low carb meal plan

A low carb meal plan is one of the most popular methods of weight loss. However, the correct usage of such a meal plan can make all the difference between the success and failure of your weight loss goals.

Because many weight watchers do not plan their diet program in advance, they end up consuming meal replacement bars. Sometime they even skip meals to reduce the carbohydrate intake.

First of all, the meal replacement bars can contain hidden sugars that lead to more food craving, which ultimately take away all the benefits of a low carb plan.

The next concern is what kind of benefits one can expect from a low carb meal plan. People want to lose weight for a variety of reasons and desiring a slim waistline for looking good may not be the only one.

Being overweight can mean inviting a host of health problems including hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, sleep disorders and more. If you are suffering from sleep apnea, perhaps the most common form of sleep disorder, you need to be careful while planning your weight loss diet. This is because, you are generally feeling tired, because you cannot have a good nights' sleep. Your body needs energy to take you through the day. Of course, a plan that is low in carbs can help you lose weight; but you need to be doubly cautious while designing such a plan.

Along with reducing the carbs, you also need to make sure that you have adequate quantities of vitamins, minerals and macronutrients which carbohydrates can offer in plenty.

Here are some important features about a low carb meal plan which every weight watcher should know, especially if you are trying to lose weight to take care of your sleep apnea problem:

Consistency is the key to success with a low carb meal plan. If you follow the diet 80% of the time, you can not expect to lose weight. This means that you need to create your low carb meal plan well in advance to prevent food cravings and so on.

Perhaps the most popular low carb meal plan is the Atkins Diet. Though this is one of the oldest eating plans available not many people know how to follow it properly. This type of diet plan consists of meat, diary, nuts and seeds, fish oil, vegetables and fiber supplement.

Replace your carbohydrate depletion with enough good quality meat proteins. Since lower carbs can lower your metabolism, you run the risk of gaining weight once you stop the low carb meal plan.

It is recommended to consume 1.5 to 2g of protein per pound of bodyweight.

There are no eggs in this type of low carb meal plan.

Limit your protein shakes to 1 per day, preferably after a workout.

A good low carb meal plan also includes consumption of fish oil every morning with your first meal. If you have 33% body fat (obese) you would need 33 g or fish oil per day.

Though you are limiting your carb intake to 50 g per day in the plan, you cannot ignore fiber from your diet. This means that you need to eat cooked or raw vegetables for your fiber needs.

It is recommended to have 5 to 6 small meals per day with lots of protein with every meal.

There are countless people who have lost weight following a low carb meal plan. There is no reason, why you cannot make use of such a plan and prevent or cure your sleep apnea problem resulting from being overweight.