Written by Jenny Catton
Low-carb diets have been around for many years. They work on the assumption that when carbohydrates are restricted, the body is forced to burn fat for energy. A low-carb diet means cutting out foods that contain carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, rice and eating protein-rich foods instead such as cheese, meat and butter. So are low-carb diets a good way to lose weight.
Yes: The Atkins Fan
Ten years ago I was a whopping eight stone overweight. I’d tried diet after diet in a bid to lose weight but nothing worked. The problem was I loved food and so any diet where I felt hungry was never going to work for me. One day when I was moaning to my colleagues about being fat and fed up, someone mentioned the Atkins diet. They told me that on the Atkins diet you could eat as much meat as you liked. It sounded perfect for a carnivore like me.
I learnt as much as I could about the low-carb approach and in the first year following the plan, I lost over five stone. I was amazed at how easy the diet was. I never felt hungry and was relieved that I didn’t have to count calories.
Some people think that following the Atkins diet means that you can never eat carbs again. But in fact, you introduce healthy carbs back into your diet gradually over time so it’s not that restrictive. By sticking to the plan, I’m now a healthy weight and if I find myself gaining a few extra pounds, I simply limit my carb intake to get back on track. I know some people think that a low-carb diet isn’t healthy but I feel much better now than I did ten years ago, so for me, the plan works.
No: The Nutritionist
Low-carb diets are popular because they often give very quick results. But cutting carbohydrates out of your diet is not a healthy way to lose weight. A healthy diet relies on a balance of vitamins and nutrients from all of the different food groups. So by cutting out carbohydrates, you are really restricting your body’s intake of essential nutrients. In addition, low-carb diets often cut out fruit and vegetables which are crucial for good health.
Because it’s difficult to stick to a low-carb diet for any length of time, people who follow these regimes find that they lose a lot of weight but then put it back on just as quickly. This yo-yo style of dieting can really put a strain on the body. In addition, low-carb diets encourage people to eat high fat foods such meat and cheese in large amounts. This goes against the principles of healthy eating and can lead to several health issues such as heart disease.
A low-carb diet can make you feel pretty miserable too. People following strict low-carb diets often suffer from depression, headaches, low energy and bad breath. It doesn’t sound much fun and it would be much better to lose weight by following a healthy diet plan that includes a range of natural ingredients from all of the food groups.
