The holiday season is just around the corner and with that, the abundance of parties and feasts that come with the festivities. What almost always inevitably happens is the unwanted weight increase. Thus, there’s usually this balik alindog program during the start of each year. If you’re planning to pre-empt that effort and avoid gaining so much weight that you’ll feel guilty about later, you may have thought about giving dieting a try. To date, a low carb diet is one of the most popular nowadays because it’s usually easy to do and can cost you less if paired with intermittent fasting. Fortunately, there are lots of easy to cook recipes from the Philippines that are also acceptable in the low carb diet regimen. Read on to know more about what this diet is, how it can help you manage your weight, and what foods to eat and to avoid if you want to maintain this diet on a long-term basis.
What is a low carb diet?
A low carb diet is a diet that limits the consumption of carbs and focuses on eating more protein, healthy fats, and vegetables. In doing so, your body will be put into ketosis, which is when your body turns to fat for energy instead of glucose. Ketosis also happens when you do intermittent fasting, although you need to still eat enough protein to prevent muscle loss. When you’re in ketosis, your metabolism will be forced to burn fat, which results in weight loss.
How does this diet work?
Because your body will turn to fat for energy when in ketosis, this will help you lose weight in theory (assuming that you continue following the diet even after reaching your goal weight). Moreover, a food’s glycemic index is lowered when we reduce the carbohydrates it contains. Foods with a low glycemic index help in slowing down the rise in blood sugar and insulin levels. And in doing so, it also reduces hunger and helps promote long-term weight loss. When paired with intermittent fasting, it can further improve the effects of ketosis because your body is laser-focused in burning the stored fats in your body rather than on the constant digestion of food.
What are the benefits of this diet?
Aside from weight loss and improved metabolism, there are also other benefits associated with this diet. For one thing, you feel satiated despite eating fewer calories. Since eating fewer calories can make you feel less cranky and tired, some people on the low carb diet also report better mental clarity and focus. Because you’ll be eating mostly whole foods while on this diet, you’ll end up getting more vitamins and minerals that are essential to your body.
What are the food items that are allowed in this regimen?
There are lots of food items that you can still enjoy with this diet in mind. As long as you take the necessary precautions, you can still feast on your favorite Filipino cuisines while sticking to the diet. While you may need to do a bit of prepping and cooking, it’s still well worth the effort especially if you get to enjoy tasty food without compromising your fitness goals.
Take note that the list below is not exhaustive of what is allowed in the diet. So you still need to double check if the food you’re planning to eat is allowed. Here are some of the foods that are allowed in this diet:
- Green leafy vegetables
- Meat
- Fish and other seafoods
- Eggs
- Cheese (not the processed ones)
- Homemade peanut butter
What are those that I cannot eat while on this diet?
Unfortunately, there are also some food items that you need to say goodbye to while you’re on a low carb diet. In general, these are the food items that are abundant in simple carbs, sugar, and empty calories. While some foods that are in the restricted list are relatively healthy, we’re talking about a low carb diet so you have to take note that starchy vegetables like squash and carrots are off the list as well. Aside from these, the list includes:
- Rice
- Pasta
- Fruit, except berries and avocado
- Potatoes
- Bread
- Chips
- Cookies
- Cakes
- Ice cream
- Soda
What if I already reached my goal weight?
While you still need to limit your carb intake, you can always increase the amount of carbs you can eat as your energy needs change. You can do this by slowly introducing a bit of carbs again into your diet. The important thing is to eat in moderation and not go overboard with it. The goal is to eat enough complex carbs and healthy fats just to help you maintain your current weight and condition.
What if I suddenly stopped then I decided to start over?
There’s no need to worry even if you suddenly stopped the diet when you reached your goal weight, as long as you don’t go back to your old eating habits. Your body will still be in ketosis but you may need to take some time to get your body re-adjusted to the food that you need to eat and avoid.
Any other tips to help me get started?
First, you need to prep the food by yourself. This means you have to set some time aside to cook all the food you’re about to eat within at least one week. If you’re having a hard time doing some food preps each day, consider doing it in large batches when you have a relatively free schedule.
Second, you need to make sure that you have enough snacks with you. During busy days, we can’t help but crave for snacks that are usually high in carbs, such as chips or biscuits. When you have a healthy snack with you, you won’t be tempted to rip open those greasy packages. That way, you can stick to your diet and prevent weight gain.
Third, you need to plan ahead whenever you know that you’ll be dining out. This is because you can’t be sure what goes into commercial dishes. If you’re not comfortable with that, you can always ask for suggestions on what to order, or you can call ahead to reserve your food.
And lastly, hydrate yourself throughout the entire regimen. Drinking enough glasses of water per day will not only help fight off cravings but also ensure your body makes the most out of the weight loss benefits you’ll get along the way.
Going on a diet doesn’t have to equate to depriving yourself of your cravings and all the other things that you enjoy eating and drinking. Instead, it’s more of a change in mindset about what you really want to achieve in life and how you’re going to attain those things in the long run. While you may find the initial parts of your regimen take a toll on your self-control and your emotions, you need to push through until such time that it’s easier for you to follow all the guidelines that you need to get to your goal weight or to maintain it for good. In time, you will also notice that your cravings are not as pressing as before. At the same time, it’s almost second nature for you to adhere to the diet.
