Which is better for weight loss: low-carb diets such as Atkins or the low-fat diet promoted by the American Heart Association, among others? The diet food fight has been raging for decades. Both sides in the battle have their ardent supporters, and the only certainty is that it is possible to achieve healthy weight loss following a diet that is either low in carbohydrates or low in dietary fat. The recent trend toward more sensible low-carb weight loss diets such as the South Beach diet only added fuel to the weight reduction fire.
A study published March 2, 2010 in the Annals of Internal Medicine may answer the question once and for all. After a three year study, researchers found that– while low carb diets may lead to speedier weight loss– if you want to keep it off, following a low fat diet may be a better bet.
In the first year of the study, participants followed diets that were either low in fat or low in carbohydrates. After the first six months, the low carb dieters had lost more weight. However, at the end of the first year, the low fat dieters had caught up to them and participants following the low carb diet and those on a low fat diet had lost essentially the same amount of weight.
Two years later, things got interesting when the researchers checked up on the dieters in the study. Subjects who had followed a low carb diet were, on average, almost 5 pounds lighter than when they started the study three years earlier. Dieters on the low fat diet had also maintained their weight loss, but those dieters were an average of 9.5 pounds lighter than when they started-- twice the long term weight loss!
Conclusion: For long term weight loss, low fat diets are better than low carb diets for losing weight and keeping it off.
What do you think? Have you lost weight with a low fat diet, or do you still think low carb diets are the solution for long term weight loss and health? Let us know in the comment section below.
Lose weight locally: Where to get weight loss support in the Dallas Metroplex.
Dallas own Cooper Weight Loss Center at the world famous Cooper Aerobics Center offers a variety of programs for healthy weight loss and fitness. Their website has a plethora of free weight loss information and diet support as well.
Weight Watchers of Dallas, Inc. has been helping Dallas area residents achieve their weight loss goals in a healthy and supportive environment. They host meetings thoughout the Dallas Metroplex, so you are sure to find a Weight Watchers group that meets near you.
Looking for free weight loss support in the Dallas Metroplex? Check out the Dallas Weight Loss Group, a peer to peer local diet support group that meets both online and in person if you are so inclined.
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Comments
I can't believe all of the participants actually stayed on their diet for so long. Good for them! I think a diet low in saturated fat is best mixed with healthy carbs like quinoa, brown rice and oatmeal.
Bobbi-- I think you are exactly right! It's when people go too low-fat that they run into problems. Our bodies need healthy fats like avocados, olive oil and oily fish like salmon-- and they help keep us feeling full instead of deprived, too.
Interesting info KK! I don't subscribe to either, but I think anything's okay to eat as long as it's done in moderation.
One of the things that may not be taken into account very often is that there is a real financial bias towards promoting high carb diets. This is where all the snack foods are. Fats unlike carbs go rancid, while trans-fats were invented as a means of preserving the shelf life of fats. Even excluding trans-fats, high carb snack foods don't require refrigeration and have a much longer shelf life than high fat foods. So its easier to build a business around it. As for high carb versus high fat, I think there are healthy approaches to either diet but again there is a financial bias towards promoting carbs.
healthjournalclub.blogspot.com
I have lost over 100 pounds in about a year. I used a healthy weight loss approach: I followed balanced diet that was composed of healthy foods in right proportions. I had 5-6 meals a day. I cut down on calories, but maintained the 3:3:4 fats/protein/carbs proportion. I removed sugar, proccessed foods, canned, frozen and fast foods. I cooked myself and ate a lot or raw vegetables and fruits. Took omega 3 good quality fish oil. Ate all whole dairy products, 7-9% fat cottage cheese. No fat free or low fat foods, no sugar supplements.
I believe that only healthy and balanced diet can lead to successful weight loss and ultimate health.
I also exercise every day for about 1 hour. I do power yoga and pilates.
healthy-dietpedia.com
That is the classic definition of a straw man. Less than 30g of fat per day is not typical of the Atkins diet. On the contrary, the Atkins diet does not limit the intake of fat at any time, and even encourages eating animal fat ad libitum. It only limits the intake of carbohydrate.
Paul- Interesting point. Most processed junk food is high in carbs. Some of it is just the nature of the beast, but a lot of it has to do with HFCS. In fact, a shocking number of snack and other foods marketed as being low fat and therefore healthy are loaded with high fructose corn syrup in order to make them taste better without less fat-- making them even higher in carbohydrates.
Marina-- Good for you! Your diet sounds supremely sensible: healthy weight loss that is easy to maintain in the long term because it's a lifestyle change, not a "diet." Love your exercise choices, too.
Martin-- I think that's a typo in the original MedicineNet article-- surely they meant less than 30 grams of carbohydrates, not fat. The American Academy of Family Physicians defines low-carb diets as having between 20g and 60g of carbs per day-- generally less than 20% of total calories-- which would tend to bear that out. I'm trying to get a hold of the article to make sure and I'll change the headline if necessary.
Bottom line, if the average weight loss over 3 years was only 5-10 lbs, then these people are not serious about weight loss (or were not very overweight)!
Both paths can lose weight, but with the huge amount of hidden processed carbs in our foods these days, it just makes sense to get them out of your life.
Before the carb "invasion" people didn't worry too much about fat in their food and they didn't have an obesity epidemic back then, so a little "critical" thinking goes a long way to seeing the truth.
I prefer a low carb method myself, but really it's mostly about eating foods that were available 100+ years ago. Meat, fish, vegetables, and so forth. All healthy, no processing, no HFCS, etc. Atkins is MUCH closer to that than many/most low-fat diets.
Also, these studies don't say how much exercise the participants engaged in, so there's LOTS of missing data & context.
Check the facts about carbs out here: bit.ly/beeON7
I've had the best luck in going low-fat more than low-carb, but that's mostly because I find it easier to cut fats while eating healthfully than to cut carbs.
Great Article. I've been wanting to try a diet to loose a few pounds.But not sure which diet to use. This gives something to think about in the fads of dieting. I subscribed :)
This fascinates me. I firmly believe carbs and sugars are a bigger problem than dietary fat. Yet, it's hard to argue with the results Dr. Dean Ornish has had with reversing heart disease. I think the best approach is to keep dietary fats moderate at most, and pay attention to what kind of fats (no trans fats!), but keep your carbs and sugars lower still, and NOTHING in extreme - no pigging out, no starvation.
Don't forget the exercise. Every little bit counts, even a walk around the block. Give your cardiovascular system and your muscles something fun to do!
The big think about low carb is that its a way of life, not a diet. Anything you do and revert back will not work. Both work by limiting amounts or types of food. Neither are full proof. I prefer to be told 'no' about certain things. I don't have the will power to eat only one cookie.
Everyone is different. As a body builder I live on low carb. Most people fail at either style of diet because they are looking for temporary fixes. Low carb/low fat; both have problems for anyone. People need to make eating a lifestyle and how many do? Not many. Most people trying to lose weight do not even know if they are losing body fat or just "pounds." Half the "low fat" foods have more crap in them then a land fill. Low carb is not only safer and easier, it just requires the dicipline. And finding what works for YOU is the best thing. I am a carb sensitive person. I eat more than 30 carbs a day I gain. So if I followed the non sense "load up on non fat foods" I probably would gain weight. And if people would read labels they would probably freak out and start learning that 8 oz of steak is a hell of a lot better than the processed lean Cuisine they are about to heat up. A lot of things come into play with fat loss not just weight loss. So people, learn what works for you.
Atkins works VERY well if you read the book and understand how the life style works. It is not a license to binge or over eat ; it simple gives you options to eat mainly protein and some fats. My body fat is at 16% I am 5'0" tall and weigh 170, I am so lean and buff it is not even funny (and I am a woman.) So there you go for all of you who think Atkins does not work. It does, I just eat 6 small meals and I do not BINGE on crap. Eggs, steak, cheese, salads, olives, natural peanut butter and almond butter. It does not get better than that. LOL And it is easy. And nothing is cheap; just learn how and where to shop. Cans of tuna, mayo and blue cheese beats the hell out of rice and lean cuisines. It works, just stick to it and stop making excuses and eating crap food.
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