The carb fight is a losing battle for a lot of folks. It does not have to be that way. You do not have to put yourself on a strict diet that leaves you starving to death and demotivated because it is so hard to stick to.
Today we will be discussing one of the diets you can pick that will allow you to reach whatever goal you would like. You got that right, the low carb diet.
The main focus will be tips for a low carb diet to reach your goals while remaining happy, filled, and highly motivated.
Firstly,
What is a low carb diet?
A low carb diet is one that limits carbohydrate consumption relative to the average diet. The idea is to replace the foods rich in carbohydrates with foods containing a higher percentage of fat and protein with fats being the preferable increase.
Insight on carbohydrates.
Before we delve deeper, I’ll shed a bit of light on carbohydrates which are sugars, starches, and fibers found in fruits, grains, vegetables, and milk products.
Carbohydrates are macronutrients which the body breaks down to glucose, a primary source of energy for the brain and muscles.
Effects of overindulging in carbs
Excess intake of carbohydrates is the main culprit in:
- Weight gain
- Poor metabolic health
- Increased risk of heart disease.
According to the Heart Research Institute, the body crumbles under the metabolic load that carbohydrates entail.
It converts excess glucose from excessive consumption of carbs into fat deposits and you gain weight.
Benefits of a low carb diet
A low-carb diet is good for Weight Loss. It also provides health benefits like a lower risk of type 2 diabetes as well as heart disease.
Going on a low-carb diet is beneficial for blood sugar levels and healthy cholesterol levels which in turn improves your health immensely.
The diet can also settle a grumpy gut reducing irritable bowel syndrome such as cramps, diarrhea, bloating, and indigestion as well as pain. These are most often tackled in the first few days of starting the diet.
A low carb diet reduces and eliminates sugar cravings which are beneficial to people struggling to stay away from sweet foods or foods high in refined sugar.
How does this all work?
Reducing your intake of calorie-rich carbs automatically reduces the number of calories you are consuming on a daily basis this, in turn, forcing your body to burn fat stored around your midsection for energy, as there is less glucose from the food you consume. Simple as that.
Recommended foods for a low carb diet
To achieve commendable and satisfactory results while on this diet, it would be advisable to incorporate the following foods (please note that this list is not at all exhaustive):
1. Lean Protein
- White-Fleshed Fish
- Plain Greek Yogurt
- Beans, Peas, and Lentils
- Skinless, White-Meat Poultry
- Low-Fat Cottage Cheese
- Lite Tofu
- Lean Beef
- Powdered Peanut Butter
2. Natural fats (Polyunsaturated)
- Sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin seeds
- Flaxseed
- Walnuts
- Fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines) and fish oil
- Soybean and safflower oil
- Soymilk
- Tofu
3. Fruits
- Watermelon
- Strawberries
- Cantaloupe
- Avocados
- Honeydew
- Peaches
4. Vegetables
- Bell pepper
- Asparagus
- Brocolli
- Mushrooms
- Zucchini
- Spinach
- Green beans
- Cauliflower
Liquids such as water and coffee or tea with a modest amount of milk and no sweeteners are most vital in a low carb diet.
Water intake is essential and you should drink frequently as it flushes away excess carbs.
Foods to eat moderately on a low carb diet
When you decide to go on a low carb diet, the foods you should take in moderation include:
– bread
– pasta
– rice
– pizza
– potatoes
These are very rich in carbohydrates. Fizzy drinks and chocolates must be consumed in very low quantities
If you can eliminate some of these foods from your diet entirely then that would give you great results a lot faster.
The Low Carb Diet Itself
Given a thorough plan of meals from dawn to dusk, each meal may contain 20 to 57grams of carbohydrates which only amounts to 80 to 200 calories.
The diet is very simple. There is no need to count calories or weigh food when you are eating. That is overthinking the process.
Instead, it is based on eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are satisfied. With diligence, determination, and a lot of self-restraint, the diet stops being some dreary regiment and starts to become a new normal.
However, the diet is not recommended to persons who are breastfeeding, taking medication for diabetes like insulin and high blood pressure. People suffering from any chronic illness should not be a part of this diet.
This is to avoid any repercussions of any sort as the diet may impact the system of the person inhibiting the full use of the medication they take. There is no need to interfere with the healing process of the body by putting it under some strain with a diet.
Motivation Tips
To stay motivated on the low carb diet:
1. Avoid grocery shopping when you are hungry. This reduces the chances of giving in to food cravings and impulsively indulging and straying from the diet. It grounds you.
2. Instead of trying to do this diet alone, it is way easier to stay on track with the support and encouragement from family and friends. Hence you may encourage family and friends to be a part of the experience, joining in on the diet.
If not, their support may be useful if they keep encouraging you by helping you stock up on low carb foods.
The family may create meticulous meal plans and follow these religiously to encouraging the dieting individual. It is also essential that you challenge your mentality and make goals you want to achieve by dieting.
This makes you focus and put things in perspective.
3. Desserts are not a must in every meal and this is something that should help improve self-restraint.
4. During the course of this diet, it is okay to have moments of indulgence once a week, a moment of just having whatever you feel like shoving down your throats long as you do not overdo it and consume more calories than you had burned over the course of the week in one day.
This flexibility allows for discipline to grow in a person.
5. In the event of backsliding and losing track of the diet plan, do not be too hard on yourself. Rather let your moment of weakness fuel your determination to achieve the end goal.
6. To adapt, have healthy low carb snacks that you like with you in case hunger pangs torture you when you pass by your favorite drive-thru.
Resist the temptation to backslide a few days after implementing the diet and stick to it with fervor and drive.
7. Having posters around you or even an app to keep you in check may fuel the spark of determination to go through with the planned diet.
8. It is also important to keep a positive mind. Do not let this period of dieting be strenuous and exhausting. Enjoy planning meals for the week with your partner, friend, or siblings.
Change is scary for most people, terrifying even but it is necessary for growth and self-improvement. Thereby after making the decision to enjoy low-carb foods, adjust to change, and keep an open mind.
Everything else will fall into place and you will reap the fruits of your efforts at the end of the day.
The ball is in your court to take the next step and make some changes and achieve the goal you want, whatever it is.
Final Thoughts
A low carb diet has immense benefits for your health and body outlook. It helps with weight loss, reduces the risk of heart disease, and clears bad cholesterol from your body.
It is even better to combine the Low Carb Diet with a regular exercise program. The positive effects of this combination on your body are doubled.
Click here for detailed benefits of Regular Exercise.>>
Click here for Kettlebell Routines for Fat Loss.>>
Please leave a comment in the comments section. If you have any questions or need to engage, do not hesitate to write in the comments section. I will get back to you.
Cheers…….
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