What is the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet?

The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet is a weight loss plan that strictly limits the amount of foods containing carbohydrates a person consume. Carbohydrates are a type of nutritional compound made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and are most often found in grain-based or starchy foods like breads, pastas, potatoes, cookies, and cakes. By reducing the amount of carbohydrates a person eats, the diet plan is thought to lower the amount of insulin, a hormone located in the blood that controls sugar levels. The central belief of the Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet is that by lowering high levels of insulin, a person will be less likely to feel hungry throughout the course of a day and will be satisfied with smaller portions of food.

The first part of the Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet begins with two low-carbohydrate meals each day known as complementary meals. Complementary meals are typically comprised of approximately four ounces (113.38 grams) of cooked protein, such as chicken, turkey, pork, beef, or fish. The protein is generally paired with two ounces (56.69 grams) of cheese and two cups (475 mL) of salad greens or other vegetables. Fruit often contains carbohydrates and is not usually permitted as part of the meals. The complementary meals can also be combined with one to two complementary snacks, which are generally single servings of any items permitted during the complementary meals.

The last meal of the day on the plan is referred to as the reward meal. During the reward meal, a person is permitted to consume foods containing carbohydrates or any other foods he or she wants. The main stipulation of the reward meal is its time limit: each reward meal must be consumed within one hour or less. According to the rules of the diet plan, if the reward meal lasts too long, it can start to cause a spike in insulin.

Critics of the Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet often believe the reasoning behind the weight loss plan is faulty. They claim that any weight loss that occurs on the diet is due to the person simply limiting the amount of food he or she eats in general while on the plan due to the strict portion control of the complementary meals, not because of the lowered amount of carbohydrates. These critics also tend to advise against drastically reducing carbohydrates in the diet because it could potentially lead to extreme fatigue since foods containing carbohydrates tend to give a person more energy.