People often struggle with a low-fat, calorie-restricted diet. Ancedotal evidence suggests that food cravings may be reduced with a low-carb diet. If you choose a low-carb diet, you will eat meat, eggs and other high-protein foods at every meal. Check with a doctor before beginning a new weight-loss plan.
Rationale
Carbohydrates provide energy to the brain and muscles. When you dramatically cut down on the amount of carbohydrates that you eat, as is the case with low-carb diets, your body looks to other sources for energy. Ideally, the body will begin to burn fat as energy, as the glucose provided by carbohydrates is no longer available. This process is called gluconeogenesis.
Types of Low-Carb Diets
Low-carb diets run the gamut from zero-carb diets to those that permit as many as 100 g of carbohydrate per day. One popular low-carb diet is the Paleo Diet. This diet is not touted as low-carb, but because it forbids grains and legumes, practitioners commonly eat very few carbohydrates. The Atkins diet is another well-known low-carb diet. Both Paleo and Atkins recommend eating plenty of fatty meats -- neither emphasizes vegetables. The South Beach Diet takes a more moderate approach, recommending lean cuts of meat and plentiful vegetables.
Reasons for Weight Loss
Diets that are low in carbohydrates often provide some degree of instant gratification, because the first week often results in a few pounds of weight loss. The reason that low-carb dieters lose weight quickly upon beginning the diet is that a diet low in carbohydrates provokes ketosis, a metabolic state that increases the rate at which fat is burned while also resulting in a loss of water from muscle tissue. Dieters who begin eating a significant amount of carbohydrates can expect to regain the water weight within a few days of changing their diet.
Low-carb vs. Low-fat
People who embark on a low-carb diet often lose more weight initially than those who eat a low-fat diet that contains more carbohydrates. In the long run, however, people who choose a low-carb diet are no more likely to lose more weight than people who choose a more conventional low-fat diet. Your lipid profile is likely to change on either diet, however. A low-carb diet tends to raise triglycerides and lower HDL, the "good cholesterol." A traditional low-fat diet improves LDL, the "bad cholesterol."
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