General Guidelines for Following The Very Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet

The Very Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet (VLCKD) can be a powerful tool for safe and rapid weight loss – but to get the best results, it’s important to follow a few key principles.

1. Protein Intake: Maintain Muscle, Maximise Satiety

Your protein target depends on your goal.

If you're on a maintenance diet, you need approximately 1g of protein per kg of ideal body weight.
If your goal is to lose weight, that target increases to 1.4g of protein per kg of ideal body weight.

Let me give you an example: I weigh 62kg and my height is 1.61m. On a maintenance diet, I’d need around 60g of protein daily. But if I wanted to lose 3kg (6.6lb), I would increase that to 84g per day.

If you weigh 89kg but your ideal weight is 60kg, you will also aim for 84g of protein per day while on the VLCKD.

2. Include Healthy Fats – in the Right Amount

Fat is essential – your body needs it for hormone production and numerous metabolic processes. Although it's energy-dense (e.g., 1 tbsp of olive oil contains around 140kcal), we still recommend a minimum of 1 tablespoon per day of healthy fats such as olive oil, rapeseed oil, or butter.

3. Aim for 25–35g of Fibre Daily

Fibre plays a key role in keeping you full, supporting healthy digestion, and maintaining a well-functioning gut microbiome.

Unfortunately, 70% of people in Ireland don't even reach the minimum recommended 15g of fibre per day – which makes increasing fibre intake especially important on this plan.

We recommend aiming for 25–35g of fibre per day, which you can achieve by:

Eating vegetables at least twice a day
Including my high-protein, high-fibre products, which are an essential part of the plan
Cooking with non-starchy vegetables, using our VLCKD-friendly recipes that incorporate them in various forms: steamed, grilled, baked, stir-fried, or in soups and stews

4. Stay Hydrated

You should aim to reach 2 litres of fluids per day, which includes:

Water (still or sparkling)
Herbal teas
Black coffee
VLCKD-friendly soups
Zero-calorie drinks (like Coke Zero or similar)

While I don’t actively encourage fizzy zero-calorie drinks, I also understand that you’re already cutting out many treats – and sometimes, having something rather than nothing can make it easier to stay on track. Think of it as an occasional refreshment, not a habit.

5. Take Vitacal Twice a Day

Because this diet excludes many food groups – including fruit, grains, cereals, bread, pasta and most dairy products – we want to ensure you don’t run into nutritional deficiencies while on a reduced calorie intake.

To support your body fully, I recommend you take Vitacal twice daily. This vitamin and mineral formula was developed specifically for this diet to make sure you’re getting everything your body needs while staying within the calorie range.