The Low-Carb Diet

In the past few years, low-carb diets have become known as one of the most effective ways to lose weight. True, diets like Atkins and South Beach can be very effective in the short-term. Both involve an initial “boot camp” period during which the intake of carbs is extremely limited. However, unlike traditional diets that forced you to count calories and starve between meals, low-carb diets usually allow you to eat as much meat and fat as you want, but this may become boring after a while. Really, how many things can you do with mayonnaise and tuna? But, this new approach to dieting means you will, certainly, never be hungry in order to slim down and get in shape.

The low-carb diet was developed in response to a fact that researchers had chosen to overlook for years: fat does not make you fat. Rather, eating carb-heavy snacks of little to no nutritional value does the harm. Not only do carbs lead to drastic blood sugar fluctuations leading to mood swings and irritability, but they also have an addictive quality. As your body produces insulin to turn the consumed sugar into energy for your cells, you actually begin to crave more carbs. Instead of feeling satisfaction from that doughnut or bowl of pasta, your body actually responds by wanting even more caloric food than you gave it in the first place.

To end this vicious cycle, the low-carb diet proposes that people undergo a two week initial period during which very few carbs are consumed. This can be beneficial for two reasons. First, a radical change in diet is meant to break the carb addiction and alter the way you view your diet. After eating only protein-based foods for two weeks, you will come to think of protein and fats as the center of your diet rather than just supplements sandwiched in between unhealthy foods like chips and pop tarts.

Secondly, virtually eliminating carbs from your diet is a quick way to make those extra pounds to melt away. As soon as your body runs out of sugar to burn, your system enters what is referred to as ketosis and starts burning fat. In two short weeks, dieters see significant results. In fact, it is this initial phase that comes to mind when people think about low-carb diets in general. However, what many do not realize is that carbs are slowly re-introduced into the diet and weight loss slows steadily. The goal is to gradually decrease the rate of weight loss and find an equilibrium point. Ideally, dieters will be able to determine the number of carbs they can consume without gaining weight and maintain the weight loss permanently.

The low-carb diet attempts to systematically change the way we think about food for the rest of our lives. True, it starts with radical weight loss and may fit the criteria of a fad diet, but it hopefully results in a better understanding of the dieter’s individual needs when it comes to living a healthier lifestyle thereafter.