The scoop on low carbs

It's personal now

Published on August 12, 2004 By apdelong31 In Diet

It's recently came to my attention that someone very near and dear to me has been cutting down the carbs in her diet. I don't even think she needs to diet, but apparently she does and there's no stopping her.

Anyway, I was wondering about the possible long-term effects of an extended low carb diet. I realize there hasn't been the opportunity to study the long term effects, as it's a new fad, but I've heard some not too flattering stories. Anyone who could help me out with some positives, negatives, etc would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

carebear07

on Aug 12, 2004

Humm....I think I know very well who you're talking about Andy. I agree that she doesn't need to go on a diet, but you know how us girls are, well...most of us. Well the effects could be this.......If you stay on a low carb diet for a long period of time, then if you quit the diet and start consuming carbs, you're digestive system will not digest them properly and it will all turn into fat and non of it will get burned. Unless of course you exercise. It does this weird thingy with your intestines. I forget what it's called. We talked about it in science class once. I hope this helps you on what you're looking for.

~carebear~

apdelong31

on Aug 12, 2004

Yeah, I was trying to remember what my science teacher told me about it. He mentioned one of the internal organs, either the kidneys or the liver, whichever it was, he said it has to change it's chemistry completely to account for the massive amounts of protein and less amounts of carbs.

carebear07

on Aug 12, 2004

Yeah something like that. I couldn't quite remember what we talked about when we talked about it. Anyways, keep your hopes up, maybe sooner or later she'll get some since not to do that to herself. So look on the bright side.

~carebear~

BlueDev

on Aug 12, 2004

Well, the short of it is that a low carb diet will certainly cause you to lose weight. Yep, it works. And the biochemistry behind it makes sense. Less carbs=less glucose in the blood. Less glucose in the blood=less insulin in the blood. And since insulin stimulates you to store fat, well, you can see how less of it would be a good thing for losing weight. Also less insulin=more glucagon, which is basically the counter to insulin. Whereas insulin stimulates cells to take up glucose and convert it to fatty acids to store up for later use, glucagon stimulates cells to burn those fatty acids. So your body turns over to burning more of its stores in order to keep blood sugar levels high enough to function. The liver breaks down glycogen to glucose so you can function (BTW the brain can only use glucose, it doesn't have any fat it can break down).

But does that mean it is really a good idea? I don't think so. What I am going to lay out here is mostly my opinion regarding the subject, based on my knowledge, so take it in that light.

Glucose is your bodies only form of energy. Seriously. Sure, fatty acids and proteins are important, but nothing like glucose. Glucose is really the starting point of metabolism, the first step in generating ATP. Fats and proteins can be converted and metabolized to enter the Kreb's cycle at other points and can carry out ATP production that way. But that is neither very efficient (results in a lower net yield of ATP for each cycle) nor entirely a good idea. Too much breaking down of fat in the presence of low glucose entering cells and you start to build up keto acids. They are the by product of fat metabolism into the whole metabolic pathway, and just ask any diabetic how afraid they are of ever becoming keto-acidotic. It can become life-threatening, and fast too. Of course it is going to take more for a normal, non-diabetic person to get to that stage, but a lot of that will be determined by their metabolic reserve. Also worth discussing briefly is the fact that for very few people really low carb diets are lifestyle diets. It is just a very difficult type of diet to maintain for the rest of your life, and relapses will pack the pounds on a lot more quickly than they came off. It just isn't very feasible for long term purposes. Sure, there are some who do it, but they are really the exceptions, not the rules.

It all boils down to one simple principle. The only way to lose weight is to expend more calories than you consume. There just is not any other way. Everything is just an attempt to make that easier. And far too often the baggage that comes along with these diets isn't worth it. Now, reducing the amount of simple carbs in a diet is always a good idea. Go for whole grains and fresh fruits and veggies. Having a balance diet that contained less simple carbs (pure white sugar and other highly refined carbs such as white bread-terrible stuff really) in favor of whole grains and complex carbs along with protein and low saturated fats will be much more beneficial, long term, and healthy than just cutting the carbs in favor of more protein and fat.

It is late, that was written fast, so if I didn't make something clear please don't hesitate to let me know!

Zoologist03

on Aug 13, 2004

Very well explained and in much detail, BlueDev...it makes perfect sense....actually I think as good as our science teacher explained it, eh Andy?

~Zoo

apdelong31

on Aug 13, 2004

Thank you BlueDev!!! Holy smokes, that's more than I could have hoped for from a post. It was all as clear as I could make it, my first year of high school biology is kind of a haze, and that just so happened to be when we learned about metabolism, cellular functions, Krebs cycle, etc.

I'm worried about her, but when am I not. I don't think she's really taking it very seriously, she just wants to put off pounds, which she doesn't need to lose. She's active, too, it's not like she sits around the house all day, so I can really only hope it passes.

Zoologist03

on Aug 13, 2004

Also...the next time we're in MSN please tell me who the heck is doing this....I suddenly have a real desire to know....

~Zoo

BlueDev

on Aug 14, 2004

Glad my explanation was clear guys. I certainly hope that it can help your friend in some way as well. Again, let me know if you need some more info.

blondelife

on Aug 14, 2004

Hey! I talked to my mom about this and my mom works in the hospital. A low carb diet is bad for you in many ways. For one it is really hard on your kidneys and you can have health problems and also when you go off it you gain all the weight back on most of the time. It isn't healthy for your body especially at a young age. You should try to get her to stop but she will learn after time that it will effect her in ways. She might not notice anytime soon but wait and watch and care for her.I hope i helped you out at least a little bit.

~blondelife~

carebear07

on Aug 14, 2004

Yeah, you can also get a heart attack from a low carb diet. I don't know if that was already said or not, but oh well here it is again.

~carebear~

KarmaGirl

on Aug 16, 2004

Yeah, you can also get a heart attack from a low carb diet.

Remember, how large Atkins was when he died? He was having congestive heart failure and went off his "diet" because of it. He died because his health was is such poor shape when he fell.

That silly food pyramid is still valid. Our bodies *need* certain vitamins and minerals. If people just ate in moderation and ate less calories than they burned than we wouldn't need "diets". Ever hear of the "diabetic" diet? It's based on the food pyramid. The original Weight Watchers diet was based off it. It still works.

We are not carnivores. Our digestive system isn't made to deal with that much protein.

blondelife

on Aug 16, 2004

I agree with you totally KarmaGirl. My mom told me that too but i didn't write it down.

~blondelife~

carebear07

on Aug 23, 2004

Yeah, I agree with both of you!

~carebear~

MartialDoc

on Sep 27, 2004

BlueDev had some really good advice there. Here are some other tips:

Eat smaller and more frequent meals. If you eat only one meal but it's huge, that is a lot worse than three smaller meals.

Don't ever try to totally change your diet overnight. Unless you are EXTREMELY disciplined, it won't work. Like others have already pointed out, you'll gain all the weight you lost and then some. Work slowly and gradually (this goes in contrast to the American Diet idea but it's the best way to go).

Try not to eat food after 7 PM... it's hard for you body to digest it. And NEVER eat right before you go to sleep.

And always drink lots of water. That goes for everyone

1/2 of your body weight in ounces per day is ideal (so if you weigh 140, drink 70 ounces per day). Again, start gradually. You body needs water for everything it does.

Hope that helps

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