Method principles: five rules from which everything else follows

The same number of calories provides different levels of satiety and insulin responses: a plate of vegetables with steak and avocado keeps you full for four hours, while a bun with a latte does so for one hour. Therefore, the method does not count calories but builds the right composition: half the plate is vegetables, a quarter is protein, and a quarter is fats. When the composition is right, volume regulates satiety, and food scales are not needed.

The rule itself and its violations are covered in the article plate rule. Why calorie counting brings back a deficit and thoughts about food — why calories are not counted on LCHF. The only number worth knowing is carbohydrates: 50-70 g per day.

Two or three meals in an 8-10-hour window, with nothing in between. Not because snacks are «forbidden», but because every eating occasion causes an insulin release, and six eating occasions a day never let the body switch to fat even once. The 14/10 or 16/8 window follows naturally from this rule: three substantial meals without snacks fit into it effortlessly.

The regimen is the second pillar, and there is a separate series of articles about it: an overview of intermittent fasting schedules, the main article about the window, and a practical guide — how to stop snacking. What it looks like by the clock — one day on the method.

On a low-carb diet, the main source of energy is fat: 70-80% of the diet comes from oil, avocado, fatty fish and meat, cheese, nuts, and seeds. This is what diets cut first and what provides long-lasting satiety. Protein — in moderation, 1,2-2 g per kg of body weight: muscles rely on it, but excess protein is partly converted into glucose. Carbohydrates come from vegetables and greens, up to 50-70 g.

Where to get fats and how much — fats at 70-80% of the diet. How much protein to eat and how to distribute it — protein on a low-carb diet. The complete list of foods in the method — the approved foods list. How this differs from keto — LCHF and keto.

An hour of running costs one sandwich, and competing with food through movement is pointless. In this method, workouts serve a different purpose: to preserve and restore muscles that decline by 3-8% per decade without exercise, support your back and posture, and provide steady energy and sleep. That is why it means 20-45 minutes of strength training at home two or three times a week and walking, rather than going to the gym every day.

How it works — movement in the method; what you can do on an empty stomach and how not to lose muscle during the window — fasting and training.

A ban makes food desirable, and guilt after “breaking the rules” turns one meal into a whole week of eating everything. The method has no list of forbidden foods—there is an understanding of what different foods do to the body, and the conclusion “no need,” which comes naturally after two or three weeks. A slip costs exactly one meal; compensation is unnecessary and harmful.

In detail—no bans and no guilt. Why this is the only thing that works after many diets—why previous diets didn’t work. What to do immediately after a slip—separate article.