What is a carbohydrate?
Before you get offended, I don't think you have the IQ of Forrest Gump. I know you know what a carbohydrate is, but let's get a little scientific for a moment. When you think carbohydrate, chances are that the words sugar, starch, and delicious all come to your mind. I love carbs as much as the next girl, don't get me wrong, but I'm getting ready to bash on them pretty hard.
When you eat carbs, your body converts the carbs into sugar. If you don't burn off what you have eaten, that sugar is going to be stored in your body for later. Think of eating carbs in excess as making a deposit... a deposit into your fat account. That's right, anything you eat that your body does not used is stored as fat. Now, there are two different types of carbs. You have probably heard of simple and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbs are empty calories, meaning that they are from straight up junk that you shouldn't be eating. These simple carbs are found in candy, pop, white rice, and flour. They provide no other nutritional value. Complex carbs are found in heartier vegetables like beans and whole grains.
When you initially start your low carb diet, don't eat either of these. Once you hit your goal or want to have a cheat meal, go with something that contains a complex carb so that you at least get some extra vitamins and minerals into your diet. Once you get used to not eating simple carbs, you won't even miss them, trust me! You'll also start to make healthier choices out of habit.
What happens when I remove carbs from my diet?
A lot of things happen when you start a low carb diet. Apart from feeling pretty tired and having breath that smells like hot garbage, your body is changing the way that it works. When you remove carbs from your diet, your body is like "Hello?! Where are the potatoes? Are we poor? I guess I need to break into my savings to survive!" That savings account is what I like to collectively refer to as my back fat.
With no incoming sugar, your body is forced to use what it has saved up. If you keep eating carbs, your body will use the sugar that is directly derived from the carbs and keep adding to the stockpile of excess sugar (aka your fat) and you'll continue to gain weight because none of your fat is ever being burned.
Low carb dieting throws your body into what is known as ketosis. This is when your body starts to use your fat supply because there is not any sugar laying around for it to use. When you are in ketosis, the ketones that are in your blood stream, which have replaced the sugar from the carbs, have an added effect of acting as an appetite suppressant. This is good because you do feel very hungry the first two or three days on a low carb diet. If you can make it over that initial hump, then you can make it through to the finish line.
I can eat as much as I want whenever I want? Say what?
That's right, the best part about a low carb diet is that you are able to eat when you are hungry. When I was heavier, I could never stick to a diet because I was always hungry and I would always try to eat trash like 100 calorie packs and Special K bars because I thought that's what you did to lose weight. Spoiler alert--- That's not how you lose weight.
When you are doing a low carb diet, you are able to eat as much protein as you like. Some diets like the Atkins Diet tell you that you can have unlimited fat as well. I already have an unlimited amount of fat on my arse, so I always follow the Dukan Diet and eat a very low fat diet. As long as you don't cheat, you can eat as much protein as you want. If you cheat and have a cookie for example, you're going to throw yourself out of ketosis because you have put sugar back in your body. If this happens, then you'll be forced to count calories for the rest of the day to make sure you don't eat an unacceptable amount. I'm lazy, so I would rather not eat the cookie and not have to worry about keeping a food diary until I can start fresh.
But you haven't told me what to eat! I feel so restricted without carbs!
Calm down, girl! There is still a world of tasty food out there for you. If you have never tried a real diet before, I do recommend keeping a food diary until you get good enough to keep up with it on your own. The app I used was called "My Net Diary" and I got it in the app store. A lot of people use My Fitness Pal, but I like the other one better, but you do what works for you. I keep my carb count down around 20 during the Attack phase of Dukan, then move on up to 40-60 carbs a day when I am on the cruise. If you want to know more about the Dukan Diet, check out more of weight loss posts under the Lifestyle tab at the top of the page. As I have said in my previous posts, before you even think about starting your diet, clean out your kitchen of all junk food. Remove temptation. You may even eat in your sleep and not even know it. Throw out the Little Debbie's. I doubt you will grill a steak in your sleep. Better safe than sorry ;).
Protein is going to be your new best friend. Think "lean and meaty" when making choices (both in food and men, if you ask me) to jump start your weight loss. Avoid anything that is too fatty, as well and plan out your meals. If you're planning for breakfast, try to have something high in protein to fill you up first thing in the morning. It will really make a difference in your day and your hunger levels. An example of a high protein breakfast would be to make something like an egg white omelet and add some chicken breast or even some deli sliced turkey meat. For extra flavor, you could add a couple of green onions. Low carb dieting does require a lot of planning and a lot of dedication. I do have a few recipes here on my blog that you could use for lunch or dinner.
If you need help with what exactly to buy for your new diet, click HERE to read my post over the subject and to see some examples. If I had a suggestion for someone who was just starting out and trying to lose weight for the first time, I would tell them to ease into the low carb lifestyle and to only hit it full force if they are extremely motivated. I am not going to lie-- the first week on a low carb diet is pure hell! You feel bad, your breath smells bad, and you just feel so hungry. If those temporary symptoms scare you, then ease into it. Start by making a small change every few days and see how you do. For instance, switch from regular soda to diet. Then when you're ready, switch to water. Swap out your starches. Get rid of that white rice and switch to whole grain, then cut it out of your diet when you feel you're able to. If you're scared and really want to do well on a low carb diet, you will do better to start out slow, then when you start to see results, you may get very motivated and then you'll be more likely to stick to it.
I think I can do this diet! Any additional tips to share?
The keys to dieting are perseverance and dedication. You're going to have times that you only lose a pound and just want get in bed with Ben and Jerry (wait, what?). you're going to have times that you lose like five pounds in a week and you can't help but strut around in celebration. Through the good times, remember how you got there and where you have been. Don't throw away your new habits once you hit a goal because you're going to want to maintain at a weight you're happy with. Also remember during the hard times, like when you have worked really hard and you have only lost a pound or two, that you have still made progress and if you never started your new diet, then you would still be where you were before. Getting a handle on your weight is like being married-- you have to stick with it through thick and thin! Just don't be too hard on yourself in the beginning while you're getting acclimated to your new way of eating and don't get discouraged if you accidentally mess up. You all can do this! I believe in you :)
Have you been losing weight with a new diet? It doesn't even have to be the Dukan Diet. Let me know! I would love to hear from you and see what is working for you. You may even have some tips to share with me! Do you have any additional questions about starting a new diet and think I might be able to help? Send me a message. I'm always here to help and I love talking about dieting and weight loss (if you can't tell). Follow me on Twitter @Butterybiscuit7, on Instagram @Bridgetb2011, and like the Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/BeautyOnABudgetBlog.
Talk to you soon!
--B
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