http://www.carbcommando.com/carb/low-carb/low-carb-diet/low-carb-diet-plan/ A low carb diet plan can help you lose weight quickly, but watch out for the side effects a low carb diet plan can give you. en-us Wed, 09 Nov 2005 13:29:44 EST Wed, 09 Nov 2005 13:29:44 EST Weblog Editor 2.0 Low carb diet plans have become popular over the years because when done correctly, people seem to lose a lot of weight quickly. And when you want to lose weight fast, you tend to focus on the positive and ignore the negative--a practice that can lead to health problems if you decide to go on a low carb diet plan that's really restrictive for a long period of time. Finding the Right Low Carb Diet Plan If you're considering starting a low carb diet plan, take the time to do some research. There's a difference between going low carb and almost no carb. Some low carb diets like Atkins and Neanderthin are so low in carbs that they should be called "no carb" diets. Here's the thing: Your body needs 130 grams of carbs a day to function properly. Plus, carbs are the only nutrient that make it to your brain. On the one hand, most of us eat far more than 130 grams of carbs a day. In that case, a low carb diet plan might be a good idea. Cutting carbs from 225-250 a day down to 130 grams can actually be beneficial and help you lose weight without damaging your health. Almost any low carb diet plan you'll find will only allow you to have 20 grams of carbs a day in the first two weeks. After that, the more restrictive low carb diets will only allow you 60 grams a day until the desired weight loss is achieved, then to maintain your loss you can have no more than 130 grams a day. But if you have a lot of weight to lose and you're on a low carb diet plan that only allows 60 grams a day during weight loss, you could be in that phase for a long time, and you run the risk of the following side effects: Headache Nausea Bad breath Kidney damage Heart disease Osteoporosis Constipation To avoid this unpleasantness, stick to a low carb diet like South Beach or with low carb diet plans that only cut back to 130 grams of carbs a day. Your weight loss might be slower, but at least you'll be in good health--and still be feeding your brain all the while. Next: Low carb diet books Low carb diet food Wed, 09 Nov 2005 13:29:44 EST