Low fat diet or low carb diet?

1. 97

   Cloverleafposted 12 years ago

   Low fat diet or low carb diet?

   replyreport
2. 0

   Giselle Maineposted 12 years ago

   Low fat diet, definitely. Fat comes from fat! The only reason people think carbs are 'bad' is because if consumed with fat, the fat is stored up until carbs are used.  So people think the carbs are bad because a high-carb high-fat diet will result in weight gain.  But the fault is with the fat intake, not so much the carbs.  However, a certain amount of exercise is necessary, even with a low fat diet.  This is because stored fat in the body still needs to be burned off.  So I would say, low fat diet plus exercise. Also, another disadvantage of a low carb diet is that it risks being low in certain nutrients, while a low fat diet is less likely to have that issue (any diet that doesn't let you eat fruit - such as a low carb diet - has issues, in my opinion!)

   replyreport
3. 84

   SidKempposted 12 years ago

   Scientific research pushes strongly towards the Zone diet (which South Beach copied). The balance of 7 grams of protein, 9 grams of carb, and 3 of fat is best for weight loss, for athletes, to prevent heart disease, and to lower risk of diabetes. The research done by Dr. Barry Sears is unbeatable, and explains the relative merits of every diet out there.

   replyreport
4. 85

   wychicposted 12 years ago

   Low fat -- low carb makes it more likely that your blood sugar will fluctuate, which tends to make you even more hungry. Ketoaciduria (which the Adkins diet induces) is not a healthy state to induce simply because you want to lose weight, and it focuses on short-term solutions that almost always result in weight regain (plus some) because the root cause hasn't been addressed. Also, whole grains, fruits, etc. are essential in a healthy diet, and they will bring a lot of carbs with them. You need carbs -- you won't have the energy to exercise, and the brain really likes to have them to much on too. On average, people in developed Westernized countries eat WAY too much fat, and don't exercise enough -- it's not that we necessarily eat too many carbs, we just need to burn them more.

   replyreport
5. 61

   slafferyposted 12 years ago

   I think it depends on your body.  If a person is insulin resistant then low carbs is better.  I'm a firm believer in teamwork when trying to lose weight.  The team consists of you and your doctor and possibly nutritionist.  A person can never have enough support when it comes to losing the weight battle.

   replyreport
6. 0

   fit2dayposted 12 years ago

   Neither, The body uses both fat and carbohydrate for energy. The more important thing is the quality of the sources from which they come.
   
   For instance, it's better to get carbs from fruit than snack bars and it's better to get fat from baked salmon than from a hot dog.

   replyreport
7. 67

   Nadeeshan301posted 12 years ago

   Low fat diet is better than low carb diet since fat causes lot of problems in the body since fat has high energy content as it gives 9kcal per 100 g while carbohydrate give only 4.5kcal per 100g. Normally body is trained to take energy from carbohydrate not from fat and lot of enzymes are need ed to brake down fat.
   Normally a person need about 35kacl per kilogram body weight so roughly 2000 to 2500kcal needed to a average 70 kilogram man for a day as his energy expenditure. So if a person takes fat diet which contain high amount of energy which is more than what he need for his daily needs it can lead to deposition of fat in adipose tissue as fat leading to weight gain and obesity which is a common problem nowadays.
   Also this excess fat can deposit as plaques in arteries called atherosclerosis which is related with ischemic heart disease and peripheral vascular disease and strokes. Hence better option is carbohydrate than fat.

   replyreport
8. 61

   Dr Rockpileposted 12 years ago

   A bit of both. But, some fats help you lose weight. CLA, GLA and coconut oil all help your body burn more fat. As for low carb, it is better to go low glycemic. Try this experiment and tell us how you feel. The first thing in the morning have a protein shake with 30 grams of protein. I use whey protein. It has zero carbs. Also have a tablespoon of coconut oil. This will give you a huge boost of energy and turn on your fat burning metabolism. It makes me feel like sprinting.

   replyreport
9. 61

   munzineposted 11 years ago

   Low Carb! Think about it. Back in cavemen times when we were lean and mean, did we eat bagels, pasta, and breads? (which are all low fat, high carb). Nope, we ate lots of veggies, lots of meat (including all the fatty bits).
   
   Of course it really comes down to what type of carb, what type of fat. The idea that we could fry something in veggie oil is a recent phenomenon. And while techinically veggies have carbs, it would be very difficult to overdo it.
   
   For more on this I would highly recommend reading Good Calories, Bad Calories, or just watching this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6vpFV6Wkl4

   replyreport