Are you making any of these low carb diet mistakes?
Don’t unknowingly sabotage your fat loss efforts. Don’t find yourself making some of these common low carb diet mistakes!
- You’re still eating too many carbs. Although you may have cut way back on carbs from what you used to eat, you still may not be low enough. If ketosis is your goal, you need to be at 50 grams/day or less. This likely means only non-starchy vegetables.
- Being afraid of eating fats. Eating low carb AND low fat is a big mistake! You need to get calories (energy) from somewhere. If you (nearly) cut out 2 of 3 macronutrients for more than a short period of time, your body will revolt. Hormone and thyroid problems are 2 examples…and these are very hard to fix!
- Eating too much protein. Many low carb dieters wind up eating too much lean animal protein. Some of the amino acids in the protein will be turned into glucose via a process called gluconeogenesis. This can be a problem when trying to obtain ketosis. Make sure fats are high – in the 60% of calories range.
- Carb timing not right. Eat low glycemic carbs immediately before and/or after intense strength or interval training. If you are on a rest day, eat most of your carbs at dinner, not at breakfast.
- Eating the wrong carbs. Just because a package says “low carb” or “Atkins approved”, etc, does not mean you should be eating it. Most everything that comes in a package is crap. The bottom line: Eat real food. Also, beware of fruit. If you’re goal is ketosis or significant insulin reduction, fruit should not be consumed.
- Relying on artificial sweeteners to get your sugar fix. Artificial sweeteners trick and confuse your body, still causing insulin spikes which make you hungry and craving more sweets. Not to mention artificial sweeteners are just plain horrible for you!
- Not getting enough fiber. This will cause an imbalance of bacteria in your gut causing constipation, digestive discomfort, and inflammation. In addition, the blood will carry an acidic load which causes a break down of muscle and bone. Yikes! Load up on high fiber veggies as your carb source.
- Not adding in any carb “re-feed” (carb loading) days – ever. Long term very low carb diets lead to total depletion, low immunity, and decreased metabolic function. Re-feeding needs vary greatly from person to person, obtain advice from a professional.
- Not getting enough sleep. This will adversely affect hormones, and hormones are always in charge!
- Not sticking to the plan. Be patient! Results will vary from person to person, and week to week. Stay the course and trust the process.
Low carb diet mistakes can sabotage your fat loss efforts which can be really frustrating. Nutrition is a science. Make sure you do things right. Keep in mind that there’s no cookie-cutter nutrition plan that works for everyone, some degree of trial and error will help determine what’s best for you.
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