Carbohydrates may be classified into four groups

• Sugars, which are found in honey, fruit, milk and soft drinks,
• Starch which is found in cereals, pasta, flour, root and pulse vegetables and potatoes.
• Cellulose, also known as dietary fiber is found in whole cereals, whole meal breads, brown rice and oatmeal.
• Pectin is found in ripe fruit.

Low Carb diets tend to eliminate all these carbohydrate rich foods and concentrate more on foods rich in proteins.

Market is ringing with a number of such diet plans these days. Atkins Diet, Sugar Busters, Protein Power etc., are a few to name.

YOU WILL EAT LESS! , is the entire promise of these diet plans. Since proteins are more satiating than carbohydrates or fat. You will feel fuller with even small amount of food.

There are many reasons why the low carbohydrate approach to dieting has been so popular, the most common being that it is a quick and easy way to weight loss. Also, it is believed that low carbohydrate diets contribute to beating sugar cravings, as well as decreasing the overall starch intake, which affects the body’s serotonin levels which makes an individual feel less sluggish and tired.

The key principal to how Low Carb diets work is very simple. They turn our body from a carbohydrate burning engine to a fat burning engine. Thus, putting the body in a state known as Ketosis. Normally, the body gets its energy from carbohydrates. So, the intake of diet low in carbohydrates leaves the body to derive energy from the fat already stored.

GOOD NEWS! Fat upholstered hips, belly and thighs become the primary energy source for the body. Does anything else sound better?You will lose these fatty and much loathed fat cushions eventually!

As reported by most of the people who have been on Low Carb Diet plans, weight loss is permanent. You can chose from a number of rich and fatty foods.

While low carbohydrate diets have been proven to increase weight loss, there is a significant loss of essential nutrients and health implications that need to be considered.

• Intake of almost all fruits and vegetables may cause a vitamin deficiency. You will have to stick to vitamin supplements.
• Vegetarians will have a difficulty adhering to such diet plans.
• Limited fiber intake can cause problems in digestive system such as constipation.
• They can be a cause of bad breath.
• If followed for a long period of time, they may lead to problems as severe as kidney stones.

As there is a vast range of conflicting information regarding weight loss and nutrition, it is difficult for the average person to not only identify what works, but also how to apply it.

The credibility of Low Carb diet plans cannot be questioned, as they have been found to be very effective. But still the elimination or seriously controlled intake of food staples such as fiber, starch and sugar make them a hard nut to crack.

For long term weight loss and to maintain the desired body weight, the greatest gains surely will come from a nutritionally balanced diet as well as exercise.

If you’re reading this article you have taken your first step to admitting you have a problem.

Now that you are finally coming to terms with your addiction what are you going to do about it?

If you are looking to beat your sugar addiction or just want to cut those fat storing calories out of your diet then I hope you will follow this program and be on your way to a sugar free lifestyle.

Step 1: Admit You Have a Problem

If you are already reading this you have accomplished step 1.

Step 2: Inner Strength

You will never succeed in kicking the sugar habit until you get some will power. Fighting that sugar craving is tough (I know I am a sugar addict too) but if you want to succeed at anything in life you need perseverance, it does get easier. Find things that will motivate you to carry out your goals.

Step 3: Keep Busy

Most of the time we overeat for 2 reasons: We’re bored or emotionally distressed. Stop and look at the times when you tend to eat junk food. Now create a plan to be busy during those times. Find something active to do like taking the dog for a walk or go to a bookstore. Break the cycle and you will find it’s much easier to fight the cravings.

Step 4: Stop Buying Junk Food

It’s much easier to beat your addiction if you don’t have access to it. If you don’t have any junk food around during those times when you’re stuck at home fiending for sugar you won’t eat it. The withdrawals from it can really bring you down so go back to step 3 for help.

Step 5: Buy Sugar Free

One method that might help you break your sugar craving is to buy some sugar free products. Now this isn’t a recommendation to replace one junk food with another but a means of helping you with a craving. Try some sugar free pudding or yogurt to help hold you over during those nasty cravings.

Once you have started your program to stop eating sugar it will take you about 3 – 6 weeks before the cravings stop. Just remember that this will always be an ongoing battle so be diligent and never stop working at it.

Creamy Italian Panna Cota

Note: 6 4-oz servings. Total Carbohydrates: 57

Panna cotta is a creamy Italian dessert. Perfect with fresh berries or with the Balsamic Strawberry.

The vanilla bean gives this dessert a wonderful flavor, but you can use 2 tsp. pure
vanilla extract instead. The recipe can be easily halved or doubled and can be made the day before.

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp. water
2 1/2 tsp. gelatin
3 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup Splenda
1/2 vanilla bean, slit lengthwise

Place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let stand until
softened. Combine half of the cream and the vanilla bean in a pot. Bring to a boil, add the gelatin and remove from the heat. Stir until the gelatin dissolves. Remove the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the mixture with the tip of a small knife. Stir in the Splenda and the remaining cream.

Pour evenly into 6 4-5 oz ramekins. Place in the fridge and chill until set, approximately 2 hours. To serve, place the ramekins in hot water for 30 seconds. Run a knife around the inside of each and place a plate over the top. Turn upside down and vigorously shake the ramekin while holding the plate securely. The panna cotta will fall out onto the plate. Remove the ramekin and spoon the berries over the top. Serve immediately.

Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
3 oz bag plain pork rinds, lightly crushed
2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup splenda or AS
1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon

Mix cream, eggs, water, sweetener, vanilla and cinnamon. Butter 1 or 1 1/2 qt.
Casserole dish. Put lightly crushed pork rinds in dish and pour liquid over. Preheat oven to 350 and let casserole sit while it preheats so pork rinds can absorb some liquid. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake 30-40 min until top lightly browned. Tests best warm.

Total 13 carb (12 NET carbs).
Serves 3 @ 4 carbs

Brownies

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 c butter, softened
1 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 T water
2 T whey protein powder
10 pkts AS
1 oz walnuts, chopped
3 T Davinci’s SF chocolate syrup

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter, add eggs one at a time, beating well. Melt
chocolate with extract and water (microwave or double boiler). Add melted chocolate,
and other ingredients to butter. Mix well. Taste for sweetness and add more sweetener
if desired. Grease 9×9″ baking pan. Pour batter into pan and bake 15 minutes.

Total 19 carb (13 NET carbs).
Serves 9 @ 1.5 carbs.

Lemon Mousse

Ingredients:
2 oz soft cream cheese
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 packs of Equal
1 c heavy cream
1 t lemon extract

Beat cream cheese and sweetener with mixer until smooth. Slowly add lemon juice and
mix until smooth and creamy. Add heavy cream and lemon extract. Beat until fluffy and
heavy cream will hold “soft peaks.” Refrigerate.

Total: 16 carbs.
Serves 4 @ 4 carbs.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Parfaits

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups + 2 T heavy cream
1 cup water
2 T sugar free chunky peanut butter
1 sm. pkg sugar free Chocolate pudding mix

Add 2 T of cream to peanut butter and stir until blended. Whip 1/2 cup heavy cream,
then fold it into the peanut butter. Pour the remaining 1 cup cream and 1 cup water into
a mixing bowl. Add pudding mix and beat with wire whisk 2 min. Spoon half the pudding
mix into 6 parfait glasses. Cover with whipped cream/peanut butter mixture, top with
remaining pudding mix. Refrigerate.

Total 49 carb (46 NET carbs). Serves 6 @ 7 CARB.

This is rich so you could probably put it into 8 parfait cups

The Sugar Busters Diet book was written by three medical doctors and went on to sell over 100,000 copies by word of mouth alone. The diet essentially is a take off of several other low carb diets that came before it.

The idea is to eliminate sources of high glycemic index carbohydrates in order to lower insulin in the blood. For more information about the effects of insulin as it relates to fat storage, read my article Insulin: The Fat Hormone to understand how insulin affects fat storage.

The one good thing about the Sugar Busters Diet is that unlike other low carb diets there are less restrictions. You are not required to completely restrict carbs like the atkins diet and the diet can be fairly high in carbohydrates, depending on which foods you choose. According to the authors the diet consists of about 40% carbohydrates but you are not restricted to eating that amount.

The diet does not follow a detailed structure of how to eat but instead offers guidelines for meals in regards to portion size, food composition, and times you should eat. The downside is that there is very little information on how to tailor the diet to your own needs.

Is the Sugar Busters Diet legitimate?

Short answer: Yes

What I like most about this book is it is a good primer to understanding which foods you should and should not eat. If you are thinking about learning how to eat healthier carbs and want some basic information then the Sugar Busters Diet is a decent place to start.

]]> http://www.fast-weight-loss-tips.com/popular-diets-sugar-busters/feed/ 0 http://www.fast-weight-loss-tips.com/glycemic-index-foods/ http://www.fast-weight-loss-tips.com/glycemic-index-foods/#comments Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:52:00 +0000 Dr. King http://www.fast-weight-loss-tips.com/weight-loss/glycemic-index-which-foods-are-best/ Continue Reading]]> Eating right doesn’t have to be a challenge if you know which foods to eat. There are many “healthy foods” that really aren’t that healthy.

Eating foods with a low glycemic index can dramatically increase your weight loss.

To understand more about how the Glycemic Index works read this article Insulin: The Fat Hormone.

Weight loss doesn’t have to be hard and by including the low glycemic foods listed below in your diet you will start to see how easy it is.

A breakdown of some common foods and their Glycemic Index (GI) categories:

Low GI Foods:
Most fruit and vegetables (except potatoes, watermelon), bran, grainy breads, pasta, legumes/pulses, milk, fish, eggs, meat, nuts, oils

Medium GI Foods
whole wheat products, brown rice, basmati rice, orange sweet potato, table sugar

High GI Foods
corn flakes, baked potato, watermelon, some white rices (e.g. jasmine), croissant, white bread, candy, cereal, soda

The Glycemic Impact Diet. Lose 10 Pounds in 5 weeks

For those of you who don’t understand the concept of insulin and how it relates to low carb diets I will break it down into simple terms.

When you digest carbohydrates (everything from sugar to starchy foods) your body breaks down these carbohydrates into simple sugars.

The release of these sugars causes the body to release insulin as a means to lower the blood sugar.

From that point depending on how much sugar is being released into the blood your body decides to do one of three things. Use the sugar as a source of energy or to store the sugar as a quick source of energy in the form of glycogen in muscles and the liver or store it as fat.

So what is this glycemic index thing I’ve heard about?

First let’s take a look at what carbohydrates are.

• Carbohydrate is a fancy word for sugar molecules. They encompass everything from glucose to long chain carbohydrates which you would classify as starches.

So how does this relate to the glycemic index?

• The glycemic index is a method of determining how fast carbohydrates are broken down into sugar and released into the blood stream. To break this down into simple terms. The higher the glycemic index the faster sugar enters the blood stream. The lower the glycemic index the slower the sugar enters the blood stream.

So how does that relate to insulin and fat?

• The body releases insulin as a means of controlling the sugar in the blood stream. If your sugar levels stay high for to long you will eventually have side effects. This condition is called Diabetes. If the sugar levels spike in the blood, your body will raise insulin levels which will then attempt to store the sugar. Typically unless you are actively exercising the sugar will be converted into fat and stored for later use.

Now hopefully you understand why there has been such a craze over low carb diets.

The Glycemic Impact Diet. Lose 10 Pounds in 5 weeks

Part 2: The South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet was created by Dr. Arthur Agatston, director of the Mount Sinai Cardiac Prevention Center in Miami Beach, Fla. Unless you have been living on a deserted island, most of you are familiar with this best selling book. At first glance there are a lot of similarities between the Atkins diet and the South Beach Diet.

There are two major differences between the Atkins diet and The South Beach Diet. The Atkins diet tends not to distinguish as much between the good and bad fats, whereas The South Beach Diet encourages you to only eat healthy fats. The other major difference is with carbohydrates. The South Beach Diet focuses more on low glycemic carbs instead of an extreme restriction of carbs like the Atkins diet.

Is The South Beach Diet legitimate?

Short answer: Absolutely.

This is one of the better dieting methods out there. Not because it was designed by an MD or that it will make you drop 10 lbs in one day (it doesn’t). The great thing about this diet is that it teaches you how to eat right.

Bottom line:

If you are willing to put in the effort to make significant long term changes this is probably one of the best diets to get you started. You aren’t going to lose several pounds in a short period of time but then again you will be more likely to keep the weight off instead of having the yo-yo effect which is all to common with most other diets.

Part 1: The Atkins Diet

The Atkins diet is based around the idea of low carbohydrate consumption with higher fat and protein consumption. The theory behind it is that with a lack of carbohydrates for fuel the body will be forced to break down fats in the body as a source of fuel.

Is the Atkins diet legitimate?

Simple answer is yes it does help you to lose weight and burn fat.

The problem lies in the long term use of this diet. The body was not designed to starve itself of carbohydrates for long periods. Fighting the bodies need for carbohydrates will ultimately lead to other health issues. The positive side about this diet is that it helps people to understand the profound effect that refined sugars have on the body. People often times don’t realize that sugar is the major culprit when it comes to being fat.

Bottom line:

If you want to drop some weight fairly quickly this is one of the better ways you can do it. With that said I would not recommend this diet for the long term but if you want a short term solution then this diet will help you drop those unwanted pounds.