Saturday, April 7, 2007

Who Should Follow a Low-Carb Lifestyle?

Your Mileage May Vary

One of the most common short-hand notations found on most diet newsgroups is YMMV (Your mileage may vary)! And this is most certainly true of the low-carbohydrate way of eating. Not everyone will lose weight at the same speed. Some people reach plateaus in their weight loss (as with other diets). And some people experience some minor "withdrawal symptoms" as their bodies adjust to using fat for energy instead of carbs. Most of the negative side effects reported, such as tiredness, constipation, diarrhea, or headaches are only temporary. Most will disappear in a week or so. Some authors advise starting the diet slowly, by gradually reducing the number of carbs in order to minimize side effects. For most people, however, going "cold turkey" is the best approach.

So who should follow the low-carb lifestyle? Well, it wouldn't hurt for anyone who wants to lose weight to give it a try. But those who have developed hyperinsulinemia are perfect candidates for the low-carb diet. In fact, a low-carb diet is the ONLY treatment for hyperinsulinemia. Hyperinsulinemia usually leads to insulin resistance and its associated symptoms and disorders. It is often called Syndrome X.

Syndrome X

Syndrome X is manifested by some or all of the following symptoms and conditions:

* Hypoglycemia
* High blood pressure
* High LDL cholesterol
* High triglycerides
* Anxiety/Panic disorder
* Irritable bowel syndrome
* Binge eating
* Digestive disorders
* Obesity
* Heart disease
* Type 2 diabetes

If you have any of these symptoms or conditions, a low-carb diet may be the best treatment. In fact, it is the only way to actually treat the CAUSE of all these symptoms and conditions -- hyperinsulinemia. Medications and other diets can only treat the symptoms themselves, not the underlying cause.
Is there anyone who should not try a low-carb diet?

Recent scientific studies have shown that a low-carb diet is safe and effective. Therefore, anyone who desires to lose weight or who needs to bring their blood chemistry back into line, should try a low-carb lifestyle. However, there are those who, for whatever reason, cannot stick with the low-carb diet. It is very difficult (though by no means impossible) for vegetarians to follow a low-carb diet. Also, those who just do not like a lot of meat, eggs, and cheese may find this way of eating difficult to stick with for a long time. But for those who love steaks, shrimp, fish, chicken, omelets, cheese, and pork chops, and who don't mind giving up the bread, potatoes, and desserts, the low-carb alternative can easily become a life-long way of eating -- especially since your cravings for the high-carbohydrate foods will go away after a couple of weeks of low-carb eating.

source : http://wilstar.com/lowcarb/