Weight loss: why low-carb diets don't work...

Why diets don't work...

What: cutting carbohydrates.
Deemed an edible enemy by the deluded world of dieting, carbohydrates are frequently feared and forbidden by those who are fixated on fighting the flab.

Why it doesn't work: it can have detrimental consequences for our body and brain.
Although a low-carb diet may initially see us drop a dress size (this is largely due to the fact that carbohydrates play the most predominant part in our diet and are rarely replaced with an alternative when avoided - an action that leads to temporary weight loss as a result of a reduced caloric consumption), eliminating an entire and essential food group from our daily diet can not only have detrimental consequences for our body and brain - think dietary deficiencies, digestive difficulties and a decrease in cognitive capabilities - but it can also sabotage weight loss success by leaving us lacking the energy and enthusiasm to eat well and exercise - as carbohydrates are the body and brains preferred and primary form of fuel, ditching them from our diet can leave us feeling famished, fatigued and failing to sustain sensible food swaps i.e.we chronically crave (and often consume!) calorie dense foods that are sweet in flavour.

Ditch cutting carbs for: a diet that's derived from complex carbohydrates.
Instead of raising the risk of resorting back to unhealthy eating habits by 'banning' this mandatory macronutrient from your daily diet, focus on consuming complex carbohydrates such as wholegrains (think wholemeal bread and wholewheat pasta), whole fruit and vegetables as opposed to the simple carbohydrates found in food sources such as white bread, cakes and confectionery. This will not only ensure that the carbs you consume are nutrient dense rather than deficient, but aid weight loss by leaving you feeling fuelled and fuller for longer - the latter the result of the satiety stimulating fibre found in foods such as whole fruit.

Final thought: carbs can either shape or sabotage a slender silhouette depending on the quality (complex/healthier or simple/unhealthier) and the quantity that we choose to chronically consume. Although cutting them from our diet may (temporarily) drop a dress size, this is simply another short lived and unsustainable slimming solution that will inevitably sabotage (and super size!) our silhouette the second that we can no longer forbid our body and brains favoured form of fuel.

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