http://www.carbfreecafe.com/carbohydrate/low-carbohydrate-diet-plans.html Low carbohydrate diet plans and exercise don't usually go together well. But most low carbohydrate diet plans will tell you that if you exercise you'll see results a lot faster. en-us Thu, 19 Jan 2006 13:01:47 EST Thu, 19 Jan 2006 13:01:47 EST Weblog Editor 2.0 Low carbohydrate diet plans have been known to be the diet of choice for people who don't like to work out, but if you can exercise on your low carb diet, do it. You'll be glad you did. Washboard Abs? Well, low carbohydrate diet plans can promise a lot of things, but washboard abs are something that you have to do extra work to get. Have you ever seen those people in the gym who don't have an ounce of fat on them? Wonder how they got that way? Chances are they eat very few carbs and have a lot of free time to work out like crazy. But combining exercise with your low carb diet is like taking the fast track to get to the size you want to be. The problem is, most low carbohydrate diet plans don't leave you with enough energy to do this. So what do you do then? Grab a diet Red Bull and hit the gym! We need to explain that last part. Carbs are the body's primary source of energy. Since your body needs a minimum of 130 grams of carbs a day to have enough energy to function, cutting back to less than half of that amount doesn't leave you with much energy. When you're feeling tired and lethargic, the last thing you want to do is go to the gym or work out, right? But you should, because working out gives you energy, and it will help you see the results of your low carb diet much sooner. Here's why... As we said before, carbs are what your body uses for energy. And during the first 20 minutes of any kind of workout, your body burns carbs. Then it starts burning fat. Since most low carbohydrate diet plans cut your carb intake so low, your body is already using the few carbs you've given it just to keep you awake and barely functioning. In the absence of carbs, your body will begin burning fat. So before, you had to work out far more than 20 minutes to burn any significant amount of fat. But on a low carb diet, if you work out even 20 minutes, that's 20 minutes of time that you're spending burning fat. For this reason, most low carbohydrate diet plans suggest that you work out. You can understand how it makes the diet work better--and faster! Thu, 19 Jan 2006 13:01:47 EST