Practical Weight Loss Tips – Good Carbs, Bad Carbs, What’s The Difference?

For practical weight loss, you need to know about carbs. Some fad diets ban carbs altogether. Others say low carb dieting is the only way to go. Good carbs, bad carbs, no carbs – what is best is you want to lose weight and keep it off for good?

Low carb dieting has become more common in the past few years, especially with the well-known Atkins Diet and South Beach diet. These diets are popular due to their promise of a quick and easy way to shed extra pounds and inches. The attraction of low-carb or no-carb eating is that it is relatively simple to ban a particular food, or family of foods, from your diet. The low-carb/no-carb formula is banishing (or severely limiting) all breads, pasta, potatoes, rice and other grains and anything with sugar, including the natural sugar in fruits and some vegetables.

No carbs also means no beer, wine or alcohol. Instead, low-carb dieters eat plenty of meat and dairy. There is no restriction on high fat foods, including saturated fats. It is true that there can be dramatic weight loss on a no-carb or low-carb diet, at least initially, but it is difficult to maintain this way of eating, and it can threaten your health if you do.

We need carbs for energy – they are also ‘brain food’ that aids our thinking and boosts mood and the overall feeling of wellbeing.

Practical Weight Loss Tips – Dangers of a Low Carb Diet

A very low-carb or no-carb diet is designed to send the body into ketosis, a state of semi starvation. Signs of ketosis, in addition to weight loss, are fatigue, irritability, constipation and very bad breath. Ketosis can send you to hospital because it raises the risk of stroke and heart attack, among other major health threats. It also raises your cholesterol level (which, untreated, blocks arteries and so is a forerunner of stroke and heart disease).

Avoid these Bad Carbs

So what are the bad carb foods? Anything with high levels of sugar, such as fruit juices, or added sugar, such as many processed foods and convenience foods and snacks (read labels – if sugar is among the first ingredients listed, don’t buy it).

Choose Good Carbs to Help You Lose Weight

Avoid refined foods, especially if they are made from wheat and most grains, such as pastas, bread, pastry and crackers – these are bad carbs. Instead, choose good carb whole grain versions (breads, pastas) and limit how much you eat of these. You need to eat vegetables, but want to avoid the starchy vegetables, such as rice and potatoes (except right after a workout, when eating starchy veg helps develop muscle. You need to gain muscle to burn more fat).

Every meal should be a balance of good foods, including about a third of that meal made up of good carbs, such as broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms and salad greens. Good carb fruit choices are apples, cantaloupe and all types of berries.

The best practical weight loss tip I can give you is to choose the right eating plan, one that includes a balance of healthy foods, and stick with it to get to your ideal weight and maintain it for life.

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