Low-Carb High-Fat thoughts & discussion

gostumpy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FSeSTq-N4U4

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

Anyone else watch this? A real eye-opener for me!

I've been watching my calories, watching carbs, fat, sugar, all those things... Keeping them as low as possible...

Silly me, I've been buying the Kellogg's low or no-fat bars, snacks, activia yoghurt, all sorts of "diet foods"...

I am starting to see the trend, that these so called 'Diet Foods' have ENORMOUS amounts of carbs for the amount of actual food.. same with cereal, almost any non-natural processed food is LOADED with carbs!

I am having a hard time keeping my daily carb intake below 150, eating flax bread, etc.. Maybe I shouldn't be eating it at all! Oh the humanity!

But it seems that is what we ( *I*, anyway) have grown up accustomed to.. high carb diets... grown up thinking that fat is bad, leads us to eat more carbs...

Anyone else watch the video? (Not sure how to embed, or even link on here, so you'll have to copy & paste)

zakkthebear

if you keep away from refined anything, you're carbs will be lower. Low-carb/high(er) fat is also called a ketosis diet, and works from some with a carb reload day mixed in every 4-7 days.

If you’re eating real food, and being somewhat mindful of what fruits/veggies you’re eating (pineapples, carrots, oranges, etc in moderation/at all) you’ll go low-carb by default.

On top of that, there are different types of sugar and then you get into the sugar make-up of foods (fructose, sucrose, Glucose or the biggiest to watch) then you can really get dizzy on what is best even with the carbs you are getting.

Eating is a science, but once you figure it out, it gets easier.

SpydrMnky27

I eat low carb and high fat. I am for 50% fat/ 30% protein/ 20% carbs. I actually like to be lower on carbs and higher in fat but now that I am working out, I have upped the carbs just a bit. It's not for everyone but my body responds very well to it.

skinnylion

The mentality that eating fat makes you fat is false. Don't buy diet foods, just buy normal foods and eat them in smaller quantities.

I know from personal experience that eating too little fat and replacing your fat deficit with carbs is terrible for your body. My hair thinned out and my nails grew in weird because I genuinely thought things like peanut butter, olive oil, real butter, etc, would "ruin my diet" when in REALITY you need to eat them!

Now I measure out 1 tbsp or two (to make it easier use an 1/8 cup) of full fat peanut butter and eat it almost every day. Reduced fat products are a waste, they're full of fillers and chemicals. Get the real thing, eat a balanced diet, and your body will thank you.

Ljordan_fitflow

im watching it now. yea its shocking. even so called "diet" food isnt good for you. i haven't had fast food in a year unless you consider mcdonalds oatmeal fast food.

yarwell

the obesity epidemic is a good indication that the high carb / low fat eating approach isn't delivering the intended outcome I feel.

Marll

It's amazing what we've all be told we should be eating. Low fat this, no fat that, etc. Looking at foods in their natural form we see that there is plenty of fat, and all for a good reason.

gostumpy

Absolutely.

A chicken breast smothered with butter and sauce has 1/4 the carbs of a Kellogg's Special K 23g Cereal Bar. 18g of carbs in a 23g Cereal Bar...

Cereal & Bread so far are my two biggest carb contributors...

DB_1106

I am loving my low carb lifestyle since I started it a week ago. I cut out all processed food and am eating all natural meats and vegetables. I feel great!!!

dolldreams

I used to eat diet this and low fat that. Now that I mostly eat regular versions of everything, I'm better off. I only end up eating diet foods when I buy them by mistake.

I was actually able to wean myself off of soda by switching to regular. Now, I drink it only on rare occasions. Similar thing happened when I switched from margerine to regular unsalted butter.

That diet stuff if strangely addictive...

gostumpy

Interesting comparison, look at how well our pets do on a fresh meat diet compared to the dried kibble they normally eat! WAY healthier!

Same goes for us!

ChasingSweatandTears

The mentality that eating fat makes you fat is false. Don't buy diet foods, just buy normal foods and eat them in smaller quantities.

I know from personal experience that eating too little fat and replacing your fat deficit with carbs is terrible for your body. My hair thinned out and my nails grew in weird because I genuinely thought things like peanut butter, olive oil, real butter, etc, would "ruin my diet" when in REALITY you need to eat them!

Now I measure out 1 tbsp or two (to make it easier use an 1/8 cup) of full fat peanut butter and eat it almost every day. Reduced fat products are a waste, they're full of fillers and chemicals. Get the real thing, eat a balanced diet, and your body will thank you.

slainnz

Thanks for posting this, the website is great!

SalishSea

Bump to watch the videos later.

suziecue66

It all makes sense but if you can't make it a lifestyle you will just gain the weight back. Just take a look at some of the low carb proponents that are still overweight after years of low carbing.
Its okay to cut out the refined carbs and lower carbs if it allows you to comply with diet and get to goal. But the more I read threads on MFP I realise that those that portion control and allow foods that they like in diet the greater likelihood that they maintain their weight loss.

Low carb sounds very attractive because you are told that as long as you keep it low carb you can eat as much fat and meat as you like. Weight gain is not your fault its the carbs!! You don't own that you are overweight because YOU over-ate.

suziecue66

the obesity epidemic is a good indication that the high carb / low fat eating approach isn't delivering the intended outcome I feel.

I remember believing that line. Weight gain isn't caused by eating low fat, high carb foods. It is from over-eating.

martinah4

It all makes sense but if you can't make it a lifestyle you will just gain the weight back. Just take a look at some of the low carb proponents that are still overweight after years of low carbing.
Its okay to cut out the refined carbs and lower carbs if it allows you to comply with diet and get to goal. But the more I read threads on MFP I realise that those that portion control and allow foods that they like in diet the greater likelihood that they maintain their weight loss.

Low carb sounds very attractive because you are told that as long as you keep it low carb you can eat as much fat and meat as you like. Weight gain is not your fault its the carbs!! You don't own that you are overweight because YOU over-ate.

Of course it's a lifestyle change. If you quit any diet, and go back to your old eating habits, you're going to gain the weight back. Obviously. I think the biggest obstacle for any low-carber, is to find ways to have variation in their meals, and to find substitutes for the things that used to be comfort foods for them. For me, it's chocolate anything and salty/crunchy stuff. I've solved the problem of the sweets--lots of options. And for the salty, I've discovered cocoa-coated almonds and pork rinds.

If you don't experiment and find lots of different, easy meals, I think you'll get bored and quit. I've been going strong for over a year now at about 20 net carbs a day.

And, as to your last thought, you don't TEND to over-eat on a low carb diet, because protein and fat satiate you.

suziecue66

It all makes sense but if you can't make it a lifestyle you will just gain the weight back. Just take a look at some of the low carb proponents that are still overweight after years of low carbing.
Its okay to cut out the refined carbs and lower carbs if it allows you to comply with diet and get to goal. But the more I read threads on MFP I realise that those that portion control and allow foods that they like in diet the greater likelihood that they maintain their weight loss.

Low carb sounds very attractive because you are told that as long as you keep it low carb you can eat as much fat and meat as you like. Weight gain is not your fault its the carbs!! You don't own that you are overweight because YOU over-ate.

Of course it's a lifestyle change. If you quit any diet, and go back to your old eating habits, you're going to gain the weight back. Obviously. I think the biggest obstacle for any low-carber, is to find ways to have variation in their meals, and to find substitutes for the things that used to be comfort foods for them. For me, it's chocolate anything and salty/crunchy stuff. I've solved the problem of the sweets--lots of options. And for the salty, I've discovered cocoa-coated almonds and pork rinds.

If you don't experiment and find lots of different, easy meals, I think you'll get bored and quit. I've been going strong for over a year now at about 20 net carbs a day.

And, as to your last thought, you don't TEND to over-eat on a low carb diet, because protein and fat satiate you.

That's the point - low carb is hard to do as a lifestyle. I know of all the lowcarb snack options etc. It eventually gets old.
Its easier to portion control and eat foods you like.

yarwell

Weight gain isn't caused by eating low fat, high carb foods. It is from over-eating.

It is, and low fat high carb diet advice is not working in the population at large.

yarwell

Its easier to portion control and eat foods you like.

I like the low carb foods I'm eating. I have no hunger at all, which is another great benefit to me.

I doubt I could maintain my current calorie deficit on high carb stuff, like the folks in the study below I eat less of low carb foods
http://www.ajcn.org/content/23/7/948.full.pdf+html

kate_sunflower

the obesity epidemic is a good indication that the high carb / low fat eating approach isn't delivering the intended outcome I feel.

jonski1968

I am having a hard time keeping my daily carb intake below 150, eating flax bread, etc.. Maybe I shouldn't be eating it at all! Oh the humanity!

My flax bread has less than 1gr carbs per slice

yarwell

My flax bread has less than 1gr carbs per slice

The US includes fiber in "carbohydrates" whereas in the UK we don't. The equivalent is to subtract Fiber from Carbs on a US label to get "net carbs".

Thankfully, we just analyse them separately and our labels state them separately, unless a rogue US analysis sneaks through.

Flax is very low in carbohydrates - about 3% - but high in fibre - maybe 30% - so this is one product that makes transatlantic conversation difficult.

groomchick

Iv'e been living low carb basically for 16 years. It's the only way I have been able to manage my weight. I bounce my macs around depending on what I'm doing at the time but....my carbs are never more than 40%. .... never less than 20%. As far as products go... yes I use SOME low fat products.... mayo, cheese, sour cream, milk. But most of the other products I use are regular full fat versions....just use them more sparingly.

RachelsReboot

That's the point - low carb is hard to do as a lifestyle. I know of all the lowcarb snack options etc. It eventually gets old.
Its easier to portion control and eat foods you like.

Low carb is only hard to do as a lifestyle if you are lazy and uncommitted. I don't have any problems with it. You have to get a little creative now and then when you want to eat out but for those that say it's to hard to maintain, it's just an excuse.

shar140

That's the point - low carb is hard to do as a lifestyle. I know of all the lowcarb snack options etc. It eventually gets old.
Its easier to portion control and eat foods you like.

Low carb is only hard to do as a lifestyle if you are lazy and uncommitted. I don't have any problems with it. You have to get a little creative now and then when you want to eat out but for those that say it's to hard to maintain, it's just an excuse.

Agreed. You get out of it what you put into it, same as any other "diet" or "lifestyle change".

Personally, I like this better than when I ate the Standard American Diet - I eat real foods (REAL foods don't have ingredients!), and no addictive processed chemicals added to the foods I normally choose. And, I *do* like the foods I eat, or I wouldn't eat them!! I've also found it's a lot easier to pack a lunch/snacks (though I usually don't even need any snacks, just 2-3 meals a day) to bring to work, and doesn't get old to me.

RSM2012

I've been following a low carb high fat diet for a month now and I've lost a stone so it does work for losing weight, although I do understand why people disagree. I didn't gain my extra weight from eating carb foods it was from overeating the wrong foods and doing little exercise!! Fact!

I've used the low carb diet to try and control sugar cravings and basically cut out all the bad carbs which were the only kind of carbs i was having before. This has worked for me. All of my carbs now come from vegetables.

martinah4

Its easier to portion control and eat foods you like.

I like the low carb foods I'm eating. I have no hunger at all, which is another great benefit to me.

I doubt I could maintain my current calorie deficit on high carb stuff, like the folks in the study below I eat less of low carb foods
http://www.ajcn.org/content/23/7/948.full.pdf+html

Me, too! I've tried the portion control, and the calorie counting, and working out in the gym excessively. But, I was always hungry. Always cheating. Always feeling guilt. With low carb, I like the foods, I like how I feel, and I'm never hungry. To each his own.

Marll

That's the point - low carb is hard to do as a lifestyle. I know of all the lowcarb snack options etc. It eventually gets old.
Its easier to portion control and eat foods you like.

Low carb is only hard to do as a lifestyle if you are lazy and uncommitted. I don't have any problems with it. You have to get a little creative now and then when you want to eat out but for those that say it's to hard to maintain, it's just an excuse.

Low carb isn't always easy to do, but mostly because in Western cultures our food options are dominated by packaged, processed crap-in-a-box. You go to a grocery store in the US and 90% of the store is dedicated to processed foods, breads, pastas, rice and cereals. EVERYTHING seems to have wheat in it these days and it's hard as hell to avoid sugar and high-fructose corn syrup even in things that it has no business being in.

I also agree that it's the laziness factor that kills most people that think about switching. Do I have to cook A LOT more now? Yes. Is my food more nutritious and I'm getting more vegtables and other vital minerals and nutrients? You bet. But again I'm in this for the long haul. When it becomes common practice for you to cook and not be lazy, it's really not that big of a deal.

As far as health is concearned as well, I think we'll see a change in the medical advice in the coming years, the huge upswing in cancer, gluten intolerance or sensitivity, diabetes, gastro-intestinal issues and other diseases are not unrelated to our over processed eating habits. As another poster said "Real food doesn't have ingredients", and real food is needed to feed and sustain the human body.

RachelsReboot

Low carb isn't always easy to do, but mostly because in Western cultures our food options are dominated by packaged, processed crap-in-a-box. You go to a grocery store in the US and 90% of the store is dedicated to processed foods, breads, pastas, rice and cereals. EVERYTHING seems to have wheat in it these days and it's hard as hell to avoid sugar and high-fructose corn syrup even in things that it has no business being in.

No one says anyone has to shop the whole store, once people get used to eating real food and cooking and stop looking for the quick fix, then it's easy. I can find almost everything I need in the outer circle of the store. I rarely venture into the center of the store.

Marll

Low carb isn't always easy to do, but mostly because in Western cultures our food options are dominated by packaged, processed crap-in-a-box. You go to a grocery store in the US and 90% of the store is dedicated to processed foods, breads, pastas, rice and cereals. EVERYTHING seems to have wheat in it these days and it's hard as hell to avoid sugar and high-fructose corn syrup even in things that it has no business being in.

No one says anyone has to shop the whole store, once people get used to eating real food and cooking and stop looking for the quick fix, then it's easy. I can find almost everything I need in the outer circle of the store. I rarely venture into the center of the store.

I think that you may have misinterpreted what I'm saying. I agree, the only "good" stuff is in the outter aisles, but most people don't realize that, and find it hard to find things to eat because they are not used to shopping for whole, natural, unprocessed foods.

Once you get used to it, it gets easier, but at first many people are overwhelmed and have no idea what they can or should be eating. I'm a lifelong low carber now, and think it's easy.