Low Carb Tips

Welcome to LowCarbTips.org, the site created to help you learn more about low-carbohydrates diets. As with all major lifestyle changes, please consult your medical practitioner before starting…

Low-carbohydrate diets or low carb diets, are food diet programs for dietary health as well as weight loss that advocate restricted carbohydrate consumption, based on research that ties carbohydrate consumption with increased blood insulin levels, and increased insulin with obesity.

Under these various dietary programs, foods containing carbohydrates (like sugar, grains, and starches) are limited or replaced in favor of foods containing more protein and fat. Vegetables, though classified as carbohydrates, are thought to be far healthier than grain-based carbohydrates.

Weight loss
Programs such as the South Beach, Atkins and Zone diets, are claimed to work because they reduce insulin levels, which in turn causes the body to burn its fat for energy.

As a process, these kinds of diets have been in and out of fashion since the Banting diet appeared in the 19th century. But long before modern scientific invention, anecdotal and holistic prescriptions, containing passages about limiting certain foods, including foods of mostly carbohydrates, have appeared throughout history. Although strong evidence suggests, and general agreement claims, that low carb diets can help achieve weight loss, some have been controversial among nutritionists, and their relative safety has been challenged.

Differences between low-carbohydrate diets
Low-carb diets are largely distinguished by the proportions of carb intake they recommend, and the method or methods used to determinine which source or sources of carbohydrates should be consumed and which should be avoided. While all agree that processed sugar should be eliminated, or at the very least greatly reduced, they often differ on the recommended levels of grains, fruits and vegetables, though there is broad agreement that, in general, vegetables are better than fruits, and fruits are better than grains.

Food producers have ascribed a commercial impact to the growing popularity of low-carbohydrate diets in recent years. For example, in May 2004, New World Pasta filed for bankruptcy protection, claiming that low-carbohydrate diets were reducing demand for pasta. In the same month, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts warned investors that its earnings would be below projections, and blamed low-carbohydrate diets on reduced demand for its products.

Other producers have taken advantage of the trend. In response to consumer demand for low-carb foods, the food industry has been marketing low-carb products in recent years and restaurants are increasingly offering low carb menus. These items typically replace carbohydrate-laden wheat flour with high-protein soy flour and replace sugar with artificial sweeteners such as sucralose and sugar alcohols.

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The Low Carb Craze and Other Dieting Mistakes

By: Bill Belfert

Dear BMTers,
Low carb this and low carb thatthats all you hear nowadays. Kinda reminds me of something that was the craze a few years agoThe Low or No Fat CrazeCan you remember where that got us? Still Fat!!!

Well my friends this Low Carb Craze is going to bring us to the same exact placeYepStill Fat!

Listen, anyone who tries Low carb dieting will experience some Short Term successbut its only short term.
I know some of you are tired of hearing me repeat myself but any diet or exercise machine in and of itself will not work!

A successful Fitness Program must incorporate 5 Strategies:
1. A Compelling Reason to Change

2. Proper Nutrition

3. Progressive Resistance Training

4. Moderate Aerobic Exercise

5. Consistency

If youre missing any one of these strategies you will not experience the success that you crave.

Why the Low Carb diets without Progressive Resistance Training will not work in the long run.

We need to build lean muscle on our bodies.

Why do we need to build lean muscle on our bodies? Building lean muscle will boost metabolism and that is what we want to achieve.

Youll even start burning more calories even while you rest.

Right now Im going to let you in on one of the biggest secrets on burning fat ever revealed:

Lean Muscle Burns Fat!

And, the more lean muscle you have, the more fat you will burn. That is a statement that you can take to the bank!

I guarantee it!

Listen, all these people that go on these Fad diets are really losing water and lean muscle weight.
They Are Not Losing Any Fat Whatsoever!

How can they be if I just got finished telling you that in order for us to lose any fat,(and I did mean any fat!) you must have lean muscle tissue for the fat to go be burned up in?

Our bodies are smart; our fat just cant go away it must be burned up in a muscle cell.

And if youre not doing any Progressive Weight Resistance Training, well then, youre not building any new lean muscle tissue.
Which means, you guessed ityou wont be burning fat any time soon!!!

Dont you see? The people that go on these Fad (starvation) diets turn into skinny fat people. Sure they lose weight, but they lose the wrong kind of weight.

Since these people usually dont perform any weight resistance training and are only probably taking diet pills, and doing hours of aerobic exercise,

they are losing water (from the low calorie, low carb diet) and lean muscle (from doing to much aerobic exercise and not having the right amount and the proper ratios of food in their bodies).

So what is left?

FAT!!!

They have no muscle tone whatsoever!
What these people should be doing is learning how to lift weights and get stronger progressively!

The only way to do that is

Get A Little Stronger Each And Every Workout

If youre not getting stronger each and every workout than you are doing something wrong!

Then all you have to do is add:

A Compelling Reason to Change, Proper Nutrition, Moderate Aerobic Exercise, and Consistency to be Successful

A great example of dieting the wrong way in my opinion is Anna Nicole Smiths recent weight loss.

From a distance she looks great! But get closer and clear the smoke and you will find that she transformed herself into what I explained before a skinny fat person.

Did you hear her interviewed lately on shows like Larry King Live and Regis and Kelly?

She says she takes Trim Spas Ephedra Free Diet Pills. And she eats like only once per day if shes lucky. And I would bet my life, kids, wife, and the house that she never ever does a workout with weights on a consistent basis!!!

So lets see what happened
Most people think that to lose excess body fat, they must stop eating altogether. This is where they are totally wrong.

Starvation(what else would you call not eating?) triggers a metabolic response where, your metabolism will actually slow down and become more efficient in order to preserve body tissue in the case of a shortage of future nutrition.

This is precisely what we dont want. Another way people think theyre eating right is having fruit & coffee for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and a bowl of pasta for dinner.

Nope, thats not the answer either. Some people dont eat anything the whole day and save themselves for a big huge dinner! Thats not the answer either.

To find the answer, you have to think back to caveman days. Back then, there were no supermarkets or convenience stores to easily get whatever you want and whenever you want it.

The caveman didnt know when his next meal was coming. He only ate when he made the big kill and would literally gorge and overstuff himself until he couldnt move! Why? Because he knew that he might not eat again for days or even worseweeks.

What this did was make our bodies very bad at processing our food. Since our bodies didnt know when we were going to eat next, they were forced to revert into something known as

Survival Mode

Whenever you eat, your digestive system converts most of your food(especially large amounts of carbohydrates) to glucose (blood sugar). Its a very complicated process but Ill do my best to sum it up in a nutshell

Anytime we eat while were in survival mode, because of the molasses-pace the metabolism is at, the body converts most of the glucosein conjunction with the hormone insulinto fat.

This is why people who constantly starve themselves can gain weight while eating only once a day!

Wed like to speed up our metabolism, but unfortunately over thousands and thousands of years our bodies havent changed much from the days of the cave man.

Every time we eat, our bodies are already automatically going to convert it to fateven if its fat free! Wheres the justice???

So how do we change our body from fat storer to fat burner? We have to learn to use proper nutrition.

So the question iswhat is proper nutrition? OK in a nutshell, my idea of proper nutrition is 4 to 5 portion-controlled, balanced meals about every 3 hours throughout the day.

By eating this way throughout the day, youll effortlessly speed up your metabolism.

Think of it this way. If you have a campfire burning and you dont add wood to the fire, eventually the campfire will burn out.

But if you add a little wood every few hours, the campfire will continue to burn, and burn nice and hot! So you see, the human metabolism is like the firenever or rarely feed it, and it will slow down.

Feed it every few hours and it has no choice but to speed up.

What Is A Portion-Controlled Meal You Ask?

A portion-controlled meal is sensible portion of a lean protein, a sensible portion of a starchy carbohydrate, and a sensible portion of a fibrous carbohydrate.

Lean protein foods:
- Skinless chicken breast
- Skinless turkey breast
- Tuna fish
- Most fish in general
- Egg whites
- Protein powder

Starchy carbohydrates:
- Sweet potato
- Potato
- Rice
- Pasta
- Oatmeal
- Whole grain wheat bread

Fibrous Carbohydrates:
- Corn
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Asparagus
- Peppers

Here are a few examples of a portion-controlled meal:

Chicken breast with corn & rice
Lean steak with potato & broccoli
Fish with rice & salad
Chicken pita sandwich
Egg white omelet with mushrooms & oatmeal or farina

A “typical” day of eating on Bare Minimum Training might be :

7:00am: egg white omelet and oatmeal
10:00am: yogurt with cottage cheese
1:00 pm: tuna pita sandwich
4:00 pm: mushroom turkey burger on a whole grain bun
7:00 pm: Salmon with rice
8 8-ounce glasses of spring water (throughout entire day)

So you see if Anna Nicole Smith does not start to implement Proper Nutrition and a sound fitness program like Bare Minimum Training

Shes setting yourself up for Failuresure she has short term success but eventually shell gain all the weight back!!!

I hope she doesnt gain the weight backbut she must change her ways if theres any hope for long term success.

Take care,
Bill Belfert

About the Author:

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If you have a topic you would like to have discussed or would like more information on a certain subject, just send me an email and let me know. It may take me a while to get to it, but I will. Your comments are welcome and appreciated. Send your inquiries to: Bill@Bare-Minimum-Training.com ============================================== ==============================================
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Bill Belfert is the author of Bare Minimum Training

To learn more about the complete Bare Minimum Training system and find out what the exercise infomercials DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW about losing weight, staying fit, and trimming down PERMANENTLY. Go to: www.Bare-Minimum-Training.com to see the stunning pictures and learn more. FREE AUDIO CD for a limited time. HURRY!
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Take Care, and Remember…Finally Get Your Life Back…
And Train Bare Minimally,

Bill Belfert
Body Transformation Specialist
Bare Minimum Training, LLC.
201-960-3824

http://www.Bare-Minimum-Training.com

Bill@Bare-Minimum-Training.com

Copyright 2004 – 2005. Bill Belfert, Managing Member Bare Minimum Training LLC. All rights reserved. No liability is assumed by Bare Minimum Training LLC., Nor the author for any information contained herein. This text does not provide medical advice. Specific medical advice should be obtained from a doctor. Bare Minimum Training LLC. advises all to consult a physician and gain medical clearance before you begin any new nutrition, exercise, or dietary supplement program.

About the Author

Bill Belfert, THE Worlds #1 No-B.S. Body Transformation Specialist, Shows Busy People How To Get EXTRAORDINARY Results FAST With His Breakthrough Weight Training Program & Total Fitness System By Only Going To The Gym Twice Per Week For 20 Minutes Or Less! AND, Whats More, You Only Need Moderate Cardio 3 Times Per Week For Only 18 Minutes!

http://www.Bare-Minimum-Training.com

Written By: Bill Belfert

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In recent years, carbohydrates have been labeled as the nutrition bad guy because of the increases in insulin that occurs during metabolic processes. The secretion of insulin is dependent primarily upon the concentration of blood glucose an increase of blood sugar brings about an increase in the secretion of insulin. Therefore, one function of insulin is to lower glucose.

Conversely, the body increases blood glucose levels by secreting another hormone called glucagon.
If blood glucose levels remain high, and that energy source is not burned shortly after it is consumed, the excess glucose is shuttled off to the muscles for storage. If the muscles have reached their limit in storage capacity, and the body does not require extra glucose to sustain body activities, the excess converts to fat.

Also, as insulin efficiently clears the blood of excess sugar, blood sugar levels oftentimes dip below normal and will produce the infamous sugar blues or a ‘downer’, followed by a possible craving for more sugar consumption. Lastly, while insulin levels are high or active, the body will not burn fat as energy since the body is attempting to utilize as much blood sugar as possible. (Note that fat is not used as a primary energy source while eating an energy-sufficient, healthy diet and fat is used more heavily only during periods of fasting and extensive aerobic-type exercise.) Hence, high-fat-low-carb advocates claim that we should not want:

1) Excess carbs to turn into fat (what do they think happens to excess fat and protein kcal?);

2) To feel groggy with low energy from the insulin ups and downs associated with high carbohydrate (sugar) consumption; and

3) High carbs in the diet since they prevent us from burning body fat.
Although these factors are true, the extent or magnitude of their validity varies in accordance to a number of conditions, such as:

i) How active is the individual?

ii) How many kcal is the individual ingesting (including carbs) per meal?

iii) What comprises an individual’s food and carbohydrate intake?

HOW ACTIVE ARE YOU?

The more active a person, the more carbohydrate he or she should consume. Also, the greater the physical activity, the less insulin the body produces since muscles become insulin sensitive after exercise and glucose tolerance improves as a result. The Food Guide/Pyramid recommends about 50% of kcal in the average individuals diet to be in the form of carbohydrate. Therefore, if a person is very active, the amount should be increased to about 60% since nearly every activity uses a great deal of blood glucose and muscle glycogen for energy, but only a smaller percentage of fat. In fact, athletes who consume a high-carb diet (60%) can maintain higher-intensity exercise longer than those following a low-carb diet (<40%). If a person is relatively sedentary, then much less energy is required, and 30-40% will suffice.

The bloodstream holds about only a one-hour supply of glucose and muscles store about only a half-days energy needs. The sugar requirements of the nervous system (including the brain, an organ that survives on nothing but sugar) for the average adult is approximately 100-150 g per day (and 100 g minimum to prevent ketosis, or 600 kcal). If a 90 kg/200 pound, moderately active man consumes 3,500 kcalories per day, this is equal to 17% of his total caloric intake... just for his nervous system. This does not take into account the remainder of his requirements, the energy required for metabolism of food, or his general activity levels such as work, sports, weight training, reading, housework, walking, etc.

Since this man is moderately active, about 55% of his kcal should be in the form of carbohydrate, or 1,925 kcal, or 481 grams. If he were very active, the percent should probably be closer to 60%. That leaves 20% for fat intake, and 25% for protein intake.

HOW MANY KCAL ARE YOU CONSUMING?

Although national surveys indicate that we are eating less fat now than 20 years ago, we are also eating more kcal. Consequently, a reduction in fat and an increase in carbohydrates are hardly the problem. Rather, it is the total number of kcal consumed that is of vital importance in fat gain. If total caloric intake is below maintenance levels, a person will reduce fat, even if 80% are in the form of carbohydrates. (In fact, Southeast Asian diets are 80-90% carbohydrate, yet these individuals, on average, are not considered overweight but underweight. Conversely, an Inuit [Eskimo] diet is only about 15% carbohydrate intake and most are overweight because of the high fat/calorie intake.)

In regard to energy levels, one pro-fat advocate recollected the days when he trained for 2+ hours per day, while he consumed about 6000 kcal per day, and yet felt tired all the time. At under 200 lbs bodyweight, this person never considered in general how such a large quantity of food caused his insulin levels to go awry. He further attributed his depression and chronic fatigue to his state of hypoglycemia, but the American Diabetic Association has repeatedly stated that there is no evidence in connection to these symptoms, including nervous breakdowns, juvenile delinquency, and childhood behavior problems. Moreover, what most people experience after a meal is a change in blood plasma glucose concentrations and not actual hypoglycemia, which is a serious medical condition that requires medical treatment.

WHAT TYPES OF CARBS DO YOU CONSUME?
The next factor to consider is the composition of meals and dietary carbohydrate consumption. Obviously simple sugars/empty kcal that consist of concentrated sweets and that come from low nutrient (junk) foods should be limited or eaten infrequently. By reducing the concentrated and simple sugars in the diet, this change could contribute to a reduction in the risk of obesity, Type II diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and tooth decay. But it is not so simple as to suggest that simple sugars create the greatest insulin spike since the effect of food on blood glucose depends on several factors that constitute a meals total glycemic index.

First, the ratio and types of foods must be considered. Fat helps to slow digestion and absorption processes, thereby resulting in a lower and a less steep insulin spike. Hence, a food with a high glycemic index (e.g., potato) can have little effect on rising blood sugar levels if it is eaten with a high fat food (e.g., steak). Fiber tends to have an effect in keeping blood glucose levels down, and eating sucrose with whole wheat bread will not cause problems even for a diabetic. In fact, diabetics can consume up to 50% carb intake, so long as most are low on the glycemic index to keep blood glucose response to a minimum.

Refined starches (white flour and rice, cornstarch, pasta, enriched breads, and breakfast cereals) digest and absorb a little slower than simple sugars, but these foods still should be limited within the diet. Complex starchy carbohydrates, such as sweet potatoes, winter squash, yams, unrefined grains and grain products (e.g., barley, brown rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, and whole wheat products) are the preferred source of energy since they are high in fiber and digest the slowest. Slow digestion means slow glucose conversion, energy which burns/oxidizes during body functions at about the same rate at which it is produced.

Further, the process of digesting carbohydrates as a whole burns more kcal than the digestion of an equivalent amount of fat. However, even refined and whole grain starches break down to produce glucose, with the excess storing as fat tissue. Nonetheless, it is over-consumption of whole grains that results in added fat, a situation which is no different than over-consumption of healthy essential fatty acids or proteins. Hence, it is not carbohydrates that cause problems of excess fat gain, but the choice and amount of carbohydrate.

The form of the food also alters the glycemic response because of the time it takes for the food to be digested and absorbed:

Liquid quickly digested and absorbed.

Dry opposite to the liquid state, resulting in a slower rate of digestion and absorption.

Finely Ground digests and absorbs better than dry because of a larger surface area, and this causes food to break down better and faster.

Raw more difficult to digest than cooked foods; usually harder and tougher and requires more time to be broken down, digested, and absorbed.

Cooked breaks down, digests, and absorbs faster than its raw counterpart.

OTHER REASONS FOR HIGH (SUFFICIENT) CARB INTAKE

A most important complimentary aspect of carbohydrate is its protein-sparing effect. When the body is low in energy or when it is deprived of sufficient kcal, it will use its glucose stores. Once depleted, the body uses protein to manufacture glucose. Consuming sufficient carbohydrates guarantees that minimal protein in the muscles will be catabolized for energy requirements. Conversely, low carb diets accelerate protein catabolism to produce energy by more than 100% than with a moderate to high carbohydrate diet (50-60%).

High-fat advocates further suggest that if carbohydrates in the diet are limited, the body will use fat for energy. Although fat can supply most of the bodys tissues with energy, if need be, it cannot supply energy for the brain, which requires glucose. Even during fasting, fat is used last as an energy source. Neither can fat optimally supply the body with energy required for intense weight training, the main fuel source required from carbohydrates. Even with aerobic exercise, muscles cannot function effectively on fat alone, but will utilize glucose simultaneously. Moreover, as the body hurriedly breaks down fat for energy on a low carb diet, the process is often incomplete and produces by-products that the body must eliminate.

About the Author

(May be reprinted freely if linked to www.ExerciseCertification.com)

Brian D. Johnston is the Director of Education and President of the I.A.R.T. fitness certification and education institute. He has written over 12 books and is a contributor author to the Merck Medical Manual. An international lecturer, Mr. Johnston wears many hats in the fitness and health industries, and can be reached at info@ExerciseCertification.com. Visit his site at www.ExerciseCertification.com for more free articles and offers.

Written By: Brian D. Johnston

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