Low Carb Diet Plan - How to Avoid the Pitfalls of a Low Carb Diet Plan

The low carb diet plan, more commonly known as the Atkins Diet, has been popular with dieters since the 1970's. This diet offers rapid weight loss because starchy foods such as pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, peas and corn are not allowed.

Unfortunately, this weight loss plan has gotten a bad rap in recent years because it has made a number of people ill. This is mostly because people forget to use their heads when making food choices.

Here are the 3 most common pitfalls of the low carb diet plan and how you can avoid them.

1. Choose your protein wisely. Just because you are reducing your carbs, that doesn't give you free reign to overindulge in bacon, sausage, cheese and other high fat proteins. This is the single biggest mistake most people make.




The Fix: The best choices are skinless chicken breasts, seafood, and extra lean cuts of beef or pork. Bake, broil or grill for the lowest fat content. You might also include whey protein powder or low fat cottage cheese.

2. Eating too few carbohydrates for too many days in a row. This is the second biggest mistake made. Cutting carbs to less than 100g for days or weeks at a time results in fatigue, mood swings, mental fogginess and the dreaded weight loss plateau.

The Fix: For every 3 days of low carb eating, take 1 day to add a serving of healthy carbs to each meal. This helps your body refuel and will help keep you from hitting a weight loss plateau. Remember, this is a low carb diet plan, not a no carb diet.

3. Not eating the right type of fat. Closely related to the #1 pitfall of eating too many fatty meats is not eating enough of the right kind of fat. The right kind of fat with help you lose weight faster.

The Fix: Cook with olive oil or coconut oil and supplement with fish or flax oil. I recommend fish oil because the body doesn't have to convert it to a usable form. These are much healthier alternative.

A low carb diet plan can be a very effective tool for weight loss, but only if it's done right.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Ariel_Knight/151741

Lose Tummy Fat - 8 Fat Burning Foods You Should Be Eating!

Everyone knows how important a healthy and balanced diet is for fast and healthy weight loss. The foods listed below have been proven to aid in any fat loss diet. Base your diet around these 8 foods, eating sensible portions divided into 6 meals a day and you will see dramatic results quickly. These are unrefined foods in their natural state that are not only extremely healthy, they are filling too.

1. Oatmeal

This is the best complex carbohydrate to be eating in your quest to lose tummy fat. Oatmeal contains a combination of protein, fat and carbohydrate. The starchy carbohydrates also score very well on the glycemic index meaning that it causes a slow and steady rise in your blood sugar levels. This means you'll stay full all morning without feeling the need to reach for the cookie jar!

2. Sweet potatoes and yams

Yams and sweet potatoes are starchy carbohydrates full of vitamins, especially beta carotene, the anti-oxidant which gives these vegetables their distinctive orange colour. As with oatmeal, they score very positively on the glycemic index.




3. Whole grain and whole wheat foods

Whole wheat and whole grain products are full of vitamins, minerals and fibre. They are also filling to prevent you getting sugary cravings which will set you back on your plan to lose tummy fat. You must make sure, however, that you avoid white bread and anything else made from white flour which is nutritionally worthless and will cause a quick rise and then fall in your blood sugar levels.

4. Green vegetables

Green vegetables are full of fibre, vitamins and minerals and are mostly made up of water so they are extremely low in calories. These foods are so good for you and so light in calories that you can eat as many as you want everyday. A diet of green vegetables and protein will cause you to lose tummy fat in no time at all.

5. Fruit

No real surprises here either. Although fruits are simple carbohydrates (and your diet should be built around complex carbohydrates) they mainly consist of natural sugars. They are also packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre and are low in calories.

6. Poultry

Eating the breast of either chicken or turkey is a quick fire way to lose tummy fat. Remove the skin and avoid the wings and thighs (which are higher in fat). Also, make sure the meat isn't fried. Eating chicken and turkey breast will add a high quality and filling protein source to your diet whilst keeping calories low.

7. Eggs 

Or, more specifically, egg whites. Egg whites are as near to a perfect food as you can get being high in protein and containing absolutely no fat. All of the fat is in the yolk. This isn't to say that you shouldn't eat the yolk. Indeed, most of the vitamins and minerals are in the yolk. A good rule of thumb is to eat one yolk out of every three eggs.

8. Fish

There are so many benefits to eating a diet high in fish when trying to lose tummy fat. There are so many varieties to choose from. Oily fish is especially beneficial as it is high in omega 3 fatty acids. Fish is a great protein source. A diet mainly consisting of fish and fibrous green vegetables has been proven to be highly effective in aiding fat loss.




Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/May_Wu/467575