low carb eating diet for weight management

Low-carb Diet

 

When and how do we store fat? 

When and how do we burn fat? 

It is all a matter of body chemistry.

 

There are 3 categories of the food we eat.

  Fats oils, nuts, avocado, salad dressings, cheese, fats in meat etc.
  Proteins chicken, meat, cottage cheese, soy, whey protein, etc.
  Carbohydrates High-  starches potatoes, rice, noodles, bread, some fruits and sugary desserts etc.

Low-   vegetables, some fruits, limited beans, certain hi-fiber grain products.

When we eat each of these different types of food, our body has a chemical response. 

  • Fat Storing/Insulin Release - Insulin is released by your body when you eat a diet high in starchy or sugary carbohydrates (glucose).  Insulin's job is to clear the blood of sugar within 4 minutes!!  It will first put it into the muscles and brain which have very limited storage capacity.  All the rest of the sugars in the blood end up stored in the FAT CELLS.  Insulin is a Fat Storing Hormone.  This is the master hormone because so many processes are determined by it.  When insulin levels are up you are in fat storage mode.

  •  

  • Fat Burning/ Glucagon Release - Glucagon is released by your body when you eat a diet low in starchy or sugary carbohydrates. Glucagon is a Fat Burning Hormone.  It is released when the glucose level in the blood is not high. The action of glucagon is thus opposite to that of insulin.

Fat Storing Mode

Since most Americans consume 2 cups of sugar or starch each day, insulin is getting released over and over and the body often gets into a Fat Storing Mode.

Fat Burning Mode

However, if we control the intake of carbohydrates (sugars and starches) the body will release Glucagon to burn the body’s fat stores.  We want to be in the FAT BURNING MODE.  I want and you want to be a FAT BURNING MACHINE.  This why it is essential to:

  • be aware of the carbs (sugars and starches) we eat and

  • manage our carb intake daily every time we eat.

The Role of Protein in a Low Carb Diet

Protein must be present for Glucagon to work effectively.  EVERY MEAL we want a portion of protein in addition to low carbs (vegetables) and fat.  Fat slows the release of insulin and satieties the appetite.  Every time we eat we want these 3 elements- Protein, Low Carbs, and Good Fats. 

When you have a properly balanced meal you will not be hungry for 4-5 hours.  If you are hungry soon after eating or one or two hours after your last meal, something was wrong with that last meal:

  • Too many carbs- your body released too much insulin and is now low on sugar.

  • Too little fat so you were not satisfied.

  • quantities were too small

Listen to the feedback from your own body.  Learn about you. 

The Low Carb Diet for Weight Loss

Generally, to get your body into Fat Burning Mode, we recommend a diet of 40 carbs or less per day. Many see excellent loss of excess body fat with this nutritional approach.  This extra-low carb phase of the diet will also break your cravings and metabolic dependencies on high-carb foods like sugary baked goods and pasta. You will enjoy fish, lean meats, other proteins, an abundance and great variety of vegetables, fruits in moderation, good fats and limited amounts of beans and some high fiber low-carb grain products.

Managing Carbs for a Lean, Healthy Life

Once you reach your desired body weight, carbs can  be increased.  Observe how your body responds.  You can try eating 60, 80, or 100 carbs a day. Another strategy is to keep carbs controlled during the week and then have a free day on the weekend - see how your body responds. If you gain over two lbs that week cut back on carbs-- you got into the fat storing mode.   This is lifetime maintenance.  Stay tuned into your body.  Understand the nutrition and how your own body responds. You will maintain your new lean body for 3 months, 1 year, 5 years--- a lifetime!

Low-Carb Diets versus Low-Calorie Diets

There is a vast difference between "low-calorie" and our low-carb nutritious eating.

The standard low-calorie diets (low-calorie diets that don't include hCG) basically starve the body. Muscle ends up being burned for fuel.  You lose weight, but the loss of lean muscle tissue only serves to reduce your metabolic rate, thus slowing your efforts even more. 

With a properly planned low carb program, your body will burn mostly fat, and will preserve the lean muscle. 

If you exercise, specifically a weight lifting program,  you will add lean muscle while losing fat, which will increase your metabolic rate, and increase the fat-burning effect on the body.  Muscle tissue weighs more than fat, and takes up less bulk, so you may find yourself getting smaller in size without seeing a big drop on the scales. 

To keep track of what is happening to your body, we recommend having regular weigh-ins using our Body Composition Analyzer.

Another difference between low-calorie and low-carb diets is the absence of cravings and hunger pangs.  Until the excess carbohydrates are cleared from the system, there may be intense cravings.  Once this is past though, the very moderate insulin and blood sugar leveling effects will serve to curb cravings.

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