If you're trying to ditch some pounds, you may consider following a low carb diet. Many diets fall under the category "low carb," but they're not all exactly the same. The basic foundation of all low carb diets is that they limit your intake of carbohydrates such as grains, rice, fruits and some vegetables, according to MayoClinic.com.
Restrictions and Allowances
A low carb diet typically restricts the amount of calories you can take in by cutting down your consumption of carbohydrates to between 20g and 60g each day, or about less than 20 percent of your daily calories, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. To make up for the rest of your caloric intake, you will generally need to focus on eating sources of protein and fat such as meat, poultry, eggs and fish, according to MayoClinic.com. However, some low carb diets are less strict than others and allow you to eat as many as 150g of carbohydrates and more portions of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, according to MayoClinic.com.
Premise
When you digest carbohydrates, your body transforms them into sugar. Insulin steps in to push that sugar into your cells for energy, and any excess sugar goes into your liver and muscles as a backup source of energy, according to MayoClinic.com. Supporters of low carb diets believe that if you have less sugar in your body to be stored as energy, your body will begin to burn off stored fat instead when it needs energy. If this theory were true, it would result in weight loss. However, weight loss during a low carb diet is unlikely related to insulin or sugar, according to MayoClinic.com.
Phases
A low carb diet generally sends you through diet phases. The first phase is the most restrictive and sets you up for instant weight loss. As you progress through the diet, you will be allowed more carbs as long as you are able to maintain that weight loss. On the Atkins Diet, for example, Phase 1, or "Induction," allows carbohydrates to make up about 5 percent of your daily calories, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. During Phase 2, your carb intake will make up about 9 percent of your daily calories and Phase 3, the "Maintenance" phase, will allow for carbs to make up about 19 percent of calories.
Terminology
Most low carb diets emphasize eating foods with a low "Glycemic Index," or "GI," and a low "Glycemic Load," or "GL." Glycemic Index refers to the speed at which a sugar is released into your blood stream; a food with a high GI is rated at 70 or above and a low GI food is at 55 or less, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Glycemic Load accounts for GI as well as how much carbohyrate you will receive from a single serving of a food.
Outcomes
If you follow a low carb diet, you are likely to see initial weight loss due to loss of water weight, restricted caloric intake and increased fullness from fat and protein, according to MayoClinic.com. However, you may not be able to maintain your weight loss if you give up on the diet. Also, according to a 2003 study in "The New England Journal of Medicine," weight loss from a low carb diet is unlikely to be significant from weight loss from a traditional low calorie, low fat diet after the first six months.
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