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How Does a Low Carb
Diet Work?
Rules to
follow when going on a low carb diet
What
foods can you eat on a low carb diet
What
to expect in the first 2 weeks of a low carb diet
Usefull tips before you get started
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A variety of low carb diets are out there, including diet books
like Dr atkins new diet revolution, protein power, etc. They all
seem to have one thing in common - a strict reduction in the
consumption of carbohydrates. Most of the low-carb diets in
existence replace those carbohydrates with fats & proteins.
Those on low carb diets should get at least 60-70% of their
daily calories from fat. Carbs should make up less than 10% and
in some cases, less than 5% of their daily calories.
As is turns out, dietary fat is not necessarily converted into
body fat. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, are readily
converted into fat by insulin. When you eat high carbohydrate
foods, the increased blood sugar stimulates insulin production
by the pancreas. Insulin is the hormone that allows blood sugar
to be used by the cells. However, a side effect of insulin is
that it also causes fat to be deposited, and it also stimulates
your brain to produce hunger signals, usually causing you to eat
more carbohydrates.
Restricting the intake of carbohydrates puts a halt to this
cycle. When you restrict your carb intake, your insulin levels
fall and the levels of glycogen increase. Glycogen is a hormone
that causes body fat to be burned and cholesterol to be removed
from deposits in the arteries.
If you severely restrict carbs, your body is put into a state of
ketosis - burning fat with the subsequent production of ketone
bodies in the bloodstream. The result of ketosis is that your
blood sugar levels stabilize, your insulin level drops, and
because your body is burning fat, you lose weight.
At the peak of the lowcarb trend in 2004,an estimated 44 million
americans were on a lowcarb diet.
Low carbohydrate diets may take off more weight than low-fat
diets and may be better for cholesterol too. At least three
formal studies from the Dr Atkins diet have been presented, and
all have reached similar results: Rather than making cholesterol
soar, as feared, the diet actually appears to improve it, and
volunteers take off more weight.
low carb diets have helped millions of people lose weight. It is
important learn how to properly structure a low carbohydrate
meal plan that will work. Some dieters use a lowcarb program to
achieve short term, rapid weight loss, but a properly designed
and followed plan can help you achieve your long term weight
loss goals.
Low carb diets typically lead to:
More rapid weight loss than (say) the more orthodox low fat diet
programs.
Improved weight control as a result of reduced hunger and fewer
appetite swings due to more stable blood glucose levels.
Extra fat-burning, which (in theory) raises metabolic rate,
(because muscle tissue needs more calories to sustain it, than
body fat) which makes it easier to lose weight.
Advantages of a low carb diet:
- It boosts the body's metabolic rate
- Sustained weight loss
- Stabilized blood sugar
- Lower blood pressure
- Better blood lipid profile
- Lower insulin levels
- More energy
- Your sense of smell and taste improves
- Control of hunger
- Get rid of food addiction
RULES TO FOLLOW
WHEN GOING ON A LOW CARB DIET:
Drink at least eight glasses of water each day.
Don’t skip your meals.
Make a balanced combination of fat and protein (poultry, fish,
shellfish, eggs and red meat, as well as pure, natural fat in
the form of butter, mayonnaise, olive oil ) to eat.
Don’t consume carbohydrates more than 20 grams a day.
Don’t use nuts and seeds in first 2 weeks.
Avoid drinks with caffeine like coffee, tea, soft drinks.
Get rid of constipation if you have. Mix a tablespoon or more of
psyllium husks in water and drink daily or mix ground flaxseed
into a shake or sprinkle wheat bran on a salad or vegetables.
Take a good quantity of multivitamin with minerals iron daily.
Use sweeteners instead of sugar.
Try to avoid hidden carbs.
Don’t use diet products without labelling "no carbohydrates."
Chewing gum, breath mints, cough syrups and cough drops are also
not good, as they contain sugar or other caloric sweeteners.
Don’t go for sugarless, sugar-free or "no sugar added" products,
as they indirectly provide extra carbohydrates.
Add vegetables and green salads as more as possible in your
daily diet, as they are actually low in carbohydrates.
WHAT FOODS CAN
YOU EAT ON A LOW CARB DIET:
VEGETABLES:
Sprouts (bean, alfalfa, etc).
Greens – lettuces, spinach, chard,Bok Choy, etc.
Herbs - parsley, cilantro, basil, rosemary, thyme, etc.
celery, Radishes.
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Mushrooms
Avocado
Cucumber (or pickles without added sugars)
Bell Peppers
Summer Squash (including zucchini)
Spring onions.
Asparagus
Leeks
Brussels Sprouts
Snow Peas
Green Beans
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Artichoke Hearts
Onions
Carrots
Pumpkin
PROTEIN:
All types of meat ( just be careful of processed meat as they do
contain carbs)
All types of fish
Eggs
WHAT TO DRINK:
Water is the vastly preferred beverage.at least 8 glasses per
day.
If you are hungry and it isn't a mealtime, try drinking water
first - you might just be thirsty.
Soda water or carbonated water with sugar-free flavourings are
OK.
Do not drink any beverage with sugar in it, including juice.
Herbal teas, or decaffeinated coffee or tea are good choices
Diet sodas are acceptable.
DAIRY PRODUCTS:
Cheese (just be careful of processed cheese)
Cream ( make a mixture of half cream and water for tea, coffee,
etc.)
FRUITS:
Raspberries
Blackberries
Cranberries
Strawberries
Melon
papaya
Watermelon
Peaches
Nectarines
Apples
Guavas
Apricots
Grapefruit
These fruits are relatively low in carbs but should only be
consumed in very small quantities and only once or twice a week.
( for the best results you should avoid them completely during
the weight loss fase of your diet)
NUTS AND SEEDS:
Peanuts
Almonds
Pecans
Macadamias
Walnuts
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Flax seeds
WHAT TO
EXPECT IN THE FIRST 2 WEEKS OF A LOW CARB DIET:
If you decide to follow a diet which is very low in carbs, you
may have certain challenges. It’s important to know about some
of the possible pitfalls ahead of time. That way, you will know
what to do if you encounter these difficulties and you will
understand the importance of giving your body some time to
adjust to the diet. Getting through the first week on a low-carb
diet is absolutely the hardest part. Your body is used to using
carbohydrate for energy, and it must convert over to using
mostly fat -- hopefully the fat you are currently wearing!
The First Three Days
Carb Withdrawal, there is something about excessive carbohydrate
that does have some characteristics in common with addictions.
Those components are a period of discomfort (the reason is
unclear). Discomfort takes the form of simply missing high carb
foods and thinking about them a lot.You will experience certain
withdrawal symptoms like headaches, muscle pain, fatigue and
simply just feeling terrible.
The good news is this will only last 3 - 5 days and this will be
followed by feeling fantastic. Don’t go hungry. This isn’t like
diets you may have been on before where you can expect to go for
long periods being hungry. Don’t stress yourself out in other
ways at this time. Drink lots of water. Watch out for 'Carb
Crash. There is a phenomenon that happens to some people after a
few days on a very low-carb diet called carb crash. The theory
is that it happens when your body’s glucose reserves (stored in
the liver as glycogen) are used up, but your body is not yet
used to running on fat and protein. People tend to have symptoms
such as feeling shaky or jittery, feeling irritable, feeling
fatigued, or just not feeling “right." Although it would go away
in a few days. By the end of the first week of your new eating
plan, you should start to reap the rewards of low-carb eating.
This is the stage where many people begin to experience
increased energy, better mental concentration, less compulsive
eating, and few or no carb cravings. Some experience it as a
“fog lifting” that they didn’t even know was there. Of course,
everyone’s experience is variable, and it takes longer with some
than others. But if you are someone who is sensitive to carbs,
you will probably experience a lot of benefits from this way of
eating, and it usually begins around the end of the first week.
EXERCISE:
I believe exercise is a very important part of any diet. Find an
exercise that is comfortable and enjoyable for yourself. This
can be walking, running, swimming, going to a gym, etc. I
recommend one hour of strenuous exercise per day at least 4
times a week.
USEFUL TIPS
BEFORE YOU GET STARTED:
- Remove all high carb food from your house to avoid
temptations.
- Stock up on low carb food.
- Set yourself a target with a reward when you reach it.
- Try to find a diet/exercise buddy to encourage and support
each other.
- Make sure you understand your discipline on this diet must be
100% because if you eat too much carbs your body will
immediately switch back to using carbs for energy instead of fat
and it will take 3 - 5 days for you to switch over again.
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Low Carb Salad
Low Carb Meat
Low Carb Fruit
Low Carb Vegetables
Low Carb Oil & Fat
Low Carb Breakfast
Low Carb Snacks
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