How I lost 30 pounds in three months, the Natural Way: Diets!
This is an article in the series: How I lost 30 pounds in three months. (Please note that this is a Series, so there are further articles with specifics about diets, dieting strategies, and body sculpting that were also used in the project.)
I love diets! In this article, I’m going to tell you about some awesome diets I’ve used, including the Keto diet plus intermittent fasting, and several Keto alternative vegetarian-based diets. Plus, I’ll throw in some amazing dieting strategies that can help you stop cravings in their tracks.
Lately, there seems to be a growing debate about the definition of a healthy diet. Is a healthy diet a vague set of guidelines that include a bit of everything? Should a healthy diet classify proteins into categories? or define fruits by the amount of sugar they actually contain?
Personally, when I try to follow vague, unfocused dietary guidelines, I get confused, and then I can’t realize my health goals.
Here’s the thing: diets work best when they provide super-detailed rules for eating … with diets, I need some boundaries. In fact, what I’m looking for in a diet is firm ground rules as in “do this, don’t do that” (or else,) end of story.
Note: I willingly admit that my life is a series of diets, but this is not an eating failure … Oh no, the fact that I often change my diet is a life long, Targeted Eating Strategy (TES.)
Keto diet vs Atkins –
When I lost 30 pounds in three months, the main diet I followed was Keto plus intermittent fasting, which I found to be very effective. Since there are some misconceptions about Keto, I’m going to describe my own simple version of this diet based on Josh Axe’s book, Keto Diet, which is an incredibly informative book.
So, basically, you can eat meat, eggs, nuts and nut butters — like natural unsweetened peanut butter — along with almond milk and almond flour, cheese and butter (I like butter… does the Homer Simpson drool,) broccoli, and green leafy vegetables. Also, strawberries are highly recommended, while bananas are on the naughty list.
Personally, I had to modify Keto a bit because at times, I can be allergic to dairy … Also, red meat has been known to cause me to have slow digestion – but the best thing about the Keto diet is that it allows sweeteners, and for this I used mainly Stevia and Erythritol.
Note: this diet suggests using unprocessed meats, but turkey bacon is often allowed (I won’t look.)
Having been successful in the past with Atkins, I found Keto an easy diet to stick to. But it’s important to note that Keto is not Atkins.
In other words, the Keto diet stresses eating not only your protein, but also – and very importantly – low carb vegetables like broccoli and green leafy veggies. As a result, Keto is often better for your digestion – and therefore healthier — than other protein-focused diets.
In fact, I remember my first experience with the Atkins diet, which was a breeze for me because I could eat all the animal protein and fat that I wanted (I used mostly eggs, cheese and chicken) but I had to avoid carbs. And I did lose weight on Atkins: in fact, it was the first diet that had ever worked for me, and it made me feel satisfied.
On the downside, with Atkins I found myself constantly fighting severe constipation — a dieter’s worst enemy — besides my experience, I have heard of other dieters complaining about high cholesterol and various heart-health concerns related to the Atkins diet.
So, with Keto’s insistence on “’eating your greens,” it soon became clear to me that I could get the benefits of Atkins without the difficulties a high protein/high fat diet can sometimes generate. It’s all about the broccoli, folks.
I have a friend who despises green leafy veggies because they remind him of that song, Poke Salad Annie (the gator’s got your granny,) but one great reason for eating your greens is that they have a beneficial effect on healthful gut bacteria, which means they power up probiotic effects in the body: a sure win for a healthy immune system.
The Keto diet –
The thing about the Keto diet is that even though you must avoid eating carbohydrates, you get that free pass to eat butter, and you can make cakes out of Almond flour (sweetened with Erythritol) … So good (drools again) … and fat bombs made with coconut oil, sweetened with Stevia drops or Erythritol. Low carb homemade treats like this made Keto relatively painless for me.
And be sure to get the correct Erythritol you need for your recipe: there are both granulated Erythritol (course like regular sugar) and confectioner’s Erythritol (a fine powder that really dresses up strawberries.) (Yum!)
I did, however, find myself making several difficult dietary adjustments when I started on the Keto diet. As I began this new eating adventure, I realized that the mayo and creamy salad dressings I had been using regularly were not recommended for Keto, so I scrambled to find an acceptable alternative.
Also, I faced the need to get rid of — or even hide — snacks that contained extra carbs. And these included energy bars I had used for years, biscuits that I kept in the dark recesses of my freezer, and – this one is weird – Chicken pot pies, which have more carbs than you would think!
So, you do have to inspect all of your food for carb content … leave no stone unturned (no label unread.) Also, the Keto diet I followed stressed intermittent fasting, which was challenging for me at the first.
Intermittent fasting –
For me, the most important ingredient for long-term diet success is something I learned when I was on the Keto diet. I want you to consider – or even reconsider — intermittent fasting. Hey, it’s totally free – it costs 100% less than weight loss drugs –and you can train yourself to do it with minimal effort.
And once intermittent fasting becomes part of your routine, you often find yourself beginning to fast automatically, without even noticing it.
When I do intermittent fasting, I use the method I learned in Josh Axe’s Keto Diet book. When using this great method, I often see successful weight loss within three to four days’ time, but only when I stick to the rules and perform it correctly.
The great thing about intermittent fasting is that you can still eat regular meals within a limited period of time — such as 10 daytime hours — but then you must take a break from eating for the other 14 hours of the day.
And this is convenient since you can complete your fasting overnight. Probably the most important requirement of this dieting strategy is that during your fasting period, the only thing you can ingest is plain water (if you want the fasting to be effective, that is.)
Although Intermittent fasting is easy and has few rules, it can be tempting to break those rules simply because any serious diet requires an adjustment — not only for the body but also for the mind — and this often results in cravings.
One time I was experiencing cravings while adjusting to the “only water during fasting hours” rule, so I put this to the test by lightly eating/cheating during the fasting period. For this I used nuts, sunflower seeds, or a few cheese crackers – things that do not generally make me gain weight.
To my surprise, I found that when I had an evening snack of any sort, the weight loss benefits took a nosedive. And even though you may find intermittent fasting a bit challenging at first, just keep in mind that it’s a quick, easy weight loss strategy that really works. So don’t give up! You can do it! Yes, you!
Intermittent fasting, what could possibly go wrong? –
Putting it all together –
So, when I was walloped with that intense Christmas sugar cookie craving, my mind almost immediately flashed a visual of my own, personal ugly alternative — giving myself a weight loss shot — And guess what? Those cravings disappeared on the spot (true story,) and I went on to have a very successful period of intermittent fasting for the rest of the evening.
For the “ugly alternatives” strategy, you should choose something that you feel strongly about, and this can be practically any unwanted result you may face if you cannot control your weight.
Some people might picture feeling embarrassed to attend a public event — like a high school reunion — due to their weight. Or they may be worried about fitting into a dress or a tux for a wedding … it’s a visual flash of any experience you seriously hope to avoid by staying on your diet or fast.
Don’t allow yourself to dwell on it — accentuate the positives — but the ugly alternative visual flash can be a valuable method of gaining control of your eating behavior. Now I want to discuss some dieting strategies: the every day diet and the alternate day diet.
The same thing every day dieting strategy –
The same thing every day strategy is just like it sounds … you choose food that corresponds to your diet of choice and eat that same exact food every day.
I’ve used this strategy for the Keto diet, but the same thing every day diet strategy can also be applied to Atkins, as well as the sweet potato diet, the cabbage soup diet, and even the bean diet, to which I often add greens, making it the beans and greens diet.
When I first saw the extensive recipes in Josh Axe’s Keto diet book, I was concerned that I might not be successful on Keto, because I wasn’t cooking much at the time. But after experimenting with Keto-approved ingredients, I found that I was able to manage several easy meals that fit the bill.
My favorite of these meals consisted of a bowl of natural peanut butter for breakfast (sometimes sweetened with Stevia or Stevia chips,) then simple canned chicken, green leafy vegetables (fresh, frozen or canned) and Zesty Italian salad dressing.
And because I enjoyed eating this meal, I decided to use it in a same thing every day diet, which made it my main source of nutrition for a while. (Remember to take your vitamins.) Eventually, I branched out and added Parmesan cheese and low carb noodles to the menu for variety. (Love spinach noodles.)
What I like about the same thing everyday diet is that you don’t have to worry about what you are going to have for dinner. Since you eat the same thing every day, it’s easy to buy ahead and keep all of the ingredients on hand.
And even though the dieter is advised to eat fresh food, in my opinion, eating canned and frozen stuff may be a temporary option for dieters who are super busy and don’t have time to cook.
As to same thing every day all-vegetable diets, I prefer the cabbage soup diet – eat mostly cabbage soup for a week — and the beans and greens diet, which offers more complete nutrition than cabbage soup and therefore wins the healthy prize among my preferred vegetarian options.
The beans and greens diet –
In the beans and greens diet, you eat mostly beans and legumes — plus cooked greens — for several weeks (or longer.) And since beans and greens are both chock full of fiber, vitamins and minerals, this diet is not only helpful for weight loss, but also for recovery from illness.
Some people are afraid that a bean-based diet will make them pass gas. But through personal experience, I have found that even though you may pass a bit of gas for the first few days – nothing serious – it quickly evens out and you find yourself reaping the benefits.
Some advantages of this diet include generally feeling fuller (not as hungry,) gaining more balanced blood sugar, stabilizing blood pressure for improved heart health, and many other benefits.
Also, it doesn’t hurt to mention that while canned beans can be used for this diet, preparing them as dried beans in a crock pot or an instant pot equates to less sodium, more control of seasonings and flavor, as well as less stress on the pocketbook.
I realize that beans have gotten a bad rap over the years, with characters like Bart Simpson saying stuff like, “beans, beans the musical fruit.” But beans are actually an amazing food with plentiful amounts of protein, minerals, fiber, and even antioxidants.
As a definite perk, when I do a bean-based diet, I allow myself to cheat a little with small bites of butter, sour cream, and cream cheese, and it still works!
I first discovered the bean diet a long time ago when a friend introduced me to “non lacto/ovo” (no milk or eggs) vegetarianism. I well remember one Thanksgiving when she presented – as the main dish – a turtle (turtle=turkey?) made completely of seeds.
Confounded by this experience (I’m just not that into seeds,) I eventually came to realize that the only non-meat option that really “completed me” was kidney beans.
I should also mention that the bean diet fits into several diet categories. It can be described as a soft food diet: eating only soft food assists digestion, resulting in weight loss.
The Alkaline Diet –
But the bean diet is also an alkaline diet: when your body is too acidic you tend to get sick more often, so you should work to change your body’s pH from acidic to alkaline (the opposite of acidic.) And this can make you feel better, create a healthier body, and experience no-fuss weight management.
And since kidney beans — my power food – are high in fiber, they are part of an alkaline diet, because fiber helps to change the body from acidic to alkaline. In fact, when I was recovering from Covid and had gained a few extra pounds in the process, it was the bean diet I used to get healthier and lose weight.
Note: Adding sauteed garlic to beans helps meat eaters feel more satisfied when pursuing the bean diet. (Throw some onions and chili powder in there too, for healthy deliciousness.)
Good ways to prevent becoming highly acidic in the first place often include avoiding artificial sweeteners and overly processed foods or fast food (I know it’s hard) and making regular use of alkaline teas like Damiana tea (it’s a stimulant) or Burdock tea.
The good news here is that anyone can find out if their body is too acidic by using test strips that are easily available at the drug store.
The alternate day dieting Strategy –
With this dieting method, you plan two different menus that each fit the rules of the diet you’ve chosen, and you alternate these menus/foods so that you eat one menu for one day and the other on the following day. and then repeat the process.
As one example of this strategy, you might eat natural peanut butter or have a Keto shake for breakfast, then have canned-or-fresh chicken, green leafy veggies, and zesty Italian dressing for all other meals on one day.
Then the next day you might eat only Keto meal shakes with almond milk for that whole day (It’s easier than it sounds,) then switch back to the chicken menu.
Switching menus each day can make any type of diet easier to maintain, because you have a greater variation in food choices. Also, if you’ve mastered the art of fasting, you can take it one step further and try alternate day fasting: where you fast every other day. For instance, you might do Keto one day and fast the next.
Also, with the alternate day dieting strategy you eat larger food portions one day, and then smaller portions the following day. I’ve been told that this triggers weight loss because your metabolism goes up on the higher portion day, then it stays up for a time and helps to burn off extra weight on the smaller portion day.
Here some easy ways to increase your metabolism for more effective weight loss. –
There’s the old standby method of increasing your metabolism: eat 6 small meals a day. (I have tried this trick, and it can help you lose weight.)
Other traditional methods include increasing water consumption, upping your physical activity, and ingesting cayenne pepper … but adjust to the cayenne slowly by adding it to hot tea or coffee in increasing amounts.
Also, eating more protein has been shown to increase your metabolism. This happens because protein increases your metabolic rate, which determines how fast your body burns calories.
More recently, the use of MCT Oil has really taken off as a reliable method of firing up the metabolism. I should also mention that I used MTC Oil regularly when I lost 30 pounds in three months, so I speak from experience!
MCT Oil, often used to boost metabolism and pump physical endurance, may also improve brain health. Generally derived from coconut oil, MCT Oil is a safe, natural product and an ingredient in many Keto meal shakes, but you can also get this oil as a liquid supplement.
FYI, I’ve tried taking plain coconut oil to see it I got similar benefits … but I’ve found that it doesn’t give you the same results as the actual MCT Oil liquid supplement. So, get the liquid to experience maximum results.
Note: Adding MCT Oil to any diet can increase weight loss success!
It’s important to keep in mind that thoughtful, focused, and well-planned eating can make or break weight loss and weight stabilization. In my experience, the easiest way to sabotage your chosen diet is to fall off the wagon into an excessive consumption of sugar. And no, you can’t “handle” it, or “absorb” it.
So, if you do regular carb loading, take a week off, slow down and do some conscious eating in earnest.
Thanks for reading the second article in the “How I lost 30 pounds in three months” series. In the upcoming article, I’m going to talk about DIY body sculpting and show you some excellent devices that will help you get into great shape and live your best life, the natural way!
This article was written by Vanna Silverwood, medical writer and outspoken advocate for natural medicine. See more articles at Simplynaturalmedicine.com … Encouraging stability, helping you clarify your health goals … we are always “For humans, by humans.”
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Sources
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