Carbs Explained - Low Carb Diet Plans

Low Carb Diet Plans

Differences in Low Carb Diet Plans

If you're researching low carb diet plans, you might be surprised at the number of them that are out there. There's the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet, Neanderthin and Sugar Busters just to name a few. These barely scratch the surface of what's out there. Now, some of these low carb diet plans are healthier than others. Check out how these low carb diet plans rate on our restrictiveness scale below:

Neanderthin - Very restrictive
Atkins Diet - Restrictive
South Beach Diet - Somewhat restrictive
Sugar Busters - A little less restrictive

Not very scientific, we know. But if you're going to go on a low carb diet plan, you need to choose one that comes with a book that can serve as your guide, then make sure you follow every detail Don't ask your friends how they do their low carb diet plans. You're going to get a lot of different answers and opinions, and you'll likely end up doing a mixture of different low carb diet plans, unbeknownst to you. You might have two or three friends who are on a low carb diet, but one might be on Atkins, one on South Beach and one on Sugar Busters. These are three drastically different low carb diet plans, and you can't combine the rules and expect to have success.

The Best "Low Carb" Diet

The best way to go low carb is to write down what you eat every day for a week. At the end of the week, grab a carb counting book and count the number of carbs in the food you eat. (Yes, it will be a pain. And yes, you will have to weight and measure your food. But you'd be wise to do that on any diet.) You'll probably be surprised at the number of carbs you eat each day. Your body only needs 130 grams of carbs a day to function properly, so if you're eating 200 grams a day or more, cutting down to 130 grams a day is probably the best low carb diet. Also, make sure you're making the right carb choices. Cut white flour, regular pasta and refined sugar. Instead, opt for whole grains, fruits and vegetables, whole wheat pasta and brown rice. Those carbs are actually good for you!