Eating a low carbohydrate diet can be great for weight loss
but make sure you are also eating smart for your health.
You need to think about weight loss for short term and long
term success. The tips below have helped many of my clients
lose weight and keep it off and if they do not work, then
you simply are not overeating carbohydrates and need to
take a different approach.
To make these tips more useful I would suggest writing down
everything you ate yesterday so that you can make notes as
you read through the suggestions.
The first carbohydrate to assess is the sweets. This
includes any desserts and also beverages with added sugar.
Do not count diet or sugar free foods or beverages. Circle
or highlight all of those sweets you had yesterday. Then
try to reduce that intake down to one serving daily.
Examples of a serving could be one small to medium cake or
brownie, 2 cookies, 1 regular 12oz soda, or 1 regular size
candy bar.
Carbohydrate cravings are a common problem, especially
chocolate cravings. Try planning one serving into your day
instead of cutting them out completely and you will tend to
feel less deprived. If you find you are eating large
amounts of sweets try gradually cutting down the amount
more gradually. For example if you are eating 10 servings
daily try first reducing to 6 servings and gradually work
your way down.
Next, look at your starch intake. Sweets and refined
starch carbohydrates are generally low in nutrients and
fiber, and often do not satisfy our hunger for long. Check
to see if any of your starch foods are whole grain. Look at
some of the starch foods in your kitchen such as the
breads, pasta, crackers, and cereals. Check the ingredients
list below the Nutrition Facts label for whole grains. The
word whole needs to be in the first few ingredients.
Examples would be whole wheat, whole oats, or whole grain.
Why is whole grain important? Whole grains still have all
3 parts of the grain (bran, endosperm, and germ) after
milling. This keeps all the natural nutrients, including
vitamins, minerals and antioxidants intact rather than
being lost in processing. Now - practice substituting
whole grains for your refined starches over the next
several weeks and try to make at least half of your
starches/grains whole grains.
Don't cut your fruit intake. In fact, you really want to
increase your intake of fresh or frozen fruit and
vegetables because you will get more fiber and nutrients
for very little calories - and they help satisfy hunger and
often that sweet craving.
You can also continue drinking milk even though it has
natural carbohydrate. It is still a calcium source - just
keep the portion to about 8 ounces.
Make sure your overall carbohydrate intake is not too
restrictive. If you are feeling weak with no energy for
exercise then you have cut back too much. Some fad diets
will suggest you completely eliminate carbohydrates for a
while but this is not necessary and definitely not a
healthy long term solution.
One last tip - try to also spread out your carbohydrate
intake over the day and not load up at any one meal. Small
snacks are often necessary for hunger control. These tips
should help you jump start your weight loss and I wish you
well on your healthy carb-controlled eating!
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Karen Marschel, RD, LD, CDE is a registered licensed
dietitian providing personalized online nutrition programs
for weight problems, diabetes prevention, migraines,
fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome. For more food
and nutrition tips sign up for her free newsletter at
http://www.DietMN.com
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