Why is a no carbohydrates diet effective?
There is absolutely no doubt that a no carbohydrate or very low carbohydrate diet can cause rapid fat loss. However, is the no carbohydrate diet plan actually safe and does it really have any advantage over other low calorie diets? To find out the answers to these questions, you need to read this article.
Overview
First, the fact that it’s almost impossible to follow a truly no carbohydrate diet needs to be clarified. Almost all foods contain some percentage of carbohydrates. For this reason, "no carbohydrate" is actually synonymous with "very low carbohydrate". Any diet that reduces the consumption of carbohydrates to less than 30 grams per day can be considered a
"no carbohydrate " or "very low carbohydrate " diet programme.
Low carbohydrate diets are characterised by a high protein and high fat intake and are very low in carbohydrates. The most popular low carbohydrate diet is the Atkins Diet. The Atkins menu includes lots of meat, some vegetables and practically eliminates fruit. The goal of this diet is to bring the body into ketosis. The problem is that contrary to the Atkins diet claims, ketosis is not good for the body.
Why is a no carbohydrates diet so effective for fast weight loss?
The main reason why it's so effective for losing weight fast is because it puts your body into negative energy balance. Every time you consume fewer calories than the ones you burn, you will lose weight. The fact that you don’t actually count calories during the diet doesn’t mean anything. This type of diet almost eliminates an entire food group. If you can’t eat sweats, cookies, chocolate, bread, spaghetti and all the other foods that people usually tend to overeat, then you will also reduce your caloric intake without even realising it. Another reason, why a carbohydrate carb diet menu makes you lose pounds fast is that you lose a lot of water weight. When you reduce carbohydrates from your diet, you force the body to empty its "emergency" glycogen stores. Glycogen is essential, because it provides our body with energy and keeps our brain functioning. If the body doesn’t get enough glucose/carbohydrates from the diet, it has only two choices: it will either empty its glycogen stores or turn dietary or muscle protein into carbohydrate through a process called "gluconeogenesis". The body usually chooses to empty its glycogen stores first. For every molecule of glycogen, there are also four molecules of water. So, the miracle weight loss you see in the scale is actually nothing more than water weight.