Low Carb Diet Options
Certainly not all low-carbohydrate diets are the same. Even though the premise
of keeping blood sugar levels stable is the same, different plans have different
approaches. Here are a few:
Atkins Diet
According to Dr. Atkins, the rapid rise of obesity in America is due to the
eating of refined carbohydrates. Because of faulty metabolism, insulin is overproduced
which eventually leads to fat storage. The increase of insulin-inducing foods
in the diet not only has increased the rate of obesity in America, but has also
created many metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance (IR) and type-2
diabetes. Dr. Atkins claims the diet reduces or eliminates the need for drugs
for those with abnormally high blood sugar levels or those with type-2 diabetes.
The Atkins diet places an extreme restriction on carbohydrates so that the
body will be forced to burn fat instead of carbohydrates. When stored fat is
being burned (lipolysis), the body goes into a state of ketosis. To determine
whether the dieter is in ketosis, ketones in the urine are periodically measured
with ketosis sticks.
The program requires the dieter to limit “net carbs,” or carbohydrates
that have an effect on blood sugar. Net carbohydrates are equal to the total
number of carbohydrates minus sugar alcohols and fiber. Foods favored are those
that are whole and unprocessed with a low glycemic load.
The program has 4 stages:
- Induction: This stage lasts two weeks to six months, according to the amount
of weight a person wants to lose. The dieter is limited to twenty grams of
net carbs/day. - Ongoing Weight Lose stage: This phase lasts anywhere from two weeks to two
months. The dieter adds 5 grams of carbohydrates to their daily intake every
week as long as they continue to lose weight. The purpose of this phase is
to gauge the amount of carbohydrates a person can eat and still lose weight
(Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing). Weight loss is more gradual; if
the dieter gains weight, they will need to cut back. One remains in this phase
until there are only five to ten pounds left to lose. - Pre-maintenance stage: This lasts from a few weeks to a few months. The
dieter adds ten grams to their daily carbohydrate intake each week until weight
loss slows to one pound per week or less. The goal is to find the CCLM, Critical
Carbohydrate Level for Maintenance or the level of carbohydrates the dieter
can eat and stay at their desired weight. - Lifetime Maintenance stage: The same eating habits learned in the diet
are followed with the choice to return to an earlier stage in the diet if
there is weight gain.
Distinct Elements:
- Lowest carbohydrate allowances
- Ketosis used as a measure of fat loss
South Beach
Dr. Agatston, the author of The South Beach Diet, believes that excess weight
is due to eating highly refined foods which can actually produce cravings. The
typical American diet not only promotes obesity, but also a plethora of other
illnesses like type-2 diabetes, heart disease, PCOS, fatigue, irritability,
and sleeplessness.
After eating a highly processed high-carbohydrate meal, your blood sugar rises
rapidly. Insulin is released from your pancreas to clear your blood of glucose.
When too much insulin is in your blood, your brain gets the signal that you
are not hungry anymore. However, a person won’t feel satisfied and will
likely eat again soon. As a result, a person will spiral into a pattern of self-destructive
eating habits that cause obesity and other ills related to frequent insulin
spikes.
The program has three stages:
- Phase One: During this period, you body must adjust to lower, more stable
blood glucose levels. Refined carbohydrates as well as bread, rice, potatoes,
pasta and fruit are completely restricted for the first two weeks. There is
no caloric limit to permitted foods, however, meals should be of moderate
proportion. The dieter may eat approved snacks and desserts. - Phase Two: This phase allows more freedom to eat carbohydrates; however,
they must be gauged. Dr. Agatston recommends adding carbohydrates slowly back
to the diet so that the dieter can determine how they feel and any possible
weight gain. The objective of phase two is to incorporate more carbohydrates
of low glycemic index (GI) score and still lose unwanted weight. The glycemic
index is a measure of how a food will raise blood glucose levels. A high GI
score indicates that the food will induce a rapid rise in blood glucose levels;
however, a low GI score will cause blood glucose levels to rise slowly. One
must be careful not to eat large amounts of low glycemic-index foods because
the load can also yield high blood glucose concentrations. - Phase Three: Once the dieter can measure to what degree they can incorporate
low GI carbohydrates without gaining weight, they move to this phase. During
the maintenance phase, the diet allows three servings each of fruits and whole
grains per day. Also, during this phase, one is allowed any food on occasion.
Distinct Elements:
- Dieter may not gorge on high-fat and saturated fat foods
- Glycemic index used as main reference in diet