A Call for a Low-Carb Diet
prettykitty1515
Posts: 182
Interesting article in today's New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/health/low-carb-vs-low-fat-diet.html
From the article:
“To my knowledge, this is one of the first long-term trials that’s given these diets without calorie restrictions,” said Dariush Mozaffarian, the dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, who was not involved in the new study. “It shows that in a free-living setting, cutting your carbs helps you lose weight without focusing on calories. And that’s really important because someone can change what they eat more easily than trying to cut down on their calories.”
Flies in the face of everything we believe here.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/health/low-carb-vs-low-fat-diet.html
From the article:
“To my knowledge, this is one of the first long-term trials that’s given these diets without calorie restrictions,” said Dariush Mozaffarian, the dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, who was not involved in the new study. “It shows that in a free-living setting, cutting your carbs helps you lose weight without focusing on calories. And that’s really important because someone can change what they eat more easily than trying to cut down on their calories.”
Flies in the face of everything we believe here.
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Replies
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#bull**** .... I only believe a bit of what I read on the internet.
It does not matter what you eat as how much you eat ... no deficit no loss. Pure and simple.0 -
That's cool. I'm fine with low-carb if that works for people. Some people do better with fewer carbs. Personally, though, it's easier for ME to eat what I want and eat within a calorie goal than it is to cut out my favorite foods. (It's basically how I've maintained over the years as I've aged.) It needs to be sustainable and life-long for me, and that means plenty of pasta to keep me sane. I've never had weight problems and I've always eaten plenty of carbs. Do what works for YOU! :flowerforyou:0
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What "we"? I eat a low carb diet. Not on purpose, but since I don't eat grains, beans, or packaged food it ends up low carb. I ate a 40-30-30 diet based on my BMR and TDEE for years - gained 8-10lbs a year. Now I eat less because I'm not hungry all day and the scale is going down in numbers finally.
In short, this study doesn't fly in my face at all, it supports what I've chosen as right for me.0 -
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It's bull. In order to lose weight, you MUST eat less calories than you burn. Nobody gets to be a special snowflake in the world of weight loss.#bull**** .... I only believe a bit of what I read on the internet.
It does not matter what you eat as how much you eat ... no deficit no loss. Pure and simple.
The study is from the National Institute of Health, not some guy or gal trying to sell a fad diet book.
It's an article in the New York Times which is biased toward the Atkins diet. There are no references to the "studies" or peer reviewed articles which, to me, means this content of this article is pretty meaningless.0 -
And, you believe "the article"?What "we"? I eat a low carb diet. Not on purpose, but since I don't eat grains, beans, or packaged food it ends up low carb. I ate a 40-30-30 diet based on my BMR and TDEE for years - gained 8-10lbs a year. Now I eat less because I'm not hungry all day and the scale is going down in numbers finally.
In short, this study doesn't fly in my face at all, it supports what I've chosen as right for me.
The article states you don't have to count calories.
There is no quick fix. You don't have to literally count calories if you don't want to, but you do have to eat less calories than you burn to lose weight. Really, there is no shortcut.0 -
All I'm gonna say is what I know has worked for me. Without watching portion sizes at all or worrying at all about calories, I dropped 8 pounds by cutting out gluten and refined sugar.0
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It sure does. A calorie is a calorie regardless if it comes from carrots or cookies, protein, fat or carbs. Weight loss is simple math, calories in versus calories out.0
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Foods with gluten and refined sugar generally have more calories, thus my guess is you created a calorie deficit by cutting them out of your diet.All I'm gonna say is what I know has worked for me. Without watching portion sizes at all or worrying at all about calories, I dropped 8 pounds by cutting out gluten and refined sugar.0 -
People are missing the point of low carb and how it works. Calories do matter, they always will matter. A lot of people can eat low carb and lose weight on it without counting calories, it naturally puts them in a deficit. Some people, including myself, that doesn’t work for(well it didn’t work in the past, might work now). I would just simply over eat.
It ultimately boils down to insulin control. Anytime you eat, you increase insulin. Reduce insulin you reduce your waist. Reducing calories reduces insulin, exercise reduces insulin, low carb reduces insulin. It boils down to excessive levels of insulin. High carb foods make it easier for people to binge and over eat, rarely hear of people binging on vegetables and lean meats. Insulin sensitive is a huge factor in all this, this is also genetics. Some people can eat high processed carbs all day and be rail thin, others can not. It’s genetics.
I have lost 225lbs, I have done it on high carb, I have done it on low carb. I have ate whatever I wanted and focused on calories and lost weight as well. For me personally, I would have “cheat days.” Sometimes, binges will just get out of hand even after I lost my weight, I always believed “carbs feed carbs” the more carbs you eat, the more you want. I knew my binging issue was a carb issue, I cut them out, and I might over eat sometimes, max 2,500 calories a day when my goal is 1,800. This is a hell lot better than last month, when I would hit over 3,000 calories a day over eating on junk food. I believe if you limit carbs, your weight regulates itself for most people. Also there are many health benefits to low carb(well to keto).
People say “calories in vs calories out” That’s just stating the obvious. You are fat because you ate more calories than you burned. That’s not the solution to the problem. That’s like saying, “It’s cold outside because it’s not hot” dumb reply. There is a reason why people OVER EAT, this goes back to the insulin issue. Which is rarely if ever addressed.0 -
Weight loss is not simply math, it’s deeper than that. If someone told you, “you can only eat 3 snicker bars a day for 6 months or 250g of protein”(they are both roughly the same amount of calories). Most people would be very hungry on the 3 snicker bars a day compared to the 250g of protein. Once again, there is a reason there is an obesity problem in America. It would be extremely hard to stick to the snicker bars diet due to the inclination to eat. Which will make it least likely for someone to produce “weight loss” but it’s just simply math right? it’s not, there is more to it than that.It sure does. A calorie is a calorie regardless if it comes from carrots or cookies, protein, fat or carbs. Weight loss is simple math, calories in versus calories out.0 -
The study isn't saying that calories don't matter because they certainly do. No educated person is ever going to dispute that.
The study is mearly pointing out that by going "low carb". And more importantly whole foods that people eat fewer calories without actually focusing on calorie counting.
Pertinent Quote from the study.
“It shows that in a free-living setting, cutting your carbs helps you lose weight without focusing on calories. And that’s really important because someone can change what they eat more easily than trying to cut down on their calories.”
Obviously if you still manage to over eat on a low carb diet you will not lose fat.
The other point was the improvments in the test subjects health markers compared to the low fat eating test subjects.0 -
Foods with gluten and refined sugar generally have more calories, thus my guess is you created a calorie deficit by cutting them out of your diet.All I'm gonna say is what I know has worked for me. Without watching portion sizes at all or worrying at all about calories, I dropped 8 pounds by cutting out gluten and refined sugar.
Actually fats have more more calories. Sugars and grains just don't keep most people satisfied so they tend to eat more of them.
Carbs 4 calories per gram
Proteins 4 calories per gram
Fats 9 calories per gram
When was the last time you heard of somebody binging on chicken breast and brocolli ?
What keeps you full longer a cinimon bun or a chicken breast ?
* not trying to pick a fight with you! just having a friendly conversation.
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All you people who don't believe in the low carb diet obviously don't have health issues. It's like the thin person who says "I've Never had to diet in my life!" Well thanks. Nice to know. In the real world people aren't all the same. I always knew I didn't eat that much and yet I've always struggled with my weight as an adult. With myfitnesspal I have for the first time ever tracked calories. And I'm under nearly every day. But I concentrated so much on the calories that I was over the 50g per day of carbs that I try to stick to. And the weight started creeping back on. Since doing low carb my borderline thyroid is healthy, my PCOS has cleared and so has my insulin resistance. So don't dismiss sth just because You don't need it.0
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Nothing new there, a low carb high fat diet has shown decreased appetite and in turn overall smaller calorie consumption consistently. Yeah, it works for some, but for me it's not worth the restrictions or limit myself to things I hate.
I have PCOS and insulin resistance and low carb has been recommended, tried it and it was very stressful. My blood sugar is very heavily affected by stress so it actually had the opposite effect. I would rather go the slow easy way than cut out every single thing I enjoy. Even without this "magic pill" I have been able to keep my blood sugar within normal range and clear my PCOS symptoms eating 100-250 carbs every day. The minute I go under 100 my fasting blood sugar goes back up.0 -
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I never counted calories to cut fat or lose weight. I just keep an eye on carbs except when I am trying to bulk up.0
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Foods with gluten and refined sugar generally have more calories, thus my guess is you created a calorie deficit by cutting them out of your diet.All I'm gonna say is what I know has worked for me. Without watching portion sizes at all or worrying at all about calories, I dropped 8 pounds by cutting out gluten and refined sugar.
LOL. What?0 -
These studies have been around for a few decades............protein is satiating and whole foods in general increase TEF.......the improvements in health markers is mostly associated with inflammation, blood glucose, lipid density etc....which again has been known for some time.The study isn't saying that calories don't matter because they certainly do. No educated person is ever going to dispute that.
The study is mearly pointing out that by going "low carb". And more importantly whole foods that people eat fewer calories without actually focusing on calorie counting.
Pertinent Quote from the study.
“It shows that in a free-living setting, cutting your carbs helps you lose weight without focusing on calories. And that’s really important because someone can change what they eat more easily than trying to cut down on their calories.”
Obviously if you still manage to over eat on a low carb diet you will not lose fat.
The other point was the improvments in the test subjects health markers compared to the low fat eating test subjects.0 -
I guess those Okinawan 's who get 90% of their diet from carbs, the Blue Zone populations who eat tons of carbs and live longer than anyone on the planet have it all wrong.0
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It's bull. In order to lose weight, you MUST eat less calories than you burn. Nobody gets to be a special snowflake in the world of weight loss.#bull**** .... I only believe a bit of what I read on the internet.
It does not matter what you eat as how much you eat ... no deficit no loss. Pure and simple.
The study is from the National Institute of Health, not some guy or gal trying to sell a fad diet book.
It's an article in the New York Times which is biased toward the Atkins diet. There are no references to the "studies" or peer reviewed articles which, to me, means this content of this article is pretty meaningless.
Amazing how quick some people are to try and tear something down, just because they think it conflicts with their own little viewpoint about weight loss. Before crying media bias, a bit of reading comprehension might be useful. What they're almost certainly talking about is what we've known for years - that low carb diets allow many people (not all) to naturally create a caloric deficit even when they're not focusing on tracking their calories. That doesn't mean they aren't creating a caloric deficit - it means their focus isn't on calories every day, but rather focusing on low carb foods. In short, it just reinforces that satiation is a very powerful factor when it comes to weight loss.0 -
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I did some hunting online and found more about this study at Reuters. Here's the difference between the diets:For the new study, she and her colleagues recruited 148 obese men and women between the ages of 22 and 75. None of the participants had heart disease or diabetes.
Half were randomly assigned to follow a low-carbohydrate diet for a year, and the other half were assigned to a low-fat diet for a year. They were told to not change their physical activity throughout the trial.
All participants attended regular meetings where they learned about portion control, healthy eating and overall nutrition. They were also offered one meal-replacement bar or shake per day.
The only difference between the groups was the proportions of carbohydrate and fat in their diets.
Those in the low-carbohydrate group were told to eat at no more than 40 grams of digestible carbohydrates per day. ("Digestible carbs" equals total carbs minus total fiber.)
Those in the low-fat group were told not to get more than 30 percent of their daily energy from fat and no more than 55 percent of their daily energy from carbohydrates.
Note the difference in how the diets were laid out. The low carb group was given a specific amount - no more than 40g digestible carbs per day - regardless of calorie intake. The low fat group was given percentages relative to their individual calorie intake - no more than 30% from fat, 55% from carbs.
Here's a link to the Reuters article if anyone wants to read it: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/01/us-carbon-fat-study-idUSKBN0GW33P20140901
And here's the link to the data from the actual study, not full article unless you have a subscription: http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=19006940 -
Whoever said you did have to count calories?What "we"? I eat a low carb diet. Not on purpose, but since I don't eat grains, beans, or packaged food it ends up low carb. I ate a 40-30-30 diet based on my BMR and TDEE for years - gained 8-10lbs a year. Now I eat less because I'm not hungry all day and the scale is going down in numbers finally.
In short, this study doesn't fly in my face at all, it supports what I've chosen as right for me.
The article states you don't have to count calories.
If you can eat at a caloric deficit without counting -- maybe by eating a lot of satiating protein and fat and not so many carbs -- good for you. But you're still eating at a deficit if you're losing weight.0 -
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Dieting can only work if you don't have hunger pangs half the day. And for many, a low-carb (and inevitably lower calorie) regimen is the way to make it through the day.
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Exactly this. People can eat whatever they want, however they want. For people who do low carb, they enjoy feeling full off of fat and protein while losing weight. It's honestly easier for ME to lose weight this way.
Some people obviously need to chill a bit and realize THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO GET TO A CALORIE DEFICIT. If someone decides to eat low carb, paleo, vegan, low fat...at the end of the day its about calorie deficit. I first starting eat low carb 4 years ago and I never would have believed I was eating in a calorie deficit and that's why you lose weight. I would have never believed with the chicken wings, sour cream, bacon, etc I was eating...all the stuff ou're told over and over that you can't eat while "dieting", that you can and still lose weight. It was after being on MFP both seeing my diary and forums that I realized, I WAS eating less because I was feeling so full from fat and protein.0 -
Interesting article in today's New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/health/low-carb-vs-low-fat-diet.html
From the article:
“To my knowledge, this is one of the first long-term trials that’s given these diets without calorie restrictions,” said Dariush Mozaffarian, the dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, who was not involved in the new study. “It shows that in a free-living setting, cutting your carbs helps you lose weight without focusing on calories. And that’s really important because someone can change what they eat more easily than trying to cut down on their calories.”
Flies in the face of everything we believe here.
No. It backs up everything we believe here. If you cut carbs, whether you intend to or not, you are cutting calories. Just because you're not counting calories doesn't mean you're not eating less of them if you are eating less carbs.
Any diet that works does so because of a calorie deficit, whether intentional or not.0 -
Yes, i have heard about this for years. It has helped me in the past, the challenge really is DOING IT. When you live in a society, culture, family etc where carbs, breads, pasta, rice, potatoes make up a majority of the meals it can be difficult to break this habit.0
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