Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Low Carb Dieting

By Natasha Hopkins

Low carb diets has become fashionable lately with the publication of the Atkins diet, South Beach and other diets on the market. Weight loss is a goal for many men and women and everybody is looking for the fastest solution to lose weight. A select amount of people may not need to lose weight at all but they may want to lose a few pounds for a special occasion. Others may need to lose for medical reasons or a person may have one hundred pounds or more that they want to get rid of in order to regain their health.

There are many different diets available to people including low carbohydrate diets and the truth is that most of them will achieve weight loss if they are followed correctly. This will not mean that you have to be 100% on the plan for the rest of your life because it is not realistic. What is more important is how you handle the inevitable occasion when you eat too much or indulge on foods that are not mapped out on your diet. If you are able to write the indulgent moment off and continue on to your diet plan without giving yourself a hard time, you are likely have success with weight loss. Everyone has those days - the important thing is to let them go and accept them as a stepping stone to learning about weight management and keeping the weight off for good.

It is also important to find a diet that you can easily follow. Many low carb diets are successful with a lot of people because the guidelines are fairly easy. As the name suggests, the diet involves of avoiding or limiting foods that are high in carbohydrates. These include white bread, pasta, potatoes, rice and other grains. Also remember sugar is a carbohydrate. Once you understand what these foods are, it is a simple matter to choose dishes that eliminate them.

The main controversy about many low carbohydrate dieting is based on the fact that the dieters will get most of their daily calories from meat, dairy and other high fat products. This may lead to high cholesterol and other healthy issues related to a high intake of saturated fats. It is recommend that medical advice is received before beginning this type of diet. With a low carb diet weight loss is easy in the early stages but after that most people cannot handle the restrictions of a low carb diet in the longer term and start to deviate from the diet.

One of the problems that many people have with low carb dieting is the elimination of favorite carbs like pasta and bread. No more toast, spaghetti or pizza! Many of the foods that are easy to prepare are based around carbohydrates - burgers in their buns, fries, sandwiches, pasta and sauce. Another item that is high in carbs are alcohol drinks line margaritas and pina coladas. It is true that alcohol is generally restricted on any diet, because of it's high content in calories and very low in nutrition.

Still there are plenty of foods that are available to be enjoyed on a low carb diet. If you enjoy eating meat you will relish the opportunity to consume beef, chicken and fish. The popularity of these diets are evident from the length of time that they stay on the bestseller lists. Many people have been successful on low carb diets, just make sure it meets your needs for successful and long term weight loss.

About the Author:

No comments: