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Atkins, Keto, Low-carb-high-protein - it seems for the last 20 years that carbohydrates have been public enemy number one. Every dieter has avoided them, but athletes are told they're crucial for performance. Physique competitors drop them before a show, but almost every food has a few carbs.
So what's the deal?
Here's the truth - whether you like it or not - about low carb diets.
The too long, didn't read summary:
This diet has many variations, but all versions involve low carbs with various protein and fat ratios.
These diets help control insulin, but ultimately it's about calories in vs calories out.
Cutting out carbs helps reduce available junk food, and limit overall calories.
Controlling insulin can help manage inflammation and disease.
There is an adaptation period required for your body to adjust using fat as a fuel source. Some people can't tolerate this.
Some weight is lost quickly when starting a low carb diet due to glycogen depletion and water loss. This can help motivate some people, but progress quickly stalls.
The Diets
Atkins, keto, and various offshoots of low-carb diets all have one thing in common: A low carbohydrate intake. The differentiating factor between them is the amount of carbohydrates you're "allowed" to eat, and the recommended levels of fat and protein.
The current government "recommended" daily intake of carbohydrates is about 60-70% of your total daily intake, with protein being 10% of your overall calories. Most experts and fitness enthusiasts can agree these numbers are skewed. This means that with a diet of 2000 calories, you're only getting 50 grams of protein.
Show me someone with a notable physique and athletic performance who only gets 50 grams of protein per day. It's not going to happen.
The Atkins Diet, made popular in the 1960's by Dr. Robert Atkins, suggests dropping the carbohydrate intake to approximately 30%. Similarly, keto keeps to a <20% carbohydrate intake but with fat as high as 60-70%, and low protein**. Other variations suggest keeping carbs below 20% with high levels of protein and moderate fat (low carb, high protein).
Here's a generalized rundown:
ATKINS Carbs = 30%; Protein = 30%; Fat = 40%
KETO Carbs = 20%; Protein = 20%; Fat = 60% LCHP Carbs = 20%; Protein = 50%; Fat = 30%
You can see, no matter which version you follow, all carbohydrate intake is lower than the current US average of ~60%. The only major differences are the amount of protein and fats.
**Ketogenic diets suggest low protein intake, as excess protein can be broken down into a pseudo-carbohydrate through a process called gluconeogenesis. These "almost carbs" circulate through the blood stream causing an increase in insulin, thus defeating the purpose of being in "ketosis".
The Claim - Insulin
So why lower the carbohydrate intake? Is there anything dangerous about carbohydrates?
Well no, of course not.
The main "reason" for low-carb diets is the regulation of insulin. Insulin is a signaling hormone that helps regulate fat storage and muscle building. Well, it's a bit more complicated than that. But that's the general idea. The best way to explain insulin is with an analogy of a doorbell.
Imagine you've ordered groceries online to be delivered to your house. The delivery driver shows up, rings your doorbell, and hands you the food. You put the food in your fridge and you go about your day.
Let's assume this happens once per week on Sunday.
Then, suddenly, the doorbell rings unexpectedly! It's Wednesday and you don't need groceries but nevertheless, the delivery guy is there with a bag full of food. Okay no problem. You take the food and put it in the fridge.
Then, Friday rolls around and the doorbell rings again! Same guy, same food. You're running out of storage.
If the doorbell started ringing every day, you'd have to buy a second refrigerator just to hold it all. If the doorbell rang every few hours, you'd stop answering it completely.
That's insulin. A doorbell.
Insulin itself doesn't do anything except ring a cell's doorbell. It a signal to the cell that glucose (food) is present, and the cell should open up and take it. Whenever you eat food, you trigger an insulin response. As soon as food touches your tongue, it's like you ordered groceries online. Your insulin levels rise to prepare the body for incoming food.
But just like if your doorbell is rung too often, eventually the cells have no need for food. The excess food has to be stored somewhere, so it goes to the fat cells. Worse still, if the delivery guy keeps showing up unannounced, you'll stop answering the door completely. The food will pile up on your front porch, and bad things happen.
That's called Type II diabetes.
Cue The Low Carb
Not too long ago, doctors and researchers figured out that carbohydrates caused the largest insulin response. That is, eating carbohydrates makes your insulin spike sky high to signal your body that it's time for energy. This is great if you're an endurance athlete needing a quick boost, or stranded in the wilderness with limited food.
But for people with desk jobs snacking on afternoon cookies, constant insulin spikes were leading to increased fat storage and obesity.
The simplest solution was to eat less - specifically carbs - to reduce the insulin spike.
Simple enough!
Does It Work?
So the big question of the day: Do low-carb diets work for fat loss? Absolutely!
Is it because of insulin? Not at all.
If you stopped ordering food online, and instead spent the time and energy to drive to the grocery store, you would likely buy less food. You wouldn't be surprised with a sudden appearance of groceries on your doorstep. Of course, you can still drive to the grocery store and buy tons of junk food.
In this analogy, reducing the insulin response has nothing to do with the amount of food you're buying. It's just altering the way you're buying food.
If you eat above your calorie needs in fat and protein, you'll still gain weight. Carbs just ring the doorbell. So why do low-carb diets work?
There are five main reasons low-carb diets work for fat loss and improving health.
1 - They limit many of the foods you eat.
It's hard to overeat if half of all available foods are off-limits. Cutting out breads, pasta, and even some vegetables seriously limits your ability to chow down freely. Low carb diets force you to analyze the food you eat, thus reducing your overall calories.
2 - They reduce junk foods and calorie density.
Sugar is a carbohydrate. If you don't eat carbs, you don't eat sugar. Junk food has a lot of sugar. Can you see where I'm going with this?
Most high-calorie foods have a lot of sugar and other junk in them. Cutting this out reduces your overall calorie intake.
3 - They are higher in protein.
Low-carb diets have to make up the difference with protein and fat. Higher protein intake makes you feel more full, and helps reduce your overall food intake. Plus, protein has a higher thermic effect of food (TEF), meaning it "costs" more to break down and use as a fuel source.
Read more about metabolism and TEF here.
4 - They give us an "anchor"
A diet is only as good as long as you can follow it. If a diet doesn't fit your lifestyle, it won't work. Many people can stick to a low-carb diet because the rules are simple. Don't eat carbohydrates. I call this a "mental anchor". It's an easy rule to grasp in the otherwise confusing world of nutrition and diet.
5 - Anti-Inflammatory Properties
One additional and well-studied effect of low-carb diets is the relationship between insulin and inflammation. Reducing overall insulin levels helps reduce inflammatory responses which contribute to other health concerns like heart disease, high blood pressure, and a host of other bad stuff.
Current research suggests that many diseases can be traced back to inflammation as a root cause. Reducing insulin levels can help reduce inflammation, and overall health problems.
The Cons
No diet is perfect for everyone. What works for some people may be detrimental to others. There are definite downsides with a low-carbohydrate diet. If you plan on participating, you should know what you're walking into.
First, it takes a while to become "fat adapted". Since carbohydrates are the body's preferred fuel source, a sudden disappearance of carbohydrates can be shocking. It takes some time (usually weeks) for your body to learn how to optimally process fat as a fuel source. Some people suggest that during this time you may feel "sick" or lethargic. You may not have the same energy as before. However, this feeling goes away soon.
Second (and this isn't really a downside), is a sudden loss of weight. For most, this is between 2 and 5 pounds during the first week. Others may experience more. It's important to note: This is not a loss of body fat! Your body stores excess carbohydrates in the muscle and liver. This is very useful for athletes and adventurers. It's called glycogen. It's like your body's pantry of canned foods and veggies - useful to keep around.
During a low-carb intake, your body will start breaking down glycogen as a fuel source before it uses body fat . Conveniently, your body ALSO uses water to help store the glycogen. Now you have no need for this excess water, so it's lost.
This is what most people refer to as "water weight" during the initial phase of any diet. It's very motivating to see a sudden 5 pound change, but understand it's not going to continue from week to week.
The Big Picture
You should know you don't need a low-carbohydrate diet to get these fat loss results. If you eat less food, specifically less junk food, and eat more protein, you will replicate most of the benefits of a low-carb diet.
To lose fat, you need to know how many calories you should be eating every day. Then just eat a little less than that. You'll be on your way to EASY weight loss.
Eating more protein and less overall junk food will help lower your insulin levels without worrying about bread intake. Now you can chow down on that appetizer when eating out with friends.
When matched calorie for calorie, all diets work about the same. But if cutting out carbs gives you something to focus on - by all means do it!
MORE Information
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