Low-carb diet: Can it help you lose weight?
Low-carb diet: Can it help you lose weight?
A low-carbohydrate diet program can help burn fat in the short term and effectively accompany the long-term dietary change.
A low carbohydrate diet is suitable for anyone who wants to burn fat and define their figure. A low carbohydrate diet not only helps with weight loss but also with weight training.
We show you which foods can be included in a low-carbohydrate diet, why bread should not be removed without being replaced, and what are the alternatives to potatoes and other starchy foods.
With a typical light day and 8 principles to follow for the composition of a low carbohydrate diet program.
Low-carb diet
"Carbs" means carbohydrates and, along with fats, are our main source of energy. Low carbohydrate food programs aim to burn fat, which is why the amount of carbohydrates is voluntarily reduced.Carbohydrates have a great influence on body fat: When the body receives more carbohydrates than it needs, it stores the excess carbohydrates as a fat reserve for possible periods of deficiency.
Low carbohydrate diet programs are based on the simple idea of avoiding carbohydrates, especially simple carbohydrates from white flour and sugar products. These cause insulin levels to skyrocket, which prevents fat burning and promotes the storage of energy in this form.
Reducing carbohydrate intake as part of a low-carbohydrate diet keeps insulin levels low and allows the body to convert fat into energy. In addition, breaks of three to five hours between meals optimize fat metabolism.
Benefits of carbohydrate reduction
* Optimization of macronutrient content
* Constant blood glucose* Faster fat burning
A low-carbohydrate diet program is therefore suitable for anyone who wants to burn fat. It contributes to weight loss and supports those who practice strength sports in the definition phases.
OUR TIP
Do you want to go on a carbohydrate-free diet and avoid the yo-yo effect? Or even adopt this diet in a sustainable way? Then it is important to choose the right fats and high-quality proteins and to maintain a healthy and balanced diet in general.
Our low-carbohydrate products can help you achieve your goals. Let yourself be convinced!
Preliminary reflections on the low-carbohydrate diet program
Defining the goal is the starting point for any food program. Before creating a low carbohydrate meal plan, it is important to think carefully about your goal to ensure optimal success.What's at stake? To have a good figure for the next competition or beach holiday and lose a few pounds quickly? In this case, strict adherence to a low-carbohydrate diet plan is the number one priority.
This also means avoiding all forms of cereals and, as far as vegetables are concerned, selecting those with the lowest carbohydrate content.
Additional cardio sessions and a daily calorie deficit of around 300 to 400 kcal are recommended. In the event of a rapid return to a normal diet, the yo-yo effect is ensured. To avoid this, the number of carbohydrates and the total amount of calories should be increased very slowly after the diet.
If the aim is a long-term change of diet or optimization of fat metabolism, it is advisable to establish a low carbohydrate diet program that corresponds to your eating habits and lifestyle.
The first thing to think about is what foods you can't do without and how your eating rhythm is distributed throughout the day.
Is giving up the bread a long-term solution? If so, which low-carbohydrate alternatives suit your tastes and lifestyle?
The 8 principles of a low carb diet
1. drink enough
Not only is water essential for the metabolic processes of our body, but it also prevents cravings. It is often the case that the brain sends the signal "hunger" when it means "thirst".
2. Enough protein
Proteins provide long-lasting satiety and are essential for building and maintaining muscles. In particular, those who reduce their caloric intake must provide the muscles with enough protein to keep them from melting.
The golden rule is 0.9 to 2 g of protein per kg of weight - depending on how much time you spend exercising and how much muscle mass you need to maintain. And for those who are unable to meet their daily requirement through diet, protein shakes provide an appropriate low-carbohydrate intake.
If you are determined to lose some weight, the Shape Shake is the ideal complement to your evening meal. And to make it as good as a real dessert, you can garnish it with fresh fruit, cottage cheese, chia seeds, or nuts. It will taste as good as it looks!
3. avoid snacks
Any snack, even tea with honey, coffee with milk, a mix of apple juice and sparkling water, and our healthy coconut water, increases blood sugar levels, making it harder to burn fat and promoting cravings. So it makes sense to let the body devote 3 to 5 hours between meals for peaceful digestion.
4. Finding a rhythm
When does the day start? What time is the break, the sports slot? The eating rhythm must also be oriented in relation to these benchmarks.
To be successful, a low-carbohydrate meal plan must incorporate these data and provide a regular food intake. Establishing 3 or 5 meals will depend on these factors and personal preferences.
5. plan the meal
Outside Hunger arises. Nothing to eat. Throw yourself on a bun and put off the low-carb diet until tomorrow. But there's a parry: cook raw vegetables or raw foods in advance and always have some on hand just in case.
When traveling on a daily basis, it is often possible to buy low-carbohydrate meals or snacks.
6. Stay disciplined in the evening
During the night, fat metabolism and regenerative processes become particularly active. Support these cycles in your body by giving up carbohydrates in the evening. In this way, it can devote itself completely to repairing the muscles and draw energy from the fat stores.
7. healthy fats
Healthy fats provide long-lasting satiety and help prevent cravings. Coconut oil is particularly convincing thanks to its medium-chain fatty acids (MCAA), which provide the body with energy that can be used quickly and sustainably.
Healthy fats keep you full for a long time and prevent cravings.
Coconut oil, in particular, is highly effective thanks to medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which provide the body with energy that is both quickly available and also sustainably available.
Another important advantage is that it has a certain heat resistance, which makes it ideal for cooking.
8. Anticipate relapses
Do you really need bread or something sweet? Especially those who are committed to making long-term changes to their diet can sometimes afford to indulge their cravings.
At least, almost: wholemeal foods containing long-chain carbohydrates are an alternative to white flour and sugar. For sweet cravings, try raw chocolate. Available in all organic shops, most variants contain only a little coconut flower sugar.
what are the low carbohydrate foods?
Our diet is often high in carbohydrates. They are not only present in bread or pasta. Healthy foods such as vegetables and especially fruit contain carbohydrates in various quantities.That is why strict low-carbohydrate diet concepts often (almost) completely overlook fruit and vegetables.
These diets are neither healthy nor sustainable. We will, therefore, focus on a low-carbohydrate diet program that you can compose yourself according to your personal preferences and adapt to your daily life. For those who want to keep it simple and still be successful.
Alternatives to low carb bread
Vegetables alone provide so many carbohydrates that your low-carbohydrate diet plan will have to give up a lot of carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, and others.
For those who don't want to give up filling fillings, small amounts of quinoa or legumes such as chickpeas or beans will do the trick.
Their carbohydrate content is much lower than cereals or pseudo-cereals such as amaranth and buckwheat. However, they contain much more carbohydrates than most vegetables. With this less drastic version, it takes longer to achieve the goal than if you give up the filling.
The bread, can't you do without it? Jam on toast in the morning is a must? No worries. Thanks to our super soft protein bread, you can enjoy your breakfast without feeling guilty.
A source of flax seeds, almonds, psyllium seed husks, and pumpkin seeds, this bread is a good portion of superfood.
The carbohydrate content of vegetables also varies. Especially recommended among light vegetables such as mushrooms, various cabbages, salads, dark green leafy vegetables, zucchini, celery, green beans, tomatoes, olives, and peppers.
As they normally contain fewer carbohydrates than cereals and potatoes, all vegetables that are so rich in benefits should be included regularly in low-carbohydrate feeding programs.
As far as fruit is concerned, a distinction should be made: Bananas contain a lot of carbohydrates, whereas blueberries, blackberries or oranges, for example, have little.
Apples, pears, blackcurrants, and figs are in the middle range. Dried fruit should be banned. Even unsweetened, they often contain three to five times more sugar than their fresh counterparts.
A typical day
breakfast* Chia pudding with almond puree, blueberries, and caramel
* For the hungry: a protein shake with wild berries
* For those who prefer savory: Eggs and bacon. Possibly low carbohydrate bread
lunch
* Pan-fried mushrooms with a creamy mushroom and cauliflower sauce
sweet dessert/snack
* Avocado and cocoa chocolate mousse
* For one portion, mix two small ripe avocados with 5 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 1 to 2 teaspoons of coconut flower sugar.
For extra protein boost: Add 30 g of organic protein and 50 ml of water.
dinner
* Lamb's lettuce salad with red beets, walnuts, and sesame seeds
* Chicken fillet or plain tofu
* Sauce: Walnut or sesame oil with balsamic vinegar and aromatic herbs to suit everyone's taste.
Advice for vegetarians and allergy sufferers
If you are vegetarian, vegan, or lactose intolerant, it is necessary to supplement your low carbohydrate diet with protein shakes.In principle, the need for protein can be covered by a purely plant-based diet. However, in a low-carbohydrate diet, it is difficult to ensure that the proportion of total fat in the diet does not increase too much.
Nuts, tofu, avocado, and other low-carbohydrate vegetable protein sources are often relatively high in fat. For a balanced diet, vegetarians must ensure that the proportion of dairy products does not become too high.
low-carb breakfasts
In a low-carbohydrate diet, breakfast is often a puzzle. Muesli, cornflakes, bread, rolls, bananas, Nutella: pure carbohydrates.
In this case, superfoods are a great help, as they have the ability to partially or completely replace breakfast classics.
Chia pudding to replace muesli
Enhanced with almond puree or enriched with protein powder, it replaces carbohydrates with high-quality proteins and fats and guarantees ultra-long satiety instead of an increase in insulin levels.Soy flakes
Used like oat flakes, vegan soy flakes convince by their better protein/carbohydrate ratio. Similarly, with bread, Chia, almond, or soy flours can replace part of the traditional flour with protein.Thus, garnished with salmon or avocado, it will round off your low-carbohydrate breakfast while also soothing the craving for carbohydrates.
