Among the many different weight loss systems, the no-carb method of losing weight occupies a special place. It is also used by professional athletes for so-called "drying". The main goal in this case is to get rid of subcutaneous fat and build muscle, providing them with beautiful relief. Before starting a diet, carefully study all the pros and cons, principles and contraindications.
The essence
As the name implies, the no-carb program is all about reducing the carbohydrates in your diet by focusing on fat and protein. Many other protein diets are based on the same rules: Ducan diet, Montignac, ketogenic. According to reviews, subject to a carbohydrate-free diet, in two weeks the plumb can be 5-10 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, therefore, completely excluding them from the diet, very soon you will begin to feel periodic headaches, drowsiness, fatigue, mood swings, low concentration of attention and others. "delight". Therefore, nutritionists recommend sticking to 20-30 grams of carbohydrates in 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 the body absorbs carbohydrates from food and increases blood sugar.
The scale for measuring the glycemic index (abbreviated as GI) consists of 100 units. Consequently, 0 is the minimum value, that is, products that do not contain carbohydrates at all and 100 is the maximum possible. High GI foods very quickly saturate the blood with glucose, as a result of which the body replenishes itself with additional calories. If no additional energy is needed at this point, it is immediately converted to fat accumulations. This is how the body provides itself with a reserve energy source.
Remember: it is not the high GI foods that will interfere with thinness, but their uncontrolled use. Especially with an inactive lifestyle. For example, if you just did strength training, fast carbs will be beneficial by stimulating muscle growth. And if you just sit on the couch and watch TV, sweets and cakes will only worsen your figure and your health.
Note:The actual GI number may vary depending on the amount of food consumed, the preparation method, the heat treatment, the combination with other foods and other factors. However, the figures 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 remain high.
High glycemic index foods (95-70)
These include:
- White bread;
- buns
- pancakes;
- baked, boiled and mashed potatoes;
- rice noodles;
- instant porridge, including rice;
- Dear;
- cornflakes;
- sports drinks (PowerAde, Gatorade);
- sweet cakes;
- muesli with walnuts and raisins;
- pumpkin, watermelon and melon;
- milk chocolate and chocolate bars;
- carbonated drinks Pepsi and Coca-Cola;
- dumplings;
- chips;
- sugar.
Middle GI (65-55)
- Wheat flour;
- packaged juices;
- preserves and jams;
- rye bread and black yeast;
- jam;
- muesli with sugar;
- roast potatos
- Raisins;
- whole grain bread;
- Canned vegetables;
- Pasta with cheese;
- bananas
- Sweet ice cream;
- long grain rice;
- Mayonnaise;
- oatmeal;
- buckwheat brown;
- grapes and grape juice;
- ketchup;
- spaghetti;
- Shortbread.
Low GI (50-5)
- Sweet potatoes (yams, yams);
- green buckwheat;
- basmati rice;
- unsweetened cranberry juice;
- oranges, kiwis and mangoes;
- unsweetened apple juice;
- Integral rice
- pink grapefruit;
- Coconut;
- freshly squeezed orange juice;
- unsweetened carrot juice;
- dried 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;
- vegetables: parsley, basil, oregano.
Important:even low GI foods contain calories, so you will have to count them. There is no direct relationship between the glycemic index and calorie content.
How does it work
To make glucose and other sources of energy, the body needs a substance called alanine. The body does not get enough carbohydrates, so it has to use "fat stores" to make alanine. In order not to reduce muscle mass, you need to eat protein foods.
You gradually lose weight, the body is cleansed and unloaded. Vigor and well-being are guaranteed.
Note: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
In order 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 the intermediate snacks.
- The norms of drinking water per day are 2 to 2. 5 liters. Drink water before meals and half an hour after, but not at the same time.
- Have the last meal before seven or eight at night. If at night an intolerable feeling of hunger plagues you, cheat 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 from the diet bread, sugar, coffee, foods that contain starch (potatoes, beets, corn), fruits with a high GI, semi-finished products; foods marked as "diet" or fat-free, alcohol is also unacceptable.
- Of the vegetable fats, only a little nuts and olive or flaxseed oil are allowed.
- Frying food is allowed, but again only in olive or linseed oil.
- Don't forget about exercise. If you are completely unbearable for a morning jog or swimming, take comfort in the fact that thanks to physical education, the skin will not sag after losing weight, and the muscles will take on a beautiful shape.
Diet basis
Foods you can eat without restrictions:
- meat (beef, veal, rabbit, turkey);
- poultry eggs and offal (liver, tongue, heart);
- fish and shellfish (sea fish fillets, shrimp, lobsters, crabs);
- dairy products (cottage cheese, sour cream, milk, unsweetened yogurt);
- berries, citrus, and other low-GI fruits;
- vegetables (cabbage, fresh peas and beans, green leafy vegetables and vegetables);
- Nuts and seeds.
Advantages and disadvantages
pros
- You can compose a menu to your liking from a variety of permitted items. Every day the diet will be different, which means that the diet is easily tolerated and painless.
- No need to waste time preparing special dishes.
- Acceptable dietary cost.
- Reliability, you will lose weight very fast.
- By limiting the use of carbohydrate foods in the body, ketones are produced, substances that speed up the process of burning fat tissue. Ketones reduce appetite, energize the brain, and act as antidepressants.
Disadvantages
However, not everything is so rosy; A carbohydrate-free diet also has significant drawbacks.
- As a result of eating large amounts of protein foods, metabolic products overload the liver and kidneys. They work very intensively, which can lead to the development of chronic diseases.
- By rejecting carbohydrate-containing foods, a person deprives his body of vitamins and minerals. Therefore, experts recommend taking vitamins and dietary supplements that have been proven effective.
- With the 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 the urine", it indicates a violation of fat and carbohydrate metabolism.
- Often the body does not want to accept a carbohydrate-free diet, so a person has unpleasant symptoms: weakness, nausea, constipation, or, conversely, diarrhea.
- High-protein foods contain a lot of fat, so be careful with your menu.
Menu
As mentioned above, this diet does not have a strict menu, you can compose it yourself.
For 7 days
Monday
- Morning: omelette with cheese or egg; unsweetened coffee or orange juice; diet bread.
- Day: vegetable soup with chicken broth; chicken with rice; a glass of kefir; Instead of rice, you can use a vegetable salad with olive oil.
- Evening: assortment of cucumbers and tomatoes, seasoned with lemon juice; low-fat cottage cheese; pink grapefruit.
Tuesday
- Morning: skimmed yogurt; a piece of cheese; orange or apples.
- Day: vegetable soup with beef broth; boiled beef; kefir or apple juice.
- Night: boiled cauliflower with mushrooms; hard-boiled egg; compote of dried fruits.
Wednesday
- Morning: oatmeal in the water; cottage cheese casserole; Green Tea.
- Day: fish soup without potatoes; boiled fish; celery salad; coffee.
- Night: turkey meat with vegetables; tomato juice; Greek salad.
Thursday
- Morning: scrambled eggs with tomatoes; apples rosehip broth.
- Day: cheese soup; boiled breast with greens; yoghurt.
- Afternoon: buckwheat porridge; boiled veal fruit juice.
Friday
- Morning - cottage cheese with sour cream; hard-boiled egg; coffee without sugar.
- Afternoon: vegetable soup with green sorrel; fish fried in olive oil; green tea or berry juice.
- Night: cabbage salad; Fillet of beef; herbs tea.
Saturday
- Morning: 2 eggs; oatmeal and tea.
- Day: chicken soup without potatoes; millet porridge; yoghurt.
- Afternoon: boiled fish; cucumber and tomato salad; rosehip broth.
Sunday
- Morning: curd and red fruit mousse; Baked apples.
- Day: turkey borsch; baked fish; tomato juice.
- Night: beef liver; steamed cauliflower; compote.
For 10 days
Day 1
- Breakfast: two soft-boiled eggs; assorted cucumbers and tomatoes with the addition of bok choy (season with 1 teaspoon olive oil); coffee without sugar or rosehip broth.
- Lunch: a slice of skim cheese and two lettuce leaves.
- Lunch: grilled breast; salad of radish leaves and lettuce; Green Tea.
- Snack: a glass of kefir and a handful of red berries.
- Dinner: steamed lean fish fillet; baked eggplant or zucchini with cheese.
Day 2
- Breakfast: two-egg omelette with tomato; natural yogurt with pieces of fruit; coffee without sugar and without milk.
- Lunch: a glass of kefir and an orange.
- Lunch: fillet of flounder; Vegetable stew made from tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, leeks.
- Snack: cucumber stuffed with grated cheese (45 gr. ).
- Dinner: grilled beef steak; spinach, arugula and avocado salad; carrot juice.
Day 3
- Breakfast: two-egg omelette with tomato; two slices of celery and 45 g of grated cheese; rosehip broth.
- Lunch: a glass of yogurt with red berries or pieces of fruit.
- Lunch: boiled mackerel fillet; broccoli, leek and tomato puree soup.
- Snack: a glass of kefir with red berries.
- Dinner: grilled pork fillet; steamed cauliflower with the addition of 1 tsp. olive oil; herbs tea.
Day 4
- Breakfast: natural yogurt with pieces of fruit; two soft-boiled eggs; Green Tea.
- Lunch: two slices of celery and a slice of cheese.
- Lunch: grilled tuna steak; white cabbage, radish and cucumber salad.
- Snack: a glass of kefir and a handful of red berries.
- Dinner: breast; Zucchini pancakes; coffee.
Day 5
- Breakfast: cottage cheese casserole with red berries; herbs tea.
- Lunch: a small portion of Caesar and chicken breast.
- Lunch: halibut fillet; assorted white cabbage, cucumbers and radish with olive oil.
- Dinner: beef steak; baked asparagus, sprinkled with grated cheese.
Day 6
- Breakfast: low-fat cottage cheese with red berries and green tea.
- Lunch: grilled breast salad and sauce.
- Lunch: salmon fillet and mushroom noodle soup.
- Snack: two slices of celery and 45 g of skim cheese.
- Dinner: steamed breast and asparagus with grated cheese.
Day 7
- Breakfast: an omelette with tomatoes and herbs; natural yogurt with pieces of fruit; coffee.
- Lunch: a small portion of Caesar garnished with olive oil, lemon juice, and spices.
- Lunch: flounder fillets and baked cauliflower.
- Snack: cheese and two slices of celery.
- Dinner: brisket and a serving of Mexican guacamole salad and herbal tea.
From the eighth day we start again. In this version, it is allowed to drink a glass of low-fat milk or kefir in the evening.
Hard variety
This option is only suitable for highly motivated people in good health and strong willpower.
- 1st day. Starting at 10 in the morning, we eat a boiled egg every two hours. Only 5 eggs a day.
- 2nd. During the day, in small portions, we eat 1 kg of cooked lean fish without salt.
- 3rd. 2 boiled breast without salt.
- 4th. 5 boiled potatoes.
- 5th. Half a kilo of beef or boiled veal.
- 6th. 2 kg of any fruit, except bananas.
- 7th. 2 kg of any vegetables except potatoes. Cooking method: cooking, steaming, grilling.
- Eighth. 1 kg of low-fat cottage cheese.
- Nineth. 2 liters of skim kefir.
- Tenth. We drink rosehip decoction throughout the day.
For 14 days
Day 1
- Breakfast: two hard-boiled eggs, tea or coffee without sugar.
- Snack: 100 g of low-fat cottage cheese.
- Lunch: 200 g of boiled haddock, rosehip broth.
- Snack: white cabbage and cucumber salad.
- Dinner: 100 g of boiled haddock.
Day 2
- Breakfast: oatmeal, egg, green tea.
- Snack: a glass of kefir or natural yogurt with red berries or pieces of fruit.
- Lunch: buckwheat porridge and grilled breast 100 g.
- Snack: assorted cucumbers and tomatoes.
- Dinner: boiled haddock 100 g.
Day 3
- Breakfast: oatmeal, egg, green tea.
- Snack: green apple.
- Lunch: a serving of brown rice and 100 g of chicken breast.
- Snack: curd casserole.
- Dinner: Brussels sprouts salad.
Day 4
- Breakfast: omelette with two eggs. Unsweetened tea or coffee.
- Snack: pollock or steamed breast 100 g.
- Lunch: 200 g boiled haddock, baked vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, different types of cabbage).
- Snack: assorted vegetables 200 g.
- Dinner: grapefruit and apple juice.
Day 5
- Breakfast: oatmeal and boiled egg.
- Snack: vegetable salad, 50 g of skim cheese.
- Lunch: cooked rice and breast, vegetables 100 g.
- Snack: carrot salad and low-fat cottage cheese, 100 g each.
- Dinner: a green apple and unlimited cabbage.
Day 6
- Breakfast: two-egg omelette with tomato.
- Snack: vegetable salad 150 g or 100 g of cottage cheese.
- Lunch: boiled rice and chicken breast.
- Snack: carrot salad in olive oil and cabbage.
- Dinner: 100 g of pollock and a glass of kefir.
Day 7
- Breakfast: oatmeal with boiled egg. Tea with a tablespoon of honey.
- Snack: apple or orange.
- Lunch: 200 g of boiled beef porridge and pearl barley.
- Snack: 100 g of cottage cheese.
- Dinner: 200 g of vegetable salad with a slice of cheese.
Day 8
- Breakfast: two boiled eggs, an apple, green tea.
- Snack: orange.
- Lunch: buckwheat porridge or rice with pollock (150 g).
- Snack: boiled breast 200 g.
- Dinner: vegetable salad 200 g.
Day 9
- Breakfast: a glass of kefir and an omelette.
- Snack: coleslaw with cucumber 200 g.
- Lunch: boiled rice and breast.
- Snack: carrot salad.
- Dinner: vegetable salad and small grapefruit.
Day 10
- Breakfast: oatmeal, egg and tea with a spoonful of honey.
- Snack: vegetable salad 100 g.
- Lunch: a portion of rice, chicken cutlets with steamed onion.
- Snack: a glass of natural yogurt.
- Dinner: low-fat cottage cheese and green apple.
Day 11
- Breakfast: two soft-boiled eggs, green tea or coffee without sugar.
- Snack: orange and a handful of walnuts.
- Lunch: 200 g of any grilled fish.
- Snack: tomato juice 200 g.
- Dinner: beef steak 150 g.
Day 12
- Breakfast: oatmeal and egg, coffee.
- Snack: 50 g of skim cheese.
- Lunch: 200 g of lentil soup, fish cakes.
- Dinner: banana and carrot juice.
Day 13
- Breakfast: vegetable salad, coffee and bun.
- Snack: cabbage salad.
- Lunch: steamed fish cakes and buckwheat porridge.
- Snack: an apple and a glass of kefir.
- Dinner: salmon fillet, lettuce leaves.
Day 14
- Breakfast: two-egg scrambled eggs with a slice of bacon.
- Snack: 50 g of cheese and two slices of celery.
- Lunch: a portion of brown rice and boiled breast.
- Snack: 200 g of sour cream.
- Dinner: vegetable stew and herb decoction.
For a month
You can yourself go on a diet for such a long period, while observing the following recommendations:
First week (introductory). In the morning we eat complex carbohydrates, for snack and lunch - protein and complex carbohydrates 50/50, snack and dinner - protein meal. 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 eat the following: eggs (2 pieces per day), low-fat cottage cheese, 1% kefir, 0. 5% milk (one glass), boiled beef, skinless chicken breast (the fat is concentrated in it), boiled or baked seafood, shellfish, fresh vegetables: cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs (unlimited), apples and oranges (one per day until 14-00), for dinner you can eat 1 tablespoon. a tablespoon of bran.
Third week. Low-fat cottage cheese, eggs (2 - whole, 2 more - 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, cooked egg whites (7-8 pieces daily), a bunch of parsley, bran.
What is drying
This term has entered daily life since fitness and bodybuilding. Athletes use it to burn fat while maintaining muscle mass.
What you need to know
- Even if you carry out drying according to all the rules, it is not at all safe. The kidneys and liver are overloaded, leading to weakness and lethargy, exacerbation of chronic diseases, and dysfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract.
- If you do not exercise, the fat will not dry out, it will be a normal low calorie diet. You shouldn't expect miracles from her, but health problems are to be expected.
- Drying out only makes sense if you've been involved in sports training before and have the muscle mass you need to shed the layer of fat. If there are no pronounced muscles under the fat layer, it will be more effective for you to give up flour, fatty and sweet foods.
- It's a long process and it doesn't seem like a quick routine to lose weight 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 one will help to tighten the figure.
- It takes place no more than twice a year.
Perfect drying performance
- Two weeks before the start of drying, it is necessary to maintain the liver. This will help the hepatoprotectors, prophylactic agents that have a positive effect on the liver.
- During this time, the body should not experience any stress: travel, weddings, sessions, emergencies at work. Therefore, carefully plan the drying period.
- Women are not recommended to "dry out" for more than a month and a half, otherwise hormonal disturbances will follow. At the end of the process, the exit follows. In terms of duration, it is equal to the drying itself.
- Workouts during this period should be short but very intense. Cardio training should not last 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 usual. A menu that is too low in calories (up to 1200 kcal per day) is suitable only if your weight is 55 kg or less before drying.
- Protein shakes and other dietary supplements are used in consultation with the trainer.
Nutritionists strongly warn: drying is not just a carbohydrate-free diet, it is too serious a process to do it yourself, at home. Experiments can adversely affect health.
Contraindications of a non-carbohydrate nutrition system
Before starting such a diet, you should consult your doctor in the following cases:
- If you have recently had surgery.
- You have kidney, liver, or gastrointestinal problems.
- You suffer from some kind of chronic illness.
The diet is strictly prohibited:
- children under the age of 18;
- lactating and pregnant women;
- with a food allergy to protein products.
Carbohydrate recipes
To make your menu tasty and varied, we offer you some simple recipes.
Chicken balls with cheese
Take 0. 5 kg of chicken fillet and scroll through a meat grinder. A pinch of salt, pepper, and two minced garlic cloves will enhance the flavor. Mix everything well. Beat in a raw egg. On a coarse grater, grate 200 gr. the hard cheese and the resulting chips are also added to the minced meat. Stir again. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil and form small meat balls. Bake them in the oven at 200 C for 20 minutes. When it's golden brown, flip the other side. Serve hot, sprinkled with herbs.
Liver casserole
Take a kilogram of beef liver, rinse it well with cold water, grind it to a puree consistency with a meat grinder or blender. Finely chop an onion and 200 gr. mushrooms. Beat 4 egg whites. Add 2 tablespoons. tablespoons of oat bran. Mix all the dough well. Put in a mold, greased with olive oil and bake in the oven 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 soup. Take 50 gr. lettuce leaves and cut into strips. Cut the finished fillet, cucumber, tomato and boiled egg into cubes. Combine all the ingredients and add a drop of olive oil.
Mushrooms baked in eggs
Take half a kilo of fresh mushrooms, chop finely, boil in salted water and put in a colander. When the liquid has drained, transfer the mushrooms to the pan and sauté a little in olive oil. Then transfer to a baking sheet and sprinkle with herbs. Salt and pepper to taste. Use a spoon to poke two holes in the batter and pour in the raw eggs. Bake in the oven until the eggs are set.
Pumpkin pancakes
Take 200 gr. pumpkin and grid. Beat a raw egg into the resulting batter. Add 4 tablespoons. tablespoons of flour and a pinch of soda. Stir the pumpkin batter until smooth. Shape the pancakes and bake at 200 degrees. You can sprinkle them with grated cheese beforehand. Instead of baking, the pancakes can simply be fried.
Get off the diet
How to get off the diet correctly:
- Go back to your normal diet gradually, adding new foods each week. For example, seven days after the end of a marathon, put pasta on the menu. Fourteen days later, starchy vegetables, after three weeks, cereals, etc.
- Continue to eat fractionally: in small portions several times a day. Nutritionists say that 5 meals a day are much healthier than the most infrequent meals.
- Stick to the green plate rule. It sounds like this: half is filled with leafy greens and crunchy greens. A quarter plate: cereals - rice, bulgur, beans and the second quarter: healthy 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 it's slow carbs.
- Don't forget about exercise. No need to spend your afternoons in the gym, you can just walk briskly and do light exercises in the morning.
- Limit your fat intake.