Can a Low-Carb Diet Mediterranean-Style Diet Reverse Diabetes?
You might have heard a lot about cutting carbs to lose weight, but what about using this approach to manage or reverse type 2 diabetes?...
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The Basics, SOZA Weight Loss 101
After learning about the many benefits of the SOZA weight loss program, it's time to discuss the basics.
We can begin with phase two in general, the rapid weight loss, which makes up the program's core.
Phase Two Rapid Weight Loss
You must follow a low-carb diet of 800 to 1,000 calories daily for 8 to 12 weeks. Doing this will help you lose about 5 pounds per week at first, and you will burn fat for energy. This diet will also help you cut the dangerous fat around your tummy and improve your health.
To make things easier, we have created recipes high in protein, low in carbs, low in calories, and full of nutrients so you won't feel hungry. These recipes are delicious and easy to prepare.
Of course, if you want to make your meals, that's okay too, but stick to getting enough protein and not eating too many carbs. In the next section, called the rule of 50, we will give you some tips on how to do this.
Let's discuss "counting calories"
During phase two of the weight loss program, eating roughly 800 calories daily is suggested. However, with this diet, you can eat more - up to 1000 calories.
So what do 800- 1000 calories look like? Here is a downloadable day in the diet infographic.
Limiting calories while reducing carbs will put your body in a mild to moderate state of ketosis, even if you eat slightly more food.
Our meal plans will give you an idea of the right amount of calories to eat.
Low carb doesn't mean no carb
At the beginning of the weight loss program, you will eat very few carbohydrates, but not zero. The carbs you eat are filling and nutritious, like vegetables and complex carbs (like chickpeas, nuts, and seeds) in small amounts, which are included in some recipes.
Eating salads and leafy vegetables is great because they have a lot of nutrients, and the small number of extra calories or carbs won't matter. You can also add a little olive oil to them. These are good foods to eat when you are trying to lose weight.
During this diet phase, you can't eat carbs that quickly become sugar in your blood. You can't eat bread, cereal, cake, cookies, pasta, or potatoes. You should avoid starchy vegetables and most fruit (except berries, which are packed with fiber and nutrients and can be eaten in small amounts without stopping your body from burning fat).
Even a little bit of chocolate or cookies can stop you from losing weight because it can stop your body from burning fat and start burning sugar instead.
Try the Rule of 50
Whether you use our recipes or make up your own, paying attention to how much protein and carbs you're eating is essential. When quickly losing weight, you want to have at least 50 grams of protein daily but keep your daily carb intake under 50 grams.
We call this the "rule of 50."
Our meal plans in the back of the book are designed to help you follow this rule, and our recipes tell you how much protein and carbs are in each dish.
When you're making your food, you can check how much protein and carbs are in the packaging or online (one chicken breast has 31 grams of protein, and a 100-gram can of tuna has 28 grams).
If you're over or under the goal on any given day, that's okay. Try to average less than 50 grams of carbs and more than 50 grams of protein over a week.
Eat protein at every meal
We want you to have lots of protein when you eat because it helps keep you full, and it's not stored in your body like fat and carbs are. Good quality protein is vital to keep your muscles strong and to help you not feel hungry.
Decide whether to have two or three meals each day.
During the SOZA weight loss plan, you can choose to have two or three meals daily. Some people like to have two bigger meals because it's easier and more satisfying. For example, they might have a late breakfast, skip lunch, and eat an early dinner. You can try different ways and see what works best for you.
Having two meals like this is called time-restricted eating, a type of intermittent fasting. It means you eat all your meals within a shorter time.
This can help boost the effects of ketosis and has been shown to have health benefits. Studies have found that people who ate breakfast later and dinner earlier lost more body fat than people who ate anytime they wanted. They also had lower blood pressure and cholesterol and better blood sugar and insulin levels. Eating two meals a day also helped them eat less overall.
You can become more active
This program is about eating healthy food to get fitter, not exercising, and losing weight quickly. Even though losing weight is good, being active is vital for your health. Everyone can benefit from being more active; eating healthy food like this program can help you do that.
Being active with a healthy diet can make you stronger, happier and sleep better. Plus, being active can help you keep the weight off for a long time.
How long can you do phase two of the rapid weight loss program?
It all depends on why you want to go on a diet and how you feel. If you only need to lose a few pounds or want to eat better after a vacation or party, a few weeks of the rapid weight loss phase could be enough. But if you have high blood sugar levels, type 2 diabetes, or lots of weight to lose, you can stay on the rapid weight loss phase for up to 12 weeks. Some people do it for longer but with medical help.
When you're ready to move on, you can start stage two and keep losing weight at a slower pace. Just know that when you stop the strict rapid weight loss diet, you may gain a bit of weight, mostly water weight. That's because your body holds onto the water as it rebuilds its energy stores. So don't be surprised if the numbers on the scale don't go down as quickly as before, but you'll still feel good.
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