Take off a few pounds or drop some serious weight with a change in your eating habits. A popular approach to dieting is the low-carbohydrate diet, which is based on the boost in blood sugar levels that happens when you eat carbs. The resulting spike in insulin makes you feel hungry and eat more. So the low-carb diet aims to eliminate the blood sugar yo-yo by curtailing carbohydrates in daily meals.
Step 1
Eat only protein, limited fats and extremely limited carbohydrates for two weeks. Depending on your specific diet plan, limit your choices to either low-fat or fat-free meat, turkey, fish, shellfish and cheese, and include vegetables, eggs and nuts. On a stricter low-carb regime, you might limit carbs to 20 grams a day, taking them in from salad greens and vegetables only; avoid bread, pasta, grains, fruits, nuts, seeds and beans, but eat whatever protein, fat and dairy you want without regard for low-fat versions.
Step 2
During the second phase of a low-carb diet, add a small amount of your favorite carb, such as fruit, rice, or chocolate, and gradually reintroduce a few selected carbohydrates back into the daily menu. Track your weight to continue weight loss of 1--2 pounds a week. If you plateau or gain weight, begin phase one of the diet again, eating a severely carb-limited menu.
Step 3
Stick to the low-carb weight-loss diet of the first two weeks and skip adding back favorite carbs, as an alternative. Experiment to see how many carbohydrate grams a day allow you to keep losing weight quickly. If your weight loss slows, adjust your carbohydrate intake downward to encourage pounds to melt away faster.
Step 4
Reach your target weight and begin to eat a normal diet with low-fat options. Go light on carbohydrates. Make this change in the way you eat permanent and return to the strict limitations of phase one of your diet if you gain any weight.
Step 5
Add a limited amount of whole grains, fruits and vegetables at the point when you have 10 pounds or less to go to reach your goal. Monitor the slower weight-loss pace as you reach your target weight, and drop carbs again if you stop losing, or if you gain weight, before reaching your goal. Limit carbohydrates to about 90 grams a day for life, if you chose the stricter plan, to maintain your ideal weight.
Tips and Warnings
- Adding an aerobics workout three times a week and strength training twice a week will burn fat calories and build the lean muscle that helps take excess weight off and keep it off.
- Studies of dieters using the two most popular low-carbohydrate diet plans, the Atkins diet and the South Beach diet, show only short-term weight loss, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Long-term or permanent weight loss on a low- carbohydrate diet has not been documented. There are concerns about potential health risks from eating high-fat and high-protein diets. Consult your health-care provider to determine if a low-carbohydrate diet is safe for you.
Things You'll Need
- Low-carb diet recipe book (optional)
- Carbohydrate gram counter
- Gram scale
- Tape measure (optional)
- Bathroom scale
- Measuring cups and spoons
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