When Low Carb Dieting Is a Bad Idea

If there's one thing that I hate, it is the never ending saga of low carb dieting that is often used by relatively fit and active guys and gals who just want to lose some "stubborn" body fat. Low carb diets definitely have their place in the fat-loss tool kit, but, like any other tool, they aren't suited for all situations. In this post, I aim to talk about those times when going low carb is a bad idea.

Low Carb, Low IQ

When I started out on my fitness journey, the very first diet program I used was Atkins'. Let me tell you, it worked! Well, it worked until it didn't.

By using Atkins, I managed to successfully lose up to 40 lbs.; however, not all of that weight lost was fat. Not only was I losing weight, I was losing strength in the gym (usually a sign of muscle-loss). 

After I did Atkins', I had the wonderful idea of doing low-carb paleo. Sure enough, I lost another 20 lbs., and I lost more muscle and more strength. I felt irritable and low on energy. I was down to 155 lbs. at 5'9", but these were just numbers. I looked weak, and I felt like I looked.

Sure enough, after I did some research I started to see past the low carb dogma for what it truly was: A load of BS!

While low carb works well for obese, sedentary people, it yields counter productive results for those who are lean and active. In my case, I was lifting weights 3-4 days/week, running a few miles most days of the week, and sprinting a couple days/week. 

What do all the above activities have in common? They require glucose for optimal performance.

So, I decided to work my way out of the low carb fad and start regularly eating carbs again. Since weighing 155 lbs. in the summer of 2012, I now weigh about 185 lbs. I feel good, full of energy, and my strength in the gym has improved leaps and bounds from where it was 2 summers ago.

I used to think that carbs were evil, but now I know that they are merely a tool; and an effective tool at that.

Carbohydrate Ranges for the Sedentary and Overweight

Generally speaking, I've come to find that relatively low levels of carb intake tend to work well for sedentary and overweight people. While in some circumstances a ketogenic diet might be called for, which would entail a daily carbohydrate intake below 50g, most people will fair well with a daily intake at or around 100-120g. This amount of carbohydrate will keep liver glycogen stores full, and thus allow your body to properly maintain healthy levels of serum glucose and razor sharp brain function (not to mention improved testosterone levels). Any carbs beyond this 100-120g are unnecessary and potentially counterproductive for sedentary, overweight, and chronically inflamed individuals who lack the insulin sensitivity required to efficiently partition dietary carbohydrate.

Carbohydrate Ranges for the Active and Lean

I categorize "active" as doing some sort of high intensity, anaerobic exercise (such as weight training, sprints, HIIT, etc.) 3-5 times per weak. I categorize "lean" as having a body-fat percentage below 15%. If these terms fit you, then you should probably pay attention to my advice if you want to start seeing improved fat-loss and improved performance.

Targeted Numbers for the Wayward Dieter

In addition to the 100-120g of carbohydrate required to keep liver glycogen stores full, active individuals require additional carbs to fuel their high intensity activity.

How many carbs do you need? There is no set amount, but you can't go wrong with the following base template:

1. Set total calories at about 12 calories per lbs. of desired body-weight (most people require about 14-16 calories per lbs. of actual body-weight to maintain their weight, so we are obviously putting you in a caloric deficit).
2. Set protein at about 1g per lbs. of desired body-weight.
3. Set fat at about .4-.5g per lbs. of desired body-weight.
4. Make up the remainder of your total calories with carbohydrate.

Here's an example using a male whose target weight is 170 lbs.

1. 12 calories x 170 lbs. = 2,040 calories.
2. 1g of protein x 170 lbs. = 170g of protein.
3. .4g of fat x 170 lbs. = 68g of fat (let's round up to 70g for simplicity's sake).
4. 2,040 calories - (170g of protein x 4) - (70g of fat x 9) = 730 calories remaining.
5. 730 calories/4 = 182.5g of carbohydrate (let's round down to 180g for simplicity's sake).

So, for the above individual, his targeted macros are 170g of protein, 70g of fat, 180g of carbohydrate, and 2,040 calories. He has enough protein to support the maintenance of lean muscle, enough fat to keep his testosterone levels up, and enough carbohydrate to support his weight training (The weight training, by the way, is what will actually allow our male dieter to maintain his muscle while dieting. Dietary carbohydrate facilitates, but does not trigger, muscle maintenance or growth! The same idea holds true for dietary protein). And, let's not forget, this individual is in a caloric deficit, which will facilitate fat loss.

It's Application Time!

If you're an active guy or gal struggling to lose some excess weight, and you happen to be using a low carb diet, stop! Throw whatever voodoo concoctions of insulin control/bio-hacking hormonal regulation non-sense that you've bought into out the window. It's about calories first, then nutrients, then food choice when it comes to physique oriented goals. Get your calories in line, then make sure that the composition of those calories will support your performance goals. Trust me, I've slogged my way through the low carb circle of hell, and it was not pretty. If you follow my advice, you might just avoid the issues that I went through two years ago.