002: Low-Carbohydrate Diets and Why It's A Bad Idea

It's the new year, and everyone is on a diet. I hate diet talk. I mostly overhear people talking about their fad diet of the week. With my work having a weight loss challenge as well, I feel as if my head is going to explode with all the nonsense coming out of every one's mouths. The nonsense I hear most everywhere is about how low-carbohydrate diets work.

The simple truth, if you're JUST looking to lose a lot of weight really fast, a low-carb diet is what you are looking for! If you're also looking for bad health and to gain the weight back, this is also the diet  for you! Did everyone miss the memo that this diet doesn't work? In that case, let me explain very carefully why this is one of the worst diets you could possibly go on.

There are two types of carbohydrates: complex and simple. A complex carbohydrate is found in things like whole grains (breads, pasta, etc.), oats, fruits, vegetables, sprouts, beans, and nuts, and simple carbohydrates are in things like white bread products, candy, soda, and dairy products (lactose). One's diet should have plenty of complex carbs and little to no simple carbs for obvious reasons.

So, what happens when you don't get enough carbohydrates?

• You will lose a lot of weight really fast. For people who have been struggling with their weight for years, this is one of the most appealing aspects of this diet. But are you losing fat? Not exactly. You're losing water weight first. You're losing water weight because glycogenesis (breakdown of glycogen used for energy) in your body has slowed down. You need carbohydrates to do this.
• Another contributor to the weight loss is loss of muscle mass. Muscles contract less without glycogen. This in turn makes your body tired, so one will have little energy to exercise... which then makes for less formation of muscle mass. 
• You'll gain the weight back. Since your metabolism happens in your muscle, and your muscles are losing mass, your metabolism will slow down. All that weight you're losing will come to an inevitable halt then most likely will come back on.
• Your health suffers. When one is eating a lot of pure protein and no carbs, that person is eating almost all meat since all non-meat sources of protein also contain carbohydrates. Meat is loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol. Calorie for calorie, the amount of cholesterol in meat does not differ much. Do not fool yourself into thinking chicken is all that much better than beef. Eating foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol links to heart disease.
• Your health suffers MORE. The average American eats about three times the protein one needs BEFORE going on a low carbohydrate diet. When consuming excess protein, the body leaches calcium from your body (your bones!) to help digest it. This then can cause kidney stones from calcium build up in the bladder. 
• You don't get enough fiber. Animal protein contains NO fiber. Fiber is essential for adding bulk to stools, so that they pass easily. A fiber supplement will not cut it (this topic alone deserves its own blog entry). 
•  Your breath stinks! More importantly, it stinks because of ketosis. For fat to burn efficiently, one needs carbohydrates or toxins (ketones) will be released into your body. 

Is this proof enough that a low-carbohydrate is bad for you? I believe that the reason it got started that we all should be cutting our carbohydrates down to barely anything is because of simple carbohydrates. They cause your blood sugar to jump and crash, and they are usually full of a lot of empty calories. Aim for getting plenty of complex carbohydrates into your diet with a low glycemic index.

A healthy diet promotes weight loss. It's not rocket science. It's not carb counting. calorie counting, fat counting... it's not counting! Keep reading my blog, and you will see the light of NOT COUNTING ANYTHING and staying in great health.