Low-carbohydrate diets and Ketosis To understand how low-carbohydrate diets work, we need to understand Ketosis.
Put very simply, Ketosis is a state where our body burns stored fat for
energy instead of carbohydrates.
This state can be artificially induced by restricting the intake of carbohydrates
in our diet which forces our body to utilize other energy sources to fuel
normal bodily functions and activity.
When the body is in a state of Ketosis, it produces Ketones as a by-product
of burning fat and these Ketones are expelled from our body in urine, where
they can be detected and measured using Ketone dipsticks.
There are many diets and weight loss programs which take advantage of Ketosis,
but these diets and programs can be very different from each other in terms
of the amounts of carbohydrates, proteins and fats they recommend.
At one end of the spectrum are very low-carbohydrate diets like the Atkins
diet and at the other end of the spectrum are programs like the
Ultra
Lite weight loss program which promotes a more balanced approach to carbohydrate
restriction and fat intake.
The most popular and well known, low-carbohydrate diets include:
- Ultimate Weight Loss Solution
Although the specifics of these diets and programs can differ considerably
from each other, they all encourage Ketosis by restricting the amounts
and types of carbohydrates consumed in order to force the body to burn
fat.
Positive aspects of Ketogenic diets According to their practitioners, like Ultra Lite practitioner
Lyn Riedel, of South Australia, Ketosis based diets and programs can be very
effective and safe ways to
lose weight, particularly if they have been set
up well and address some of the issues associated with extreme forms of
low-carb diets.
Among their stated benefits, Ketogenic diets are said to:
- Drastically reduce cravings for high carbohydrate foods
- Encourage dieters to consume fewer total calories
- Stabilize blood sugar levels
- Discourage emotional eating
- Increase dieters mental clarity throughout the day
- Help dieters maintain consistent energy levels
- Encourage better quality sleep
- Achieve significant weight loss quickly
- Encourage dieters to enjoy great tasting, high-fat foods, such as bacon,
eggs, cheese, steaks, sausage, cream, mayonnaise, butter, etc (Atkins diet)
- Keep dieters satisfied longer after eating, using protein, which is said
to curb hunger better than carbohydrates or fat
- Be safe for Diabetics IF they are closely monitored by their health care
provider, and their blood sugar levels are kept low and stable
As an aside to their benefits in helping people to lose weight, it is also
believed that Ketogenic diets can be beneficial in controlling epileptic
seizures, specifically in children.
Potential problems with Low-Carbohydrate diets Although there is a growing body of research to suggest that lower carbohydrate
diets and those that limit High GI (Glycemic Index) carbohydrates generally
work well in helping followers to successfully lose weight, there is still
some debate about the long term effects of following very restrictive low-carbohydrate
diets such as the Atkins diet.
The most serious concerns of some dietitians and leading health organizations
of severely restrictive carbohydrate diets are:
- The apparent confusion by some dieters over which foods are carbohydrates
- Diets that totally cut out some low-carbohydrate foods, like fruit, bread,
cereal and vegetables, may put dieters at serious risk of long-term health
problems
- Long-term restriction of carbohydrates can lead to serious complications
such as osteoporosis, kidney damage, high cholesterol, cancer, heart rhythm
disturbances and sudden death
- In pregnancy, ketosis may cause fetal abnormality or death
- Low-carbohydrate diets encourage dieters to rely solely on diet to control
their weight which may reduce their ability to successfully control their
weight long-term and may result in dieters missing out on the beneficial
aspects of exercise
- Some low-carbohydrate diets can cause muscle loss which results in a
generally slower metabolism, which makes losing weight more difficult and
gaining it back easy
- Unhealthy levels of Ketones can lead to an increase of uric acid, raising
our risk for gout and kidney stones and depleting our body's mineral reserves
- An accumulation of Ketones is particularly dangerous for people who have
uncontrolled diabetes, who have problems with alcohol, or who are on extended
starvation diets
- Some low-carbohydrate diets can be lacking in fibre and antioxidants
- Diets too high in protein can adversely affect our bone strength and
place strain on our kidneys
- Boredom with low-carbohydrate diets can cause dieters to abandon their
diet and gain back all the weight lost, plus more
- The quick initial loss of weight from many low-carbohydrate diets is
deceptive because most of that loss typically comes from depleting glycogen
stores in the muscle and liver which leads to dehydration and muscle loss
which may be mistakenly interpreted by the dieter as fat loss
- Low-carbohydrate diets leading to a depletion of muscle glycogen causes
dieters to fatigue easily, and makes exercise and movement uncomfortable
for some
- The effect of high glycemic foods is often exaggerated by promoters of
low-carb diets and the total glycemic effect of foods which is influenced
by the quantity and mix of foods that we eat is often ignored
- Glycemic index values can be misleading because they are based on a standard
(minimum) amount of carbohydrate consumed which may represent unrealistic
amounts for some healthier foods which are otherwise categorized as High
GI (such as carrots for example)
- Regular exercisers and active people also are less effected by higher
glycemic foods because much of the carbohydrate consumed is immediately
used to replenish glycogen stores in the liver and muscle
- Weight loss that is too rapid is undesirable because it has potential
health hazards and is often regained because faulty habits remain in place
- Low-carbohydrate diets may not be compatible with some medications and
other treatments for obesity
- Many low-carbohydrate diets have different phases that dieters move through
to ultimately lose all the weight they want, however some people stay too
long in the initial phases than they should because while these phases
typically produce the most dramatic weight loss results, they are not safe
to remain in over the long-term
In addition to these potential serious consequences, low-carbohydrate diets
generally also lead to some less serious, but still undesirable effects like:
- Some low-carbohydrate diets can leave dieters feeling run down and low
on energy (particularly in the early stages)
- Some low-carbohydrate diets can cause gas, constipation, dehydration
and bad breath
- Excessive ketosis can result in crankiness and irritability
- Good muscle and skin tone is hard to maintain on some low-carbohydrate
diets because glycogen stores in our muscles are depleted
- Many diets that dieters follow by buying a book offer no ongoing support
which is often critical to successful long-term weight loss
Are low-carbohydrate diets right for you? Low-carbohydrate diets are currently very popular because some people are
achieving great weight loss results using them.
And since the Atkins diet was first introduced in the 1970's, more balanced
diets, like the Ultra Lite program for example, have taken the positive aspects
of the low-carb diet philosophy (Ketosis for example) and merged them with
a more common-sense approach to negate some of the possible long-term dangers
and make the regimes much easier to live with and sustain long-term.
If you're thinking of trying any lower-carbohydrate diet to kick-start your
weight loss efforts, regardless of the type, make sure you talk to your doctor
first to make sure it's safe for you.
Also consider opting for a diet or weight loss program (like
Ultra Lite for example) that:
- monitors the level of Ketosis
- promotes a healthier, balanced consumption of lower-fat
protein-rich foods and low-GI carbohydrates such as those found in lean meats,
low-fat and natural diary products, and healthy fruits and vegetables
- offers nutritional supplements where appropriate
- has a maintenance element to their program
Alternately, make an appointment with a suitably qualified
dietitian or
nutritionist and have an eating plan tailored to your personal needs.
Another thing we can all do is become more aware of the
carbohydrates contained in the foods we eat. To do this we should
all start reading food labels more carefully and look up the carb content
of foods we eat in the
Nutritional Food
Tables available free on this website.
And be sure to always include sensible levels of daily exercise in your
weight loss efforts.
Conclusion For awhile those of us with weight loss goals were on the lookout for fats
and tried to reduce them in our diets. Today with the popularity of diets
like the Atkins and South Beach diets, many of us are on the lookout for
carbohydrates instead and are trying to reduce them in our diet. Many of
us even think that we might be addicted to carbohydrates.
While low-carbohydrate diets are successful at helping many people lose
kilos of unwanted weight, most nutritionists still recommend that around
50 per cent of our diet come from carbohydrates and that most of these carbohydrates
should be complex carbohydrates or low-GI and come from natural sources like
vegetables, seeds, nuts, oats, whole-grain bread, wholemeal rice and cereal.
This article explored low-carbohydrate (Ketogenic) diets
and tried to explain the theory behind them, their positive aspects and the
possible dangers associated with maintaining extreme forms of them long-term.
Good luck with your weight loss and thank you for visiting weightloss.com.au.
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