A low-carb diet can help you lose 6kg in 4 weeks! Weight loss nutritionist: These 4 types of people are not suitable for low-carb menus

The wrong low-carb diet may harm your body! Professional weight loss nutritionist Stephanie Lee will tell you the most correct low-carb diet. With the goal of "losing 6 kg without exercise", choose the low-carb recipes you want to eat, so that you can lose weight without going hungry and easily complete 4 weeks of low-carb, high-fat (high-protein) weight loss. However, there are four types of people who are not suitable for a low-carb menu, including diabetics, kidney disease patients, etc.

Things to keep in mind when planning a low-carb menu

For decades, there has been a lot of controversy about the effectiveness of low-carb diets in weight loss and whether they have any impact on health. This is mainly because the argument for a low-carb menu denies the principle that has long been held by the nutrition community: "daily carbohydrate intake should account for 55% to 75% of total calorie intake per person." The low-carb menu advocates that less than 10% to 15% of total calorie intake should be carbohydrates, and many papers and actual cases have been published to confirm this.

I was also moved when I saw some cases. Having said that, I still don't recommend an extreme low-carb menu of less than 10%. Because the body will be very tired and cannot be sustained for long. In fact, many experts who support the low-carb theory also believe that the human body cannot maintain its functions if it consumes less than 10% carbohydrates. In fact, it is not necessary to be so extreme. Although the low-carb menu advocates that the amount of carbohydrates consumed in the initial stage should be less than 15%, it is also recommended to gradually increase its intake after a period of implementation.

Therefore, all the recipes in this book set the carbohydrate intake at around "at least 20% and at most 40%", which is lower than the intake recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), but higher than the benchmark for ketogenic diet followers. People who have done research on low-carb or have successfully implemented a low-carb menu may not be satisfied with this ambiguous attitude. However, I still adhere to the low-carb menu argument when formulating recipes for two important reasons.

Although the low-carb menu advocates that the amount of carbohydrate intake should be less than 15% in the initial stage, it is also recommended to gradually increase its intake after a period of implementation.

Don't underestimate the side effects of an extreme low-carb menu

If you have attended a low carb menu exchange, you will know that there are people suffering from various symptoms. Advocates of extreme low-carb diets would say that these symptoms are only temporary and call the body's adaptation process a "healing response." In fact, some people's symptoms do get better after a period of time. However, as a clinical nutritionist, I do not agree with enduring the physical discomfort caused by weight loss. Moreover, if carbohydrates are not consumed, it is easy to lack various important nutrients. Although it won’t be a big deal if you lack nutrients for one or two days, it will take at least a year from the beginning of a low-carb menu to see weight loss results and maintain your weight. During this period, the chances of side effects due to lack of specific nutrients are also high!

For patients who are taking diabetes medication or injecting insulin, adopting a low-carb menu may increase the risk of sudden cramps and coma due to hypoglycemia.

Who is not suitable for a low-carb diet?

❶ Diabetic patients

Many people think that a low-carb menu will inhibit the rise in blood sugar and is therefore beneficial for diabetics. Although it sounds reasonable, especially for patients who are taking diabetes medication or injecting insulin, if a low-carb menu is adopted, it may increase the risk of sudden cramps and coma caused by hypoglycemia.

This symptom of hypoglycemia can also occur in the middle of the night when you are asleep and unaware of it. It is extremely dangerous if there is no one around to help. Therefore, please be sure to consult with your attending physician or clinical nutritionist before making a decision, and never start blindly.

❷ Some patients with liver disease

Although some people often mistake low-carb diets as a panacea, high-carb diets are more suitable for patients with conditions such as fulminant hepatitis.

❸ Gout patients

Gout patients must consume foods that are low in purine to avoid causing joint pain. A low-carb menu would expose them to too much meat, seafood and other foods with relatively high purine content; on the contrary, carbohydrate foods are generally low in purine content.

❹ Kidney disease patients

Going on a low carb menu will result in a high intake of protein. Therefore, it is not suitable for patients with kidney disease (such as chronic renal failure) who need to regulate their protein intake. In addition, low-carb menus are not recommended for people who take long-term medications, pregnant women, or critically ill patients. If you really need it, please be sure to consult your attending physician first.

Low carb and high fat VS low carb and high protein, which menu is suitable for me?

Please select the item that best suits you from the following five points.

A

Always eat only a little

Like soft and tender food

Love eating high-fat foods

Healthy stomach and normal bowel movements

Love meat

B

Eat a lot at one time

Like food with texture

Prefer bland food

Frequent diarrhea

Love seafood

If there are more options A, low-carb and high-fat are recommended, while if there are more options B, low-carb and high-protein are recommended.

Given the same calories, the amount of food consumed on a high-fat menu will be smaller than on a high-protein menu because each gram of fat has more calories. If you want to eat more at one time, a low-carb, high-protein diet is recommended. As the name suggests, foods with high fat content have a soft and tender texture; high-protein ingredients are generally meats with low fat content, which are usually chewy and have a lighter taste. If you have a sensitive stomach and often suffer from diarrhea, it is not recommended to eat foods with high fat content, because it may worsen the symptoms. For this type of people, I would recommend a low-carb, high-protein menu. Among high-fat ingredients, most are meat (pork, beef); high-protein ingredients are mostly seafood (such as shrimp, squid). Please choose the menu according to your preferences.

How to use low-carb menu

1. Choose between low-carb and high-fat or low-carb and high-protein.

2. Confirm the menu to be used in Week 1 and plan a weekly menu (you can also follow the suggested menu).

3.Please purchase the necessary ingredients.

4. Start execution.

1. If you have trouble controlling your cravings, choose from the list of acceptable snacks.

6. Please record your physical changes every day.

7. Each execution must last at least 4 weeks.

8. After one week, please confirm the checklist and decide whether to choose a new menu or keep the current menu.

※Tips

The nutritional content of the menu has been calculated, so please do not add additional ingredients or side dishes. The cost of ingredients is based on the average online price and may vary depending on the place and time of purchase. The time required is almost the same except for cooking rice or making sauces.

Things to avoid on a 4-week low-carb diet

❶Beverages and ice cream containing sugar and fructose

The drinks and ice cream you can buy in supermarkets, convenience stores or cafes are high in sugar. Before purchasing, please check the ingredient list carefully to avoid buying products with added fructose.

❷Biscuits, bread, and rice cakes with high flour or rice content

Flour and rice are very efficient carbohydrate-supplying foods, and eating just a little bit can easily exceed your recommended daily intake.

❸Noodles, fried rice and other carbohydrate staple foods

When eating out, please avoid noodles or rice as your staple food.

❹Alcohol control

While alcohol itself won't significantly affect a low-carb diet, it will still produce extra calories and prevent fat burning. So if you want to lose weight quickly, please stay away from it.

This article is from the book "Low-Carb Weight Loss Formula─The Most Correct and Delicious 120 Low-Carb Menus, You Can Successfully Lose 6kg in 4 Weeks"