Low Carb Diets Cause More Than Water Weight Loss
Many critics in have attackedlow carb diets for only providing aninitial loss in water weight, rather thanactually affecting sustained fat loss.Some critics have even suggested that dieters lose don’t lose any fat at all.
This attack on low carb dietsis based on a critique of thefirst phase of most low carb diets–such as the induction phase ofDr. Atkins’s’ diet–in which the dieter consumes no carbsover a one to two weekperiod.
Critics claim that this stageis deceptive because it leadslow carb dieters to believe thatthey are losing fat weight, whenin fact, they are shedding themajority of their weight inthe form of water.
When dieters stop consumingsugar, they immediately beginburning carbohydrate reserves for energy. Reserves are storedin the form of glycogen, which coversthe liver and muscles. Each gramof glycogen binds four grams ofwater, which means that eachgram of glycogen converted intoenergy takes with it four gramsof water.
The result is pretty straightforward.If you convert 300 grams of storedcarbs into energy, you will lose anadditional 1200 grams of water, too.This means four-fifths of the weightyou lose during the first phase ofa low carb diet is water weight.
However, while this critique doesapply to the “no carb” phase of”low carb” diets, it falls in two places:
The first place is mistakenly thinkingthat people don’t want to lose massiveamounts of carbohydrate stores in additionto the fat stores they currently have.
The second is a complete failureto critique or even examine the followingstages in low carb diets.
Many dieters have lost close to one hundred pounds in excess ofof the initial carbohydrate reserves–all of which was the direct result offollowing a low carb diet plan.
Low carb dieters continue to loseweight after the “no carb” phasebecause they maintain a netloss of carbohydrates, whichforces their bodies to burnfat for energy.
So, if you plan to start a lowcarb diet in the future, do not bedeterred by critics who claimyou cannot be successful after theinitial period of carbohydrate reserveloss. This is simply untrue.
Benji Paras runs list-of-low-carb-food.com, specializing in the benefits of the low-carb lifestyle. The site contains a treasure trove of information for losing weight, and includes a list of low carb foods along with informative articles and the latest low-carb headlines.
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The Pros and Cons of Fad Dieting
It is very tempting to try that fad diet that you have found in the latest magazine, it promises the world with fantastic fat losses without doing a thing, just takea couple of fat burning pills follow the diet and then bang! a brand new you in a couple of weeks.
The sad fact is they don’t work, they just provide more suffering in your efforts to lose weight, the only thing you lose is your hard earned money.
Firstly we will look at the latest fad diets on the scene at the moment, their pros and cons and then you will be shown how to save your time, money and unnecessary suffering bypointing you in the right direction for permanent weightloss.
The latest studies show that 90 per cent of fad dietersregained everything they had lost and even gained more within eighteen months.
The Atkins Diet.
The body burns carbohydrates and then fat for energy.This diet recommends limiting the intake of starchy,high carb foods so that the fat is burned first. So byeating meat, cheese and eggs and keeping bread and potatoesto a minimum, fat is lost.
Pros: Steak with cheese topping, Chocolate mocha ice creamand pork scratchings.
Cons: Studies show high protein diets lead to increased riskof heart disease, colon cancer, bad breath (halitosis) and constipation. Consuming more carbohydrate that canbe used by the body will store this excess in fat cells.
The Zone Diet.
This diet claims to decrease hunger and boost energy bykeeping your bodies eating habits in the zone or at its peak. This is done by keeping all your meals and snacks in the ratio of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, 30% fats.
Pros: Being a low calorie diet, you can’t help but lose weight.
Cons: Very difficult to adhere to the strict regime the dietrequires. Will experience metabolism slow down because of lowcalories and will lead to starvation response which will eat away at the muscle tissue while retaining the fat.
The Blood Group Diet.
By having a blood test and determining your blood group, thisthen tells you how you can absorb nutrients, thus you can planyour diet accordingly. Different blood groups can eat differentfood groups.
Pros: Another calorie restricting diet so weight will be lost.
Cons: There appears to be little clinical and scientific evidence behind this diet and by the elimination of whole food groups importantnutritional deficiencies are likely with long term health problemsencountered.
The Ashram Diet.
This diet is basically a very low calorie diet (near starvation)which is coupled with a very high intensity exercise regime.A sample of this diet would include: One boiled egg for breakfast, a green salad for lunch and a baked potato withsalsa for dinner.
Pros: A very quick weight loss, 10 – 15 lbs in a week (Mostly muscle tissue and water).
Cons: Fast weight loss leads to many unpleasant side effects such as bad breath, bone loss, constipation, deprivation of nutrients(vitamins and minerals), muscle loss, metabolism slow down, headaches and poor sleep. Who would want all these problems for the sake of quick weight loss which would be all put back on and more in a couple of months.
The Hay Diet.
The main rule to follow for this diet is to not eat protein andcarbohydrate together. Combination of these two foods togetherappears to prevent protein from being digested in the gut andcan lead to an accumulation of toxins. Vegetables and fruitform the bulk of the diet with very small portions of proteinand carbs.
Pros: Plenty of fruit and veggies in the diet means plenty ofvitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Cons: There doesn’t appear to be too much scientific evidenceabout food combinations and by limiting yourself to certain foodgroups you will miss out on important nutrients.
All these diets work because of a drastic cut in calories, whenthis happens our metabolic rate can be brought down in a matter of 36hours by as much as 50% which means your body is now burningonly half of your calories. To compound matters further, hungerkicks in after a period of inadequate eating setting you up for over eating and binging.
Everyone is an individual so have to be careful of diets that requireyou to set out what types of foods and quantities you have to eatat every meal. Just because a movie star lost weight on a fad dietdoesn’t mean that you will. Before starting a weight loss programtake into account your age, fitness levels, activity levels and medical history.
A real weight loss program includes all the food groups, strength training, low level aerobics, a slight decrease in your daily calorie levels and a program that can be followed for life.
Gary Matthews is a fitness trainer from “down under” who has been coaching clients from athletes to bodybuilders for two decades. You may contact Gary directly at [email protected] and visit his website at
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