Carbohydrates and the Low Carbohydrate Diet : Part 4
Part : 1
2
3
For your low carbohydrate diet ("low carb diet")
to be a success, it’s absolutely critical that you understand carbohydrates
("carbs") and their roles, how to select the right kind of
carbohydrates and the carbs to avoid, and several low carbohydrate diet
techniques that can help you achieve excellent results. In addition
to this helpful article on low carbohydrate diets, be sure to take our
FREE
Fitness
Analysis
! Once you've completed the brief questionnaire, you'll receive specific
weight loss recommendations based on your responses, as well as information
on your very own customized low carbohydrate diet program. As a special
thank you, you'll also receive the new e-book, Big Fat Lies, absolutely
FREE of charge. Click
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There are all sorts of low carbohydrate diet plans out
there that can help you lose weight (not necessarily fat), but they
are so miserable that it's impossible to stay on them very long - even
more difficult is keeping the results you achieved before going off
the low carbohydrate diet program. We wanted to create a low carb plan
that was both VERY effective and a pleasure to implement all along the
way. The GHF Customized Diet Plan is just that! Click
here
to learn more!
There's no question that a low carbohydrate diet can be
effective. However, it may seem like the disadvantages outweigh the
benefits. Fortunately, there is a solution to these problems and it
is called "carbohydrate cycling." In fact, much of The GHF
Customized Diet Plan Meal Plan, a very effective, personalized low carbohydrate
diet foundation is based on a very effective fat-loss strategy called
"Carbohydrate Cycling."
Carbohydrate cycling might just be the most effective low
carbohydrate diet method of losing body fat ever devised! This technique
has been one of the most well-kept secrets of bodybuilders and fitness
models, but it can be used by just about anyone to accelerate fat loss
or break a fat-loss plateau.
Carbohydrate cycling when on a low carbohydrate diet is
the practice of rotating lower carb days with higher carb days instead
of keeping carbohydrates at a constant all the time. This method allows
you to burn fat at an accelerated rate during the lower carb days and
then to replenish your glycogen (carbohydrate) stores on your higher
days. This helps to prevent your metabolism from slowing down and makes
your nutrition plan much easier to stick with because you have a higher
calorie/higher carb day to look forward to and enjoy.
There are no hard and fast rules about how to cycle your
carbohydrates on a low carbohydrate diet, but the most common method
is to take three days on lower carbs followed by one day on higher carbs.
Another method is to eat lower carbs Monday through Friday, followed
by an entire weekend (Saturday and Sunday) of "carbing up."
The cycling method that worked best for me, another low
carbohydrate diet method you may want to try, was simply making Wednesday
and Saturday my higher carb days. So, Sunday through Tuesday would be
my lower carb days-the 3-day period that decreased my glycogen stores
for maximum fat-burning efficiency, before I replenished carbs on Wednesday.
I then depleted my glycogen stores again on Thursday and Friday by decreasing
my carbs before I refueled again on Saturday and started the low carbohydrate
diet cycle over again.
The reasons I chose Wednesday and Saturday as my higher
carb days on my low carbohydrate diet were two-fold. First, I play in
a basketball league on Wednesday and Saturday and therefore needed more
carbs on these days for the energy to play well. Second, we usually
go out to eat or have friends over Saturday evening and it was a little
more difficult to keep carbs at a lower level when dining out or entertaining.
(You'll notice that foods on Wednesday and Saturday within The GHF Customized
Diet Plan Meal Plan, a very effective, personalized low carbohydrate
diet, are higher in carbs for the reasons explained above. )
http://malefitness.net/go.php?go=http://http://www.global-fitness.com/ghfdiet/ghfdiet.php
Carbohydrate needs are very individual when on a low carbohydrate
diet. Remember: there is no single low carbohydrate diet that works
for everyone. Because of hormonal differences, some people can't seem
to lose weight unless they reduce their carbohydrate intake, while others
can eat bagels and pasta all day long and have "6-pack abs."
Therefore, how many carbs you can eat and what cycle is best for you
depends on your body type. The only way to determine how many grams
of carbs is right for you on your low carbohydrate diet and the best
time to eat them is to experiment until you find your "optimal
level" and your preferred "carb cycle." The more you
experiment, the more you'll learn about yourself and the better results
you'll achieve.
So, if you think Wednesday and Saturday will work best
for your higher carbs days, then you can follow The GHF Customized Diet
Plan Meal Plan, a very effective, personalized low carbohydrate diet,
as is. However, if this Wed/Saturday carb cycle is not conducive to
your low carbohydrate diet schedule or you wish to experiment with one
of the other cycles mentioned above you'll need to modify the higher
carb days within the meal plans a bit. (If you need help with this,
simply email me and I'll be happy to offer my recommendations.)
On average, when "carbohydrate cycling" on a
low carbohydrate diet, women will want to consume 125-175 grams of carbs
on lower days and about 200 to 300 grams of carbs on higher days. Men
will want to consume 175-225 grams or carbs on lower days and 350-400
grams of carbs on high days. These are just averages, as every person
is different, but a general guideline nonetheless. Please let me know
if you need help in deciding the right amount for you to begin experimenting
with.
Moderate carbohydrate restriction with a low carbohydrate
diet, especially of simple processed carbs, combined with carbohydrate
cycling is probably the most effective low carbohydrate diet strategy
ever! However, low carbohydrate diets, when taken to the extreme, may
do more harm than good. Never cut your carbs out completely; in fact,
I wouldn't ever recommend going lower than 30% and, for most people,
40%. It's not wise to go to extremes in anything and this is as true
for dieting as with anything else in life: moderation is the key.
Refer to The GHF Customized Diet Plan Meal Plan, a very
effective, personalized low carbohydrate diet, for excellent ideas on
a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat. Then be sure to experiment
and modify these meals specifically to how you feel and to the progress
you begin making. That is, if you feel weak or lack energy, you may
to increase the amount of starchy and fibrous carbs in your meals. On
the other hand, if you have plenty of energy but aren't experiencing
much fat loss, you may be "carbohydrate-sensitive/insulin resistant"
and need to slightly (and gradually) decrease the amount of carbs you're
consuming, especially of refined simple ("sugary") carbs.
For every meal within The GHF Customized Diet Plan
Meal Plan, a very effective, personalized low carbohydrate diet, you'll
find easy-to-follow suggestions for modifying the foods to either contain
more complete proteins, complex carbs, or unsaturated fats. Use these
suggestions and continually experiment; really listen to your body and
monitor your progress closely so as to customize this low carbohydrate
diet plan specifically for you.
Click
here
to learn more about the GHF Customized Diet Plan - our low carbohydrate
diet program that is chock full of very effective low carb diet strategies
designed to turn your body into a 24-hour fat-burning machine. It's
literally a low carbohydrate diet blueprint for achieving the very best
results in the shortest period of time by eating the perfect foods combined
at the right times in the right amounts - all customized specifically
for you. And don’t forget, click here to take our FREE
Fitness
Analysis
for a free sample low carbohydrate diet plan and for the book, Big Fat
lies!
This article was provided by GHF.
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here to visit their site for customized exercise and nutrition programs,
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