Low Carb Hell

Is it really necessary to be on a low-carb diet to lose fat?

The research points over and over again to how low carb dieting can be extremely effective for fat loss.  And the science backs this, as do the results for most…perhaps not all…but indeed most people who understand how to lower their carb intake safely in order to obtain the most effective results.

Well known as the Atkins approach, going low carbs can be extremely challenging for some people.  My aunt was my first example back in the 90‘s.  She was losing weight like there was no tomorrow every time I went to visit her, about once a month (she lives about 70 miles from me).  She kidded me about what she was eating to avoid carbs as best she could, and the high protein selections seemed bizarre, more than anything because of the quantities she was eating them in!

I continued to monitor her results, and she became skinnier and skinnier over time.  She is on the shorter side, I believe around five feet tall, and she was taking off about 40 lbs of weight, which certainly is substantial for her overall size and stature.

We have come a long ways since the 90‘s, and interestingly, even older forms of dieting have resurfaced that have brought alternative theories to light about how and why low-carb dieting can work.

The problem is, for how long can it be sustained?  Some people seem to go absolutely crazy with massive carbohydrate deprivation.  And in my opinion, it is perfectly understandable why.  I believe I have found the balancing answer to this dilemma, and for certain, there is no question that our bodies absolutely require carbs in order to function most optimally.

Now a side note to everyone reading:

I personally know a female fitness/figure competitor (search “figure competition” or similar words to see what these ladies look like…they are very toned, often with very low…but not extreme low…body fat levels) and before one of her competitions a few years ago, as she was dropping her carbs to near-nothing to get in pre-contest shape upon the advice of her trainer, experienced a near-total adrenal collapse in the process.  She literally missed her competition because of it, was hospitalized, and to this day is still trying to recover.

Low carb works.  But we need to do it with wisdom and prudence.