What will happen if I cut carbs out of my diet?
Q) Cutting carbs out of your diet? What will happen if I cut carbs out for a couple of weeks? Have you done it? How did you feel? What were your energy levels like? Concentration? And did you lose any weight? If so, how much?
A) If you cut all carbs out of your diet for a couple of weeks (assuming you have got some weight to lose) you will lose weight. It is one of the most effective ways of losing weight.
I research obesity and there is an ongoing debate about whether all calories are the same and I (along with Kekwick & Pawan, Atkins and many others) firmly believe that cutting carbs has more impact than cutting calories. (I just had to observe my brother develop diabetes aged 15 and he lost 20lbs in 10 days simply because he no longer produced any insulin). The only foods that make your body produce insulin are carbs – hence why cutting carbs can have such a dramatic effect.
To have maximum impact you probably want to do the first stage of Atkins, in effect. This allows no more than 20g of carbs each day so this would allow you a small portion of green salad or green vegetables with each of your 2 main meals and NO other carbs. No fruit, rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, coloured vegetables etc.
How will you feel? Possibly not great! Bad breath and constipation are the 2 most commonly reported symptoms. You may well (not certain) suffer low energy in the short term, as the body finds it easier to get energy from carbs, so your body will have quite a shock and may struggle to make energy in the first few days. Some people, however, report feeling quite bright and clear headed (after all – you are also avoiding all processed foods and sugar and other stuff that you are much better off without). So it really varies per person – you could always try it?!
How much you will lose will depend on how much you have to lose. If you are just 7lbs above your natural weight (your natural weight is likely to be somewhere around 20-21 BMI most likely), you will probably lose this in 2 weeks. If you have 100lbs to lose, you could lose 10-20lbs.
The first weight lost in a diet like this is water. This is because the body will raid its store of glycogen the minute you deny it carbs and every gram of glycogen is accompanied by 3-4g of water – so you will lose a few pounds in the first couple of days.
The key challenge will be – can you stick to this? If you can, you will lose weight.
Hope this helps
All the best – Zoe Harcombe
10 Responses to “What will happen if I cut carbs out of my diet?”
Comments
Read below or add a comment...
Keep in Touch
My Books
Click on an image to purchase
All books in stock & shipped within 48hrs
Can't wait for the post? Full versions of all books are available as instant downloads.
Instant access now >> Click here for more info
Like what you’ve seen?
More Resources
Dear Zoe,
If Im triying to cut out carbs to lose weight is it still effective if they are swapped with wheat free variety ? for example instead of bread have wheat free bread or wheat free pasta or swap noodles for rice noodles ? would that work or do you have to cut it out all together ?
Thanks
Louise
Dear Zoe,
What about all the vitamins we need from fruits? How can we afford NOT to take them?
Thanks
Hi Michalis – great question! There are 13 vitamins in total: A, B1, B2, B3 (Niacin), B5, B6, B12, Biotin, Folic Acid, C, D, E and K.
The fat soluble vitamins are A, D, E and K and – as the name suggests – they are delivered in fats and need to be for their absorption. The best sources of these vitamins are animals and their by products – meat, fish (especially cod liver oil), eggs and butter/cheese is a good source of Vit A.
The water soluble vitamins are the B and C group. All of the following fall into the B Vitamin group – B1, B2, B3 (Niacin), B5, B6, B12, Biotin, Folic Acid – and the best sources, again, are meat (especially organ meat) and eggs and whole grains are also a good source of B Vitamins. B12, of course, is ONLY found in animal products and therefore must be taken as a supplement by vegans (vegetarians can get B12 in eggs).
So we are left with Vitamin C – and this is the only Vitamin over which there is any debate between carnivores and vegetarians. Some will argue that liver and raw meat contains Vitamin C (Steffanson seemed to prove this living with the Inuit Eskimos for 10 years in the 1920′s and they suffered no scurvy (Vit C deficiency) and nor did he – with nothing but arctic animal foods to eat). Human ancestors appear to have lived through long periods of no vegetation whatsoever and the species didn’t die out – which also suggests animal foods can supply all our nutrients. What I think it is fair to say is – whichever side of the debate you favour – the only Vitamin of 13 over which there can be any debate is Vitamin C and, even if we need a few berries here and there – we have nothing like the need for fruit or any carbs in the quantities in which our UK and USA governments currently advise we eat them.
That is not to ignore the fact that fruit is delicious – nature’s finest treasure quite possibly – but not ideal for those trying to lose weight and/or suffering Candida and/or very carb sensitive.
Come and join us in the club as I won’t be answering here much longer!
http://www.theharcombedietclub.com
Very best wishes – Zoe
thank you Zoe! I have already subscribed to the club!
Kind Regards,
I do not eat egges so I was wondering what I could eat i phase 1 in place of eggs? Thanks
Hi Bee,
we now run a help forum for all personal dietary questions over at http://www.theharcombedietclub.com/forum
You’ll need to register (it’s free) and then you can post any personal questions you may have. There’s a great support team to help you out
We look forward to seeing you over there.
hello zoe i am on phase 1 (day 3) of the diet have found it hard at times but am gobsmacked that my everyday craveings for cerial ,bread ,crisps and pasta have gone the sudden urge to binge wich was the norm for me have gone i cant say i am enjoying this phase but i have stocked up on goodies for phase 2 do i have to measure my cerial or pasta and what about wholemeal bread i have done EVERY outher diet and cant understand if this diet means a bowle of cereial or like preivous diets a small handfull 42g i was allowed on slimming world i am enjoying haveing butter and olive oil cant wait 2 see if i have lost i am glad i havent had eny craveings i didnt think that was possibul ?and my ibs has been good the past few days my embarssing wind problem has dissapeard ?lol am beging to belive you zoe i started this diet because i was curious can it work for me how much cerial and pasta am i allowed with a carb meal ? and fruit how much fruit should i eat bearing in mind i used to work in a fruit and veg shop so i wud eat fruit all day everyday please helpxxxxxx
Hi Jennifer,
we now run a help forum for all personal dietary questions over at http://www.theharcombedietclub.com/forum
You’ll need to register and then you can post any personal questions you may have. There’s a great support team to help you out
We look forward to seeing you over there.
Hello Zoe,
I believe that I am suffering from Candida, so I have followed phase1 to the letter. I am now on day 8 and well into phase 2. The advice in your book is to follow on not eating carbs, sugar or vinegar until the cravings go.
Also, as the advice says, I am eating the occasional 50g of brown rice or oats for porridge.
I still have server cravings for any carbs or sugar.
I have recently been told that 50% of your energy comes from carbs, some of which you can get from veg. I am still having cravings because I need a slightly higher level of carbs or is this a sure sign that I am a server candida sufferer?
Also interested in the pure science behind Candid. The internet is confused on this topic. Can you point me in the right direction?
Many thanks Becca
Hi Becca,
we now run a help forum for all personal dietary questions over at http://www.theharcombedietclub.com/forum
You’ll need to register and then you can post any personal questions you may have. There’s a great support team to help you out
We look forward to seeing you over there.