Ask JJ: Low-Carb Diets

Dear JJ: I lost nearly 60 pounds on a low-carb diet. I felt and looked great. My doctor raved about my improved blood work. Unfortunately, I eventually gained it back plus some, and I've known other low-carb dieters who met the same fate. Why do so many people struggle with low-carb diets even though we know they work? If I put you on a desert island for a few months with just protein, dietary fat, and water, you'd be fine because your body can actually make glucose on its own. In other words, you can live fine without carbohydrates. The thing is, who wants to live like that? Not me. Low-carb diets have their benefits. Properly designed, they eliminate health-robbing, fat loss-stalling culprits like sugar, artificial sweeteners, processed foods, and high-glycemic carbohydrates. Compared with low-fat diets, studies show low-carb diets help people lose more weight and improve cardiovascular health. Another study conducted by the American Diabetes Association found a low-carb, low-saturated fat could help improve Type 2 diabetes management, especially if you sustain it beyond 24 weeks. That's where problems begin. While many people initially thrive on a low-carb diet, over time once the novelty wears off they backtrack into their old eating habits. Maybe a few bites of birthday cake become two pieces or eating bacon yet again for breakfast leaves them nose-diving into a high-sugar impact muffin (aka adult cupcake). Whatever the fall-off-the-wagon reason, if low-carb di...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news