http://www.questionsaboutcarbs.com/carbs/counting/dieting-when/ Dieting when counting carbs doesn't have to be hard, but nobody says it's easy, either. Read up on dieting when counting carbs before you start a low carb diet. en-us Tue, 27 Sep 2005 15:16:53 EDT Tue, 27 Sep 2005 15:16:53 EDT Weblog Editor 2.0 If you're dieting when counting carbs, you can certainly have success--if you're disciplined enough. But do you have to be dieting when counting carbs? Absolutely not. In fact, doctors are recommending a low-carb diet for diabetics--even if they don't need to lose weight. The key is in the counting. Dieting When Counting Carbs: A Numbers Game People who have great success with low carb diets often have that success because they are eating 20 grams of carbs a day or less. Considering that most of us need 130 grams of carbs a day (and most of us are used to way more than that) it's quite a shock to your body. But after a couple of weeks of only having 20 grams of carbs a day, your body goes into a state of ketosis. Ketosis is when your body starts using fat (ketones) for energy instead of glucose (which comes from carbs). And weight loss then begins. But not everyone adjusts well to living off of only 20 grams of carbs a day. Sam, a 45-year-old t.v. producer wanted to lose weight, so he tried dieting when counting carbs. He lost 25 pounds, but only allowing himself 20 grams of carbs a day left him tired, grouchy and suffering from headaches when he cut his carbs to 20 grams a day. He eventually increased his carb intake to 60 grams a day and maintained his weight loss without all the unpleasant side effects. You could say Sam was somewhat successful with dieting when counting carbs. And now he's not dieting when counting carbs. Instead, he's maintaining his weight loss while counting carbs. Weight loss achieved through counting carbs is no walk in the park. So many people eat way too many carbs that it might be impossible to go from such a high carb intake to such a low one, but it can be done with enough willpower. If you decide to go this route, don't do it for long. Our bodies do need carbs, just not as many as we tend to feed them. Tue, 27 Sep 2005 15:16:53 EDT