Proven
Hot Tips to Gain Maximum Weight
Loss Benefit From Healthy
Low-Carb High Protein Diets!
This
type of diet became very popular due to the promotion of the
ever-popular Atkins Diet craze. This diet is well-liked due
to there being no calorie counting involved and foods that
many people love to eat are allowed on the diet.
Further,
the Atkins Diet is a high-protein diet, which means that weight
lost will not result in lost muscle mass, since protein is
the main nutrient needed for maintaining healthy muscle tone.
This diet
basically eliminates carbohydrates, which are simple sugars
or foods that break down into simple sugars, which serve as
empty calories in your diet, providing no nutrients yet many
calories.
While
we won’t cover the Atkins Diet here, we will give you
some basics of the high-protein, low-carb weight loss diet.
First
let us identify carbohydrates.
Sugar,
including powdered sugar, granulated white sugar, brown sugar,
or any type of sugar you can think of, is the main carbohydrate
that you will need to eliminate.
All types
of pastas count as carbohydrates, meaning all noodle and spaghetti
products must be eliminated. Starches of any type, such as
white rice, potatoes and potato chips, need to be eliminated.
Cereals are mostly carbohydrates and should be avoided entirely
during the diet phase.
Because
of the low-carb craze, there are many low-carb options of
sodas, milk, ice cream, bread, beer and wine available in
the average supermarket. If you do consume these, be sure
to do so only occasionally and in moderation, even if it is
a low-carb type. Otherwise, the aforementioned foods should
be eliminated entirely if not of the low-carb variety.
Beware
of foods that contain hidden sugars, like bacon, barbeque
sauce, ketchup, salad dressing, cough syrup and fruit juice.
As strange as it may seem, fruits and fruit juices should
be eliminated while in the weight loss phase of this diet,
as they are nearly pure carbohydrates. Anything made with
flour also needs to be eliminated during the weight loss phase,
since as mentioned earlier, they are high in carbohydrates.
Now what
CAN you eat?
Well,
the good news is that you can eat all meats, fish, poultry
and seafood, except prepared meats like bacon and honey baked
ham that are high in sugar. Skip the bread and have meat and
salad, or meat in your salad. Eggs are very low-carb friendly,
but be sure to skip the mayonnaise or salad dressing unless
it’s low-carb type mayonnaise or dressing.
Any type
of vegetable is fine, but be sure to realize that when making
a salad, tomatoes are actually a fruit and you want to limit
your consumption of them at least during the weight loss phase.
Choose
brown rice as your starch replacement, as it is low in carbohydrates
compared to potatoes, bread or white rice.
Cheese
is good in limited amounts, as this is a high-protein, low-carb
food. Butter and cream can be used, but should be consumed
in limited amounts. One complex carbohydrate that is good
is fiber, as it does not break down into simple sugar, and
helps the body with elimination. Further, fiber fills you
up quickly without adding significant calories, so hunger
pangs are fought off successfully.
Finally,
make sure you are drinking at least eight 8-ounce glasses
of water a day minimum in addition to any other liquid you
may consume. Dehydration often masquerades as hunger and causes
overeating. Of course, again exercise is a necessary and vital
part of your diet plan, which we will cover in the next section
on exercise.
Once you
lose the weight that you set out to lose, the weight loss
phase of your diet is over. Of course keep in mind that you
are making lifestyle changes, not going on fad or binge diets.
This means that you will not go back to your old eating habits.
Instead you will introduce certain foods back into your diet
in moderation.
For example,
you may add a couple of strips of bacon once a week to your
meal plan.
You can
enjoy small portions of deserts of any kind, simply in moderation.
It is best to avoid soft drinks all together, or opt for the
low-carb type permanently. If you do introduce any other carbohydrate-laden
foods, be sure to do so only at one meal, and in small portions.
Reducing carbohydrates will become a lifestyle to you when
following this plan, one is very likely to boost your overall
energy level and help you keep the weight off.
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