Carbohydrate-free diet

Among the various weight loss systems, the carbohydrate-free method of losing weight holds a special place. It is also used by professional athletes for so-called "drying". The main objective in this case is to get rid of subcutaneous fat and build muscle, giving them a nice relief. Before starting a diet, carefully study all the pros and cons, principles and contraindications.

The essence

As the name implies, the carbohydrate free program aims to cut carbohydrates from your diet by focusing on fats and proteins. Many other protein diets are based on the same rules - Ducan, Montignac, Keto diet. According to evaluations, subject to a carbohydrate-free diet, in two weeks the plumb line can reach 5 to 10 kg, depending on the initial body weight.

However, it is impossible to completely abandon carbohydrates, they are necessary for the normal functioning of the digestive tract and nervous system. After all, carbohydrates are a source of energy for the body, so by completely excluding them from the diet, very soon you will start experiencing periodic headaches, drowsiness, tiredness, mood swings, low attention span, and other "delights. " ". Therefore, nutritionists recommend sticking with 20-30 grams of carbohydrates in your food per day. At the same time, products with a low glycemic index have an advantage.

what is GI

The glycemic index is the rate at which carbohydrates from foods are absorbed by the body and raise blood sugar.

The scale for measuring the glycemic index (abbreviated as GI) consists of 100 units. Thus, 0 is the minimum value, that is, products that do not contain carbohydrates and 100 is the maximum possible. High GI foods very quickly saturate the blood with glucose, which causes the body to be replenished with extra calories. If no additional energy is needed at this point, it is immediately converted into fat accumulation. This is how the body provides itself with a reserve energy source.

Remember: it's not high GI foods that interfere with thinness, but their uncontrolled use. Especially with an inactive lifestyle. For example, if you've just finished strength training, fast carbs will be beneficial in stimulating muscle growth. And if you just sit on the couch and watch TV, sweets and snacks will only make your fitness and health worse.

Observation:the actual GI index may vary depending on the amount of food consumed, the method of preparation, heat treatment, combination with other foods and other factors. However, the numbers do not differ drastically: Brussels sprouts, for example, will in any case remain a low-GI product (10-20 units), and the glycemic index of instant cereals will still be high.

Foods with a high glycemic index (95-70)

These include:

• White bread;
• rolls;
• pancakes;
• baked, boiled and mashed potatoes;
• Rice noodle;
• instant porridge, including rice;
• Honey;
• corn flakes;
• sports drinks (PowerAde, Gatorade);
• sweet pastries;
• muesli with nuts and raisins;
• pumpkin, watermelon and cantaloupe;
• milk chocolate and chocolate bars;
• Pepsi and Coca-Cola soft drinks;
• dumplings;
• chips;
• sugar.

average GI (65-55)

• Flour;
• packaged juices;
• preserves and jams;
• rye bread and black yeast;
• marmalade;
• muesli with sugar;
• Jacket potatoes;
• raisins;
• whole grain bread;
• canned vegetables;
• Pasta with cheese;
• bananas;
• sweet ice cream;
• long grain rice;
• Mayo;
• oat;
• buckwheat brown;
• grapes and grape juice;
• ketchup;
• spaghetti;
• crumbly dry cake.

GI Low (50-5)

• Sweet potatoes (yams, yams);
• green buckwheat;
• Basmati rice;
• unsweetened cranberry juice;
• oranges, kiwi and mangoes;
• unsweetened apple juice;
• brown rice;
• Grapefruit;
• coconut;
• freshly squeezed orange juice;
• sugar-free carrot juice;
• apricots and prunes;
• tomato juice;
• cabbage of different types: cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, white cabbage;
• nuts: peanuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, pine nuts, walnuts;
• Rhubarb;
• bean curd (tofu);
• Soy;
• spinach;
• greens: parsley, basil, oregano.

Important:even low GI foods contain calories, so you'll have to count them. There is no direct relationship between the glycemic index and caloric content.

How it works

To produce glucose and other energy sources, the body needs a substance called alanine. The body doesn't get enough carbohydrates, so it needs to use "fat stores" to produce alanine. In order not to reduce muscle mass, you need to eat protein-rich foods.

You lose weight gradually, the body is cleansed and discharged. Guaranteed vigor and well-being.

Observation:Alanine is an aliphatic amino acid that plays an important role in human energy metabolism. Due to the interaction of alanine with various biologically active compounds, other useful substances are formed in the body.

General principles

For the result to be quick and effective, we carefully observe all aspects of this nutritional system:

Eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day. You will have to forget about intermediate snacks.

The standards for drinking water per day are 2 to 2. 5 liters. Drink water before meals and half an hour later, but not at the same time.

Eat your last meal before seven or eight at night. If at night you are tormented by an unbearable feeling of hunger, fool your stomach with a glass of water and then go to bed.

Take vitamin and mineral supplements.

Gradually reduce the amount of carbohydrates on the menu: from the usual rate of 150-200 g, approach the minimum value - 20-30 grams.

Eliminate bread, sugar, coffee, starchy foods (potatoes, beets, corn), high GI fruits, semi-finished products from the diet; foods marked as "diet" or fat-free, alcohol is also unacceptable.

Of vegetable fats, only a little nuts and olive oil or flaxseed oil are allowed.

It is allowed to fry food, but again only in olive or flaxseed oil.

Don't forget about the exercises. If you're completely unbearable for morning jogging or swimming, take comfort in the fact that thanks to physical education, your skin won't flow after losing weight and your muscles will take on a nice shape.

Diet basis

Foods you can eat without restriction:

• meat (beef, veal, rabbit, turkey);
• bird eggs and viscera (liver, tongue, heart);
• fish and seafood (sea fish fillets, shrimp, lobsters, crabs);
• dairy products (cottage cheese, sour cream, milk, unsweetened yogurt);
• berries, citrus and other low GI fruits;
• vegetables (cabbage, peas and fresh beans, vegetables and legumes);
• nuts and seeds.

Advantages and disadvantages

pros

You can compose a menu according to your taste from a variety of permitted products. Each day the diet will be different, which means the diet is easily tolerated and painless.

There is no need to waste time preparing special dishes.

Acceptable dietary cost.

Reliably, you will lose weight very quickly.

By limiting the body's use of carbohydrate-rich foods, ketones are produced - substances that speed up the burning process of fat tissue. Ketones reduce appetite, energize the brain and act as antidepressants.

Minuses

However, not everything is so optimistic: a diet without carbohydrates also has significant drawbacks.

As a result of eating a large amount of protein foods, metabolic products overload the liver and kidneys. They act very intensely, which can lead to the development of chronic diseases.

By refusing foods that contain carbohydrates, a person deprives their body of vitamins and minerals. Therefore, experts recommend taking proven vitamins and dietary supplements.

With a lack of carbohydrates in the body, ketone bodies are formed. They accumulate in the blood and then pass into the urine. People call this symptom "acetone in urine", it indicates a violation of the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates.

Often, the body doesn't want to accept a carbohydrate-free diet, so the person has unpleasant symptoms: weakness, nausea, constipation, or, conversely, diarrhea.

Protein-rich foods contain a lot of fat, so be careful with your menu.

Menu

As I mentioned earlier, this diet does not have a restricted menu, you can prepare it yourself.

for 7 days

Monday

• Morning: omelet with cheese or egg; unsweetened coffee or orange juice; Dietary bread.
• Day: vegetable soup with chicken broth; chicken with rice; a glass of kefir; instead of rice, you can use a vegetable salad with oil.
• Evening: assorted cucumbers and tomatoes, seasoned with lemon juice; low-fat cottage cheese; Grapefruit.

third

• Morning: low-fat yogurt; a piece of cheese; orange or apples.
• Day: vegetable soup with beef broth; boiled veal; kefir or apple juice.
• Evening: boiled cauliflower with mushrooms; boiled egg; Dried fruit compote.

Wednesday

• Morning: oats in the water; cottage cheese casserole; Green tea.
• Day: fish soup without potatoes; cooked fish; celery salad; coffee.
• Night: turkey meat with vegetables; tomato juice; Greek salad.

Thursday

• Morning: scrambled eggs with tomato; apples; rosehip broth.
• Day: cheese soup; breast cooked with vegetables; yogurt.
• Evening: buckwheat porridge; cooked meat; fruit juice.

Friday

• Morning: cottage cheese with sour cream; boiled egg; coffee without sugar.
• Afternoon: vegetable soup with green sorrel; fish fried in oil; green tea or red fruit juice.
• Night: coleslaw; beef; herbs tea.

Saturday

• Morning: 2 eggs; oatmeal and tea.
• Day: potato-free chicken soup; corn porridge; yogurt.
• Evening: boiled fish; Cucumber and tomato salad; rosehip broth.

sunday

• Morning: curd and berry mousse; Baked apples.
• Day: turkey borsch; baked fish; tomato juice.
• Night: beef liver; steamed cauliflower; jam.

for 10 days

Day 1

• Breakfast: two boiled eggs; various cucumbers and tomatoes with the addition of Chinese cabbage (season with 1 teaspoon of oil); unsweetened coffee or rosehip broth.
• Lunch: a slice of low-fat cheese and two lettuce leaves.
• Lunch: grilled breast; radish salad and lettuce leaves; Green tea.
• Afternoon snack: a glass of kefir and a handful of berries.
• Dinner: Steamed Lean Fish Fillet; baked eggplant or zucchini with cheese.

Day 2

• Breakfast: a two-egg omelet with tomato; natural yogurt with pieces of fruit; unsweetened coffee and milk.
• Lunch: a glass of kefir and an orange.
• Lunch: fillet of sole; vegetable stew made from tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, leeks.
• Afternoon snack: cucumber stuffed with grated cheese (45 gr. ).
• Dinner: grilled steak; spinach, arugula and avocado salad; Carrot Juice.

Day 3

• Breakfast: a two-egg omelet with tomato; two slices of celery and 45 g of grated cheese; rosehip broth.
• Lunch: a cup of yogurt with berries or pieces of fruit.
• Lunch: cooked mackerel fillet; broccoli, leeks and tomato puree soup.
• Afternoon snack: a glass of kefir with berries.
• Dinner: Grilled Pork Fillet; steamed cauliflower with the addition of 1 tsp. oil; herbs tea.

4th day

• Breakfast: natural yogurt with pieces of fruit; two boiled eggs; Green tea.
• Lunch: two slices of celery and a slice of cheese.
• Lunch: Grilled Tuna Fillet; White cabbage, radish and cucumber salad.
• Afternoon snack: a glass of kefir and a handful of berries.
• Dinner: breast; zucchini pancakes; coffee.

Day 5

• Breakfast: cottage cheese casserole with berries; herbs tea.
• Lunch: a small portion of Caesar and chicken breast.
• Lunch: halibut fillet; assorted white cabbage, cucumber and radish with olive oil.
• Dinner: beef steak; oven-baked asparagus, sprinkled with grated cheese.

6th

• Breakfast: low-fat cottage cheese with berries and green tea.
• Lunch: grilled breast and parsley salad.
• Lunch: salmon fillet and mushroom noodle soup.
• Afternoon snack: two slices of celery and 45 g of low-fat cheese.
• Dinner: steamed brisket and asparagus with grated cheese.

Day 7

• Breakfast: an egg omelet with tomato and herbs; natural yogurt with pieces of fruit; coffee.
• Lunch: a small portion of Caesar seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and spices.
• Lunch: sole fillets and roasted cauliflower.
• Afternoon snack: cheese and two slices of celery.
• Dinner: Brisket and a portion of Mexican guacamole salad and herbal tea.

From the eighth day on, we started again. In this version, it is allowed to drink a glass of skim milk or kefir at night.

hard variety

This option is only suitable for highly motivated people with good health and strong willpower.

• 1st day. From 10am onwards, we eat a hard-boiled egg every two hours. Only 5 eggs a day.
• 2nd During the day, in small portions, we eat 1 kg of lean fish cooked without salt.
• 3rd. 2 breasts cooked without salt.
• 4th. 5 baked potatoes.
• 5th. Half a kilo of cooked meat or veal.
• 6th. 2 kg of any fruit except bananas.
• 7th. 2 kg of any vegetables except potatoes. Cooking method: cooking, steaming, grilling.
• 8th. 1 kg of low-fat cottage cheese.
• 9th. 2 liters of low-fat kefir.
• 10th. We drink rosehip decoction all day.

for 14 days

Day 1

• Breakfast: two hard-boiled eggs, tea or coffee without sugar.
• Snack: 100 g of non-fat cream cheese.
• Lunch: 200 g of boiled julienne, rosehip broth.
• Afternoon snack: white cabbage salad and cucumber.
• Dinner: 100 g of boiled julienne.

Day 2

• Breakfast: oat, egg, green tea.
• Snack: a glass of kefir or plain yogurt with berries or pieces of fruit.
• Lunch: buckwheat porridge and 100 g grilled breast.
• Afternoon snack: assorted cucumbers and tomatoes.
• Dinner: Pollock boiled 100 g.

Day 3

• Breakfast: oat, egg, green tea.
• Snack: green apple.
• Lunch: a portion of brown rice and 100 g of chicken breast.
• Afternoon snack: curd casserole.
• Dinner: Brussels sprouts salad.

4th day

• Breakfast: a two-egg omelet. Sugar-free tea or coffee.
• Snack: pollock or steamed breast 100 g.
• Lunch: Pollock boiled 200 g, roasted vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, different cabbage)
• Afternoon snack: assorted vegetables 200 g.
• Dinner: grapefruit and apple juice.

Day 5

• Breakfast: oats and boiled egg.
• Snack: vegetable salad, 50 g of low-fat cheese.
• Lunch: boiled rice and brisket, vegetables 100 g.
• Afternoon snack: carrot salad and low-fat cottage cheese, 100 g each.
• Dinner: an all-you-can-eat green apple and cabbage.

6th

• Breakfast: a two-egg omelet with tomato.
• Snack: 150 g vegetable salad or 100 g cream cheese.
• Lunch: boiled rice and chicken breast.
• Afternoon snack: carrot salad with olive oil and cabbage.
• Dinner: 100 g of pollock and a glass of kefir.

Day 7

• Breakfast: oatmeal with boiled egg. Tea with a spoon of honey.
• Snack: apple or orange.
• Lunch: 200 g of cooked meat and barley porridge.
• Afternoon snack: 100 g of cream cheese.
• Dinner: 200 g of vegetable salad with a slice of cheese.

Day 8

• Breakfast: two hard-boiled eggs, an apple, green tea.
• Snack: orange.
• Lunch: buckwheat porridge or rice with julienne (150 g).
• Afternoon snack: cooked breast 200 g.
• Dinner: vegetable salad 200 g.

Day 9

• Breakfast: a glass of kefir and an omelet.
• Snack: Coleslaw with cucumber 200 g.
• Lunch: boiled rice and brisket.
• Afternoon snack: carrot salad.
• Dinner: vegetable salad and a small grapefruit.

10th day

• Breakfast: oat, egg and tea with a spoon of honey.
• Snack: vegetable salad 100 g.
• Lunch: a portion of rice, chicken chops and steamed onions.
• Afternoon snack: a glass of plain yogurt.
• Dinner: nonfat cottage cheese and green apple.

Day 11

• Breakfast: two hard-boiled eggs, green tea or unsweetened coffee.
• Snack: orange and a handful of walnuts.
• Lunch: 200 g of any grilled fish.
• Afternoon snack: tomato juice 200 g.
• Dinner: steak 150 g.

Day 12

• Breakfast: oat and egg, coffee.
• Snack: 50 g of low-fat cheese.
• Lunch: 200 g of lentil soup, fish cakes.
• Dinner: banana and carrot juice.

Day 13

• Breakfast: vegetable salad, coffee and a bread roll.
• Snack: coleslaw.
• Lunch: steamed fish cakes and buckwheat porridge.
• Afternoon snack: an apple and a glass of kefir.
• Dinner: salmon steak, lettuce leaves.

Day 14

• Breakfast: two egg scrambled eggs with a slice of bacon.
• Snack: 50 g cheese and two slices of celery.
• Lunch: a portion of brown rice and cooked breast.
• Afternoon snack: 200g of sour cream.
• Dinner: vegetable stew and herb decoction.

For a month

You can diet yourself for such a long period, observing the following recommendations:

First week (introductory). In the morning we eat complex carbohydrates, at snack and at lunch - proteins and complex carbohydrates 50/50, afternoon snack and dinner - protein foods. Sweet and starchy foods are completely excluded, but low GI vegetables and fruits can be added. The goal of the first week is to prepare the body for a carbohydrate-free diet.

Second week. We ate the following: eggs (2 pieces per day), low-fat cottage cheese, 1% kefir, 0. 5% milk (one cup), cooked meat, skinless chicken breast (the fat is concentrated in it ), cooked or baked seafood , seafood, fresh vegetables: cabbage, cucumber, tomato, herbs (unlimited), apples and oranges (one a day until 14-00), for dinner you can eat 1 tbsp . a spoonful of bran.

Third week. Low-fat cottage cheese, eggs (2 - whole, plus 2 - protein only), boiled breasts, boiled or baked sea fish, cucumber (one piece per day), herbs, bran, 1 tbsp. spoon three times a day.

Fourth week. 2 boiled chicken breasts a day, boiled egg whites (7-8 pieces a day), a sprig of parsley, bran.

what is drying

This term entered daily life from fitness and bodybuilding. Athletes use it to burn fat while maintaining muscle mass.

What do you need to know

Even if you dry in accordance with all the rules, it is not at all safe. The kidneys and liver are overworked, causing weakness and lethargy, exacerbation of chronic illnesses, and gastrointestinal tract dysfunction.

If you don't exercise, there will be no drying out of the fat, it will be a normal low-calorie diet. You shouldn't expect miracles from her, but health problems are pretty predictable.

Drying only makes sense if you have already participated in sports training and have the muscle mass needed to get rid of the layer of fat. If there are no pronounced muscles under the fat layer, it will be more effective to give up flour, fatty foods, and sweets.

It's a time-consuming process and doesn't feel like a quick weight loss routine before the holidays. Short-term drying (to prepare for a competition) takes one to two weeks, and long-term (gradual) drying takes five to seven weeks. Only a gradual will help to tighten the figure.

It is held a maximum of twice a year.

Perfect drying performance

Two weeks before drying starts, it is necessary to support the liver. This will help you get hepatoprotectors - prophylactic agents that have a positive effect on the liver.

During this time, the body should not undergo any stress: travel, marriage, session, emergency at work. Therefore, plan the drying period carefully.

It is not recommended that women "dry" for more than a month and a half, otherwise hormonal disturbances will occur. At the end of the process, the output follows. In terms of duration, it is the same as drying itself.

Training during this period should be short but very intense. Cardiovascular training should last no more than half an hour, and strength training should last 45 minutes.

The calorie content of the diet is only 300-350 calories less than normal. A menu that is very low in calories (up to 1200 kcal per day) is only suitable if you weigh 55 kg or less before drying.

Protein shakes and other dietary supplements are used in consultation with the trainer.

Nutritionists strongly caution: drying is not just a carb-free diet, it's a very serious process to do yourself, at home. Experiments can negatively affect health.

Contraindications of a carbohydrate-free nutrition system

Before starting such a diet, you should consult your physician in the following cases:

If you have had surgery recently.

You have kidney, liver or gastrointestinal problems.

Suffer from some kind of chronic illness.

Diet is strictly prohibited:

• children under 18 years old;
• lactating and pregnant women;
• with food allergy to protein products.

Carbohydrate Recipes

To make your menu tasty and varied, we offer some simple recipes.

Chicken and Cheese Dumpling

Take 0. 5 kg of chicken fillet and pass it through a meat grinder. A pinch of salt, pepper and two chopped garlic cloves enhance the flavor. Mix everything well. Beat a raw egg. On a coarse grater, grate 200 gr. hard cheese and the resulting trimmings as well, add to the minced meat. Stir again. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil and form small balls of meat. Bake at 200 C for 20 minutes. When golden, turn to the other side. Serve hot, sprinkled with herbs.

Liver Casserole

Take a kilo of beef liver, rinse it well in cold water, and grind it to a puree consistency using a meat grinder or blender. Chop an onion and 200 gr. mushrooms. Beat 4 egg whites into snow. Add 2 tbsp. tablespoons of oat bran. Mix all the dough well. Place in a form, greased with oil and bake at 180 degrees for 40 minutes. During cooking, you can use a sugar-free kebab seasoning.

A casserole option without onions and mushrooms is also possible.

light chicken salad

Boil 100 gr. chicken fillet. Drain the broth, it will be useful for the soup. Take 50 gr. lettuce leaves and cut into strips. Cut the finished filet, cucumber, tomato and hard-boiled egg into cubes. Combine all ingredients and add a drop of oil.

Roasted Mushrooms in Eggs

Take half a kilo of fresh mushrooms, chop finely, boil in salted water and place in a sieve. When the liquid runs out, transfer the mushrooms to the skillet and fry a little in the oil. Then transfer to a baking sheet and sprinkle with herbs. Salt and pepper to taste. With a spoon, make two holes in the dough and pour in the raw eggs. Bake in the oven until eggs are cooked through.

pumpkin pancakes

Take 200 gr. pumpkin and grill. Beat a raw egg into the resulting batter. Add 4 tbsp. tablespoons of flour and a pinch of soda. Stir the pumpkin dough until smooth. Shape the pancakes and bake at 200 degrees. You can sprinkle with grated cheese beforehand. Instead of baking, pancakes can simply be fried.

going off the diet

How to get off the diet correctly:

Return to your normal diet gradually, adding new foods each week. For example, seven days after a marathon ends, you add noodles to the menu. Fourteen days later - starchy vegetables, after three weeks - cereals and so on. . .

Continue to eat fractionally: in small portions, several times a day. Nutritionists say that 5 meals a day are much healthier than less frequent meals.

Follow the green board rule. It looks like this: half of it is full of green leaves and crunchy vegetables. A quarter of a dish: cereals - rice, bulgur, beans and the second quarter: healthy and protein foods the size of a human palm - fish, chicken, beef, etc.

The amount of carbohydrates consumed every day increases by just 30 grams. It's great if these are slow carbs.

Don't forget about the exercises. It's not necessary to spend the evenings at the gym, you can just walk at a brisk pace and do a light workout in the morning.

Limit your fat intake.