10 great tips for low-carb dieters to lose fat in 3 weeks

All sorts of people are trying some kind of low-carb diet. Even you might be on a low-carb program yourself. Low-carb diets are everywhere — the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet, the Hampton’s Diet and the 30-day Low-carb Diet Solution, just to mention a few.

The medical community has recommended a balanced diet for years — rich in complex carbohydrates and fiber and lots of vegetables, and a restricted intake of red meat and fatty foods. By contrast, low-carb diets recommend something almost completely opposite. So, what’s the real story?

What is Low-Carbohydrate Dieting

Low-carb dieting limits carbohydrates consumption, as opposed to reducing daily calories intake.

low-carb dieting has been around for more than thirty five years. With the ever increasing number of new products, diet programs, recipes and menus, it would appear that low-carbing is here to stay. So, by now you may be asking, “Exactly how can limiting my carbohydrate consumption help me lose weight?”

About carbohydrates

Carbohydrates is the basic fuel for your body. The relationship between your body and carbohydrates may be likened to the relationship between a car engine and gasoline.

The simplest carbohydrate is glucose — also known as “blood sugar” and “dextrose”. It is a simple sugar, ie it tastes sweet to our tongue. It is carried by the bloodstream to all the cells in your body. Your cells absorb glucose and convert it into the energy they need.

What happens when you eat less carbohydrates

Your body does not receive enough fuel in the form of carbohydrates when you are on a low-carb diet. It then uses fuel in other ways.

So, let’s say you are low-carbing and eating 20 grams or less of carbohydrates. This is what’s happening inside your body:

(a) When you eat carbohydrates, your glucose (ie blood sugar) levels rise. The liver stores glucose by converting it to glycogen. The stored glucose in the glycogen is enough to sustain the brain’s glucose needs for about 12-16 hours. When all of the carbohydrates that you last ate are fully digested, your liver converts its stored glycogen back into glucose, and releases it into the bloodstream to maintain the glucose level.

(b) A process (known as lipolysis) also starts breaking down fat stored in the fat cells so that fatty acids are released into the bloodstream. Tissues, such as muscle cells, that do not require glucose for energy start burning the fatty acids. This decreases the demand for glucose so that as much glucose as possible is left available for those tissues that do need glucose for energy.

(c) Once all the glycogen in the liver is used up, the liver has to manufacture glucose from foods other than carbohydrates (since you are limiting your carbohydrates intake) to maintain the energy supply. The typical non-carbohydrate sources of energy are amino acids that come from protein. This process of the liver turning amino acids into glucose is called glyconeogenesis. Example: at night, when you have not eaten for a number of hours, your liver begins to make glucose using gluconeogenesis.

(d) Remember the fatty acids produced by lipolysis? (See paragraph (b) above). The liver also begins using these fatty acids to produce ketone bodies. Brain and nerve cells no longer insist on using only glucose for energy, but begin to use more and more ketone bodies for energy. This process is known as ketosis — which explains why the Atkins diet is described as a ketogenic diet.

So, what do all these mean in terms of losing weight?

In theory, a low-carb diet causes your body to resort to using fat as an additional source of fuel instead or relying on carbohydrates only. Therefore, a diet with little or no carbohydrates forces your body’s stored fat to become its main energy source via ketosis.

Furthermore, when you eat too much carbohydrates, especially the “bad” carbs, your glucose levels in the blood will rise. Your body automatically secretes the hormone insulin to prevent your glucose levels from getting too high. Insulin also converts any excess glucose not used for fuel to stored fat.

By contrast, a low-carbohydrate diet does not give you oversupplies of glucose, and thus your body releases less insulin. The Atkins diet suggests that your body will begin to burn its own fat for energy when your insulin levels are normal, thus resulting in fat loss. Stable insulin levels also means stable blood sugar levels, and this in turn means you will experience less hunger and fewer cravings, and therefore you will probably not overeat carbohydrates.

How to start a low-carb diet

(1) Replace the carbohydrates in your diet with fat and proteins (poultry, cheese, meat, fish, and eggs; along with lots of vegetables). Ideally, limit your carbohydrates to only 5-10% of your daily calorie intake.

(2) Drink lots of water because constipation may set in at the initial phase the diet.

(3) Eat “good” carbs. Good carbs are complex carbohydrates. Potatoes, plantains, and most grains (wheat, corn, oats) are rich in complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are digested more slowly, so glucose enters your bloodstream at a rate of only 2 calories per minute. This means your glucose levels and insulin levels will remain stable. Complex carbs can be high-fiber such as broccoli or low-fiber such as bananas or potatoes.

(4) Ban “bad” carbs, ie simple carbohydrates, such as sugar, pastries, and white flour.

(5) Take vitamin supplements.

(6) Avoid caffeine.

(7) Exercise regularly. Do some weightlifting.

(8) Do not starve yourself or go hungry. Eat 4 or 5 smaller meals a day. Eat till you are satisfied but not full.

(9) Do not restrict your calorie intake. Instead, increase your fat and protein calories in your diet, since you are decreasing your carbohydrate calories. Avoid saturated fats.

(10) Keep a diet journal. Record what you eat in details honestly.

Once you have shed the the excess fat, and your blood chemistry and energy levels have stabilized, you may start increasing your carb again in your diet.

But… make sure you read this article also:

Low-carb-high-protein diets are hard to stick to

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