Low Carb Diets Are Worthless for Fat Loss
It’s out there, everywhere. Everyone’s obsessed with low carb foods and everyone seems to be on low carb diets. Of those obsessed people, whoever is using low carb diets to lose weight or to cut down fat, it’s a waste of time! Low carb diets do not work for fat loss, period.
Alright, I know that everyone must be ready to fight me on this but hear me out for a second.
I will give you this: I agree that low carb diets work for a VERY short period of time. That’s the key. All those low carb diet products out there focus only on the fact that this program does work but they leave out the part about very short time, specifically 2-3 weeks, if even that long. Usually, for most people, they only work for about a week or two. Rarely have I ever heard anyone say, in complete honesty, that low carb diets work for longer than 2 weeks.
The one good thing about low carb diets is that it forces you to cut out foods that you should be avoiding in the first place. Things that are banned in low carb diets are definitely candy, ice cream, chewing gum and high-starch vegetables, which can be eaten very occasionally. Those are always good to avoid based alone on the high starch or carb content in these foods. So that’s the one redeeming factor here.
The rest of the story is definitely not so great! For long term efforts, low carb diets do nothing for your weight loss goals. Instead of burning fat and losing weight, your body is doing something that seems totally alien to us but is completely natural in your body’s healthy functioning.
For those who (for some reason) stick with low carb diets for the long term, the body will attempt to balance out the acid build up in your blood from all of the protein this diet tells you to eat. There is so much excess protein (everything in moderation, I say) that it can leech calcium from your bones and cause acid build up in your blood. The body’s natural reaction is to balance everything out and keep it on an even keel. The medical term for this is osteoporosis! Clearly, this is a bad effect directly influenced from low carb diets.
Even if that is a result that is specifically for women, here’s something that will apply to everyone. The human brain uses tons of nutrients in his normal functioning, glucose being one of them. Yes, you’ve heard of glucose before; it’s a simple sugar, which is basically a carb. When you eat a low carb diet, you’re basically depleting your body of glucose. So basically, low carb diets can negatively affect your brain’s normal functions, something none of the low carb diets advertise.
I’m not completely anti low carb. I definitely think that low carb diets have its place, usually only in the first week of a new nutritional plan. And I don’t deny the results that do come from it, both good and bad. But my argument is completely for what is the best way to lose weight and low carb diets used for the long term is absolutely NOT the best way to lose weight; it’s not even a good way!
Low carb diets should ONLY be used for your first week of a new nutritional plan. And successful nutritional plan should, must, include a healthy diet balanced between proteins, carbs, fats and fibers and it should also incorporate an exercise regimen. While eating healthy will help you lose weight, exercising will put your results nearly over the top. There is no reason NOT to exercise. Even if you don’t start of exercising because of your weight, once you’ve lost that weight, you absolutely should exercise! To lose weight, you can’t get better than a great healthy diet plus effective exercising!
James Wong lost over 40lbs. just by using The Secret 2 Fat Loss. You too could lose weight as easily as he did. Find out how to get six pack abs fast. You can burn fat without counting calories at www.TheSecret2FatLoss.com
The cause of bad breath on low carb diets
The latest dieting craze has no doubt been the low carb high protein diets. Those of you on Atkins, South Beach etc will no doubt have noticed a number of changes since you took up the diet. And no I’m not talking about the remarkable weight loss I am talking about your bad breath. Now it may not have been noticeable to you but I suggest you ask your friends or relatives whether there has been a detioration and you may be surprised by the answer. In fact you may even find your friends moving away from you when you speak which is always a sure sign of bad breath.
So what’s the cause of all this bad air? Well depending on which medical speak you speak with there are a number, yet similar, reasons for the problem. One of the reasons is directly related to the increase in protein which most of the low carb diets advocate.
Basically, we all have a large number of useful bacteria living mainly on our tongue and at the back of our throat. These bacteria are supposed to be there, because they assist humans in digestion by breaking down proteins found in specific foods, mucous or phlegm, blood, and in diseased or broken-down oral tissue.When these beneficial bacteria come into contact with these compounds, the odorous and lousy-tasting volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs’) are released from the back of the tongue and throat, as Hydrogen Sulphide, Methyl Mercaptan, and other odorous and bad tasting compounds.
Since the bacteria are meant to be in our mouth there is no way we can remove them permanently. So, no amount of brushing or tongue scraping will get rid of the VSCs’. The only scientifically proven way of curing your bad breath (Halitosis) is by attacking the bacteria’s ability to produce VSCs’ and by converting the VSC into non-odorous and non-tasting organic salts.
There are a number of ways in which the problem is worsened and the most common way is with dry mouth. This generally occurs while you are asleep and hence the reason you sometimes wake up with “morning breathâ€.
Although some cases of dry mouth are naturally occurring, most cases are caused by one of these factors: 1. Prescription Medications (usually prescribed for high blood pressure or depression)2. Antihistamines3. Adult Beverages4. Mouthwashes with alcohol in them
When your mouth is dryer, you have less Saliva. Saliva naturally contains Oxygen, which keeps your mouth healthy and fresh. These bacteria are anaerobic, which simply means that they will thrive and make more sulfur in the presence of little or no oxygen. Thus if you have less Saliva, you have less oxygen, thereby creating an anaerobic environment, perfect for the bacteria to produce more of these odorous and sour/bitter compounds.
Because of the increase in higher protein foods, on an Atkins type diet, especially dairy products, the amount of Volatile Sulfur Compounds increases dramatically and as such your breath gets worse accordingly. The only way to fight the problem is to try and supply oxygen to the bacteria causing the problem and remove as much of the VSCs’ as possible. This can be done in a number of ways:
Drink loads of water. This will help ensure your tongue and throat are kept moist and supplying oxygen to the VSC producing bacteria.
Always clean your tongue with a tongue cleaner before brushing your teeth last thing at night and first thing in morning. You should also try and do this after every meal too.
Use a mouthwash which does not contain any alcohol as alcohol can dry your mouth and make the problem worse. You can also dramatically improve matters by using an oxygenating mouthwash. You can find one by doing a Google on “oxygenating mouthwashâ€.
Don’t chew gum, which contains sugar, to try and mask the bad breath. This can make matters worse. Use a sugar free gum instead.
The bottom line is that low carb diets will cause bad breath, although for some it will be a lot worse than others. However, help is at hand so if you want to shed the weight and not shed any friends then make sure and heed the advice given above.
A self confessed low carb food junkie Andrea Simpson has lost over 40lbs on low carb diets. Andrea runs a website devoted to low carb eating.
High Protein Low Carb Diets – What You Need to Know
Everyone wants to get rid of unwanted body flab and look beautiful. In order to get a beach-ready body, women are willing to go to any extent. Weight loss treatments, diet pills, and fad diets have become the norm today. Unfortunately, everyone wants to lose weight fast that too without any pains. Fad diets such as Mediterranean diet and GM diet have all become very popular but these are very extreme diets that almost eliminate certain foods from the diet to attain fast weight loss. One such diet is the high protein, low carb diet. Most people are familiar with high protein diets that are nothing but disguised low carb diets. No matter what you call them, their sole aim is to cut down on carbs from your diet and replace them with foods rich in protein. As such, you are required to choose foods in a way that you get 30% to 50% of the total calories from protein alone.
The Atkins diet is a classic example of a high protein low carb diet though this diet has its own set of pros and cons. To understand them, you need to look at the way high protein diets work. In these diets, carbohydrates are restricted to such an extent that they are reduced to a mere fraction of that found in an average American diet. As a result, the body goes into a metabolic state called as ketosis that forces it to burn its own fat for fuel. Under normal circumstances, your body uses carbohydrates for fuel required for your brain, heart and other vital organs. However, when the body is in ketosis, it gets its energy from ketones, which are tiny carbon fragments formed after the breakdown of fat stores. While in this state, you are bound to feel less hungry and thus consume lesser food.
Once on the high protein, low carb diet, you transform your body from a carbohydrate-burning machine to a fat-burning machine. Thus, instead of consuming lots of carbohydrates and keeping your fat stores on your thighs, hips, and belly intact, you make fat as your primary source of energy. The purported result of such a diet is rapid fat loss and drastic reduction in your size.
Although ketosis does play a major role in weight loss, it also brings along a host of health problems. Your kidney is hugely impacted with a high protein diet. As a result, you may develop kidney disease at a very early age. High protein foods increase the cholesterol levels in your body putting you at a risk of cancer, stroke, and heart disease. You may also develop osteoporosis and kidney stones since the diet causes you to excrete more calcium than usual through the urine. By saying “no” to carbohydrate-containing foods, you also forbid yourself from consuming minerals, fiber, vitamins, and anti-oxidants they contain. This could put you at a risk of developing cancer.
The only way to strike a balance between proteins and carbohydrates and yet attain weight loss is to consume a diet that includes grains, fruits, legumes, and vegetables in the right proportions.
Mike Lombardy is a web publisher and fitness enthusiast. Don’t forget to get a 50 % discount code on his the idiot proof diet review website. With the idiot proof diet you can lose 9 lbs in 11 days. Get started today !
Low-carbs Diets is not the Best Diets
The best diets are very important in our quest for fast weight loss. Our day to day diet will make us gain weight if we do not control our diet and we ought to choose the best diets to have an effective and fast weight loss.
So, what are the best diets in the market? There are a lot of best diets if you search the internet. At the time of this writing there are about 531,000 results for “best diets” from Google search. Before you buy any of this so called best diets, it is better for you to know about diets out there in the market that gives you inaccurate information on how to lose weight.
What Is Low Carbs Diet And How Does It Work?
Low-carbohydrate diets or low carbs diets are dietary programs that restrict carbohydrate consumption usually for weight control or for the treatment of obesity. Foods high in digestible carbohydrates (e.g. breads, pasta) are limited or replaced with foods containing a higher percentage of proteins and fats (e.g. meats, soy products) and often other foods low in carbohydrates (e.g. green leafy vegetables).
Eating low carbs diets do not work because they are too strict, not sustainable and make your life miserable as your body does not function properly without carbohydrate. Your body needs carbohydrate to form glucose or blood sugar, which is essential for most body functions. When you reduce the amount of carbohydrate in your body, your body is forced to find alternative energy from your body and the energy is body fat. When body fat is broken down for energy, a chemical called Ketones is produced. Ketones is a chemical produced when there is a shortage of insulin in the blood and the body breaks down body fat for energy. High levels of ketones can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis and coma, sometimes referred to as ketone bodies. Ketones will cause you to lose appetite hence the weight loss. As a side effect Ketones will also cause you to have bad breath, nausea, headaches, irritability, dizziness, fatigue and loss of sleep. By practicing low carb diets it will actually cause you to lose weight initially and after a period of time when you become boring of the lack of variety of food, the strict nature of the diet and the side effects it causes, you will eventually start to eat more carbohydrate and eventually you will gain more weight than before.
As such, eating low carbs diets is not the best diets because the price you have to pay is not worth it. Your overall health is far more important. The best diets we are looking for is something that will make you lose weight fast in a healthy way.
Low Carb Diets That Work- Melt Away Fat With These Simple Low Carb Diet Tips
In recent years, low carb diets that work are requested more often by my personal training clients than any other type of diet. The reason they are so popular is probably because my clients see immediate results on the scale. After they have been cleared by their physicians to exercise and diet, I make sure that I give them these simple and effective, low carb diet tips.
1) Drink At least 8 Glasses Of Water Daily
And, I don’t mean ice tea or diet sodas, I mean good old fashioned H2O! All low carb diets that work require drinking large quantities of water. Water is important because it causes the kidneys to continually be working at eliminating the fluids. This action helps prevent water retention, and keeps the weight loss steady. Individuals on a low carb diet will have to adjust their lifestyles to being close to a restroom at all times!Also, it is a good idea to spread the water consumption out over the course of a whole day. Most of the water should be consumed at least 3 hours before bedtime, to help prevent frequent trips to the bathroom during the night.
2) Exercise In Moderation
Exercise helps to burn additional calories and boost the metabolism. The key to a successful exercise program is to start out slowly, in accordance to your fitness level. If it is within your means, hiring a personal trainer can be a good investment. Gradually increase the frequency and duration of your exercise program.
Actually, simply increasing your activity level can make a difference in how rapidly you burn fat. A brisk walking program with a friend can help burn more fat, and be a social event at the same time!
3. Try Natural Diuretics And Supplements
A diuretic is a substance that helps eliminate fluids and prevents water retention. Some natural diuretics are herbal teas, and even coffee. Sometimes it is also a good idea to take additional B vitamins and vitamin C, as they are washed away during elimination. Check with your physician before taking supplements on a low carb diet that works.
Earlier this year, I was approached by my clients to find good low carb diets. Many had made new year’s resoltions, and needed help. So I began researching ALL kinds of diets, in order to find diets that performed as advertised. I even tried a few myself! Most of my research was done online, and I also conducted some phone interviews with the creators of popular diet plans.
I only found a few low carb diets that seemed to acheive very rapid weight loss, without sacrificing an individual’s energy levels. I reccomended these diets as Low Carb Diets That Work
The Truth About Low Carb Diets
Carbohydrates are major sources of energy and have some specific roles in the human body. They are the primary sources of fuel for the human brain. Although ketone bodies can supply most of the energy to the brain during a starvation state, the axons cannot use anything but glucose. This makes carbohydrates vital to the function of every single neuron in the brain and in the rest of the nervous system. In addition, carbohydrates are the only sources of fuel that are acceptable to the kidneys and the red blood cells. Now most people will find the necessity of carbohydrates to the red blood cells to be surprising because the red blood cells carry oxygen. However, their job is to transport the oxygen and not to use it up for themselves so they have to derive their energy from anaerobic glycolysis. However, the brain is by far the largest consumer of carbohydrates. The combination of the brain, kidneys, and red blood cells consume an average of about 130 to 150 grams (~500 to 600 calories) of carbohydrates per day.
If the body is deprived of adequate carbohydrates, it will use the processes of gluconeogenesis (making of new glucose) and ketogenesis (making of ketones) to provide energy for vital functions. It is important to note that fats are not good fuels for making glucose because the glycerol group is the only part of a triglyceride that can be used to manufacture glucose. The fatty acids themselves can only be oxidized or converted to ketones.
The major source of raw materials for making new glucose will come from the amino acids in muscle protein. All amino acids have an amine group, a carboxyl (acid), and a side chain which determines the type and nature of the amino acid. The different amino acids are peptide bonded in various combinations to make the different proteins in our bodies.
Whenever the body breaks down protein, the various amino acids are released. Some of these amino acids are suitable for making glucose (glucogenic), some are suitable for making ketone bodies (ketogenic), and some can be used for either purpose. In either case, the body has to remove the amine group from them before it can use them. The removed amine group will join other ions to become ammonia. However, because ammonia is toxic, the body will use the uric acid cycle to convert the ammonia into uric acid. This process takes place in the liver at the same time that the gluconeogenesis and the ketosis are taking place in the liver. Although uric acid is less toxic than ammonia, uric acid can still cause problems such as gout. The kidneys will perform extra work to flush out this uric acid via the urine. Because the kidneys need carbohydrates, they will be low on fuel while performing extra work to eliminate this waste. Loss of lean tissue to supply the amino acids and loss of water due to urine production account for much of the weight loss on low carb diets. Also, fatty acids and amino acids are being converted into ketone bodies to make up for the energy shortage. In other words, of the fat loss that actually occurs, much of it happens because by cutting out carbohydrates, the person is basically cutting calories.
It is important to know that the type of gluconeogenesis due to low carb diets occurs for a different reason and uses different raw materials from the type that occurs between sets of intense exercise. The type resulting from exercise uses lactic acid as the raw material and aerobic lipolysis as the source of energy. The type that results from low carb diets uses deaminated and decarboxylated amino acids as the raw materials, and is a starvation process. In addition, it receives the energy from ketone bodies which result from ketogenesis which is another starvation process. As a result, low carb diets are starvation diets by definition, and they cause the body to cannibalize its own living tissue (muscle) when it is starved of a vital nutrient (carbohydrates). This is consistent with the definition of a starvation diet.
Another interesting fact is that the body will inhibit glycolysis when carbohydrate (glycogen) stores are low. Because carbohydrates (due to glycolysis) produce usable energy (ATP) faster than any other nutrient, this explains the degraded athletic performance and lack of energy experienced by subjects on low carbohydrate diets. It is no surprise that triathletes, marathoners, power lifters, or other high level strength or endurance athletes would perform poorly on low carb diets. Also, the potential risks of low carb diets include overworked kidneys, gout, dehydration, mineral depletion, and hypoglycemia.
In addition to maintaining his career as a professional pilot, Roger has spent much time pursuing formal and self directed studies of the human physiology and metabolism. He is also qualified as a health nutritionist and a fitness trainer. He has written articles for www.spartafit.com.
The Truth About Low-Carb Diets and Your Health
Low-carb diets have been extremely popular in recent years. They boast large weight loss, which is a major selling point in society today. Everyone wants to lose a large amount of weight, and fast. Low-carb diets will make you lose weight, but are they really healthy?
The logic behind low-carb diets is that an increase in carbohydrates raises blood sugar and insulin levels, leading to a weight gain. By decreasing intake of carbohydrates, blood sugar and insulin levels will decrease, leading to weight loss. What is left out is how you are supposed to get the nutrients and vitamins your body needs without certain foods. A low-carb diet is good in the sense that it cuts out sugar and refined carbohydrates, but it also leads to a lack of dietary fiber, and deficiencies of several essential vitamins and nutrients.
The South Beach Diet and the Atkins Diet are two of the most popular low-carb diets around today. Each has a different approach to weight loss.
The South Beach Diet
The South Beach Diet works on three phases, and focuses on eating the “right” carbs and the “right” fats. Phase one eliminates most carbs for two weeks. This is to allow your body to get used to not having them. Phase two reintroduces some carbs, and this phase lasts until your target weight is achieved. Phase three introduces a wider variety of foods, and phase three lasts for life.
The downsides to this diet are that the first two weeks require a lot of willpower, because your body has been used to having those extra carbohydrates, and now it has none. People on this diet can sometimes experience weakness and shakiness because of the lack of carbs. As stated before, The South Beach Diet is supposed to allow you to lose 8-13 pounds in phase one. This is extremely unhealthy, and probably more due to the water weight that comes off and not the diet of low-carbs. Phase one bans fruits and vegetables, so for the first two weeks of the diet, you are missing out on important vitamins and nutrients, a similar problem found in the Atkins Diet.
The Atkins Diet
The Atkins Diet has limitation of carbs similar to The South Beach Diet. The Atkins Diet contains four phases, and all of them require a calculation of a certain number of grams of carbohydrates. This diet encourages you to eliminate sugar from your diet and usually requires frequent meat consumption. The meat consumption immediately eliminates vegetarians and vegans from taking part in the diet. The Atkins Diet is high in saturated fats and cholesterol due to the amount of meat that is eaten.
Much like The South Beach Diet, the Atkins Diet will allow you to successfully lose weight. However, many key nutrients and vitamins are being cut out on this diet. This diet is low on fiber and will lead to deficiencies of calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
You will and can lose weight on both of these diets. However, keeping the weight off is another story. Since these diets restrict many foods, staying on them is extremely difficult. Staying on them can also lead to health issues such as osteoporosis because of the continuous lack of nutrients and vitamins. Taking a daily supplement while on either of these diets can help offset the deficiencies. The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and keep up with an exercise program. This plan is easy, healthy, and good for the long term.
Michael Greeves, CEO and founder of Hyperstrike, wanted to develop an affordable fitness program for individuals and athletes that could be customized to their personal abilities and goals, and be delivered to any one, any where, any time. Learn more about HyperStrike exercise and workout programs.
Low Carb Diets – Answer to Healthy Weight Loss?
It’s all the craze right now, these low carb diets. Everyone who’s anyone is trying it out to lose weight. Sounds fun right? Looks healthy right? Well, you’d be wrong. Yes, low carb diets do make you lose weight initially, but have you actually seen people keep it off after the initial honeymoon phase? Not likely.
But all hope is not lost. There definitely are ways to make a low carb diet work for your weight loss goals, to fine tune and perfect this type of diet. You will need to focus on controlling your body’s cravings for certain foods, particularly sugar cravings. These are bad, no matter what way you look at them; sugar cravings are bad.
Regular low carb diets don’t focus on controlling sugar cravings. You would need to do this by producing and stimulating more of the fat-burning hormones, rather than the fat-storing ones in your body. I can hear everyone now, wondering that there are different types of hormones. Well, absolutely there are! The fat-storing ones are so common in today’s foods, with all the junk food and fast food places throughout; it’s very likely that you, yes you, are eating a food that is promoting the fat-storing homrones.
Here is a perfectly good reason why low carb diets are only a temporary fix (that is if you don’t focus on fat-burning hormones): there are plenty of long-term health risks closely associated with low carb diets. You might be kind of confused because all of the media has been telling you that low carb works! Well, they’re wrong. Low carb diets don’t provide lasting weight loss results. What they do provide are potential long-term health risks. One in particular for women is osteoporosis.
Think about this one too: your brain has so many amazing capabilities and all we need to do to keep it strong is to make sure it’s taken care of. So pause your weight loss ideas for now. Low carb sounds great but really, your body needs some sort of sugar or glucose to function properly. Odd as it may sound given the above info, your brain in particular definitely needs some glucose, not enough to keep you on your weight loss plan forever but still enough to function on a daily basis.
Other health risks include over-consumption of saturated fat, which can lead to heart attack or stroke. So while minimal sugar intake is a great plan for losing weight, cutting sugar completely out will harm your body; low carb diets promote cutting out sugar completely. Clearly not a wise choice.
So when you are contemplating all the diets and weight loss programs available now, make sure to research each of them thoroughly to see if losing weight with that method isn’t going to result in health issues later on; as much as fads are cool, make sure to avoid jumping into things blindly, and weight loss programs definitely count.
James Wong lost over 40lbs. just by using The Secret 2 Fat Loss. You too could lose weight as easily as he did. Find out how to get six pack abs fast. You can burn fat without counting calories at www.TheSecret2FatLoss.com
The Truth About Low Carb Diets?
Almost everyone who has tried to lose weight has come across the numerous low carb diets. Atkins, High Protein, and the Hollywood diet are some of the most popular ones. So the question is do low carb diets work and are they healthy? There are side effects associated with low carb diets that you need to be aware of before you begin. In this article I will show you the truth about low carb diets.
Will you lose weight by reducing your carbohydrate intake? Yes, but the reason behind the weight loss isn’t very healthy. When you greatly reduce your body will start to use its fat and protein reserves to create energy for the body. While this does burn up fat there is another not so pleasant side effect. Not every part of your body can use fat for energy, the brain for example, so you produce ketone bodies. These will fuel the brain but create something called a state of ketosis. Your breath can take on a smell like nail polish. Fatigue and nausea are also common side effects.
A low carb diet usually has you greatly reduce, if not stop all together, the eating of carbohydrates. This includes most grains as well as many fruits, vegetables, nuts. In place of these foods you are encouraged to eat more meat and dairy products, which are generally high in fat, calories, and cholesterol. Since weight is being lost many people forget that fat and cholesterol is still very unhealthy. No matter what your weight in excess fat and cholesterol will clog your arteries, and can lead to heart disease. In the long run it can be quite dangerous.
While it is possible to lose a small amount of weight with a low carb diet it is definitely not a good long term program. Most of the weight loss is from lean muscle and water weight. Yes you do lose some fat but in the process you are losing important muscle as well. Muscle tissue helps burn calories so you are setting yourself for quick weight gain down the road. Over time your body can actually start processing carbohydrates differently. If you resume a normal diet the carbs you eat may make you retain more water.
Another major factor in the low carb diet is the lack a vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients. So many good sources have been cut out you will need many expensive supplements to make up for it. It’s much easier to just eat a banana or apple, and cheaper too. But on some of these diets that may not be an option.
So, what is the truth about low carb diets? Can they help you lose weight? Yes, if you need to drop a few pounds quick. But I would strongly recommend against a low carb diet for any long term weight loss. You may lose weight but is that worth feeling unhealthy and putting your body at risk?
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Facts About Low Carb Diets
Nearly anyone who has tried to lose weight has at some point come across the numerous low carb diets. Atkins, protein, and the Hollywood diet are some of the most common ones. So what are the facts about low carb diets, and are they healthy? There are side effects commonly linked with low carb diets that you need to know before you begin. In this article provide you with some facts about low carb diets.
The first question is will you lose weight by reducing your carbohydrate consumption? Yes, but the reason behind the weight loss is not very healthy. When you greatly reduce your body’s carbohydrate intake you will start to use its fat and protein reserves to create energy. While this does begin burning fat there is an unpleasant side effect. Not every part of your body is capable of using fat for energy, such as the brain for example, so you produce something called ketone bodies. These fuel the brain but create something called a state of ketosis. Your breath may take on a smell like that of nail polish. Fatigue and nausea are also common side effects.
A low carb diet will usually have you greatly reduce, if not cut out completely, the consumption of carbohydrates. This includes most grains as well as many fruits, vegetables, nuts. In place of these types of food you are encouraged to eat more meat and dairy products, which are generally high in fat, calories, and cholesterol. While you may be losing weight, excessive fat and cholesterol are still very unhealthy. No matter what your weight may be fat and cholesterol will still clog your arteries, and can contribute to heart disease. In the long run it can be very dangerous.
While it is common to lose small amounts of weight with a low carb diet it is definitely not a good solution for the long term. Most of the weight that is lost comes from lean muscle and water weight. Yes you can lose some fat but in the process you are losing important muscle mass also. Muscle tissue will help burn calories so you are setting yourself for quick weight gain if you stop the diet. Over time your body can actually start processing carbohydrates differently, so if you resume a normal diet the carbs you eat may make you retain more water.
Another problem with the low carb diet is the lack of vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients. So many good sources have been cut out you may need many expensive supplements to make up for it. It’s much easier to just eat fruits and veggies, and it’s cheaper too. But on some of these diets that may not be an option.
So, now that you have these facts about low carb diets hopefully you are not as interested in one? Can they help you lose weight? Yes, if you need to drop a few pounds quickly. But I strongly recommend against a low carb diet for any long term weight loss program. You may lose a little weight but is that worth feeling unhealthy and putting your body at risk?

