestion and absorption of nutrients.
2. Immune system: The gut is home to a large portion of the body's immune system. A healthy gut can help to protect the body against pathogens and other harmful substances.
3. Mental Health: The gut and the brain are connected via the gut-brain axis, a two-way communication pathway. A healthy gut significantly improves mood and cognitive function. (You will feel it from fasting first)
4. Hormonal balance: The gut contains a large number of hormone-secreting cells that play a key role in regulating various bodily functions. A healthy gut can help to maintain hormone balance throughout the body.
5. Weight management: The gut microbiome plays a role in regulating energy balance, and a healthy gut can help to support weight management.
How to Get a Healthy Gut?
1. Eat a balanced diet: Don’t cut carbs. Refer to later chapters for my diet.
2. Stay hydrated.at least 2-3litre of water per day
3. Limit processed and high-sugar foods
4. Avoid excessive alcohol consumption
5. Consume probiotics: Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that can help to promote a healthy gut.
Symptoms of Unhealthy Gut
Unhealthy gut can lead to a variety of symptoms.
1. Digestive issues: Constipation, diarhea, bloating, gas, and abdominal pain.
2. Food sensitivities or allergies
3. Fatigue: An unhealthy gut can lead to nutrient deficiencies and malabsorption, which can contribute to fatigue and low energy levels.
4. Skin problems: An unhealthy gut can lead to inflammation throughout the body, which can manifest as skin issues such as eczema, acne, or rosacea.
5. Mood swings and mental health issues: The gut and brain are connected via the gut-brain axis, and an unhealthy gut can contribute to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
6. Weak immunity: An unhealthy gut can disrupt the balance of bacteria in the gut, which can weaken the immune system, making you more susceptible to infections and illnesses.
7. Weight fluctuations: A disrupted gut microbiome can affect energy balance and lead to weight gain or weight loss.
8. Unusual cravings: An unhealthy gut can lead to changes in appetite and food cravings, which can be caused by fluctuations in hormones and neurotransmitters.
9. Nutrition Protocol
Program Recap So Far
1. Discipline —> Schedule
2. Focus on getting 5% better diet every week.
(8-hour eating window + 1-ingredient foods)
Goal
The goal of this entire program is to make things so convenient that you will be able to execute your Nutrition protocol and your
Workout protocol with close to no friction.
That is how you get results.
I say your protocol because I will leave the finer details up to you. I will give you high level protocol rules then you fill in whatever you want to try. Pick things that cause you the least amount of friction. If you are within the protocol guideline the results will be negligible whether you eat butter or olive oil etc..
Let’s go over my meal protocol so you can have a template to make yours off of.
I use a broad template of:
¾ of my calories come from fat & protein
¼ from Carbs
Here’s the reason I use this as a principle of the Meal Protocol:
1. Promotes weight loss: A diet high in protein can help increase feelings of fullness, reduce cravings, and promote weight loss.
2. Builds muscle mass: Protein is an essential nutrient for building and repairing muscle tissue. A high protein diet can help support muscle growth and recovery, especially in athletes and active individuals.
3. Supports healthy metabolism: Fat is a source of energy and helps with hormone production and cellular function, which are all critical components of a healthy metabolism. These points are directly aligned with the goals set out in the course.
Don't worry about calories, as you eat whole foods, your body will be able to process more calories.
Advice: Eat more butter not more protein or carbs
Protocol Rules Recap
- 2-3 meals inside 8 hour eating window
- Meals consist of 75% fat/protein 25% or less carbs
10. My Nutrition Routine
This section is a mix between what I do and why I do it. There is a lot of nuance and information so it might appear to jump around, but without the extra explanation, I felt like it didn’t provide as much value.
Note this was an earlier routine. Now it’s even simpler 2 meals: First at 1pm; Second at 7pm.
First meal: 4-8 pastured raised eggs with potatoes
(everyday eggs)
Second meal: Grass fed ground beef or steak. With potatoes.
This is my diet summed up in 2 pictures. These have been on repeat for about a year and I now crave them more not less. Body and taste buds will eventually learn nutrients vs addicting synthetically processed slop. But it takes time and discipline. You know the rules for those by now.
You can search the internet for great low carb high fat meals to prepare for yourself.
You 100% do not need protein shakes, even though the fitness industry tries to convince you otherwise.
Food Sources – Mix & Match
Proteins
- Beef Mince
- Pork
- Chicken
- Salmon
- Steak
- Any other meat is good
- Avoid processed meats like Vienas, Russians, hams ect.
Carbs
- Rice
- Yellow Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes
- Whole wheat Tortilla & Stoneground homemade bread or Rye bread.
- Plain Yogurt
- Honey
- Veggies & Fruit
- Milk (keep milk to zero unless you cannot have your coffee without it)
Fats
- Butter (NO MARGARINE!)
- Olive Oil (IMPORTANT, AVOID VEGETABLE OILS! NO SUNFLOWER, RAPESEED OR CANOLA OILS!)
- Cream
Carbs:
Adding in 1-ingredient carbs like rice or potatoes went a long way when trying to stick to the plan. And of course fruit. I have a healthy amount of fruit in my diet at all times. The amount of carbs I have during the week will also depend on how many training sessions I have.
Know that carbs aren’t inherently bad, it's the type of carbs…
just like the type of calories you consume.
Veggies?
They are great tools for volume if you want to eat more food with meals.
Recap
Fasting with 8 hour eating window ONLY water, coffee , Tea, Water with Lemon outside the eating window.
If you can have your coffee or tea without any milk… but mor importantly your sugar intake needs to be zero.
Important not to break the fast period as your results wil not be achieved
2. Only eat 1-ingredient foods cooked with butter or Olive Oil
(Can substitute with ghee, coconut oil, avocado oil for fats)
Don't worry about calories, as you eat whole foods your body can process, you will eliminate cravings + boost metabolism.
3. Meal Structure
Meals consist of 75% fat/protein 25% or less carbs
11. Workout Protocol
These are the only two rules you need to follow when working out. From there you can create a workout protocol that works for you and increase if you want to build more muscle.
1. 10k steps / day minimum.
2. Train at least 3x / Week (40-50 minutes)
3. Daily stretch before bed. This can be as short as 3 minutes or as long as you want. But make it part of your nightly routine.
12. Sleep
Sleep is crucial for muscle building for several reasons such as:
1. Tissue repair and regeneration
2. Reduced inflammation
3. Hormone regulation
4. Improved recovery:
5. Better performance:
Try and keep a constant bed time within 1 hour every day.
13. More reading & Recipes
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/14-foods-to-avoid-on-low-carb
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/diet-meal-plan
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb
for optimizing diet in athletes
https://boxlifemagazine.com/category/nutrition/diet/
https://boxlifemagazine.com/category/nutrition/protein/