Low Carb Diets : Do they work??

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Low Carb Diet-Why Low Carb Diets Work

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The Low Carb Diet Does It Actually Work?

Yes, people have lost weight on a low carb diet. That is the truth. However, bare in mind that people tend to lose a lot of weight early with this method of weight loss because of all of the water they are losing. Due to eating only low carb foods, glycogen is used for energy, and this causes a decrease in water weight. Also bare in mind that limiting carbs is also limiting calories. A decrease in calories often leads to a decrease in weight.

My personal opinion…

As I mentioned before, the low carb diet can lead to weight loss. People have indeed lost weight using it. If the whole low carb foods craze appeals to you, then by all means, give it shot. If the whole theory behind it all seems like something that is right for you, go for it. I want to make that point clear. Some diets fit certain people better, and maybe this one fits you. However, to me the low carb diet is like hopping on 1 leg to get somewhere when you could have just walked. You may still get there, but your method of travel was unnecessary. My personal opinion? I prefer to walk instead of hop. However you get there is completely up to you.

Here’s a popular question. I weigh “this much” and I’m “this tall”, I workout like “this” and I’m looking to get “these results”, how many grams of carbs should I eat a day? Some people, websites and magazines will tell you to take your body weight and multiply it by your height, divide that by the number of days a week you workout, then add the grams of protein you eat every day, take this number and divide it by the 3rd digit of your telephone number, then pick your favorite number between 1 and 1000 and add that in too, then do the magic carb dance and your final total is the number of carbs you need to eat every day.

Okay, maybe that isn’t the exact carb formula, but it is something like that. Anyway, my method for figuring out how many carbs you need to eat each day has nothing to do with math formulas and won’t require you to have a calculator handy. It is actually quite easy.

I’m sure everyone knows by now that if you want to lose weight, eating a lower number of carbs seems to help. (For more information, go here: low carb diet and foods) And if you want to gain weight, you should eat a higher number of carbs. We all know this, but people want to know the EXACT number of carbs they need to eat.

Here’s my way of figuring it out. Throughout this website I try to stress the point that you should listen to your body. Is your workout routine not giving you results? The fact that you aren’t getting results with that routine is your body saying “this isn’t working, change it!” In my opinion, your diet, in this case carbs, is no different.

I say listen to your body to figure out how many grams of carbs you need to eat a day. How do you do this? It’s simple and takes just 3 easy steps… eat, listen, change. Eat a certain number of carbs for a little while, listen to your body and see if it starts to do what you want it to do (lose weight, gain weight, etc.). If your body did what you wanted it to do, then you got your magic number of carbs, if it didn’t, then change it.

Eat more or less depending on what your results were. Did you eat a certain amount of carbs and you maintained or even gained weight when you wanted to lose weight? Then eat a little less carbs for a little while and see what happens! Did you maintain or lose weight when you were looking to gain weight? Then start eating some more carbs for a little while and see what happens.

Sounds simple right? That’s because it is simple. People want EXACT numbers to go by, and nothing and no one will give you more EXACT numbers than your own body. So, try something, if it works, keep doing it, if it doesn’t, then change it until it does work. Write that down somewhere and read it over and over again when you think you have some type of diet or workout question. That phrase will probably answer your question for you most of the time.

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.

How Low Carb Diets Work

Many people are confused about how low carb diets work. It doesn’t make sense to them that you can eat more fat and protein than is traditionally called for and still lose weight.

A low carb diet plan greatly restricts the amount of carbohydrates you consume, as compared with a traditional North American diet, or even compared with a low fat diet. While our bodies would usually burn stored carbohydrates for energy, low carb eating forces the body to burn more stored fat instead. When this happens, your body produces chemicals called “ketones”. Ketones result when your kidneys convert fat to soluble waste. Getting your body to reach this point is one of the goals of a low carbohydrate diet.

There is a scientific reason behind the development of this diet. Dr. Robert Atkins first introduced the concept of eating a low carbohydrate diet in the 1970s. He noticed that primitive people consumed a diet of mostly meat, vegetables and some fruit.

Because this diet was in existence for thousands of years before the development of agriculture, Atkins concluded that the reason most people had difficulty losing weight and keeping it off is that we are eating contrary to the way our digestive system is set up. In other words, our bodies do not support eating wheat, barley and other grains and sugars.

In the 1990s the diet seemed to be rediscovered and became known as the Atkins New Diet Revolution. Since the reemergence of the Atkins diet, other low carb diets have been developed that are variations of it. The Zone Diet, the Stillman Diet, the Hollywood Diet, the Ketogenic Diet and the South Beach Diet are all based on the idea of eating fewer carbohydrates. They all advise eating more protein and limited carbs and inducing the body to burn its own fat.

Low carb diet plans differ somewhat in the amount of carbohydrates they allow, but all advise cutting out all white or starchy foods. The most strict is the 20 gram per day carb limit of the initial stage of Atkins, plus some of the other diet plans. The 20 grams is generally derived from salads and non-starchy vegetables, plus the trace amounts of carbs in sauces, dressings and cheeses.

In the first stages of a low carbohydrate diet, dieters are not allowed to have any milk, fruits, grains, cereals, pasta, breads or “high glycemic index” vegetables such as potatoes, peas, corn and carrots. The missing carbs are replaced with ample amounts of protein.

This is a very low amount of carbohydrate when compared with the large amounts of pasta and grains advised by traditional low fat diet recommendations, so this diet has become quite controversial. Butter is also included, which is another reason for the controversy over low carbohydrate eating plans. The butter is recommended because fat slows down the absorption of carbohydrates into the body and helps to maintain an even blood sugar level.

The whole idea behind Dr. Atkins original principal is that it we gain weight in our Western world because our blood sugar levels are allowed to go too high by eating too much high starch food. Control the carbohydrate levels and you control weight much more easily. Much research has shown this to be true. Of course opposing research has been done too, so the controversy continues to some extent, although it is generally acknowledged by all now that the high carb recommendations of the past were incorrect.

The great difficulty of any severely restricted diet is that most people can end up regaining much of their lost weight because of difficulty adhering to the restrictions over the long-term. This can ultimately result in rebound weight gain and is the reason that the modified versions of Atkins diet have evolved.

The Atkins diet itself though, does gradually increase the amount of carbohydrates you consume as you complete your weight loss, to avoid the extremes of losing then regaining weight. Is it right for you?

Do Low Carb Diets Really Work?

With so many conflicting studies and vague interpretation of information, it’s not surprising that there is a lot of confusion when it comes to the value, safety and efficacy of low-carb diets. It seems like heated debates are everywhere!

Whether it’s the South Beach or Atkins, or some other low-carb plan, as many as 30 million Americans are following a low-carb diet.

Advocates contend that the high amount of carbohydrates in our diet has led to increasing problems with obesity, diabetes, and other health problems. Critics, on the other hand, attribute obesity and related health problems to over-consumption of calories from any source, and lack of physical activity. Critics also express concern that the lack of grains, fruits, and vegetables in low-carbohydrate diets may lead to deficiencies of some key nutrients, including fiber, vitamin C, folic acid, and several minerals.

Any diet, weather low or high in carbohydrate, can produce significant weight loss during the initial stages of the diet. But remember, the key to successful dieting is in being able to lose the weight permanently. Put another way, what does the scale show a year after going off the diet?

Let’s see if we can debunk some of the mystery about low-carb diets. Below, is a listing of some relevant points taken from recent studies and scientific literature. Please note there may be insufficient information available to answer all questions.

Differences Between Low-Carb Diets

There are many popular diets designed to lower carbohydrate consumption. Reducing total carbohydrate in the diet means that protein and fat will represent a proportionately greater amount of the total caloric intake.

Atkins and Protein Power diets restrict carbohydrate to a point where the body becomes ketogenic. Other low-carb diets like the Zone and Life Without Bread are less restrictive. Some, like Sugar Busters claim to eliminate only sugars and foods that elevate blood sugar levels excessively.

What We Know about Low-Carb Diets

Almost all of the studies to date have been small with a wide variety of research objectives. Carbohydrate, caloric intake, diet duration and participant characteristics varied greatly.

Most of the studies to date have two things in common: None of the studies had participants with a mean age over 53 and none of the controlled studies lasted longer than 90 days.

Information on older adults and long-term results are scarce. Many diet studies fail to monitor the amount of exercise, and therefore caloric expenditure, while participants are dieting. This helps to explain discrepancies between studies.

The weight loss on low-carb diets is a function of caloric restriction and diet duration, and not with reduced carbohydrate intake. This finding suggests that if you want to lose weight, you should eat fewer calories and do so over a long time period.

Little evidence exists on the long-range safety of low-carb diets. Despite the medical community concerns, no short-term adverse effects have been found on cholesterol, glucose, insulin and blood-pressure levels among participants on the diets. But, adverse effects may not show up because of the short period of the studies. Researchers note that losing weight typically leads to an improvement in these levels anyway, and this may offset an increase caused by a high fat diet. The long range weight change for low-carb and other types of diets is similar.

Most low-carb diets cause ketosis. Some of the potential consequences are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and confusion. During the initial phase of low-carb dieting some fatigue and constipation may be encountered. Generally, these symptoms dissipate quickly. Ketosis may also give the breath a fruity odor, somewhat like nail-polish remover (acetone).

Low-carb diets do not enable the consumption of more calories than other kinds of diets, as has been often reported. A calorie is a calorie and it doesn’t matter weather they come from carbohydrates or fat. Study discrepancies are likely the result of uncontrolled circumstances; i.e. diet participants that cheat on calorie consumption, calories burned during exercise, or any number of other factors. The drop-out rate for strict (i.e. less than 40 grams of CHO/day) low-carb diets is relatively high.

What Should You Do?

There are 3 important points I would like to re-emphasize:

1)The long-range success rate for low-carb and other types of diets is similar.

2) Despite their popularity, little information exists on the long-term efficacy and safety of low-carbohydrate diets.

3) Strict low-carb diets are usually not sustainable as a normal way of eating. Boredom usually overcomes willpower.

It is obvious after reviewing the topic, that more, well-designed and controlled studies are needed. There just isn’t a lot of good information available, especially concerning long-range effects. Strict low-carb diets produce ketosis which is an abnormal and potentially stressful metabolic state. Under some circumstances this might cause health related complications.

The diet you choose should be a blueprint for a lifetime of better eating, not just a quick weight loss plan to reach your weight goal. If you can’t see yourself eating the prescribed foods longer than a few days or a week, then chances are it’s not the right diet. To this end, following a moderately low fat diet with a healthy balance of fat, protein, carbohydrate and other nutrients is beneficial.

If you do decide to follow a low-carb plan, remember that certain dietary fats are associated with reduction of disease. Foods high in unsaturated fats that are free of trans-fatty acids such as olive oil, fish, flaxseeds, and nuts are preferred to fats from animal origins.

Even promoters of the Atkins diet now say people on their plan should limit the amount of red meat and saturated fat they eat. Atkins representatives are telling health professionals that only 20 percent of a dieter’s calories should come from saturated fat (i.e. meat, cheese, butter). This change comes as Atkins faces competition from other popular low-carb diets that call for less saturated fat, such as the South Beach diet plan. Low-carb dieting should not be considered as a license to gorge on red meat!

Another alternative to “strict” low-carb dieting would be to give up some of the bad carbohydrate foods but not “throw out the baby with the bath water”. In other words, foods high in processed sugar, snacks, and white bread would be avoided, but foods high in complex carbohydrates such as fruit, potatoes and whole grains, retained.