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Low Carb Dieting
Carbohydrates are an essential part of your body's life and health.
Technically, a person can attempt to have a no carb eating style, simply by
choosing to eat meats only. It's almost impossible to get no carbs into your
eating at all during the day, though, because there are small amounts of carbs
in everyday things such as eggs, cheese, milk, vegetables and fruits. Even
some natural foods have high amounts of carbs, so unless you tried to eat meat
only and drink water only, the chance of you eliminating carbs entirely is
pretty slim.
Carbs are a highly misunderstood part of the weight gain and weight loss
process. Carbohydrates are meant to be a quick source of fuel for our bodies
and brains. Anyone who works out or exercises intensely needs a higher amount
of carbs to provide their muscles and body with the energy for their work out.
The catch, though, is the amount extra carbs they need is a personal thing.
Each person's body responds differently to carbs, and each person's weight and
body fat goals are different too. So, if someone were trying to lose extra
body fat, they may restrict the amount of carbohydrates they're eating even
when working out intensely, because this helps them to burn body fat faster.
Someone who is trying to maintain their body weight, though, will usually need
more carbs than a couch potato kind of person, because they're exercising
their body much more than the person who's sitting on the couch all day.
This is one of the areas where problems and misunderstandings occur with
carbohydrates. What you need each day and what I need each day are probably
drastically different. There are some people who can eat 500 grams of carbs
each day and never have a weight or body fat problem. Others, though, might
eat just 100 grams each day and still struggle with weight gain and body fat.
That's why a blanket statement such as "eat 5 servings each day" is not good
advice for just anyone.
Because carbs are designed to give us quick energy, if we eat them but don't
use them they'll get stored as fat on our body. The body decides that it will
save them for when they're needed later. The problem, of course, is that we
don't need them later either, and to make matters worse we've already eaten
more of them too.
If that weren't bad enough, though, there are different types of carbs to know
about as well. If we eat the simple carbs such as those found in candy, cake,
white breads, white pasta and so on, those turn to fat inside our body very
quickly unless they're used. These are simple carbs because they're so easy
for our body to process and put to use. They're extremely useful for very fast
bursts of energy - such as when we're running a marathon - but they're
extremely problematic if they're not needed and not used.
More complex carbohydrates will give us more sustained energy. These are not
as easy to break down and assimilate in the body, plus they contain a wealth
of nutrients and vitamins the body needs to extract from them. So, they're
still a source of fast energy, but they have a longer term and more important
purpose within our body, thus they're not turned to fat nearly as quickly as
the simple carbs are.
Protein and fiber are extremely critical to the entire process too. Fiber is
needed to help fill us up while we're eating, plus it assists our body in
being able to remove wastes and toxins efficiently. Protein is the long term
source of energy for our bodies, and it's also where the body gets the
majority of it's nutrition and building block materials. Protein is what gives
us strong muscles and bones, provides us with healthy teeth and hair, and
keeps our bodies supplied with energy for much longer periods of time. It's
used for endurance and strength instead of fast spurts of action.
Many people don't realize it, but the whole premise behind most of the popular
low carb diets today is somewhat hidden. These diets are meant to tell you to
stop eating carbohydrates. They're actually trying to get you to start eating
better ones instead, while also adding the longer term healthy foods our
bodies are lacking. Low carb diets tell you to stop eating sugary foods, white
flour foods and other quick and simple starches. Instead of those, though,
they tell you to eat whole grains, vegetables, fruits and high quality
protein.
So, while you're cutting out the simple carbs which are bad for your body,
you're also adding much more healthy sources. At the same time, though, you're
learning more about your individual and unique body needs. You're able to
learn more about how much carbohydrates are "right" for your particular body
and your specific weight loss, fat loss or weight maintenance goals.
When your body isn't getting enough carbohydrates each day to sustain your
current activity levels, it will start breaking down the stored body fat and
using that for energy too. This is why low carb diets tend to work so well for
people who follow them properly.
The best approach to carbohydrate eating, is to only eat what your body needs
in the short term. If you don't plan to run a mile after lunch, then you'd be
better off avoiding the bread basket and pasta during your meal. If you find
yourself not being able to resist those high simple carb foods, though, then
try eating just one fourth of what you normally would. Take a piece of a bread
roll instead of the whole thing for instance, and order a half portion or
quarter portion of pasta with plenty of meat sauce and vegetables to round it
all out.
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