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First we had the low fat craze, then it became the low carb craze. Is this just another fad or can it really work? This article will examine low carb diets for weight loss.

Low Carb Diets For Weight Loss - Facts You Must Know
By Randy McLean

First we had the low fat craze, then it became the low carb craze. Is this just another fad or can it really work? This article will examine low carb diets for weight loss.

The answer is yes and no depending on your goals, your body type and where you are in your weight loss program. If you are just beginning it is best to take a more balanced approach to macronutrient selection.

The only exception here is if you are extremely sensitive to carbohydrates. While this group only consists of a small number of people it is a definite reality. In this case you could drop them to about 30% of your total daily caloric intake.

This still doesn't qualify as a zero carbohydrate diet. It is not healthy to completely eliminate any macronutrient from your diet. It is best to have a balanced diet and use a sensible approach. If you follow the general public you will end up looking like most of the general public.

Low carb diets can often be deceiving due to the rapid weight loss in the beginning. It is not really fat that is lost but mostly water weight. While this can feel good psychologically in reality it means nothing.

Your muscle stores carbohydrates in the muscles in the form of glycogen. Glycogen holds a lot of water. So when your glycogen reserves start to dwindle your weight appears to drop also. As soon as you start eating normally again your body will act like a sponge and you will be right back where you started.

Lowering your carbs too much will also cause a major decrease in energy. You won't be able to have great workouts therefore your results will be compromised. It can also make a person very irritable. Have you ever been around someone on a low carb diet? You want to run the other way!

While it might seem paradoxical there are also some benefits to low carb dieting too. Low carb diets can actually increase your metabolism because at the same time you need to increase your protein as well. Protein requires more energy to digest than any other macronutrient.

Since your glycogen is reduced your body will start burning fat for fuel more efficiently. When you do eat a little bit of carbs again they are more likely to go directly to your muscles for storage rather than be stored as fat.

Also, if your water levels are reduced a little bit you will look sharper and more defined. You won't have that bloated look which isn't very desirable.

Now that you know a few pros and cons you might be wondering how to make sense of it all. Again, low carb diets for weight loss are best if you are sensitive to carbs or if you get stuck and need to break a plateau.

The idea isn't to limit your carbs completely but rather reduce them and manipulate them. For example, earlier in the day you will have starchy carbohydrates such as oatmeal and later in the day you will switch to fibrous carbs such as salads.

Your metabolism is faster in the day and you also burn more calories during the earlier part of your day. If you do this the right way you can really experience positive effects.

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