I have just come back from a week in Dubai where the food was too good to resist. Now I am suffering- I am bloated and feel like crap. When I got to Dubai I was lean, its amazing how a few days of eating badly can quickly ruin your hard work!
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So this week I am going to get my metabolism back on track by doing a 7 day carb depletion diet by Wendy Chant. I did this before about 2 years ago. It was really really hard but I found it great.
What is a 7 day carb depletion diet?
Many trendy low carb diets claim rapid weight loss but all people are losing is water. For every gram of "active" carbs you consume on a daily basis, your body will hold nearly 3 grams of water. So if you cut carbs, the scale might trick you into thinking that you are losing loads of weight. But this is water weight and not fat!
A 7 day carb depletion diet teaches your body where the fat is so you can burn it off. This is the only week where you leave out and forbid certain foods.
Why do it?
Glycogen is usually the secondary long-term energy storage with the primary energy stores being fats. But in modern society we have programmed our bodies to crave and be dependent on sugars instead of fat. This means that our muscles and liver are always full of stored energy (glycogen) which makes it nearly impossible to burn fat.
So if glycogen is in your body your body will use that as its primary source of energy and not fat!
The 7 day carb depletion cycle reduces glycogen levels so your body is re-directed to fat to burn energy. This usually takes about 72 hours to deplete the body of glycogen.
If done properly carb depletion sets up your metabolic foundation for balanced and healthy rapid fat loss to work for the long haul.
The Shift:
After a few days you will experience the 'shift'- this is when you energy shifts way down and you feel fatigued and dizzy, then all of a sudden you will experience an immediate shift back to high energy.
Rules
-You must count all carbs for your first week- MyFitnessPal is a good app to keep track of carbs
-20 grams or less of active carbs per day. Active Carbs= Carbs Minus Fibre
-Eat every 2 to 3 hours
-No starches, fruits or fruit juices
-No wheat or whole grains
-No alcohol
-Drink loads of water
-Eat a serving of broccoli every day
-Protein with every meal
-Increase healthy fats and green leafy veg to keep you full and to provide your body with required nutrients
Not recommended for people who restrict carbs regularly.
Proteins allowed:
(carb grams to each veggie for one cup of serving)
Fats allowed:
So this week I am going to get my metabolism back on track by doing a 7 day carb depletion diet by Wendy Chant. I did this before about 2 years ago. It was really really hard but I found it great.
What is a 7 day carb depletion diet?
Many trendy low carb diets claim rapid weight loss but all people are losing is water. For every gram of "active" carbs you consume on a daily basis, your body will hold nearly 3 grams of water. So if you cut carbs, the scale might trick you into thinking that you are losing loads of weight. But this is water weight and not fat!
A 7 day carb depletion diet teaches your body where the fat is so you can burn it off. This is the only week where you leave out and forbid certain foods.
Why do it?
Glycogen is usually the secondary long-term energy storage with the primary energy stores being fats. But in modern society we have programmed our bodies to crave and be dependent on sugars instead of fat. This means that our muscles and liver are always full of stored energy (glycogen) which makes it nearly impossible to burn fat.
So if glycogen is in your body your body will use that as its primary source of energy and not fat!
The 7 day carb depletion cycle reduces glycogen levels so your body is re-directed to fat to burn energy. This usually takes about 72 hours to deplete the body of glycogen.
If done properly carb depletion sets up your metabolic foundation for balanced and healthy rapid fat loss to work for the long haul.
The Shift:
After a few days you will experience the 'shift'- this is when you energy shifts way down and you feel fatigued and dizzy, then all of a sudden you will experience an immediate shift back to high energy.
Rules
-You must count all carbs for your first week- MyFitnessPal is a good app to keep track of carbs
-20 grams or less of active carbs per day. Active Carbs= Carbs Minus Fibre
-Eat every 2 to 3 hours
-No starches, fruits or fruit juices
-No wheat or whole grains
-No alcohol
-Drink loads of water
-Eat a serving of broccoli every day
-Protein with every meal
-Increase healthy fats and green leafy veg to keep you full and to provide your body with required nutrients
Not recommended for people who restrict carbs regularly.
Proteins allowed:
- Eggs
- Cottage Cheese
- Lean beef
- Turkey breast
- Chicken breast
- Low carb protein powder
- Salmon, Tuna, Cod
(carb grams to each veggie for one cup of serving)
- Asparagus=2
- Broccoli=4
- Cucumber=0
- Lettuce=0
- Cabbage=1
- Cauliflour=3
- Spinach=1
- Celery=0
- Mushrooms=1
- Green beans=7
- Peppers=3
- Tomatoes=5
Fats allowed:
- Flaxseed oil
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Mayo
- Grass fed butter
- Egg yolks
