A Basic Guide

I just wanted to empower you with a small guide of how to structure a meal so you have something practical to start today.

I base my diet on the following calories/macros because it works for my low activity lifestyle:

1,800 calories

100 g protein

40g fat

260g carbohydrates

The calorie level is the minimum for what an adult female should be eating. (For men it’s 2,400 cal)

The protein amount is what Ray Peat designates as the minimum for optimal functioning of the liver. (It’s between 80-100g depending on your size.)

The fat level is the amount I personally worked out for myself after trial and error. I tried super low fat of 20g which is 10% of calories but ended up with all kinds of health issues, which you read about on Day 1 of this series.

Then I moved to 40g fat and all those issues disappeared and also excess weight stayed off, so it was the right balance for me.

The rest then is carbohydrates to get to the 1,800 calories.

Slow & steady

If you have weight issues and are eating way below this level, your move toward this number should be slow and steady like 100 calories extra per day and keep it at that for two weeks at least, before you add more. Your body needs time to get used to it and if you move too fast you will put on weight. If you eat way above this number currently and are not happy with your body, then again the reduction should be slow as well. Otherwise your body goes into hunger stress mode and the weight stays on anyway.

So here’s what that would look like in a Ray Peat style diet:-

Breakfast

2 boiled eggs

80g (2.8oz) cottage cheese

380g (13.4oz) fruit

250ml (8.4oz) orange juice

Lunch

70g (2.5oz) white fish cooked in 1 tsp butter

340g (14oz) grapes

250ml (8.4oz) orange juice

Dinner

85g (3oz) beef strips cooked in 1 tsp butter

125g (4.4oz) cooked rice

200g (7oz) tomatoes & cucumber

200g (7 oz) grapes

250ml (8.4oz) orange juice

Other

2 x coffee  with milk and 1 sugar—one after breakfast and one after lunch

1 x small grated carrot salad with 1 tsp coconut oil, 1 tsp vinegar, salt

(have the salad prior to lunch and wait 30 minutes)

 

Notice all the fruit!

This is a key part of the diet.

 

Last day tomorrow with more help on what to do next.

Kristy x

Note: The image at the start is one of the meals in the Zen Beach Diet, all beautifully photographed by Brisbane based professional photographer Adrian Alford. 

Also the mini meal plan above with all the measures is not the easiest to navigate. In the book, I introduce an alternative which has been described by a buyer as ‘brilliant in its simplicity.‘ Prepare to make your life a whole lot easier!