Diet with NO CARBS and HIGH IN PROTEIN

 

A diet with no carbs and high in protein is extremely beneficial for weight loss, building muscle and other health benefits.

 

Though, dieting with “no carbs” should be established carefully because there can be negative results if you’re not careful (1) . With any diet, extremes are never recommended for a long period of time,  so we’re going to talk about both “no carbs” and “low carbs” at the same time.

 

 

Disclaimer: any diet should be consulted with a professional beforehand. This is just an overview of this diet along with a plan that you “can” implement if safe and necessary.

 

 

Dieting DOESN’T HAVE TO BE HARD.

 

A diet simply means your organization of what foods to eat.

 

Most people hear of a diet and think that it’s uncomfortable and won’t work for their goals.
I just want to tell you the NUMBER ONE reason why diets fail;
people fail their diets because they change too much and too fast.

 

 

What ever your goals are for dieting, the most important point is that you are able to keep consistent with your diet.

 

So, with that said, lets break down why we should have a diet with no carbs and high in protein, and what the benefits are.

 

 

Why diet with no carbs?

 

Dieting with no carbs is great for FAT LOSS and other heart benefits . (2)

 

First, lets get a better understanding of carbs and make sure we’re not afraid of them but simply understand what they’re used for and why (sometimes) we should have none of it.

 

What is a carb?

 

Carb or carbohydrate is one of the three macromolecules (food) that we eat for energy, other two being fats and proteins.

Carbs (simple carb) are specifically digested quickly and used for quick energy (basic body functions and also any sort of harder movements such as exercising).

 

Common simple carbs in our regular diets are sugars, rice, bread, pasta etc.

 

The thing with carbs is that any of the carbs that aren’t used up, are stored in FAT CELLS.

 

Simple vs complex carb

 

An important distinction we have to make when considering this type of diet and information are simple vs. complex carbs.

The difference is how easily they are broken down.

 

Simple carbohydrates: (sugars, white rice, white bread) are the ones mentioned above for “quick energy”. They are broken down right away in our stomachs causing spikes in blood sugar, making us crave more.

 

Complex carbohydrates: (potatoes, whole wheat grains and pasta) these carbs take longer to break down, causing less intense spikes in blood sugar.

 

Diet with no carbs for weight loss

 

So, the way the energy system in our body works, is that any unused carbs are stored in fat cells and turn into fat.

 

Why our body loves carbs

 

Our body recognizes carbs as quick energy, its been useful in our survival for many, many years. Though, times have changed from our ancestors in the day of hunting and gathering. Almost none of us struggle to find quick energy sources, such as foods high in sugar, nowadays.

 

That’s why we have such a craving for sugar. It’s in our biology.

 

So, since carbs are easily eaten, by having a lower amount of them or none at all in our diet we can feel full for longer and have more steady sources of nutrition (fats, proteins, complex carbs)

 

Controlling insulin for weight loss

 

Generally, eating any food but especially carbs, spikes our insulin (which is blood sugar regulator hormone). Why this is important is because when insulin is high, it is the hormone that stores the unused sugars in our fat cells.

 

Also, when insulin is high, it makes us crave more sugar.

 

Lowering the amount of carbs in our diet, helps regulate insulin, preventing as much storage of sugars in our fat cells and preventing making us fat.

 

Another great way of lowering our insulin for weight loss is fasting, which is not eating for an extended period of time.  Find out the benefits and how to fast here: Lose weight by fasting (easy way).

 

Ketosis

 

A very popular, and honestly another name for the low/no carb diet and high in protein is the Keto diet. Basically, this diet is to help exactly what we just mentioned. With low glucose (sugars) available in our body, our body enters a state of ketosis.

 

Ketosis is a natural process in our body that BREAKS DOWN FATS into ketones for our brain. (which is important because our brain typically depends on sugars for energy)

 

 

Kind of hacking our body system in a way. Our brain requires a lot of energy to function. When our body is desperate of “quick energy” (carbs), our body starts to break down our “reserves of energy” (fats) for that quick energy.

 

 

How long to keep a no carb diet?

 

So, and important point is that we shouldn’t be doing a no carb diet for a long time.

 

Short term diets that have no carbs can be safe, staying within weeks to months (3). This is great for the initial stages of fat loss and allowing your body to adjust the reduction of cravings and simple carbs (which is usually the main reasons for fat gain).

 

Again, safety is first. If at any point the diet becomes too uncomfortable, stop immediately and consult a professional.

 

 

Why diet high in protein?

Dieting high in protein is great/necessary for building muscle, weight loss and other health benefits.

 

What is protein?

 

 

A protein (in terms of the nutrient we need in our body) is another macromolecule we need for our body. The main purposes of protein in our diet are to repair cells, build muscle, help in other body functions, and also as an energy source in our bodies (although not common because protein needs to be used for the other important functions in our body first).

 

 

Why protein isn’t used usually as an energy source

 

 

Because building and repairing cells and tissues in our bodies is so important, almost all of the time the protein that we eat are used for those functions.

 

 

How much is “high in protein”?

 

We first have break down how much minimum requirement we need first. For most people, to maintain basic body functions and who live a sedentary lifestyle (not moving or exercising much), the protein requirement is around 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. (4)

 

 

Now, this is bare minimum. With our way of fitness, many of us have the goals of either losing weight or gaining muscle (preferably both).

 

So, a high protein diet can range as well. For the purpose of building muscle,

 

 

Benefits of a high protein diet

 

 

WEIGHT LOSS by a diet with no carbs and high in protein

 

One of the less obvious benefits of a high protein diet is weight loss. (5)

 

Yes, eating lots of protein is great for losing weight, and very prevalent in my experience along with others trying to build muscle. Reason for this is that most high protein food (lean meats, eggs, beans etc.) have very satiable qualities to them, meaning they get you full very quickly and for a long time!

 

 

Just try to eat full chicken breasts without feeling full!

 

 

This is based on the nutrient density in the foods. Our body recognizes the high amounts of protein (along with, usually, the good fats in meats) and keeps us satiated for longer.

 

 

 

This is very comparable to why carbs give us weight gain, the example of the chicken breast mentioned above is, lets say, on average 100 calories (100 grams of chicken breast) (6) and a large butter croissant (one of my favorites unfortunately) is on average 300 calories! (7) And you definitely do not feel full just eating that croissant.

 

 

BUILDING MUSCLE by a diet with no carbs and high in protein

 

 

 

BUILDING MUSCLE may be the more obvious use that most people think about when they think of protein. Though it is still highly important. Building muscle (and the aid of it through a high protein diet) is significant because of the health benefits that come along with having a higher muscle mass.

 

 

Simply put, having adequate muscle mass, is beneficial for staying strong and healthy throughout your life, even in the later years. (8)

 

 

 

EVERYONE must maintain a sufficient amount of muscle and fitness in their life. To break it down, here are the fundamentals of (How to build muscle ) and to get you started on your diet (10 Foods that BUILD MUSCLE)

 

 

 

My Diet with no carbs and high in protein

 

Maybe some are wondering and maybe none are wondering but I follow these ways as much as I can. I implement everything I talk about and concisely filter the things that I believe are beneficial.

 

 

To give you an idea, what my meals look like regularly is something like this.

Here we have chicken breast and broccoli, a classic even.
In conclusion, with a diet with NO CARBS and HIGH in protein,  these types of meals have many benefits that will move us forward on our journey to fitness.

 

Timur Yigit