Low carb diets have been popular for the last 10 to 20 years or more, however they may not be all that safe. Reducing carbohydrates have been a huge weight loss fad for the last few years, but some things should be considered before starting on them. Low carbohydrate, or ketogenic diets, deplete your body of its natural storage of glycogen. Glycogen is a polysaccharide that is stored in the liver and muscles to be used as energy. It is the sugars in carbohydrates such as pasta that provide an energy boost, so that is why marathon runners 'carbo-load' before a race.

When you deplete the amount of glycogen in the body, you are dehydrating it, which causes the scale to drop significantly in the first stages of a low carb diet. While the dieter thinks they are losing weight, what they are actually doing is dehydrating their body and depleting it of muscle mass. This quick loss is what makes it so popular, but the results are actually deceptive.

As a result of lowered glycogen in the body, the dieter may feel fatigued, and may actually be uncomfortable when exercising. This further confuses them because the dieter, who is possibly increasing their activity through cardio-vascular exercise, figures the fatigue is as a result of the exercise, but what they are actually feeling is the loss of glycogen to the body.

When losing weight and doing cardiovascular exercise, your energy should be increased rather than depleted. When the dieter feels fatigued they are likely to quit exercise, which is counterproductive to their weight loss. This can also affect the dieter’s metabolism which actually is counterproductive to dieting.

If the body suffers too much glycogen depletion it may go into atrophy. Atrophy is the result of lost muscle glycogen and is the shrinking or reduction of muscle mass. This further causes less drive to exercise, and can lead to the inability to maintain muscle tone. Obviously, if you are trying to improve your physical condition and appearance, the last thing you want to do is reduce your muscle tone.

The solution? When trying to lose weight, eat a healthy balanced diet, which includes complex carbohydrates such as wholewheat pasta or rice, not white bread and cakes. Carbs should account for no more than 60% of your daily intake.