Confused about Low Fat/No Sugar VS Regular

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sincereme
sincereme Posts: 276
in Food and Nutrition
I have heard/read alot of people say that Low Fat, Sugar Free, Fat Free is not good for weightloss. They say that even though the Fat and Sugar is not in the products, they are substituted with other stuff. Therefore they say to eat the regular product, just in moderation.

Then I read people that are all for the Low Fat, Sugar free, Fat Free stuff.

It’s a little confusing especially when you are trying to lose the weight. I don’t want to spend Money on stuff to then find out it’s not good for the weightloss journey.

Any input on this?

Replies

  • Helen43
    Helen43 Posts: 43
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    It is my understanding that it is best to go for the natural stuff. I would stay away from food that has been totally processed or has artificial ingredients in order to make it low fat or low sugar. I am always tempted by the weight watchers deserts (1 point) and other products like that, and then I think, what exactly is in that stuff. If you can't read it, don't eat it.:flowerforyou:
  • BrenNew
    BrenNew Posts: 3,420 Member
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    I have heard/read alot of people say that Low Fat, Sugar Free, Fat Free is not good for weightloss. They say that even though the Fat and Sugar is not in the products, they are substituted with other stuff. Therefore they say to eat the regular product, just in moderation.

    Then I read people that are all for the Low Fat, Sugar free, Fat Free stuff.

    It’s a little confusing especially when you are trying to lose the weight. I don’t want to spend Money on stuff to then find out it’s not good for the weightloss journey.

    Any input on this?


    I don't watch my sugars, I just count calories, carbs, fats, sodium and protein. As long as I stayed within my numbers, and got some exercise, the weight came off. And I had slow churned, no sugar added icecream almost every night too, so I guess the "substitute" for sugar was "ok fine", for me anyway! :smile:
  • belldandy1
    belldandy1 Posts: 264 Member
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    I have heard that it is best to eat low fat dairy products because they don't add in anything to substitute for the fat, they just skim it off. So low fat or fat free, milk cheese, plain yogurt are all supposed to be better. Fat free deserts like snackwells have more calories because they just add more sugar to make up for the fat. Sugar free things like yogurt and other deserts are reduced calorie, but they add artificial sweetners which are under debate. Some say that they make you crave more food and consume more throughout the day. There is other research that they cause certain types of cancer. Some say that they are fine in moderation. Hope that helps.
  • ma9321
    ma9321 Posts: 227 Member
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    It is my understanding that it is best to go for the natural stuff. I would stay away from food that has been totally processed or has artificial ingredients in order to make it low fat or low sugar. I am always tempted by the weight watchers deserts (1 point) and other products like that, and then I think, what exactly is in that stuff. If you can't read it, don't eat it.:flowerforyou:

    I agree.
    I refuse to use sugar substitutes. I also read the ingredients of everything that goes into my body. AS someone else has said... I do use low fat dairy products... that's about it though. Everything else, i steer clear from.
  • sincereme
    sincereme Posts: 276
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    Thanks for all the great information. I will take all this and apply it to my shopping list in order to make better choices. I just don't want to put anything into my body that will make me sick. Like I know for sure I can't do Splenda or any other artificial sweetners because they make me sick.

    Thanks everyone!
  • gillianr
    gillianr Posts: 4
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    Alot of low fat/no fat/sugar free food does have a downside... it is high in sodium. I have personally found that these foods tend to make me more bloated and retain more water, giving a larger appearance.

    There's nothing wrong with a little "real" sugar or "real" fat in your diet as long as you are being careful about moderation (ie measuring your salad dressing with a spoon instead of just pouring it from the bottle).

    What i do spend my money on that is low fat/no fat etc is dairy products (ie yogourt, cheese and sour cream) because i just can't seem to give these up and if I'm going to eat them i might as well make them even a TINY bit better for me.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    Moderation is the key, your body NEEDS fat, your body is FINE with sugar, it's eating too much of this stuff that will do the damage, not the fact that you eat it. Eating white sugar is worse than eating natural sugars but other than that, I say just watch your portions, and don't worry so much about the "low fat" thing, 15 to 25% of your Daily calories can (and should IMHO) come from fat, more in some cases. Don't be afraid of it. Just try to make sure most of the fat you take in is good fats (the omegas).

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