We all know that we are what we eat. We’ve been told to eat right in order to stay fit, healthy and energetic. Sadly, what we do not know is – what is right. With diets like GM diet, Atkins diet, Paleo, Low Carb diet, Vegan, etc. claiming to aid weight loss along with many other products in the market claiming to be effective in improving health we are left confused. We follow a particular diet religiously and sometimes get frustrated and give up when we do not witness any positive changes or find what you’ve been doing all this while is wrong.
All the frustration and confusion boils down to one question – “Which is the right one?” and that’s where we go wrong.
Choosing what diet works for your body is important.
Tweak the question a bit to “What’s right for me?” and you’ll start getting some answers that will lead you in the right direction. All of us are different and what one plan a person swears by can be a complete disaster for us. Therefore, figuring out what’s right for us is going to do wonders.
While talking about diet plans, the low carb diet is the talk of many and has proven to be beneficial in improving overall health and weight loss. If you are looking to get started in this diet, you need to know if it’s right for you.
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WHAT IS A LOW CARB DIET?
This is the question that needs to be answered before finding out if it’s right for you. Well, as the name explicitly states, it is all about lowering your carb intake and paying more attention to proteins and healthy fats. Carbs are not bad, they provide the body with the quickest source of energy – glucose. But with our sedentary lifestyle we do not make use of all the carbs we consume. When the quantity of carbs consumed is higher than what we can assimilate or use for energy, the excess is converted to fats and stored for later use.
When you reduce the quantum of carbs consumed and include proteins and healthy fats, you are essentially training your body to recognize the presence of another energy source – fats. The body starts to burn fats for energy once glucose is depleted. This is one of the reasons for weight loss on the Low Carb Diet.
HOW TO FIND IF LOW CARB DIET IS RIGHT FOR YOU
Although the low carb diet has proven to be beneficial in several ways, it might not be suitable for everyone. Monitoring the way your body reacts after having a meal loaded with carbs will help you understand the way your body reacts to carbs better. If you tend to feel low in energy, have problems in digestion and sleeping then you might have to lower your carbs intake as they could be the culprits. Lower your carbs gradually and if you witness positive changes, then this diet is ideal for you.
WHEN IS A LOW CARB DIET RIGHT FOR YOU?
Studies have indicated that a low carb and ketogenic diet has been the proven solution to several health disorders like –
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Sleep Apnea
- General Health improvement
- Fatigue or Lack of Energy
- Muscle loss
- Metabolic Syndrome
- GERD or Acid Reflux
- Acidity, etc.
If you are facing any of these issues, then lowering carbohydrates will be highly beneficial and can show an improvement in all these problems.
If you are someone with unwanted fat accumulation especially in the waist area, you can achieve your weight loss goals with a low carb diet. When you cut down your calories that you get through carbs it accelerates the fat burning process. Lowering carbs is balanced by focusing on proteins and the intake of fats that improves your satiety that prevents overeating and unwanted binging, thus, leading to significant weight loss.
People dealing with spiking insulin, cholesterol and blood pressure levels would be ideal candidates for this diet. All of these problems are usually because of increased carbs consumption more than your body can tolerate.
As a low carb diet balances sugar levels and improves your metabolism, several hormonal and endocrinal disorders can be easily solved. One of the common problems in women, the polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) can be cured by following the diet. Lowering carbs is also known to cure infertility and improve testosterone levels.
Mood swings, energy crashes and sleep troubles can be cured by cutting carbs as they normalise sugar and hormonal levels, which is the main cause of these issues. This improves your overall development, productivity and happiness.
Low carb diet improves your gut health and cures several digestive problems like constipation and IBS. Reduction in certain kinds of carbs prevents bacterial overgrowth in the gut which is the main cause of digestive disorders.
Several kinds of cancer and nervous disorders like Alzheimer’s and dementia can be treated through low carb diets.
WHEN IS A LOW CARB DIET NOT RIGHT FOR YOU?
This effective diet plan may not work, in fact, can backfire for several people.
Like we mentioned earlier, we do not work hard physically and therefore do not make use of all the carbs we eat. But if you are someone who is into a lot of physical activity, excessively cutting carbs could worsen things. It will drain all the energy and leave you feeling weak and tired. Extreme restriction of carbs in active people (like athletes) will send false alarm that your body is under stress, which in turn will affect the thyroid and adrenal functions.
Cutting carbs for a longer period of time can affect your sex life. Leptin’s communication to the brain gets disrupted thereby affecting hypothalamus’s signal to the pituitary gland in producing sex hormones.
Women with adrenaline fatigue should stay away from this diet as it will only end up adding excess kilos.
People with eating disorders should not cut carbs as they end up under eating that will negatively affect the function of their system.
One Size Does Not Fit All.
If you are looking to lose weight, address your diabetic problems or want to simply eat healthy, know that the Low Carb journey is a lifestyle and teaches one to choose ideal foods that keeps them healthy and fit. Low Carb is not the same as Zero Carb. As one diet won’t suit everyone it is best to seek an expert’s opinion to know if the low carb diet is ideal for you and how you can get started.
Have more questions or if you are looking for help to get started, check out our programs here: https://www.eatfitgetfit.com/eat-fit-get-fit/.
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