The low carbon diet

This diet is amazing. You will never feel hungry again yet still lose weight. This is not a gimmick or the latest fad. The diet has been around for decades. Most people will lose 10-30 pounds in the first month with this diet! How do they do it? They eat all the meat, cheese, eggs, and fats (like butter and oils) until they are full. There is no calorie counting or using tasteless low fat foods. There is no starvation in this diet. What is the trick you may ask? Limiting carbohydrates in your daily food intake.

If you don't know what the low carbon diet is, where have you been for the last 10 years!!
This diet becomes the most popular of all the 'low-carb' diets and is used by dieters all over the world, including celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker and Minnie Driver.
I have used the Atkins diet many times, and in fact even when not dieting strictly I always try to follow some of its basic rules, like cutting down on carbs.

Diet: Basics

- Foundation

Eating refined carbohydrates, particularly sugar, flour and corn syrups causes the obesity. This is the main fodation of this diet. It reduces the intake of carbs, so that the body stops burning glucose and starts burning fat.
It also tells us that we need not worry about saturated fats, and that trans fats are what should really concern us.

- Diet

Here's the best part of this diet, and one of the reasons why it is so popular - followers can eat reasonable quantities of meat, cheese, vegetables, nuts and fish. So you can keep eating those burgers!
Now the tough bit - foods that are restricted in this diet include potatoes, fruit, rice, pasta, bread, caffeine, alcohol. So you may need to put your social life on hold for a while.

- Phases of diet.

The low-carb diet follows 4 stages:
1. Induction - the first and hardest phase, involving a carb intake of less than 20 net grams per day. Followers often report the greatest weight loss in this phase. (Its not easy to stick to 20 grams though)
2. Ongoing Weight Loss - an increase in carb intake of about 5 grams per day.
3. Pre-maintenance - a consolidation phase of diet, where carb intake is increased to the new long-term level.
4. Lifetime maintenance - long-term maintenance of the lower weight at this new lower carb intake. Here's the rub - you've got to stick with it! Changing back to your old eating habits can result in a very fast weight gain.

Low carb diet: Pros

- This diet can and does result in rapid weight loss. I have had some amazing results, especially when aiming to lose a quick 10lbs after the holidays.

- It is fairly easy to follow, and allows followers to eat many delicious foods (meat, cheese etc) that other diet restrict.

- There is little calorie restriction, so dieters rarely feel hungry in this diet

Cons

- Fall in energy levels with lower carb intake.

- Deviation from the diet, i.e. eating carbs again, can put the weight back. After this diet

- No alcohol can sometimes really cut back on your social life!