Chapter VI
How to begin.
The protocol is simple. Execution is the hard part. Here is exactly what to do for the first thirty days, what to buy, what to expect, and how to survive the adaptation phase without quitting on day four like everyone else does.
The Daily Plate
Morning
3–4 pasture eggs cooked in butter or tallow. 4–6 oz bacon or ground beef. Black coffee or tea (optional). Salt.
Midday
8–12 oz ribeye, chuck, or fatty ground beef. Cook in tallow. Salt liberally. Skip if not hungry — most carnivores naturally drift to two meals.
Evening
8–16 oz fatty cut of choice — short rib, lamb shoulder, brisket, salmon. Rendered fat from cooking is a feature, not a bug. Drink the pan drippings.
The 30-Day Arc
Four phases. Plan accordingly.
Phase 1
Days 1–7
The Plunge
Eliminate everything that isn't meat, eggs, fish, salt, and water. Eat to satiety — don't restrict. Expect headaches, fatigue, and irritability around day 3–5. This is the keto flu plus carb withdrawal. Salt aggressively (1 tsp dissolved in water, twice daily). Sleep more.
Phase 2
Days 8–14
The Wall
Cravings peak. Mood may dip. Bowel habits will change dramatically — most people experience either constipation or transient diarrhea. Both normalize. Eat fattier cuts. Add bone broth. Resist the urge to add 'just a little' rice.
Phase 3
Days 15–21
The Switch
Fat adaptation begins. Energy stabilizes. The constant background hunger you didn't know you had disappears. Mental clarity returns. You will eat less spontaneously. Sleep deepens.
Phase 4
Days 22–30
The Steady State
By now you should feel measurably better than baseline. Skin clearer, joints quieter, mood stable. Get follow-up bloodwork at day 60 and day 90. Consider adding organ meat 1–2x weekly if you haven't already.
The Shopping List
Stock the freezer first.
- Ribeye, chuck roast, brisket, short rib (15–20 lbs)
- 80/20 ground beef (10 lbs)
- Pasture-raised eggs (5 dozen)
- Beef liver, frozen (1 lb)
- Bacon, sugar-free (2 lbs)
- Lamb shoulder or leg (one cut)
- Wild salmon, sardines (canned for emergencies)
- Beef tallow or duck fat (32 oz)
- Real salt (Redmond's, Celtic, or pink Himalayan)
- Bone broth, or beef bones to make your own
Electrolytes
Salt is not the enemy. Hyponatremia is.
Lower insulin = the kidneys excrete sodium aggressively. Most adaptation symptoms — headache, fatigue, cramps, brain fog — are sodium loss, not "keto flu." Aim for 6–10 grams of sodium per day. Add magnesium glycinate (400mg) and potassium from broth. Drink to thirst, not on a schedule.