No Carb Protein Diets

Lose weight and build lean muscle on a no carb, protein diet plan. Eat only protein- fueled foods such as chicken, low fat dairy, fish and nuts. The US recommended daily allows says is 0.36 grams of protein for every pound of body weight. Exercise at least four to five days a week and drink at least 64 ounces of water per day for quickest weight loss results.

Meat

Meat, such as poultry, red meat and seafood are some of the best sources of protein. Meat's amino acids feed muscle production, boost metabolism and burn fat. Bake, grill or boil meat for a no carb meal. An example of a high protein meat is a small four-ounce piece of broiled sirloin steak with no carbs and 34.2 grams of protein.

You can also get 25 grams of protein from a four-ounce piece of salmon or 23 grams of protein from a four ounce chicken breast.

Eggs

Eggs are an excellent source of protein with only a trace of carbs. A cup of chopped hard-boiled eggs contains a mere 1.5 grams of carbs but supplies 17.1 grams of protein. One large fried egg provides 6.3 grams of protein.

Researchers Donald Layman Ph.D. and NR Rodriguez's review in "Nutrition Today" concluded that eggs provide a significant source of muscle strength, energy and dietetic satiety.

Low fat dairy

Low fat yogurt, cheese, and milk provide significant protein to your diet with few carbs. One cup of low fat cheddar cheese has 2.1 grams of carbs with 27.5 grams of protein. One cup of fat free plain yogurt adds 14 grams of protein to your diet.

Michael Zemel, PhD, director of The Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee conducted a study on both mice and humans and the impact of dairy on weight loss. Zemel's laboratory mice study found that mice lost more weight if they ate a calcium-fueled diet. His human study concluded that participants who ate a lot of calcium lost five more pounds than those who consumed only a small amount of calcium.

Pros and cons

The benefit of a no carb protein diet is that you initially lose more weight. You will lose more water weight because your body burns glycogen when you cut carbs. Glycogen is full of water, which is released through increased urination. You'll feel more full and your appetite will decrease because fat and protein take longer to digest. However, you may gain back the weight once you add carbs back into your diet.

Exercise caution

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that subjects who remained on a carb-restricted diet for six months lost weight but plateaued or gained weight after six months. The Mayo Clinic suggests that you use caution when cutting carbs and eating only protein because no long term studies have been conducted on the effects of such a diet. Some of the side effects of cutting carb out of your diet include constipation, and at its extreme --fainting.