A Korean girl used a low-carb diet and lost 20 kilograms in 11 months. The key point is that she doesn’t need to diet. Foodies who want to lose weight, are you excited? However, reckless execution may harm your health, so this article will tell you 5 precautions for low-carb diet weight loss.
The low-carb diet is considered by the American Diabetes Association to help improve diabetes because it reduces the intake of carbohydrates (under the premise of not being diagnosed with diabetes), and there is even a trend of using a low-carb diet to lose weight. Why can you lose weight by eating less carbs? Next, let us introduce you to low-carb diets!
What is a low-carb diet?
A low-carb diet, as the name suggests, is to reduce the amount of carbohydrates we eat, such as: starch, fruits and vegetables high in carbohydrates, sweets and various sugary seasonings…etc, and increase the intake of fat, but why eat more fat will be thin? This starts with the mechanism by which the human body uses energy.
When the human body needs energy, the first thing to be used is glucose and glycogen. These two are converted from carbohydrates. When the glucose and glycogen are used up, the body will start to grasp the fat metabolism. The ketone body becomes energy, so the more carbohydrates you eat, the less chance of fat metabolism. In the long run, the more fat you store in your body, it is easy to cause obesity. The low-carb diet is to reduce the intake of carbohydrates and reduce the The content of glucose and glycogen increases the chance of the body to burn fat and achieve the effect of weight loss.
More fat and less carbs, similar to a ketogenic diet? Yes, they are similar, but the proportions of food intake are not the same. List the nutritional proportions and you can see the difference between low-carb diets, ketogenic diets and general diets at a glance.
What is the difference between a low-carb diet and a ketogenic diet?
| Energy Source | General Diet | Low-Carb Diet | Ketogenic Diet |
| Carbohydrates | 50～60％ | 20％ | 5％ |
| Fat | 20～30％ | 50％ | 80～90％ |
| Protein | 10～20％ | 30％ | 10～15％ |
As can be seen from the above table, the proportion of nutrients taken by general diets and low-carbon and ketogenic diets is completely opposite, especially ketogenic diets, carbohydrates only account for 5% of the total calories, fats are as high as 80-90%, and low The carb diet is 20% carbohydrate, 50% fat, which is relatively mild.
There are 5 things you must be careful about in order to lose weight with a low-carb diet. Otherwise, suddenly eating such a large amount of fat may cause high blood lipids, which will make you lose your health before you lose weight!
5 Dos and Don’ts of Low-Carb Diets
- Step-by-step execution
Most people’s eating habits are the most carbohydrates, followed by fat and protein, so if you try a low-carb diet, adjust the ratio all at once, become no carbs, eat fat, your body will definitely not be able to bear it! Therefore, it is recommended that if you eat 55% of normal carbohydrates, then implement a low-carb diet to first reduce it to 40% to 50%, and then slowly adjust to the range of low-carb diet proportions according to your physical condition.
- Stop immediately if there are side effects
A low-carb diet is similar to a ketogenic diet. “Ketosis” will occur at the beginning, which may cause constipation, cramps, dizziness, and even a bad temper. So remember to add more water and electrolytes to avoid dehydration. If it is still uncomfortable, It is recommended to stop the low-carb diet first and start by reducing carbohydrates.
- Certain ethnic groups are not recommended to try
A low-carb diet greatly reduces the intake of carbohydrates, so pregnant women, children, and nursing mothers who need to supplement rich and balanced nutrients; or patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease, etc.; and people who are taking drugs , It is not recommended to adopt a low-carb diet. If you really want to try it, you must ask a professional doctor first!
- Supplement with plant-based protein
The protein required for a low-carb diet accounts for 30%. If you eat meat (animal protein) for intake, there may be a problem of calorie explosion, so it is recommended to supplement more plant-based proteins, such as quinoa, chickpeas , asparagus…etc to supplement.
- Choose good fats
Feeding so much fat to the body, of course, you can’t eat it indiscriminately, you have to choose high-quality ones and pay attention to the cooking method! Such as animal fats such as lard, butter, etc., eating too much is easy to increase cholesterol, so it is recommended to consume a small amount, and polyunsaturated fats that help to keep blood flowing, such as fish oil, sunflower oil, etc., should pay attention to Do not use high temperature cooking, otherwise it will easily deteriorate and generate free radicals, which will also affect your health.
Pay attention to the above 5 major items, you can start a low-carb diet, and tell you how to eat immediately.
How to eat a low-carb diet?
- Calculate the ratio
Use the dietary ratio specified by the low-carb diet, 20% carbohydrate (sugar), 50% fat, and 30% protein, to calculate how to eat three meals a day. For example: TDEE is 1500 kcal, and the daily intake will be calculated. 75 grams of carbohydrates, 112.5 grams of protein, 83.3 grams of fat, what if it doesn’t count? The food composition computer is provided here for everyone to calculate, or it can be ingested according to the reference level.
- Eating level reference
Can eat more
- egg
- Fats: avocado, coconut oil, olive oil
- White meat (chicken, duck, fish)
- whey protein
- vegetable and fruit
Eat in moderation
- Red meat: pork, beef and sheep
- Soybeans: thousand sheets
- root vegetables
- nut
Eat less
- fried food
- Berries: blueberries, cranberries
- refined starch
- sugary drinks
- Fruits high in sugar: watermelon, bananas, sugar cane
- Seasoning: soy sauce
Is a low-carb diet effective for weight loss? Give it a try and you will find the answer. The most important thing is to choose the way that is healthy and suitable for you, and can be executed in the long term. If you want to be thin and good-looking, and not easy to gain weight, it is a long-term solution to add regular exercise!
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