I've done this in the past in a limited way, and it does help take off the pounds and likely avoid or control type 2 diabetes. More information on why simple carbs in sweets, breads, potatoes, etc. help you put on and keep the weight. Full article here.
Carbohydrates provide your body with glucose (blood sugar), its main fuel source. Popular snacks and binge-worthy foods tend to be simple carbs, including sugary sweets and baked goods made from refined flours.
Fruits and vegetables are complex carbohydrates, which include higher levels of fiber and other healthful substances. In addition, this category covers starches such as whole grains and legumes (beans, peas, etc., some of which also supply protein).
The higher glucose levels that occur when you eat too much simple carbohydrate can interfere with insulin, the body’s main blood sugar controller.
Under such conditions, extra calories are much more easily stored as body fat and results in unwanted weight gain, says nutritionist Keith Kantor, PhD, CEO of the Nutritional Addiction Mitigation Eating and Drinking (NAMED) program in Atlanta, which helps people with mental illnesses through dietary changes.
However, he says, “when glucose levels are cut off due to low-carb dieting, the body starts to burn fat instead.”
Restricting carbohydrate intake also reduces the amount of insulin released into your bloodstream, adds nutritional biochemist Catherine Metzgar, PhD, RD, of Virta, a San Francisco-based online medical clinic specializing in type 2 diabetes. She explains, “Insulin is the body’s fat storage hormone, so, the less of it that is released, the easier time you will have losing weight.”
Insulin resistance is essentially a result of carbohydrate intolerance, Metzgar notes, and a low-carb diet reduces the very foods that increase insulin levels most—carbs. By eliminating the root cause of elevated insulin levels in the body, low-carb dieters “are able to naturally improve glucose control, lose weight, and reduce hunger and cravings,” she says.