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12-PART FAT LOSS MINI-COURSE
Part 8 of 12 You're about to finally hear the truth about low carb diets... simplified... You'll also learn a unique new twist on the old low carb diet (a secret used by super-lean bodybuilders), that makes this approach work better and makes it easier to follow. All the details here in part 8 of BIG FAT LIES. Train hard and expect success, Tom Venuto, author of --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
No diet issue has ever created more confusion or controversy than the low carb vs. high carb debate. Contrary to what many low carb gurus tell you, carbohydrates are NOT fattening. What makes you fat is eating more calories than your body can use at one time. If you eat too much of anything, you will store the excess as body fat. Period. But don't throw out your low carb diet just yet! Reducing carbs may actually help some people increase weight loss and fat loss... but not for the reasons you've been told. Hardline low carbers usually insist on a hypothesis called “metabolic advantage." They believe that something happens in the body hormonally or metabolically where the reduction of carbs - independent of a reduction of calories - causes increased weight loss. The reality is quite different. Suppose you were given the following instructions: "Eat as much as you want, but you're only allowed to eat protein, fat and non-starchy vegetables (no grains, no starch, no sugar, no fruit, etc). Most people will lose weight from these kinds of restrictions. But it's not because carbs are inherently fattening, it's because reducing carbs makes it difficult to overeat. Stated differently, low carb diets trick you into eating less. Im not saying it's a bad thing if a diet helps you automatically control calories without actually counting the calories. I'm only saying that it's a bad thing - a terrible thing - to suggest that "carbs make you fat" or that "calories don't matter." As you learned in part one, it's almost impossible to stay on a diet if it's extremely low in calories. It's also difficult to stay on a diet if it's extremely restricted in food choices. Personally, I find it very distasteful to eat nothing but fat and protein with a few token veggies. That's why over the long term, low carb diets aren't much more effective than any other diet. As you can see, carb restriction isn't necessarily a bad idea, but it has pros and cons. Advantages of Low Carb Diets 1. Appetite control Low carb diets often tell you not to count calories. However, they're assuming that by restricting carbs, you'll spontaneously eat less. That's usually what happens. Easy calorie control appears to be a legitimate advantage of low carb diets. Just remember, there's no "metabolic magic" that allows you to eat unlimited fat and protein calories simply because your carbs are low. 2. Higher thermic effect Protein has a higher thermic effect than carbs (digestion stimulates metabolism more). Many low carb diets are high in protein. Studies have shown that high protein diets can increase fat loss, suppress hunger and improve weight maintenance compared to high carb diets. (Ironically, it appears that the higher protein gives the real "metabolic advantage" not the lower carbs). 3. Blood sugar and insulin control Carb restriction can provide better glycemic (blood sugar) control. This is beneficial for people who are carb intolerant or suffer from "metabolic syndrome" (where your body doesn't process sugar very well and tends to overproduce insulin). Consult a doctor if you have any blood sugar-related health issues to see what's right for you. Of course, there are two sides to every coin... Disadvantages of low carb diets 1. For most people, strict low carb diets are hard to follow. You tend to crave what you can't have, biologically and psychologically. The more you cut the carbs, the harder it is to stick with the diet and the easier it is to rebound when you put carbs back in. 2. Very low carb diets are often unbalanced and missing many nutrients. It's still debatable whether low carb programs like the Atkins Diet are unhealthy, but removal of entire food groups such as fruits and 100% whole natural grains is not nutritionally balanced for fiber, phytochemical and micronutrients. Furthermore, demonizing an entire macronutrient is never a smart idea. 3. Very low carb diets may cause low energy levels. Most people feel physically tired and mentally irritable without carbs. Low carbs = low energy. Low energy = poor workouts. Poor workouts = poor results. This makes low carb diets a poor choice for most athletes and active people. When you're training hard, you have to "feed the machine." 4. The intial rapid weight loss on a very low carb diet can be deceiving. Low carb diets make you lose a lot of water weight. It sounds impressive if you drop 5-7 lbs in your first week, but if one pound is fat, 2-3 pounds are water and 2-3 pounds are muscle, what did you really accomplish? Weight loss is the wrong goal. Fat loss should be your true objective. A lesson from the leanest athletes on Earth One thing I've noticed over the years is that almost all super-lean bodybuilders and fitness competitors use some type of high-protein, low carb diet to prepare for competitions. Why? because they want the low carb advantages, even if it's a more difficult diet to follow. 
Most bodybuilders however, use an interesting twist on the traditional low carb diet. It's called "carb cycling," where you spike carbs periodically instead of staying on low carbs all the time. Carb cycling works better for athletes and people who weight train and makes low carb dieting easier for anyone to follow. The bottom line? In the end, fat loss always comes back full circle to calories and to whether or you can stick with your program. My advice: Don't jump into a low carb diet without first assessing whether you're a good candidate for this approach. Then, if you decide to try reducing carbs, it's best used temporarily to break a plateau or reach a peak condition. It also appears that a moderate reduction in carbs with a slight increase in protein is enough to get most of the benefits of low carb diets without depriving yourself. And definitely give the carb cycling technique a try. ZERO carb diets are just plain nuts, they're torture to follow, and dropping all the way to 20-30 grams a day, as some programs require for induction, is not necessary and probably not healthy long term. 
In the next lesson, we will put an end to another long-standing fat loss debate: Cutting calories (diet) versus burning calories (exercise). Train hard and expect success, Tom Venuto, Fat Loss Coach PS. Many people ask me, "Tom, is your Burn The Fat program low carb, high carb, somewhere in the middle... what kind of program is it? Burn the Fat is neither high carb nor low carb. The starting phase is right in the middle - and could best be described as "Balanced Nutrition", with moderate amounts of healthy carbs. From that baseline, we adjust carb intake according to YOUR body type and training status. There's no single carb ratio that works for everyone. You have to adjust your intake of carbs, calories and other nutrients based on your goals, activity and your level of "carb tolerance." I do often recommend reducing carbs for aggresive fat loss goals and for carb sensitive individuals. The Burn The Fat program explains how to determine your level of carb tolerance, which will reveal whether you are the type of person who will do better with a reduction in carbohydrate. It also explains the most effective way to set up a carb cycling diet, which is the best way to do a low carb diet without the low carb side effects. DID YOU MISS ANY LESSONS? Big Fat Lies Part 1: You have to starve yourself Big Fat Lies Part 2: You need "Fat burner supplements to lose weight" Big Fat Lies Part 3: You can believe everything you read in the magazines Big Fat Lies Part 4: "Diet drinks and protein shakes help you burn fat" Big Fat Lies Part 5: "Calories don't count" Big Fat Lies Part 6: "The quick and easy lie" Big Fat Lies Part 7: "The genetics lie" 
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