You may seem more toned and trim.
Going no-carb usually makes people think their new diet worked instantly since they look a little slimmer in the mirror. But don’t be fooled, this is just water weight. “A normal diet with carbohydrates allows you to store carbohydrate as glycogen in the liver and muscles,” says Laura Cipullo, a Registered Dietitian and certified diabetes educator. “The body uses this storage form of sugar in between meals and when exercising. When you store [that form of] sugar as glycogen, you store it with water. If these reserves are used, your muscles lose hydration, making you appear more toned and thin.”
Your bodyweight, however, will probably stay about the same (assuming you haven’t changed anything else about your diet). “If calories remain the same, and you weren’t losing weight before, you won’t start losing weight now just because of swapping out carbs for fats or proteins,” says Mike Gorski, an RD and fitness trainer.
“When calories are cut significantly for the intention of weight loss, metabolism usually drops too, leading to a plateau, then weight regain,” says Amanda Bontempo, an RD with a Master of Science degree in medical nutrition therapy. Basically, your metabolism is dependent on the quality of food you consume, but calories are what really count.
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