Low Carb vs Low Fat

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beachbums794
beachbums794 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am debating about which diet to follow. I have done both, but would like to know what has worked best for everyone. Not only weight loss and inches, but long health and happiness wise. Thanks

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  • sgthaggard
    sgthaggard Posts: 581 Member
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    The balanced diet (40% calories from carbs/30%from protein/30%from fat) with a calorie deficit is what worked for me.
  • beachbums794
    beachbums794 Posts: 2 Member
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    OK< not to sound dumb, lol...but how do you figure that out? Thank you
  • sgthaggard
    sgthaggard Posts: 581 Member
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    I read about it in a number of different places - I think it's a pretty standard ratio.
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    Low fat is a suboptimal choice. People who aim to do low carb usually end doing more of a balanced diet (40/30/30) because the western diet is so high in carbs anyway. Therefore I'd aim to stick to "lowish" carbs by reducing carbs like crackers, chips, rice, bread, pasta, etc.

    Look up the LOGI pyramid.
  • amydee714
    amydee714 Posts: 232 Member
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    I eat low carb, but unless you have a specific reason for doing so (like being insulin resistant or diabetic) I would recommend eating a balanced diet like sgthaggard recommends. I don't recommend eating low carb for anyone who only want to use it for weight loss. The best way for you to be healthy and sustain your weight loss is to eat a balanced diet including smaller portions of the foods your normally eat.

    Essentially figure out how many calories you should consume a day for weight loss and eat that amount.
  • cjransom
    cjransom Posts: 42
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    This is one heck of a sticky question... Your body needs all 3 and you get calories from all 3. Which is best to take in well in a lot of ways that depends on what research you believe.

    I think for me personally, I'm sticking to around 100g of carbs a day. I eat more protein and fat. The whole Atkins diet focus on creating keotsis or however it is spelled which is when you body goes into a super fat burning stage. It has it's pluses but it has some definite drawbacks.

    A lot of the research I've seen shows slow steady weight loss is the way to go. Making a diet isn't as good as a lifestyle change.

    A mistake some make is they lose the weight and go back to eating what helped them put on the weight to begin with.

    Study the research a lot of it is available on the web but ultimately you need to figure out what works for you. Good luck.
  • PicklePlum
    PicklePlum Posts: 192 Member
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    I agree with balanced ratio of carb/protein/fat. I personally set mine to 30/35/35 but average about 40/30/30 and lost weight and decreased fat % pretty consistently. I reduce refined carbs and cut back on gluten (makes me feel icky).
  • Brassteacher
    Brassteacher Posts: 7
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    The low carb diet is the only one that ever worked for me that I could stick to. It's been 8 yrs now and I am pretty consistent. I'm down 50 lbs and am healthier than ever. I just turned 56. My energy is high all day long with no drowsy time like before. My blood work is better than ever. I try to eat zero carb, but it ends up being 20-50 per day normally. I avoid grains mostly and sugar secondly. From my experience, carbs are totally non usefull. I've even read now that many endurance athletes are now doing low carb/high fat and improving their performance from it.
  • tkgraham
    tkgraham Posts: 12
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    I eat low carb, but unless you have a specific reason for doing so (like being insulin resistant or diabetic) I would recommend eating a balanced diet like sgthaggard recommends. I don't recommend eating low carb for anyone who only want to use it for weight loss. The best way for you to be healthy and sustain your weight loss is to eat a balanced diet including smaller portions of the foods your normally eat.

    Essentially figure out how many calories you should consume a day for weight loss and eat that amount.

    Do you eat a low carb diet because of being diabetic? I'm looking for other choosing a similar diet to cure their diabetes.
  • BlisterLamb
    BlisterLamb Posts: 396 Member
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    Low fat is a suboptimal choice. People who aim to do low carb usually end doing more of a balanced diet (40/30/30) because the western diet is so high in carbs anyway. Therefore I'd aim to stick to "lowish" carbs by reducing carbs like crackers, chips, rice, bread, pasta, etc.

    Look up the LOGI pyramid.

    I lost 100 pounds doing a balanced diet, then plateaued for years. Then started gaining. All while eating at a calorie deficit. It took a while to find out I had Hashimotos and the doctor put me on a very low carb diet. I have always believed everything in balance was the way to go, but for me, due to health issues, low carb seems to be working well. And like the guy I quoted says, it actually ends up being more balanced. I don't eat chips, rice, bread, etc. Most of my carbs come from fruit, vegetables or the odd carbs in the proteins I eat. It hasn't been difficult and it did break the long term plateau and I feel good.
  • castlerobber
    castlerobber Posts: 528 Member
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    Do you eat a low carb diet because of being diabetic? I'm looking for other choosing a similar diet to cure their diabetes.

    I'm not diabetic, but my father is type 2, as was his brother. He became insulin-dependent after only a few years--I guess the beta cells in his pancreas finally gave out. I don't want to go there, so I'm voluntarily cutting the grains and sugar now. The more I learn about the functions of insulin and how the body is affected by some types of carbohydrate, the more convinced I become that low(er) carb is the way I need to go.
  • MarieeugeneWODAYS
    MarieeugeneWODAYS Posts: 5
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    I tried doing low carb (25g/day), I gained weight, because I had to compensate by eating way too much protein and fat. I gain almost 10lbs in 2 weeks. Not fun. And I was eating real food, no gluten whatsoever, but lots of fat. So now I am back to 40/30/30 I feel much better. It works for some folks, I have friend who lost on it but not me.

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