How to Start a Low Carb Diet

So you've finally decided maybe it's time to give low carb dieting a try, and you're wondering just exactly how to start a low carb diet, right? Well it's fairly easy to do, so let's take a step by step look at how to go about it.

How to start a low carb diet in eight easy steps...

How to start a low carb diet step one: Pick the low carb diet plan you intend to use. The two best low carb diets are Atkins New Diet Revolution, and The South Beach Diet. Knowing which low carb diet you'll be using will help you with the additional steps and planning you'll need to get started.

How to start a low carb diet step two: Buy the book. It's not impossible to have success with your low carb diet plans without the specific book, but it sure is easier when you have it on hand while dieting. You can of course learn how to start a low carb diet from online resources, friends or family, but having the low carb diet book of choice on hand will give you a solid plan to work with, and will give you both a reference point while your dieting is in progress, plus it will give you motivation when needed too.

How to start a low carb diet step three: Clean out the pantry and fridge. Once you know which low carb dieting plan you'll be following, it's extremely important to get rid of all the tempting sweets, pastries and other high carb foods that you won't be able to eat for awhile. If those are left in the house while you're dieting, you will find yourself much more tempted to "cheat" during your diet.

How to start a low carb diet step four: Make a meal plan, and a shopping list. Planning your meals for at least 1-2 weeks is the best practice to help you get a solid, successful start. You can either make up your own meal plan based on the information available for the specific low carb diet plan you'll be following, or you can make things super simple and easy by just following the exact meal plans given to you in the low carb dieting book you chose.

How to start a low carb diet step five: Go shopping. Once you have a meal plan made up, list every single ingredient you'll need for those meals. Don't forget to put extras on your list too though. Cheese is a staple of low carb diets for instance, and having extra on hand for snacking can be very helpful. Add tuna to your list too, even if you don't have any low carb meals or snacks planned that will use this. Tuna is excellent for helping to kill cravings for sweets, and this is the hardest part of a low carb diet for women during certain times of the month. Sugar free jello is another "must have" shopping list item when you're on a low carb diet, because it's a way to have a sweet treat without adding any carbs into your day.

How to start a low carb diet step six: Cook a bit. One of the more difficult aspects of getting started on a low carb diet is that you usually have to do a bit of cooking. It's not easy to find ready made meals which are low enough in carbohydrates for the starting phases of low carb dieting, so cooking is required. If you cook a few days worth of food at once though, it makes things easier. Cook both meals and snacks, then keep them in the fridge for eating as desired. I'll cook a whole dozen pork chops for instance, then munch on them for a day or two straight.

How to start a low carb diet step seven: Get support. Team up with a friend or family member locally, or join an online community of low carb dieters. This will help give you emotional support when cravings hit, as well as give you lots of cheers and motivation when you start seeing the weight come off.

How to start a low carb diet step eight: Don't go hungry. A critical success factor with starting or maintaining a low carb diet is to make sure you never go hungry. So always be sure you have low carb foods on hand, and never deny yourself foods when you get hungry. Getting hungry can completely destroy your dieting success because you're more likely to give in to carb heavy cravings, or just grab whatever's on hand to satisfy your hunger.