Atkins, South Beach and other diets advocate eating low-carb foods to reduce your insulin levels, blood sugar, hunger and lose weight. A study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and published in the March 2, 2010 edition of "Annals of Internal Medicine," reveals results of a 3-year study of low-carb dieters. Low-carb dieters lost more weight in the first year than their low-fat dieters, but regained more during the next two years, while low-fat dieters maintained their weight loss.
Don't Prevent Excess Calorie Consumption
A low-carb diet does not necessarily mean a low-calorie diet. While many low-carb dieters experience quick weight loss at the beginning of their diet, the initial water loss that accompanies a low-carb, high protein diet may be causing the numbers on your scale to go down. After your initial period of weight loss, or water loss, consuming more calories than your body requires, regardless of the type of food, causes your body to store the excess calories as fat. Extra calories contribute to weight gain. In order to lose weight and keep it off while on a low-carb diet, it is important to choose low-calories foods that help you stick to your daily caloric range and avoid foods high in calories and fat.
Disrupt your Mood and Cognitive Ability
A study sponsored by Tufts University and published in the February 2009 edition of "Appetite," researched the effects of a low-carb diet. The results revealed that low-carb dieters performed poorly on cognitive tests and memory-based tasks. While more research is necessary, the results indicate that low-carb dieting may interfere with your brain's break down and usage of glucose, it's main source of energy.
When you eat carbohydrates, your body converts the carbs into glucose, which is then sent to your brain as an energy source for your nerve cells. Inadequate amounts may interfere with this process and affect brain functioning and mood. This may lead to feelings of frustration and confusion while on a low-carb diet and may increase your body's cravings for carbohydrates. Sometimes, restrictive dieting may lead to binging on "forbidden" foods once they are made available.
May Not Provide A Sustainable Lifestyle Change
Sticking to a restrictive diet and eliminating certain foods groups may not be the most effective way to lose weight and keep it off permanently. A low-carb diet that requires you to stop eating foods that you enjoy may provide challenges in your future. Ask yourself if you foresee yourself following the diet for the remainder of your life. If the answer is no, find a diet plan that better accommodates your lifestyle and your goals. Otherwise, you may regain all the weight you lost if you stray from diet plan.
The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends eating complex carbohydrates, avoiding refined sugars or "white carbs,"choosing heart friendly fats and eating less calories than your body requires if you want to lose weight.
References
- University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine: Low-Fat Diets Outlast Low-Carb Diets
- Tufts University: Low-Carb Diets Can Affect Dieters' Cognition Skills
- Duke Magazine: The Skinny on the Low-Carb Craze
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Low Carb Diets: The Right Way to Go?
- Harvard Medical School: Low Carb or Low Fat Diet? The Harvard Health Letter Investigates the Debate
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