A Dietitian Breaks Down the Many Benefits of Eating a Low-Carb Diet

There is no one right way to go low-carb, which is part of the beauty of this approach. "Everyone could define low-carb differently," Dr. Webster said. A typical low-carb diet can range from 50 to 100 grams of net carbs per day, or you could try "a ketogenic diet, which is extremely low in carbohydrates and is sometimes used as a therapy for people with epilepsy who don't respond to medications." No matter where you start your low-carb journey, you can play with your numbers and adjust as needed until you find a range that allows you to feel good while still hitting your goals.

"People who go on low-carb diets often see rapid weight loss within the first few days," Dr. Webster told POPSUGAR. "This is because our carbohydrate stores, known as glycogen, hold on to water. When we start using up that stored carbohydrate, water leaves the body too, so most of the initial weight loss is 'water weight.'"

In all reality, the pounds will not come off as fast after the first week or two, but you should continue to lose weight at a slow and steady pace. Dr. Webster also noted that the same effect can be seen with other diets, so it's consistency that really makes the difference.

When everything is working as it should, your body is constantly moving glucose through your system, using what it needs and storing the rest as glycogen to burn for fuel later. When this process gets out of whack, your blood sugar can be thrown off, leading to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, or type 2 diabetes.

If your doctor has already warned you about your blood sugar numbers, good news: "Research studies have found that following a low-carb diet may reduce the amount of circulating blood sugar after a meal, which may be important for people with or at risk for type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome." She also pointed out that weight loss of any kind may improve blood sugar levels, so if low-carb isn't your thing, find a plan that works for you.

"The only way to see lasting results from following a 'diet' is to not treat it like something that has an end date. It needs to be a change in lifestyle — a way of eating that you can imagine yourself maintaining for a long time," Dr. Webster said. "If it feels like a chore, you will never see the results you want, physically or emotionally."

With a framework you can personalize, and an abundance of foods you can eat (and recipes you can try), there's no reason you can't keep up a low-carb lifestyle for the long haul.