Excess weight in most cases is caused by an excess supply of adipose tissue, deposited as a result of chemical transformations of carbohydrates entering the body. And although obesity is based on some disruptions in the endocrine and digestive systems, the most comfortable and painless solution to the problem remains the restriction of the source of excess calories in the process of daily nutrition. By stopping or critically reducing the access to the stomach of easily digestible carbohydrates using a carbohydrate-free diet, we automatically trigger the reaction of burning stored reserves.
What is a no carb diet?
It is on the basis of a carbohydrate-free diet that athletes lose extra pounds before competitions, artists on the eve of filming and public figures when they need to be in shape. Athletes even have a special term for such nutrition. It is called "drying" - by eliminating carbohydrates from the diet, subcutaneous fat deposits are removed and the relief and elasticity of ligaments and muscles are improved. But life without carbohydrates is a difficult test for those with a sweet tooth, who are forced to radically change their taste preferences and for a fairly long period of time. It requires not only determination, but also a sufficient amount of patience and will.
There is also the other side of the coin - a complete rejection of carbohydrates in favor of protein products causes a condition that nutritionists call the not entirely accurate term carbophobia (literally "fear of carbohydrates"). Avoiding the smallest crumb of bread or a piece of sugar like fire, thinking about nothing but losing weight, sitting for months "on omelettes and kittens", fans of a diet without carbohydrates inevitably"gain" problems with digestion and metabolism. some cases filled with disorders of the higher nervous system, activities, memory loss, depression and sociopathy.
Long-term or continuous refusal of carbohydrates causes a disorder of the acid-base balance in the direction of acidification of the body, which inevitably leads to a decrease in immunity and premature aging. A side effect of a prolonged low-carb diet is problems with the intestines, kidneys, arthritis, gout and other diseases.
Below we will look at some examples of a carbohydrate-free diet and a scheme for its use, which allows you to normalize metabolic processes, get rid of excess weight and at the same time not go to extremes, pumping the body toprotein capacity. of animal origin with their chemistry and energy not at all harmless.
Biochemical and anatomical basis of a low-carbohydrate diet
The decisive argument for a low-carbohydrate diet is the peculiarity of the body's reaction to the entry of even a small amount of sugar into the stomach. The pancreas immediately begins reflexively releasing insulin into the blood and digestive enzymes into the stomach, which immediately increase appetite (hence why they say appetite comes with eating). As a result, when we eat foods rich in carbohydrates, we almost always eat more than we objectively need. Protein foods do not have such a seductive effect on the "pancreas", the production of hormones and enzymes continues in working condition, satiety occurs gradually and completely. Proteins break down in the gastrointestinal tract much longer than carbohydrates, so the feeling of satiety lasts for several hours, and the need for snacks simply does not arise if you have three or four protein meals a day.
Principle 250 kcal
Most likely, it will not be possible to completely give up carbohydrates - simply because they are also included in completely protein dishes, albeit in minimal quantities. But this is not scary, the main thing is not to exceed the specified number of "carbohydrate" kilocalories.
A low-carb diet certainly takes willpower, but using it can be very disciplined. It is enough to remember a single number - 250. This is the number of energy units - calories, which are contained in the daily volume of carbohydrates that enter the body. Of course, we will have to carefully weigh all the dishes and calculate their energy value using tables or special notes on the restaurant menu, but this is an almost inevitable cost of any strict diet.
Mono-carbohydrate diet: effective, but monotonous
An ideal low-carb diet for guaranteed and rapid weight loss includes separate daily meals - on the first day of the diet eat only chicken, on the second - only eggs, on the third - only cheese or cottage cheese. This is the fastest, but also the most "tasteless" and monotonous way to lose weight. Not everyone is ready for such sacrifices, so we will lose weight without fanaticism and combine business with pleasure - a healing effect with gastronomic delights, which are promised by tasty and healthy products based on animal proteins andplant.
By the way, the above-mentioned critical 250 kilocalories of carbohydrates per day should also be obtained not from buns and sweets, but by harmoniously including complex carbohydrates (long to digest) in the diet - non-starchy vegetables, cereals, whole without yeast. wheat bread.
The basic ingredients of a carb-free menu
Here is a list of protein foods intended for a protein diet:
- lean meat - chicken, turkey, rabbit, beef;
- offal - boiled heart and liver;
- duck, chicken, quail eggs;
- fillets of sea fish, crabs, shrimps, lobsters, sea cephalopods;
- dairy products - kefir, yogurt, wheat curd, low-fat sour cream and hard cheese;
- leafy vegetables (cabbage), artichokes, peas, beans, zucchini, onions, garlic, garden herbs. You can eat mushrooms, but with care, as mushroom proteins are different from animals;
- berries and sour fruits, as well as avocado;
- nuts and seeds.
Meat and fish should be steamed, in the oven, or at most on the grill, but in no case in a pan or deep.
A proper diet excludes sausages, sausages and potatoes that contain many dubious additives based on carbohydrates and transgenic fats.
When choosing food suppliers, you should give preference to farms where meat and dairy animals are kept in comfortable conditions and do not receive various growth hormones and antibiotics in their feed. You should not trust the price tags in supermarkets - if you are on a diet, carefully read the instructions on the package and study in advance the list of food additives, many of which are harmful to health, but are used in the production of notorious " productshealthy".
Prohibited carbohydrates
Now for the main thing about any diet - what is prohibited. On a low-carb diet, the following is prohibited:
- bread, except whole grains without yeast;
- anything made from flour - pasta, pizza, pies, kachapuri, cakes, pastries;
- chocolate and sweets;
- sweet and sweet fruits and berries;
- vegetables rich in starch (potatoes, carrots, corn, beets);
- semi-finished industrial products. Regardless of what manufacturers write on the packaging, they almost always contain carbohydrate additives and preservatives, and even genetically modified fats;
- fruit juices and carbonated drinks;
- alcohol in any form.
Committed carnivores will find it hard to resist a glass of red wine with their favorite steak, but here you have to choose: health or pleasure. Alcohol, in addition to the direct toxic effect on the body, is also a powerful appetite stimulant and a high-calorie product - the calories taken with it can be safely added to 250 kcal, which is the daily limit for a protein diet.
Menu for 7 days
Monday
- Breakfast - Cheesecakes made from low-fat cottage cheese with bran.
- Lunch - Vegetable salad with herbs, 200 g chicken breast with herbs.
- Snack - Orange.
- Dinner - Turkey 100 g with boiled vegetables.
Tuesday
- Breakfast - Omelet with vegetable salad or boiled vegetables. Black tea without sugar.
- Lunch – Creamy vegetable soup with pieces of turkey or chicken.
- Snack - Green apple.
- Dinner - Salmon baked in the oven.
Wednesday
- Breakfast - Sugar-free muesli with milk and dried apricots or other dried fruit.
- Lunch – Lentil soup with chicken breast.
- Snack - Almonds or other nuts (a handful).
- Dinner - Salad with cherry tomatoes, arugula, canned tuna (1 can) and mozzarella.
Thursday
- Breakfast – Oatmeal with sugar-free water. A banana (can be chopped and added to oatmeal).
- Lunch – Vegetable soup with beef meatballs.
- Snack - Orange or grapefruit, a glass of citrus juice.
- Dinner - Low-fat steamed fish.
Friday
- Breakfast – Blend 1 banana, a glass of fresh or thawed cherries and a glass of milk. Mix in a blender.
- Lunch - Pilaf with chicken 200 gr.
- Snack - Green tea with a piece of hard cheese.
- Dinner - Chicken or turkey with vegetable salad.
Saturday
- Breakfast - Egg white omelette. Tea without sugar. 1 banana.
- Lunch – Boiled chicken breast 100 g with brown rice.
- Snack - Sandwich made of unleavened bread, soft cheese, bacon, lettuce and sliced tomato.
- Dinner - Sauté with vegetables and meat. A glass of kefir or drinkable yogurt without sugar.
Sunday
- Breakfast - 1 boiled egg. Diet bread with hard cheese.
- Lunch – Cream of soup with champignons or wild mushrooms. You can add turkey or chopped chicken to the soup.
- Snack - Orange, green apple or a handful of nuts.
- Dinner - Vegetable salad, 100 g of meat or fish baked in the oven.
Porridge for a low-carb diet
Porridge on water occupies a borderline position. When following a carbohydrate-free diet, it is recommended to include four types of cereals in the menu:
| No. | Name | Protein content | Carbohydrate content |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buckwheat | eleven% | 68% |
| 2 | Peas | 21% | 50% |
| 3 | oatmeal | 12% | 65% |
| 4 | Kuino | 14% | 64% |
Porridge is especially useful in the intervals between periods of active weight loss, when you need to restore the balance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates in the body.
A questionable alternative: the keto diet In the United States, with its notorious fast food culture, a very popular type of carb-free diet is the ketogenic diet, which allows you to eat large amounts of not only protein, but alsoof animal fats. This scheme has both supporters and opponents. The main argument of the latter is the damage of fatty foods to the cardiovascular system, due to the deposition of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels. It's hard to disagree with that.
Diet timing and precautions
The effect of the diet begins to appear after two to three weeks; with strict daily split meals, you can lose weight within a week of switching to protein. Limitation of quickly digestible food will almost inevitably cause intestinal disorders - constipation, bloating, caused by a decrease in the content of vegetable fibers in food. When eating a meat menu or eating fish and seafood, you should drink at least two liters of fluids a day, eat soups and if you have persistent constipation, take mild laxatives. After a month, to avoid the development of persistent carbophobia, you should take a break - from two to four weeks. It will restore the disturbed protein-carbohydrate balance and intestinal motility. While taking a break from diets, you should not go too far: the diet should be balanced and strict, otherwise you will not only lose all your benefits, but also gain additional fat deposits and have tostart the fightagainst excess weight again.