Is this just another FAD diet? Is calorie restriction truly the only option? In addition to considerable lifestyle modifications
No. However, it is only one of several valuable tools.
Currently, the most effective treatments to decrease weight are a calorie-restricted diet combined with frequent vigorous exercise, bariatric (weight loss) surgery such as Gastric Bypass, and, more recently, novel diabetic medications such as Ozempic (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide). We do have some possibilities, but it’s not easy.
Yes and No. In general, low carb diets (such as keto) are harmful and will not help you lose weight. A calorie deficit is essential for physically reducing weight.
Carbohydrates provide numerous benefits as a source of energy, and many healthful foods contain carbohydrates. Fruits and vegetables are mostly composed of carbs.
The truthful, fair answer is that it depends on the specific circumstances. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trapped in the dogma of a nutrition system, is caught up in touting the tenets of that specific system, is blind to anything (even science and pure logic) outside of that system, and is doing a disservice by attempting to lump everyone into one neat category, regardless of individual factors such as body type, metabolic and hormonal status, exercise type and frequency, and athletic or physique goals.
Let me start with the juvenile stuff first. I am confident that low carb diets are unnecessary for real-world fat loss. How? Personal experience in the actual world, rather than sitting back and hypothesising in a laboratory. I competed in a natural bodybuilding show in January. I had my body fat tested for fun, and the result was 3.8%. Now, I’m not one to exaggerate accomplishments, none of those assessment tools are very accurate (which is why I don’t use them often), and that is probably physiologically impossible, but I was definitely very lean, and I was averaging 300g of carbs per day (from limited non-fructose/sugar, non-gluten carbs, mostly rice and potatoes; more on that later).
If you are fat, inactive, or insulin-resistant/type II diabetic/pre-diabetic, low carb diets are the best option for you. You’ve eaten yourself into a hole, which you must climb out of with a tight diet. Unfortunately, the majority of the carbohydrates you consume in this state will be shuttled to fat cells, so you really don’t have a choice. Low carb diets are the most effective method to reduce fat and improve insulin sensitivity in this SPECIFIC population. You will be eating only Paleo foods. When you lose weight and become more active, you will have more eating options.
Carbohydrates in a fat-loss diet are heretical! I understand, but here are some quick bits: Strength training is fuelled via the anaerobic energy production pathway – glucose, glycogen (the needs of athletes are different than sedentary populations), glycogen restoration following intense training can take multiple carb-based meals, and up to 24 hours (gas needs are different if you are driving your car around than if it is sitting in the garage), strength training causes microscopic tears in the muscle tissue, and the entire repair/recovery process by volume-based, hypertrophy training, and were just trying to survive not achieve higher levels of physique development).
Low-carb diets usually result in lower calorie consumption without intentionally limiting calories, as they are often more filling and satisfying than high-carb diets.
A low-carb diet can help some people lose weight, but it may not be the ideal option for everyone.
A low-carb diet often involves limiting your carbohydrate intake, such as bread, pasta, and sweet meals, while increasing your protein and fat consumption. This can help you lose weight by lowering the number of calories you consume. It also helps manage your blood sugar levels, which can contribute to a decrease in appetite.
What has helped for me is to eat minimally processed carbohydrates that are high in fibre. This includes whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, barley, steel cut oats, corn on the cob, etc.), sweet potatoes, squashes, carrots, beans, legumes and fruit. I try to avoid packaged foods because they are frequently depleted of fibre. And I keep my macros balanced by eating enough protein, moderate fats, and plenty of leafy greens and other veggies.
Any diet that excludes a certain food group is typically a fad diet.
Unless you are medically unable to consume that many carbs, there is no reason to go low carb. Get into a calorie deficit and then come back in a month to see how that went.
IMHO, if I consume carbs without limitation, I tend to overeat and eat mindlessly (meaning trash). I’m attempting to limit carbs such as bread, sweets, cereal, and pasta, but I’m not restricting fruit, veggies, potatoes, or rice. I wish the word was “low junk carb”.
Every (functional) diet works because it creates a caloric deficit in some form or another. Carbohydrates are high in calories because sugar is our body’s primary energy source. If you avoid carbohydrates, or at least manufactured sugar, you have a far better chance of achieving a calorie deficit.
Okay, my two cents.
You should eat extra protein. It is up to the individual whether they consider this to be a low carb diet. I do not consider it a low-carb diet.
Protein is essential for muscle, and as you get older, muscle mass tends to decline.
You can still consume carbohydrates, but make protein the focus of the meal. It helps with satiety.
If you are an athlete or want to achieve specific physique goals when you are already very thin, carbohydrate management can help.
The usual dieter should be in a calorie deficit, meet their protein goal, consume at least the daily recommended amount of dietary fat, and the rest is up to them. There’s nothing magical about cutting carbs.