How To Lose Weight Fast With A Low Carb Diet

Posted by Wendy on May 7th, 2008 at 10:54pm

You may be reading this site because you’re already a successful low-carb dieter who needs help figuring out what to eat, or because you’re thinking about taking the plunge. You may be unsure of the medical underpinnings of the low-carb approach, you may wonder how to choose among the various versions of the diet, you may think you’ll never eat a good meal again - but read on, and don’t worry - all of these questions have answers - ones that you’ll be very happy with and will show you how to lose weight fast too.

The very idea of a low-carbohydrate diet seems startling in this era of low-fat eating - which has necessarily meant low-protein as well, since meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and cheese, the major sources of protein, also contain fat.

Could The Government Weight Loss Guidleines Be Wrong

As we’ve struggled to follow the government’s low-fat recommendations since the late 80’s, we’ve actually increased our carbohydrate levels, consuming more pasta, grains, bread, beans, and fruit, just as prescribed by the model of the nutritional pyramid. Because there are only three basic elements of food - fat, protein, and carbohydrate - when one element is reduced, another must go up. In the case of the low-fat diet, since both protein and Sat are down, the only alternative is for carbohydrates to take up the slack.

Although we don’t think of them that way, the hundreds of low-fat cookbooks on the market are in effect high-carbohydrate cookbooks. While most people scarcely think about carbs at all, for those who do tend to gain weight and have the family constellation of hereditary health problems associated with obesity - heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes - the sugars and starches that make up carbohydrates are a big part of the problem.

The Relationship Between Carbohydrates, Insulin and Diabetes

For them, carbohydrates trigger excess insulin production, which initiates fat storage, vascular damage that can lead to heart disease, and high blood pressure. In addition, if the pancreas keeps frantically overproducing insulin to stabilize blood sugar in response to the presence of more and more carbohydrates, the insulin receptor cells can become exhausted, developing a state called insulin resistance. And insulin resistance can easily lead to Type II diabetes.

For people who have this underlying metabolic disorder, the low-fat prescription has been a disaster, not only because it doesn’t work very well for any type of weight loss program, but also because it actually makes the associated health problems worse.

Many dieters make the crucial mistake of regarding the low-carb diet (low-sugar, low-starch) as simply a quick fix for weight loss, and once the pounds are off they return to their old ways of eating - even to the recommended “healthy” low-fat diet. But they find that along with the pounds return the health problems, including a raised LDL or “bad” cholesterol level, a lowered HDL or “good” cholesterol level, and a dramatic increase in triglycerides, a dangerous blood fat thought to be predictive of heart disease.

The Low Carb Diet Started With Our Very Ancient Ancestors

Although the low-carb theory may seem new and radical and unproven, it’s the basis of our ancient hunter-gatherer diet, and in fact has been the main approach to weight loss for well over a hundred years. The French gourmand BriBat-Savarin observed in 1825 what so many of us have noticed on our own: that certain people seem destined to be fat. The only way around this, he advised his readers, was to stop eating starch and sugar (he also distrusted eggs for some reason) and stick to protein, salad, and vegetables-especially radishes, asparagus, and celery (all extremely low-carb).

He noted that one could eat very well on such a regimen - remember, he was a gourmand. He also recommended wearing a snug belt and drinking lots of water, ideas that have passed into contemporary diet lore, and are now part and parcel of most weight loss programs that teach you how to lose weight fast.

Tags: how to lose weight fast, insulin, low carb diet