LCHF stands for Low Carb High Fat; in other words, eating limited healthy carbohydrates and lots of healthy fats. LCHF means consuming real homecooked meals made out of quality produce, and it means feeding your body wholesome goodness. This also means removing all sugar and processed foods from your diet.
Some people think that LCHF is a high-protein diet, which is not true. You simply replace the unhealthy carbohydrates (processed foods) with high-quality carbohydrates (vegetables) and replace sauces with homemade sauces made with oil or real butter. You don’t make the portion sizes bigger. You just increase the percentage of fat so that you don’t have to be hungry. It’s that simple.
By following an LCHF lifestyle you are changing your body’s energy source from carbohydrates to fat. All carbohydrates turn into glucose (sugar) in our bodies. This is true for all kinds of carbohydrates - slow carbohydrates (vegetables, nuts etc) and fast carbohydrates (pasta, bread, and rice. When you eat carbohydrates the glucose level in your body increases, which means that the production of insulin (fat storing hormone) increases. The insulin prevents fat burning and stores the extra fat in the fat cells. If you cut down on the carbohydrates your body will need to use fat (the fat you eat and the fat on your body) as an energy source. So in essence, you are a fat burning machine.
You will notice that I haven't used the dreaded "D" word (diet) when describing LCHF. This isn't a diet; LCHF is a lifestyle. It might feel like a diet in the beginning while you start getting use to this new way of eating, but once you start to see and feel the benefits, it will be tough to go back to old habits. I’ve fallen back a couple of times (yes, I’m human) and every time, I’m amazed at how lousy I feel. I immediately get headaches, feel bloated, and become extremely tired. The extra energy you get and how great you feel with LCHF is better than any dessert in the world, including chocolate (and that says a lot!). And you can actually eat desserts following this lifestyle, so you have nothing to lose - except weight!