Starting A Low-Carb Diet

 So you’ve decided to reduce the carbohydrate in your diet. Now what? It’s time to think ahead a bit so you can have your best chance of success. Here are some steps to give you a strong start.

First, I should explain that depending what type of carbs you eat now, cutting carbs doesn’t always result in weight loss. Vegetables are carbs and if you eat fresh green vegetables you can’t cut those out. 

If you’re eating a lot of bakery goods like bread and cakes and processed foods like pizza, fries, etc., you can definitely cut back on those carbs. So what I’m saying is to cut back on the right stuff and you can lose weight.

1. Become Informed

Read about various low-carb diets, or zero in on one. Ideally, read one of the books and become familiar with the principles. Above all, don’t fall for the common myths about eating low carb – such as that there are no vegetables or fruit, that it can’t be healthy, that it has to be boring, etc.

Like other ways of eating, low-carb eating can be healthy or not, balanced or not, and there is certainly no reason for it to be boring. Rest assured that science is on the side of cutting carbs – perhaps not for everyone, but for many of us.

I found this article on the VeryWell website and there’s good information here for all of us. Many people have a hard time losing weight. They try diet after diet and nothing seems to work and they quit in disgust.

You can be on the wrong type of diet and never lose weight. You can’t simply copy what someone else is doing and think you’ll have the same results. Some people have success with a low-carb diet and some with a low-fat diet. There are several different types and sometimes we need a dietatition or your doctor to help you pick the right plan. If low-carb is for you than finish reading this post. I personally like a low-carb, low-fat diet.

2. Start Making Easy Changes

While you are learning about low-carb eating, you can start to make some changes towards reducing unhealthy carbs in your diet. Choose one or two things to change at a time. You may be surprised that some results can be achieved with less effort than you thought. Search the internet for help:

7 Easy Steps to Help You Cut Carbs
6 Simple Low-Carb Food Rules
How to Cut Down on Sugar
3. Decide on an Approach

There is no one low-carb diet. The popular plans span a range of carb levels and food choices, though essentially all of them cut out most sugars and at least some starches.

Again, the best thing to do is to read one of the books – go to your library and browse, and zero in on something that looks doable to you. Essentially all of the popular books can be purchased used online for very little money.

Alternatively, if you just know you’re not the kind to read a book and follow someone else’s idea of a diet, the “No White Diet” works for many people.

Basically, you just stop eating food with sugars, white flour (pasta, bread, cake, donuts, etc), white rice, and potatoes (some include milk). This effectively cuts back on the carbohydrate in your diet, especially the high glycemic types. Just realize that there are also white foods, such as tofu, cauliflower, and onions, that are low in carb and good for you!

Another option is to use my Low-Carb Food Pyramid as a guide. Many people have written to me to report that following these simple guidelines allowed them to be successful.

4. Get Familiar with What You Can Eat

It’s easy to fall into thinking a lot about what you can’t eat, but much more productive to focus on what you can eat. At first, it’s probably best to keep it simple – for example, you could just eat the same dinner as before, substituting vegetables for the starch. Remember there are good carbs and bad carbs and you want to cut out the bad carbs.

”What You can Eat”

Vegetables
Fruit
Meats
Dairy

5. Plan Your First Week

Nothing stops a new eating plan faster than getting to the fourth day and realizing you have no idea what to snack on, or fix for dinner. Planning a full week of menus and snacks gives you a buffer period when you don’t have to worry about it. I learned that the hard way, planning a menu for several days at one time is the key to succeeding.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page.