A low carb diet is a terrific way to jump start your weight loss program. There are so many diets to choose from these days, and it’s hard to know which is best. But many people choose to start off with a low carb diet. A low carb diet is a great way to start losing weight quickly. Before you start any diet, check with your doctor to make sure you’re in good health. You also should know how low carb diets work, what foods to avoid, and what foods to eat.
How does a low carb diet work? Foods are classified into three main types: proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Basically, your body uses proteins to build new cells, and burns carbohydrates and fats to provide energy. Your body can also store extra energy for the future in the form of body fat. Since your body can’t store carbs, it can convert excess carbs to fat for storage. So eating too many carb calories can cause your body to convert the excess to stored fat – in other words, you can gain weight. By reducing the amount of carbohydrates you eat, you can make your body start using stored fat, so you lose weight. Also, reducing your carbs can cause rapid weight loss.
Following a low carb diet is really pretty simple. You just want to avoid certain foods. You’ll need to avoid the simple carbs, including sugar, white flour, white rice, and potatoes. If you’re worried that you’ll miss bread and pasta, you can eat small servings of bread and pasta made from whole grains. So in summary, you should avoid refined sugars, refined grains of all kinds, including white rice and white flour products, and white potatoes. You can have whole grain products, but only if you have them in small portions.
In addition to knowing what foods to avoid, you need to know what foods to eat. Most of your calories on a low carb diet should come from lean proteins. Some good lean protein sources are chicken, fish, beans, nuts and seeds, and dairy products like eggs, milk, cheese, and yogurt. You can also eat fats and limited amounts of complex carbs like whole grains, plus fresh fruits and vegetables. You should avoid hydrogenated fats and try to get most of your fats from plant and dairy products. Vegetable fats include nuts and seeds, and vegetable oils like olive oil and safflower oil. If you experience hunger pangs when you start your low carb diet, try adding fiber rich foods like beans, whole grains, and fruit, to help you feel full.


