the no carb coach

This diet is particularly helpful for women at any stage in menopause but it also works well for non-menopausal women and men who want to drop weight quickly and keep it off.

Menopausal women often struggle with weight gain because many factors make it harder to manage blood sugar, which leads to more fat storage.

A No-Carb Diet helps prevent big spikes in blood sugar, by cutting out carbohydrates, which are the main source of sugar in your diet, and that makes it easier for the body to burn fat instead of storing it.

Are Carbs Equal to Sugar in Their Effect?

Essentially to simplify, carbohydrates can have a similar effect to sugar in your body. When you eat carbs, especially simple carbs like white bread, pasta, or sugary foods, your body breaks them down into sugar. When you eat carbs this raises your blood sugar levels and the release of insulin.

How Does Insulin Make You Store Fat?

When you eat carbs, your body breaks them down into sugar which enters your bloodstream. To keep your blood sugar levels from getting too high, your body releases insulin which helps move the sugar out of your blood and into your cells, where it’s used for energy.

However, when you eat a lot of carbs, they turn into sugar & your body produces higher levels of insulin, which signals your body to stop breaking down fat and focus on storing it instead.

So, when insulin levels are high, your body is in fat-storage mode, making it harder to burn fat. This is why diets that reduce carbs lower insulin levels, and the reason why the No Carb Diet can help with fat loss.

Why are Menopausal Women More Predisposed to Insulin Resistence

Insulin resistence happens when your body’s cells don’t respond to insulin the way they should and can’t absorb the sugar properly. As a result, your blood sugar levels stay higher than they should be, and your body has to produce more insulin to try to get the sugar into your cells.

During menopause, estrogen levels drop and since it plays a role in improving insulin sensitivity, the lack of it can make your body more resistent to insulin and higher blood sugar levels.

Menopause is often associated with an increase in abdominal fat, particularly visceral fat, this type of fat is more likely to make the body less sensitive to insulin. Likewise, during menopause, there is a natural decline in muscle which means the body has fewer cells to help regulate blood sugar, so can contribute to insulin resistance.

The hormonal changes during menopause can also lead to increased cortisol levels, particularly if a woman is dealing with stress. Cortisol can promote fat storage and contribute to insulin resistance by interfering with the insulin signaling pathway.

As women age, they tend to become more insulin resistant. This is not solely due to menopause but is also related to the natural aging process, where the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar declines over time.

These combined factors make menopausal women more vulnerable to developing insulin resistance, which not only puts them at risk of conditions like type 2 diabetes but contributes to weight gain and difficulty losing fat.

The No Carb Diet – A Combination of Protein & Low Carb Foods

Being on a daily carb limit of less than 25-30g, with most of your carbs coming from dairy or low-carb vegetables, offers several benefits.

With such a low carb intake, your body quickly runs out of sugar for energy and switches to burning fat instead. This process produces ketones, which your body and brain use for fuel and speeds up weight loss.

With fewer carbs, especially from low-carb vegetables and dairy, your blood sugar levels remain stable throughout the day. You avoid the spikes and crashes that can happen with higher carb intake, leading to better energy levels, reduced cravings, and more consistent mood.

Eating fewer carbs reduces the amount of insulin your body needs to produce. Lower insulin levels mean your body is less likely to store fat and more likely to burn it.

Low-carb, high-fat diets (like those with under 30g of carbs per day) tend to be more satiating. Fat and protein keep you full for longer, which can naturally reduce your overall calorie intake without feeling deprived.

Reducing carbs in your diet, especially by focusing on nutrient-dense vegetables and dairy, can lower inflammation and potentially reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

Some people report better mental clarity and focus when in ketosis because ketones provide a steady, efficient source of energy for the brain, avoiding the energy dips caused by fluctuating blood sugar.

Carbs cause your body to retain water, so when you reduce carbs, your body sheds excess water weight. This can lead to feeling less bloated and seeing initial quick weight loss.

By keeping carbs under 30g a day and getting them from high-quality, low-carb vegetables and dairy, you get the benefits of ketosis while still enjoying essential nutrients from whole foods.

Why You Can’t Mix the No Carb Diet with Higher Carb Foods

When you mix a low-carb limit of 25-30g per day with eating simple carbs or foods high in carbs per gram, it can interfere with weight loss for several key reasons:

It causes a rapid rise in blood sugar which spike insulin levels and signals the body to store fat instead of burning it for energy, stalling weight loss

One of the main goals of a low-carb diet (especially below 30g per day) is to enter ketosis, a metabolic state where your body starts burning fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates.

Simple carbs and high-carb foods can prevent you from reaching or staying in ketosis, as your body will use sugars from intake of carbs for energy instead of tapping into stored fat, slowing or preventing ketosis and weight loss.

If you’re eating higher-carb foods or those with refined sugars, your appetite regulation gets thrown off, and it’s harder to stick to your carb limits, resulting in eating too many calories.

If you’re consuming high-carb foods that are also calorie-dense, you may unknowingly be consuming more calories than you intend, which can slow weight loss or even lead to weight gain.

To maximize the benefits of a low-carb diet, it’s important to choose foods that are low in both total carbs that are nutrient-dense foods that have minimal impact on blood sugar.

The No Carb Coach offers nutrient-dense, low-carb meals and recipes, along with expert guidance on which foods to avoid, helping you maximize your weight loss and achieve your health goals effectively.