Do Low-Carb Diets Work?
There are several varieties of low-carb diets out there. There’s the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet, the Protein Power, the Sugar Busters, Zone, and dozens of others. The one thing that all of these weight loss diets have in common is that rather than counting calories or fat grams, carbohydrates are counted or controlled. Consuming fewer carbohydrates will cause weight loss is the premise on which low-carb diets are based.
Do low-carb diets work? The answer is a qualified “yes.” Low-carb diets do work, but eating low carb in today’s busy world is a bit more difficult than you might imagine. Carbs are everywhere. They’re in a can of soda and in a snack-pack of crackers. They lurk!
Some low-carbohydrate diets focus on restricting intake of all carbohydrates, while other low-carb diets focus on simply eliminating some types of carbohydrates. Some low-carb diets advise you to eliminate all “white foods” from your diet. White foods are foods that contain white ingredients like sugar, flour, white rice, and potatoes.
You’ll likely see diets out there that proclaim themselves “no-carb” diets. There’s really no such thing as a no-carb diet, and even diets (like Atkins) don’t claim to be a no-carb diet. You can initiate your low-carb diet with a VERY low-carb diet for about two weeks. That’s long enough. The human body needs fruits, vegetables, and the nutrients they supply. A well-balanced diet is one that you can stick with.
No matter what kind of weight loss diet you might choose to go on, none of them will be successful unless you are willing to stick with the program day after day, week after week, and even year after year. It takes commitment to effect permanent change.