Low Carb Lifestyle

Kelly Gonzalez
Busy Bodies
Health and Fitness
Date published: May 27, 2009

Low-Carb Lifestyle

Summer=bathing suit. Bathing suit=diet?

If bathing suit season has you feeling a bit stressed you may feel the need to kick a diet plan into overdrive for the next couple of weeks. The most popular diet revolution at the moment is the low-carb diet. Whether you swear by Atkins, South Beach, or the Zone, low-carb diets have proven to be quite successful in many cases.

To understand a low-carb diet it’s important to first understand what carbohydrates are and how they affect our bodies. Carbohydrates are a major source of energy and are especially vital for brain function. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose (blood sugar) and primarily stored as energy reserves in the form of glycogen in the liver and muscles. Carbohydrates are categorized as simple or complex depending on how fast the body absorbs the sugar and utilizes it.
It’s a common misconception that carbohydrates make you fat. Many people think of carbs as only being breads, pastas, rice, baked goods, and sweets, when in reality, vegetables, fibrous legumes, and fruit are carbohydrates as well. The key is to eat foods in their most natural form when possible, and include more healthy low calorie carbs from vegetables into your diet.
One major problem in today’s world is that food manufacturers have turned nearly every carbohydrate into a simple carbohydrate by processing. Flours and grains are refined. Our bodies don’t need to do half the work in digesting them resulting in a quick absorption rate.

The reason carbs have led to weight gain is consuming an excess amount of carbs, the wrong kind, or in most cases both. When carbs are eaten in excess, whether it is simple or complex carbs, it is stored as fat. When glucose circulates in the blood the pancreas releases the hormone insulin to transport glucose into the cells. When there is a surplus, insulin stores the excess glucose as fat.

Insulin is really an evil little hormone. Not only does it store fat, but it also makes it difficult for you to use fat as an energy source by interfering with your fat burning enzymes. When you eat simple carbohydrates, your blood sugar levels are spiked, and a surplus of insulin is released. After the blood sugar levels return to normal the excess insulin is still circulating in search of more sugar causing you to become tired and crave more sugar. It’s such a vicious cycle!
To break the cycle and allow your body to use fat as fuel and thus lose weight it may be beneficial to engage in a low-carb diet. Not all low-carb diets need to be severe. Those who may have experimented with low-carb diets in the past may have felt miserable and fatigued. This could be for a number of reasons. First, you were probably not eating enough. Vegetables have carbs. Fruits have carbs. The key is that they are good carbs. Don’t be afraid of them. You need them, so eat them. It’s not all meat and water you know.

Second, your body may not be used to relying on fat and protein as fuel, and it desperately wants carbs for energy. This is what causes cravings. When cravings occur try to eat a healthy carbohydrate like fruit with a low glycemic index like an apple or berries or have a healthy starch like a small sweet potato.

Third, you may be over analyzing the diet. Don’t think about all the things you can’t have. Think about how you’re eating better, improving your health, and your physique. Throughout the initial few weeks you’ll most likely drop weight and have more energy. It’s important not to let a little weight loss go to your head and start splurging. All the progress you’ve made will quickly diminish. Instead, start incorporating good carbs back into your diet in moderation. This is why the South Beach Diet has had such high levels of success.

Whenever you choose to make a lifestyle change it’s vital to get informed. Check out websites, books, talk to personal trainers, nutritionists, and your doctor. The more you know the easier it will be.

Low Carb Sample Menu
Breakfast: ½ cup of dried oatmeal (old fashioned or steel cut)
½ cup of berries
2 scrambled eggs
Snack: medium apple and ½ cup of cottage cheese
Lunch: Garden salad with grilled chicken
Snack: Celery sticks with 1 tbsp. of peanut butter
Dinner: 6 oz. of grilled salmon
1 cup of steamed mixed vegetables