Cutting carbs is more effective than cutting fat...apparently.

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natboosh69
natboosh69 Posts: 276 Member
edited October 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/11963385/Cut-out-carbs-not-fat-if-you-want-to-lose-weight-Harvard-study-finds.html

This was also one of the main stories on the news in the UK this morning, cue mass of low carb diets!

Why is it not mainstream information that cutting calories is all that is needed, not carbs or fat or whatever? Frustrates me so much reading cr*p like this.
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  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    No it's not

    But it sure does drive internet hits doesn't it

    Sighs deeply
  • scyian
    scyian Posts: 243 Member
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    Frustrates me too. I was expecting Jamie Oliver to be mentioned in that article somewhere now his irritating face is on the ban sugar bandwagon.

    People can see I've lost weight without giving things up, I tell them is CICO yet they'll still pick a 'diet' method and wonder why they couldn't stick with it and gained it all back when they went back to their normal eating habits.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    eh it is comparing the two current fads...low fat vs low carb and saying low carb works better than low fat.

    It probably does...get rid of bread, pasta and potatos bam lots of calories gone.

    Fat helps with satiety so of course if you eat fat you feel fuller longer and eat less of other stuff.

    The final note in the article
    But doctors said any diet which reduced portion size and focussed on a healthy balanced range of fresh and unprocessed foods could form an effective route to weight loss. Dr Tobias said: "We need to look beyond the ratios of calories from fat, carbs, and protein to a discussion of healthy eating patterns, whole foods, and portion sizes.
    <snip>
    He said the key message from the research is that overall calorie intake determined the extent of weight loss, however it was achieved.

    “In order to control body weight, it still remains sensible advice to eat less (restrict portion size) and avoid consuming excess amounts of fat and sugar especially as fatty meat, deep fried foods, cakes and biscuits and sugar-sweetened beverages,” he said.

  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
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    natboosh69 wrote: »
    Why is it not mainstream information that cutting calories is all that is needed, not carbs or fat or whatever?

    I suspect because most people want, and I am guessing respond better to, easily executable solutions.

    For many people calorie counting doesn't seem simple to incorporate into their daily lives and will move away from it.

    Therefore they are more likely to embrace a message like "low carb" than "CICO".

  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    edited October 2015
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    HappyCampr1 wrote: »
    I'm interested to see if the genetic studies prove genetic predisposition to one type of diet over the other. Preliminary studies show a genetic element which affects which type of diet (low carb or low fat) works best for an individual. http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703862704575099742545274032

    The NIH is funding further multi-year studies which are due to end in 2017. http://grantome.com/grant/NIH/R01-DK091831-03

    I think it stands to reason that genetics must play some part but I guess the question is how much of a part.

    I'm a big fan of the "experiment, see what you respond favourably to, discard that which you do not" approach. I guess finding what fits best for a person would be easier if they had some reasonable guiding point to begin with.

    However, just like genetic factors in sport for example genetics in of itself does not show the whole picture and things like environment, culture and psychological factors also interact and have parts to play.

    In addition the answer to the question "low carb" or "low fat" also depends on what I am hoping to achieve. For leaness or sporting achievements it is low(er) fat. For general, happy lifestyle where I don't have any events on the horizon low(er) carb.

    It is possible to have it all ;)
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
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    HappyCampr1 wrote: »
    I agree. I managed to lose my weight using MFP's default macro split. It worked well for me. I just find it interesting, that's all.

    For sure.

    What exactly makes us who we are as individuals and as part of the human race is a fascinating area.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    "A just-published article in the prestigious journal The Lancet summarizes all major scientific trials on losing weight on low fat. The conclusion? There’s no evidence that low-fat helps to lose weight, compared to any other diet advice." - actual study abstract at http://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(15)00367-8/abstract
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
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    I love the comments on the article arguing that carbs turn straight into fat as the counter argument for CICO (that it doesn't work). They completely ignore that once the energy runs out it HAS to come from somewhere, and the answer is the majority will be from the fat deposits in your body unless you eat more. CICIO still holds, I can't help it you may end up stuffing your face if you eat 100% carbs.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    The article goes on to point to a 2 lb difference over a year (given how much I lost last year, this hardly convinces me I had the wrong approach), and also says: "any diet which reduced portion size and focussed on a healthy balanced range of fresh and unprocessed foods could form an effective route to weight loss. Dr Tobias said: 'We need to look beyond the ratios of calories from fat, carbs, and protein to a discussion of healthy eating patterns, whole foods, and portion sizes. Finding new ways to improve diet adherence for the long-term and preventing weight gain in the first place are important strategies for maintaining a healthy weight.'"

    Low carb has a quicker starting out loss (typically due to more water weight), for SOME will help with appetite control, and beyond that it appears that more dramatic changes can be more effective in the short term, especially for people who aren't monitoring calories (since if you cut out a bunch of stuff you relied on it takes a while to figure out what else to eat -- I also think this is why super low fat diets tend to test better than the usual "under 30%" low fat, which isn't really low fat. The bigger question is if the way of eating is sustainable for someone not participating in a study over time, and help that person eat consistent at a more appropriate calorie level for the activity they do. That's going to be personal, not something answered by a study.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited October 2015
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    This has been discussed many times in the the last few months. The article has nothing really new. It has been known for a while that a LCHF diet results in faster early (first 6 months) weight loss, mainly in the large minority ( getting close to 50%) of people who have some form of insulin resistance (PCOS, T2D, prediabetes, NAFLD). The weight loss then basically evens out at about a year. A two pound difference is about the same.

    I do wonder that if they just studied those with IR on a LCHF diet, if they would see even greater weight loss trends? LCHF diets coupled with CI<CO can be quite "magical" for some of us when it comes to weight loss. A LCHF diet often improves our health too, with or without the calorie deficit, which many low ravers find to be the main benefit.

    ETA that this WOE is just as sustainable as any other diet. For those of us who have experienced the health benefits of this WOE, I would hasten to guess that we are more likely to use this WOE for life. We have too much to lose from walking away from it.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    The article goes on to point to a 2 lb difference over a year

    presumably a mean, concealing a whole load of variation like this 12 month diet comparison :-

    pgc272fly1rg.jpg
    atoz.jpg 192.8K
  • dianaiku
    dianaiku Posts: 96 Member
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    I feel like this is true in my personal experience
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I wish these reports would emphasize health. But that's just me.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    i lost weight and maintain weight just fine eating a well balanced diet of carbs, fat, and protein...
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    I wish these reports would emphasize health. But that's just me.

    I completely agree!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    i lost weight and maintain weight just fine eating a well balanced diet of carbs, fat, and protein...
    With lots of nutrient dense foods, I bet. :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    edited October 2015
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    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    i lost weight and maintain weight just fine eating a well balanced diet of carbs, fat, and protein...
    With lots of nutrient dense foods, I bet. :)

    truth...
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
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    Only because when I eat cake, I eat 9 pieces and I don't stop until the Entire Pizza is gone.

    Nothing to do with the secret magic in a Carb Calorie as opposed to, say, a Bacon Calorie.
  • xKoalaBearx
    xKoalaBearx Posts: 181 Member
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    They don't know what they're talking about. The difference was two pounds.

    True weight loss is all about the calories. The media is so annoying.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    I wish these reports would emphasize health. But that's just me.

    I got a lot healthier when I lost my first twenty pounds, and the health benefits just compounded after I lost fifty. I had a rather stern conversation with my pharmacist last night as he had "lost" a prescription I filed a month ago. He commented that I hadn't gotten prescription medications for a very long time. "That's right", I growled, "but that vitamin prescription I assure you was filed with you a month ago. Look again." He found it.

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