Low Carb Dieting

Not only can you lose weight consistently on a low-carb diet, you can also lower your insulin levels, cholesterol, blood pressure and stabilize your blood sugar. The only diet that strikes at the real cause of obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, hypoglycemia, and type 2 diabetes is a low-carbohydrate diet.

Clearly, weight loss is a common goal and low-carb plans have been shown to provide a method for gradual and safe weight management. The low-carbohydrate diet is exploding in popularity, as it has helped people lose weight quickly and effectively.

There are many different versions of the low-carbohydrate diet, and even though they may have minor variations, all of them have one thing in common - a strict reduction in the consumption of carbohydrates. Although diets vary in their recommendations, a low-carb diet is generally high in fat and moderate in protein. Low-carb diets are not necessarily protein diets (which are also popular now), but they can be protein diets, since people are free to consume protein if they choose to do so.

Those on a low-carb diet should get at least 60 to 70 percent of their daily calorie intake from fat. Some low carb diets restrict you to less than 10 percent of your calories in the form of carbs, others permit up to 40 percent. With low-carb dieting, it isn't necessary to count calories. On a low-carb diet, a person can eat until they are full, as long as they eat only the allowed foods and just eat until they're no longer hungry instead of over-stuffing themselves.

Low-carb dieting isn't just about cutting out sugar and starchy food. It also means replacing all those carbs with quality protein foods, and quality fats as well. Although consuming fats is necessary for a healthy diet, try to limit consumption of trans-fats like those found in margarine and shortening. Good fats include olive oil, flax seed oil, canola oil, oils found in nut, and also real butter.

By following a low-carb diet and consuming fats and oils, your appetite stays under control. This is because fatty foods are very satisfying. Eating a high level of fat actually causes you to lose weight faster than if you were fasting! That's because during a fast, your body thinks it is starving and so it kicks into a highly efficient state of metabolism, which slows down weight loss. But with a high fat diet that includes very low amounts of carbohydrates, your body knows it is not starving and metabolism is maintained at a normal level.

The allowed foods include meats, fish, shrimp, poultry, tofu, most nuts, green salads, eggs and cheese, plus a limited amount of green vegetables (asparagus, spinach and broccoli). Foods to avoid include, but are not limited to, bread, potatoes, flour, rice, pasta, whole grains and sugars.

Some well-known low carb diet plans are the Atkins Diet, the Zone Diet, the Sugar Busters Diet, the South Beach Diet, the Scarsdale Diet, the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet, the Protein Power Diet and the Dr. Phil Diet.

Before beginning any diet, you should check with your physician to get the go ahead, as your physician knows your medical background. Women should never diet when pregnant or nursing. If you are thinking about using prescription drugs, be sure to check with your doctor about side effects. Although Fen Phen (a popular prescription weight-loss drug) is off the market, it might be a good thing to discuss the side effects of other prescription drugs offered. Fen Phen has been linked to PPH, or Primary Pulmonary Hypertension.

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Low Carb Dieting
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