Low Carb Diet - Achieving weight loss goals

Low Carb Diet Achieving weight loss goals

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Low carb weight loss is a new way to look at dieting by restricting yourself from high carbohydrate foods. It has worked wonders for many people and more and more people these days are switching to low carb weight loss diets. It basically works on the theory of strict reduction of carbohydrate intake.

A person might spends hours together in the gym and work- out like no one else, but he can end up without losing weight because soon after the gym he or she might go straight to the refrigerator to grab some food. So the work- out done in the gym will go in vain. Hence to lose weight effectively sticking to a low carb weight loss diet is very essential.

People are attracted to a low-carb way of eating for a variety of reasons, but the most notable one is usually weight loss. How much weight can you realistically expect to lose?

The truth is that it's hard to predict how much weight any individual will lose on a low-carb diet (or any other weight- loss diet, for that matter).

There are simply too many variables at play. But here are some reasonable weight loss goals you can anticipate based on scientific facts.

The Basics of a Low-Carb Weight Loss Experience You may be surprised to hear that on a low-carb diet weight loss mainly happens in the same way as on any other weight loss diet - by creating a calorie deficit (consuming fewer calories than you expend).

The difference is that while a low-calorie diet has an externally-imposed calorie limit, a low-carb diet works with your body so that you desire fewer calories. It's like changing the demand rather than the supply of food.

Carbohydrate reduction seems to work on the appetite system in multiple ways, including altering levels of hormones and other transmitters of information about hunger and satiety in our body.

In terms of specific weight loss, some research suggests that people lose approximately the same amount of weight on a low-carb diet as on a low-calorie diet, even though they are not told to limit the amount of food they eat (just the amount of carbohydrate).

Stuck in the Whirlpool of Mainstream Diets?

If you struggle to lose weight or continue to pack on pounds, then hear this: It’s NOT your fault.

That’s right…contrary to popular opinion—and what the media and medical community will probably tell you—there is a strong chance you are not to blame for those extra pounds.

There is something else you need to know: You are NOT alone.

The majority of dieters fail to keep off a single pound, and the average American dieter makes 4-6 dieting attempts per year. One study even concluded that 95% of severely overweight dieters gained back every pound within 3 years.

Most likely, there are several reasons you’ve struggled to lose weight in the past, and my experience tells me that you fall into one or more of 5 categories.

Getting Started Getting started on a low-carb diet can be nerve-wracking. You may worry about changing your daily meal routine, how you will feel on it, or have anxiety about the diet not working. Hopefully, this information on what to expect in terms of weight changes your first month can ease your mind a bit:

The First Week of a Low-Carb Diet The first week of a low-carbohydrate diet leads to a shift in the body's metabolism. This is because the body has been using primarily glucose for energy and must switch to using primarily fat.

The good news is that some weight will be lost, but it's water loss, not fat loss. This is because the glucose which is stored for easy use in our liver is in a molecule called glycogen which is bound up with a lot of water. When initiating a low-carb diet, the number of glycogen stores are mobilized and broken down, and with it, goes some water weight.

The weight loss tends to be more pronounced in people who restrict their carbohydrates to less than 50 grams per day (a very low carb diet), as opposed to those who stick to a low-carb diet which is between 60 and 130 grams of carbohydrates daily. Remember, a standard diet contains about 200 to 300 grams of carbohydrates daily, so a low- carb diet offers a pretty dramatic drop.

It's important to note that one of the interesting, and sometimes discouraging, things about this water is that once gone, it doesn't all stay gone. Returning to eating a higher level of carbohydrate will definitely increase the number of glycogen stores, causing overnight weight gain (but not, of course, fat gain).

But even if you don't go back to eating a lot more carbohydrate, glycogen stores gradually build back up (the glucose mainly coming from gluconeogenesis from protein). This is not at all a bad thing, as our bodies need to maintain a certain level of blood glucose, and having a reserve is an important "slush fund," so to speak.

But these changes can really do a number on scale- watchers who are anxiously tracking those lost pounds. Even when you are losing fat, those tides of water flowing in and out (meaning all the fluid shifts occurring in your body) may create what looks like stalls in your weight loss.

The trick is not to get too tied to the scale during this time.

The Second Week of a Low-Carb Diet It's good to think of the second week as a week of stability after the roller coaster metabolism shift of the first week. Even so, this is often where the real fat loss will start in most people who respond well to lowcarb diets. Some bodies do take a little longer to adjust, however, so try to remain patient.

It's also important during this time to ensure that you are not only reducing your carbohydrate intake but choosing healthy alternatives. For instance, since carbohydrates are found in many fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products, and alcohol, you will be eating more fats and proteins.

Be sure to choose healthy sources of protein and fats (called monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats) like:    

Avocado Nuts and seeds Olive oil Fish like salmon

Fruits and vegetables are healthy, though you just need to choose lowcarb options like:       

Broccoli and cauliflower Spinach and kale Bell peppers Brussel sprouts Asparagus Melons like cantaloupe and watermelon Strawberries

The Third and Fourth Week of a Low-Carb Diet Sometime in the second half of the first month, your body will probably settle into a pattern of weight loss. The rate at which you lose depends on many factors, the most prominent of which is how overweight you are to start out with. In other words, people with less to lose will lose much more slowly than those with a lot of extra fat.

Generally, once the first couple of weeks are over, people will lose between half a pound and two pounds per week which is considered a healthy rate. The usual advice is to weigh yourself once a week because of day-to-day weight fluctuations due to fluid, fiber consumed, and other factors.

Also, women who are having menstrual cycles sometimes decide not to weigh in the second half of their cycles, especially if they tend to retain water at this time.

Finally, it's important to choose a consistent time of day to weigh yourself. Most of the time people choose to weigh first thing in that morning, before beginning to eat and drink, because this is the best basis for comparison. If you weigh yourself at another time of day, there will be even more fluctuations.

After the First Month on a Low-Carb Diet In a large review study on over 1,000 people with obesity who followed a low-carb diet, the average weight loss was about 15 pounds for people followed between three and six months after beginning the diet. After two years of follow- up, the average weight loss was about 10 pounds; so still a reduction, but this data suggests that people do tend to gain some weight back.

Likewise, there are other scientific studies that suggest a low- carb diet is better for short-term and not long-term weight loss. For instance, one study of over 400 people who were either overweight or obese found that the difference in weight loss at six months (which was higher in people on a low-carb diet as compared to a low-fat diet) was not sustained at the one-year mark.

In fact, the weight loss at six months in this study was an average of seven pounds on the low-carb diet, so less than the prior study. Again, it's extremely challenging to pinpoint an exact "how many pounds" number, as there are too many other factors at play when it comes to a person's weight.

All in all, the diet may be potentially challenging to adhere to for a long time. So like any diet, it's best to choose a way of eating that is healthy and includes food you enjoy, as you will, in the end, be more likely to stick with it. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++