I'm a recovering low carb-aholic.

Just had to get that out there before diving into this one.

Do you remember when fat was the enemy?

Since then, carbs have replaced fat as the food you need to limit/avoid if you want to lose weight.

I followed this low carb craze for a lot of years. When I did it right, I saw some great results. When I did it wrong, I saw some not so great results.

Even though I was able to get fairly lean following a low carb approach, I would always hit the same plateau after a while and start to feel depleted.

If you're currently eating low carb, or you're thinking about going low carb, here are some key considerations I learned based on my experience:

1) There is no benefit to going low carb, when it comes to losing weight, when calories and protein are equated for

Studies show that when calories and protein intake are controlled for, there is no weight loss benefits to eating less carbs. 

That being said, people often lose weight on a low carb diet simply because they're eating less calories.

Breads, sugars, pastas, rice, grains, etc are real easy to overeat. Take those out of your diet, and people tend to feel more full while eating less.

If you prefer to control your calories this way, that's fine, but it's not a superior approach (and can actually trick you into thinking you're losing more weight than you actually are - see point #2 for more on this)

Controlling calories - not your carb intake - is the real driver to fat loss.

2) You can see quick weight loss results on the scale, but you're not necessarily losing fat

When you reduce carb intake, it's common to see some quick drops in your scale weight.

This is usually due to water loss, not fat loss. 

When you consume carbs, your muscles store muscle glycogen (which also stores more water within your muscles)

This is also why your muscles can appear more 'flat' when you go low carb (which is what I experienced)

Remember - your goal is fat loss. Not just weight loss.

Don't be deceived by a quick drop in weight into thinking you're losing more fat than you actually are.

This will lead to frustration when your weight loss stalls.

3) I found it hard to train hard, and this was probably a big reason for losing weight AND muscle

I actually felt really good mentally when on a low carb diet, but my physical performance would always suffer sooner or later.

And if I was training hard, my sleep and overall energy would also suffer.

I would continue to lose weight, but it was more muscle loss and less fat loss (due to lower training intensity and lower protein intake)

I believe your body can adapt to using more fat as fuel, but that doesn't mean that it is the preferred source of energy your body wants to use for training.

4) It's easy to overdo it on the fat, and therefore stall your weight loss efforts

Because I wrongly assumed that carbs (and not calories) were the main driver for weight loss, I would often sabotage my results without even realizing it.

When you're eating lower carb, you'll need more fat to replace your calories.

But that doesn't mean you can eat unlimited fat and still lose weight.

I would be adding butter to my coffee, eating fatty cuts of meat, drenching my vegetables in oil, and adding avocado to everything (yes please) 

However, those calories quickly add up and can take you out of a calorie deficit.

If you're not careful, it's easy to kick yourself out of a fat burning state (and even gain weight) while on a low carb diet.

5) I've felt much better since adding the appropriate amount of carbs back into my diet

I believe everyone should continually experiment with their body to find what works best for them. Maybe low carb is the way to go for you based on how hard you're training and how hard you feel.

I wrongly assumed that carbs were bad, simply because some fitness 'experts' claimed them to be.

Once I introduced carbs back into my diet, in the right quantities, while prioritizing protein and consistent calorie intake, I've felt my best and gotten the best results.

I ate plenty of carbs on my way down to sub 10% body fat, while being able to still fuel my workouts and train hard.

I don't think I would have been able to get the same results on a low carb diet.

What are your experiences going low carb? Click here to join the newsletter, reply to the next email, and let me know.

Dr. Dave