Low Carb Diet

A low carb diet can help you lose weight, but there's a smarter way to go on a low carb diet than choosing Atkins, South Beach or any of the other ones out there.

Low Carb Diet

If you're considering going on a low carb diet, you don't have to go on one of the more well-known low carb diets like Atkins or South Beach. There's another way to go on a low carb diet without the crazy side effects of most low carb diets.

A Smarter Low Carb Diet

When you go low carb using one of the more traditional low carb diets, your carb intake will be severely restricted for two weeks. You'll only be allowed to have 20 grams of carbs a day. After that, the amount you get varies, but it hovers right around 60 grams a day, which is not enough.

Before you go on a low carb diet, try counting the amount of carbs you eat daily. Chances are it'll be 225-250--or more! Our bodies need 130 grams of carbs a day to function properly, maybe around 150 if you lead a very active lifestyle or work out a lot. So, cutting carbs from whatever your intake is now down to 130-150 grams a day is probably the safest way to go on a low carb diet. You might not see the results you want as quickly as you want them, but the slower weight comes off, the longer it stays off. (You want to aim for losing 1-2 pounds a week.)

To help with this, you might want to get some low carb recipes or find out what kinds of low carb food options are out there. But remember, just because a food is labeled as a low carb diet food doesn't mean it has fewer calories. In fact, most low carb diet foods have more fat, which is 9 calories per gram. And the more calories you eat, the harder it will be to lose weight, especially if you don't exercise. (That holds true for people on any kind of diet from Weight Watchers to a low carb diet.) That's where eating the right kind of carbs (good carbs) enters the picture.

Good carbs, also known as complex carbohydrates, take longer for your body's digestive system to break down. Therefore, you feel full longer. Good carbs are usually full of fiber too, which keeps you regular and keeps you feeling full. These are the carbs that are actually good for you, and they include whole grains, whole wheat pasta, brown or long grain rice, fruits, vegetables and milk. They may not have lower carb counts, but since they keep you feeling full, you'll eat less. Basically, if you cut simple carbs (bad carbs) from your diet, you'll be taking a giant step towards losing weight. Bad carbs are anything made with white flour and refined sugar. To state the obvious, if you cut out desserts, regular pasta, sugary drinks, white breads and white rice, you'll be doing your body a huge favor and taking giant strides towards losing weight. And it doesn't take much--replace white bread with whole wheat. Replace regular pasta with whole wheat pasta. Replace white rice with brown rice. Instead of sugary desserts and snacks, eat fruit. Instead of chips or crackers, opt for fresh cut veggies. In a matter of months, you will see weight loss with this type of low carb diet plan.

Try these techniques before you try a low carb diet. You will lose weight, but you won't sacrifice your health to do it. A low carbohydrate diet that will help you reach your weight loss goals and maintain them is the one that you should stick with, not one that makes outrageous promises of quick weight loss. These low carb diet plans don't work in the long run.