Would you like to lose some of that unwanted fat, contour your body and become fit and healthy? Check the Best Diet Plan to Lose Weight Quickly – 3 Easy Steps.
There are numerous ways to prevent weight gain and lose weight through diet methods that are easy and simple and with immediate results. One that many find effective is the low carbohydrates diet. It is effective because results are quick and hunger pangs are controlled and does not leave the dieter unsatisfied.
Low carb diet basically restricts intake of foods rich in carbohydrates and added sugar. By restricting carb intake, the body is directed to consume fat instead of carbs for fuel and energy. By this principle it is easy to understand how fat is burned and how easy you lose weight.
Benefits of Low Carb Diet
- Trigger a quick weight loss;
- Control appetite and hunger pangs;
- Improve metabolic processes and overall health
Take This 3-Steps Low Carb Diet Technique:
1st Step: Cut Back on Carbohydrates
The basic and most essential part in a low carb diet is to cut back on starches and sugars which are carbohydrates. Although carbohydrates are an essential source of energy, eating too much carbs can actually risk us developing heart problems, type 2 diabetes and cause unwanted weight gain.
Starches are called complex carbohydrates because they are made up of multiple sugar molecules joined together. If given a choice, pick whole food starches for they are better than refined ones which can cause a rapid spike in blood sugar levels, trigger hunger and make you tired and crave for more carbs which translates to weight gain.
When carbohydrates are cut down in the diet, hunger pangs lessens and essentially makes you eat less, so lesser calories go into the body and the body burns stored fat instead or carbs for fuel and energy. When the body burns fat for energy consumption you lose weight.
Also cutting on those carbohydrates in your diet lowers the insulin levels in your blood, which in turn makes your kidney release excess water and sodium. This helps against bloating and water retention.
Dieticians say that it is normal to lose at least 10 pounds or 4.5 kilos of weight in the first week of shifting to a diet low in carbohydrates. When pounds are shed it includes both fat and water retained by the body.
In a study conducted on healthy women, they reported that a low carb diet is way more efficient in shedding unwanted fat than a low fat diet. They also reported a lessening of their hunger pangs and reduced appetite. They said that they were able to lose weight doing a low carb diet and they did not even notice it.
Because of these studies, researchers concluded that doing a low carb diet is an easy and quick technique for weight loss.
2nd Step. Load Your Diet with Vegetables and Healthy Sources of Protein and Fat.
To be successful in losing weight using the low carb diet, make sure that in each meal you incorporate a healthy source of fat and protein and low carbohydrate vegetables. Portion your daily food allocation into 3 well planned meals and if you find yourself hungry in between you may add a 4th meal. The purpose of this meal plan is to limit your intake of carbohydrates to 20-50 grams each day.
Check how you can best prepare your meals and try to see a healthy low carb meal plan and list of low carbohydrates recipes.
Also do not forget to include a healthy source of Protein. Eating enough protein is very important in fulfilling an effective low carb diet and meal plan. There is data that suggests that having much protein included in the diet can actually help in the body’s energy expenditure by around 80-100 calories each day.
Having enough protein in your diet can actually help curb food cravings by 60%, and lessen hunger pangs and frequent thought impulses to eat certain foods even if you are not actually hungry at all. Also a good protein intake reduces if not eliminates midnight snacking and can usually make you feel full. In fact a study conducted revealed that a high protein diet reduced calorie intake by 441 calories less each day. This shows the importance of protein in a low carb diet.
Some Sources of Healthy Protein Include:
- Meat: pork, beef, lamb and chicken
- Fish and Seafood: trout, salmon, and shrimp
- Eggs: whole eggs with the yolk
- Plant-based Proteins: legumes, beans, and soy
Aside from healthy sources of protein, you have to load up also on low carb vegetables when doing a low carb diet. Vegetables are loaded with nutrients and can be eaten in larger amounts without fearing to go beyond 20-250 carbs each day. It’s low in calories and having many vegetables in your diet means you are losing weight the healthy way.
Sources of Low Carb Vegetables.
- tomatoes
- broccoli
- spinach
- cauliflower
- Brussels sprouts
- cabbage
- cucumber
- kale
- lettuce
- Swiss chard
Finally, do not forget to include in your diet healthy sources of fats. The low carb diet is not only composed of low carb vegetables and healthy sources of protein, but it must also include healthy sources of fat.
Don’t panic. It’s not just any fat but healthy sources of fat. If you like and if it is helpful you can also variate and have a low carb and low fat diet. This may make it easier for you to follow and sustain.
Some Sources of Healthy Fats are:
- coconut oil
- olive oil
- butter
- avocado oil
3rd Step: Engage in Weight Training at Least 3 Times a Week.
When doing a low carb diet as in any other diet, when you lose weight you lose fat and muscles as well. Although you can skip weight training or exercise when your only goal is to lose weight for doing a low carb diet, it is still recommended to keep muscle mass and prevent muscle loss.
Weight lifting can actually boost up your metabolism and prevent it from slowing down which is the usual downside of weight loss and therefore help in weight loss and build muscle as well. Exercise strengthens the muscles and helps you keep your body contour and shape.
Studies have shown that by weight training, you can still build muscle while losing weight at the same time. So, it would not hurt if you can book with the gym for at least 3 times a week for some weight lifting. Or you may engage the help of a weight trainer and do weight lifting at home if this best suits your lifestyle.
However, if for some physical conditions you are not allowed to do weight lifting, then substitute it with a good and regular exercise routine. Doing some cardio exercise workouts, swimming, cycling, running or brisk walking will do the trick. Either you do cardio exercises or weight lifting, both can help in your weight loss goals and build muscles as well for better body contour and shape.
Is It Okay to Take a Break or do a “carb refeed”?
Yes, it is perfectly fine to get a cheat day once a week. Take a break and eat more carbs at least one day each week when you are on your low carb diet. Some dieters choose Saturdays or Sundays when they spend time with family or friends as their cheat day.
While on your “carb refeed” or cheat day, you have to remember to stick to healthier choices of the foods you can eat like oats, potatoes, fruit, rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa. Occasionally you can also use this day to eat those otherwise forbidden foods. Just stick to only 1 higher carb on your cheat day. Avoid overindulging ang throw away all your weeklong efforts to lose weight and stay fit and healthy.
It’s natural that you gain weight during your cheat day and some of it is water from the food you ate during your carb refeed day. Immediately on the next day following, return to your low carb diet and in the next 1 to 2 days you should be able to lose the weight you gained.
Do I Need to Portion and Count the Calories in Each Meal.
What is easy with a low carb diet is that you don’t need to keep counting calories of the food you eat. Just stick to eating foods low in starch and sugar, a good and healthy source of fat and protein and loads of vegetable carbs and you can skip counting calories.
But if you still want to keep counting calories, use a free online calculator. It should be easy, just type in your sex, height, weight and activity and the calculator should tell you your daily caloric requirement to maintain weight, loose or gain it.
For Additional Weight Loss Tips Check This Out.
- Take a high protein meal at breakfast to decrease food cravings and lessen calorie intake during the day.
- Take a glass of water before eating your meals. A study revealed that drinking water 30 minutes before a meal added a weight loss of 44% over 3 a month period.
- Keep away drinks and fruit juices with added sugar. These sweet temptations are very fattening that can spike your blood sugar levels and throw you out of your weight loss goals and plans.
- Soluble fiber. Studies have shown that eating soluble fibers help in weight loss, including fiber supplements such as glucomannan.
- Choose foods that help you lose weight. Foods are not created equal, some are better in helping you shed those pounds that others.
- Weight and record your weight everyday. Studies have shown that those who weigh themselves each day are able to track their progress, and are more likely to tip the scales and sustain it for a longer period of time.
- Have tea or coffee. Caffeine in coffee or tea helps boost metabolism by 3–11%.
- Take time to eat and avoid quickly finishing a meal. Eating too quickly has been found to contribute to weight gain while eating slowly makes you feel fuller and can boost the weight reducing hormones in the body. .
- Choose whole foods which are more filling, healthier and less likely to cause you to overeat like processed foods.
- Get quality sleep or meditate. Studies have shown that lack of sleep creates stress and stress triggers stress eating. So help yourself get enough sleep and relax through meditation.
How Fast Can I Lose Weight?
If it’s your first time to try a low carb diet, it is expected that you will lose weight more quickly. The more weight you have to lose, the faster you will lose it if you stick to a low carb diet. On an average, you may lose up to 5-10 pounds or 2.3-4.5 kilos in the first week. After that, you will lose weight consistently.
Initially after a few days into the diet you may feel certain bodily changes. The body needs to adjust to your new lifestyle especially if it has been used to running on carbs. And now that you’re on a low carb diet, it will need to shift to burning your fat instead.
Because of these bodily changes some dieters report experiencing what we call the “low carb flu” or “keto flu”. It will last a few days and afterwards begins to disappear as your body adjusts to your new diet and as you start to lose weight.
Aside from helping you lose weight the low carb diet also has the following benefits:
- LDL (bad) cholesterol levels decreases
- HDL (good) cholesterol levels increases
- improves blood pressure levels
- triglycerides tend to decrease
- blood sugar levels also tend to significantly decrease
- easy to follow, sustain and maintain
Bottomline:
The low carb diet is beneficial not only to help in weight loss but also in the improvement of one’ health. When carbohydrates are reduced in the diet, it lowers insulin levels and food cravings become manageable while appetite is curbed and hunger lessens.
The Low Carb diet is easy to follow which gives dieters much hope to be able to sustain and maintain it until they reach their desired results. You can eat all the foods you want for as long as it is healthy and within the food recommendations and still lose weight in the process.
During the initial stages, the body begins to get rid of excess water and immediately you see the scale tip as you lose weight. Researchers while comparing a low fat and low carb diet found that with a low carb diet a dieter can actually lose 2-3 times of weight as a low fat or restricted calorie diet.
However, if you have pre-existing physical conditions or a patient with type 2 diabetes, it is recommended that you consult a doctor first or talk to a healthcare provider prior to implementing any changes in your diet.
Those who want to prepare their own low carb meals, check out healthy low carb meal recipes that are easy and quick to prepare. .
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