Low Carb & Low Sugar Diet Plan

You've probably heard that a low-carb diet will help you lose weight. In many cases, this is true. Eating a low-carb diet means that you will eliminate many foods that cause weight gain, such as chips, desserts and pastries. Low-carb diets also work because they are very easy to follow. You simply remove high-carb foods from your diet, which means that you don't have to measure portions or count calories.

Getting the Low-Carb Mindset

• Get into the proper mindset for a low-carb diet. For it to work, you need to be committed to eating only foods that are low in carbohydrates. Cheating on a low-carb diet can seriously derail your weight-loss efforts. This is because a low-carb diet works by curbing your appetite. Eating low-carb foods balances your blood sugar, and this is what helps to stop food cravings. A study published in the Annuls of Internal Medicine demonstrated that individuals on a low-carb diet ate 1,000 fewer calories a day than control groups, even though they had access to plenty of food. If you stray from the diet and eat a piece of chocolate cake, cravings will return with a vengeance, and you'll have to start over. Prevent this from happening by preparing your kitchen before you start a low-carb, low-sugar diet.

Preparing Your Kitchen

• Eliminate all food items that contain sugar. Read food labels to make sure that you get them all. Salad dressing is a culprit that tends to contain a surprising amount of sugar, and many other foods hide sugar under the guise of healthy eating as well, such as prepared spaghetti sauces. Any product containing more than 3 grams of sugar per serving should be removed from your kitchen.

  Also eliminate "white foods" such as white flour, white rice and potatoes. Keep whole grains, but understand that they can be eaten on a low-carb diet only occasionally. Keeping these foods out of your kitchen will reduce the urge to cheat on your diet.

Beginning the Diet

• According to an article in American Family Physician, the definition of a low-carb diet is the consumption of 20 to 60 grams of carbohydrates each day. You can determine how many carbs are in a particular food by using an online carb counter.

  Eat foods that contain a lot of protein and fiber. Fat is permissible as well. Some low-carb dieters choose to eat only healthy fats, such as olive oil and nuts, while others embrace cheese, cream and fatty meats. There are differing opinions about the healthfulness of animal fats on low-carb diets.

  Here is an example of a typical day on a low-carb, low-sugar diet:

  Breakfast: Two eggs scrambled with spinach and cheese, served with coffee and cream.

  Lunch: Mixed green salad with chicken. Use an oil and vinegar dressing. To jazz up the salad, try adding low-carb toppings such as almonds, olives and real bacon pieces.

  Dinner: Grilled fish with broccoli and cauliflower drizzled with olive oil or butter.

  Snacks: A handful of nuts, celery sticks with peanut butter

  When you begin a low-carb diet do not consume grains or legumes. This helps break the carb habit and eliminate cravings. Once you are no longer craving carbohydrates, try adding a serving of beans to your dinner. If this does not stall your weight loss or cause cravings, add some more "slow" carbs to your diet, such as brown rice and fruits such as apples and berries. You can find out which foods are "slow" carb by choosing foods that are low on the Glycemic Index.