The low-carb diet, which is based on reducing the consumption of carbohydrates, is a method that many people use to lose weight. And there are amazing stories of before and after successes with the low-carb diet.
However, those who want the low-carb diet to work and bring good results must avoid inevitable mistakes. For example:
Eat Fewer Carbs
It may seem strange, but this is the first mistake on our list because some people think that low carb (low carbs) is the same as no-carb (no carbs). But not quite.
Although a low-carb diet significantly reduces the consumption of carbohydrates at meals, it still provides for the consumption of some carbohydrates. The regimen allows you to eat 150 grams of carbohydrates per day or less in some cases.
You don’t necessarily have to follow a super restrictive method like the ketogenic diet or give up all vegetables that contain some carbs to have a perfect low-carb diet.
On the contrary, eliminating carbohydrates can make you weaker and make it more challenging to maintain the diet in the medium and long term, thus compromising your results and health.
To find out which type of low-carb diet and which low-carb diet is proper for you, consult a nutritionist.
ALSO READ: KETOGENIC DIET: REAL WEIGHT LOSS MIRACLE OR DANGEROUS TREND?
Not Evenly Dividing The Consumption Of Proteins And Fats
Along with carbohydrates, proteins and fats form the group of macronutrients needed by the body. As low carb decreases carbohydrate intake, it becomes necessary to increase the consumption of the other two macronutrients.
The ideal is to increase the intake of both in a balanced way. But problems can arise when someone raises their consumption of one of these two macronutrients much more than the other.
For example, with the thought that fat is bad, some people may choose only to increase their protein intake.
However, increasing your protein intake too much is complicated because it can also be converted into carbohydrates in the body. At the same time, overeating protein can be harmful.
But isn’t it wrong to increase fats in the diet? If they are bad fats, yes. But there is another option: increase your intake of good fats! Foods such as avocado, olive oil, flaxseed, chia, and the group of oilseeds are examples of healthy foods that provide good fats.
Consuming more good fats within the low-carb diet brings more satiety and more nutrients to the body. Consult a nutritionist to learn how to divide the number of good fats and proteins in your low carb.
Giving Up Too Fast
Some people barely start and have already decided to give up low-carb. The argument is that they miss something they cannot eat or feel very hungry.
However, waiting a little longer before giving up may be worth it because, over time, a low-carb diet naturally decreases insulin secretion and improves insulin sensitization, which will alleviate this hunger issue.
This means that it takes a while to adapt to a low-carb diet. As for the longing to eat foods with carbs, the good news is that there are low-carb versions of many recipes!
For example, there’s low-carb bread, low-carb pizza, low-carb lasagna, low-carb pasta, and even low-carb birthday cake! Of course, it’s not the same as the original recipe, but it’s enough to ease the cravings.
Learning varied and different low-carb recipes is essential to prevent the diet from becoming repetitive and the urge to give up hitting hard.
But, if even with time and with the different recipes, you feel that you do not adapt and that you suffer a lot from low carbs, talk to your doctor and nutritionist to find out if there is another type of diet that can help you.
Not Hydrating Properly
Many people forget to drink water, which is essential for the health of anyone following any diet. Specifically in low carb, drinking enough water is very important to help eliminate some metabolism products (including proteins).
Also, staying hydrated helps with hunger. That’s because hunger and thirst signals are very close in the brain and can be confused. So, the person may think they are hungry when they are thirsty, which wouldn’t happen if you were well hydrated.
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