Low Carb Q&A
I have been doing low-carb dieting on-and-off for about 3 months now. To be specific, I have been really doing a combination of low-carb and low-gi diets combined with a large increase in running. I have had a lot of success with this combination. When I started, I weighed in at 205 pounds and could run probably a half a mile without getting extremely fatigued. Now, I weigh between 180 and 185 and run 2 miles around 3 times a week. Because I have had some success at losing weight, I get questions every once and a while and so I will try to answer them here.
What is a low carb diet?
Low carb diets go by a number of names—Atkins, Southbeach, Diabetic, etc. Overall, a low carb diet is a diet where you simply reduce your intake of carbohydrates. Usually, the goal of the diet is to eat anywhere between 20 and 30 carbohydrates in a day. The end goal of the diet is to simply eliminate the spike in blood sugar that causes excess production of insulin. Apparently, this spike makes it difficult for your body to burn fat. I am no scientist, so you can read a more in depth explanation here. There are two ways to eliminate this spike—(1) cut out carbs, and (2) cut out bad carbs.
Cutting carbs is pretty easy, just look at the nutritional information on food, and keep the total under 30 for the day. It is actually more difficult than it sounds, because a lot of our favorite foods have tons of carbs. For example, a 20oz of Moutain Dew has 77 carbs. Cutting bad carbs is a little more difficult. Bad carbs are those that have a high GI. Carbs with a high GI break down faster than low GI carbs and cause an insulin spike. Finding out this information is a little more difficult because it is not included in the nutritional information on the back of most packages. But a good rule is to avoid white bread or anything sugary. And, instead opt to get your carbs from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
How do I implement the low carb diet?
Basically, I do my diet in phases. The first phase (usually 2 weeks) I am very strict about what I eat. I focus on keeping my carb count low. I primarily eat meat, cheese, vegetables, and nuts. And, I avoid anything with sugar or potatoes. I eat a lot of salads and I opt to make wraps rather than sandwiches. I eat some fruits, but mainly low sugar fruits like raspberries and blackberries. I really don’t think that this phase is that healthy, so I try to limit it to just two weeks. It does seem to be extremely effective in cutting weight. After that phase, I then shift to primarily a low-gi phase. In this phase, I add in whole grain bread, whole grain pastas, and all fruits. This is actually pretty maintainable long term. And, to my knowledge, is a very healthy diet.
What about fast food, etc?
On both diets, you really cannot eat fast food. On my first phase, I do not eat at fast food restaurants at all. It is completely counter-productive to losing weight. But on my low GI track, I will treat myself to fast food. I usually just try to make an effort to run that night. On a side note, once you go low carb, you will realize how much harder it is to get up off the couch once you have eaten a high carb meal. Also, I will occasionally go to sandwich shops. But, I try to eat their wheat bread when available. I do realize, of course, that wheat does not equal whole grain. But with that said, it is still a little better for you.
The most important part…
Personally, I think the most important part to this diet (and any diet) is exercise. When I started this diet, I set exercise goals. For me, I focused on running because I had done this in the past and actually really enjoy it in short intervals. But, I think anything that gets the heart rate up would work. I believe you are able to lose weight just eating lower carbs (or lower gi carbs), but I think it is a lot more effective when you exercise.
Basically that is all I have on this topic. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them below.
June 18th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
I think you should mention the most important part - no beer. This diet significantly cuts down on your social life (unless you want to drink vodka and fresca which then causes you to get hammered in 15 minutes).
June 18th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Yup. But, vodka + fresca is delicious. There are a few beers under 3 carbs (http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art14302.asp), but none that I would recommend. I think the biggest problem with drinking is that it often results in ordering 2 value meals in the Jack-in-the-Box drive thru at 3AM.
June 19th, 2009 at 6:12 am
Not discussed in this topic and needs to be addressed is the health risk of a prolonged diet of this kind. The biochemistry will lead to a loss of weight short-term, but sugar levels and blood level pH should be monitored.
I would suggest mentioning the long-term health affects of such a diet. You or I are not dieticians or doctors, nor should either of us pretend we are. It should be assumed a diet shift such as this should be monitored by a doctor.
This issue is a hot topic as our nation is overweight, by and large (sic), and is willing to do anything to lose weight. Also, many people who seek instant gratification are drawn to this diet. Books are sold like crazy, authored by “doctors” who either have never taken, or have completely forgotten any biochemistry past grade school.
June 19th, 2009 at 6:33 am
@The Wrangler I think you are right…to a point. Most of these diets do not advocate long term carb cutting. And, most people who put themselves at risk take the diet to the extreme. I believe in balance. In the first two weeks, I eat low fat meats and I make sure to eat a lot of vegetables, legumes, etc. After that, I add in whole grains and fruit to balance the diet. Cutting whole grains for a long period is dangerous. And, I definitely do not advocate any extreme implementations.