If you have wanted to lose weight at all now or at any point in your life, many people may have suggested following a low-carb diet. Also known as a keto diet, low-carb diets are among the most popular diets in the weight loss industry. But can you lose substantial weight with it? Let’s look at ten low-carb diet advantages in this blog!
Some advantages of a low-carb diet include accelerating metabolism, maintaining focus and energy, reducing cravings, improving heart health, achieving better blood sugar levels, and losing weight. So yes, you can lose weight with a low-carb diet.
Most people who have tried following a low-carb diet, especially to 1ose weight, may have noticed the main advantage: it helps lose weight quickly. However, as you can see, this diet has plenty of other benefits.
Moreover, losing weight is about keeping your diet consistent, which most people lack, even with a low-carb diet. So, in this detailed post, we will be discussing all the factors about a low-carb diet, what effects it can have on your body, both positive and negative, and also how you can be consistent with your approach! Read on, and I promise you will be left in awe!
What Is A Low-Carb Keto Diet?
A low-carb diet, factually, is a diet that restricts the intake of carbohydrates, also known as carbs. Along with limiting carbohydrates, this diet focuses more on consuming protein and fat and is most often recommended to people who want to lose weight.
We all need carbohydrates or carbs for energy in our bodies. They provide glucose to the body, converted to energy, helping us with daily bodily functions. Some examples of carbohydrates include bread, rice, pasta, and legumes.
Since carbs play a significant role in our overall well-being, it may seem odd to restrict their quantities in our diets. After all, if we don’t consume carbohydrates, where should our body get glucose to convert to energy?
Well, that is where the high-fat content in a low-carb diet comes into action. Most of us are told that fats are bad for our bodies, but that is not necessarily true. Of course, there are healthy and unhealthy fats, and the low-carb or keto diet focuses on consuming healthy fats.
A low-carb diet trains the body to use the excess fat to burn energy instead of going by the regular norm of using carbohydrates. This process, or metabolic state where your body begins to burn fats for energy instead of carbohydrates, is called ketosis.
There are plenty of food options that you need to avoid while on a low-carb diet, which include:
- Bread
- Pasta
- Rice
- Beer
- Honey
- Syrups
- Sodas
- Low Fat Diet Food
- Potatoes
- Beans and Legumes
But it is alright! Many options that you may have thought should be restricted while trying to lose weight can be enjoyed while on a low-carb diet! Some of these options are:
- Animal Protein
- Cheese and Other Dairy Products
- Green Leafy Vegetables
- Non-Starch Vegetables
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Berries
- Oil
- Butter
- Unsweetened Tea and Coffee
Now that you know all about a low-carb diet, you may be excited to start one of your own if you want to lose weight or stay fit. But, for someone who has never tried a low-carb diet, the food options and what to make with them may seem utterly confusing.
Moreover, these days, since most of us are swamped with work, it feels like an extra effort to do specific meal preps, even more so if they are so particular. If you find it hard to watch what you are eating and still want to lose weight, one of the best ways to go about it is to go for a convenient low-carb meal delivery service.
Although you may find plenty of options, I recommend factor 75. Factor 75 is an excellent low-carb meal delivery service worth every penny if you want to stick to such a diet and lose weight.
Plenty of factors make this meal service great, like they do all the carb counting for you, ensuring you get all the proper nutrients. They have dieticians who specially design meals and diets for customers as per their needs, likes, and dislikes.
Their meals are affordable and delicious, too! They have plenty of variety and use the finest ingredients to make all your meals, something I can personally vouch for. Moreover, the fact that you need to pick your meals online, after which they will be delivered to your doorstep, makes it so convenient on those tiring days!
All you have to do is heat your food and enjoy it while caring for your health without compromising the flavor or quality. They also often have various offers and discounts, so look at their website soon if you want to start a healthier lifestyle!
What Are The Advantages Of A Low-Carb Diet?
Losing weight fast and efficiently is only one of the advantages that you get out of being on a low-carb diet. But, other than that, there are plenty of other benefits that you will get by just following this diet regularly. As long as you are consistent with the process, your body will benefit from a low-carb diet.
For a better understanding of what these advantages are, let us have a look at some of these advantages in detail.
1. Helps Lose Weight Fast
Of course, one of the main advantages of following a low-carb diet is that you will lose weight quickly and efficiently. A low-carb diet is one of those diets that will start showing you results every time you step on the scale.
You can lose weight faster on a low-carb diet because of the metabolic process of ketosis. This process confuses your body, as the human body is usually used to break down glucose for energy.
But, with this diet, we are restricting the amount of glucose and giving the body fat in excess. Since the body has no glucose to break down, it starts breaking down the fats, leading to fast and efficient weight loss. Keto diet is said to help people lose 1 to 5 pounds in a single week! Studies show that 94% of people have primarily lost weight on the same.
2. Accelerating Your Metabolism
Fast or slow metabolism can significantly impact a person’s overall weight, along with various other lifestyle factors. Anyone with a slow metabolism tends to gain weight much faster than someone with a faster metabolism.
Ketosis, a metabolic state achieved by eating a low-carb diet, helps increase metabolism to a high extent. This is yet again because the body stops getting glucose from carbohydrates.
Since your body has to dig into its fat reserves for energy, this tends to accelerate the rate at which it metabolizes your food. This helps deal with issues like abdominal obesity.
3. Helps Maintain Focus And Energy
Have you had some of those days where you eat a massive bowl of rice, pasta, or a pizza, and when you are done with your meal, all you want to do is nap? Well, this is a widespread phenomenon with carb-heavy diets.
Eating excess carbs makes you feel drowsy, and once you take that nap and wake up, you may still not feel energized. On the other hand, since a low-carb diet burns fat instead, energy is constantly produced in your body.
This is because most of us have excess fat storage, and since the body uses the same for energy, it does not need to refuel on the same. This improves energy levels and also boosts brain health by maintaining focus!
4. Reduces Cravings
Are you one of those people who want to eat healthy, but somehow, your food cravings always get the best of you? Then, this advantage of a low-carb diet is undoubtedly worth your while!
The same phenomenon happens here as it does to help maintain energy levels and boost brain function. The more carbohydrates you eat, the more insulin your body produces to digest. The more insulin the body produces, the worse the drop, which makes you crave more food.
The body does not need too much insulin to break down a fat and protein-rich diet. The same levels remain pretty balanced if you switch to low-carb products, which keep you hungry for much longer.
5. Improving Heart Health
You may think that consuming more fats in a low-carb diet may badly affect your heart health. However, as we discussed earlier, there are two types of fats: good and bad.
Since a low-carb diet is all about loading your body with good fats, it does help with overall heart health. Overeating carbohydrates has often been linked to people having cholesterol problems.
A low-carb diet with healthy fats also boosts the production of good cholesterol in your body. This reduces the risk of heart disease while taking care of your overall blood pressure.
6. Better Blood Sugar Control
People who often eat an excess amount of carbohydrates or have issues with obesity because of the same tend to have problems with their sugar levels. This can also cause type-2 diabetes.
In this diet, since the amount of carbs is less, insulin demand is also much lower. This, in turn, reduces the spike in insulin levels, which is what gets us too hungry and, at the same time, spikes blood sugar levels.
So, since your insulin levels will be more regular, your sugar level will also naturally stay normal. Due to this reason, often people with type-2 diabetes are also recommended low-carb diets, rather than just people who want to lose weight.
7. Better Digestion
In most cases, a low-carb diet is known to improve digestion and also helps reduce the chances of getting Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), gas, and stomach cramps. It is said that eating a high amount of carbs can increase the number of harmful bacteria in your body.
Eating a lower amount of carbohydrates hinders the production of harmful bacteria. Moreover, when on a keto or low-carb diet, you will be eating a lot more vegetables, healthy fats, and lean meat, all proven to be great for overall gut health.
8. Reduces Inflammation
Inflammation is a pretty natural phenomenon when it comes to any healing. However, excessive inflammation can cause many issues, like pain and stiffness, and generally very uncomfortable.
Since the body enters the ketosis phase, it releases a lot more ketone in urine and while exhaling. Ketone is said to have specific anti-inflammatory properties; hence, being on a low-carb diet can have the same effect.
9. May Help Fight Cancer Cells
As per studies, diets that are high in carbohydrates may fuel cancer. They contribute to free radical damage, which affects all the cells in the human body. These radicals occur naturally in the human body and increase with age.
However, eating high amounts of carbohydrates can speed up the generation of toxins in cells. On the other hand, when you are on a low-carb diet, the body uses fat instead of carbohydrates to burn energy, which, in turn, helps fight cancer cells.
10. Good For Skin Health
A low-carb diet increases the consumption of good fats in the body. These good fats are known for being good for the skin. Excessive carbohydrates are also known to induce inflammation in the body.
A high amount of inflammation has been linked to promoting aging in most people. So, reducing the amount of carbohydrates and increasing healthy fats can all be very beneficial for overall skin health.
Are There Any Disadvantages Of A Low-Carb Diet?
Following a low-carb diet has many advantages, from losing weight to improving brain function. But, just like yin and yang, a low-carb diet too can have certain disadvantages. In this section, we will be going through the drawbacks of this diet so you can be ready and aware of every possibility.
1. Constipation
One of the main issues that most people on a low-carb diet face is high amounts of constipation. Of course, any changes in diet can cause effects on bowel movements. But, there is a specific reason why it is more familiar with a low-carb diet.
A low-carb diet sadly lacks fiber along with lacking carbohydrates. Most low-carb diets do not allow consuming fiber-rich foods like legumes and beans; many people suffer from acute to chronic constipation.
2. Headaches
This may not be something you face throughout your low-carb diet journey, but rather a little more towards the beginning of the diet. Since your body is used to sugar, being on a low-carb diet means cutting down on the same.
This may cause a disturbance initially in your body, as the system needs time to get used to the process. Hence, when people start with a low-carb diet, they often tend to have bad headaches.
3. Fatigue
Although carbohydrates hamper us in various ways, they are still essential for the body to produce energy. So, fatigue is something that many people may experience while on a low-carb diet, but mainly in the beginning stages.
Like the headache, your body needs time to get used to the massive switch from using carbohydrates to using fat for energy. So, for the first few days of the switch, you may experience high fatigue.
4. Muscle Cramps
Carbohydrates tend to have an abundance of minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium. These minerals are essential for properly functioning muscles, and cutting carbs from your diet may cause a deficiency.
This, in turn, gives rise to muscle cramps, which can be very painful. In this case, it is best to contact your doctor and get supplements to ensure you don’t face such issues.
5. Bad Breath
Some people have mentioned having bad breath after a low-carb keto diet. The reason behind this is the fact that the body has a lack of glycogen. In this case, the body uses ketone to get energy. This ketone is released by urination and exhaling, which is associated with bad breath.
Should You Try A Low-Carb Keto Diet?
If you want to lose weight fast, trying a low-carb keto diet may be worth it. However, since everybody’s body works differently, it is best to consult a doctor or nutritionist before starting the same.
There are many advantages to a low-carb keto diet, with one of the main ones being losing weight much faster than you would with other methods. Moreover, the diet is also proven suitable for brain function, sugar levels, cholesterol, etc.
So, if you do not have any underlying health issues, it is worth trying the diet for weight loss. However, those with even the most minor matters should consult their doctor or a nutritionist before starting this diet.
A low-carb diet creates a massive change in the overall functioning of your body. In the case of people who have specific issues, it could be a disaster. So, as long as your doctor approves, you should try a low-carb keto diet!
Conclusion
Coming to the end of this informative article, I hope you have received all the information you need on a low-carb diet, like what it is to start with. Moreover, we have also discussed some advantages and disadvantages of the same.
I recommend you consult your doctor before significantly changing your overall diet. If your doctor approves of the diet for you, but you don’t have time, you can also use meal delivery services like Factor 75, which will make your life much easier!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a low-carb diet?
A low-carb keto diet is a diet where the amount of carbohydrates is restricted.
What exactly happens regarding weight loss when you are on a low-carb diet?
When on a low-carb diet, your body stops using glucose from carbohydrates for energy and instead uses fat, which helps you lose weight much faster.
Besides losing weight, are there any advantages to a low-carb diet?
Yes, a low-carb diet has several advantages, like improving blood sugar levels, heart health, and even brain function.
Are there any disadvantages of being on a low-carb diet?
Yes, being on a low-carb diet can have certain disadvantages, with fatigue, headaches, and constipation being the most common.
