Choose a Low Carb Plan

When I began to diet, I tried to gather enough information online about low carbing to create my own weight loss plan. Until I gave in and read a few of the books, however, I harbored several misconceptions that were minimizing my weight loss. A low carb plan isn’t complicated, but there are details you must understand in order to avoid pitfalls. For this reason, I strongly encourage you to read at least one of the many low carb diet books and follow it to the best of your ability.

The question is, which plan and which book? Here are my impressions of those I've read:

Protein Power Lifeplan by Dr Michael and Dr Mary Dan Eades

These doctors make you work a little to figure out exactly how much protein you should be eating per day at minimum. Yeah, you have to pull out a measuring tape and do a little math, but hey—you probably should. The least you can do for your body when you’re putting it through the stress of weight loss is ensure it’s getting enough amino acids to keep your muscles intact. The Eades' plan has two stages. You keep to a lower carb level until you have less than 20% of your body weight to lose. At that point you can increase your carb intake until you reach maintenance. The Eades include helpful sections about supplements and exercise. They also explain the science behind low carbing in great detail and show you how to choose the most healthful fats and carbs for your diet. (For what it’s worth, the Eades do include a very brief section on vegetarianism.) If you like to understand the science behind your weight loss diet and you thrive on a firmly-structured plan, Protein Power may work well for you.

If I could have only one low carb book I would choose the Protein Power Lifeplan. I recommend it highly.

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Dr Atkins' New Diet Revolution by Dr Robert C Atkins

This book is heavy on the science behind the diet and is easy to read and understand. The section on vitamin and mineral supplements was helpful. I also appreciated Atkins’ frequent warnings that exercise is a mandatory part of his diet. The diet itself has two main weight loss phases: an “Induction” phase of two weeks (or longer for those with a great deal of weight to lose) in which carbohydrate grams are limited to a minimal level and an “Ongoing Weight Loss” (OWL) phase in which you increase your carb intake with Atkins' guidance until you find the level at which you no longer lose weight. At that point you move back by 5 grams and stay at that carb level for the remainder of your diet. The Atkins book was my first low-carb read and with its quoted studies and careful exploration of insulin and blood sugar, it opened my eyes to the folly of low fat dieting for people with insulin issues. I sensed no condescension toward vegetarians in Atkins' text. You wouldn’t go wrong using this book as a basis for a good weight loss diet.

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The Curves Diet by Gary Heavin and Carol Colman

(Note: this book is written for a female audience as the exercise franchise is women-only.) This book actually includes both a low carb and a low-fat/low-cal diet plan and encourages you to follow one or the other based on answers you give to a short set of questions. While the text does touch briefly on the reasoning behind low carbing, the depth is about the level you’d get in a short magazine article. It also includes a section on how to do a Curves-like workout at home, so if you’re interested in a particular exercise plan to augment your diet this book could be a good choice for you.

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The Schwarzbein Principle by Dr Diana Schwarzbein

Dr Schwarzbein focuses not only on carbs as a problem area for human wellbeing, but on stimulants, drugs, artificial sweeteners and stressful lifestyles. The level of carb consumption she advises is a little higher than that found in the popular mainstream low carb books, but that may appeal to you. I should mention that Dr Schwarzbein wants her dieters to kick artificial sweeteners, added salt, and chocolate. As a cocoa addict, I’m probably a frightening example of exactly why people should not indulge in the stuff. At the same time, I could not follow Schwarzbein's rules. Chocolate enhances my life and I wouldn’t forgo it without solid evidence that it has a deleterious effect on human health. Still, if you want a book that helps you revamp your diet and lifestyle and transform them into something that supports your health and wellbeing, Schwarzbein could be a great match for you. Some people truly enjoy her approach.

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The South Beach Diet by Dr Arthur Agaston

I’m including this in my list because there is a common misconception online that South Beach is a low carb diet. It’s also the "low carb" diet most often suggested to vegetarians. The confusion may stem from South Beach’s first diet phase which is quite similar to the first step of the Atkins' diet. After that introductory period—designed to break dieters of their carb addictions—the similarity ends. South Beach’s nutritional program is based on the idea of choosing good carbs (with reference to the glycemic index) over bad ones and good fats over bad. Since I know people who’ve had success with South Beach, I cannot tell you that it won't work great for you.

If you mostly want an alternative to standard Weight Watchers low-fat dieting, you might love South Beach. Their online site even offers a vegetarian option. I confess that when I first started reading through my stack of "low carb" books, I thought South Beach would end up being my choice. I couldn’t imagine cutting beans from my diet and knew they were allowed on SB. At the same time I was investigating Agaston's diet, however, I learned I am allergic to wheat gluten. Since there is a huge emphasis on whole grains—in particular whole wheat—in South Beach, this was a big obstacle for me. I also began to worry about finding anything to eat--at all--on SB. Like many mainstream doctors, Agaston believes saturated fats are dangerous and should be shunned in favor of monounsaturated oils. For this reason the South Beach diet for vegetarians is very soy heavy, while most cheeses are restricted or forbidden. Eggs are also discouraged after the first phase of the diet. I realized it would not be physically possible for me to follow South Beach and get enough calories and protein. I would either have to start eating meat—which I could not do—or eat enormous servings of soy—which I would not do.

I feel obligated to note that I encouraged my omnivore father to go on the South Beach diet because it was the lowest carb diet advocated by mainstream nutritionists. He lost weight in the first phase that mirrored Atkins, but promptly stopped dropping pounds for the several weeks he was using South Beach’s second phase. I finally encouraged him to do Atkins with me. He has been losing weight steadily ever since. As I stated earlier, I do know people who’ve had great success with South Beach and adore it. Everyone’s body is different. If you choose South Beach, I wish you the greatest possible success. I feel obligated, however, to encourage you to investigate the safety of soy and to read the latest research on healthful fats.

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The Vegetarian Low-Carb Diet by Rose Elliot

I had hoped this book would summarize the best low carb knowledge and present it in a manner that was optimized for vegetarians. To some degree, this book fulfills my dreams. It advocates a reasonable carb level for each dietary phase, discusses the science behind the plan well, and includes a concise list of marvelous low carb diet hints. Unfortunately, as brilliantly as Rose Elliot presents low carb, she does something that makes me cringe: she virtually shrugs off soy's dangers.

She doesn't try to refute the conclusions of unfavorable studies scientifically. Instead she suggests those studies were not good ones then refers readers to John Robbins' pro-soy article. Next she wants her readers to check out the Messinas' discussion of soy. I fear if I'd read Rose Elliot's book at the vulnerable beginning of my diet, I would have wished so deeply for soy to be safe that I might have used Rose's, Robbins' and the Messinas' statements as an excuse to avoid looking critically at the facts. I could have ended up eating a very high-soy diet. This troubles me deeply.

I'm grateful she acknowledges soy is controversial. She even advises readers to make up their own minds on the subject-- but refers them only to the pro-soy articles mentioned. This is at best unhelpful; at worst, dangerous. Sigh... I have grave reservations about this aspect of the text and thus would not lend it to any vegetarian friend. On the other hand, this is a well-written treasure trove of low carb guidance and tips. If you've investigated soy as a food and have decided you are comfortable incorporating it in your diet, this book could serve well as a low carb guide and as a recipe collection. Don't let my dissatisfaction with her treatment of soy keep you from choosing this book. (I also disagree with her easy dismissal of the perils of stevia as a sweetener and her quick condemnation of sucralose, but respect her views nonethless.) In every other way, this is a marvelous low carb text.

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If you insist on embarking on a low carb diet without the assistance of a text that explains the fine points, at least visit about.com's section on basic low carbing. While it's no substitute for a book, the site may help you avoid some of the common mistakes. But please reconsider forgoing the help of one of the low carb texts. Surely your local library could loan you a copy. You can also find many of these titles at used book stores and sites like half.com and eBay. Alternately, if you dislike reading, there are audio versions of both Atkins and Protein Power. I can't force a book into your hands, but please don't be a stubborn fool! Read one of these books!