Low Carb Weight Loss Overview

Low carb dieting was thought to be a fad just a few years ago. Today however, although the term "low carb diet" is not used as often as it once was, the actual eating style is in full swing. In fact, many dieticians are now recommending variations of low carb diets to people with Diabetes, because it's an excellent way to help control and balance blood sugar levels in the body.

Evidence has been mounting over the years too, that a lower, or restricted carb eating style is an excellent, and easy way to lose weight. Most people who lower the amount of simple carbohydrates and sugars they eat on a daily basis can lose weight quite quickly in fact, and the weight often comes off of the stomach and belly area first. And there are solid, medical reasons why this is the case.

When we eat too much sugar and starch, our bodies react in a specific way. The amount of sugar and starch we feed out bodies directly affects how quickly our blood sugar levels rise. When we eat sugary or starchy simple carbohydrate foods, our blood sugar levels actually rise quite quickly. Our bodies respond to this rise by releasing extra insulin from the pancreas to deal with all that extra sugar circulating in our blood stream.

Now, when our bodies are relatively healthy, the extra insulin our body produces will usually take care of the extra high blood sugar levels fairly quickly. The problem though, is that the extra blood sugar levels are decreased very fast. And when our blood sugar levels take a drastic drop from the effects of the insulin at work inside us, the body will immediately think it's hungry. In fact, it will think it's starving and you will get immediate desparation triggers that tell you to eat something fast. You'll actually crave sugary, sweet things too, because the body knows that is what will bring the blood sugar levels back up and give the extra insulin something to work with.

This extreme high and low swinging of our blood sugar levels creates a cycle that's pretty difficult to break. And the cycle keeps us constantly eating. Not just eating for nutritional sake either, it keeps us eating all the wrong things, which cause the cycle to come full circle again.

When you start lowering the amount of simple sugars and carbs in your daily eating however, you start to take control of your blood sugar levels. The blood sugar actually balances out and stays fairly even throughout the day. This makes you less likely to have sudden hunger pangs and cravings, and less likely to binge on all the fattening foods we seem to have on hand all around us. And once you have those cravings and binges under control, it's much easier to lose weight.

There are several specific diet plans which work on the low carb or restricted carb principles...


The South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet is a relatively new diet that's become quite popular in recent years. And it's become so popular because it works so well.

The South Beach Diet is thought to be a low carb diet, but in reality it actually isn't. Part of the diet involves cutting carbs and simple sugars yes, but that's not the entire story. The South Beach Diet doesn't actually advocate eating no carbohydrates each day. Instead, it focuses on teaching you the difference between good carbs and bad carbs.

Bad carbs are those that cause your blood sugar to rapidly spike very high, and leave you with hunger pangs and cravings within just an hour or two of eating them. Good carbs on the other hand, are more nutritious, filled with fiber, and leave you satiated for longer periods of time.

The South Beach Diet doesn't just focus on carbs alone though. It also teaches you about good fats and bad, plus good and bad protein sources too. It goes on to give you an introduction to the Glycemic Index, and explains how that simple system can play a major role in weight gain or loss.

Now, the South Beach Diet does start out as a lower carb diet plan. It is not as restrictive as some, and the entire goal of the beginning is to help you start losing weight, and to help you kill the everyday sugar cravings. Because once you've gotten rid of the worst of your sugar cravings, it's much easier to choose the foods you eat more sensibly.

So the first stage of The South Beach Diet does restrict carbohydrates. In general, you're allowed approximately 30 grams of carbs per day during this stage of the diet plan. Normal eating based on the standard United States food pyramid usually involves a daily carbohydrate intake of more like 300 grams, so this can be a major change for some people. The hardest part though, is cutting out the sweets and snacks. Some people are addicted to cakes and cookies, while others have a weakness for breads and pastries instead. And letting go of these types of foods even for a temporary period can be quite difficult.

Over time though, you're allowed to add them back into your daily meals sensibly. By the time you get to that point however, you'll know a lot more about good carbs and bad, as well as how each works within your particular body.

Contrary to popular belief, The South Beach Diet does not advocate getting rid of vegetables. In fact, that is one food type that is strongly encouraged with this eating plan right from the beginning. Some vegetables have more carbs that others of course, but it's the type of carb that's most important... not the amount.