Excess weight in most cases is caused by an excess supply of adipose tissue, which is deposited as a result of the chemical transformation of carbohydrates entering the body. And although obesity is based on certain disorders of the endocrine and digestive systems, the most convenient and painless solution to this problem is to limit sources of excess calories in the process of daily nutrition. By stopping or critically reducing the stomach's access to easily digestible carbohydrates using a carbohydrate-free diet, we automatically trigger a burning reaction of accumulated reserves.
What is a no carbohydrate diet
Based on a carbohydrate-free diet, athletes lose extra pounds before competitions, artists on the eve of filming, and public figures when they need to get in shape. Athletes even have special terms for this nutrition. This is called "drying" - by removing carbohydrates from the diet, subcutaneous fat deposits are removed and the relief and elasticity of ligaments and muscles are improved. But living without carbohydrates is a difficult test for those with a sweet tooth, who are forced to change their taste preferences radically, and for quite a long period of time. This requires not only determination, but also sufficient patience and willpower.
There is also the other side of this coin - the complete rejection of carbohydrates in favor of protein products leads to a condition that nutritionists call the not entirely accurate term carbophobia (literally "fear of carbohydrates"). Avoiding the slightest crumb of bread or a piece of sugar like fire, thinking about nothing but losing weight, sitting for months "on an omelet and cutlets", fans of a carbohydrate-free diet inevitably "get" digestive and metabolic problems, in some cases fullwith disorders of the higher nervous system, activity, memory loss, depression and sociopathy.
Long-term or persistent refusal of carbohydrates leads to a violation of the acid-base balance towards acidification of the body, which inevitably leads to a decrease in immunity and premature aging. Side effects of a prolonged low-carbohydrate diet are problems with the intestines, kidneys, arthritis, gout and other diseases.
Below we will look at several examples of carbohydrate-free diets and schemes for their use, which allow you to normalize metabolic processes, get rid of excess weight and at the same time not overdo it, pumping the body to its capacity with protein. comes from animals with chemicals and energy that are far from harmless.
Biochemical and anatomical basis of low-carbohydrate diets
The decisive argument for a low-carbohydrate diet is the peculiarities of the body's reaction to the introduction of small amounts of sugar into the stomach. The pancreas immediately begins to reflexively release insulin into the blood, and digestive enzymes into the stomach, which instantly increases appetite (that's why they say that appetite comes with eating). As a result, when we consume carbohydrate-rich foods, we almost always eat more than we objectively need. Protein foods do not have a seductive effect on the "pancreas", the production of hormones and enzymes goes well, saturation occurs gradually and in full. Proteins are broken down in the digestive tract longer than carbohydrates, so the feeling of fullness lasts for several hours, and the need for snacks will not arise if you consume three or four protein meals a day.
Principle 250 kcal
Most likely, it will not be possible to completely give up carbohydrates - simply because carbohydrates are included in complete protein dishes, albeit in minimal quantities. But this is not scary, the main thing is that the specified number of kilocalories of "carbohydrates" is not exceeded.
A low-carbohydrate diet certainly requires willpower, but its use can be very disciplined. It is enough to remember one number - 250. This is the number of energy units - calories, contained in the daily volume of carbohydrates entering the body. Of course, we have to carefully weigh all the dishes and calculate their energy value using special tables or notes in the restaurant menu, but this is an almost unavoidable cost of any strict diet.
Carbohydrate mono-diet: effective, but monotonous
The ideal low-carb diet for guaranteed and fast weight loss involves separate daily meals - on the first day of the diet you eat only chicken, on the second day - only eggs, on the third day - 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 pleasure, which is promised by delicious and healthy products based on animal and vegetable proteins.
By the way, the above-mentioned 250 kilocalories of carbohydrates per day should also be obtained not from bread and sweets, but by harmoniously introducing into the diet complex (long-digestible) carbohydrates - vegetables not rich in starch, cereals, whole yeast-free. wheat bread.
Basic ingredients for a menu without carbohydrates
The following is a list of protein foods intended for a protein diet:
- lean meat - chicken, turkey, rabbit, veal;
- offal – boiled heart and liver;
- duck, chicken, quail eggs;
- fillets of sea fish, crabs, shrimp, lobsters, marine cephalopods;
- dairy products - kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese, low-fat sour cream and hard cheese;
- leafy vegetables (cabbage), artichokes, green beans, green beans, zucchini, onions, garlic, garden herbs. You can eat mushrooms, but with caution, because mushroom protein is different from animal protein;
- sour berries and fruits, as well as avocado;
- nuts and seeds.
Meat and fish should be cooked steamed, in the oven, or maximum on the grill, but not in a pan or fried.
A proper diet excludes sausages, sausages and pates containing many dubious additives based on transgenic carbohydrates and fats.
When choosing a food supplier, you need to 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, read the instructions on the package carefully and study the list of food additives in advance, many of which are harmful to health, but are used in the manufacture of well-known "healthy products".
Prohibited carbohydrates
Now about the main thing for every diet - what is prohibited. On a low-carb diet, the following are prohibited:
- bread, except whole wheat without yeast;
- everything is made from flour - pasta, pizza, pies, khachapuri, cakes, pastries;
- chocolate and confectionery;
- sweet and sour-sweet fruits and berries;
- vegetables rich in starch (potatoes, carrots, corn, beets);
- semi-finished industrial products. No matter what the 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.
Convinced meat eaters will find it difficult to resist a glass of red wine with their favorite steak, but here you have to choose: health or pleasure. Alcohol, in addition to its direct toxic effect on the body, is also a strong appetite stimulant and a fairly high-calorie product - the calories obtained with alcohol can be safely added to the 250 kcal that 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 - Vegetable cream soup with turkey or chicken pieces.
- Snack - Green apple.
- Dinner - Salmon baked in the oven.
Wednesday
- Breakfast - Unsweetened muesli with milk and dried apricots or other dried fruit.
- Lunch - Lentil soup with chicken breast.
- Snack - Almonds or other nuts (a handful).
- Dinner - Cherry tomato salad, arugula, canned tuna (1 can) and mozzarella.
Thursday
- Breakfast - Oatmeal with water without sugar. One banana (can be chopped and added to oatmeal).
- Lunch - Vegetable soup with veal meatballs.
- Snack - Orange or grapefruit, a glass of orange juice.
- Dinner - Low-fat steamed fish.
Friday
- Breakfast - Mix 1 banana, a glass of fresh or thawed cherries, and a glass of milk. Mix in a blender.
- Lunch - Chicken pilaf 200 g.
- Snack - Green tea with a piece of hard cheese.
- Dinner - Chicken or turkey with vegetable salad.
Saturday
- Breakfast - Egg white omelet. Unsweetened tea. 1 banana.
- Lunch - Boiled chicken breast 100 gr with brown rice.
- Snack - Sandwich made from unleavened bread, soft cheese, ham, lettuce and tomato slices.
- Dinner - Stir fry vegetables with meat. A glass of kefir or unsweetened drinking yogurt.
Sunday
- Breakfast - 1 boiled egg. Diet bread with hard cheese.
- Lunch - Champignon or wild mushroom cream soup. You can add minced turkey or chicken to the soup.
- Snack – Orange, green apple, or handful of nuts.
- Dinner - Vegetable salad, 100 g of meat or fish baked in the oven.
Porridge for a low carbohydrate diet
The porridge on the water occupies a borderline position. When dieting without carbohydrates, it is recommended to include four types of cereals in the menu:
| NO. | Name | Protein content | Carbohydrate content |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buckwheat | eleven% | 68% |
| 2 | Peanut | 21% | 50% |
| 3 | Oatmeal | 12% | 65% |
| 4 | wheat grain | 14% | 64% |
Porridge is especially useful in between periods of active weight loss, when you need to restore the balance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates in the body.
A dubious alternative: keto diet In the United States, with its famous fast food culture, a very popular type of carbohydrate-free diet is the ketogenic diet, which allows you to consume not only protein, but also animal fats in large quantities. This scheme has both supporters and opponents. The main argument of the latter is the harm of fatty foods on the cardiovascular system, due to the deposition of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels. It's hard to disagree with this.
Diet timing and precautions
The effect of the diet begins to be visible after two to three weeks, with strict daily split nutrition, you can lose weight within a week after switching to protein. Restricting quickly digested foods will almost certainly lead to intestinal disorders - constipation, flatulence, caused by a decrease in the content of plant fiber in the diet. When eating meat or eating fish and seafood, you should drink at least two liters of fluids a day, eat soup, and if you are constantly constipated, take a mild laxative. After a month, to avoid the development of persistent carbophobia, you should take a break - from two to four weeks. This will restore disturbed protein-carbohydrate balance and intestinal motility. When quitting a diet, you should not do too much: the diet must be balanced and strict, otherwise you will not only lose all your gains, but also gain additional fat deposits, and you will have to start the struggle. fight overweight again.