No matter how you may feel about low carbohydrate diets, one thing you can’t deny is that they’re absolutely fantastic for stripping away excess body fat in a relatively short period of time. Contrary to what some may say, there is no evidence to suggest that low carbohydrate diets actually damage our health or internal organs either. Some have suggested that due to the fact that the diets allow followers to consume foods such as fried eggs, cheese, and bacon cooked in butter, that LDL cholesterol levels will increase putting people at risk of clogged arteries, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes etc. However, there is no evidence to back up these claims and in actual fact the only evidence that is available has pointed to the fact that these diets actually LOWER harmful LDL cholesterol levels, making us even healthier. There are many different low carb diets now available, all thanks to the popularity of the Atkins diet all those years ago. Whichever low carb diet plan you happen to be following however, here are a few handy tips to ensure you do them the right way.
Prepare to feel awful in the beginning
If you happened to love your carbohydrates, including foods such as bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes with each meal, taking away these carb sources is going to be tough in the beginning, there’s no getting around that fact. The ideal behind these diets is that we take away carbohydrates, which is the body’s preferred energy source as it is easily broken down into glucose sugar to be used as energy, we force our bodies into starvation mode and force them to find an alternative energy source. The body will then tap into its body fat stores though this generally takes around 3 – 5 days before you enter a state of ketosis. Until then you feel awful. You will be tired, you will be lethargic, you may have a headache, and all you will want to do is sleep. Once your body makes the transition however, you will feel amazing as you will now have more energy due to your body fat, than you know what to do with. The first few days are tough, but try to ride them out as it will get much, much better.
Consume wholesome foods
Low carb diets require users to consume very little carbohydrates, and to instead consume protein and fats instead. This is not an excuse to eat junk however as the foods you consume should still be healthy and nutritious. Consume fresh and healthy meats and seafood, and ensure the fats you consume are also healthy and natural. Avocado, natural butter, organic nut butters, and olive oil are all great sources. As well as this, don’t think you can eat bacon and eggs each meal as you should still be consuming low carb vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, kale, cauliflower etc as they’re full of vitamins and minerals.
Drink plenty of water
With low carb diets you can’t drink sugary beverages, so instead, many people rely on “diet” sodas or drinks with chemical sweeteners instead. These drinks are incredibly bad for you because they contain so many different chemical ingredients, including aspartame which is a chemical sweetener that can cause cancer, interfere with hormone levels, harm the brain, and much more besides. Instead, your main beverage should be fresh water to help keep you well hydrated.
Eat when you’re hungry
Hunger is the body’s way of telling you that your energy levels are getting low, much like the fuel light on the dashboard of your car when your fuel levels are running out. Unlike other diets however, we’re not counting calories in this instance, in fact, the more food we eat on this diet, the more effective our results will become. Our metabolisms will now be taking our body fat and using that as the primary energy source for our body, so the faster our metabolisms become, the more energy we have, and the more fat we can burn as a result. Eating regularly will ensure our metabolisms run at full capacity, which will then lead to even more impressive fat loss results. It may sound bizarre to some of you, but the more you eat, the more fat you will lose, providing you’re not consuming carbohydrates of course.
Keep your carbs below 30g per day
To be able to benefit from a low carbohydrate diet, your carb intake should be as low as possible. Many experts recommend no more than 30g of carbohydrates each day, so for that reason make sure you monitor absolutely everything you eat and reach the carb and sugar contents of each food you use. Some people for example, may use tomato or barbeque sauces with each meal, not really paying attention to what they contain. These sauces are loaded full of sugar, with one teaspoon containing close to 20g of carbs on average. If you consume more carbs than you should be, not only will you knock your body out of ketosis, but you could actually gain weight due to the extra fat and calories that you will be consuming.
Limit alcohol consumption
Some alcohol drinkers tend to use this diet as an excuse to binge drink as they can get away with consuming low carb spirits such as vodka or whisky, along with sugar-free cola or lemonade. Whilst the carb content will be low, the alcohol can still suppress the metabolism making it much harder to lose weight. Not only that, but alcohol is bad for us anyways, so if you do insist on drinking on this diet, make sure it’s one drink rather than one bottle.
