Sooner or later, many will likely give up and eat without restriction, hence the prevalence of “yo-yo dieting.” 5 While it should be possible to lose weight on any diet, some appear to make it easier and some to make it much harder.
Most people don’t like to “just eat less,” as it may result in having to go hungry forever.
Obviously, it’s still possible to lose weight on any diet – just eat fewer calories than you burn, right? The problem with this simplistic advice is that it ignores the elephant in the room: hunger. What’s new is that reviews of modern scientific studies have repeatedly shown that low carb is at least as good, if not better, than other approaches to diet. This is an old idea: for 150 years or more there have been a huge number of weight-loss diets based on eating fewer carbs. If you want to lose weight, consider starting by avoiding sugar and starch (like bread, pasta and potatoes). To learn more about the rationale for this, see our guide on restricting calories for weight loss.Ĭontroversial topics related to a low-carb diet, and our take on them, include saturated fats, cholesterol, whole grains, red meat and whether the brain needs carbohydrates. We don’t recommend counting calories, which is controversial. This guide is written for adults with health issues, including obesity, that could benefit from losing weight. Discuss any changes in medication and relevant lifestyle changes with your doctor. The main potential danger regards medications, especially for diabetes, where doses may need to be adapted. While a low-carb diet has many proven benefits, it’s still controversial. 3 We believe it is a more sustainable diet, however, as it typically leads to caloric restriction without hunger or counting calories. Disclaimer: In this weight-loss guide, we recommend a low-carb diet, as it has repeatedly been shown to be equivalent to or better than other diets.