Eating a high-protein, low-carb diet may help you lose weight and control certain health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease risk factors. Such diets limit foods that contain sugars and starches and permit animal and plant sources of protein as fuel.
Identification
High-protein, low-carb diets are also known as ketogenic, or protein-sparing diets because they are believed to bring about a state known as ketosis, in which the body relies on stored body fat as its primary source of fuel to bring about weight loss. The diets are referred to as protein-sparing because they are believed to preserve lean body mass while reducing body fat. Atkins, Zone, Protein Power, South Beach and PaNu are all high-protein, low-carb diets.
Premise
In his book, "Good Calories, Bad Calories," author Gary Taubes explains the premise behind low-carb, high-protein diets. Sugar, starches, grains and other carb-laden foods cause your blood sugar to spike when you eat them. Your body releases insulin to deal with the rise in blood glucose. Insulin is a fat storage hormone, and when it is present in your blood, your body is unable to use stored fat as fuel. Furthermore, the presence of insulin causes your body to store the food you eat as fat rather than using it for fuel. Careful insulin control can help your body to both extract the nutrients from food and rely on your body fat stores as a source of energy, which results in weight loss.
Initial Phases
Recommendations vary depending on the low-carb, high-protein diet you choose, but many similarities exist between the diets. Dr. Barry Sears' Zone diet recommends that you eat 40 percent of your calories from protein and 30 percent each of your calories from carbs and fats. The diet also recommends making vegetables, fruit and whole grains your primary source of carb calories. Dr. Robert Atkins recommends eating fewer than 20 grams of carbs per day in the first phase of the Atkins diet and avoiding all sugar and grains, as well as most fruits, during this phase. Atkins recommends eating only meat and leafy green vegetables in the initial phase. Protein Power suggests avoiding sugar and grains and eating about seven to ten grams of carbs per meal initially, as well as eating the right amount of protein based on your height, weight and age. In most cases, the initial phase of the diet lasts for about two weeks and is designed to kick-start the chemical reactions necessary for weight loss.
Ongoing Phases
In most high-protein, low-carb diets, the secondary phase of the diet starts after about two weeks. In the second phase, the goal is to continue to lose weight while determining your individual carb threshold. This threshold is unique to the individual. To determine yours, Atkins recommends gradually adding a few grams of carbs per day every few weeks until weight loss stops, then backing off by about 5 g of carbs per day to promote ongoing weight loss and eventually, maintenance.
Maintenance
Most low-carb, high-protein diet plan authors agree that reverting to earlier eating habits will very likely result in weight regain. Because of this, most recommend making low-carb, high-protein diets your lifestyle instead of a temporary weight-loss fix. The Zone diet's recommendations remain consistent throughout, and Sears suggests eating according to the 40/30/30 plan for life. Both Atkins and Protein Power recommend finding a carb level at which you neither lose nor gain weight and attempting to eat that way almost every day to maintain the weight loss and other health benefits received while on the diets.
References
- Good Calories, Bad Calories"; Gary Taubes; 2007
- "Enter The Zone"; Dr. Barry Sears and Bill Lawren; 1995
- "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution"; Dr. Robert Atkins; 1992
- "Protein Power Lifeplan"; Drs. Michael Eades and Mary Eades; 2000
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