Everything You Need to Know About Low Carb Diets That No One Tells You

First, What Exactly Is Low Carb Dieting and Why Does It Work?

First things first- you need to understand what a low carb diet is and a basic understanding of how it turns your body into a fat burning machine.

A low carb diet restricts the type and amount of carbohydrates you eat. All carbohydrates are either simple or complex. Simple carbs include sugar, lactose in milk and fructose in fruit. Complex carbs include whole grains and beans. A cross between is white processed breads and pastas which are complex refined carbs.

Your body prefers to use carbs as its main fuel source. Complex carbs are broken down into simple sugars just as simple carbs are during digestion. They are then absorbed into your bloodstream as blood sugar or glucose.

Natural complex carbs break down more slowly and have less of an effect on blood sugar but will still raise blood sugar levels just as simple sugars do.

Rising levels of blood sugar signals to the body to release insulin. Insulin is a hormone that moves glucose from your blood into cells for energy right away or stores it for future energy in your liver or muscles. There is not much storage room in these cells so any extra is stored as body fat. Insulin is the fat storing hormone and it blocks leptin, which is the hormone that tells your body when you are full. Without that message you have the urge to overeat and all those extra calories get stored as body fat.

When you eat a low carb diet, you decrease insulin levels which causes your body to switch from using carbs for energy and start burning stored fat on your body leading to weight loss and more balanced blood sugar levels. Also, the extra protein and healthy fats take longer to digest than carbs which will keep you feeling full longer and you will naturally want to eat less. Big win-win for weight loss!

What is the Difference Between Keto and Low Carb?

The terms Keto (or Ketogenic Diet) and low carb seem to be used interchangeably but they are different in some ways.

The main difference is in the macro amounts allowed on each. Macros are protein, fats and carbs. We will discuss this in detail later.

Ketogenic is as low carb as you can get. It is extremely restrictive and generally only allows for 20 grams of carbs per day. The goal of such a low amount of carbs is to get your body into ketosis which means you are burning fatty acids or ketones for energy instead of carbs. Being in ketosis is the most efficient and quickest way to lose weight but comes with a couple of disadvantages one being the possibility of the keto flu. We will talk about that next. Keto is very restrictive and difficult to understand and follow which leads to many people giving up too soon to see results. In my opinion, Keto should be used as a last resort if low carb does not give you the results you are trying to achieve.

 

The low carb plan that I will be helping you to plan starts with around 50 grams per day. This is still pretty low especially if you have been eating a traditional American diet of around 224 grams per day mostly from sugar and processed food. An eating plan that includes 50 grams of carbs is still low enough to put your body into ketosis, but it is not necessary to be in full ketosis to see your weight start dropping.  This is just a much easier way to get started and you can always adjust later if you decide to.

What is the Keto Flu and How to Avoid It?

The keto flu, also known as carb flu, describes the symptoms some people experience when your body adapts to a new diet very low in carbs. Normally this only happens when you switch from a traditional high carb diet to a very low Keto diet which is less than 20 grams of carbs per day. That is another reason I recommend not starting with Keto diet restrictions.

Reducing your carbs forces your body to burn ketones (a byproduct of fat breakdown) as the main fuel source instead of carbs which it prefers. This may come as a shock to your body and you may experience withdrawal like symptoms such as: nauseous, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, headache, irritability and tiredness.

Some people will experience no symptoms at all especially if you are not eating less than 50 grams of carbs per day. If it does happen the symptoms typically last a few days to a week at the most and will gradually decrease as your body adjusts.

You can help reduce these symptoms by staying well hydrated, avoid strenuous exercise, replace electrolytes by salting your food to taste and adding a magnesium supplement. Also, make sure to get enough sleep and rest.

Also, very important is to be sure you are eating a proper amount of calories, fat and carbs. Trying to restrict more than necessary will not make weight loss happen more quickly and could stall your weight loss efforts.

Fat Adaptation-the Ultimate Low Carb Diet Goal

This is the ultimate goal of a low carb lifestyle. Plainly put this is the metabolic state your body is in once you have efficiently transitioned from burning carbs and sugar for energy to burning fat from food and your body.

When you first start a low carb way of eating, your body will kick into gear burning off all of your stored carbs and glycogen. Then when there is not more available, it will start using your excess body fat for energy. After about 4 weeks your body will be used to living off fat and you are fat adapted.

In this state you will feel full most of the time and have no more cravings. You will be able to go 4-6 hours without being hungry and feel energetic all day with no energy slumps.

You will also be ready to occasionally have a treat meal with little effect on your blood sugar levels or fat burning. You do not need to give up your favorite meals forever!

Weight Loss Goals on Low Carb Way of Eating

A safe, sustainable goal for weight loss is 2 pounds per week. If you try to lose weight faster by cutting your calories too low or any other drastic methods, you will not be able to stick with it long term. Most people start out with unrealistic ideas and give up before they achieve goals. They cut calories way too far, lose some weight and then find it is just too hard and restrictive so go back to their normal way of eating. The big problem with that is because you have trained your body to run on the lowered calories, that is what your body expects and as soon as you go back to your old ways of eating all the weight comes back. Plus, now you will gain even more because you have lowered your metabolism. So, on to the next diet and the cycle continues.

Don’t be one of those people. You should look at this as a lifestyle change not another diet. The only way for real change is to learn how to give your body what it needs to be healthy. There are no quick fixes. In this course you will learn exactly how to change your life forever. NO MORE DIETING!

Now having said all of that….. when your first start a low carb diet chances are you will see a pretty big drop in weight in the first couple of weeks. Some people see up to 10 pounds in a week or two. This is great for initial motivation but keep in mind that a lot of this beginning weight loss will be water weight.  Please do not go into this thinking that each week you will lose that much weight. You won’t. That is when a lot of people give up. They get so excited for the initial weight loss and then when it naturally slows down, they get discouraged and quit.  Again, don’t be that person. 

Some people will lose faster than others but no matter what, you are making progress as long as you are learning and feeding your body what it needs. This is not a contest and losing faster does not win any awards. Don’t get discouraged by people on Facebook posting big weight loss right away if you take a little longer.  The most important thing is to pay attention to how you feel. Every day you will feel more energetic and have a clear mind. You will be getting healthier no matter what the scale says- sometimes it will lie to you. 

When you begin building lean muscle, you will go thru some time periods where you will lose inches, but the scale didn’t move. As your body composition changes it is said that you cannot lose inches and weight at the same time. The best way to judge your progress is to weigh yourself no more than once per week, take measurements (we will discuss this later) and take photos. This way you will always no where you stand no matter what is happening on the scale.

Is Low Carb Healthy Long Term?

A healthy low carb way of eating that focuses on vegetables, lean meats, healthy fats and low sugar is absolutely a healthy way of living for life. Eliminating sugar and processed food from your diet is one of the healthiest things you can do to help strengthen your immune system, keep your brain functioning at full levels and prevent diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some various forms of cancer.

As you reach your ideal weight you may find you can begin adding healthy carbs back into your diet. Healthy carbs such as whole grains/breads/pastas, whole oats, quinoa etc. can be part of your healthy lifestyle once you have achieved your weight loss goals.

Going forward in Your Low Carb Journey

Don’t overcomplicate things especially in the beginning. I have seen so many people get hung up on what types of protein shakes they should drink or searching Pinterest for recipes and then get so overwhelmed they give up. Or, the discussion about MCT oil and other supplements. These are not necessary in the beginning. They are tools that can possibly be used in the future if you choose to.

Start out with food and recipes you are already familiar with and think about how you can make it low carb. I will be giving you lots of ideas in the days to come but a few examples of how to make a recipe low carb with simple substitutions: pasta use zucchini spirals, mashed cauliflower tastes like mashed potatoes, rice is very similar to riced cauliflower, breading can be made from crushed pork rinds, almond flour can be used to make amazing breads and cakes. Almost everything you love can be made low carb.

In this course we will be discussing everything you need to get started- how much protein, fat, carbs and calories you should eat in a day, how much exercise you really need and what to include in your diet and what you should leave out. Just keep it simple and follow the plan. Oh, and please whatever you do, do not go for one of the crazy challenges or egg fasts. You do not need to do any of that to get great results in your own time. Be patient and stay healthy.

What I am presenting to you in this course is a starting point for your own journey. Everyone body is different and will respond in different ways. Once you get thru the first month you will need to keep evaluating and trying new ideas to keep moving towards your goals. Keep doing what you are doing until you stop seeing progress and then try something a little different. Just don’t give up. This will work if you stay consistent.

I hope this gave you a good idea of what to expect on your new low carb lifestyle. I am really excited to be part of your journey. I have been living this lifestyle for many years and keep learning and trying new things all the time. I am my own test subject so I can better help you reach your goals faster and live healthier.

If you like this course so far, please share the WeighLess Habits Facebook page with anyone that you think would benefit.

Curious about what we will talk about in day 2?

A lot of great info about what to leave out of your low carb diet and why. More importantly we will talk about what you can eat, how much of each for best results and simple low carb meal planning to get started. I will even include a cheat sheet with protein choices, healthy fat choices, vegetables, snack ideas and even my favorite dessert recipe.

Thanks so much for taking part in this course and see you tomorrow!!!