If you’re looking for maximum weight loss, you need to check out some low carb options. Here’s how.
There are plenty of different versions of this type of diet, but all of them have one thing in common. That is, that you restrict the amount of carbohydrates you eat each day. Where other diets might have you eating bread, pasta, and such, here you will find they are replaced with fats or proteins.
Fats, proteins, and carbs are the main three types of calorie-providing nutrients. (The other one is alcohol, which is not exactly a nutrient but does carry calories.) All natural foods are made up of some combination of these. Most meats have protein and fat but no carbs. Grains are mostly carbs, but also have a little bit of protein and fat, most of which is found in the germ (so refined carbs, where the germ has been taken out, have less). Vegetables are a mix of all three, with some veggies like beans having more protein than others.
If you are on a low carb diet you will cut down or cut out the foods that are almost all carbohydrate, which is grains, potatoes, sugar (100% carb), and some fruits like bananas. You will probably not restrict protein and fat, but can eat as much of these as you want.
Eating a lot of fat may sound like you would gain weight, but as long as it is not mixed with sugar, flour, or other high carb foods, you will almost certainly find that you don’t. Fat that you eat is not necessarily stored as fat on the body. Body fat comes from having excess glucose, from carbohydrates, which is converted to fat by the insulin hormone.
When we consume more carbohydrate food than we need, the extra is stored. First there is a store of glycogen in the liver, which is there so that we can get an extra burst of energy anytime we need it. If that storage space is full, the energy will be turned to fat, which is kept in different cells for longer term energy storage. In primitive times, this was necessary for our survival, so that we could eat more when food was plentiful, and have stored fat to fall back on in times of famine.
Eating high carbohydrate foods can make us gain weight because the more carbs we eat, the more we want. This is because of the insulin used in the digestion. This spikes when we eat things containing flour or sugar, leading to a “sugar crash” after a few hours. This makes us crave something that will raise our blood glucose levels again, so we eat more and more floury or sugary things. This again makes insulin spike, putting us into a vicious cycle where we will feel driven to go on and on overeating.
This does not happen when we eat foods whose calories come from protein or fat. These do not require the same levels of insulin for digestion. They are digested much more slowly, keeping our blood sugar levels stable, so they do not lead to cravings.
On a low carb diet you are not likely to suffer from “snack attacks”. You may even find that you are forgetting when a meal is due! But it is important not to eat too little. And do not be tempted to cut out all foods that contain carbohydrates. You may want to avoid everything that contains flour or sugar, but be sure to have some vegetables, because they contain other vital nutrients.
Millions of people have lost weight on low carb diets. But don’t skip the research into the diet you have chosen. Click to see my review of the Metabolic Factor, all set out for you on one page. It’s important to check out these things so you know what you are getting into before you start. A plan like this can help you turn your eating habits around and give you the body of your dreams if you follow it exactly.