What is a Low Carb Diet?
What is a Low Carb Diet?
There are many diets that are labeled “low carb” and they all work about the same way. The diets have varying degrees of carbohydrate limitation which causes the body to go into a state of ketosis, or fat burning.
All foods are made up of a combination of three things; fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Each is a necessary part of a healthy body but in the past 100 years we have begun to eat, not only way too many carbohydrates, but we eat them in a very refined state. Generally all the nutrition is removed and we are left with calories.
Highly refined carbohydrates drive blood sugar levels up causing the body to make lots of insulin and quickly change the carbs into fat. Stored fat. This is why the low fat trends of the past 20 years have not caused Americans to get thinner. We have seen a continuing climb in obesity among adults and it is beginning to affect children.
With a low carb diet, then, the carbohydrate intake is restricted, especially the refined carbohydrate intake, while the protein intake is generally unlimited. Various diets have various levels of fat intake that are allowable. Because the body does not turn protein into stored fat it begins to burn calories and people an lose several pounds in the first stage of weight loss- usually about 10% of their body weight. This means that if you start at 160 lbs you can expect to lose between 10-16 lbs in 14 days. Some of this will be water.
As you move through the various stages of the diet carbs will be slowly added back in and weight loss will begin to slow. You can probably expect and average weight loss of 2-3 lbs a week after the first two weeks.
The problem is often one of cravings. It is difficult to cut carbohydrates out of your diet and easy to allow yourself to get hungry and grab for a doughnut. You will need a plan to help you through your cravings.
