SuperLowCarb.com - Carbohydrate

Lose The Carbohydrate From Your Diet, People

You don't want to take in a carbohydrate. Trust us on this one.

You need to keep track of what you consume. That's because when your body doesn't have carbohydrates to burn for fuel, it starts burning fat. But you have to be careful when you're carbohydrate counting because a diet can have some dangerous side effects if done long-term.

How Low Carb Diets Work

Most people need 130 grams of carbs a day, and that's even while trying to lose weight. Those who want to maintain their current weight can have more. And most of us eat well over the amount we actually need, which is why our country is so overweight. But most low low carbohydrate diets limit you to 20-40 grams of carbs a day (or less) during the first two weeks. To do this, you need to cut out foods like white bread, pasta, white rice, desserts and alcohol from your diet. Instead, you eat as much protein and fat as you want, which means you can have as much meat, cheese and as many eggs as you want.

When you've limited your carbohydrateintake to 20-40 grams a day for a while, your body will go into a state called "ketosis." At this point, your body stops using the glucose (which it used to get from carbs) as fuel and starts burning fatty acids instead. So essentially, ketosis occurs when you're burning fat.

Carbohydrate Counting for Success

Chances are, if you're just starting a diet with low carbs, you don't know how many you eat in a day. So, first things first. Start by checking the labels of the foods you currently eat. Measure the amount of cereal you eat each day and do the math according to the serving size. (For example, if you eat 1 cup of Raisin Bran each day, but the nutrition information on the label is for a 3/4 cup serving, adjust the math accordingly, don't adjust what you eat. Not yet anyway.)

Just keep track of your normal intake for a few days. Seriously, start carbohydrate counting.
Or even better--a week--just to see how many carbs you are used to eating. You might be surprised.
Then you have to ask yourself if reducing your intake to 20-40 grams of carbs a day is realistic for you.

If it's not, then just reduce your carb intake gradually. Make minor changes until you've reached a point where you think a low carb diet is actually doable. If it's not, then try to limit your carb intake to just 130 grams a day. And make sure you make good carbohydrate choices, meaning instead of white bread, eat whole wheat bread. Instead of sugary snacks and desserts, eat fruit. Instead of white rice, eat brown or long grain rice.

Instead of regular pasta, eat whole wheat pasta. Instead of chips, eat fresh cut veggies. Easier said than done, we know. But if you make gradual changes, it becomes a way of life, and eventually sugary foods will be a thing of the past.