Part 2 of 3: Dieting Ideas

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   Consider a low-carbohydrate (Atkins) diet. The theory is that overweight people eat too many carbohydrates. A diet rich in carbs causes the body to release insulin.^[1] The body controls the insulin by producing glucose (sugar), which eventually gets converted into fat. The low-carb diet structures your meals around proteins, soy-products, vegetables, fruits and nuts to avoid this.

   • While you want to limit the amount of carbs you eat, you don’t want to completely cut them out of your diet. Try to have carbs at least 20% of the time. Your body does need glucose in order to function, and carbs are a good source for that.
   • Foods that are allowed^[2] as part of the low-carb diet:
     • Unprocessed, high-protein meats, such as beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and turkey.
     • Unprocessed, high-protein fish, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, and trout.
     • Low-carbohydrate vegetables and leafy greens.
     • Full-fat, unprocessed cow, goat, or sheep’s milk cheeses.
     • Any artificial, non-sugar sweeteners, such as Splenda or Stevia.
   • Foods that are not allowed as part of the low-carb diet:
     • Grains. No pasta, bread, cakes, or pastries.
     • Fruits and fruit juices.
     • Processed foods. These usually have added sugar in them.
     • Starchy vegetables. No potatoes, beets, or corn.
     • Sugar or margarine.
2. 2

   Consider a low-calorie diet. If you burn more calories than you take in, you’ll lose weight. The low-cal diet^[3] means reducing your intake to between 1,200 and 1,500 calories per day for women. It is recommended if you want to lose no more than 2 pounds per week. It is not safe to attempt to lose more than 2 pounds per week unless under strict doctor supervision.

   • Limit the amount of fat that you eat to between 35 and 60 grams per day. This means that fats should make up about 20% to 35% of your entire calories for the day.
   • Aim to eat about 170 to 240 grams of complex carbohydrates like whole grains, vegetables, and fruits per day. This should make up about 45% to 65% of your entire calories for the day.
   • Aim to eat about 55 to 95 grams of low-fat protein, which includes meat, poultry, and fish per day. This should account for about 15% to 25% of your total calorie intake for the day.
3. 
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   Consider a ketogenic (keto) diet. Keto diets are like low-carb diets in that you’re trying to avoid eating carbohydrates by substituting fats and proteins into your diet. The difference is that Keto diets are higher in fat and lower in protein that the Atkins diet.

   • Why fats instead of protein? If you eat too much protein, your body turns the excess protein into glucose, which is what you were trying to avoid in carbs in the first place. On the other hand, fats have no effect on blood sugar and insulin levels.
   • Shoot to get about 70-75% of calories from fat, 20-25% from protein, and 5-10% from carbohydrates.^[4] Limit the amount of carbs you eat to between 20 and 50 grams per day.
   • Since being strict about how many carbs you eat is an essential part of the keto diet, it’s important to understand how to count carbs correctly. Invest in a carb counter guide and study it.