Low Carb
A lot of people feel guilty when they are overweight. They feel it’s a lack of discipline and willpower that caused them to gain weight. They can also get self esteem problems if they feel they’re not attractive anymore, or that they look bad, no matter what they do.
There is something to be said about self discipline, and willpower. However, there are other factors as well.
The most damaging one in my opinion is the portrayal of underfed women as the epitome of beauty. In reality, these models go through unhealthy food regimes that affect their metabolism. If you ever see one of these models up close, you’ll notice that she’s wearing tons of make up. That’s because malnutrition shows a lot on the skin.
In any case, if you want to lose weight in a healthy way, I recommend following a low carb diet. Low carb diets are healthier than just starving yourself for the sake of thinness. Of course, it’s much better if a health specialist is consulted before undertaking a low carb diet.
Low carb diets are split in two different kinds, depending on how fast you want results, how much sacrifice you’re willing to make and your health conditions.
There are the low carb diets that aim to reduce only simple carbohydrates. Examples of foods that contain simple carbs are sugar, cakes, pastries and candies. These make you gain weight because their simpler composition makes them go through the metabolism process of the liver much faster. Carbs contain energy, and because they are metabolized faster, the energy that is not used right away is stored as fat. Since we seldom reach the high levels of physical activity that would need all that energy liberated so fast by simple carbs, the organism stores it as fat for future use.
Then, there are the low carb diets that aim to reduce both simple and complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are included in sweet foods that don’t contain sugar, like fruits and dairy products. These carbs have much more complex molecular chains that take longer to break down by the liver, thus releasing the energy included in them at a much lower rate. Since a sedentary life requires energy at a slower rate than an active life, this rate of energy release is more appropriate to it. This type of low carb diet is more extreme and it can’t be held for long.
Finally, no low carb diet should eliminate carbs altogether, as they are the main source of energy that we have.