The new year is here! And I am sure everyone has their new year's resolutions.  The most common, eating better and losing weight.  With the holiday season (speaking for myself), there has been way too much sugar, treats, alcohol and just too much food in general.  
It has also been wonderful to spend quality time with family and loved ones, but too much wine, dessert and too little/no exercise (again, speaking for myself).  I am more than ready to eat better, exercise and stop wearing yoga pants all the time.We have a program to help you (and me) eat better, feel better, lose and maintain weight.  Specifically belly fat, because that is where we have all gained it. This program is called the Keto-Carb-Cycling Program (KCCP).
First off, caloric restriction is not going to work.  We have all reduced our calories, suffered from hunger, cravings and being a little moody. Unfortunately, you lose a small amount of weight, which is mainly water, and muscle.  Then binge and gain it all back. This program incorporates a keto diet, intermittent fasting with carbohydrate cycling.  The whole point is to increase and balance your metabolic hormones. While at the same time, keeping you satiated and not restricting calories long-term.
Individually, a Ketogenic Diet, Intermittent Fasting, and Carbohydrate Cycling are very popular and do help with weight loss. However, each has its pros and cons. After working with many patients over the last 14 years, we have found that by combining the three approaches together works best. It is more healthy to our systems and maintainable over time.  Finally, you can start losing weight and keep it off.   

What is a Ketogenic Diet?  
A keto-diet is reducing your total carbohydrate intake so that you go into ketosis.  Usually, our bodies run by glycolysis, which is the process of utilizing carbohydrates/glucose for fuel.  By reducing your carbohydrate intake below 30 grams daily, your body cannot run by glycolysis.  It must switch to burning ketone bodies for fuel, which is ketosis.  
When you are in ketosis, you are burning fat. So part of the KCCP is to put your body into fat-burning mode.  Although, it is not ideal to be in ketosis for an extended length of time.  Long-term ketosis is hard on the thyroid, can cause electrolytes/minerals deficiencies and drop neurohormones like serotonin. That is why we have combined intermittent fasting with carb-cycling to work together for weight loss, metabolism, and overall health.
What is Intermittent Fasting:  
Intermittent fasting (IF) is eating your meals in a 6 to an 8-hour window and fasting for 16 to 18 hours a day.  Commonly IF is eating meals between noon and 8 pm. A lot of people tell me they already do this eating style, but they can't lose weight.  They skip breakfast and have lunch and dinner only.  Most of the time, this pattern turns into chronic caloric restriction, which is why we recommend adding in more carbs on a strategic basis.   
What is carb-cycling:  
Carbohydrate cycling is adding starchy carbohydrate to the diet.  The carb-cycling is done on a specific schedule and eaten only in the evening.  A starchy carb might be a sweet potato, beans or rice.  Having the carbohydrate at night will help keep neurohormones up such as serotonin and helps improve sleep quality.  It also fills up your glycogen stores in your mu