Problems With Low Carb Diets

When it comes to the low-carb (carbohydrates) diet craze, you may wonder if there are any problems associated with low-carb diets. Individuals on low-carb diets normally rely on a high-protein diet for energy. Although proteins are essential for may processes in the body, carbohydrates also play an important role. Eliminating a food group from your diet, could have serious consequences.

1. Muscle fatigue. The lack of a healthy amount of carbohydrates in your diet depletes your muscles and liver of healthy glycogen, which in turn leads to dehydration. Dehydration in turn leads to deceptive weight loss. Because your body is dehydrated, you obviously weight less. However, because your muscles don’t receive the healthy glycogen they need for fuel, you may get fatigued and lack energy to carry out your daily activities.  
2. Muscle loss. To maintain muscle tone, your muscles continue to contract while you rest. Without a healthy supply of glycogen, however, your muscles will contract less. In addition, without the right fuel, you exercise less than normal. The result is muscle loss, or atrophy.   
3. Slower metabolism. Metabolism occurs in your muscles.  When you lose muscle, though, your metabolism slows down, and you don’t burn as many calories as you normally would on a daily basis. 
4.  Low-carb diets may lead to high cholesterol. Depending on the kind of protein you eat, a low-carb diet may be rich in saturated fat. This could cause a person to develop heart disease and some types of cancer, like colon cancer. 
5. Low-carb diets are generally low in fiber. If you limit your intake of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, your diet could be deficient in fiber. Lack of sufficient fiber in turn can cause constipation, gastrointestinal problems and a build-up of toxins in your body. 
6. Understand that if you abandon your low-carb diet, you may regain any lost weight. In order to experience permanent weight loss, you must continue to follow a low-carb diet plan.