Coo Coo for Cocoa - Low Carbohydrate Diets

Low Carbohydrate Diets

Low carbohydrate diets have been wicked popular due to the fact that people can lose a lot of weight in a fairly short amount of time. But how effective are they in the long run?

Facts About Low Carbohydrate Diets

Whether you're on a low carb diet or any other kind of diet, to keep the weight off, you have to adopt that style of eating for the rest of your life. Otherwise, you will probably gain the weight back--and then some. Studies have been done to see how effective low carbohydrate diets are over the course of a year in comparison to other kinds of diets. It was found that in the first six months, people on low carbohydrate diets lost more weight, but by the end of a year, they lost the same amount of weight as those on other types of diets where weight loss was slow, but steady. Other findings include the fact that while the menu of most low carbohydrate diets is appealing at first, it becomes appalling after a while, and most people drop out. This is often the case when a diet is too restrictive.

While cutting carbs is a good idea for most people who are trying to lose weight, most of the more well-known low carbohydrate diets are too restrictive. Most people need 100-130 grams of carbs daily. However, most people who are overweight eat far more than that. In this situation, cutting carbs is good. But cutting back from 130 grams of carbs a day to the 20 grams a day during the induction period (the first two weeks) of a low carb diet is excessive. Even after the induction period, when complex carbohydrates (those are the good, healthy carbs) are reintroduced to your diet, the amount of carbs you are allowed each day is not the amount your body and brain need to function properly. The best idea? Switch to healthy carbs:

Eat whole grain or whole wheat bread instead of white bread
Eat whole wheat pasta instead of regular pasta
Eat brown or long grain rice instead of white rice
Eat fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes and peas
Limit refined sugars like those found in desserts, fruit juices and sodas
East oatmeal (not instant) and whole grain cereals

Follow these dietary guidelines for success!