Low carb diet plan for men

Low carb diet plan for men

The concept of a low carb diet plan for men consists in limiting the intake of certain types of carbohydrates. The ingestion of refined carbohydrates is considered to be the cause of high levels of insulin increasing in the human body, thing which leads to overweight. Two of the most popular low carb diets are the Atkins diet and South Beach diet.

Low carb diet plan for men: Atkins diet

The Atkins low carb diet plan for men consists of four steps. The last one is designed to maintain the weight loss methods. This diet limits the intake of carbohydrates. In the first two weeks their consumption is almost completely restricted, then some carbohydrates are gradually reinserted in the man`s diet. Let us now get familiar with the four stages of this diet.

Stage one- The introduction. For about two weeks a man should eat no more than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day.

Stage two- The weightloss begins. This stage is similar to the first one, the only change being the introduction of several types of food and increasing the amount of carbohydrates one can eat. New food include nuts, seeds and some berries.

Stage three- The pre-maintenance. When there are about 4.5 kg to achieve the desired weight, the third stage starts . It will add 5 to 10 grams of carbohydrates in your diet every week, under the condition that the weight remains stationary. It also will introduce new food slowly.

Stage four- The long-term maintenance. After the desired weight is reached the fourth phase begins. At this point, you know how many grams of carbohydrates you can eat without gaining weight.
This low carb diet plan for men allows you to eat the following:

• - eggs, meat, fish (proteins)
• - olive oil, butter, cheese, olives
• - spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, avocado
• - artificial sweeteners

There is also food one man is not allowed to eat during his diet. This is the case of:

• - sugar, pastries
• - starchy vegetables (corn, peas)
• - bread, pasta, potatoes (excluded in stage one, some will be added later in the next step)
• - fruit (none in stage one, will be added in subsequent phases)
• - alcohol (none in stage one, will be added in subsequent phases)
• - nuts (none in stage one, will be added in subsequent phases)

Low carb diet plan for men: South Beach diet

The other low carb diet plan for men, also known as the South Beach diet is a three-step diet. Like in the previous diet, the last stage is destined for the maintenance of ones weight. The difference between the two mentioned diets is that while the first one forbids eating any carbs for two weeks, the latter promotes the consumption of good carbohydrates and fats. Here is how this diet should be followed by men:

Stage one-implies one eating three meals a day plus snacks. In this phase only low carb food is allowed.

Stage two-at this stage, one should gradually add fruit, bread and whole grain pasta. Also in this phase one will learn what food causes weight gain.

Stage three-at this point the information gained during the first two phases are now used to create an individualized weight-loss diet.

This low carb diet plan for men allows you to eat the following:

• -lean meat and shellfish
• -meat substitutes and tofu
• -eggs, cheese, nuts and beans
• -vegetables.

This diet forbids one to eat the following:

• -bread, rice, potatoes, pasta (no one in the first phase, will be gradually added later)
• -fruit (none in the first phase, will be gradually added in subsequent phases)
• -pastries
• -sugar
• -alcohol

Although there are many weight loss diets, nutritionists do not recommend a particular regime. There is no universal weight loss diet available. Your doctor or nutritionist can help you by individualizing diets, according to your health state.

If you are a man interested in keeping a diet without carbohydrates and you have also discovered you have a high glycemic index you should first make a list of low carbs food like the ones provided in the two diet examples above. This is very important because this will be ready when you go shopping, and you will know what you are allowed to buy and what recipes you can make using the allowed ingredients. If you don`t do this, you will probably end up quiting your diet and eating wrong food.

Proteins are important in correlation with carbs, so you have to be careful to avoid only carbohydrates and to provide your body with the nutrients it needs. Men need more protein than women so you should consider eating all sorts of proteins to keep yourself healthy. After all, the worst thing that can happen is that you deprive yourself not only of carbs but of other important food. You must make sure you are getting everything that your body requires. This is an established fact in any effective low carb diet plan for men.