Losing weight requires you to consume fewer calories than your body needs, forcing your body to burn stored fat for energy. Although for weight loss, a calorie is a calorie -- whether it comes from carbs, fat or protein -- losing weight may be easier on a low-carb diet because added sugars are eliminated. Expect dramatic results the first two weeks on your new diet, then weight loss should taper off to 1 to 2 lbs. per week.
Starting a Low-Carb Diet
If you're following a popular low-carb diet, it often starts with an induction phase that restricts most carbs and helps to kick-start weight-loss. You can expect to lose between 6 and 10 lbs. in two weeks on a low-carb diet but according to the Mayo Clinic, much of that is water weight and not true fat loss. However, cutting simple carbohydrates and refined sugars from your diet can help to regulate glucose and insulin production, stabilizing blood sugar. Stable blood sugar will help reduce hunger, as will an increased protein and fat intake. If you're not hungry, you may eat less. Consuming fewer calories should lead to weight loss.
Losing Weight
After the introductory period, you may add more carbohydrates back into your diet. You'll still restrict added sugars and starches, but you'll include high-fiber carbs that are rich in nutrients -- vegetables, some fruits, legumes and whole grains. Including more carbohydrates will slow weight loss, but this shouldn't be viewed negatively. If your diet is too restrictive, you may be more likely to break it. Expect to lose between 1 and 2 lbs. per week. Losing more than that may mean that you're not eating enough food. In the long run, consuming too few calories can slow metabolism and eventually stall weight loss.
Exercise
Although your low-carb diet will help you lose weight, you can increase weight loss by exercising regularly. Increasing the number of calories you burn will force your body to brake down more fat for fuel. Building lean muscle mass will boost your metabolism because muscle requires more energy than fat, even at rest. Strength training can help you burn more calories -- even when you're sleeping. Try to exercise at moderate intensity for 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week.
How Many Carbs Do You Need?
The University of Maryland Medical Center says that you need to eat at least 100 g of carbs daily to ensure adequate nutrition. Each gram of carbohydrate has 4 calories, so that's 400 calories of high-fiber nutrient-dense carbohydrates. If you're consuming 1,600 calories daily, that would mean 25 percent of calories should come from carbs. The rest of your calories will come from protein and fat. Choose lean proteins and unsaturated fats whenever possible. One of the dangers of a low-carb diet may be too much saturated fat; therefore, choose fish, seafood and skinless poultry instead of beef, pork and lamb to help limit saturated fat.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Weight Loss -- Low Carb Diet; May 2010
- Unoversity of Maryland Medical Center; Low-Carb Diets: The Right Way to Go?; April 2007
- Atkins: How and Why Atkins Work
- South Beach Diet: How the South Beach Diet Works
- HealthFinder.gov: Low-Carb Diets Heavy on Meat May Raise Health Risks; Amanda Gardner; September 2010
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