There are many low carbohydrate diet options available now to anyone who wants to lose weight and learn to improve eating habits and keep the weight off.

The Atkins Diet is one of the most popular low carb diets around, and people who have used it have been very successful in meeting their weight loss goals. Dieting isn’t easy for anyone, and sometimes traditional dieting approaches, such as counting calories just isn’t enough. Of course, every diet should be accompanied by plenty of exercise to make the weight come off faster and stay off. The Atkins Diet teaches dieters how to eat more protein and fat, and limit starches, carbohydrates, and sugars. The Atkins Diet is also a great way to get off that glucose roller coaster, and keep blood sugar levels more constant without crazy fluctuations. For this reason it is a good diet for persons who might be diabetic or borderline diabetic and need to keep their blood sugars low.

Forcing The Body To Burn Fat Instead Of Carbs

The Atkins Diet works by strictly limiting carbohydrate intake and increasing protein and fats in the diet. By taking this approach, the body does not have the carbohydrates to burn first, so it burns fat instead. It may seem crazy to some to eat butter and other fats on a diet, but it is really the carbohydrates that keep people from reaching their weight loss goals. The Atkins Diet isn’t just a fad diet scam. It has been around since the early 1970s and even though it is controversial, Atkins Diet books have been and remain to be phenomenal best sellers. In addition to the multitude of weight loss success stories, the Atkins Diet is great for disease prevention, weight loss maintenance, and good health. Dieters have a number of food options available to them and the amount of food eaten is not restricted, only the types of foods. No refined sugars are allowed, or white potatoes, white rice, or white flour. Meats, cheeses, fats, and proteins are all acceptable food options on the Atkins Diet.

The First Two Weeks Are The Hardest

The first two weeks on the Atkins Diet are the most restricted, in which only twenty grams of carbohydrates are allowed (carbs less grams of fiber). Fruits are not allowed and only a few leafy green vegetables. During this period, the change in biochemical activity is supposed to jump start the weight loss mechanism. Many people see significant results during this time frame, which gives them the added encouragement dieters need to continue with the diet and meet their weight loss goals. Many people have had great results with the Atkins Diet, but it isn’t for everyone. If you have any concerns consult your health care provider before beginning this or any restricted diet.

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is especially true for diabetics, as persons who have Type 2 diabetes and must lose weight to control it and need to avoid "bad" carbohydrates. These bad carbohydrates convert into sugar during digestion, which, as you know, is the main problem for diabetics. There are several recommended low carb diet programs--the South Beach Diet, the Atkins diet,and the Zone Diet are the most popular.

The South Beach Diet is very popular with people who want to lose weight, but not have to count carbohydrates, fat grams, and every thing else! This diet is a great alternative to these sometimes unhealthy means of losing weight. The South Beach Diet allows you to eat in a healthy way and not completely cut out all your favorite food items, which in the long run makes it almost impossible to stick to, again leaving you frustrated with your attempt to lose weight. The South Beach Diet works by changing the way you eat to include more healthy choices that will make you feel good and increase your energy levels. This diet focuses on good carbohydrates and fats, so you don t crave all those bad carbohydrates and fats, which work against you in attaining your diet goals and leave you hungry all the time.

The South Beach Diet is divided into three phases. The first is designed to help you change your diet to one that is filled with eating healthy lean types of meat, such as beef, lamb, pork, veal, chicken, fish, and seafood. All meat should be broiled or baked, not fried, and should not be coated with breading or crumbs; this adds extra carbohydrates and calories that you are trying to avoid. Plenty of vegetables, nuts, eggs, and low-fat or fat-free cheeses are also allowed so long as they are not coated with anything adding extra calories. Vegetables should be steamed and plain, no sauces or butter yet. phase one of the South Beach Diet is the most limited, and does not allow you to have breads or baked goods of any kind, rice, pastas, potatoes, fruit, candy, ice cream, sugar, or alcohol. You can have sugar-free treats, but they should be limited to seventy-five calories per day. I know what you re thinking, don t get discouraged. This part of the diet only lasts the first two weeks, and is designed to get your body used to only having good carbohydrates to jump start your weight loss and eradicate your cravings.

In phase two, you will slowly add back in sweet potatoes, wild or brown rice, whole grain breads and cereals, fresh fruits, and red or white wines. You should avoid such vegetables as carrots, beets, white potatoes, and corn because of their high sugar content, and also fruits like bananas, pineapples, raisins, and watermelon. Some other foods that will slow down your weight loss efforts include cookies, cakes, sweet rolls, and ice cream. These should be kept to a bare minimum if you have them at all. You need to stick to phase two until you reach your goal weight, then you will begin phase three or the maintenance phase. This is where you continue to practice the good eating habits you have learned and maintain your weight. The South Beach Diet is heart healthy and is designed to teach dieters how to lose weight effectively and keep it off for their lifetime. No more yo-yo dieting!

Published by Natural Health Trip

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Low carb diet plans are a raging diet trend today.  While forms of low carb diet plans have been around for hundreds of years, they recently exploded in popularity all over the industrialized world, especially the United States of America.

In the last five years especially, it seems like the United States has suddenly realized how overweight it has been getting, and the next natural response to this awakening is of course diets!

Most Low Carb Diets Follow Same Basic Principles

Low carb diet plans vary considerably in what they suggest and offer, but they all basically follow the same general principle.  You can live without carbs, but you can’t live without protein and fats. You may not want to give up carbs entirely, so fortunately there are "good" and "bad" carbs and the good carbs will satisfy your urge for them.  While somewhat counterintuitive, since it is fatty protein based foods, like meats, that are often higher in calories, carbohydrates serve no nutritional function whatsoever and can completely eliminated from your diet with few adverse health effects.  A reasonable diet of meats and vegetables will therefore give you all the nutrition you need without any ‘unnecessary’ calories.

If you are looking for some good diets to try, you may want to consider a low carb diet plan.  If adhered to, any low carb diet plan will probably produce some amount of measurable results in weight loss.  Don’t ever starve yourself, however.  Whatever diet you try, make sure you are eating often, but just smaller portions and healthier foods.  Really, the low carb diet plan concept is something of common sense.  If you stop eating so much refine sugar, pastries, and breads, you’re likely going to be cutting a lot of calories out of your diet.

Atkins and South Beach Diets Most Popular

Which low carb diet plan works best is anyone’s guess. Two of the better known ones are the Atkins diet and the South Beach Diet. We'll have some follow up posts on each. Whatever  works for some people may be less effective for others, and it seems like there’s a new type of low carb diet plan coming out every week.  Tried and tested, I prefer the South Beach Diet, but as with all diet plans, finding one that works for you is usually a process of guessing and checking.  Try something that you think you can do, and see what happens.  Make sure you don’t just rely on diet alone to lose weight, as weight loss is more than just what you’re eating.  Weight loss is really about your metabolism, and so you need to stay active as well.

Low carb diet plans aren’t going to make all your health problems go away in a flash like they sometimes advertise, but combined with other measures like frequent exercise, they may help make for a good overall weight loss plan. They are particularly good for persons with diabetes, as they keep bllod sugare down. More on that later!
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