If you have had any exposure for any time at all to diets and dieting, then I'm sure you must have heard about low carb diets. You can probably think of the names of a few of the most commonly advertised and otherwise famours one, but there are others such as Rosedale, Neanderthin, Sugar Busters and quite a few more.

For sometime people have believed that the low carb craze had lost its fame and died off. This is far from the truth. In fact you can still see these low carb diet plans such as Atkins, South Beach or even the Sonoma Diets, being listed in some of the best magazines as top weight loss plans that have proven results. Doctors are recognizing the benefits of these types of diets when they are done in the right way.

When you limit your intake of carbs your body is then forced to burn fat for energy. This is where you may have heard the term "ketosis". When your body is burning fat for energy it produces ketones that are present in the urine. The Atkins diet uses Ketostix to show the presence of ketones to determine if they are indeed loosing weight or not. You can judge if you need to add carbs or cut back on them by the color that appears on the Ketostix. The darker the purple means that there are more ketones present in the urine. You do not want to go to the darker colors as this can be dangerous.

Many people steered clear of the low carb diets when Dr. Atkins himself passed away and the media gave low carb diets a bad rap but that is all passing and the tried and true diets are still around and working their magic on millions of people. There are plenty of success stories to be found both online and offline.

Following a low carb diet plan can help you drop some significant weight. I myself find that I don't have to give up any food that I truly enjoy; rather, I just need to control when and how much I eat of them, compared with the rest of my dietary intake. Also I was surprised to find low-carb or at least lower-carb versions of many of my favorites, whether in packaged form or in easy-to-find recipes. I was like lots of people who had tried lots of diet plans lots of times - but I found it was easy to lose weight by controlling carbohydrates. I got filled up quickly with the foods on the plan, and I started seeing results quickly. The combination of those two benefits I believe would give anyone high motivation to keep on going, keep succeeding, and finally reach your desired goal.

I am one of those people who had zero results with any kind of diet. My brother gave me one of the Atkins books, and what was my first impression? Well, I have always been a 'meat lover,' and I figured if I could eat just about all the meat I want, I would at least not feel deprived! That helped me stick with the plan for long enough to lose almost eight inches from my waist, and about forty pounds, all in the space of less than three months.

It should be mentioned that it is always a good idea to check with your doctor before starting out on a new weight loss plan. Also be sure you stay FAR away from any diet that wants you to cut out carbohydrates completely. There is no question that this would be dangerous to your health. You should take the time to do some research, as there are quite a few low carb diet plans available, each one just different enough to possibly be more appropriate for your individual needs. The fact is that it is more likely you will stick to a plan if you feel like your hunger is satisfied by what you are allowed to eat, especially if you start seeing results fairly quickly. So yes, those low-carb diet plans are alive and well. Need to shed some pounds? Then you owe it to yourself to check out one of the many options.