There are many diets that are labeled "low carb" and they all work about the same way. The diets have varying degrees of carbohydrate limitation which causes the body to go into a state of ketosis, or fat burning.

All foods are made up of a combination of three things; fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Each is a necessary part of a healthy body but in the past 100 years we have begun to eat, not only way too many carbohydrates, but we eat them in a very refined state. Generally all the nutrition is removed and we are left with calories.

Highly refined carbohydrates drive blood sugar levels up causing the body to make lots of insulin and quickly change the carbs into fat. Stored fat. This is why the low fat trends of the past 20 years have not caused Americans to get thinner. We have seen a continuing climb in obesity among adults and it is beginning to affect children.

With a low carb diet, then, the carbohydrate intake is restricted, especially the refined carbohydrate intake, while the protein intake is generally unlimited. Various diets have various levels of fat intake that are allowable. Because the body does not turn protein into stored fat it begins to burn calories and people an lose several pounds in the first stage of weight loss- usually about 10% of their body weight. This means that if you start at 160 lbs you can expect to lose between 10-16 lbs in 14 days. Some of this will be water.

As you move through the various stages of the diet carbs will be slowly added back in and weight loss will begin to slow. You can probably expect and average weight loss of 2-3 lbs a week after the first two weeks.

The problem is often one of cravings. It is difficult to cut carbohydrates out of your diet and easy to allow yourself to get hungry and grab for a doughnut. You will need a plan to help you through your cravings.

Following are the top low carb diet plans and a brief overview of each.

The Paleolithic diet is based on eating only what earl, primitive man would have had the opportunity to eat. There are a couple of books out there but the basic diet is the same.

Assuming that early man ate only what he could gather from the wild the diet is very restricted, allowing only about one fourth of what Americans typically eat. Organic foods are stressed as early man would not have had the chemicals in his food.

The allowable foods are:

Meat

Vegetables

Fruit

Honey in very restricted amounts

Not allowed: dairy, or starches (corn, wheat, rice) are not allowable. Legumes (dried beans and peas) are not allowable. Certainly no processed foods, sugar or artificial sweeteners are allowable. If a human could catch it or pick it from a plant and eat it without processing it is o.k. for you to eat.

You only eat when you are hungry, and while you don't count calories the proponents stress that calories do count. Weight loss is rapid the first week or two, as on any low carb regime, and then slows to a more normal rate.

Sugar cravings and carb cravings may happen but lessen in a few days if you don't give in to them.

This is a lifestyle, not a short term weight loss diet. You lose weight because your body does not have the insulin spikes that it has when you are eating processed foods. You are allowed more variety of vegetables and fruit from the very start on this diet, which is easier for some people, although over all this is one of the most restricted diets there is.

Typical Breakfast Menu

Pork chop or chicken breast

whole, raw carrots

The protein power diet was created by the Eades. It is very similar to the paleo diet but the protein levels are based on figuring out the amount of protein you need for your height and weight as well as your activity level.

You are allowed 20-40 grams of carbohydrates per day even in the early stages of the diet. Fats are unlimited. Calories are not counted. Like Atkins there are three phases of the diet with the earliest phase being the most intense.

Allowable foods:

Proteins-all meats, poultry, and fish. Eggs, cheese, dairy products. With the dairy products you are getting some carbs so you must keep track of them.

Vegetables- all vegetables except starchy ones like potatoes.

Fruit

Nuts and seeds

Foods Not Allowed :

legumes, grains, starchy vegetables like potatoes and some squashes, and anything with a high sugar content like sweet sauces, syrups, candy, ice cream, high-sugar fruits like pineapples and mangoes.

Typical Breakfast Menu

1/2 grapefruit

2 eggs

3 sausages

small coffee w/ whipped cream

Dr.s Richard and Rachael Heller came up with the Carb Addict's Diet based on the theory that overweight people might be addicted to carbohydrates and unable to stop eating once they started, much like an alcoholic.

They do not believe that all carbs are bad or that they should be totally eliminated from the diet but believe that by eating tow low carb meals and one meal in which you can have whatever you like the carb cravings will be controlled and you will be free to eat in a healthy way.

The advantages are, of course, that you don't have to give up your favorite foods at all, only limit them to one hour a day.

Typical Breakfast Menu

western omelet

bacon

coffee or tea

Remember though, you get one meal a day where you can eat whatever.

The South Beach Diet was created by yet another cardiologist, Dr.Arthur Agatston. It is similar to Atkins in that it is done in three phases, with the first phase being the most strict.

Agatston promised that dieters can expect to lose between eight and twelve pounds in the first two weeks of the diet, the strict phase.

Phase one limits fats as well as carbs. Because soy substitutes are allowable vegetarians and vegans can use this diet easily.

Another benefit to the South Beach Diet is that it is so popular that you can buy frozen prepared meals and foods specifically for the South Beach Diet Program at the local grocer.

Allowable Foods:

very lean beef (90/10 ground beef for example)

fat free cheeses

eggs

lamb

meat substitutes made from soy such as tempeh and tofu

skinless turkey and chicken breast

All vegetables except starchy ones

Foods Not Allowed:

Fruits

All starchy foods

Beets and carrots

limit caffeine intake

Typical Breakfast Menu

2 eggs scrambled with fresh herbs and mushrooms

2 slices grilled lean bacon

small glass of tomato juice

decaf coffee or tea.

The Rosedale Diet is low carb/low protein/somewhat high fat. You cannot just eat any fat however, the emphasis is on healthy, unsaturated fats.

The premise of this higher fat diet is that it will help to control the level of leptins in the body and in turn will help control the appetite. The allowable carbs are high in fiber and very low in carbohydrate. The emphasis is on organic and hormone free foods.

Interestingly while Dr.Rosedale suggests 15-20 minutes a day of moderate exercise he eschews high intensity workouts, saying that they can lead to stress in the body and the release of hormones that actually discourage weight loss.

You can expect to lose about 5 lbs in the first week with this diet. Phase one lasts for three weeks.

Typical Breakfast Menu

Hard-boiled eggs and Swiss chard

Dr. Atkins started it all back in the early 70s with his Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution. The diet then was very different from the new and improved version that is available now.

There are three stages of the lifetime plan. Stage one is induction in which carbohydrate intake is severely limited to 20 grams per day. Proteins and fats are unlimited in quantity. During inductions you can expect to lose ten to fifteen pounds, depending on your body chemistry and make up.

After induction you go on to ongoing weight loss or OWL. This is where you begin to add carbs back into your diet slowly to see which carbs trigger a carb craving, or slow weight loss. This part takes many weeks as you ad carbs back by only five grams a week. A very slow process. Average weight loss during this period is 2-3 pounds a week.

After this you enter the maintenance phase where your body may adjust up or down one or two pounds but you now know how many carbohydrates you can have per day without gaining weight.

Allowable Foods

Meat

Cheese

Fish

Salad Vegetables

Vegetables in moderation include:

Artichokes Eggplant Tomato Collard Greens Celery Spinach Leeks Scallions Pumpkin Broccoli Cabbage Turnips Rhubarb String Beans Wax Beans Brussels Sprouts Bamboo Shoots Kale Sauerkraut Chard Cauliflower Kohlrabi Beet Greens Zucchini Summer Squash Water Chestnuts Spaghetti Squash

Artificial Sweeteners

Remember, you must count your carbs!

Foods that are not allowed:

Pretty much anything else. The off limits foods will change depending on which portion of the diet you are on. remember the induction phase lasts for two weeks and is the most difficult portion of the diet.

Sample Breakfast Menu

Omelet with cheese, bacon or ham

coffee with sweetener and 1 tbs heavy cream

The truth is that Low Carb Diets work if you stick with them consistently and follow them carefully. The "unhealthy" portion of the diet usually only lasts a short time.

When on a low carb diet it is especially important that you drink lots of water, as recommended and take vitamins. The water helps to flush your system out and keeps toxins from building up.

Most low carb diets are similar. Looks at the various foods and requirements and decide for yourself which is right for you. Get an accountability partner and then just start..and keep going. You'll get there eventually if you keep moving ahead and if you don't let setbacks stop you!