Low Carb Mag July 2015 | Page 78

DO I HAVE TO CUT OUT CARBS ENTIRELY? How many times have we heard this! This is actually a question that pops up time and time again, so periodically we need to address the question. This is probably one of the most common misconceptions about the low carb diet. Many people seem to think that low carb actually equals no carb. Even amongst those that have been following a low carb diet for many years, there is still the misconception that to do low carb properly you must reduce your carb count to the lowest amount possible. The fact is that the likes of Dr Atkins, et al never advocated that you should cut out carbs entirely. Even the most severe of the regimes such as Atkins only advised people to cut their carbohydrates to 20 grams a day and then only for the period of induction - typically two to three weeks. Current thought is that for some people, the induction stage can be omitted altogether, and they can go straight onto ongoing weight loss. The truth is that the amount of carbs that you eat is a totally individual thing, depending on a whole host of conditions, from the amount of weight you have to lose, the type of metabolism that you have, right through to your cultural and social background; not least of which is your genetic makeup. Every one of us needs to adjust the amount of carbohydrates we eat according to our specific criteria.