Carb Free Cafe - Low Carb Diets

Low Carb Diets

Comparing Low Carb Diets

There are three basic categories of low carb diets:

Practically no carb
Low carb
Moderate carbs

There are at least three big low carb diets, and each of them focuses on one of these categories. They are the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet and The Zone diet. Here we'll compare all three.

The Atkins Diet

This is probably the most well known of all low carb diets. During the first two weeks of this diet (known as the induction phase) you get 20 grams net carbs. After that you get 30-60 grams during a phase they call Ongoing Weight Loss. During Lifetime Maintenance you get 60-120+ grams a day.

The induction phase is necessary to get your body used to a fat-burning metabolism instead of a carb-burning metabolism, stabilize your blood sugar, start burning fat and break your addiction to carbs. You can eat enough of the foods on the approved list to feel satisfied, but don't stuff yourself.

The next phase, Ongoing Weight Loss, your focus will still be on high protein foods, but you will also get more vegetables. Gradually you can add in things like nuts, seed and even some berries.

The next phase is called Pre-Maintenance, and you add even more carbs back in to your daily diet. This is difficult because it slows your weight loss down, and at this point, you aren't quite at your goal weight yet. In fact, you're about 10 pounds away. But avoid the temptation to skip this step. According to the Atkins book, it's crucial if you want to keep your weight off for good.

Finally, you're in the Lifetime Maintenance stage. You are at your goal weight, and as long as you follow the plan, you can keep it off for good. At this point, you can enjoy a lot of the same foods you did before (except sugar).

The South Beach Diet

This diet hasn't been around as long as the Atkins diet, but it's just as popular. It's also a little less restrictive than other low carb diets. The main focus is on the good carbs (complex carbohydrates). Like the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet has phases.

Phase one is called the Strict Phase, and it lasts two weeks. During this time frame, you get regular sized portions of high protein foods like meat, fish, eggs, vegetables cheese and nuts. (On Atkins, you don't get most vegetables and nuts until later.) The purpose of this phase is similar to the Induction Phase of Atkins--to change your body chemistry, lose weight and curb your sugar and starch cravings.

Phase two is called the Weight-Loss Phase. During this phase you'll learn about the Glycemic index and you'll gradually reintroduce complex carbohydrates in your diet. These are goods like whole wheat or whole grain breads, whole wheat pasta, fruit, long grain or brown rice, whole wheat tortillas and more.

The third and final phase is the Maintenance Phase, and it's similar to Atkins. The book or the web site will show you how to be successful in maintenance.

The Zone

The Zone diet fits into our moderate category of low carb diets. It uses a ration of 40% carbohydrates, 30% proteins and 30% fats, and is also known as the 40-30-30 plan. This ratio controls the amount of insulin in the bloodstream, which is good because too much insulin can make you store fat and thereby gain weight. Although The Zone diet doesn't ban any particular food group (like carbs) it does discourage grains, starches and pastas with high fat and carbs. Instead, you should focus on fruits, vegetables, foods with healthy fats instead of trans fats and complex carbohydrates instead of simple carbohydrates.

Before choosing one of these diets (or a different diet entirely) it's important to research it thoroughly so you know what you're getting yourself into. You also have to be able to make your choice based on what you know you can do.

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