For years, we were taught that carbohydrates were the food of choice for high energy and optimum athletic performance. We were taught that fat made us fat and carbohydrates made us lean and energized. Then everything seemed to change. Low carbohydrate diets have been with us for decades, but from the late nineties into the first few years of the new millennium, there has been a huge resurgence of interest in the low carbohydrate diet. Everywhere you look today there are low carbohydrate drinks, low carbohydrate meal replacements, low carbohydrate frozen dinners – even low carbohydrate pasta! Low carbohydrate dieting has definitely gone mainstream. Unfortunately, this has created a torrent of confusion and controversy. For every “guru” who says low carbohydrates are the ultimate fat burning diet, there is another “guru” with the opposite opinion. Who is right?  Because of metabolic individuality, no single diet program is the best for everyone. At certain times, for certain purposes, a low carbohydrate diet – done with a new approach you are about to learn - can accelerate fat loss beyond anything you’ve experienced before. This type of diet is not for everyone and it’s also not for people who haven’t mastered the nutritional fundamentals first. Before you proceed in such a low carbohydrate high protein diet you should be training consistently and you should have mastered the meaning of Diet. It’s pointless to try to use these advanced carbohydrate-manipulation strategies unless you’ve mastered the eight fundamentals of a fat-loss diet 1. Eating fewer calories than you burn 2. Properly balancing your macronutrient ratios 3. Eating five or six meals per day, properly timed 4. Eating lean proteins with every meal 5. Eating the right types of carbohydrates and avoiding refined sugars 6. Eating low fat and choosing the right types of fat 7. Drinking plenty of water 8. Eating natural, unrefined foods A totally new approach to the low carbohydrate diet There are three secrets to getting all the benefits of low carbohydrate dieting without all the side effects it might cause such as dramatic reduction in energy levels, it can affect negatively your mood and mental state, muscle tissue loss etc. The first is carbohydrate tapering, which is the practice of eating more carbohydrates early in the day and fewer later in the day. The second secret is using moderate carbohydrate reductions, not the removal of all carbohydrates. The third is carbohydrate cycling. When combined, the results of these three techniques can increase fat loss beyond your wildest dreams and expectations! Let’s take a closer look at each one. A) The carbohydrate tapering technique for maximum fat loss If you want to get leaner quickly, a simple way to accelerate fat loss is to reduce the size of your late day meals. This technique is known as “calorie tapering” or “carbohydrate tapering.” Simply cut out the starches in your evening and late afternoon meals, leaving the green fibrous carbohydrates, lean proteins and essential fats. Examples of late day fibrous carbohydrate and lean protein meals include; (1) broccoli and chicken breast with a 1 tbsp of flaxseed oil, (2) tuna fish in a green salad with olive oil & vinegar dressing, (3) Asparagus and salmon. When you drop the starchy carbohydrates from your last two meals, your ratios will automatically shift towards less carbohydrates and higher protein. It’s an incredibly simple and easy technique to use, yet it can cause dramatic fat loss. How the low carbohydrate, very high protein diet can benefit trainees For very brief periods, athletes/fitness competitors often decrease their carbohydrates to only about 25% of their total calories. This is considered a “low carbohydrate” diet. This type of program would only be appropriate for an extreme endomorph or a competitive physique athlete. (This is why it’s often called the pre-contest diet’) Pre-contest Diet Low carbohydrate, very high protein 25-30% carbohydrates 50% protein 20-25% fat