In the short term, most people that go on low-carb diets do lose weight and, in fact, many lose weight very quickly. However, unfortunately, the majority of weight loss comes from loss of water and muscle tissue, not the fat which is what one really needs to lose in order to keep the weight off. Also, if one is trying to lose weight permanently, losing precious lean muscle tissue has the undesired effect of sabotaging one’s own body.

Muscle tissue is metabolically very active, even burning calories while one is at rest (even while sleeping) – that is a principal reason why those who are actively involved in aerobic weight training tend to lose weight, even as they build muscle. A decrease in the amount of muscle tissue you have will also lead to a decrease in the number of calories you need each day to maintain your weight, making it much harder to keep your weight under control when you stop following the low-carb diet. This is a major contributing factor to the so-called “yo-yo effect” that so many dieters sadly experience.

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