Low carb meal plan: fewer carbs, still real meals
You don't have to cut every carb to eat fewer of them. If keto feels too strict, this prompt gets your todo.is agent to build a moderate low carb week, usually 50 to 120 g of carbs a day, with smart swaps for bread, rice and pasta and room for fruit, beans and the odd potato.
The prompt
- Build me a low carb meal plan for one week with about [CARBS PER DAY] of carbs a day. I still want to eat [CARBS TO KEEP] in small portions. Plan breakfast, lunch and dinner for [PEOPLE]. Show carbs and fiber per meal and per day. For every dinner, list the usual high-carb version and the swap you used (for example rice to cauliflower rice). Keep weekday cooking under [COOKING TIME]. Give me a Word document with the plan, recipes and a grocery list so I can edit it, and email it to me.
What to change
- [CARBS PER DAY]: E.g. "100 g". Under 50 g is close to keto; 50 to 130 g is a moderate low carb diet.
- [CARBS TO KEEP]: What you don't want to lose, e.g. "fruit and oats", "a slice of bread at lunch".
- [PEOPLE]: E.g. "me" or "2 adults".
- [COOKING TIME]: E.g. "25 minutes".
Example result
- Low carb week: about 100 g carbs a day, 1 adult
- Keeps fruit and oats · 25-minute dinners · carb counts are estimates
- Monday (96 g carbs, 31 g fiber)
- • Breakfast: 40 g oats cooked with milk, topped with walnuts and half an apple (38 g)
- • Lunch: Chicken, avocado and black bean salad with lime dressing (24 g)
- • Dinner: Turkey meatballs in tomato sauce over zucchini noodles, side of garlic bread, 1 small slice (34 g)
- • Swap: spaghetti to zucchini noodles saves about 60 g carbs
- Tuesday (88 g)
- • Breakfast: Greek yogurt with berries and pumpkin seeds (18 g)
- • Lunch: Lentil soup with a side salad (32 g)
- • Dinner: Chicken tikka with cauliflower rice and a small naan to share (38 g)
- • Swap: basmati rice to cauliflower rice saves about 40 g
- Wednesday (102 g)
- • Breakfast: Two eggs on one slice of rye toast, tomato (19 g)
- • Lunch: Leftover chicken tikka in a lettuce wrap with yogurt sauce (12 g)
- • Snack: A banana (27 g)
- • Dinner: Salmon, roasted new potatoes (150 g) and asparagus (44 g)
- Thursday to Sunday dinners and swaps
- • Burger in a lettuce bun with sweet potato wedges (bun to lettuce)
- • Steak fajitas in a bowl with beans, no tortillas (tortillas to bowl)
- • Prawn and vegetable stir-fry with half a portion of rice (half portion)
- • Shepherd's pie with cauliflower and potato mash, 50/50 (mash swap)
- Low carb basics used in this plan
- • Fill half the plate with non-starchy vegetables: broccoli, peppers, salad, zucchini, green beans
- • Keep a protein at every meal; it makes lower carb meals more filling
- • Choose high-fiber carbs when you eat them: oats, beans, lentils, rye, berries
- • Watch drinks: juice, soda and sweet coffee drinks add carbs fast
- Grocery list (excerpt)
- Produce: zucchini 4 · cauliflower 2 · broccoli 1 · asparagus 1 bunch · berries 2 punnets · apples 3 · bananas 3 · new potatoes 500 g
- Protein: ground turkey 500 g · chicken thighs 800 g · salmon 2 · steak 2 · prawns 300 g · eggs 12
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt, then set your daily carbs, the carbs you want to keep and your cooking time.
- Paste it into todo.is on the Today screen, or send it to your agent on WhatsApp, Telegram or by email.
- You get an editable Word file with the week, carb counts, swaps and a grocery list.
- Reply with changes ("lower to 75 g", "no cauliflower rice") and your agent updates the file.
Tips for a better result
- Start around 100 g carbs a day and adjust. Dropping from 250 g to 20 g overnight is where most people give up.
- Ask your agent to show the swap for every dinner. Learning the swaps matters more than following one exact week.
- Keep the carbs you love in small portions. A plan you can keep for months beats a strict one you drop in a week.
- If you have diabetes or take glucose-lowering medication, check any carb change with your doctor first.
low carb meal plan: FAQ
- How many carbs a day is low carb? There is no single definition, but under about 130 g a day is often called low carb, and under 50 g (often 20 to 30 g) is usually called keto or very low carb.
- What is the difference between low carb and keto? Keto keeps carbs very low so the body makes ketones, usually under 50 g a day. Low carb is more flexible and often includes fruit, beans and some whole grains.
- Can I eat fruit on a low carb diet? Yes, in moderate amounts. Berries are lowest in carbs; bananas, grapes and mango are higher, so portion them.
JavaScript is required to use the todo.is app.