The low-carb (“low-carbohydrate”) approach to dieting was made famous by Dr Atkins in the 1990s, and nowadays this basic principle is found in many of the popular diet books written by medical doctors.
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-carb diets focus on limiting carbohydrate intake while allowing the consumption of liberal amounts of fat and protein. The result is rapid weight loss without hunger or fatigue.
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Another merit of low-carb diets is that they force the body into using fat as the primary energy source without losing muscle. In addition, low-carb diets are very effective in eliminating food cravings and keep you energized, which makes you more likely to exercise. All these factors come together to make weight loss faster and easier than ever.
When done correctly low-carb diets are safe and can actually help a number of serious conditions like diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome and epilepsy and can also relieve symptoms of polycystic ovarian syndrome.
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The Reasoning Behind Low-Carb Diets
Whenever you consume carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, rice, sugar or anything that contains white refined flour, your body turns it to glucose, a simple type of sugar which your body uses 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-carb diet programs rely 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.
When you eat mainly carbohydrate foods such as a candy bar or a slice of white bread, glucose enters your blood very quickly. This triggers an insulin response in the body in order to clear away the glucose. Insulin then stores the glucose in the form of fat. Immediately after consuming foods with a high carbohydrate content most people experience an energy boost, which is followed by an energy slump causing fatigue, depression and cravings for more high-carbohydrate foods like cakes and candies.
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Low-Carb Foods
Low-carb diet programs don’t ask you to count calories or to stop eating delicious, wholesome foods. In fact, if anything you are encouraged to eat until you are full as this helps to avoid blood sugar fluctuations. You have a wide selection of food to choose from even during 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, seafood, cheese and plenty of salad and healthy fats like olive oil, butter and mayonnaise. Fats are crucial for the body because they help you to stay energized and lose fat quickly. You will also be able to eat specially prepared low-carb sweets and desserts, either ready-made or prepared at home by substituting sugar with Splenda. There is no way you will ever feel deprived.
When you have lost 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. There is an abundance of creative food recipes and friendly low-carb communities around the web which will facilitate your exciting trip to the ideal body.
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