There's no lack of companies out
there who are promoting low carb diet as the ultimate
solution to lose belly fat. Just do an abs diet search on
the internet and you'll know what I mean. It is estimated
that there are at least 25 million people worldwide who
follow a high protein and low carb diet. There are many
schools of opinions in the effectiveness of such abs diet.
And there are those who have claimed great results. But just
how safe is a low carb diet?
Scientifically it is not safe to
go on a low carb diet to lose fat this is because there are
certain tissues in the body that require carbohydrates. For
example, the brain needs carbohydrates to maintain normal
function and transmit electrical impulse. At rest, 90% of
the energy needed to maintain such functions come from
carbohydrates, thus you must consume minimal amount of
carbohydrates to ensure normal physiological functions.
Also, if your carbohydrates
intake is insufficient, your blood glucose level will drop
and when this happens the person will become hypoglycemic.
The effects of chronic mild hypoglycemic include weakness,
decrease in coordination, mental confusion, dizziness and
ketosis.
If the shortage of
carbohydrates supply continues, the body will go into
ketosis and in severe cases metabolic acidosis will result
and this can cause serious problems.
The lack of carbohydrates
also affects the optimal function of our muscles. If you
want an effective and quality abs workout, then
carbohydrates are important. If you are suffering from
hypoglycemic due to insufficient carbohydrates supply you
will experience muscles weakness and you will not be able to
do any quality abs workouts because of that. You want to be
able to do a quality abs workout when you are training for a
great six packs. The lack of optimal muscle function will
allow you to do that and you will not get a nice toned abs.
Also, if you are on a low
carb diet, you'll lose weight in the beginning due to water
loss. When carbohydrates are stored in the tissues as
glycogen, water is also stored along with it. As the
glycogen is broken for energy, water is also released with
it and excreted in urine or perspiration. When you are not
getting sufficient carbohydrates, glycogen levels are being
utilized at an accelerated rate, resulting in the release of
water and increased urine output. And the result is rapid
fat loss.
However, people who lose
weight while on a low carb diet will gain it back easily,
plus more, when they stop the abs diet.
Fat loss is experienced when
the caloric expenditure is greater than caloric intake. An
abs diet needs to be balanced with sufficient proportion of
protein, carbohydrates, fats and other essential minerals.
Even though you are on a low carb diet you must ensure that
you consume sufficient carbohydrates for your basic bodily
functions.
The ability of you losing fat
and keeping it off very much dependent on you being able to
follow a change in lifestyle.