The Essential of Low-Carb Diet; an Easy Means to Achieve Effective Weight Loss 

 

If you’ve been limiting your calorie intake, avoiding fatty foods, and exercising regularly, but you’re still not losing weight, you must be feeling frustrated.

But if you’ve been doing everything else right and nothing is changing, maybe it’s your diet that needs a fix.

Fortunately, low-carb diets present a productive, healthy, and sustainable way to lose weight.

Experts claim that reducing your carbohydrate intake could extremely help you lose weight.

But what exactly is a low-carb diet, and will it help you lose weight? Keep reading this guide to learn whether these dietary plans are worth your time.

 

What Is a Low Carb Diet?

Although the definition of a low carb diet varies in different dietary plans, they all have a similar goal: to limit carbohydrate intake.

While some plans may allow users to eat few carbs, others completely restrict them from eating carbohydrates.

Foods included on these diets are mostly high proteins and high calories hence the name LCHF (low Carb-High Fat). Some plans may also include certain fruits and vegetables.

 

How Do Low Carb Diets Work?

Carbohydrates are found in nuts, seeds, whole grains, milk, vegetables, fruits and legumes such as beans, peas, etc.

Processed foods like pasta, candy, cookies as well as sweetened drinks also contain refined carbohydrates in the form of white flour or sugar.

Our bodies use carbohydrates as a source of energy. During digestion, starch is broken down into sugars then absorbed into our bloodstream as blood sugar (glucose).

Now, carbohydrates from natural sources are digested more slowly; thus, they have no significant effect on our blood sugar levels.

As such, they not only provide nutrients, fuel other body functions but also help for the maintaining of healthy blood sugar levels.

However, refined carbohydrates have negative effects. High blood sugar levels trigger the release of insulin which helps glucose enter our body cells.

Some glucose is used to fuel the body’s activities such as breathing, jogging, etc.

The extra glucose that’s not used is stored in the liver and converted into fat. However, excess glucose can be a source of many health problems like diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, etc.

Low carb diets eliminate carbohydrates. As such, one’s insulin levels are significantly lowered. Therefore, your body will burn stored fats for energy and in the long run, this causes weight loss.

 

Which Foods Are on Low Carb Diets?

Generally, low carb diets eliminate legumes, fruits, bread, sweets, pasta, starchy vegetables and in some cases seeds as well as nuts.

Such carbohydrates are instead replaced by protein foods such as meat, fish, and poultry.

They may also contain other non-starchy foods like vegetables. Certain fruits and whole grains may be allowed in some diet plans.

Mostly, users are restricted from eating 20-60 grams of carbohydrates, which are equal to 80-200 calories on low carbohydrate diets. But, note that some plans only restrict carbohydrate intake during the initial stages, and gradually increase the quantity of allowed carbs in later stages.

 

What Are the Benefits of a Low Carbohydrate Diet?

Weight loss is the main benefit of a low carb diet. In most cases, one loses weight by consuming few calories and exercising.

According to science, for you to lose 1-1.5 pounds per week, you’ll need to cut down your daily intake of calories by 500-750 calories.

This, therefore, means that you will turn every meal into a math equation, as you’ll be counting calories every time.

However, with a carb-restricted diet, individuals can eat less without worrying about their calorie intake. So how do these diets induce weight loss?

They suppress appetite-low carb diets are said to decrease hunger hormones like ghrelin and increase the production of fullness hormones such as CCK.

That’s because they contain foods that make you feel full for longer without increasing your blood sugar.

Fewer empty calories-although carbohydrates provide the body with energy, most foods that contain high carbs don’t offer high levels of nutritional profiles.

Thus, intake of too much carbohydrate will cause malnutrition. Hence your body will reach for more foods.

But, eating foods such as fish, meats, eggs, etc. will help you have the essential nutrients required, therefore you’ll need fewer calories.

Apart from weight loss, low carb diets also help to minimize or completely prevent complicated health conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart diseases.

Experts, in fact, say that diets that help you lose weight can reduce many chronic diseases.

Again, LCHF diets may improve your High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol as well as triglycerides. That’s because you eat fewer carbohydrates and other high-quality foods such as lean proteins, healthy fats, and unprocessed carbs.

 

Drawbacks of a Low Carbohydrate Diet

Well, there are several health concerns about this diet.

Experts argue that following this dietary plan can encourage unhealthy eating habits since individuals eat more fatty foods and exclude certain essential fruits, vegetables as well as legumes from their diet.

Some studies claim that reducing your carbohydrate intake can increase motility.

Others also say that since these diets eliminate starchy vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, which are sources of antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber, this can cause diseases, malnutrition as well as inflammation.

Again, cutting carbs suddenly from one’s diet can cause temporary health issues like headaches, diarrhea, constipation, muscle cramps, fatigue or general body weakness.

Additionally, research claims that eating too much animal protein may lead to heart complications.

Also, note that restricting the intake of carbohydrates to less than 20 grams per day can cause ketosis.

This is when a person lacks enough sugar (glucose) for energy. Hence, their body breaks down stored fats thus leading to a buildup of ketones.

Ketosis has adverse effects including mental and physical fatigue, nausea, bad breath, etc.

It’s therefore essential that one speaks to a doctor first before trying out these diets.

 

Final Thoughts

Well, a low carb diet is an effective short term weight loss solution as it limits one from eating “empty” calories from pasta, white bread, sugar, etc.

These non-beneficial calories can add up with time and cause you to gain weight. Low carbohydrate diets instead encourage users to replace simple carbohydrates with proteins and useful fats, therefore, helping to keep your blood sugar levels stable.

However, as these diets are very restrictive, they’re not best for users who want more freedom of choosing what to eat.