Disclaimer: The content of this article has been reviewed by our nutritionist, Brenda Peralta, a certified nutritionist and registered dietician. While the information is based on expert knowledge, it's important to consult your healthcare provider before making any dietary changes.
Starting a low-carb diet is like setting off on an exciting journey to feeling healthier and happier. In this guide, I've got seven super helpful tips on How to Start a Low-Carb Diet. Whether you're new to low-carb eating or looking for awesome ways to stay healthy, these tips will make it easy and fun to start your low-carb adventure. Get ready to discover how to kick off your low-carb diet in style!
How to Start a Low Carb Diet
Let's face it: our modern food choices often leave us feeling less than great. But what if I told you there's a way to change that? Dive into this guide to kickstart your journey into a low-carb diet, where learn how to keep your carbohydrate intake in check, how much carbs per day is okay on a low carb diet and how can you enjoy low carb recipes that are mess-free yet delicious!
7 Tips for A Low-Carb Diet
Step 1: Figure out if low-carb is for you
People pick up a low-carb diet for different reasons, including health issues and weight loss. It CAN and DOES work for a lot of people however, you must keep in mind that not everyone can benefit from a low-carb approach. For instance, an athlete or individual with super-high activity levels will need a high carb intake for maximum energy and optimal performance.
Adults with health issues must also consider their condition. Someone with diabetes will benefit much from a low-carb diet but one with kidney disease may have to rethink their decision as they have to be cautious about a high protein intake, which is highly prevalent in many low-carbohydrate diets.
Step 2: Prepare for an "Adjustment" in your body
Brenda says that the best way to start a low-carb diet is to first, cut sugar, grains and other processed foods 100%. You don't have to increase your fat intake drastically! Many people are misled to launch a low-carb eating plan with "fat bombs" and mountains of bacon.
In the induction phase (usually a week or two), gradually increase your fat intake as you slowly decrease the carbs. Why? Because you will:
- Encourage weight loss and allow your body to adjust to a higher fat intake.
- Give your body time to switch to using your fat stores to create energy, rather than sugar.
- Avoid digestive issues like nausea or diarrhea brought on by eating a lot of fat, too fast.
You don't need to worry if you experience these symptoms. Simply dial in your fat intake and give your body time to balance. After the induction phase, you're ready to go full-on low-carb.
Step 3: Avoiding the dreaded "Carb Flu"
If you have been scouring the internet for low-carb diet tips you have probably come across the dreaded 'carb flu.' From personal experience, it is REAL and can be an absolute pain in the ass.
According to Brenda, the "carb flu" gained its name from common symptoms experienced in the first 1-4 weeks of starting a low-carb, high-fat diet. Here's what it's all about:
- It is a natural DETOX reaction and adjustment to decreasing the number of carbohydrates you eat.
- Different people experience different severities of "carb flu." Lots of people don't get any symptoms at all.
- Several "carb flu" symptoms such as dizziness, poor sleep, and tingling in your limbs come from an electrolyte imbalance.
To mitigate the carb flu you need to amp up your sodium intake. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day with a big dash of fresh lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt. A cup of bone broth or bullion per day will also increase your sodium intake significantly.
You need a higher salt intake on a low-carb diet because our bodies shed excess water more easily. Carbohydrates increase water retention in the body.
Step 4: Set up accountability
This is the most crucial tip I needed when I first began my low-carb journey. You will need it too. I realized late that the approach wouldn't be sustainable unless I'm held accountable, so I decided to tell everyone that I'm low carb. I don't preach about it, but I let them know that I might be eating a bit differently than normal.
Setting up accountability is a long-term success strategy.
What will you do when your first dinner party comes up? Or your next holiday adventure? Considering these occasions before they happen is a great way to avoid temptation and stay aligned with your low-carb life plan!
I have an extensive Guide on How To Be Communicate Your Low Carb Diet: Best Responses Ever, so if you are someone like me who want to know how to communicate you are on a diet and avoiding certain things as a beginner, this is a very useful guide!
Step 5: Zero cheat days
I do not recommend having a cheat day when you are adjusting to low-carb. Here's why:
- It's incredibly difficult to cut sugar, grains and carbs from your regular diet. Doing it over and over again is insane, and may easily keep you off track.
- Sugar and high-carb foods are addictive. A cheat day will re-introduce the cravings that already subsided due to your hard work.
- Cheat days are a slippery slope. Once it is okay to cheat one day it becomes a lot easier to cheat once a day.
- After a while, you won't need to cheat. The carb-laden food you used to love and crave all the time will not even taste like real food.
If you must have a cheat day in your long-term strategy, avoid it in your first month. Your body is adjusting to a natural state of burning fat, and it's best not to interrupt the process.
There are a lot of delicious low-carb alternatives out there, even for dessert - check out this No Bake Cheesecake and thank me later! The temptation to cheat should not be an excuse.
Step 6: Listen to your hunger
As with other diets, the low-carb community has diverse perspectives, experiences and beliefs. The voices are so loud and can be confusing. You will meet people insisting on strict caloric intake, meal times, daily goals, and more. It's intimidating and frustrating, especially if you just started. Here's the most underrated piece of advice when starting a low-carb diet plan; listen to what your body is telling you!
I've found that people fall into three categories when starting a low-carb diet:
- Some people are immediately satisfied when going low-carb and discover that they love eating 2 meals a day.
- Others kick off ravenous and can't seem to eat enough.
- Some feel that the low-carb lifestyle isn't for them at all.
Guess which category I fell into? The second!
During my first month of low carb challenge, I was overeating all the meat and cheese I could find. I wasn't listening to my body. I wasn't sticking to the plan to eat when I was hungry.
Eventually, I joined the first category after increasing my veggies (leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables) and learning more about a low-carb diet for beginners. I eat two meals a day and feel sated.
Step 7: Start intermittent fasting
Brenda suggests that after 2-4 weeks of eating low-carb, your body will be adapted to using fat as fuel. This is the perfect time to get on intermittent fasting.
Intermittent fasting prolongs the period between when your body finishes burning all the calories you consumed on your last meal and when it begins to burn your body fat for energy.
Contrary to popular opinion, the primary goal of intermittent fasting is not to reduce calorie intake. Realistically, you have the same amount of calories in a confined period. Calorie restriction is not healthy. Read more about the downsides of very-low-calorie diets.
Intermittent fasting has loads of benefits and is popular for correcting issues like hormone imbalance, hair loss, poor sleep, and weight gain. Numerous studies also link it to reduced risk factors for chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Start practicing it slowly if you need to. If you are hungry at 11 AM, eat at 11 AM. If you can easily wait until 2 PM, that's great too! The entire purpose is to remain fasted for longer.
The longer your fasted state, the more cell regeneration and ultimately, the hope to increase longevity.
What will you do with your newfound ENERGY and mental CLARITY?
What delicious foods will you enjoy when you break the fast?
For me, it was cheese, bacon, and eggs!
Conclusion
Switching to a low-carb diet overnight is not a downhill task. The 7 carb tips I have provided will help you ease into the process. Prioritize low-carb meals, non-starchy vegetables, non-starchy fruits, and intermittent fasting. Avoid the carb controversies from the ever-buzzing low-carb community. Unless someone is a carb expert or has low-carb success stories, don't pay much attention to all the confusing carb advice.
Staying in touch with your health and life goals will help you stay strong. Over time, you'll build momentum to keep you moving forward. Remember, your body is your overall guide. Trust how you feel. I wish you all the best on this balanced diet lifestyle!
If you enjoyed my 7 tips on how to start a low-carb diet or lifestyle, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Brenda Peralta, a registered holistic nutritionist, provided the nutritional information for this article. Visit her website for more information about her.
PLEASE NOTE: Before changing your diet plan or eating routine consult your physician or a health expert.
4 Responses
Wow! Thanks, man for this great post! I want to lose weight and exercise is not my thing. I tried many times but I failed. When its come to food which I never compromised. But my body shape getting worse and I started to lost all the attention on me. Now I'm serious and I want a diet that really helps me out. I hope and believe I can follow this diet and get the shape again I was before.
Maria,
If I could do it, anyone could. Trust me. I was around 330 pounds when I started and now I've lost 135 pounds in one year. I've never felt better in my entire life. My energy is constant and I don't get those post-meal spikes where you need to nap after eating. Everything is a lot smoother. You'll see for yourself. Let me know how it's going, I'm curious.
Have a great low-carb day!
Scott
Hello,
I lost 28kg on low carb eating, and my doctor was very impressed! All my health indicators improved, I was insulin resistant, and on blood pressure medication, among other things.
In 2020, I lost 5 family members, and lost the low carb motivation. I can't seem to get the motivation back! Any ideas?
Anne 🙂
Hi Anne: first, I want to extend my deepest condolences for the tremendous losses you have experienced. Five family members is unimaginable and the impact from such loss would be absolutely natural to lose motivation.
Your success in losing 28kg and improving your health indicators speaks volumes toward your strength and capacity. To be honest, I also have lost my way since 2020. I am now realizing that the best version of me exists when my body feels good… and I am in the process of reminding myself that it is not trying to get back to where I was, but to create a new path for where I am at now.
On this new path it actually feels harder this time, as I have pictures of what I consider to be the best version of me from such a short time ago. It feels like all the work I put in disappeared in too short a time. Being gentle with myself is the lesson I am trying to apply in the moment, and it is hard.
Keep in mind that your journey is yours, and that there is no right or wrong way to navigate it. One thing you might want to consider trying is finding a number of new low carb recipes that you haven’t made before. See how experiencing something new and different might put a spark back in the motivation. Another thing is to reach out to your community. This is something I also have done recently and it is really working for me.
As I say throughout this site, we are stronger together.
Stay in touch-
Scott