Intermittent Low Carb vs Standard Dieting

By:  Maria



I get this question frequently:

"What do you think of low carb diets?"

Pfft!

That's a loaded question that elicits several other questions from my end. 

In my opinion, "diets" do not work - at least not the "diets" that most people talk about.  Those kind of diets are not viewed and approached as a lifestyle change, rather it's a temporary process to lose some weight.  Most people end up going back to their usual way of eating and typically put the weight back on.

However, the "diets" that are approached as lifestyle changes are the most successful and the ones I advocate and work on with my clients.  This type of diet is defined as the kinds of foods we consistently eat no matter the time of year - in other words, this is the way I want to eat from now on, even after I've achieved my fitness/health goals.

So when someone asks me what I think of low carb diets, I say it depends. There's a huge difference between temporarily restricting ALL carbs (including vegetables and fruits) to lose weight and deciding to restrict SOME types of carbs (refined flours, etc.) from your diet because you want to change your overall eating habits - from now on.

The former is unwise and the latter will probably contribute to several benefits in health and body composition.

There have been several studies showing that intermittent low-carb eating  have had a positive impact on not only weight and fat loss, but also insulin resistance - whereas caloric restriction over the long term did not.

In other words, restricting unfavorable carbs (grains, etc.) twice weekly vs restricting caloric intake each day showed better results, especially in terms of weight loss and fighting cancer (insulin - a cancer-promoting hormone).

What would a typical low carb meal look like?

VS

Notice a difference??

The first is made with spaghetti squash noodles and the second is made with higher carb pasta.  Nutrients are incredibly higher with the lower-carb squash noodles vs higher insulin load with the higher-carb pasta.  (you would be surprised how delicious squash is with meatballs and your favorite sauce!)

1 cup spaghetti squash noodles:  17.9g carbs/79.9 calories

1 cup spaghetti pasta noodles:  43.2g carbs/221.2 calories

Read more about the Intermittent Low Carb studies here and also here.