If you’ve decided to cut carbs to lose weight, you will likely achieve your goal.
Cutting carbohydrates in your diet can help you reduce belly fat quickly. By reducing carbohydrates, you not only decrease calories but allow your body fat to be used as a source of energy.
However, taking it as a lifestyle is not the best idea. Studies have made it clear that cutting carbohydrates for long periods is not the best health. (3,4)
Read on to learn the advantages and disadvantages of cutting carbs for weight loss.
Is it good to reduce carbohydrates to lose weight?
There are several methods and diets that suggest that cutting carbohydrates to lose weight is good. The best known are the low-carb diet and the ketogenic diet.
These diets are effective for losing in the short term, and even faster than following traditional diets. (1,2)
However, if your nutritionist does not suggest it, or you carry out these methods without the supervision of a professional, it is likely that you will get a rebound effect.
Also, to cut carbohydrates, you must eliminate most fruits and grains. This can lead not only to a lack of vitamins and minerals but also to dehydration, dizziness, and gastrointestinal problems.
In other words, cutting back on carbohydrates too much can cause side effects.
Read more:
Advantages of reducing carbohydrates in the diet
Studies have made it clear that one of the effects of cutting carbohydrates in your diet is losing weight fast. So some doctors and nutritionists use it in cases of overweight and obesity. (1,2,3)
The effects of the ketogenic diet compared to a traditional low calorie diet are better in terms of time. No question is whether cutting carbs works. The keto diet is one of the most effective short-term weight-loss diets.
In addition, carbohydrates generate glucose, the leading food of tumor cells. In some cases, it can be an effective cancer treatment. (5)
The advantages of reducing carbohydrates in the diet are:
- Lose weight faster
- Regulate blood glucose levels
- It may be a treatment for certain types of cancer
- Disadvantages Reducing carbohydrates to lose weight
Read more:
- Ketogenic diet and cancer
- Glucose – standard, high and low blood levels
- The ketogenic diet for diabetics
Disadvantages of cutting carbs
The bad news, reducing carbohydrates in your diet can lead to side effects.
Most carbohydrate foods are grains, fruits, and vegetables. By reducing the carbohydrates in the diet, there is a greater risk of lack of nutrients and dehydration.
In addition, side effects such as decreased attention power, digestion problems, bad breath, sleep disorders, and an increase in bad cholesterol can appear. (3,6) The disadvantages of reducing carbohydrates are:
- Less power of attention
- Digestion problems
- Sleep disorders
- Bad breath
- Lack of nutrients
- Dehydration
Read more:
- How much water should I drink per day?
- Ketogenic diet contraindications and side effects
- Sleep Disorders – What are they, and how to combat them?
How much carbohydrate should you eat per day?
The amount of carbohydrates you should eat per day depends on your gender and age. According to WHO, the approximate value for an adult with about 300-350 g per day. (4)
Also, it is essential to know that not all carbohydrates are the same. Limiting simple carbohydrates and weighting complex ones are critical to staying at your weight.
In other words, to both lose weight and stay healthy, you need to eat a good amount of carbohydrates of good quality. Choosing whole grains and pseudo-cereals and distributing them throughout the day is a basic rule to maintain your ideal weight.
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ABSTRACT
Reducing carbohydrates in your diet can be effective for weight loss.
The main advantages are that it is faster and can help control blood sugar levels in people with a tendency to type 2 diabetes.
The disadvantages of reducing carbohydrates in the diet are that you run a greater risk of nutrient deficiencies, decreased attention span, digestion, and sleep disorders.
If you are still deciding to cut back on carbs to lose weight, be sure to do so for no longer than 12 months.
