Low Carb Diets: Eight Worst Things About Them

by Anna Jones, Chief Editor

New versions of low carb, high protein diets are always appearing on bestseller lists,
and every new low carb diet claims to have  the perfect combination of low
carbohydrate high protein meals that will allow you to shed weight like a duck sheds
water.

The diets claim that you can lose weight quickly without any effort.  They look like they’re
the new miracle diet. What’s not to like? Why shouldn’t we all run out and buy a low
carb diet book right now?

Because they have numerous dreadful, sometimes harmful side effects and
because many scientific studies show that they DON’T WORK in the long run - that’s
why!  Yes, just like with any diet, you will lose weight in the short term, but with a low
carb high protein diet you will run a risk of damaging your health and then the pounds will heap
right back on as soon as you go back to eating normally.

Here are a few of the nasty side effects that you will endure if you follow a low
carb high protein diet:

1.    High protein diets force people to enter a state of ketosis (burning ketones) which
means they are excreting acetone in their urine and breath. This causes very bad
breath.

2.    Dizziness, as your body’s energy stores are depleted.

3.    Ketosis can cause nausea.

4.    Many low carb dieters report severe headaches caused by ketosis.

5.    High risk of kidney stones because of an increased “acid load” in the kidneys caused
by ketosis.

6.    Constant cravings for sweets.

7.    Exhaustion, because you are not consuming enough carbohydrates, which your
body uses for energy. Which means that you won’t have enough stamina to
exercise, which means you are not building muscle or aerobic capacity.

8.    Low carb dieters gain all of their weight back!  At a presentation of the Endocrine
Society’s national meeting, a study revealed that after two years, only five percent of
low carb dieters kept all of their weight off.

But don’t despair! There are alternatives to low carb diets, which are safe and healthy
and effective.

By the way, read this weight loss program consumer report to see why it’s my Top Pick.