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How Do Low Carb Diets
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Carbs in Food |
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Information About Carbs | Carbohydrates Guide | Low Carb Diets |
How Do Low Carb Diets Work?Low
Glycemic Index Pyramid - Do Low
Carb Diets Work - Weight
Loss Health Trials Do Carbs Cause Weight Gain?No. Carbs do not cause us to gain weight. its only over-consumption of a certain type of carbohydrate (high-glycemic-index carbs, see GI Food Chart) that may cause problems for certain people. Does Cutting Carbs Automatically Lead to Weight Loss?Yes and No. Yes, it's true that low carb diets do produce fast weight loss in the initial stages. Also, low carb plans do produce faster weight loss than (say) low-fat diets, over a six month period. But calories and "calorie consumption versus calorie expenditure" are still the key factors as far as weight loss is concerned. No matter how few carbs you consume, if your calorie-intake is not lower than your calorie-expenditure, you will not lose weight. So How Do Low Carb Diets Help Weight Loss?Low carb dieting assists weight loss for two main reasons: Reduce CaloriesTo begin with, when you reduce carbs in your diet, you tend to automatically reduce calories as well. For example, by avoiding high-carb foods like, bread, pasta, rice, ice cream, cake, cookies and refined breakfast cereals, you will automatically cut a lot of calories out of your daily diet. Reviews of low carb diets, such as Atkins and South Beach Diet, constantly point out that these diets lead to a reduction in weight because they are low in calories, not because of any special weight-reduction benefits of eating more protein. Shed Water WeightSecond, low carb diets help weight loss by inducing dieters to shed more fluid-weight. Point is, normal carbohydrate metabolism and storage needs water. For example, in order to store one molecule of glycogen (this is our liquid "fuel reserve" made up of glucose from carbs), we also need to store about three molecules of water. So when we start a low carb diet, our body burns off most of our glycogen energy reserve and we expel a lot of extra water in the process. This water-weight-loss equalizes after about a fortnight, which is why most low-carb diets terminate their first phase after 14 days. Bottom line: your initial low-carb weight loss is mainly water-loss, not fat-loss. Are Low Carb Diets Better for Fat-Burning?Yes. In simple terms, low carbohydrate diet plans restrict carb-intake in order to stop your body converting carbs to glucose for energy purposes, and start burning body fat instead. Such ketogenic diets are therefore more successful at inducing fat-burning than (say) more orthodox low-fat diet programs. However, bear in mind that recent clinical comparisons of low-carb versus low-fat diets demonstrate a minimal difference in weight loss over a period of 12 months. Compare "Almost-No-Carb" and "Lower-Carb" DietsThe basic idea of a lower-carb diet, focusing predominantly on healthy lower-glycemic-index carbs, makes good sense for both weight control and health. After all, lower GI foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grain cereals are ideal for calorie-control as well as blood-sugar control. Also, by discouraging the consumption of high-sugar "empty-calorie" foods, like sodas, cookies, candy and cakes, this type of lower-carb diet plan helps us to improve nutrition and "spend" our "calorie-allowance" wisely. However, promoters of some low-carb diets go too far. They imply that all carbs are dangerous to weight management, and cause problems for insulin-regulation and blood-glucose control. These "almost-no-carbs" types of diets restrict carb consumption to an absolute minimum, while promoting the benefits of their diet-supplements and other non-food items. If you prefer to take your food-nutrition in the form of a tablet or capsule, these "almost-no-carbs" diets may suit you well. On the other hand, if you wish to develop healthy eating habits to help you lose weight and then maintain this weight loss, you are better off choosing a "lower-carb" diet that still allows you access to a wide range of nutritious carbs. Weight loss is a very personal matter, so it's your choice what type of low carb diet to choose depending on what range of foods you wish to enjoy. |
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Carbs-Information.com provides general information about different types of carbohydrate, like monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, as well as nutritional value of carbohydrates, carb-content of foods, plus details of GI values of all food groups, plus advice about diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance. But no information is intended as a substitute for medical advice. Copyright 2003-2021. |