The Best Low-Carb Diet Program: Shed the Pounds and Keep it Off!

With so many diet fads and program to choose from, how would you know which one is right for you? And more importantly, which one is most effective in losing the pound and keeping it off?

According to the Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Source, there are pieces of evidence that suggest a low-carbohydrate diet can help you lose weight faster than a low-fat diet. Furthermore, research also shows that not only do people who stick to low-carb diet able to maintain their weight loss, but also indicated that it has other health benefits such as lowering the risk of cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and certain types of cancers.

What is Low-Carb Diet?

As the name implies, a low-carb diet limits the intake of carbohydrates and stresses the intake of dietary protein and fat. Carbohydrates are naturally occurring in grains, milk, nuts, seeds, starchy vegetables, and fruits. It can also be found in processed foods in the form of starch or sugar.

The theory behind the low-carb diet is that reduced carbohydrate intake will result in lower insulin levels. Sugar and starches are broken down to simpler form during digestion, which is then absorbed into the bloodstream as glucose. With the aid of insulin, glucose is absorbed into the body’s cells; the excess glucose, on the other hand, is stored in the liver, muscles, and other cells to be used for later or are converted to fat. Insulin is what prevents fat from being used by the body because it allows glucose to be used for energy. With lower insulin levels, the body does not have enough glucose to fuel your body’s activities and is thus able to use the stored fat that makes you lose excess weight.

Benefits of Low-Carb Diet

Besides weight loss by using stored fat for energy, a low carb diet program also improves insulin sensitivity and increase free testosterone levels in men.

1. Improve Insulin Sensitivity

Insulin is a hormone that helps your body absorbs nutrients. Whenever you eat carbohydrate-rich food, the amount of sugar (glucose) in your blood increases, it is the job of the pancreas to release insulin to help reduce the level of glucose in the bloodstream and store it in our cells— usually the liver and muscle cells, where it could later be used for energy.

Insulin sensitivity is how the body effectively uses insulin in decreasing high blood glucose levels. You are insulin sensitive when only a small amount of insulin is needed to store a certain amount of glucose; while insulin resistant is when your body needs a greater amount of insulin to deposit the same amount of glucose. The greater the efficacy, the more sensitive you are to insulin while poorer efficacy means you’re more resistant. When the body is insulin resistant, it is more disposed to develop type II diabetes.

In a research study conducted on severely obese participants, with a high prevalence of diabetes or metabolic syndrome, it shows that they lost more weight on a low-carb diet program than those who had a calorie-and-fat restricted diet. Moreover, those on the low-carb diet improved their insulin sensitivity and triglyceride levels.

Eating carbs too often or too much can make you insulin resistant. When that happens, your body will have trouble digesting carbs and absorbing nutrients, thus the body gains weight. So if you want to burn fat, you want to be sensitive—even if you’re a tough guy!

2. Increase in Free Testosterone Level

Though testosterone is found both in men and women, the androgen is associated with maleness. It is accountable for increasing muscle mass and strength, maintaining bone density, fat distribution, and sex drive. However, when men reach the age of 30, testosterone levels decline naturally that could result in loss of muscle mass and reduced sexual desire.

A research study concluded that a diet high in saturated fat can increase testosterone levels in men. Conducted on 30 healthy male participants in their 40s, the low-carb diet favorably impacts testosterone levels. In the study, the men are on a typical high-fat diet of 40% and then puts on a low-fat (25%) high fiber diet for 6 weeks and then switched back to their original high-fat diet. The results show that when the participants switched to the low-fat-high-fiber diet, their free testosterone levels went down. But they recovered after 6 weeks of going back to their high saturated fat diet.

Different Types of Low-Carb Diet

Low-carb diet simply suggests that you take in a low percentage of carbohydrates in your diet and a high percentage of fat and protein. How low is ‘low’? USDA Food Pyramid considers 50- 70% consumption is high carb; 40-50% is moderate carb, 25-39 is low carb; and 0-25% is very low carb. In general, though, any diet that is less than 50-60% carb ratio is already considered a low-carb diet.

5 of the more popular low-carb diet are Atkins, Zone, Protein Power, Sugar Busters, and the South Beach Diet. Each low-carb diet program has its own diet philosophy, health claims, and carb to protein/fiber ratio.

1. Atkins

Diet Philosophy: Carbohydrates and fat are the two sources of energy. A low-fat diet is high in carbohydrates; increase carbohydrate intake, more than what your body needs, is stored as fat. Atkins considers that restricting carbohydrates leads to ketosis; thus decreasing hunger and increasing metabolism. Works in four phases—induction, balancing, fine-tuning, and lifetime maintenance

Foods to Eat: Protein-rich food like chicken, seafood, pork, beef and tofu; fat sources such as olive oil, butter, and avocado; and lots of vegetables, particularly leafy greens

Foods to Limit/ Avoid: Initially, you refrain from eating higher-carb vegetables, whole grains, and fruits. As you progress through the phases, you get to eat more of these. Omitted to the diet are starchy, sugary carb foods low in nutrients like bagels, French fries, cakes and sweetened breakfast cereals.

Strength: Totally eliminates empty calorie foods.

2. Zone

Diet Philosophy: Food is like a drug—you need to take the right dose at the right time. The key to weight loss is eating the right combination of foods to maximize metabolic functions, lower both insulin and eicosanoid to the ideal levels. The right combination of food could lead to increased energy, decreased hunger, and weight loss.

Foods to Eat: On the Zone diet, every meal is proportioned to consist of 30% protein, 30% fat, and 40% carbs. You get 3 meals and 2 snacks a day.

Foods to Limit/ Avoid: Strongly discourage the intake of wheat, barley and rye products (bread and pasta). Also, avoid sodium-rich foods.

Strengths: Restricts fat consumption to less than 30% of total calories; low saturated fat and sodium; and adequate protein. This diet would be very appealing to vegetarians.

3. Protein Power

Diet Philosophy: Limiting carbs will lower your insulin level. This, in turn, would lead to increase glucagon level which helps burn stored fat. You do this long enough and the stored fat will melt away.

Foods to Eat: For protein, you can eat fish, poultry, red meat, low-fat cheese, eggs, and tofu. Also allowed are low-carb, high fiber vegetables; fats from avocado, butter, olive and nut oil, salad dressings. Wine, beer, artificial sweeteners and diet sodas are allowed if consumed in moderation.

Foods to Limit/ Avoid: Count carbohydrates from alcohol

Strengths: It can easily be integrated into your lifestyles as it allows you to have some leeway on where you get your carbs, as long as it is in moderation. It also has practical suggestions on what you could order when dining out.

4. Sugar Busters

Diet Philosophy: Sugar is undesirable to the body. It causes the release of insulin that promotes fat storage. On the other hand, foods with low glycemic index (GI) help keep your blood sugar level in check. With the right kinds of fruits, veggies, proteins, and whole grains, a high-fiber diet can help you lose weight without counting calories.

Foods to Eat: 3 meals a day with no food groups that are off-limits. Alcohol can be consumed in moderation and fruits must be eaten alone.

Foods to Limit/ Avoid: Strongly prohibits consumption of food with high GI levels, such as potatoes, white rice, corn, carrots, beets, white bread, and all refined white flour products.

Strengths: It reduces high-sugar and empty nutrition foods. Also, you don’t have to count calories or weigh your food. You just have to be mindful of your portion sizes.

5. The South Beach Diet

Diet Philosophy: Eating the ‘right’ carbs and the ‘right’ fat is the key to losing weight and staying healthy. The ‘bad’ carbs create urges to overeat and store fat. The program includes three phases: the first phase exclude starchy food such as bread, rice, pasta, and potatoes. It also prohibits fruit and fruit juices; Phase 2 is the gradual reintroduction of restricted foods in phase 1 and Phase 3 is the maintenance.

Foods to Eat: Healthy oils and nuts, low GI carbs, vegetables, and protein from meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and low-fat cheese; 3 meals and 2 snacks per day with dessert after dinner.

Foods to Limit/ Avoid: In Phase 1, avoid fatty meats, all starchy foods, all dairy, all fruits and fruit juices, high GI vegetables and alcohol. In Phase 2, limit your intake of high GI level, such as potatoes, white rice, white flour, corn, carrots, beets, watermelon, bananas, canned fruit, juice, pineapple, raisin, honey, ice cream

Strengths: It promotes long-term awareness of food choices and moderate eating. If craving returns or you get off-track, you could just easily go back to Phase 1 or 2.

Conclusion

The National Center for Biotechnology Information affirms that a low-carb, high-protein diet with resistance training improves weight loss and body composition. Eat fewer carbohydrates, specifically simple and processed carbs to maximize insulin sensitivity. Couple that with fats, fiber, and protein that should make up a significant portion of your meals. These foods are much slower to digest, thus sugars take longer to hit the bloodstreams resulting in a gradual release of insulin. Furthermore, you could also lose the extra pounds when on a low-carb diet from the extra protein and fat because it keeps you feeling full longer.

Experts agree that the best diet plan is the one that you can live with. Personal preferences will play a major role in choosing the best low-carb diet plan that will work for you. Just remember to exercise frequently—preferably resistance training and calisthenics, eat better—less processed carbs and more protein and fiber, and lose weight.