Low Carb Craze!

No doubt you have heard stories of people losing weight on low carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins diet.  These diets claim that carbohydrates make you fat and that a diet high in protein and fat will help you shed pounds.  If your intuition tells you this sounds wrong – good!  Carbohydrates, protein and fats are all good in the correct proportions and can all be consumed in ways that will keep you healthy and running strong.

 What is a Low Carb Diet?

When following a low carb diet, you eliminate carbohydrates from breads, pasta, rice, cereals, fruits, sugars and certain vegetables and eat only protein and fat.  Since most vegetarian protein sources come from beans and therefore also contain carbohydrates, this diet is mostly meat-focused.

While these diets imply that carbohydrates are inherently fattening, this is not the case.  The Atkins diet and other low carb plans work because they reduce the total number of calories consumed.  By eliminating the entire category of carbohydrate from the diet, you might easily be eating 1,000 fewer calories each day which would cause you to lose one pound every 3.5 days.  There is nothing mysterious about this diet – it works as all others do: by limiting your food intake and creating a calorie deficit in your body. 

Low Fat vs High Fat

When, in the ‘80’s, fat became the “bad” food, Americans began to eliminate fat from their diets and replace it with fat-free cookies, bagels, ice cream, etc.  Because the foods were low in fat everyone assumed they would not make them put on weight.  This turned out not to be the case and Americans continued to put on pounds.

Negative health effects can also be seen with high-fat diets as these diets increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, etc and can cause easy weight gain.  One gram of fat has almost twice as many calories as one gram of carbohydrate or protein, so eating a high fat diet can lead to over consumption of calories.

Balance

Both carbohydrate and fat deserve a place in our diets.  It is just important to understand that not all fats and carbs are created equal so you have to make careful choices if weight loss is your goal.

The healthy carbohydrates (from fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, etc.) will keep your weight down and your risk low for heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and colon cancers because they provide vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber.  Their refined, high-sugar counterparts (white bread/bagels / pasta, high-sugar drinks, and sweets) will have the opposite effect by raising triglyceride levels and cholesterol as well as creating unhealthy blood sugar cycles which can increase risk of those same diseases.

Much the same can be said with fats.  Mediterranean diets have shown that consumption of monounsaturated fat from olive oil is heart healthy and oils found in fish and flaxseed also help to lower disease risk.  Saturated fats and trans fats (found in animal products and hydrogenated oils used in lots of packaged foods) are the ones that cause problems and should be avoided.

Running Performance

When it comes to fuel for running, carbohydrates are an absolute necessity.  The glycogen which your muscles use for fuel can only be provided by eating carbohydrates.  Protein and fat are much less efficient fuels for running and you will definitely feel sluggish if your glycogen stores are depleted and you push your body to use only protein and fat.

If you feel like losing some weight will improve your running performance, then remember that calories count.  It always has and always will be that calories in must be less than calories out in order to lose weight.  It doesn’t matter whether those calories come from carbs, protein or fat.  For every 3500 Kcal you consume OVER what your body uses, you will gain one pound of fat. Period.  Eat less and exercise more…

Study after study show that the key to long-term, healthy weight loss is following a low calorie diet that includes high fiber foods (fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains) which keep you feeling full and stop you from over eating.  The rest of the calories in your diet should come from healthy fats (from fish, nuts, seeds and olive oil) and from lean proteins (soy, fish, beans, legumes and low fat dairy products).

Will a low carb diet help you lose weight? Probably.  But it is not the best long term option.  Most people find it difficult and unpleasant to avoid eating fruits, vegetables and grains and aren’t looking for the potential impact that diets high in animal fats may have on conditions like heart disease.  If you are looking to lose weight to improve your health, a low carb diet is not the way to go.

The bottom line is that it will probably never be healthy to eliminate an entire group of foods from your diet.  Eating a variety of foods is the best way to ensure you consume all the nutrients your body needs to perform.  Rather than following any “diet”, form a long term eating plan and be patient with your progress.  Quick weight loss often leads to even quicker weight gain and can be a difficult cycle to break from.