Ditching carbs is probably one of the hardest things to do, especially considering pasta and bread are so delicious. What’s worse is that carbs consist of more than just pasta and bread; ditching them also means you have to get rid of your morning cereal, your after-dinner desserts, and your daily soda intake.

All in all, ditching carbs is hard, but it’s also one of the best ways to ensure you are living a healthy lifestyle. Carbohydrates really aren’t the best foods to be taking in from day to day, unless in moderation.

With all of that being said, I’d like to tell you a little bit about what getting rid of the carbohydrates will do for you. Check out my detailed list below and see the benefits that you’ll be able to reap by just limiting your carbohydrate intake.

Your body may look slimmer and more toned.

It’s true, omitting carbs from your diet will make you look thinner quicker. Don’t be fooled by this, though, considering it’s only water weight that will be leaving your body. Let me explain how this particular instance works.

When you have a normal diet comprised of a normal carbohydrate intake, your body automatically stores the carbs as glycogen in your liver and muscles. Your body then uses the glycogen as energy throughout the day and when exercising. While your body is storing the glycogen, it is also storing water beside the supposed sugar. When the glycogen and water reserves are depleted, your muscles lose that hydration, in turn making you look slimmer and more toned. Though your appearance may be different, your weight may not change.

Your body will start to break down stored protein and fat.

Though this can potentially be a bad thing, it shouldn’t be looked at like that. Hear me out.

When your body has little to no carbs, it’ll start to use protein and fat stored throughout the body to maintain normal energy levels. While using stored protein could hurt you in the long run, using stored fat will not. In other words, if you have depleted your carbohydrate storage unit, your body can then move onto your fat storage unit, therefore causing you to shed a few more pounds. But you have to be careful with this; you don’t want to start using the protein in your muscles to keep up healthy energy levels.

What’s my suggestion to you? Ditch carbs, but don’t ditch them entirely. Have a cheat day on the weekends so that your body will have that little amount to get you through. Then, and only then, will your body go to your fat storage units. At least you’ll have enough carbs and fats to lean on and you won’t have to resort to protein usage.

You’ll lower your chance for diabetes.

According to medical professionals, processed carbs and added sugars lead to a spike in glucose. This, in turn, results in your body having to produce insulin rather quickly. This quick spike in insulin typically forces your body’s blood sugar to drop, leaving you hungry.

What’s worse is that when you eat carbs on a daily basis, the withdrawal from that particular food group will leave you with horrible symptoms. Some of those symptoms include intense cravings, moods swings, and feeling sluggish; but hey, at least you’ll avoid diabetes!

Now that I’ve stated the good aspects of getting rid of carbohydrates, I’m going to have to state the bad aspects. I’ll start with a semi-good/semi-bad reasoning and then I’ll dive into the parts you won’t like too much.

You may feel more energized, but you also may feel more lethargic.

This always depends on the type of person you are and the amount of fat you have stored in your body. For instance, if you have quite a bit of fat stored in your body and you start on a low-carb or no-carb diet, you’ll feel more energized. If you don’t have a lot of fat to lean on, this may be quite difficult for you, leaving you a tad lethargic at first. It’s even harder for those that are active all the time, considering they need the carbs to fuel their workouts/activities.

If you are very active, but you do want to get rid of your carbohydrate diet, choose healthier carbs to eat. This can consist of lentils, beans, whole grains, and starchy vegetables.

Now, let’s take a look at the negative situations that may arise.

You may need to keep breath mints handy.

When you deplete your body from carbohydrates, you deplete it from ketones. Ketones typically cause your breath to smell good, and without them in your body, your breath will smell more acidic at best.

Headaches may start to occur.

Low-carb diets can potentially dehydrate you, therefore leaving you with a dehydration headache. As stated earlier, carbohydrates tend to attach to water when being stored. This means that if you take carbs away, you take extra water reserves away, too.

This may not happen with all people, but it is likely to happen to some.

You may become constipated.

Low-carb diets may constipate you because of the lack of fiber in your diet. In addition, the lack of extra water in your diet may lead to problems in the back end. So, all in all, if you deplete your body from fiber (due to loss of whole grains) and water (due to loss of fruits/carbohydrates), there will be less mobility in your gastrointestinal tract. This may make it harder for the GI muscles to get their act together to start helping you move your bowels.

On the other side of the spectrum, a low-carb diet may also have you running to the toilet, but that also only comes into play when the other foods you’re taking in are of poor-quality.

You may get a little moody.

The process of breaking down fat and protein takes much longer than the process of breaking down carbohydrates and glucose. And, you won’t be getting the same dopamine rushes with a low-carb diet versus a high-carb diet. All of this will add to your moodiness.

If you decide to get rid of the carbs, I wish you luck!

By Jenny Lyn