If you're active in the health and fitness community, you may be aware of the "war" against carbohydrates. A lot of recent "fad" diets have given carbs a bad rap. Why you may ask? Well, a low or minimal carb diet will help you lose initial weight fast (due to water loss), but that doesn't mean that it's sustainable.
Let's quickly break down what carbohydrates do for the body. When consumed, carbs are broken down into simple sugars. When these sugar levels increase, your pancreas releases insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to move sugar from your blood into cells. This sugar is then used as energy. So, carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy.
When you eliminate carbohydrates to a minimum in your diet, you will see some definite changes, especially when eliminating simple carbs. A couple things you may notice is a slower metabolism and lack of energy. Let's go into why that is.
The cause for a slower metabolism is the result of the lack of carbs in your diet. Our thyroid produces a hormone called T3. T3 is important for blood glucose management and to keep your metabolism working. Without sufficient T3 levels, your thyroid won't be working as well as it could be.
Like stated above, carbohydrates are your body's primary energy source. Without this primary energy source, your body won't know what to look for right-away, resulting in grogginess. With a true low-carb diet, the body will take the fats and protein that you eat and convert that into the energy it needs.
There is nothing wrong with a low-carb diet, as long as you do your research and truly know what to expect. Is a low-carb diet sustainable? For a majority of people, most likely not. If you're a huge carb fan and you're expunging them from your diet, it's going to be rough (binge eating, mental health, etc). Weight-loss is all about sustainable eating, and being in a caloric deficit!