http://www.carbsmith.com/carbohydrate/n24.html A low carbohydrate diet program is the diet of choice for many people these days. But a low carbohydrate diet program isn't for everyone. en-us Thu, 01 Dec 2005 10:19:02 EST Thu, 01 Dec 2005 10:19:02 EST Weblog Editor 2.0 The reason a low carbohydrate diet program is so popular is because you can lose a lot of body fat in a short amount of time. But it doesn't make a lot of sense health-wise. Getting with the Program When you decide to start a low carbohydrate diet program, you probably want to shop around to see which one is the best for you. Obviously, the ones that allow the least amount of carbs will probably work the fastest. You'll also probably notice that during the first two weeks, you barely get any carbs. Most plans only allow 20 grams a day, in fact. Then you get anywhere from 40-60 grams a day until you've lost the weight you want to lose. Then you get something like 130-150 grams a day to maintain your weight loss. Now that's the only amount that makes sense. Why? Because we need 130 grams of carbs a day. Seriously. That's the exact amount of fuel our bodies need, and carbs are fuel. Think of it this way: Your car probably requires 12-15 gallons of fuel. When it runs out, it stops. Well, your body functions in a similar manner. It needs 130-150 grams of carbs to function. The difference is that when it runs out of carbs, it doesn't stop, but it certainly doesn't function well, particularly if it's carb-starved for a long period of time. On a low carbohydrate diet program, you do get other foods that can be used as fuel, but it's like continually putting regular gas in an engine that requires unleaded. There are some pretty undesirable side effects. For one thing, when your body is burning fat for fuel, it is in a state called ketosis. The side effects of ketosis are bad breath, headaches and nausea (in some cases). Combine this with other side effects of a low carbohydrate diet program (such as irritability and constipation) and it makes it sound less appealing. Okay, let's say you've burned all the fat off your body through your low carbohydrate diet program. Your body fat percentage is 1%. Your body doesn't have enough carbs or fat to burn for fuel. What now? It starts burning protein for fuel instead. This releases uric acid into your bloodstream, which eventually causes kidney damage. There are things you can do to avoid all of these unpleasant side effects, and if you read the materials that accompany your low carb diet and follow them to the letter, you might be okay. But the healthiest way to lose weight is to cut calories and eat healthy food, not cutting carbs. (Not all carbs anyway.) Thu, 01 Dec 2005 10:19:02 EST