“Just lower your carbs to lose weight.”
Those are the exact words I heard yesterday as I was training at my local gym. One of the more “sought after” trainers in the gym was telling his 40 year old female client to cut all carbs out for the next two weeks.
Pretty much everybody knows that lowering your carb intake can help you lose weight and burn fat faster.
You can just look at several published studies that show the benefits of restricting carbs:
– Reduce body fat more than calorie-restricted low-fat diets
– Lower blood pressure dramatically
– Lower blood sugar and improve symptoms of diabetes much more than low-fat diets, which also helps you burn more fat
– Increase your good cholesterol (HDL)
– Lower triglycerides significantly more than low-fat diets
But what these studies fail to show you is the DARK side of low carb dieting.
Whenever you lower carbs in your diet for more than 5 to 7 days at a time, it can lead to a downward spiral of metabolic problems including:
– Suppressed thyroid output (inefficient conversion of T4 to T3)
– Decreased testosterone production (women need this to burn fat too!)
– Compromised immune system function
– Slower metabolism and adrenal fatigue
– Muscle loss
– Slower fat burning and weight loss plateaus
– Leptin resistance (50% LESS fat burning hormone production)
Does that sound that something you want out of your health?
And every one of these negatives side effects can be even MORE damaging if you exercise intensely 4 or 5 days of the week.
So even though lowering carbs can be a lethal weapon in your fight against fat, you have to be careful and use low carb diets in “smartest” way possible.
And that’s why I cringed when I heard the trainer telling his client to cut all carbs for 2 weeks.
However, there is a secret weapon (High Carb days) that can offset these negative factors following low carb diets.
By increasing carb intake after an aggressive burst of lowering carbs for a few days (something I’ve coined “pre-cheat” depletion), you can literally REVERSE every negative side effect from above.
For example, increasing your carbs strategically can give you:
– More efficient thyroid output (increased conversion of T4 to T3)
– Increased testosterone production
– Improved immune system function
– Elevated metabolism and healthier adrenal glands
– Gains in lean muscle
– Faster fat burning
– Better leptin sensitivity (increased levels of fat burning hormones)
It allows you to indulge in your most intense cravings for carbs and purposefully abandon your low carb diet to offset the adaptations of short term extreme dieting and exercise methods.
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