Although overall calorie intake, not avoiding specific foods, that determines weight loss, low-carbohydrate diets are often recommended because of their apparent efficacy. However, the term "low-carb diet" is a generic one and is applied to a number of diet plans that are actually quite different. These different low-carb diet options vary not only in the suggested amounts of nutrient intakes, but in recommended levels of calories and preferred foods. Carefully consider these differences before choosing a low-carb option. Consult a doctor before beginning any new diet.
Ketogenic Diet
A ketogenic diet is the most extreme type of low-carbohydrate diet, as it restricts you to very low levels of carbohydrate intake. As fitness and nutrition expert Jonathan Deprospo explains on the Bodybuilding website, ketogenic diets require a high fat intake to make up for the lack of carbohydrates --- you should consume 65 percent of your calories from fat, 30 percent from protein and 5 percent from carbohydrates. The extremely high fat intake and low carbohydrate intake prompts your body to enter a physiological state called ketosis, in which your body burns fat, rather than carbohydrates, as its main source of fuel. Because of the highly restricted carbohydrate intake, you may find this diet difficult to follow.
Atkins Diet
The Atkins Diet plan is a low-carbohydrate diet with origins in the writings of Dr. Robert Atkins during the 1970s, the weight-loss information website Every Diet explains. The Atkins Diet is more complicated than the ketogenic diet, as it involves four distinct phases with varying nutritional recommendations. Every Diet explains that the first phase of the Atkins Diet is intended to produce ketosis, though the following phases allow for higher carbohydrate intake. Though complicated, the Atkins Diet appears to be effective; research published in the March 2007 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association" found that the Atkins Diet produced more weight loss than three other diet plans.
South Beach Diet
The South Beach Diet is another low-carbohydrate weight-loss program based upon the writings of a doctor --- Dr. Arthur Agatston, in this case. The South Beach Diet is similar to the Atkins in that it has three distinct phases. However, the weight-loss information website Diets In Review explains, the South Beach Diet places more restrictions on fat intake than Atkins. Some of the food recommendations aren't very nutritious, the site cautions --- the diet suggests limiting the intake of some fruits, and recommends products containing sugar alcohols, which are devoid of nutrients and may cause gas and bloating.
References
- Bodybuilding: A Scientific Look At Ketogenic Diets and Ketosis; Jonathan Deprospo
- Every Diet: Atkins Diet
- "Journal of the American Medical Association"; Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN diets for change in weight and related risk factors among overweight premenopausal women: the A TO Z Weight Loss Study: a randomized trial; C.D. Gardner et al.; March 2007
- Diets In Review: South Beach Diet and Weight Loss Plan
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