Low Carb Diet Guidelines

A low-carb diet like the Atkins diet can help burn excess fat and boost energy levels by reducing the amount of wasteful carbohydrates and sugars in your meals. Low-carb diets do not require you to eat a single type of food or take a pill. They just require a good understanding of how carbs work, how to follow a low-carb diet, and ways to avoid eating the wrong foods.

Understand Carbs

Before you begin a low-carb diet, you should know how to calculate net carbs, and also the difference between good and bad carbs. Net carbs are essentially all carbohydrate grams minus dietary fiber grams. Dietary fiber actually slows the breakdown of carbohydrates into your blood stream, so every gram allows you to consume more carbohydrates. In fact, the difference between good and bad carbs has to do with how quickly they turn into glucose for your blood. Bad carbs like simple sugars found in processed foods go to blood stream instantly, spiking energy levels high for a few minutes before quickly crashing. Good carbs, from vegetables and whole grains, have sustained energy because they often include dietary fiber.

Induction Phase

When you understand how the carbs are counted in a low-carb diet, you can begin the induction phase recommended by the Atkins diet. The induction phase lets your body burn leftover stored carbs by dramatically reducing your carb intake to only 20 grams of net carbs. You are also limited to eating foods from the induction food list. It is suggested that you vary your foods by combining ingredients, as in stuffed bell peppers with ground beef. Salads that include lean meats on the list are another way to get net carbs.

Preparing Foods

One difficulty with a low carb diet is finding time to prepare meals because of the number of fruits and vegetables involved. However, if you prep your vegetables on the weekend, you won't be susceptible to processed "convenience" foods or meals at fast-food restaurants. Create a meal plan and then buy your ingredients during the weekend. Cut up your vegetables, put them in separate plastic containers in your fridge and they'll be ready when you need them.