Safe and Rapid Weight Loss with Low-Carb Diets
Low-carbohydrate diets (commonly called low-carb diets) are extremely effective dietary programs that usually lead to fast and safe weight loss. Instead of focusing on counting calories and limiting fat intake, low-carbohydrate diets focus on limiting carbohydrate intake while allowing you consume liberal (but reasonable) amounts of fats and protein. The result is rapid weight loss without hunger and fatigue.
When done correctly low-carb diets are absolutely safe. Moreover these diet plans may treat a number of serious conditions like diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome and epilepsy. It may also relieve symptoms of polycystic ovarian syndrome. Another merit of low-carbohydrate diets is that you force your body to use your fat as the primary energy source without losing your muscles. While following a low-carb diet plan, you have more energy than ever, which facilitates exercising. In addition, low-carb diets are very effective in eliminating cravings, facilitating weight loss process even further. As you see, it is absolutely worth to take a closer look at these diet programs. The solution to your weight problems and health problems is very likely to be there.
Low-carbohydrate approach was made famous by Dr Atkins in 1990s (Dr Atkins started much earlier, but in 1990s his approach went viral). Now low-carbohydrate dieting is a basic principle found in many popular diet books authored by medical doctors with the most impressive credentials. In this article we will discuss original approach developed by Dr Atkins.
The Reasoning Behind Low-Carb Diets
Whenever you consume carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, sugar, anything that contains white refined flour etc.) your body turns them to glucose, a simple type of sugar, which your body will use as a primary source of energy. Glucose is always the first thing your body uses as fuel, while FAT IS MERELY A BACKUP SOURCE of energy. This is a very important concept to understand, as the effectiveness of low-carbohydrate diet programs relies exclusively on this. This means that to force your body to use fat as the source of energy for your organs to function and for you to complete your daily tasks you need to limit your carbohydrate intake.
Another quality of low-carbohydrate approach is that this type of programs eliminate food cravings and keep you energized, which makes you more likely to exercise. All these factors come together in a nice combination making weight loss faster and easier than ever.
When you eat a food that is mainly carbohydrates, such as candy bar or a slice of white bread, glucose enters your blood very quickly. This triggers an insulin response, when body produces insulin hormone in order to clear away that glucose. Insulin stores that glucose (also called blood sugar in this case) in form of fat. This is why it is also called fat hormone. So what happens is that right after consuming foods with high carbohydrate content you have a quick energy boost. But the following spike in insulin may overshoot, leading to energy slump and leaving you tired, depressed, craving for more high-carbohydrate foods, like cakes and candies.
Low-Carbohydrate Foods
Low-carb diet programs don't ask you to count calories, nor to refuse from delicious wholesome foods. In fact, you are requested to eat until you are full as this helps avoid blood sugar fluctuations. You have a wide choice of foods to choose from even when you are doing the first phase of your diet plan when the carbohydrates are restricted to 20 grams per day. You will be able to eat meat, poultry, fish and other seafood, cheese and plenty of salad. In fact, most of you will be eating healthier than ever before. You will have to consume healthy fats like olive oil, butter and mayonnaise. Fats are crucial because they help you stay energized and lose fat quickly. You will be able to eat specially prepared low-carb sweets either ready or prepared at home (you will have to use Splenda instead of sugar of course). There is no way you will feel deprived. This makes sticking to low-carbohydrate diets easy.
As you lose all your extra weight, you will be able to eat almost anything except sugar and white flour. You will also find your individual carbohydrate levels for weight loss and for weight maintenance. Abundance of creative food recipes and friendly low-carb communities around the web will facilitate your exciting trip to ideal body.
