If you can’t lose weight by eating less, these doctors may have the solution

If you’ve struggled to lose weight over the years, you’ve probably tried some type of low-calorie diet at some point. Whether you’ve seen good results or not, doctors are now saying that low-calorie diets could actually be harmful to your body. So where does that leave you? Well, the answer may lie in low-carb diets that help fuel weight loss, while also being sustainable.

Doctors Say Low-Carb Diets May Boost Weight Loss More Than Low-Calorie Options

For years, many doctors have preached the benefits of low-calorie diets as a way to help boost weight loss. Now, however, new research says that such diets can actually slow down your metabolism. Thus, making it more difficult to lose weight in the long run. As such, doctors have started recommending low-carb diet options.

Where low-carb and low-calorie diets differ is that low-calorie diets require you to count the calories in the food you eat. As such, you have to severely limit the amount you can eat of anything. However, with low carbs, you need to avoid foods that contain high amounts of carbohydrates.

diets like ketogenic diet follow this low carb setup. Basically, you cut out the carb-heavy items like bread, pasta, and potatoes. From there, watch how many carbohydrates you eat by eating foods that offer lower amounts of them. Sounds similar to low-calorie diets, right? Well, it is, but it’s also very different.

The difference between counting carbohydrates and calories

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When you count calories, you trigger your body to defend itself, explained Dr. David Ludwig, a professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, to This day. It makes you hungry and even causes the body to slow down its metabolism so it doesn’t burn up stored calories as quickly.

So how does counting carbs help? According to Dr. Ludwig and his colleagues, a low-carb diet promotes weight loss by controlling your body’s insulin. By counting calories, you are not monitoring your insulin. When insulin levels are too high, fat cells are programmed to store calories. This prevents your bloodstream from becoming overloaded with them.

However, with a low-carb diet, you control your insulin levels better. This allows your body to burn calories as needed, instead of storing them for later. Also, low-carb diets are more sustainable than low-calorie diets. Thus making them better for weight loss if you stick with them.

Ultimately, you don’t have to follow as strict a low-carb diet as keto to lose weight. However, Dr. Ludwig and his associates recommend talking to your doctor to see if a more limited carbohydrate diet will help you with your weight loss goals.