A carbohydrate-free diet is one of the most effective diets for losing weight and maintaining a stable weight. If you refuse to consume carbohydrate foods, the body goes into a ketone regime, starting to use available fat reserves as an energy source.
According to reviews, a diet without carbohydrates leads to rapid weight loss without fighting hunger. However, it is important to remember that a carbohydrate-free menu should contain sources of fiber and vitamins for the normal functioning of the metabolism.
// Carbohydrate-free diet - what is it?
A carbohydrate-free diet is the rejection of carbohydrate-containing foods for weight loss. Note that the diet does not imply a transition to exclusively carbohydrate-free foods - ultimately, carbohydrates should account for about 5% of the daily calorie intake.
With the restriction of carbohydrates in food, the work of metabolism changes - the level of sugar in the blood decreases and the production of insulin decreases. In fact, the rejection of carbohydrates causing the body to spend reserves of fat, and not use glucose from fast carbohydrates.
It is also important that a diet without carbohydrates usually does not require calorie counting, which means that losing weight does not need to fight hunger. However, a carbohydrate-free diet (especially a complete keto diet) should not be followed for more than 2-3 months in a row. Otherwise, it may be harmful to health.
// Carbohydrate-free diet:
- proteins - 20% of the calorie intake
- fats - 75%
- carbohydrates - 5%
// Read more:
- keto diet - the ultimate guide
- most effective diets
- calories per day - how to calculate?
How does a carbohydrate-free diet work?
With regular consumption of foods with fast carbohydrates, blood sugar levels are kept chronically high - which disrupts the metabolism of the hormone insulin. The body does not seem to understand that there are already enough calories and does not trigger saturation signals, requiring foods with carbohydrates and causing you to overeat.
Refusal of products with carbohydrates breaks this process. Carbohydrate-free nutrition first leads to a normalization of blood sugar, then insulin production decreases, and then the body (about 3-4 days) goes into a ketone mode of burning fat.
In addition, the restriction of carbohydrates usually leads to a decrease in caloric intake by 20-25%. In the absence of carbohydrate foods, calories come from proteins and fats - but it’s hard to eat too much of them on a carbohydrate-free keto diet.
// Read more:
- keto for beginners - daily menu
- fast carbohydrates - product list
- how to lose weight without sports and diets?
Carbohydrate-free diet reviews
Below are reviews of a carbohydrate-free diet left by Fitseven readers. If you want to leave your opinion, use the comment block at the end of the page:
The husband was on this diet. A month later, an acetone breath appeared. And the diet is actually very poor, although we could afford any meat, fish and vegetables, all the same, the food is the same every day. The husband lost weight, but this diet is no longer in any way. She is really heavy.
Julia
Working Diet. The third time I dry on it. Everything is correctly said.
Fat intake to burn fat.
Alexander
I was on a carbohydrate-free keto diet, for 2 days I went into a state of ketosis by starvation, and for 3 days I injected proteins. I lost 10 kg in 2 weeks! But you have to drink a lot of water!
Dinah
Carbohydrate-Free Diet - Nutrition
Despite the name, a carbohydrate-free diet does not require a reduction in carbohydrates in food to zero. The complete absence of carbohydrates harms the digestive process and robs the body of almost all vitamins, since protein and fat products cannot serve as a complete replacement.
The acceptable upper limit for carbohydrate intake on a carbohydrate-free diet is 50 g for women and 80 g for men per day¹. This amount will not interfere with the process of losing weight, since most of them are consumed by the brain. However, the source of carbohydrates in the diet plays a crucial role.
// Read more:
- fiber-rich foods
- glycemic index - tables
- what is there to lose weight?
Carbohydrate-Free Food Table
A carbohydrate-free diet should be based on various meat and dairy products (meat, fish, eggs, cheese), healthy fats (from olive oil and coconut fat, ending with nuts and avocados) and green vegetables (broccoli, green beans, lettuce) - sources of fiber and vitamins.
In the absence of fresh vegetables, low-carb foods such as beans, lentils and other legumes, buckwheat and quinoa in small quantities (not more than 50 g per day), as well as one small fruit in the morning for breakfast are allowed.
Carbohydrate-free foods - what can I eat?
// Carbohydrate products (prohibited):
- Bread and flour products
- Any pasta
- Any baking
- Potato
- White polished rice
- Fruit and fruit juices
- Sweet Carbonated Drinks
- Chocolate, sweets, jam and honey
- Ice cream
// Medium carb products (moderate in quantity):
- Milk
- Nuts
- Cheese, Butter and Sour Cream
- Beans and Lentils
- Brown rice
- Buckwheat and quinoa
- Corn
- Squashes and Tomatoes
// Carbohydrate-free products (acceptable in reasonable quantities):
- Any meat, poultry and fish
- Eggs
- Vegetable oils
- Green vegetables
- Salad leaves
- Whey Protein
- Curd
- Low fat cheese
- Water, coffee and tea without sugar
Carbohydrate-Free Diet: Example Menu
The menu below for carbohydrate-free nutrition is calculated for men with a height of 175-180 cm and a weight of 80-85 kg., Having 20-25% body fat. Recall that to calculate the daily calorie intake, it is important to know exactly how much fat is in the body - it is not taken into account in the calculations, since it is ballast.
The initial daily calorie intake is 2400 kcal; calories for weight loss - 2000 kcal; daily intake of carbohydrates - not more than 80 g (320 kcal); fat intake - not more than 40-50% of the total calorie content (from 800 to 1000 kcal or 80-100 g of fat), total protein intake - the remaining 640 kcal (160 g).
// Breakfast
- Three eggs with milk, cheese or bacon (420 kcal; 24 g protein, 35 g fat, 2 g char.)
- Apple and a serving of protein shake (200 kcal; 24 g protein, 2 g fat, 20 g coal.)
// Lunch
- Fried chicken breast, 200 g (350 kcal; 60 g protein, 15 g fat, 1 g char)
- Serving of lentils, 60 g (212 kcal; 15 g protein, 0 g fat, 36 g coal)
- Olive oil, 10 g (90 kcal; 10 g fat)
// Snack
- Serving protein shake (120 kcal; 24 g protein, 1 g fat, 2 g coal)
- A handful of almonds, 30 g (170 kcal; 6 g protein, 15 g fat, 6 g coal)
// Dinner
- Salmon steak, 150 g (220 kcal; 32 g protein, 9 g fat, 0 g coal)
- Serving of green beans, 150 g (50 kcal; 3 g protein, 0 g fat, 10 g coal)
- Olive oil, 10 g (90 kcal; 10 g fat)
Total: 1960 kcal, 185 g protein, 100 g fat, 80 g carbohydrates.
***
A carbohydrate-free diet is one of the most effective methods of fast weight loss. It is important to remember that carbohydrate does not exclude carbohydrates at all, but only significantly limits them - otherwise there is a high probability of difficulty in digestion and the development of a chronic lack of vitamins.
Scientific sources:
Source: fitseven.com
- The Ketogenic Diet: A complete guide for the Dieter and Practitioner, Lyle McDonald. source