The Welcome Handbook – Diet Doctor

Congratulations on becoming a Diet Doctor member!

Ready to reach your health goals? This special member booklet helps you find everything you need on our site and app.

As you read, click on any bolded text to go directly to the Diet Doctor web page. Or download and print this booklet by clicking here.

Low carb 101

New to low carb and keto? Welcome to a whole new way of eating!

Low carb diets limit sugars and starches (also called carbohydrates). Strictly limiting sugars and starches can help you:

• lose weight with less hunger

• lower your blood sugar levels

• improve heart disease risk factors

• reduce medications

• feel better in general

These diets are safe, and right for almost anyone. They’re easy to understand and don’t require calorie counting.

How do you eat low carb?

It’s easy as 1-2-3

Reduce carbohydrates

Eat enough protein at meals.

Include fat for flavor — enough to feel satisfied, not stuffed.

Vegetables

Eat non-starchy vegetables like asparagus, avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, leafy greens, tomatoes, and zucchini. Want more? Our veggie visual guide has it all.

Protein

Pick protein like meat, eggs, fish, seafood, and tofu. Check out our protein guide for how much you should eat and the top protein foods.

Beverages

Water is your goto choice. Add a slice of lemon or lime, or mix it up with sparkling options. Unsweetened coffee and tea are also on the menu.

Protein

Natural fat

Dairy

If you eat dairy, enjoy butter, cheese, and plain yogurt. Our guide has all the details.

Pick protein like meat, eggs, fish, seafood, and tofu. Check out our protein guide for how much you should eat and the top protein foods.

Add flavor and feel full with natural fats like avocado or nut oils, butter, fat from meat, mayonnaise, olive oil.

Low carb 101 (cont’d)

As you start eating fewer carbohydrates, be ready for some changes:

• Anticipate the “keto flu”

You may experience “keto flu” during the first one to two weeks as your body adjusts to burning fat rather than glucose. Common symptoms include fatigue, headaches, irritability, or difficulty concentrating. If you get keto flu symptoms, drink salted water, bone broth, consommé, or Diet Doctor’s electrolyte elixir.

• Monitor blood sugars

If you have diabetes or prediabetes, you should check your blood sugar regularly when transitioning to low carb. You don’t need to do this if you are just using the keto diet to lose weight and you have no blood sugar issues.

• Adjust medications

If you take diabetes, high blood pressure, and other medications, ask for help from your prescribing doctor before you get started.

• Adjust for breastfeeding

If you are a breastfeeding mother, you will need to eat more dietary carbohydrates.

Strictly limit

Sugar

Sugar is found in soft drinks, candy, juice, sports drinks, desserts, cereal, condiments, and most processed foods. Don’t add sugar to coffee, tea, or other beverages or foods.

Starch

Starches include bread, cereal, pasta, rice, and potatoes. Starchy foods turn into sugar when they’re digested. This includes whole grain products.

Fruit

The sweeter the fruit, the more sugar it contains. It’s OK to have in moderation some tart fruit, such as berries, lemons, and limes, or fruit with high water content, such as melons.

Alcohol

Avoid beer and all sweet-tasting cocktails. It is OK to have low carb alcohol in moderation. This includes dry wines, spirits without sweet mixers, and low carb beer.

“I am feeling better than I have in years.”

— Jim, 60

“I am eating less and staying full longer.”

— Tina, 56

Explore delicious recipes

Personalized meal plans

Get what you want, how you want it.

With Diet Doctor Plus, you’ll receive delicious, healthy meal suggestions with all the planning done for you.

Tell us what your health goals are and what you like to eat.

In minutes, you’ll have a custom-made meal plan. We have a wide variety of choices: keto, low carb, high protein, high satiety, vegetarian and more. We’ll include a practical shopping list that will save you time at the grocery store. Start here.

We also have almost 200 pre-set meal plans for browsing, too. Whether you want quick and easy recipes, world cuisine, or budget-friendly choices, we have options!

What is higher-satiety eating?

More than 1,200 recipes waiting for you

Check out our simple and tasty collection and be prepared for a mouthwatering experience. Crunchy crackers and snacks. Filling salads. Robust curries. Casseroles so satisfying you won’t miss the carbs. Whatever you crave, you’ll find a healthy and delicious recipe for that.

Get low carb, keto, high protein, and/or highersatiety recipes. We have breakfasts, sides, snacks, breads, desserts, and much more. Plus, we have special collections — from holiday favorites to no-cook meals to all-things cauliflower.

Our keto collection is extensive, with more than 500 recipes, all color-coded to show net grams of carbs per serving.

Higher-satiety foods help you feel as full as possible for the fewest number of calories — and can help you lose weight. You eat foods with lots of protein, fiber, and nutrients and minimize empty calories from carbs and fat. This way of eating is compatible with low carb, keto, and other styles of eating. Find out more with our higher-satiety guides and resources.

Read our guides

For beginners

You’ll find beginners’ guides to keto, low carb, high protein and higher-satiety eating.

We have shopping guides and frequently ask questions. Our low carb guides are a perfect starting point for those new to the low carb lifestyle.

 Click to read more

Get practical

Eating out? Traveling? Looking for ways to stick to your food budget? Whatever your day-today issue, we’ve been there. Our practical guides keep it real, offering solutions that work.

Part inspiration, part information — you’ll love these tips and ideas.

 Click to read more

Get visual

Are you tired of reading?

Then understand low carb food with our visual guides. Veggies. Drinks. Snacks. Nuts. And much more. Simple. Informative. Food-focused.

 Click to read more

Understand nutrition science

Learn more about fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Or ingredients like gluten, fiber, and dairy. We update our nutrition guides when new studies emerge, so you’ll always get the most current info.

 Click to read more

Find better health

When you’re looking for trustworthy information about diabetes, high blood pressure, or other conditions affected by what you eat, our health guides offer concise analysis based on the latest scientific evidence. We even have some guides written for doctors, too.

 Click to read more

Lose weight

Find all our best advice for losing weight, breaking weight loss stalls, and reaching your weight loss goals in this popular collection.

 Click to read more

Sign up for member programs

Weight Loss for Good

Are you ready for lasting weight loss? Our ten-week program will help you take off the weight — for good. You’ll get motivating emails, easy content, and tasty and filling meal plans. The first three weeks we’ll keep it short with just three or four actionable steps each day. Then in the remaining seven weeks, we’ll revisit each topic in depth. Click to discover more

 Click to discover more

5 Weeks of Keto with Kristie

Do you want a friendly and experienced companion for your keto journey? Join Kristie Sullivan, a keto cookbook author with an inspiring weight loss story of her own. You’ll spend five weeks talking and eating keto together! You’ll learn how to create your own favorite meal plans and get tips to navigate common social situations.

 Click to discover more

Let’s Get Moving

If you’re new to exercise, this six-part video course is for you. Triathlete and author Jonas Colting shows you how to start with basic movements that require no equipment. Do it at home or outside.

 Click to discover more

For practical support that will take your lifestyle changes to the next level, sign up for our fun and focused member-only programs.

Sugar Addiction with Bitten Jonsson

Do you find yourself craving sugar, baked goods, or sweets? Do you binge on certain foods or find it hard to control your intake? Our 10-part video course with sugar addiction expert Bitten Jonsson will explain how sugar and processed flour act on your brain reward circuits and how to stop the addictive cycle.

 Click to discover more

New Me Reset

Our New Me Reset is a two-week refresher program. All you have to do is download the app and follow the meal plans personalized for you. We’ll also send you daily insight emails with bite-sized, evidence-based guidance to help you build a solid foundation for lasting health.

 Click to discover more

Intro to higher-satiety eating

Do you want help understanding and applying highersatiety eating to your day? Our basic 3-week program gives you everything you need to know to feel full and satisfied for fewer calories. We give a daily tip, inspiring recipes, and ideas for restaurant and quick plates.

 Click to discover more

Enjoy better health

Do you have type 2 diabetes or prediabetes? What about other health conditions like high blood pressure, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), fatty liver, irritable bowel syndrome, acne, or other health concerns?

Research shows a low carb diet may help. Explore our health resources.

Reverse diabetes

In 2019, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) endorsed reducing carbohydrate intake as the most effective nutritional strategy to improve blood sugar control for diabetes.

Check out our popular guide, How to reverse your type 2 diabetes to start. Then, delve into other resources like What you need to know about blood sugar or the Best foods to control diabetes.

Want to understand measurements like your Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)? We have an in-depth guide for that, too.

If you’d rather watch a video, check out Dr. Jason Fung’s eight-part video course, How to reverse your type 2 diabetes.

And if you have type 1 diabetes, don’t miss our guide designed to help you control your blood sugar with fewer carbs. It’s an essential read before you change your diet.

Lower blood pressure

Diet Doctor has several guides about blood pressure, including how to lower it naturally, how to keep it in the normal range, and what you need to know if you are starting a low carb diet while on blood pressure medications.

Feel great

Many other health problems improve on a low-carb diet, such as PCOS. We have guides, videos, and many success stories about this common reproductive condition.

We also have guides on other common health concerns, including fatty liver disease, IBS, acne, migraines and cluster headaches, food addiction, and more.

To learn more about other issues that can improve with carbohydrate restriction, click the “health” tab on the top menu visible on any dietdoctor.com page. You’ll see dozens of health guides. At the end of each piece, you’ll see suggestions for related materials to keep you reading and learning, and finding ideas and tips to help improve your health issues.

You’ll be on your way to better health in no time.

Be inspired

Do you worry you’ve got too much weight to lose or your health is too far gone to be helped by low carb eating? Then check out our hundreds of success stories from around the globe for extra motivation.

We have inspiring stories of those who’ve lost up to 20, up to 50, up to 100, and over 100 pounds. They show that, yes, a low carb diet can change your life.

Read about Kenneth, who lost 250 pounds. “This way of eating saved me,” he says. Or how Janet finally lost weight with highersatiety eating. Or how Ally, 28, lost 120 pounds with keto. “I don’t crave bad food anymore. I have tons of energy,” she says.

We have more than 200 stories alone of people who have reversed their type 2 diabetes, many of whom have come off all

insulin and other medications. James came off 20 years of insulin after just six weeks of low carb eating.

People don’t just share tremendous weight loss. They share “non-scale victories” like no more migraines, improved PCOS, reversed hypertension, improved IBS, and much, much more. They also honestly share their struggles and challenges and the tips they learned along the way.

We publish new success stories every week, so check back to the Diet Doctor news feed regularly. Whenever you feel your motivation fading, the success stories may help get you back on track.

Maybe one day, your story will be inspiring others.

“I’m in the best health of my life.”

— Elizabeth, 57

With more than 600 low carb and keto success stories.

If you have a smartphone, with your Diet Doctor membership you get to have our top resources at your fingertips. The app is available for both iPhone and Android.

You’ll get everything you need to succeed, including personalized meal plans, 1,200+ recipes, visual guides, evidence-based tips, help establishing healthy habits and actions, shopping lists and more.

You can also track important health measures like your weight, waist size, and blood pressure.

There are videos to watch and short, bite-sized articles to scroll through. You can favorite your go-to meals and recipes so they are easy to find.

It is all there in the Diet Doctor app, with new features and supports being added regularly.

Get the full experience in the app today!

Watch videos

Our video library offers fantastic insights and hours of entertainment. As a treasure trove of low carb information, it’s perfect for both learning and passing time.

With Diet Doctor Plus, you’ll have 24/7 access. Jump to the content that most interests you. Here are some of our favorites:

Courses

Watch and learn with our many courses. Choose from classics like Keto for Beginners and How to Reverse Type 2 Diabetes and newer additions like Let’s Get Moving and Eating Keto with Kristie.

 Click to discover more

Cooking how-tos

Our one-minute cooking videos show just how easy low carb cooking can be. And if you like a longer cooking show format, check out Cooking Keto with Kristie.

 Click to discover more

Presentations & interviews

We’ve got hundreds of lectures and interviews with the best low carb experts. Find your favorite topic, or search by scientist, and dig in.

 Click to discover more

Success stories

Hear stories of transformation from dozens of people who’ve improved their health with low carb eating.

 Click to discover more

Dr. Bret Scher gets up close and personal with dozens of experts. Listen or watch. It’s your choice.

 Click to discover more

Movies

Are you looking for a fun way to spend Sunday night? Screen one of the documentaries in our movie collection.

 Click to discover more

Find medical resources

Do you need a doctor or health provider to help you manage your health issues or medications?

Are you a low carb health professional seeking colleagues, scientific evidence, courses, clinical guidance, or patient handouts? Diet Doctor has a number of resources for patients and professionals alike.

Find a low carb doctor map

Use our searchable map to find a physician or trained health professional near you. Read these doctors’ testimonials about how low carb transformed their medical practice and their patients’ lives.

We’re always adding more health professionals. If you don’t see someone in your area, note that many providers also do remote consultations over a computer or phone.

Professional support

As a healthcare provider, or as an individual who wants in-depth, low carb expertise, you can access a wide variety of information:

• Continuing Medical Education: Our free, threehour course provides clinicians with information and tools to safely and effectively use low carb and keto diets with patients. Eligible health providers can earn CME credits, but the course is open to all.

• Scientific evidence: Our regularly updated and annotated guide summarizes the core scientific evidence behind low carb and keto diets.

• Video series: Award winning UK general practitioner Dr. David Unwin leads a video course featuring 16 inspiring and practical videos covering everything doctors need to deliver effective low carb care.

• Clinician resources: Clear, printable one page summaries cover lab tests, medication reductions, ketone monitoring, and more.

• Patient handouts: Give your patients printable shopping lists, substitutions for high carb foods, basic meal plans, and other simple handouts.

Inspiring physician stories

The experiences and insights of fellow clinicians can be an inspiring way to learn more about how to use carbohydrate restriction in your own practice. We have videos, podcasts, profiles, and physician success stories.

Personal worksheet

What’s your motivation for adopting a low carb diet? Having clear goals and anticipating your strengths and challenges can help keep you on track to success. Use these steps to inform your actions and commitments in the weeks and months ahead.

1. Before you start, take a full-body picture and note the following: Update these health markers regularly. Note all non-scale victories.

Initial weight: Waist measurement: Hip measurement: Blood pressure: HbA1c: Fasting blood sugar:

2. Describe why you want to change your diet. Be specific. List the positive outcomes that you’ll experience from changing. List the negatives of not changing.

3. Set small, achievable weekly goals.

What small actions, within your control, can you take each week?

4. Identify possible challenges

What obstacles might arise? Make a plan for how to get around them.

5. List your strengths, skills, and assets

What personal traits or relationships can you rely on for support?

6. Keep track of mistakes and lessons

Learn as you go. Adjust and keep moving forward.

Find everything you need to succeed