Should I be on a Low or No Carb Diet?

A topic that has always come up throughout my fitness career is the low/no carbohydrate diet. I can’t tell you the number of clients I’ve met with that will swear by this diet. I can’t say I blame anyone for trying it out, it sounds intriguing and they certainly have spent some funds to market it. It is however, one of very few topics that I will get completely fired up about and combat without relent. It’s simply not healthy and there is no reason to deny your body these foods. The evidence is overwhelming, however not widely advertised. With this being said, please stay with me as I may go into a few rants or become quite sarcastic… I’m simply trying to get my point across.

Let me first start with a large demographic perspective. I researched the obesity rates for different countries and found the numbers very surprising. All of these statistics are from the International Association for the Study of Obesity www.iotf.org.

Men % Women % Overall %
United States(2004) 31.1 33.2 32.2
Lebanon(2002) 36.3 38.3 n/a
England(2006) 24.9 25.2 n/a
Canada(2004) 22.9 23.2 23.1
China(2002) 2.4 3.4 n/a
Italy(2005) 10.5 9.1 9.8
Japan(2000) 2.3 3.4 n/a
Mexico(2006) 24.4 34.5 n/a

Clearly this not the perfect data set, but I do feel there’s evidence here to support my case. Look at the countries known for eating starch filled foods; Italy’s pasta, Japan and China’s rice. They are the lowest on the list, if carbs are a contributor to weight gain wouldn’t they be at the top of the list? I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard “I can’t eat pasta, I’ll get so fat.” Where’s the evidence?

So you don’t care about large population samples because it works for you right. You may lose weight while on one of these programs and I’ll explain why later, however you are human and your body will react relatively the same way as every other human being. Ask a doctor about the effects on your body from low carbohydrate diet before jumping into one. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for your entire body from your brain and nervous system to your muscles. When you ingest a low to no level of carbohydrates your body must make some adjustment to sustain itself. The bodies next easiest source of energy is NOT fat it’s actually protein. The body requires more calories to convert fat into glucose (the body’s immediate energy source) than protein. When in a pinch for energy - bye bye muscle tissue. To this statement I’ve always heard the inevitable, so what as long as I lose weight who cares. Remember the amount of muscle you have is the main component of your resting metabolic rate. Let this decrease and it will only get harder and harder for you to have continued weight loss. The other health risk you run using protein as your main source of energy is the excess release of nitrogen into the blood stream. Nitrogen is filtered by the kidneys, unnaturally high levels put a strain on the them and could lead to failure.

There is no denying the fact your body needs glucose to function. You can either make it readily available by eating a sufficient amount of carbohydrates or you risk your health and deprive the body of an essential macro-nutrient.

Why does it work? Let’s think about this logically for a second. You were eating a 6 ounce piece of steak and a potato for dinner, now you eat the steak. You were eating a breakfast sandwich made up of an egg, cheese and a bagel, now you eat the egg and cheese. Really think about that, all you are accomplishing by following this plan is YOU’RE EATING LESS! If you don’t believe me take this challenge. Somehow find a way to consume 4,000 calories per day of fat and protein. Do this for a week and tell me if you are still losing weight. A diet like this very well could help you suppress your appetite, I know the thought of eating that much bacon in a single day makes me want to vomit.

There is no link to your macro nutrient intake percentage and weight loss. It simply comes down to how many calories you are putting into your body per day and how many you are expending. There’s no reason you can’t eat pasta, and loose weight, granted you probably shouldn’t have ½ a pound in a sitting. Your body is set up to use carbohydrate for fuel this amount shouldn’t drop below 50% of your diet. This is not to say all foods are created equally consult a nutritionist or a qualified personal trainer for a custom plan for you.

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