Low-carb and very low-carb diets aren’t the secret to losing fat. Eating delicious things like pasta, bread, and rice won’t necessarily make your belly bulge bigger or your love handles handle-y-er.

But I need to level with you about something. As I write this, I’m smack dab in the middle of a super low-carb diet. And I mean it when I say low-carb—basically zero carbs aside from vegetables. (Yes, it’s just as fun as it sounds.)

Wait, Ben. If low-carb diets aren’t the secret to fat loss, why are you eating low-carb?

Honestly, I ask myself the same question every time I think about ice cream. Here’s the thing. Low-carb diets might not be some sort of secret to fat loss, but they can help maximize your results. And with a photo shoot coming up in a few days, I want to make sure I do everything I can to look my best. So I’m on a low-carb diet.

But it’s a short-term strategy.

I’ve been looking forward to going back to eating like a normal human being for weeks. Things like dried mango, pita chips, and peach yogurt are but a few days away. It will be a beautiful reunion. Cheesecake may be involved too. Because duh.

Until then, I want to help you understand when to use low-carb dieting and what to do when you’re not on a low-carb diet. But first, we need to establish what I mean when I say low-carb and why they seem to work.

Defining Low-Carb and Very Low-Carb

It’s simple. Generally speaking, I consider daily carb intake that’s consistently less than 150 grams low-carb. Less than 50 grams? That’s very low-carb.

Sure, there are some potentially confounding variables in this generalization. Stuff like a person’s weight and body composition make a difference with anything nutrition. But I’m speaking generally, not in absolutes.

Carbs < 100g/day = low-carb
Carbs < 50g/day = very low-carb

Got it? Good. Moving on.

The Effects of Low-Carb Diets

Cutting carbs is not some magical fat loss tactic. To be fair, most modern eating habits could benefit from reducing carbohydrate intake. But that doesn’t mean that carbs are the problem. Overeating is the problem. And that applies to everything—protein, carbs, and fat.

Eat too much of anything and it’ll lead to weight gain. (It’s just a lot easier to overeat something like doughnuts than broccoli.) A lot of people don’t realize this. And in an attempt to lose fat, they go on low-carb diets. The worst part—they get results.

But the weight loss results of low-carb dieting are misleading.

Effects on Weight Loss

Drop carbs and you’ll drop weight. Firstly, this happens because you’re consuming fewer calories. According to the laws of thermodynamics, if you decrease total calories, you’ll lose weight. Usually, reducing total calories is the main driver behind weight loss, not going low-carb. So, yes. You can lose weight by cutting carbs. But you could also lose weight by cutting protein or fat.

There are, however, some people that swear low-carb diets get better results.

Well, it’s true. Odds are when you’ve tried cutting carbs, you’ve lost more weight. Unfortunately, that doesn’t necessarily mean that what you’re losing is fat. Some of it could be. Probably is. But a lot of that weight loss is nothing more than water. The term “water weight” is tossed around a lot. Here’s what it really means…

On a cellular level, your body absorbs more water when you consume more carbohydrates—about 2–3 grams more for every gram of glycogen. Consume fewer carbohydrates and your cells absorb less water. The weight of that water (absorbed or excreted) is water weight.

Decreased water absorption effectively inflates the initial “results” people get from low-carb diets.

But once that water weight is lost, it’ll feel like your results slow down. It may even seem like you’ve hit the dreaded plateau.

Stuck on a plateau? I’d love to help you out. Say what’s up on Snapchat and tell me what’s got you stuck. I want to help you out sooner rather than later. (Hence Snapchat.)

You might mix up your program and buckle down on your nutrition. Yet the results remain at a standstill. You try one thing after another but nothing helps you break through your weight loss plateau.

Until you cut even more carbs.

Boom. Just like that, the weight falls off again. Almost like magic. In reality, it was just a water weight loss plateau, not a weight loss plateau. Cutting more carbs simply led to losing more water weight.

Sure, it may seem like amazing results. But these results aren’t always genuine. True fat loss is what really matters.

Don’t get me wrong, though. I’m not saying low-carb diets worthless or ineffective. I’m simply pointing out that they aren’t always as effective as they seem. Especially when it comes to fat loss.

Some people (myself included) respond really well to low-carb diets. Other people don’t. The real magic happens when you find what works best for you.

Effects on Performance

Carbs are fuel for your body. Muscles use stored glycogen, derived from consumed carbohydrates, to contract. During a low-carb diet, glycogen stores are depleted, your proverbial tank is on empty, and your performance suffers. The lower you go with carbs, the less you’re fueling up, and the more your performance takes a hit.

Not fun.

Race cars won’t go very fast (or far) without enough fuel. It’s the same for your body. If you’re completely inactive, you can get away with going low-carb. But if you’re active, you need carbohydrates to perform your best—be it lifting weights or just keeping up with the kids.

Sometimes, the effects of low-carb diets are exactly what you want. But most times, they’re not. Here’s how to know if you should or shouldn’t be on a low-carb diet.

When You Should Use Low-Carb Diets

There are a handful of circumstances during which low-carb and very low-carb diets make sense. Here are a few:

Bodybuilding and figure competitions.
Photo shoots (like the one that’s got me low-carb right now).
Making weight for some sort of meet.
And even wanting to look great for a beach vacation.

There’s one thing that each of these situations has in common. They’re all short sprints to a specific goal.

On stage or in front of a lens, looking as lean as possible matters. Performance doesn’t. A low-carb diet can help competitors and models both look leaner. (Losing water weight helps shed subcutaneous water, the water between the skin and the muscle.) On the day of the show or the shoot, their performance is shot. But it’s okay, because how they look is on point.

Making weight for a meet is a little different. Obviously, anybody that’s powerlifting, MMA, or wrestling needs to perform at their peak. As soon as weigh-ins finish, it’s time to crush carbs. All of the carbs. Double fisting Gatorade and Pedialyte with a package of Oreos on the side. Making weight is priority number one. But once that’s over, it’s all about fueling up for peak performance.

Lastly, there are those times when we just want to look good. Maybe it’s your brother’s wedding, a summer vacation, or your high school reunion. Whatever it is, it’s okay to want to look so good that people at the reception, at the pool, or by the hors d’oeuvres do a double-take. Maybe even a triple. I mean, why not?

Each of these is an acute instance for which a low-carb diet can be effective as a short-term strategy.

But none of these are year-round endeavors. Unless you’re prepping for something specific, you don’t need to be on a perpetually low-carb diet. (Hello, waffles.)

When You Shouldn’t and What to Do Instead

Spend the vast majority of your time on sustainable change and long-term results. Eight or nine months out of the year your biggest goal should be progression, not perfection. Then, when you want to look your best, you can kick it into a higher gear for a few months and maximize your results. (Maybe three or four months out of every year. Maybe.)

A low-carb diet is a short-term strategy. It’s hard. Most of the time, you want a long-term strategy that’s proven to get sustainable results. The best part? It’s simple. (Plus you’ll still lose fat, build muscle, and feel amazing.)

My favorite long-term strategy for nutrition is tracking macros. It’s a simple way to pay more attention to what you’re eating. Plus, you’ll actually learn how to eat the foods that give your body the nutrients it needs. It might involve eating way more protein than you’re used to. Or maybe even having fewer carbs. But lower-carb isn’t no carb.

You know what? I want to help you get your nutrition on track. Lately, I’ve been working with a lot of great people in a brand new nutrition-only coaching program. It’s amazing to see the massive difference a few small tweaks can make.

Let’s make a tweak or two to your plan and get you better results…