Pros of Low-Carb

• Low-carb diets emphasize proteins, with the basic idea that protein fights fat in the body while carbohydrates inhibit such a process. This theory allows dieters to not worry about how many calories they consume with each meal, giving them freedom to choose from high-protein foods such as eggs, beef, fish and even fats like butter, cream and mayonnaise. In fact, nearly all fats are permitted on a low-carb diet.
  
  

Cons of Low-Carb

• Followers of a low-carb plan must give up traditional staples of a daily diet such as breads, pasta and cereal, as well as sweets and sugars of all kinds. Most fruits are not allowed in the early phases of most low-carb diets, nor are starchy choices such as potatoes, carrots, peas or corn. This severely limits the foods you can eat.
  
  

Pros of Calorie Counting

• As opposed to high-protein diets, low-calorie plans allow followers to choose from a wide array of items, provided they are low in calories and fat. People who choose a low-cal diet also have plenty of plans from which to choose. They can consume nothing but fruits, vegetables and fish for a week, then mix it up and eat little beyond breads and pasta the next week. And "low-calorie" doesn't need to mean "starvation." It merely means eating smaller, healthier low-cal meals throughout the day.
  
  

Cons of Calorie Counting

• Depending on how many calories you want to cut, you can plan on being at least a little hungry on a low-calorie diet. That's especially true in the early phases, when you're body adjusts to lacking the "full" feeling provided by calories and fat. Disciples of low-calorie plans also must also take care to cut back on calories without depriving themselves of the essential vitamins and minerals.
  
  

Weighty Issues

• Until sometime around the early 1990s, nutritionists recommended a diet that consisted of three meals a day--breakfast, lunch and dinner, with perhaps a light snack or dessert at the end of the day. That theory has changed, however, as it is now believed the best diet consists of four to six smaller healthy meals per day. The good news is, people on either the low-carb or low-calorie diet can follow such a plan. There is no firm evidence that one is better than the other. The truth is, both can be beneficial and assist weight loss if followed properly.