There is all this negative talk about low carb diets, but I've been researching them a lot during the last couple of weeks. There was a lot of bad press, but recent reports are showing that low carb diets aren't as bad as they've been made out to be. Here are some links to WebMD articles with information (these are specifically about the Atkins Diet, which I believe was the original low-carb)...
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/...tselectedguid={5FE84E90-BC77-4056-A91C-9531713CA348}
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/...tselectedguid={5FE84E90-BC77-4056-A91C-9531713CA348}
Low Carbing can have some side effects, but most of them come when the diet is not followed correctly, from what I understand. Some people simply can't do low carb, which is also something that's caused low carbing to get bad press. As with any diet, if you don't feel good when you're doing it, don't do it.
No matter what diet you choose, you should research it before beginning. Talk to your doctor--if he/she is up-to-date on recent low carb studies, they will have good info for you and will be able to tell you whether or not low carb is for you.
Despite all the posts saying absolutely not to low carb, you need to evaluate your lifestyle and decide what's best for you. Jayne (who posts here, but is on vacation) has been doing it the Atkins way and is having great success. A guy that I work with who was in really bad shape--as in way overweight, super high cholesterol, just really unhealthy--has lost 40 lbs doing it and has drastically reduced his cholesterol. I don't do low carb (yet), but I've been really thinking about it because the foods you eat on that diet are the foods I crave and because it IS a lifestyle change that I could live with.
Also, I don't want you to be under the misguided thought that low carb is all about bacon, eggs, etc. It's very important that you eat your vegetables as well as other foods--the Atkins website talks about all of this.
www.atkins.com And don't think that you'll be swearing off carbs for the rest of your life, that's not how Atkins works--after the first two weeks (called the induction phase), you start re-introducing more carbs until you find a balance that works for you.
If your health is an issue, losing weight is losing weight, no matter how you do it (within reason, of course!!) and your body will thank you for it.
Now, I'm not saying I'm all for low-carbs, because I still hesitate when it comes to doing it myself, but I do believe that it's important to find people who have succeeded using a low carb approach to losing weight. I think it's important to research any diet that you're thinking about starting, and I think it's vital to have non-biased and up-to-date information (for example, the WebMD articles).
The most life-changing thing that you can do for yourself is to find a diet that you can live with and succeed with.
Stepping off my soapbox now...
Low Carb vs WW
