As with any diet program, there are things that are learned as you progress. These are tips, ideas, realities or suggestions that help you along your path to a better, healthier you.
This article is the first in a series of articles that will provide you with tips you can use.
The tips we'll look at are:
- Water Consumption
- Taking Measurements
- Restaurant Choices
- The Magic Number is 5
Water Consumption: I know, you are tired of hearing this, right? Well, listen again because it really is important. Regardless whether you are on a diet or not, the average human body consists of 60% water. Need more convincing?
- Your brain is 70% water
- Your lungs are 90% water
- Your lean muscle is 75% water
- Your bones are 22% water
- Your blood is 83% water
The facts are that you must replace at minimum 2.4 liters of water in your body EACH DAY via drink and water content in the foods you eat. Is it any wonder that dehydration can have such an immediate affect on our bodies? Also, from a diet point of view, your body can confuse the need for water with the need for food. Therefore, you may be reaching for food when water is needed. So, staying hydrated, minimally 8 glasses of water per day, is crucial.
Take Measurements: I may surprise you here. Taking measurements is not just about whether your chest or waist is getting smaller, although that is a very good reason for doing so. Another important reason to take your measurements initially and routinely while dieting is psychological.
Low carb weight loss diets tend to plateau at times. Even if you have religiously adhered to the plan, weight loss can slow or stop completely for a time. Although your weight loss has evened out, often you will find your clothes are feeling a little bigger or you are one notch higher on your belt. Knowing your measurements will allow you to compare your progress in more that just the actual weight you are losing. It's just the good news you want when weight loss stalls.
Restaurant Choices: One of the issues people ask most about is how to handle eating out when on a low carb weight loss program. You may be on a diet but does that mean you can't enjoy an evening out with your family, partner or friends? Of course not. Most books on the subject often will identify certain meals that are low carb friendly or at least do the least harm with respect to carb count.
What happens, though, when you just got to have that "Friday Night Special" plate? It is very helpful and important really, to find restaurants that are understanding and willing to modify or adapt their meal choices to your low carb needs. Will they substitute cauliflower for mashed potatoes? Will they reserve the dressing for you on the side? Frequenting restaurants with this type of flexibility will help you to maintain you weight loss progress and allow for a carefree, fun evening.
The Magic Number is 5: When you first start a low carb diet, it can be very difficult to make the right food choices or keep track of carbohydrate intake. It can really become a numbers game. For some, it is also a question of the amount and variety of food they are consuming. Well, with respect to gram intake, 5 is the magic number. As you progress along on you diet program, the number of grams you allow yourself daily will vary. During the initially stages, though, gram intake is at its lowest therefore, much care must be used in your food selection. The wrong selection can leave you with little or no choices available later in the day. If your daily gram intake target, for example is 20, choosing a breakfast food that totals 15 grams doesn't leave you much leeway for the remainder of the day.
We recommend that you create a chart that details those foods, determined by portion size and fiber content, that are 5 grams of net carbs or less. This will give you a visual list of choices and assures that no one choice will occupy too large a percentage of your daily goal. As you daily net carb goal increases, you can add those foods that are somewhat higher in net carbs, providing you with increased choices. The key here is to have a quick visual reference of acceptable foods and the potential percentage they may occupy, of your daily target, available to you.
That's it! More tips, tricks and useful information will follow as our Low Carb Diets Tips series continues in future articles.
If you are interested in Low Carb Weight Loss Diets, join us at Low Carb Weight Loss.com. We look at the science of the recipes and menus as well as success stories, tips, exercise/fitness and lifestyle issues.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gino_Berno
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