Low-carb? Low-fat? Study finds calories count more

omid990

LOS ANGELES – Low-fat, low-carb or high-protein? The kind of diet doesn't matter, scientists say. All that really counts is cutting calories and sticking with it, according to a federal study that followed people for two years. However, participants had trouble staying with a single approach that long and the weight loss was modest for most.
As the world grapples with rising obesity, millions have turned to popular diets like Atkins, Zone and Ornish that tout the benefits of one nutrient over another.
Some previous studies have found that low carbohydrate diets like Atkins work better than a traditional low-fat diet. But the new research found that the key to losing weight boiled down to a basic rule — calories in, calories out.
"The hidden secret is it doesn't matter if you focus on low-fat or low-carb," said Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which funded the research.
Limiting the calories you consume and burning off more calories with exercise is key, she said.
The study, which appears in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, was led by Harvard School of Public Health and Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana.
Researchers randomly assigned 811 overweight adults to one of four diets, each of which contained different levels of fat, protein and carbohydrates.
Though the diets were twists on commercial plans, the study did not directly compare popular diets. The four diets contained healthy fats, were high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables and were low in cholesterol.
Nearly two-thirds of the participants were women. Each dieter was encouraged to slash 750 calories a day from their diet, exercise 90 minutes a week, keep an online food diary and meet regularly with diet counselors to chart their progress.
There was no winner among the different diets; reduction in weight and waist size were similar in all groups.
People lost 13 pounds on average at six months, but all groups saw their weight creep back up after a year. At two years, the average weight loss was about 9 pounds while waistlines shrank an average of 2 inches. Only 15 percent of dieters achieved a weight-loss reduction of 10 percent or more of their starting weight.
Dieters who got regular counseling saw better results. Those who attended most meetings shed more pounds than those who did not — 22 pounds compared with the average 9 pound loss.
Lead researcher Dr. Frank Sacks of Harvard said a restricted calorie diet gives people greater food choices, making the diet less monotonous.
"They just need to focus on how much they're eating," he said.
Sacks said the trick is finding a healthy diet that is tasty and that people will stick with over time.
Before Debbie Mayer, 52, enrolled in the study, she was a "stress eater" who would snack all day and had no sense of portion control. Mayer used to run marathons in her 30s, but health problems prevented her from doing much exercise in recent years.
Mayer tinkered with different diets — Weight Watchers, Atkins, South Beach — with little success.
"I've been battling my weight all my life. I just needed more structure," said Mayer, of Brockton, Mass., who works with the elderly.
Mayer was assigned to a low-fat, high-protein diet with 1,400 calories a day. She started measuring her food and went back to the gym. The 5-foot Mayer started at 179 pounds and dropped 50 pounds to 129 pounds by the end of the study. She now weighs 132 and wants to shed a few more pounds.
Another study volunteer, Rudy Termini, a 69-year-old retiree from Cambridge, Mass., credits keeping a food diary for his 22-pound success. Termini said before participating in the study he would wolf down 2,500 calories a day. But sticking to an 1,800-calorie high-fat, average protein diet meant no longer eating an entire T-bone steak for dinner. Instead, he now eats only a 4-ounce steak.
"I was just oblivious to how many calories I was having," said the 5-foot-11-inch Termini, who dropped from 195 to 173 pounds. "I really used to just eat everything and anything in sight."
Dr. David Katz of the Yale Prevention Research Center and author of several weight control books, said the results should not be viewed as an endorsement of fad diets that promote one nutrient over another.
The study compared high quality, heart healthy diets and "not the gimmicky popular versions," said Katz, who had no role in the study. Some popular low-carb diets tend to be low in fiber and have a relatively high intake of saturated fat, he said.
Other experts were bothered that the dieters couldn't keep the weight off even with close monitoring and a support system.
"Even these highly motivated, intelligent participants who were coached by expert professionals could not achieve the weight losses needed to reverse the obesity epidemic," Martijn Katan of Amsterdam's Free University wrote in an accompanying editorial.
______

omid990

LOS ANGELES – Low-fat, low-carb or high-protein? The kind of diet doesn't matter, scientists say. All that really counts is cutting calories and sticking with it, according to a federal study that followed people for two years. However, participants had trouble staying with a single approach that long and the weight loss was modest for most.
As the world grapples with rising obesity, millions have turned to popular diets like Atkins, Zone and Ornish that tout the benefits of one nutrient over another.
Some previous studies have found that low carbohydrate diets like Atkins work better than a traditional low-fat diet. But the new research found that the key to losing weight boiled down to a basic rule — calories in, calories out.
"The hidden secret is it doesn't matter if you focus on low-fat or low-carb," said Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which funded the research.
Limiting the calories you consume and burning off more calories with exercise is key, she said.
The study, which appears in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, was led by Harvard School of Public Health and Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana.
Researchers randomly assigned 811 overweight adults to one of four diets, each of which contained different levels of fat, protein and carbohydrates.
Though the diets were twists on commercial plans, the study did not directly compare popular diets. The four diets contained healthy fats, were high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables and were low in cholesterol.
Nearly two-thirds of the participants were women. Each dieter was encouraged to slash 750 calories a day from their diet, exercise 90 minutes a week, keep an online food diary and meet regularly with diet counselors to chart their progress.
There was no winner among the different diets; reduction in weight and waist size were similar in all groups.
People lost 13 pounds on average at six months, but all groups saw their weight creep back up after a year. At two years, the average weight loss was about 9 pounds while waistlines shrank an average of 2 inches. Only 15 percent of dieters achieved a weight-loss reduction of 10 percent or more of their starting weight.
Dieters who got regular counseling saw better results. Those who attended most meetings shed more pounds than those who did not — 22 pounds compared with the average 9 pound loss.
Lead researcher Dr. Frank Sacks of Harvard said a restricted calorie diet gives people greater food choices, making the diet less monotonous.
"They just need to focus on how much they're eating," he said.
Sacks said the trick is finding a healthy diet that is tasty and that people will stick with over time.
Before Debbie Mayer, 52, enrolled in the study, she was a "stress eater" who would snack all day and had no sense of portion control. Mayer used to run marathons in her 30s, but health problems prevented her from doing much exercise in recent years.
Mayer tinkered with different diets — Weight Watchers, Atkins, South Beach — with little success.
"I've been battling my weight all my life. I just needed more structure," said Mayer, of Brockton, Mass., who works with the elderly.
Mayer was assigned to a low-fat, high-protein diet with 1,400 calories a day. She started measuring her food and went back to the gym. The 5-foot Mayer started at 179 pounds and dropped 50 pounds to 129 pounds by the end of the study. She now weighs 132 and wants to shed a few more pounds.
Another study volunteer, Rudy Termini, a 69-year-old retiree from Cambridge, Mass., credits keeping a food diary for his 22-pound success. Termini said before participating in the study he would wolf down 2,500 calories a day. But sticking to an 1,800-calorie high-fat, average protein diet meant no longer eating an entire T-bone steak for dinner. Instead, he now eats only a 4-ounce steak.
"I was just oblivious to how many calories I was having," said the 5-foot-11-inch Termini, who dropped from 195 to 173 pounds. "I really used to just eat everything and anything in sight."
Dr. David Katz of the Yale Prevention Research Center and author of several weight control books, said the results should not be viewed as an endorsement of fad diets that promote one nutrient over another.
The study compared high quality, heart healthy diets and "not the gimmicky popular versions," said Katz, who had no role in the study. Some popular low-carb diets tend to be low in fiber and have a relatively high intake of saturated fat, he said.
Other experts were bothered that the dieters couldn't keep the weight off even with close monitoring and a support system.
"Even these highly motivated, intelligent participants who were coached by expert professionals could not achieve the weight losses needed to reverse the obesity epidemic," Martijn Katan of Amsterdam's Free University wrote in an accompanying editorial.
______

GTOgirl1969

You mean it took them this long to figure it out?:laugh:

Anna_Banana

Good info. And so true. Yes it matters what you eat, but when it comes to weight lose you have to consume less calories than you burn in order to lose. It doesn't matter if they are from carbs or protein. However what your life style is should stear you towards the type of calories you need to help you achieve your goals. For example if your goals are to build up muscles you would want to eat more protein than some one who's goal is to run a marathon to help rebuild musles after you damage them lifting. And a marathon runner would want more carbs than a body builder to give them fuel to keep on going.

JamieArmbruster

I just read that study this morning... What a shocker, ok not really. I think most people know what we have to do to lose weight, for myself it is just easy to fall into traps of convenience foods, and one skipped workout won't hurt, etc. Unfortunately, I don't think the study told us anything we didn't already know!

Dave198lbs

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stillkristi

Thats interesting, and pretty informative. It is also interesting that of the two people they quoted, neither were on low fat diets. Finally, the really important factor is structure, like keeping a food journal, getting in a group, and/or seeing a counselor.

Those last principles are exactly the same as addiction therapy. Studies show that those who see a professional, and or are involved in a group of some kind do better than those who try to give up drugs and alcohol without help - cold turkey. Also, another important factor in maintaining sobriety in drug and alcohol addiction is the length of time one is in treatment. The turning point seems to be about six months. Those who are in treatment for six months or more have much better chance of maintaining sobriety over the long haul. Those with the BEST chances are those who are in treatment for six months or more AND make significant life changes, (they avoid old friends, places they used to use and old habits -playground, playmates, playthings).

stillkristi

Dave, I liked your input, its important to remember that a fine engine depends on high quality fuel to run better. Thanks.

mgeek40

I just read that study this morning... What a shocker, ok not really. I think most people know what we have to do to lose weight, for myself it is just easy to fall into traps of convenience foods, and one skipped workout won't hurt, etc. Unfortunately, I don't think the study told us anything we didn't already know!

Its soo true. Its easy to know what to do and hard to do it. The most important thing I got from the article was abolut support. My kids have been supporting me and its made all the difference in the world.

LeanLioness

Good info. And so true. Yes it matters what you eat, but when it comes to weight lose you have to consume less calories than you burn in order to lose. It doesn't matter if they are from carbs or protein. However what your life style is should stear you towards the type of calories you need to help you achieve your goals. For example if your goals are to build up muscles you would want to eat more protein than some one who's goal is to run a marathon to help rebuild musles after you damage them lifting. And a marathon runner would want more carbs than a body builder to give them fuel to keep on going.

Actually for a lot of people, it does matter where those calories come from............. People with metabolic problems most times will not lose weight on a low fat, low calorie diet..............

Me, if I ate a higher carb diet filled with pasta, rice, bread, sugar I would gain weight............I know, I have already done it.

On low carb, high fat - I have have upwards of 1,800 calories and lose weight at a steady pace..........

I am actually more satisfied, happier and my blood sugar is stable on a controlled carb lifestyle.

So, the calories in, calories out theory does not work for everyone............

Anna_Banana

But you are still consuming less calories than you are using. If you were consuming more you would gain. And you may be more satisfied with a carb controlled lifestyle, but that's not to say that someone else might be more satisfied on a high carb low fat diet. Really everyone needs to find what works best for them and what they can stick to the best. Some days I eat mostly protein foods, other days I eat mainly carbs. I really just eat to suit my mood, I just make sure to stay with in a healthy caloric range for me. So far that has worked great for me.