400 health

What’s the dish on low-carb diets?

By Sudie Crouch | Health & Wellness columnist

With the weather warming up, we start thinking about getting ready to hit the beach or the pool.

We’re getting ready for Spring break and vacations – and that often means we start to think about losing weight.

There’s countless diets and weight loss gimmicks available, so it can be hard to know which one to follow. We wonder how much weight can we lose? How fast? How safe is it?

One popular weight loss method that has been around for a number of years is a low-carb approach.

Reducing the amount of carbs consumed has been shown to help many lose weight, and most people see results within the first two weeks, which is typically water weight.

Another approach, the ketogenic (keto) approach, uses a reduced carb approach as well and has also been used effectively to treat different health issues.

Let’s break it down

LOW CARB OR KETO –WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Many people use the terms low carb and keto interchangeably but there are differences between the two. Low carb typically is any approach that reduces the amount of carbohydrates that are consumed each day.

The most popular low carb diet, Atkins, usually starts by restricting the carb intake to around 25 grams a day and focuses on consuming lean protein and lower fat vegetables.

Other low carb approaches keep the carb intake to 50-100 grams. Similarly, keto reduces the carbohydrate intake but focuses on increasing fat intake to help put the body into ketosis so it can burn fat. The carb intake on keto is usually kept to 50 or less.

WILL IT WORK?

Reducing your carb intake can result in weight loss, with many people experiencing the most weight loss in the first two weeks.

The weight loss may slow down after that initial water weight drop. Additionally, many people have said they have more energy and sleep better when they follow these ways of eating, probably because of the reduction of sugar by proxy.

The Caveats

Even though both approaches can provide some results, neither are without their pitfalls. Many people have found that they gain the weight back when they return to their regular way of eating.

Reducing your carb intake can lead to weight loss, but it may not be sustainable long term. Whenever we restrict certain foods, it can cause us to crave them more, which can lead to us over-indulging in them when we do have them.

Have you ever found yourself eating way more cookies or donuts than you planned to simply because you ‘fell off your diet?’ That’s why.

It would not be sustainable to think you’d never enjoy a slice or two of pizza the rest of your life. But the downfall of low carb diets is, you will have rebound weight if you do – simply from the water weight.

Rather than approaching it as if you can’t have any carbs, focus on the quality of your carbs. Processed foods tend to be higher in carbs and sugar. Reducing your intake of those or using portion control can be one way to limit the carb intake that comes from them. Since the majority of the carbs that impact our weight come from those processed sweets, finding healthier, homemade versions of our favorites can help too.

As with any diet change, it is always advisable to speak with your medical professional before you begin. It can also be helpful to have bloodwork taken prior to starting and then a few months later to see what has changed, since losing weight can also reduce cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and have other positive health impacts as well.

Low carb and keto can both allow you to focus on healthy, whole foods that are less processed and those can always be great choices. While losing weight can be beneficial to our overall health, there are other factors beyond the scale that are important too.

Make sure whatever method you choose is something that fits your lifestyle, is sustainable, and helps you feel good about the changes you’re making.

Some people may experience flu-like symptoms the first few weeks because of the body adjusting to the lack of sugar and starches. Anytime we’re making a huge adjustment like that we will experience a ‘detox’ of sorts.

Some people have also reported having intestinal distress with keto if they choose to consume things like MCT oil and the increase in fats in their system. Another potential caveat may be not getting all the macronutrients needed because of the limited fruits and vegetables.

A COACH’S TAKE

As a coach, I prefer to look for approaches that are sustainable and focus on overall well-being. Some people have found following one of these methods to work long term.

Individual results may vary from person to person due to many different factors and it can be so important to learn how to listen to your body on your weight loss journey.