Learn more about weight management in our dedicated content hub. A low carb diet can cause people to lose water weight quickly, but this initial rapid weight loss will naturally slow down. To lose fat and promote sustainable weight loss, people must develop a consistent lifestyle where they burn more calories through activity than they consume.

Overall diet and lifestyle are more important for weight loss than carbohydrate levels. Eating a varied diet rich in nutrient-dense foods and filling foods is important when making any diet changes.

Examples of healthy low carb foods include:. A no-carb diet is not advisable. Carbohydrates are essential for properly working the body, and fully excluding them can be dangerous.

People wishing to reduce their carbohydrate intake should limit their intake of high-carb, low-satiety foods such as sugary snacks and drinks. These products are high in carbohydrates but often low in nutritional content and are typically not very filling.

There are many different types of low carbohydrate diets, including the paleo, keto, and Atkins diets. These diets vary in their exact nutritional composition, but all three prioritize proteins and fats over carbs.

A low-carb diet can have some benefits, including weight loss. With some planning and appropriate substitutions, most people can follow a low-carb diet. However, a low-carb diet may not be the best way to achieve long-term or sustainable health goals.

When following a low carb diet, it is essential that people eat healthfully and do not overeat certain foods, such as very fatty meats. People looking to lose weight or considering going on a low-carb diet should speak to their doctor or nutritionist before making any significant changes.

Many people adopt a high-protein diet to try to lose weight. Healthful foods that are high in protein include lean meats, nuts, quinoa, and fish….

The keto diet involves restricting the intake of carbs and replacing them with fats. But how many carbs are allowed? We investigate. A low-carb diet can help with reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, and it may especially benefit people with diabetes.

This diet tends to…. Recent research suggests that following the Atlantic diet, which is similar to the Mediterranean diet, may help prevent metabolic syndrome and other….

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Medical News Today. Health Conditions Health Products Discover Tools Connect. What can you eat on a low-carb diet? Medically reviewed by Adrienne Seitz, MS, RD, LDN , Nutrition — By Jenna Fletcher — Updated on December 20, Low carb foods Low carb diet tips Why follow a low-carb diet? FAQs Takeaway Low carb diets limit the number of carbohydrates a person eats.

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Related Coverage. The not-so-secret trick is that reducing carb intake can trigger several changes in your body that may help it to burn more energy than it stores. Rather than turning every meal into a math equation, carb restriction can help you automatically eat less without counting calories, in or out.

Low-carb diets have a long and well-deserved reputation for decreasing appetite. Back in the s, physician A. Pennington demonstrated that keeping carb intake very low allowed overweight people to lose weight without going hungry or having to think about calorie restriction.

Lack of hunger when eating low carb has been linked to ketosis , a metabolic state in which your body runs mainly on fat — at least some of which is body fat — and breakdown products of fat called ketones.

Studies clearly show that these diets reduce hunger, though the mechanisms via which ketones reduce hunger are only partly understood. For many people, eating sweets and other refined carbs in processed foods can light up reward centers in the brain.

This way of eating includes many tasty, satisfying low-carb foods — while avoiding those that are known to overactivate this food reward system. Although controversial and not yet accepted as settled science by all experts, there is some high-quality research suggesting that low-carb diets can help you burn more calories.

This might help you maintain lost weight. After losing weight, many people experience a decrease in their metabolic rate.

and, as a result, it may deliberately slow down your metabolism in order to use less fuel until it senses that the famine is over. The end result is that you have to eat even fewer calories to maintain your new weight.

Insulin, a hormone produced by your pancreas, has several important functions, including moving glucose sugar out of your blood and into your cells and helping you build and maintain muscle. Eating a low-carb diet is a powerful way to reduce your insulin levels in addition to your total calorie intake.

You may have heard that insulin suppresses appetite, which is true at least as a short-term effect. Good question.

The difference is between the insulin that circulates in your body and the insulin that circulates in your brain. Your appetite is regulated in part by how your brain responds to insulin. A higher level of brain sensitivity to insulin equals appetite suppression.

This means that high circulating insulin levels in your body not only lead to fat storage, but they may also inhibit appetite control. By contrast, a low-carb diet can keep insulin levels in your body consistently low. This may allow your brain to remain more responsive to insulin, creating the kind of win-win situation that lets you lose weight — and maintain weight loss — without hunger.

The most recent studies show low carb to be at least as effective as — and sometimes superior to — low-fat and calorie-restricted diets for losing weight.

While it may not be that exciting, it is important to see what the evidence says, so stay with us! Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of these RCTs are graded as the strongest, most rigorous evidence. Then they analyze results from studies that share these same high standards.

Within the past nine years, several systematic reviews of RCTs comparing low-carb diets to low-fat and other popular diets have concluded that low carb results in equivalent or greater weight loss overall:.

In some trials, weight loss outcomes for low-carb or low-fat diets may differ very little, while changes in body composition are more pronounced — especially when very-low-carb diets are analyzed separately from diets with more modest carb restriction.

For instance, one meta-analysis of 15 RCTs concluded that people who consume diets containing less than 50 grams of carbs per day seem to achieve greater fat loss than those who eat low-fat or low-carb diets containing more than 50 grams of carbs per day.

Sometimes, we can learn more by tracking body composition. Also, the outcomes of individual, well-designed trials may not look as impressive when averaged among many different studies.

If we take a look at some individual low-carb weight loss studies that had positive results, we can learn a little more about the diets people followed and the results they achieved. In a two-year trial, overweight adults were randomly assigned to follow a Mediterranean diet, a low-fat diet, or a low-carb diet.

Among those who completed the study, the low-carb group lost slightly more weight, but here is the real kicker: they ate as much low-carb food as they wanted.

No restrictions! Compare this to the other groups, who had to purposely restrict their calories to achieve similar weight loss results. Neither group was asked to restrict calories.

In addition to losing 7. The Zone and LEARN diets had specific calorie restriction goals; the Atkins and Ornish diets did not. The low-carb group was instructed to eat 20 grams per day initially and gradually increase their carb intake to 50 grams or less per day.

By the end of the study, the women in the low-carb group had lost twice as much weight an average of However, it is important to note that the vast majority of trials have shown most dietary approaches to be fairly equivalent when it comes to weight loss. The takeaway message is: low carb is likely to be at least as good as other dietary approaches, and sometimes even better.

For instance, sometimes these studies allow participants to select between two types of diets. After two years, those who selected the low-carb intervention and remained in the study had lost an average of 26 pounds Below are two additional studies showing even more dramatic weight loss outcomes, although they did not have a self-select option or a control group.

In , researchers studied the effects of a week ketogenic diet in 22 people with metabolic syndrome. The diet provided less than 30 grams of carbs per day in the form of nonstarchy vegetables. By the end of the study, participants had lost an average of 32 pounds After 24 weeks on the diet, participants had lost They also achieved a number of health improvements, including lower triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and blood sugar, and higher HDL cholesterol.

However, this rarely, if ever, happens. Noncompliance in diet studies is very common, as is dropping out altogether. However, this practice often results in analyzing the most motivated participants with the best results, thereby setting overly optimistic expectations for outcomes in real life, where many people find it difficult to stick to a diet.

In order to address this issue, researchers often conduct intention-to-treat ITT analyses of RCTs in which they report data for everyone. In fairness, this applies to both low-carb and low-fat studies — and compliance is roughly equal for both diets. Fortunately, low-carb diets are a good fit for many — and this may very well include you.

Guide Losing weight on a low-carb diet is easy once you know what to do. Read on to learn how to achieve your weight loss goals with low carb. Guide Do you have trouble losing weight? Or would you like to lose faster? Guide Many women in menopause find that along with other symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats and sleep problems, their abdomens thicken and their weight increases.

This guide is written by Franziska Spritzler, RD and was last updated on June 17, It was medically reviewed by Dr. Michael Tamber, MD on March 23,

Carbs come in different forms. Simple carbs consist of easy-to-digest sugars. Refined and processed carbs , such as white sugar and white flour, are simple carbs. Complex carbs take longer to digest than simple carbs, as they need to be broken down into simpler forms.

Complex carbs are found in more nutrient-rich foods, such as beans, whole grains, and fiber-rich fruits, such as bananas. Complex carbs also have the added benefit of making a person feel full faster, which might prevent them from overeating. Complex carbs also make people feel full for longer, which might help them avoid snacking between meals.

When eating a low carb diet, it is important to choose foods that have a lower carb count but a high nutritional value per serving. The foods in the quantities listed below all contain approximately 15 g of carbs:.

While the foods listed above all contain roughly equal amounts of carbohydrates, they are not all nutritionally equivalent.

The dairy products on the list contain protein and vital nutrients, such as Vitamin D and calcium in addition to the carbohydrate content. The fruit and vegetables also contain essential vitamins and minerals. Choosing whole-grain varieties of bread and rice will provide more nutrients than white varieties, even though the carb content is similar.

A meal plan can help make things easier. Anyone following a low carb diet could try mapping out their week and plan all meals before heading to the grocery store. Learn more about the science behind weight-loss meal plans here. Planning is one thing, but preparing meals ahead of time can also help.

Meal prep can help people stick to their diet plan and save time in busier periods. Carb cycling involves eating very low carb foods for a set amount of days, followed by one day of eating higher-carb meals.

This helps the body avoid fat-burning plateaus that can develop after weeks of low carb dieting. Carb cycling is not for everyone, and anyone considering it should talk with their doctor or nutritionist first. Learn more about carb cycling here. People following a vegetarian or vegan diet may need to take additional steps to ensure they maintain adequate nutritional balance if reducing carb intake.

For example, some popular plant-based protein sources, such as chickpeas and lentils are naturally high in carbohydrates. Learn more here about eating a low carb diet as a vegetarian or vegan. Many people follow low carb diets to lose or maintain weight.

Research shows that eating a low carb diet increases energy expenditure during weight loss. Large reviews note that adopting a low carb diet can also have a positive effect on insulin management — making it an effective means of treating obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Learn more about weight management in our dedicated content hub. A low carb diet can cause people to lose water weight quickly, but this initial rapid weight loss will naturally slow down.

To lose fat and promote sustainable weight loss, people must develop a consistent lifestyle where they burn more calories through activity than they consume. Overall diet and lifestyle are more important for weight loss than carbohydrate levels.

Eating a varied diet rich in nutrient-dense foods and filling foods is important when making any diet changes. Examples of healthy low carb foods include:. A no-carb diet is not advisable. Carbohydrates are essential for properly working the body, and fully excluding them can be dangerous. People wishing to reduce their carbohydrate intake should limit their intake of high-carb, low-satiety foods such as sugary snacks and drinks.

These products are high in carbohydrates but often low in nutritional content and are typically not very filling. There are many different types of low carbohydrate diets, including the paleo, keto, and Atkins diets. These diets vary in their exact nutritional composition, but all three prioritize proteins and fats over carbs.

A low-carb diet can have some benefits, including weight loss. With some planning and appropriate substitutions, most people can follow a low-carb diet. However, a low-carb diet may not be the best way to achieve long-term or sustainable health goals.

When following a low carb diet, it is essential that people eat healthfully and do not overeat certain foods, such as very fatty meats. People looking to lose weight or considering going on a low-carb diet should speak to their doctor or nutritionist before making any significant changes.

Many people adopt a high-protein diet to try to lose weight. Healthful foods that are high in protein include lean meats, nuts, quinoa, and fish…. The keto diet involves restricting the intake of carbs and replacing them with fats. But how many carbs are allowed? We investigate.

A low-carb diet can help with reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, and it may especially benefit people with diabetes. During the first week following a low-carb eating plan, there will be a shift in your body's metabolism.

Instead of primarily using carbohydrates for energy, your body will switch to other sources. If you consume fewer than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day, your body is likely to activate a process called gluconeogenesis, where energy is created by breaking down non-carbohdyrate sources such as certain lactic acids or amino acids.

If your body still cannot make enough glucose by gluconeogenesis, your body will begin to make ketone bodies from stored fat as an alternative for fuel. In terms of specific weight loss, some research suggests that people lose approximately the same amount of weight on a low-carb diet as on a low-calorie diet.

Some weight loss at the outset is normal, but at this stage, you're losing water weight , not body fat. The glucose stored in the liver that is readily available for energy takes the form of a molecule called glycogen , and these molecules are bound up with a lot of water.

When you first start a low-carb diet, the stored glycogen is released and broken down, along with the water that comes with it. If you're anxiously tracking lost pounds, shifts in water weight may be troubling for you.

Even when you're losing body fat , fluctuations in fluid levels can make it look like you're experiencing a stall in weight loss sometimes referred to as a plateau. As your body is adjusting, try to avoid becoming too focused on the scale. Remember that weight loss takes time and consistency.

Changing the way you eat not only has physical effects but can also affect mental and emotional health. Low-carb diets are no exception. There are important physiological changes going on that can affect your mood as you start a low-carb diet. It's not uncommon to crave carbs , especially at the beginning of a low-carb diet.

Remember that shift in your body's metabolism? As your body transitions to getting energy from glycogen to fat stores, you might feel sluggish, fatigued, and even irritable.

Studies have examined whether low-carb diets have an impact on prevalence of depression and anxiety. So far, no studies have been able to find a distinct link between these common mental health disorders and low-carb eating. However, some studies have shown an improvement in psychological outcomes among people doing diet programs.

More long-term research is needed to understand this correlation. Some people may find relief from these symptoms by drinking a cup of broth or eating low-sugar fruit , such as berries, melons, or stone fruit like nectarines.

Carbohydrate reduction seems to work on the appetite in multiple ways, such as by altering levels of hormones that regulate your body's hunger and satiety signals. A low-carb diet may reduce your body's desire to eat more, which inherently reduces your calorie intake.

Aim to choose healthy sources of protein and fats namely monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats most of the time, including:. Fruits and vegetables will be a staple of your diet, but be sure to focus on low-carb options such as:.

If you find a low-carb diet helps you manage your weight and you don't feel deprived of high-carb foods, it may be the right option for you. It's worth noting that some studies have shown low-carb diets may be challenging to stay on for a long period of time.

It is also important to make sure you are getting the proper amount of micronutrients on a low-carb diet. When you're thinking about changing your eating habits, keep in mind that you're most likely to stick with an eating plan that includes healthy foods you enjoy and produces results.

Before beginning any diet, check with a healthcare provider to make sure the plan you're considering is a safe option for you. The truth about low-carb diets for weight loss is that it's very difficult to predict who will lose weight, how much they will lose, and how long it will take.

Most people will see a lower number on the scale initially, which accounts for lost water weight. Body fat loss takes longer, and losing half a pound to 2 pounds lost per week is considered an ideal pace.

Avoid some common mistakes of eating a low-carb diet, such as not eating enough carbs and fiber, not getting enough fat and protein, and not eating enough fruits and veggies. Be careful of foods modified to be low in carbohydrates, as they often are highly processed and may contain additives with a high glycemic index.

Being active rather than sedentary is always smart. Furthermore, a study published in Clinical Nutrition showed that a low-carb diet paired with exercise helped regulate blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and obesity, all metabolic factors of cardiovascular disease. Any change in eating habits can be difficult, and finding support will help you on your way to success.

Ask a healthcare provider for advice. Seek out others who are following similar eating plans on online forums. You may also consider telling people close to you about your low-carb diet if you are comfortable sharing and think they will be supportive.

Brouns F. Overweight and diabetes prevention: Is a low-carbohydrate-high-fat diet recommendable? Eur J Nutr. Gardner CD, Trepanowski JF, Del Gobbo LC, Hauser ME, Rigdon J, Ioannidis JPA, Desai M, King AC.

Effect of low-fat vs low-carbohydrate diet on month weight loss in overweight adults and the association with genotype pattern or insulin secretion: The DIETFITS randomized clinical trial. El Ghoch M, Calugi S, Dalle Grave R. Hu T, Yao L, Reynolds K, et al.

The effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on appetite: A randomized controlled trial. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. The Skinny on Low-Carb Diets.

Harvard Men's Health Watch. Harvard Medical School. Macedo RCO, Santos HO, Tinsley GM, Reischak-Oliveira A. Low-carbohydrate diets: Effects on metabolism and exercise - A comprehensive literature review. Clin Nutr ESPEN. Browning JD, et al. Alterations in hepatic glucose and energy metabolism as a result of calorie and carbohydrate restriction.

Lennerz BS et al. Effects of dietary glycemic index on brain regions related to reward and craving in men. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Santos FL, Esteves, SS, da Costa Pereira A, Yancy WS Jr Nunes JP.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials of the effects of low carbohydrate diets on cardiovascular risk factors. Obesity Reviews. Shai I, et al. Weight loss with a low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or low-fat diet.

N Engl J Med. By Laura Dolson Laura Dolson is a health and food writer who develops low-carb and gluten-free recipes for home cooks. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising.

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Products and services. Low-carb diet: Can it help you lose weight? Could a low-carb diet give you an edge in losing weight? By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for subscribing! Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry. Show references Ebbeling CB, et al.

Effects of a low carbohydrate diet on energy expenditure during weight loss maintenance: Randomized trial. Raynor HA, et al. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Interventions for the treatment of overweight and obesity in adults.

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Duyff RL. Carbs: Sugars, starches, and fiber. In: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Complete Food and Nutrition Guide. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Westman EC, et al. Using a low-carbohydrate diet to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Current Opinions in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity. Gepner Y, et al. The beneficial effects of Mediterranean diet over low-fat diet may be mediated by decreasing hepatic fat content.

Journal of Hepatology. Department of Health and Human Services and U. Department of Agriculture. Accessed Oct. Kirkpatrick C, et al. Review of current evidence and clinical recommendations on the effects of low-carbohydrate and very-low-carbohydrate including ketogenic diets for the management of body weight and other cardiometabolic risk factors: A scientific statement from the National Lipid Association Nutrition and Lifestyle Task Force.

Journal of Clinical Lipidology. The liver produces ketone bodies from fat, which can be used in the absence of glucose. When ketone bodies accumulate in the blood, this is called ketosis.

Healthy individuals naturally experience mild ketosis during periods of fasting e. The ketogenic diet typically reduces total carbohydrate intake to less than 50 grams a day—less than the amount found in a medium plain bagel—and can be as low as 20 grams a day.

For a calorie diet, this translates to about grams fat, 40 grams carbohydrate, and 75 grams protein. The protein amount on the ketogenic diet is kept moderate in comparison with other low-carb high-protein diets, because eating too much protein can prevent ketosis.

The amino acids in protein can be converted to glucose, so a ketogenic diet specifies enough protein to preserve lean body mass including muscle, but that will still cause ketosis.

Many versions of ketogenic diets exist, but all ban carb-rich foods. Some of these foods may be obvious: starches from both refined and whole grains like breads, cereals, pasta, rice, and cookies; potatoes, corn, and other starchy vegetables; and fruit juices.

Some that may not be so obvious are beans , legumes, and most fruits. Most ketogenic plans allow foods high in saturated fat, such as fatty cuts of meat , processed meats, lard, and butter, as well as sources of unsaturated fats , such as nuts, seeds, avocados, plant oils, and oily fish.

Depending on your source of information, ketogenic food lists may vary and even conflict. They are calculated by subtracting the amount of indigestible carbohydrates from the total carbohydrate amount. Indigestible unabsorbed carbohydrates include insoluble fibers from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables; and sugar alcohols, such as mannitol, sorbitol, and xylitol commonly used in sugar-free diabetic food products.

However, these calculations are not an exact or reliable science because the effect of sugar alcohols on absorption and blood sugar can vary. Some sugar alcohols may still contribute calories and raise blood sugar.

The total calorie level also does not change despite the amount of net carbs, which is an important factor with weight loss. There is debate even within the ketogenic diet community about the value of using net carbs.

Programs suggest following a ketogenic diet until the desired amount of weight is lost. When this is achieved, to prevent weight regain one may follow the diet for a few days a week or a few weeks each month, interchanged with other days allowing a higher carbohydrate intake.

The ketogenic diet has been shown to produce beneficial metabolic changes in the short-term. Along with weight loss, health parameters associated with carrying excess weight have improved, such as insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol and triglycerides.

Several theories exist as to why the ketogenic diet promotes weight loss, though they have not been consistently shown in research: [2,8,9]. In addition, though extensive research exists on the use of the ketogenic diet for other medical conditions, only studies that examined ketogenic diets specific to obesity or overweight were included in this list.

This paragraph was added to provide additional clarity on 5. Following a very high-fat diet may be challenging to maintain. Some negative side effects of a long-term ketogenic diet have been suggested, including increased risk of kidney stones and osteoporosis, and increased blood levels of uric acid a risk factor for gout.

Possible nutrient deficiencies may arise if a variety of recommended foods on the ketogenic diet are not included. It is important to not solely focus on eating high-fat foods, but to include a daily variety of the allowed meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds to ensure adequate intakes of fiber, B vitamins, and minerals iron, magnesium, zinc —nutrients typically found in foods like whole grains that are restricted from the diet.

Because whole food groups are excluded, assistance from a registered dietitian may be beneficial in creating a ketogenic diet that minimizes nutrient deficiencies. Available research on the ketogenic diet for weight loss is still limited.

Most of the studies so far have had a small number of participants, were short-term 12 weeks or less , and did not include control groups.

A ketogenic diet has been shown to provide short-term benefits in some people including weight loss and improvements in total cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure.

However, these effects after one year when compared with the effects of conventional weight loss diets are not significantly different. Eliminating several food groups and the potential for unpleasant symptoms may make compliance difficult.

An emphasis on foods high in saturated fat also counters recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Heart Association and may have adverse effects on blood LDL cholesterol.

However, it is possible to modify the diet to emphasize foods low in saturated fat such as olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish.

A ketogenic diet may be an option for some people who have had difficulty losing weight with other methods. The exact ratio of fat, carbohydrate, and protein that is needed to achieve health benefits will vary among individuals due to their genetic makeup and body composition.

A dietitian may also provide guidance on reintroducing carbohydrates once weight loss is achieved. So there was an initial fear, back when high-protein diets started to pop up,that people who consumed excessive protein might be leading themselves on a path toward kidney damage.

You can't really study this kind of thing, though, because it's unethical to say, "Let me feed you a bunch of protein and see if you go into kidney failure.

But according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, diets high in animal proteins — like those found in meats and fish — could be a problem for people with compromised kidney function, since the body already has trouble metabolizing waste products.

And because uric acid is a byproduct of protein, a high-protein diet in someone who is susceptible to gout could lead to flare-ups. If you have impaired renal function and aren't on dialysis yet, too much protein can accelerate kidney damage, leading to kidney failure.

So I would say if you have any history of kidney problems or kidney stones , you should check with your doctor to see if a protein restriction is necessary. For this type of individual, a low-carb diet would not be a good choice. Glycogen tends to hold onto water. So if you don't have a lot of glycogen, you're not retaining water.

In the initial phases of high protein, low-carb diets, people see the numbers on the scale go down, but a lot of that is really that they're intramuscularly dehydrated — their muscles aren't holding onto water. That's one reason why some of these diets claim that if you cut out carbs, you'll lose 5 pounds in two days.

Well, you didn't lose 5 pounds of fat mass in two days. The number on the scale is lower, and admittedly you look thinner because your belly also tends to retain more water when you eat carbohydrates.

Low-carb diets are extremely hard to sustain because people look at cutting carbs as restricting themselves. And what do you want when someone tells you that you can't have something?

The exact thing you can't have. So behaviorally, it's not realistic to think that someone could stick to something like severely limiting carbs long-term. What I recommend is that you stay moderately low on the carbs most of the time. In the Prevention Center, we call it "the Perfect Plate": Half the plate should be nonstarchy vegetables like spinach, green beans, broccoli, bell peppers and cauliflower ; one-fourth of the plate should be protein; and one-fourth of the plate should be healthy carbs.

The United States Department of Agriculture plate actually has four categories — they say a quarter plate of nonstarchy vegetables and a quarter plate fruit — but I prefer half a plate of vegetables.

Vegetables are low in carbs and high in fiber, which is what you want if you're trying to lose weight. The fiber and water content of vegetables take up a lot of space and feel heavy in the stomach. The hypothalamus — the area in your brain that receives the signal for you to stop eating — gets that "full" message in response to the weight and volume of the food in your stomach.

If you eat lots a lot of veggies, the brain will receive that message sooner, you will feel fuller, and you'll be more likely to not want to eat as many carbs. Don't skip the fruit. One of the big down sides when you're cutting out carbs is that all fruit, no matter what type of fruit it is, contains carbohydrates.

But fruit is also healthy. We have many studies that show fruits, vegetables and whole grains — especially oats — are important in cancer prevention, heart health, cholesterol reduction and maintaining a healthy weight.

You can always use fruit as the carbohydrate on your plate.