Fats have always been considered the main enemy of the figure, but nutritionists around the world claim that carbohydrates are a more serious problem. We are talking specifically about fast carbohydrates, which in the shortest possible time are transformed into glucose in the human body. If we do not use the glucose received for physical activity as quickly, the body stores it in adipose tissue - in reserve. This fact is a real pain for the sweet tooth, because the most delicious desserts and pastries sin on fast carbohydrates. But you cannot completely exclude them from your diet, otherwise a serious failure will occur in the body.
A sufficient amount of energy is provided by slow carbohydrates and they are included in the menu designed for a low carbohydrate diet. This diet is recognized by many nutritionists as the safest, as a person does not limit his diet to a critical level, and the body does not panic, thinking that troubled hunger times have come. It is best to consider such a diet not as a short-term method of losing weight, but as a transition period to a proper nutritional system. Let's take a look at the basic principles of a low-carb diet, its effectiveness, and a rough diet for a few days.
The main nuances of dietary nutrition
In a low-carbohydrate diet, the main emphasis is on protein foods, and the minimum necessary is given to carbohydrates and fats in the daily diet. Due to the creation of a shortage of the main glucose supplier, the body begins to expend fat reserves to obtain the energy necessary for the full functioning of all systems. The basic postulate of such dietary nutrition says that hunger should not be allowed, otherwise the body will go into standby mode and consume no fat, fearing that real hunger will soon come when it needs it most. It is necessary to competently reduce the consumption of carbohydrates, replacing them with the necessary amount of protein. The minimum amount of carbohydrate-containing products provides a person with the necessary vitamins and minerals, without interfering with weight loss.
This diet option - low in carbohydrates - is also shown to people with diabetes. They already have a lot of blood sugar, and full consumption of carbohydrate foods will make their condition worse. When a large amount of carbohydrates in the blood enters the human body, the sugar level jumps, which is why insulin is released. The release of insulin during weight loss is bad because it slows down and even temporarily stops fat burning completely. If a lot of insulin is produced due to the carbohydrate bombardment, the carbohydrates are absorbed by the fat cells and turn into fat themselves.
There is only one way out of this situation: to limit the consumption of foods and dishes containing carbohydrates. Then the insulin will not enter the bloodstream and the fats will be broken down faster. Another good low carb diet is that it suppresses the desire to eat. How does it happen? Insulin stimulates the center of the brain responsible for appetite. If it is not released into the blood, the person does not pounce on the food.
The suppression of appetite on a low-carbohydrate diet is also due to the formation of ketone bodies. It is important to simultaneously increase the amount of protein in the diet while reducing carbohydrates. The body will use it for energy and it will also help maintain muscles during weight loss. It is necessary to consume protein at the rate of 4-5 grams per 1 kilogram of human weight. And the amount of carbohydrates is reduced to 1-1. 5 grams per kilogram of weight. You need to keep track of your daily calorie intake. To lose weight and not harm your health, you need to consume at least 1200 calories per day.
An important rule of a low-carbohydrate diet is meals in small portions. You can eat 5-6 times a day, dividing the menu into 3 main meals and 2-3 intermediate snacks. Breakfast is recommended one hour after waking up and dinner 2-3 hours before bedtime.
All berries and fruits should be excluded from the diet, with the exception of green apples. But they can only be eaten a couple a day and before lunch. During a low-carbohydrate diet, you need to stick to the consumption regimen and drink 1. 5-2 liters of pure water per day. Juices and sodas should be excluded, as well as alcohol. It is allowed to drink green tea or herbal decoctions.
Blunders are bad for your health
Doctors and nutritionists focus on the fact that you can't completely give up on carbohydrates. Just reduce consumption and replace the fast ones with the slow ones. If you go to extremes, you can deal a severe blow to your health. The body draws energy from glucose and, in the event of a deficiency, begins to extract the necessary resources from the muscles. That is, the layer of fat on your body will not disappear anywhere, but even before the undeveloped muscles will become even thinner.
The complete absence of carbohydrates in the diet will lead to an early deficiency of glycogen stored in the liver and muscle tissue. According to doctors, it takes less than a day to use up these reserves. In this case, the liver begins to become clogged with fats that decompose as a result of the diet. It will be incredibly difficult to remove them from this organ later and in advanced situations this leads to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The next major threat is the long-term use of a low-carb diet to lose weight. Proteins begin to accumulate in the body, and their excess leads to disturbances in the process of protein metabolism. As a result, stones can form in the kidneys and uric acid crystals can precipitate in the joints. You also need to understand that if carbohydrates attract fluid to themselves, proteins, on the contrary, excrete it from the body, which with a long diet can lead to dehydration of tissues. After such weight loss, you may notice that your skin has become noticeably drier and even sagging.
The ketones produced, on the one hand, suppress appetite and activate the fat burning process. But, on the other hand, with a long-term low-carbohydrate diet, disruption of the functioning of various body systems and exacerbation of chronic diseases can occur. Ketones will begin to build up in the body and it will try to get rid of the excess. But in this case, the body will not be able to work in a targeted way and, together with ketones, it will remove useful minerals. In particular, potassium and sodium are under attack, the deficiency of which leads to dehydration and the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system. When ketones are excreted through the liver and kidneys, they are put under additional stress. A person can experience negative symptoms such as dizziness, insomnia, irritability.
It is difficult to tolerate a low-carbohydrate diet for people whose profession is associated with creativity or great intellectual stress, as the level of mental activity decreases due to a glucose deficiency.
Protein foods are often saturated with cholesterol, which is also not good for health, particularly for the state of the cardiovascular system. Also due to the long-term use of a low-carbohydrate diet with an abundance of protein, a calcium deficiency in the body can occur. It is strictly forbidden to follow a low-carbohydrate diet if you are pregnant and breastfeeding. It should also not be used for weight loss in children and adolescents.
Effectiveness of the diet and product characteristics
Nutritionists have conducted studies to investigate the effectiveness of a low-carbohydrate diet. According to the data obtained, the experts recorded that people who adhered to this diet for 3 months lost more excess weight than those who excluded fatty foods from the diet. Study participants who were in the low-carb diet group noted that they were satiated more quickly with meals. This is due to the fact that fats and proteins are broken down more slowly than carbohydrates. And, as a result, a person stays full longer. All participants in the three-month experiment were able to get rid of at least 10 kilograms of excess weight.
The basis of a low-calorie and low-carbohydrate diet are protein foods. Create a menu that includes the following items:
- dietary meats;
- meat by-products;
- Fish and seafood;
- mushrooms;
- dairy and dairy products;
- egg;
- non-starchy vegetables;
- Nuts and seeds;
- cereal porridge.
Avoid eating pork and lamb from meat, and completely exclude corn, peas, beans, lentils, potatoes, olives and black olives from vegetables. From cereal crops, it is allowed to consume no more than 150 grams per day of brown rice and buckwheat. You can also include bran in your diet to stimulate normal bowel function, as protein foods can cause constipation.
Even one day, you can eat a couple of sour fruits, but in no case eat avocados, grapes and bananas. Their high calorie content does not allow these species to be included in the diet menu. Try to eat fish and seafood at least a couple of times a week. The protein that is part of their composition is much easier for the body to digest than that found in meat. Chicken eggs are a good source of protein, but you can't eat more than three a week.
The list of prohibited foods that should be avoided on a low-carb diet includes:
- bread and sweets;
- sweets, cakes, sugar;
- pasta;
- smoked meats;
- sauces, ketchup, mayonnaise;
- juices, compotes, soft drinks;
- conservation and vegetable preserves.
It is recommended to consume the slow carbohydrate-rich vegetables raw, as they retain more beneficial vitamins and minerals that the body needs on a low-carbohydrate diet. If you can not do without heat treatment, it is better to steam the vegetables or boil them in lightly salted water. Choose dairy and sour-milk products with a fat content of no more than 2. 5–3%. You should not eat them with meat, it is better to combine them with sour fruit. Include in the menu a small amount of hard cheese with a moderate fat content. But refuse processed cheeses, as they are characterized by a high fat content.
It is better to cook the meat yourself, rather than buying sausages, sausages and sardines. They contain a lot of fats and seasonings, especially salt, which greatly inhibit weight loss.
Compose a complete low-carb menu
One week is not enough to achieve significant results. You have to eat on a low carb diet for at least a month to really lose weight. We present a seven-day menu variant, which you can repeat four times or make your own changes.
| meal | Dishes |
|---|---|
| The first day | |
| Breakfast | Portion of cottage cheese with apple, green tea |
| Snack | natural yogurt |
| Dinner | Braised fish with vegetables |
| Snack | Green apple or orange |
| Dinner | Buckwheat with chicken fillet |
| Second day | |
| Breakfast | Egg and milk omelette, green apple, green tea |
| Snack | Cup of kefir |
| Dinner | Braised beef, fresh vegetable salad |
| Snack | Natural yogurt, apple |
| Dinner | Meatless mushroom soup |
| Day three | |
| Breakfast | A little hard cheese, orange, green tea |
| Snack | A handful of walnuts and an apple |
| Dinner | Chicken broth with breadcrumbs |
| Snack | Natural low fat yogurt |
| Dinner | Boiled chicken fillet and cabbage |
| Day four | |
| Breakfast | Buckwheat porridge |
| Snack | natural yogurt |
| Dinner | Boiled chicken breast with stewed vegetables |
| Snack | an Apple |
| Dinner | Portion of boiled brown rice with steamed fish |
| Day five | |
| Breakfast | Hard-boiled eggs (2 pcs. ) With hard cheese (40 g), green tea or coffee without sugar |
| Snack | Any unsweetened fruit |
| Dinner | Salad from boiled beef and fresh vegetables |
| Snack | A glass of low-fat kefir and an apple |
| Dinner | Braised chicken with vegetables |
| Sixth day | |
| Breakfast | Portion of cottage cheese and green tea |
| Snack | natural yogurt |
| Dinner | Chicken broth and vegetable salad |
| Snack | A glass of kefir with bread (2 pieces) |
| Dinner | Boiled rice with baked fish |
| Seventh day | |
| Breakfast | Buckwheat porridge and green tea |
| Snack | Glass of freshly squeezed apple juice |
| Dinner | Mushroom soup and vegetable salad |
| Snack | Any unsweetened fruit |
| Dinner | Roasted lean pork and vegetable salad |
You can rearrange the menu in some places. Or, if you prefer, repeat an option for several days in a row. But it is not worth mixing dishes from different days, in order not to exceed the recommended calorie limit.
Appetizing diet meals
You can make grilled mackerel. To implement this recipe you will need:
- mackerel - 1 pc. ;
- dill - to taste;
- lemon - 1/3 pcs. ;
- garlic - 3 cloves;
- olive oil - 30 ml;
- salt, pepper, favorite spices - to taste.
Clean the fish and rinse it well under running water. Cut the lemon into thin slices and the garlic into slices. On each side of the fish, make several medium-deep cuts so that you can fit the filling into them. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with olive oil and lemon juice. Thoroughly scrub the entire surface of the fish in and out with the spices to fully submerge it. Put the filling in the center of the mackerel - sprigs of dill and a little garlic. And put the garlic slices and lemon slices in the cuts on the outside.
Wrap the stuffed fish in a sheet of food paper and place in the refrigerator for half an hour to marinate. Turn on the grill, grease the grill with olive oil, so that later it is more convenient to get the finished fish. Unpack the mackerel and place it on a grill over the coals. Cook, turning the fish from time to time to prevent it from burning. On average, grilling takes half an hour. You can replace this option with baking. Try not to remove the foil, so the crust will not work, but the fish will remain juicy.
On a low-carb diet, the simpler the foods, the healthier they are.
For lunch, you can still cook a warm salad with duck fillet. For this you will need:
- duck fillet - 1 pc. ;
- leaf lettuce - 1 bunch;
- sesame - 1 tbsp. L. ;
- olive oil - 6 tbsp. L. ;
- cucumber - 1 pc. ;
- lime - 1 pc. ;
- honey - 1 tsp;
- salt, black pepper, ground ginger - to taste;
- soy sauce - 2 tbsp. L.
Beat the fillet a little on both sides and season it, sprinkle it with the soy sauce and leave to marinate in a bowl for half an hour. Prepare the spicy dressing in a separate bowl. Squeeze the lime juice, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, a little ground ginger and black pepper, a teaspoon of liquid honey. Mix all the ingredients. Cut the cucumber into thin strips and the lettuce into small pieces. Place the fillet in a pan, draining it in advance, and fry it in 3 tablespoons of olive oil until cooked. Cut the finished meat into cubes and place it on a cucumber and lettuce pillow. Complete with the dressing and serve the warm salad on the table.
You can also cook a warm liver salad with chickpeas. For this you need:
- chicken liver - 0, 5 kg;
- milk - 1 glass;
- olive oil - 7 tbsp. L. ;
- pickled cucumbers - 2 pcs. ;
- onion - 1 pc. ;
- zucchini - 1 pc. ;
- chickpeas - 100 g;
- sesame - 1 tsp;
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Soak the chickpeas in water for a couple of hours, then drain the liquid and rinse it under running water. Pour in the water again and put on the stove, bring to a boil, cover and cook over low heat. Drain the water from the cooked chickpeas. Dip the liver in milk and then fry it in oil. Cut the onion into half rings and send to the liver, then there - diced zucchini. Pour in some water and simmer until the dish is completely cooked. Cut the cucumbers into rings and add them to the meat, send the chickpeas there. Drizzle with oil and stir, and garnish with sesame seeds.
Perseverance and sport will bring significant results
With all the benefits of this system, not all people will be able to endure a low-carb diet for a long time. "I can't eat like that. After a couple of days, I'm already fed up with meat, fish and eggs. I really want a piece of mundane bread and a bowl of porridge. I realized that this system isn't right for me, " she said. summed up the 28-year-old woman.
But if you can overwhelm yourself and stick to a low-carb diet for a shorter or longer period, the positive results won't be long in coming. "In 20 days I managed to lose 7 kilograms, despite not being offended in the slightest and having prepared a varied menu. A great advantage is that I am not hungry at all, " a 22-year-old girl spoke of her victory over excess weight .
If you add physical activity to a low-carb diet, the results will be even more outstanding. "We lost weight as a family. As a result, I lost 8 kilograms in 3 months. After giving birth, I actively walked in a stroller with a baby. My sister lost 15 kilograms over the same period. She linked moderate exercise. But the husband for 1. 5 months immediately drove 10 kilograms, but was actively involved in sports, "said the 30-year-old woman.
Losing weight on a low carb diet is definitely possible. But you shouldn't completely cut down on carbohydrate-containing foods, so as not to harm your health. It is better to lose weight gradually and gradually, but with joy, rather than immediately limit yourself to everything and go into depression.