Answers to Everyday Questions : How does a low carb diet work?

How does a low carb diet work?

2 Responses to “How does a low carb diet work?”

1. fitman said :
   November 17th, 2010 at 2:32 pm

   Actually, a low carb diet is a starvation diet and here is why:

   Carbohydrates are the primary source of fuel for the brain, red blood cells, and the kidneys. When the body does not get enough, it starts to break down muscle tissue to make carbs to perform these vital functions. Doing so creates toxic byproducts such as uric acid (can cause gout) which the kidneys have to flush out in the urine. The loss in muscle and water account for much of the weight loss on low carb diets. Any real fat loss is because by cutting carbs, the person is simply cutting calories. This is why you will hear many people talk about how much weight they lost on the Atkins diet but will have a harder time finding one with a sculpted physique.

   Here is a link which explains it in more detail.
2. esqueyotambien said :
   November 17th, 2010 at 3:11 pm

   Does This Diet Work?

   Yes.

   A low-carb diet really does work, and it works more quickly and more easily than any diet you’ve ever done before. That is, as long as you don’t cheat. More so than any other type of diet, sneaking a donut or a candy bar on a low-carb diet really *will* kill you. OK, it won’t kill you literally, but it will kill the fat-burning stage your body is in, requiring weeks to get yourself back on track. Believe me, that Milky Way is *NOT* worth it, no matter how much you might think so at the time.
   ___________________________
   How Quickly Will I Lose Weight?

   Well, the answer depends on where you are starting, of course. If you’re only 10 lbs overweight to start with, you will not drop those 10 lbs in the first week and be done with it. It will be a more gradual process. However, if you are 100 lbs overweight, you might lose 10, 15, or even 20 pounds over the first two-week induction diet period, with it tapering to 2-4 lbs per week after that. [See the FAQ for more information on the stages of the diet itself.]

   10-15 lbs in *two weeks*?!?! How can that possibly be healthy, you are asking. The two-week induction diet is meant as a jump-start for your system, to get it into maximum fat-burning mode quickly and successfully. But you do not stay on that diet after 14 days—you begin adding a few more carbo grams in at that point, to dial back the loss level to a more reasonable, *sustainable* level. It doesn’t do you any good to lose 30 lbs in a month, only to gain it right back after going off the diet.
   ___________________________
   Will the Weight Stay Off?

   Again, the answer is yes, if you don’t fall right back into your old carbo-heavy habits. If, the day you hit your goal weigh, you run out and have a bowl of pasta the size of Texas and a dozen jelly-filled danishes, you’ll soon be back at your overweight stage, or even higher.

   The low-carb diet is truly more of a lifestyle change, rather than a simple transitory diet. While you *will* get to eat your favorites foods again in your life, it will be on a very limited basis. You can kiss the days of eating at Pizza Hut every Friday night goodbye—once per month is more realistic.

   But don’t let that get you discouraged before you’ve even started—the benefits of losing that weight far outstrip any pangs you might feel for that chocolate fudgesicle when you’re in the store of “free sample” day. After you shed those first pounds quicker than you could have ever dreamed possible, you will never look at the candy aisle the same way.

   Now, continue on to the Pre-Diet Timetable section for some suggestions on starting your new life smoothly and successfully.