Lately, I've seen low carb diets do some pretty miraculous things for people with serious weight problems, and people with problem areas (you know, fat pockets, pouches, handles, etc. that just won't budge no matter how many hours you do on the stairmaster?). Some people say there are drawbacks to these diets, some say there are none. Some say your cholesterol levels soar, and others say it stabilizes, or even diminishes! This doesn't make it easy to decide whether or not to try one of these diets, but I will try to shed some light on these issues based on what I've seen myself.
Cutting back on your carbohydrate intake is a standard bodybuilder technique used during the cut up phase, where the bodybuilder basically eats a menu something like fish, and water. (Sharks = Aquatic Bodybuilders?) You're talking about ALL protein, nothing else... I wouldn't say this is healthy, but if priority number one is fat removal, you're going to do what you have to, especially in that situation.
Most of the low carb diets I've seen lately include a plentiful amount of fat, which is a little different. The general idea is that if you supply your body with a good amount of fat, and cut the carbs to almost nothing, your body is going to change the process it uses to get energy from food from a carbohydrate burning to fat burning cycle. This not only keeps you from getting fat from eating fat, but it's supposed to make the body burn it's own fat more easily. I can swallow this, based on the results I've seen from various people I've known who have tried this, including myself.
BUT HOW?
What happens normally, on a regular carb diet, is that when you eat, the protein is used to rebuild muscle tissue, and carbohydrates are converted to glucose, and used for energy. Now, when you have no carbs, the body resorts to breaking down fat and protein into ketones, which is known as ketosis/lipolysis, and the body uses these ketones for energy instead of glycogen. The theory is that this is also supposed to make it easier for your body to let go of the bodyfat it has.
My personal view is this:
- When your body isn't being given sufficient water, what does it do? It holds on to what it has, especially under your skin, and you get that slightly bloated look.
- When you start getting plenty of water again, what happens? Your body starts to release the water it was retaining!
- If you starve yourself of food, what happens? Your metabolism goes down, and you start burning less and less, like your body is in conservation mode!
- (Do I need to ask this?) When you start getting enough food again, what happens? You metabolism rises again!
- When your oxygen supply is cut off, what happens? You die! (Just making sure you're still paying attention!)
Given, we all KNOW that the above is true, doesn't it seem logical that if your body was given enough fat, it would stop trying to hang on to the little bit you have? Thats my view of it anyway.
Now remember, the amount of carbohydrate were talking about is 30 - 40 grams a day on most of these diets. That's a whole lot more that dropping the twinkies, cheese doodles, and potatoes au gratin. Thats just about NOTHING. You'll be eating meat, cheese, meat, some nuts, meat, eggs, meat, butter, and meat. What? You're not a caveman?!??! Well forget it then, because even if you like those food items, you'll get sick of them in this scenario.
I personally have lost a lot of bodyfat on this type of diet, and went from around 11% bodyfat to 8% in just a few weeks. I have known a few people who couldn't come under 13% no matter what, and were able to get to 8% and below on low carb diets. I have also spoken to a few people who told me of SERIOUS weight problems, and were able to come down to a normal weight rather easily, thanks to these diets. One person told me that he had been over 300 pounds as long as he could remember, and nothing worked to take off the weight, until this, which brought him down to 160, and he has been that way for over a year!
Now don't think that this diet is the light from above you've been waiting for yet, because there are a few potential problems. First of all, if you do the high fat variation, cholesterol comes into effect. I have no concrete evidence on anything in that arena, but like I said before, I have heard it lowers cholesterol, and that it raises it, and that it stabilizes it. The other problem is your brain. I have read that your brain operates only on glycogen, and if you don't get any carbs, your body has to produce glycogen on its own. The good thing is that your body supposedly gets used to doing this after a couple weeks. From my own personal experience, I was a little foggy the first week, and I was VERY tired. After the first week was over, I was fine. I have heard the same thing from numerous people, but the time it takes to get accustomed to it differs. It seems that the higher your bodyfat, the harder it is to adjust.
My personal recommendation is that before you think of trying anything like this, you get ALL the information you can find, including the books I will list at the end of this article, and see your doctor. I would only use these techniques as a last resort, or if you are in an extreme hurry to lose some fat, at least until there is more evidence of no possible side effects!
No comments:
Post a Comment