Low Carbohydrate Diet for Weight Maintenance is a diet that limits carbohydrates in food to the minimum amount to maintain a constant level of the insulin hormone. In this diet, the body gets its necessary energy primarily by the oxidation of fats and in a lesser degree by the usage of amino acids.
The main foods that are included in this diet are those rich in fat and protein and low in carbohydrates. The list of foods are:
In order to maintain the normal level of the insulin hormone, the sufficient consumption is between 0.8 grams and 1.1 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight. You can get them from bread, rice and rice products, cereals, corn, potatoes, peas, oatmeal, chestnuts. Calculating your daily calorie balance, you will know how much fat you need in so that you shape your body gradually and steadily, leading only by your own results as reflected in the mirror.
Sources of fat are most of the above mentioned food groups and one more with a superior amount of fat compared to the other substances in the food. Such foods are oils from seeds and nuts, olive oil, lard, butter, cream, processed cheese with a fat content of over 60%, seeds, palm and coconut oils.
It is desirable to limit the intake of fruits to small portions. (200 -300 grams) sour fruits in the morning before breakfast.
Are vegetables allowed ?
Vegetable salads are mandatory and accompany every meal. If the fat contained in the main dishes are under your individual optimum, the addition of vegetable oil in the salad will cover the difference.
For an exotic flavour, but also because of the high content of vitamins, minerals and amino acids, it is worth eating sprouts. Their presence in the salads will avoiding taking vitamins and minerals supplements. Preferably, with the exception of soy, other legumes to be avoided.
Food intake in the Low Carbohydrate Diet is in equal intervals every 2 to 3 hours and can include 5 to 7 meals, depending on the required protein per day. In hard training days and lack of glucose, your body loses a significant amount of amino acids. That’s why athletes following this diet must accept higher amounts of protein compared to other modes.
The daily protein norm for Men is around 2.5 grams to 3 grams, while that for Women is from 2.3 grams to 2.7 grams per kilogram of body weight.
At this point, we must take a look at the nutrition plan according to the objectives of the athlete who is feeding by this diet. The diet can be used for the purpose of “burning” of body fat while gaining muscle or to “burn” muscle (conscious overtraining). Here are the main approaches used for these purposes:
If the purpose of the athlete is “burning” subcutaneous fat in combination with the increase of mass there are two basic approaches to reach this goal:
Strive to eat within a fixed calorie balance or to resort to tactics of calorie shock
If the purpose of the athlete is to “burn” muscle, he will have to use selective “rotation” of calories found in the rotation class diets.
Meat foods must definitely go through a heat treatment. Smoked foods are not recommended. Vegetables are eaten raw or as a last resort – steamed or stewed in its own sauce. Food must be stewed, boil steamed and served raw, boiled or baked in the oven or grill.
It is allowed to be shortly fried (2-3 minutes) with coconut, soy or olive oil (extra virgin olive oil) in the pan for a specific flavour processing of the food.
The diet allows for the enjoyment of all types of physical activities falling within the scope of power, speed and power complexes of speed exercises. If you choose to follow this particular diet, the most important thing to know is approximately how much energy you use.
This is the diet to which some organisms fail to adapt. If this is the first time to comply with a low-carbohydrate diet, you will have to go through an adjustment period with a different length, usually, about a month. We should not forget the obligatory amounts of vegetables that prevent the change in acid-base balance in the body.
If this Low Carbohydrate Diet for Weight Maintenance article was useful to you, please use the share on social networks button so it can reach more people. Thank you!