The majority of a typical American adult's diet comes from carbohydrates and fats. When you eliminate or reduce the carbohydrate portion, you will probably lose weight immediately, if only because such diets usually result in eating fewer calories, as well. After six months, however, it is unlikely that these diets produce any more weight loss than other diets, according to American Family Physician. So you might want to consider how severely you restrict your carb intake.
Theory
MayoClinic.com indicates that the theories behind these diets are identical. When you eat carbohydrates, your body processes them into sugar. Sugar raises your insulin levels. Insulin is energy. If you lower your insulin level by eliminating or restricting carbs, your body must then resort to your stored fat to keep itself going.
The Difference
A low-carbohydrate diet limits your carb intake while a no-carbohydrate diet eliminates carbs from your diet completely. The number of permissible carbs in a low-carb diet depends on the protocol of the diet you choose. Some allow as much as 150 g of carbohydrates a day, according to MayoClinic.com. Others, like the Induction Phase of the Atkins Diet, allow only 20 g of carbs per day, leaving very little difference between that and a no-carb diet. American Family Physician reports that maintaining a low-carb diet might be safe for up to a year. Few studies have been performed on no-carb diets.
Permitted Foods
A no-carb diet does not permit anything that contains even a trace of carbohydrates. Low-carb diets allow fruits and vegetables that include complex carbohydrates as opposed to the simple carbohydrates found in sugar. But you must keep track of them so you don't go over the daily limit of the particular diet you've chosen. Other permissible carbohydrates on a low-carb diet include those found in cheeses and nuts.
Cons
Constipation will likely result when you limit or eliminate the carbs in fruit, vegetables and grains from your diet because of the resulting lack of fiber, according to MayoClinic.com. Since there are very few vegetables with no carbohydrate content at all, you are at particular risk for this if you choose a no-carb diet. Both diets can also result in ketosis, a complication that arises from the breakdown of fat for energy. Ketosis can cause weakness, dehydration and dizziness. The Center for Young Women's Health indicates that the process of digesting mostly protein will deplete your body's calcium levels. If you are eating a no-carb diet consisting entirely of protein, it could also put your kidneys at risk because they must work harder.
Pros
MayoClinic.com indicates that there is some evidence that both these diets can reduce cholesterol, provided that your sources of protein are monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats. But you will lose this benefit if you choose saturated fats instead. The website No Carb Diet indicates that process of ketosis is not all bad -- it can preserve your levels of vitamin C. And some studies on mice have shown that tumors of the prostate gland grew more slowly when all carbohydrates were removed from the diet.
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