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Lots of folks struggle to lose weight each year, but doing so is one of the best things you can do for your long term health. There are all kinds of methods and diets to follow, but when it comes down to it, you’ve got to make sure you’re burning more calories than you’re consuming. This means watching what you eat, and making sure to be physically active most days of the week.
One of the most popular ways to drop some pounds has been to limit the amount of carbs you’re consuming each day. Carbs and sugars are present in almost all of our modern foods, and lots of us are consuming way too much of each on a consistent basis. This occurs because our schedules are so busy, and we’re often so pressed for time, we need to rely on processed or prepackaged foods. This has contributed to the increase in chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
But there are things you can do about it! Have you heard of the carb control diet? If not, you’ve come to the right place because in today’s article, we’re covering:
- The carb control diet (and who it’s for)
- What you can expect to find on a the carb control diet menu
- Other effective ways to limit your carb intake
What is the carb control diet?
Delving deeper into the carb control diet
If you’ve been researching the best ways to lose weight and keep it off, you’ve probably come across a variety of methods and diets to help you reach your weight loss goals. One of the more popular diets is the low carb diet, as well as the stricter version, the keto diet. The goal of these diets is to limit the amount of carbs you consume on a daily basis in order to help lose weight and balance your blood sugar. Counting carbs and accounting for the amount you consume daily is a good way to learn where you can cut down on carbs, and increase your other macros (fat and protein). Although the body uses carbs for energy, you can have too many carbs, and if they’re not used, it will eventually be stored as fat.
When you decide to limit or at least count the amount of carbs in your day, you may think you have to give up all your favorite carbs, but this isn’t necessarily the case! Carbs come in three forms, and not all carbs are equally beneficial for your body.
- Sugar. These are the simple carbs that your digestive system can easily break down. You can find this kind of carb in healthy foods like fruit, or in unhealthy choices like candy.
- Starch. Starches are considered more complex, because they are digested slowly. These are the types of carbs you’ll find in potatoes, beans, or whole wheat bread. They can help you feel full, and give you stable energy to use throughout the day.
- Fiber. Another type of carb is fiber, which is also considered a complex carb. Fiber is essential to our digestive system, and it can either be soluble or insoluble. You’ll find fiber in beans, oats, and cabbage.
The types of carbs that tend to get people into trouble when it comes to their blood sugar levels or their weight are the simple sugars from items like rice, white bread, or processed food items. There are simple sugars in fruit, but they are also accompanied by essential vitamins and minerals that your body can actually use, which is why fruit is a great go-to snack for those looking to lose weight.
Benefits of a low carb diet
A carb controlled diet is a lifestyle change that includes you limiting the intake of carbs or setting a ratio/percentage of carbs that you aim to include throughout your day. There are many benefits to watching the type of carb that you consume, as well as how many you do in your meals and snacks.
- Reduce your appetite. One of the hardest parts of limiting the amount of calories you consume each day in order to lose weight is feeling hungry. No one wants to constantly be reminded of how hungry they are. That’s why it’s essential to have balanced meals that will help you stay fuller for longer. The best way to stay full and get the nutrients you need is by consuming more protein and a modest amount of fats. Protein is digested more slowly than carbs, which is why when you include more at each meal, you’ll find yourself getting fuller faster and eating less.
Protein will also help keep you feeling fuller for longer than carbs, which is why you won’t find yourself as hungry as the day goes on. This can help you reduce what you’re eating, and help end the day with a calorie deficit.
- See more weight loss. If you ingest too many carbs that don’t have the opportunity to get burned as energy, they can end up being stored as fat. Once you start a carb controlled diet, you can expect to see more weight loss at first than if you tried a low fat diet or just ate your regular, healthy diet. When you limit your carbs, you’re likely increasing the amount of protein in your daily routine, so you’re consuming less calories overall throughout the day. Less carbs can also help your body get rid of excess, retained water, which can lead to weight loss.
- Balance out your blood sugar levels. Along with losing weight, one of the major benefits of a low carb diet is that it helps to balance out your blood sugar levels. This is great news for everyone, especially if you have type 2 diabetes. Diabetics who follow a carb controlled diet are able to keep their blood sugar levels stable, and more balanced throughout the day because they eat the same amount of carbs regularly. This could mean that they may not need as much insulin because their blood sugar is no longer spiking or dropping.
But you don’t have to be a diabetic to benefit from stable blood sugar levels! Keeping your glucose levels stable ensures that you won’t feel intense hunger when it drops, or experience a crash in energy levels after you eat.
- Keep your cholesterol where it should be. Limiting the amount of carbs you consume can also help lower your triglycerides, whose level can be an indicator of the potential risk of heart disease. When you cut out carbs, especially simple sugar carbs, you’ll see a decrease in the amount of triglycerides. You will also see a rise in HDL (good cholesterol) on a low carb diet because you’ll be eating more protein and fats to balance out your diet and stay full.
- May lower blood pressure. Did you know that trying out a carb controlled diet may also help lower your blood pressure? High blood pressure is another indicator that you may be at a higher risk for heart disease, so switching to a lower carb diet may help keep your blood pressure lower.
Types of carb controlled diets
There are a variety of carb controlled diets you can choose to try, but some are more restrictive than others. This is why it’s important to speak to your doctor before you start one, especially if you’re a diabetic and you’d like to reduce the amount of insulin you’re taking.
- Keto diet
- Atkins
- Low carb, high fat diet
- South Beach diet
There is also a version that is very beneficial to diabetics that is called the constant carb or consistent carb diet. This aims to ensure your carbohydrate intake is consistent each day to keep your blood sugar levels balanced. We know that low carb diets already do this, but in diabetics, keeping them lower and consuming the same amount consistently can have real benefits on blood sugar, insulin intake, and decrease insulin resistance.
Who is the carb control diet for?
Who should consider trying out the carb control diet?
The carb control diet has some major benefits, especially if you’re trying to lose weight. If this sounds good to you, then this diet could be just what you need to kick start your weight loss journey. Keep in mind, controlling or limiting the carbs you eat doesn’t mean you have to completely eliminate them either! You just need to be aware of the amount of carbs you’re consuming, the type you’re consuming, and try to keep it consistent each day if you want to see weight loss results. It might be helpful to use a nutritional app like the Carb Tracker or a keto app so you can input what you eat at each meal. Focusing on eliminating processed, refined carbs should be at the top of your list, and limit the carbs you consume to unprocessed items like fruit, dairy, and whole grains.
A carb controlled diet, or consistent carbohydrate diet, may also be a good choice for diabetics. One of the major issues of dealing with diabetes is balancing out your blood sugar and ensuring it’s at the right level. This kind of diet could be right for you because it ensures you have a consistent amount of carbs that you plan into your routine each day, and will slow how quickly your body absorbs sugar. This consistency leads to fewer blood sugar spikes or drops, and may even help you reduce the amount of insulin you need.
What is a typical carb control diet menu?
When you follow this carb control diet, your doctor may recommend consuming a total of around 180-190 carbs each day, broken out into meals and snacks. You have carb choices for each meal that will count towards your total daily limit. A carb controlled menu may feature items such as:
Breakfast
Low carb “oatmeal”
- 1 cup canned, unsweetened coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tbsp flaxseed, whole
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 1 pinch salt
This is a great way to keep your carbs to a min in the morning. All you have to do is add all the ingredients to a saucepan and simmer for a few minutes. You can also add fruit such as raspberries and blueberries on top!
Lunch
Salmon stuffed avocados
- ½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup diced celery
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 teaspoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 (5 ounce) cans salmon, drained, flaked, skin and bones removed
- 2 avocados
- Chopped chives for garnish
Enjoy the healthy filling, healthy fats of avocados in this easy recipe. Just half the avocados, remove the pits, and take out around 1 Tbsp of the flesh. Mix with the rest of the ingredients and then scoop the mixture into the avocado halves.
Dinner
Skillet buffalo chicken
- 1 pound chicken cutlets
- ¼ teaspoon salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- ¼ cup white wine or low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup hot sauce, such as Frank's RedHot
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup finely diced carrots
- ⅓ cup finely diced celery
- 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
This is an easy carb controlled meal perfect for dinner. Just saute the chicken until done, mix together the broth, hot sauce, and heavy cream to make the sauce, and mix the carrots, celery and blue cheese to serve on the side!
Are there other ways to limit your carb intake?
Try Dr. Emil’s Carb Control Complex!
In addition to following a carb controlled diet, you can also include supplements such as Dr. Emil’s Carb Control Complex. This unique blend will help you:
- Manage your carb intake with carb blockers like white kidney bean extract
- Support your metabolism and suppress appetite for weight loss
- Regulate your blood sugar levels with berberine, bitter melon extract, and cluster dextrin
- Provide sustained energy levels
This would make a great addition if you’re trying to limit your carb intake, lose weight, and keep up your energy levels.
Is the carb control diet right for you?
Discuss with your doctor and see if the carb control diet would make a difference for you!
