Study: Low-Carb Weight Loss Not Water Weight

Researcher Dr. Guenther Boden says obesity is "fueled by carbohydrates"

This Science Daily story highlights a study from last year that concluded livin' la vida low-carb does indeed lead to fast weight loss results and the weight loss is not water weight, a change in the dieter's metabolism or attributed to being bored with the diet as so many of the opponents of low-carb often erroneously declare to scare people away from beginning a low-carb plan.

Lead researcher Dr. Guenther Boden, a diabetes expert and Research Professor of Biochemistry at the Temple University School of Medicine, observed ten obese patients who have Type 2 diabetes when he put them on the Atkins diet. The first week of the study allowed the participants to eat the way they normally would and then the next two weeks they were required to limit their carbohydrate intake to 20g per day with full access to unlimited amounts of protein and fat.

Dr. Boden was astounded to find that the patients in the study actually ate less calories not because they were bored and yet they also burned fat (and not just "water weight" loss) without experiencing a change in their metabolism.

"When carbohydrates were restricted, study subjects spontaneously reduced their caloric intake to a level appropriate for their height, did not compensate by eating more protein or fat, and lost weight," Dr. Boden noted. "We concluded that excessive overeating had been fueled by carbohydrates."

How about that? Eating carbohydrates LEADS to overeating, according to Dr. Boden. That runs directly counter to what this psychiatrist said recently when she boldy proclaimed that people who restrict their carbohydrate intake are prone to "binge like crazy." So much for that theory, eh?

It also flies in the face of what this college nutritionist said about low-carb weight loss being all "water weight." Splish splash I was taking a bath, in 180 pounds of water on Saturday night! Hardy har har har! What a joke!

Because eight out of every ten diabetic person is either overweight or obese and prone to developing various health conditions including heart disease and stroke, Dr. Boden believed a study needed to be done to see why livin' la vida low-carb works so well to help obese people with diabetes lose weight fast and bring about changes in their overall body fat, appetite and blood sugar levels.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Diabetes Association and published in the March 15, 2005 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

This was the first-ever controlled study of the Atkins diet that measured the exact number of calories consumed and spent by the study participants while they remained at the research facility. Other low-carb diet studies relied on the study participants to be honest about their eating habits when they went home. Dr. Boden believes this one component about his study provides his research with more credibility and makes it less prone to manipulation from inaccuracies. That's why the results were so surprising to him.

"When we took away the carbohydrates, the patients spontaneously reduced their daily energy consumption by 1,000 calories a day," Dr. Boden revealed. "Although they could have, they did not compensate by eating more proteins and fats and they weren't bored with the food choices. In fact, they loved the diet. The carbohydrates were clearly stimulating their excessive appetites."

Let me repeat that for you: They REDUCED their caloric intake by ONE-THOUSAND CALORIES (from 3100 to 2100 daily) when they started livin' la vida low-carb! In other words, they didn't need to go on a low-calorie diet watching and measuring every morsel of food they wanted to put in their mouth. They simply ate low-carb and allowed the natural process of satiety from the protein and fats they were eating to make them feel satisfied and get away with eating LESS in the process. In fact, I would be willing to bet they ate more frequent small meals rather than the traditional three meals a day.

Interestingly, they DID NOT eat more protein or fats when they had the opportunity, they simply ate the same amount of those macronutrients sans the carbs. The result? They weren't as hungry and they actually ate less food and calories. In the end, they made better food choices than they were previously making. Shazam! Somebody call the media and tell 'em we've got a story for them to write! Headline: "Carbohydrate Consumption Makes You Hungrier; Low-Carb Diets The Healthy Way To Eat." That'll be the day when Hell freezes over!

But it was very evident to Dr. Boden that carbohydrates were indeed at the root of the hungry appetites of his diabetic patients and the low-carb lifestyle actually took care of that problem. Meanwhile, they simultaneously "loved the diet." Hey, I thought people dreaded being on the Atkins diet and having to eat just meat all the time. How could they cherish an eating plan that is so limited like that? LOL! It just goes to show you that's a big fat myth just like so many other excuses people give for avoiding low-carb.

Besides eating less calories and losing weight, the study participants also saw dramatic improvements in their blood glucose levels, their insulin sensitivity, a reduction in triglycerides of 35 percent and in total cholesterol of 10 percent in the very short study span. Weight loss and health improvements in just two weeks -- hey, if this gets out we may have to expand the bandwidth of my blog with all the people looking for information about low-carb living! I'm ready for it! :D

Despite this very good news about low-carb living from this study, Dr. Boden tempered his enthusiasm and fell short of endorsing this way of eating by stating that the long-term effects of low-carb still "remain uncertain."

Well, one thing IS for certain. Low-carb works and has worked for many people. While I am not a diabetic, I can most certainly attest to the fact that it can bring about fast weight loss (I lost 180 pounds in one year) as well as lasting weight maintenance (18 months and counting!). Some say this isn't a long-term solution to the obesity epidemic we are facing. I challenge that assertion and prove it wrong with my own life as each day passes. And there are many, many more just like me who are proving livin' la vida low-carb is the last diet they'll ever go on!

If you are overweight or obese, won't you join us?