Carbs versus fat: does it really matter for maintaining lost weight?
"The most read article of 2018 published in The BMJ (https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k4583) claimed that restricting dietary carbohydrates offers a metabolic advantage to burn more calories and thereby help patients maintain lost weight. However, analyzing the data according to the original pre-registered statistical plan resulted in no statistically significant effects of diet composition on energy expenditure. The large reported diet effects on energy expenditure calculated using the revised analysis plan depended on data from subjects with excessive amounts of unaccounted energy. Adjusting the data to be commensurate with energy conservation resulted in a diet effect that was less than half the value reported in The BMJ paper. Furthermore, the measured daily average CO2 production rates were not significantly different between the diets and the reported expenditure differences were due to inaccurate calculations based on false assumptions about diet adherence."
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/476655v5
People spend 80-90 years in the real world. In an environment of energy-dense, highly-palable, readily-available foods - within a cultural framework that condones overconsumption. In that world, differences in macronutrient metabolism rates matter little. Given current carbohydrate hysteria, it should be noted that dietary fat is front and center when it comes to both energy density and palatability.
@childofsol
So, low fat might be _as effective_ at low carb for stimulating metabolism, depending on how the data are analyzed. Meanwhile, no clinical trial with free-living humans in the real world has found _any advantage_ to the low fat, high carb diet, despite decades of your favorite medical authorities telling us that low fat and whole grain is essential for health.
Within the food environment that you've described, lots of us find that animal protein and animal fat are _satiating_, much more so than grain products. Low(er) carb limits hunger in a world of constant sugary temptations. Meat, fish, and eggs are both energy dense and _nutrient dense_, and the appetite adjusts perfectly well to the energy density.
@The Pooch
Why do you keep bringing up a "low-fat high carb diet"? That ever-present figment of your imagination has nothing to do with the information that I provided about the study. For what it's worth, the study looked at energy expenditure under different diets. Not long-term health, not dietary adherence rates, nor even long-term weight maintenance. Energy expenditure. That was the topic of the study and the subsequent analysis. Rigorous science and data analysis is something to celebrate, not something to refute by bringing up straw men. And can you, for the love of science, at long last give up on your obsession with the real and imagined mistakes of the past?
If you insist on talking macros, then you might be aware that what studies there are of satiety indicate that high-protein foods and foods high in complex carbohydrates plus fiber, are the most satiating, and fat is less satiating.
But satiety is only a small part of the picture. Put simply, people are overeating because of what's in the foods, not because of what's lacking. This is as true of humans as it is of rodents. Dietary fat adds to both palatability and energy density. It's not the only factor, but it is antithetical to scientific inquiry to pretend that it doesn't exist.
With respect to a diet of lots of plants supplemented with animal products (diet of most of the health-conscious), it's interesting that in certain quarters, the satiety, nutrients, etc of the plants is seldom acknowledged.
@childofsol
"Low fat, high carb" was the _official advice_ from nutritional authorities for 40 years. It was promoted to the _whole population_ based on limited epidemiological evidence studying only middle-aged men at risk of heart attack. It was proclaimed with absolute certainty, while contradictory results were buried and ignored.
Believe it or not, I'm relatively agnostic about specific macro ratios, although in general more animal protein is more satiating.
I agree that whole plant foods can be satiating. You seem to have this hang-up about fat not being satiating, as if you've never eaten a fatty steak or full-fat yogurt or had eggs for breakfast. Most people find naturally fatty foods quite filling. Nobody (except you in previous posts) is trying to justify the nutritional value or satiation of refined fats and margarines.
"Energy density" is likely a bad thing in the context of refined carbohydrates (bread, pasta, cereal) and refined oils (margarines, "vegetable" oils). But in the context of whole foods, appetite adjusts pretty automatically to the energy density of meat, fish, eggs, and whole vegetables.
Satiety is not a side note, it's the whole ball game. Fix the appetite and you fix over-eating. Of course more vegetables. But also more meat/fish/eggs.
I was born in the 60's and grew up in the 70's. I remember the advice "Don't eat between meals" was everywhere. Kind of like "Wear a seat belt" is today. I wonder where that advice went? Seems obvious that the best way to go is to limit or eliminate snacking, and eliminate sugar and refined grains. I cannot imagine a negative side effect, and it seems one should be able to lose some weight.
1
I thought we already knew this.
I’m so happy to see these views on low carb and low sugar diets become more main stream. For people like myself with poor insulin resistance who battled Type 2 diabetes the KETO lifestyle has been literally a lifesaver. It’s not for everyone but my daily intake after two years on the program is roughly 6% carbs, 60% fat and 34% protein. I’ve lost 60 lbs (207 to 157) went from an A1C of 8.6 and fasting blood sugar of 150 to an A1C of 4.4 and 80 fasting measurement (as if this morning). My cholesterol levels are normal for the first time in my adult life and I’m off my BP meds as well. All this weight loss (and resulting loss of inflammation) encouraged me to start running and strength training again. Last month placed 6th in my Age bracket at a local half marathon (1:38) and I’m running my first marathon next Saturday and a 50k in February. On KETO I can run fueled on fat and don’t need those nasty sugar and carb packs that all the other runners are slamming throughout. My one advantage is I never had a sweet tooth so cutting out soda wasn’t a big deal. I do miss the beer but a good scotch is a fair trade for a much healthier life.
6
Even if these conclusions were validated, it would be virtually impossible for an overweight person “in the real world” to maintain a diet that is 60% fat while limiting carbohydrate to 20%. We need to stop focusing on macronutrients and talk about FOOD! A whole foods plant predominant diet (limiting processed food) is the natural and healthy way to regulate intake and manage weight.
3
@Elisa
In the real world, it is quite possible to eat a high fat, low carbohydrate diet by choosing meats, fish, eggs, full-fat dairy, nuts, non-starchy vegetables, and low-sugar fruits (look, a list of FOOD!). It limits processed foods, and is successful for many people to lose body fat and promote health. It does require a fair bit of shopping and home-cooking, which is a limitation that applies to any non-processed, non-takeout diet.
A whole-foods plant-based diet is one way that some people manage health, but it is not successful for everybody, and definitely not "natural" for an omnivorous species.
6
@Elisa Elisa I was overweight and Type 2 and was placed on this ratio by my PCM two years ago. My ratio is 6% carbs/60% fat and 34% protein.
I’m 44 and now I’m in better shape physically then I was in my 20s.
It’s definitely not for everyone but for people with insulin resistance it can be a lifesaver.
Here’s my daily routine:
Coffee with heavy cream and 1 TBS coconut oil.
Morning workout (usually 10k or strength training)
Lunch: three eggs scrambled with pork sausage and quacamole. (This used to be my breakfast but since adding in the coconut oil I just don’t get hungry until around 11 - even with the workout)
Dinner - Brocolli or cauliflower with chicken, salmon or some type of beef. Scotch or bourbon if I want a nightcap.
I don’t count calories and my weight has been steady at 155 for the last year. All my labs are normal for first time in a decade and my energy is through the roof. If anyone reading this struggles with inflammation and/or high fasting blood sugars I strongly recommend you consider giving this a go.
8
@Elisa
Well stated. There seems to be a great misunderstanding about the difference between a "carbs" and foods, for example. Which leads to amusing comments from individuals who have given up carbs and started eating more vegetables and fruit.
Although I don't disagree with the results of this study, I noticed that it was funded largely by Gary Taubes and his research group. He is the leading proponent of the anti-carb and anti-sugar crowd, and his work is published in the NY Times and everywhere else. This association is somewhat troubling to me.
6
@DailyReader
Do find studies that are funded or written by the anti-meat and anti-fat crowd equally troubling?
3
Dear Mr. O’Connor, There is a whole world of difference between carbohydrates and refined carbohydrates as you are well aware of. Perhaps it is time we start using these two terms correctly, and promptly, when we write and talk about nutrition and nutrition reasearch. Unless you decide to read this article all the way to the end, you could read the findings of this study quite differently. Louise, UT.
8
@Louise thank you Louise! I see this all the time in diet articles.
My friend was on a low-carb, high-fat diet.
Didn't do much to help him reduce his weight.
But he did have a heart attack.
4
@Independent
Lots of people on low fat diets also have heart attacks. There is no one-size-fits-all diet, and not all heart disease is caused by dietary factors.
8
@The Pooch
Thanks.
In the meantime, I'm sticking with the Mediterranean diet.
Also known as the common sense diet in some parts of the world :-)
8
@Independent
If it works for you, that's great. Honestly. Lots of different versions of Mediterranean cuisines and diets, with varying amounts and sources of fats.
We now have many competing versions of what is or isn't a "common sense diet".
6
“The trial cost $12 million and was supported largely by a grant from the Nutrition Science Initiative,
a nonprofit research group co-founded by Gary Taubes, a science and health journalist and ——> proponent of low-carbohydrate diets <—— .”
Not much more needed to know than that!
The researchers should never have accepted funding from an advocate!
If they needed massive funding, they should have sought support from the NIH or from a major foundation without an axe to grind — or from a diverse range of sponsors, including those who question low carb diets, rather than just a carb critic, true-believer, or dedicated propagandist!
3
@Eugene Devon
And when authors of the recent study in favor of high carb diets turn out to be vegans or vegetarians?
How about when HSPH and AHA take money from the soybean oil industry, and then recommend soy oil-based margarines?
Will you then be equally critical of potential conflicts of interest?
8
Are the vegans and vegetarians earning direct income from representing those groups?
1
@Jenmd
Some might be. The broader point is that there are philosophical, professional, and religious conflicts of interest to go along with financial conflicts of interest.
Vegans cannot be trusted to give unbiased advice about what omnivores should eat.
4
OK, not too long ago the NYT featured an article promoting just the opposite idea:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/25/well/eat/which-kinds-of-foods-make-us-fat.html
I lost weight last winter by cutting out processed carbs (basically anything white), increasing protein and fiber, but limiting red meat to a couple of servings a week. I have kept the weight off and feel better with the increased protein, which also keeps you satiated longer.
7
What does a vegetarian eat on a low carb diet? Are lentils, quinoa, barley and beans low carb?
3
The results of this study resonate with me. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in September. I was exercising regularly but overweight. After speaking with 2 nutritionist friends and my physician, I went low carb (around 20 grams of carbs per meal) with protein every meal to control hunger. I've lost about 20% of my body weight. If nothing else, it's good that we're seeing research that will help people know what does and doesn't work, hopefully in the direction of treating a national obesity problem.
8
I realize the diet may not be for everyone - but I can personally attest to it's benefits in my case. I was definitely skeptical, but I was willing to try the Keto diet for it's reputed benefits. I am now 4 months in and have been following it strictly.
At first, I was calorie counting - but for the last 2 months I have just been eating freely (but obviously staying within the 5% Carbs, 25% Protein and 70% fat parameters).
There was definitely a learning curve, and it really does take a month or so to truly 'fat adapt' - but the benefits have been extraordinary. My joints have no pain. My wife reports that I no longer snore. I am 50 years old, 6'4" and I was 230 pounds. I lost 30 pounds in the first 2 months and have comfortably leveled off at 200 pounds now. More important to me than the weight loss has been the increased energy and sense of well-being - my blood pressure has dropped to 114/76.
Additionally, all those Ketones have produced noticeable cognitive benefits.
13
Blah Blah Blah. Another research study on this subject with which has one too many holes, aka validity & reliability.
Start with your doctor for a complete check-up; from the pituitary gland to your colon; backward and forward and all around medical checkup to ascertain your health metrics.
Then engage a nutritionist to chart the correct food intake.
Water. Water. Water.
Cut back on the booze. Stop smoking. Cut back process sugar intake. Eat more veggies and fresh fruit. More no-salt home-cooked healthy meals. Reduce the late night snacks.
Gym. Gym. Gym. Daily walking.
Stay away from the low-fat & low-calorie nonsense.
Moderation. Moderation. Moderation.
In the end, it's an individual journey. Make it happen, and keep a positive outlook
19
@Adrian
The ship is slowly turning around, but many doctors and nutritionists are still today recommending "low fat and low calorie nonsense."
Caveat emptor, and moderation is in the eye of the beholder.
3
As a physician (allergist), was never educated about diet merits (other than diabetic) - though heart surgeon colleague recommended fish and vegetables diet (pretty Mediterranean).
One year of that diet is equally efficacious as one year of statin.
Just today our local paper specifically didn’t recommend limiting carbs to prevent or manage diabetes (type two). Lol. Exercise was favored. No doubt her salary is supported by big agro.
@Adrian
Just as the "research studies" recommend.
Ok, I find this disturbing for a major news media to recommend replacing carbohydrates with fats just to lose weight.
You better flush out your cholesterol and toxin build up first before increasing fats because if you are obese, you have more then just too much fat stored already.
Increasing fats when you are already fat means heart-a-attack.
2
There’s no such thing as “flushing out” cholesterol or toxins.
6
When you remove sugar, and are on a fat based diet you lose weight, improve your A1c and lessen your chances for heart attack.
If you continue to eat sugars in the form of carbs such as pasta, cookies, ice cream, bread, candy and combine with fat you will have weight gain and heart problems. Please do more reading.
8
Um, an Ayurveda panchakarma diet with hydration oleation and purgation is very helpful (and mild exercise and heat). Excreted sebum has cell membrane components. One can improve quality of stored fats with that and time.
To all the big nut eaters out there, nuts are very high in oxalates. Between the liberal eating of nuts and spinach I managed to grow several kidney stones.
Almonds and spinach are ‘off the charts’ high in oxalates. Other nuts are high, too, but please consider not relying on them too much in your diet. I eat a handful of almonds.....no more.....a day to help my LDL cholesterol.
Otherwise, low refined sugar and low simple carbs cured several issues for me: I lost my excess weight, my joints stopped hurting, my cholesterol numbers are great. And I no longer feel the whiplash of highs and lows throughout the day.
6
Low carb is not a realistic option for anyone who does a reasonable amount of sports.
Keep it simple. Track calories in and out and eat real (not processed) food when possible.
The margins of error are insignificant.
3
@Brewing Monk
Daily tracking of calories in and out (while ignoring natural hunger/satiety signals) sounds anything but simple.
2
Why not do high protein and high fat?
@Brewing Monk
low carb means smart carbs not Dr Atkins type eating.
1
I have a friend who was phobic of dietary fat for many years, and now that we hear fat is OK, she still can't bring herself to eat it -- too much self-indoctrination. I think she panics and pictures instant massive weight gain upon eating a walnut. But, now she is phobic of carbohydrates as well. Her diet is extremely restrictive (nonfat unflavored yogurt is the staple item) and her life seems centered around a fear of food and of weight gain. (She is overweight, by the way.) Our country's collective neurosis about eating does not seem to have helped the obesity problem. I often wonder if the limited diversity of the American diet (that is, an absence of "good" foods rather than the presence of "bad") is part of the problem.
2
Being overweight doesn’t immunize you against disordered eating. If she spends all her time thinking about food, and has a seriously restricted diet, that sounds unhealthy...
Huge sigh...
Time and time again we see this argument when the answer is plain and simple. Eat.Real.Food. If the only shops we could buy our food from were butchers and greengrocers we wouldn’t have an obesity crisis. These foods, high in nutrients, minerals and vitamins, are satiating and are the exact foods human beings have survived on for the last 10,000 years. The food industry, from supermarkets to takeaways, have created foods which our microbiome was not designed for. They have made them tasty and addictive and, unless they’re taxed so heavily, we will continue to see our hospitals full of patients with strokes, heart disease, T2D, and dementia.
29
I wish this article had emphasized that the study found that processed carbs were found to work against metabolism sooner. So many people hear ‘carb’ and think of strawberries and squash. The last paragraph of would have been more helpful towards the top of the article. Those who only have time to read the first few paragraphs may have made a common assumption about what ‘carbs’ were being discussed with this extremely important detail.
14
The carbohydrate-insulin hypothesis for weight gain and chronic disease is neither perfect nor complete (no hypothesis is), and there are data both for and against it.
There are more data and more rigorous data in favor of the carbohydrate-insulin hypothesis than there are for the lipid hypothesis.
Declaring "calories in, calories out" is sophistry without any hypothesis at all, it is merely a description lacking any information about cause-and-effect.
2
Seems like a pretty clear hypothesis. Calories not balanced either makes you lise or gain weight. Nothing deceptive about that.
@Dr R
CICO is not a hypothesis for weight gain (or loss) because it tells us nothing about _why_ energy is unbalanced in the first place. It's like saying "the team with more points wins the game" -- true in an obvious sense, but no explanation for why the process is happening.
Thanks for this!
Opening the door is the most helpful thing good reporting can do when it comes to 'accepted' facts that aren't.
So now, enter and find your own truth.
Everyone has to find their own way in so many things.
4
".....NEW STUDY SUGGESTS NUTRITION IS NOT ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL; POPULACE RESPONDS WITH SHOCK AND OUTRAGE...."
Do what makes you happy and feels right for your body to be healthy! I personally feel much better when I get most of my calories from proteins and fats, and restrict carbs.
Of course over the long term, a calorie is a calorie. If you can disprove that, you will win a Nobel Prize for showing that the law of conservation of mass can be violated. But the metabolic differences that take place when consuming carbohydrates vs fats could lead to differences in weight accumulation, and should be considered. When you take in carbs, your insulin levels rise. This tells your body that you have plentiful energy, and you should stop metabolizing your reserves (burning fat) and start storing the excess. The way we store energy is to synthesize triglycerides (fat). We store them in adipocytes (fat cells). When these cells get bigger, a person accumulates mass. And somewhere along the way, we made the monumental (yet understandable) mistake of calling a large-looking person "fat". The rest is history: "Well, if I eat FAT surely I will become FAT, right?...."
On the other hand, consuming fat does not raise your insulin levels. There is no spike in blood glucose which tells your body to stop burning and start storing. Persistent hyperglycemia is probably one of the most under-rated evils of public health in our time.
11
A calorie is not a calorie. Calories just aren’t always equal. Let’s all agree that we are past that rubbish. A steak is a better choice than a donut.
3
I love to eat. And am allergic to diets. But two New Year's Eves ago I resolved to "eat like a French person" Never been to France, by the way, but know that the French eat for pleasure. So I eat what I enjoy, I just make sure I don't over eat it. It doesn't hurt that I love salad. And I exercise. For me, restriction is the main reason to overdo it. My weight it good, and, even at 71, I would never eat a lot of fatty food in place of, say, a nice bowl of noodles.
3
I live in Italy, 10 years now, and I have had the opposite experience to those Europhiles in comments here. I came here weighing 140, just a bit chubby for my sturdy scots frame. My Italian partner brought me sugar sweetened cappucinos and a plain unfilled pastry every morning, he wanted pasta twice or three times a day even with just garlic and pepperoncino, offered me gelato daily during the hot weather and wine most nights as we joined the friends at the cafe. I ended up last fall 40 pounds over weight. I quit all sugar, alcohol, white food, ice cream and pizza and I am down 12 pounds in 6 weeks. The typical Italian eats cookies or pastry for breakfast, pasta for lunch and pizza for dinner and the only thin people I see are tall young women having cigarettes for dinner.
30
back in the 70s when I was growing up and everyone was thin. We never ate fast food, if we ate fast food it was a kind of special occasion, hey lets all go to mcdonalds, or dad just called, he's bring home KFC so nobody eat anything. The very idea of going to a fast food place for breakfast or even lunch was unheard of. Dinner 90 percent of the time was homemade, most moms didn't work, they took care of the house and cooking dinner was on them. We would have something different every night, mom always mixed it up. One night we would have Meatloaf, the next night Hamburgers, another night roast beef, side dish would be mashed potatoes, we only had spaghetti when mom made meatballs and spaghetti. It was a time when only the dads worked and everybody struggled paying the bills, so there wasn't that much food around, buying food centered around the household budget. And there weren't any of those big box stores where you buy loads of food.
When the moms started going to work we became much more of a fast food nation.
4
Yup. It’s all the moms’ fault. Definitely.
3
First of all, I have to salute the study participants. The sacrifice of eating nothing but cafeteria food for five months should not be taken lightly.
The take-away here is that we can lose weight by shifting away from carbs toward fats. Fine, but that doesn't mean we should avoid all carbs. Healthy carbs, particularly those that come from the ground, are still apparently essential to health.
And fats, healthy fats, have a place in our diets.
But it seems to me that, while junk food is a serious problem, another issue is that we treat hunger as if it were an acute injury requiring immediate treatment.
The human body is uniquely 'designed' to survive hunger. That's why we store fat--more fat than most other animals. Unless we allow ourselves to be hungry sometimes, we are not using our fat storage system as it was 'intended.'
4
@Justin great point, Justin
I understand whole grains were included, as well as other "high quality" carbohydrates. Lo carb dogmatists, like David Ludwig, who claim that whole grains are almost as bad as sugar, are citing this study without acknowledging this.
If all this study shows is that high quality carbs - including legumes, whole grains and starchy vegetables are good but should be used in moderation for weight loss - well, the best nutritionists have been saying this for decades.
Eat lots of leafy greens, non starchy vegetables, several high quality low glycemic fruits. and if you can tolerate them, high quality beans and high quality whole grains (about 1-2 cups per day max), small amounts of nuts and seeds, and if you are not vegan, small amounts of high quality eggs, dairy, fish, poultry and meat. And be very active (HIIT, reistance training, dynamic stretching). And don't worry about weight - it will come off. Love the food you eat, prepare it yourself if possible, and enjoy.
www.remember-to-breathe.org
8
@don salmon
For decades, nutritionists and health authorities told people to eat more bread, pasta, and cereal, while avoiding nutritious foods like eggs, meat, and full-fat dairy.
I tried your recommended diet. It didn't work for me. Lots of us simply do better with few or no grains, and with much larger amounts of high quality beef, fish, dairy, shellfish, etc.
4
This study was "supported largely by a grant from the Nutrition Science Initiative, a nonprofit research group co-founded by Gary Taubes, a science and health journalist and proponent of low-carbohydrate diets."
Is it any wonder the results are what they are?
8
@catherinemmb Exactly right to be suspicious of results found by a self-funded group. We have lots of examples of misleading science put out by he Coca Cola or sugar lobby. On the other hand, Taubes is partly doing careful science for himself to see if this simple hypothesis is the whole story. Rejecting the findings just because Taubes was involved is probably foolish. If NIH did equally well designed studies on this issue that would be fine with me.
great piece. I'd say great, and finally, but there are far too many "researchers" who are either in the pockets of the producers of all the salty, high-sugar processed garbage that masquerades as food or they are just hopeless defenders of the status quo that they learned in school and have never in their lives even thought of questioning. a pox on both their houses.
I've written here many that diets doing exactly as you say; restricting *ALL added sugar and ALL insulin-spiking* "foods", replacing them with good old healthy fat works 100% of the time. the diets downfall is they can be difficult to follow but produce the results you want. simple.
the net effects of eating good fats, and lots of em, trashing any added sugar, are after 6-12 mos is a loss of ~10% of original body weight, radically improved blood chemistry ex; lipids esp VLDLs, reduced inflammatory markers as hsCRP and improved BMRs. most people doing it can trash type-2 diabetes meds in 30d.
and theres the rub; when you take literally billions of pockets of pharma they get mad and will tell any lie that keeps the medicare, medicaid and insurance $$$ rolling in. it might result in loss of jobs doncha know!
-resulting in healthier, happier people who dont waste untold BILLIONS annually fixing symptoms and not the problem. oh heaven forbid!
makes you wonder whose side their on; their fellow citizens or their brokers. thanks for not calling what you propose a keto diet. too controversial -mostly b/c it works.
5
I was able to discover, after reading as much material as I could find, that everything I had ever been told about weight loss didn’t add up. After a hip replacement over a year ago at age 52, I implemented a low carb higher fat program that also utilized intermittent fasting (16-8). I had put on a significant amount of body fat due to my hip problems and not being able to train the way I had in the past. I was fat and lethargic and probably on my way to metabolic syndrome. Within several months I had lost a significant amount of body fat and now a year later have had a complete recomposition of my body, something that many say is not possible. My resting heart rate is down to 48-52 beats a minute, I’ve lost almost 75 pounds of fat and increased muscle mass. I’ve got my 25 year old self back, just a little grey. My body is a fat burning machine, energy is through the roof. People that haven’t seen me in a while are shocked at the transformation. I attribute it to controlling insulin through they types of food I eat and the timing of my eating, in addition to running several miles and lifting weights a few times a week. I don’t eat sugar or other sweeteners at all, real or artificial, nothing “low fat”. I don’t count calories but I know I’m eating less. This theory definitely works in the real world. The simple calorie in calorie out model isn’t true. I believe,through my own experience,that insulin control is key, and it isn’t that hard. Do it and transform yourself.
17
@Stephen Peters just to be clear. Low carb to me does not mean no fruits or vegetables, or full fat dairy. It means as little added sugars or sweeteners and white flour as possible. I try and stick with a Whole30 ish program. Eggs, red meat, chicken, fish, full fat Greek yogurt, bacon!, nut butters with nothing added, and nuts, apples. No fruit juices. Riced cauliflower and squash. Sometimes a date based bar like RX,Every now and then pizza because I like it not because I need it, but my goal is to limit insulin spikes, and anything that causes a rise in inflammation or cortisol.
4
@Stephen Peters Congrats! Fueled by Fat is also my new lifestyle. I’ll also admit that the occasional pizza slice is a well earned treat but after losing 60 lbs and curing my type 2 diabetes I have no guilt.
You may lose weight, but high fat, especially saturated fat, is the cause of type II diabetes.
Complex carbs and a whole food plant based diet with minimal fat solves both the weight and potential type II diabetes - not to mention various cardiovascular problems.
8
Prove it. I hear this claim made frequently, but the people who make the claim can't seem to come up with actual quality research that ever showed that the claim is true. Again, I don't know what kind of evidence you can throw down, but let's see it. Just because you've heard something said many, many times does not mean that it's true. Example: the oft-repeated idea that we only use 10% of our brains. The demonization of saturated fats without evidence is easy... too easy.
3
@MLit
I don't need to prove it, the medical community has a myriad of peer reviewed studies clearly showing how saturated fat blocks the update of insulin preventing carbs from being properly processed - causing pre and then full type II diabetes - this has been known for at least 15 years.
You will not likely believe any source I give you so visit the AMA and search for this or visit the following links and see citations.
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-insulin-resistance/
https://nutritionfacts.org/2018/09/20/how-to-reverse-type-2-diabetes/
6
@ZigZag
Vegan nonsense and religious ideology. Study after study, randomized controlled trials with human subjects, find improved blood sugar regulation, improved metabolic health, and better weight loss with low(er) carb, high(er) fat diets.
Over the course of the modern type 2 diabetes epidemic, people ate _less_ saturated fat from animal foods while eating _more_ plant oils and _more_ complex carbs (starches).
5
There is a healthy way to have your carbohydrates. That is to join the few people that own a wheat grinder, purchas organic wheat berries and grind their own flour for homade bread. The result is both delicious and helthy. But don't believe me. Look at the egyptians or the anicent greeks or the romans. Read Piny the elder. Read some of the information from the 1800's that credited wheat as promating civilaziation.
Real wheat has a huge provinance.
2
In all the comments I have not seen one mention of, I think not even the word, WATER.
Water is the key to everything health. It makes everything else work.
Low carb works but, imho, calling it that is a misrepresentation and can mislead people. I actually only read the first two paragraphs because I was like, "well, duh. I don't need to read this...' lol. It is a misrep. cz there are still lots of carbs you can eat. The part that's obvious to me was that not all calories are equal. The carbs, calories and fats in a banana are not the same as those in a fettuccine alfredo. I thought we all knew that. 1 comment worried about their lentils etc. That is silly, they describe a very healthy diet + exercise. That's the secret, not the metabolism trade-offs, those will come with any major changes in overall diet, and when it is a change to the better the results will be just as positive.
I changed everything about the way I eat & think about food, by myself, following one simple philosophy; Our bodies got to be this way through millions of years of evolution following the same basic rules until about 150-200yrs ago when we started mass production facilities for everything. Basically, I eat like a chimp, but with more meat. Only whole, naturally occurring foods. Cooking is fine. But, to complete the circle... the only thing our bodies ever drank for those millions of yrs... water. Water is life, it is the only thing your body MUST have. Get enough and all else will fall into place.
We'll, duh! Anybody who accepts that our bodies are fundamentally the same as animals', should know that counting calories as the only way to maintain proper body composition is ludicrous. Have you ever seen a lion counting calories? And, for the sake of propagation, wouldn't it be much better that an abundance of food prompts an animal to spend less time chasing food, and more time chasing mates and/or rivals?
Of course, discovery of mechanisms like the ones involving leptin and osteocytes (NYT article of Jan 18 this year), indicates that this is exactly what happens in mammals who eat the diet they evolved to eat. What the obesity epidemic indicates, is that we're doing something really, really wrong; not just lack of willpower. The evidence on the effects of sugar on just about everything that's wrong with obese bodies, is already quite conclusive. I don't need anything else to conclude that not eating sugar is advisable; it seems that only those who are sponsored by the soda industry do.
3
@Véronique
Lions don't have access to drive-throughs.
I have commented before on the benefits of the keto sugar free carb free diet.
Additionally in the USA people are brainwashed by advertising that we must have a mid morning snack, a mid afternoon snack, and after dinner snack. These snack are usually made of grains and sugars. Grains are fed to cattle and other animals to fatten them up, they do the same thing to people!
If you look at the diet of people in the fifties and earlier. People ate sensibly and were not eating the processed snacks and sugary drinks. The food industry grew and with that came the increase in waistlines!
Sugar bounces your blood sugar around - you end up feeling hangry multiple times a day when it leaves your body. Fat stays around and keeps your blood sugar on an even keel.
4
How could this article not mention the Atkins diet? Dr. Atkins found virtually the same results 30+ years ago and was never taken seriously.
3
Perhaps this diet will work for some people. Other diets work for others. But the fact remains that the best way to lose weight is eating healthy, non or minimally non processed foods and exercising moderately. It requires a change in lifestyle, which is difficult but not impossible. Unfortunately the path of least resistance, trying every fad diet that comes down the pike, is easier. Ultimately the failure to adopt a healthy lifestyle will have serious consequences for most.
I lost about 50 lbs on a low carb diet, but the trick is indeed to replace the carbs with fat. For about a year, my mantra was the three 'B's - bacon, butter and blue cheese. I put them on everything and I was in heaven. People who try to do a "healthy" low car diet by eating more protein inevitably report low energy. You also have to cook almost all of your own food because restaurants hide sugar and wheat products in a lot of things (even omelettes, I discovered!). It certainly was not an easy diet to stick to, but when I did, it was very effective.
6
I’ve lost 37 pounds in 8 months by a very strict adherence to a keto diet. I strive for zero carbs because I know some carbs just sneak into our diets. For the first 10 weeks or so I was losing 2-3 pounds per week. When my weight hit 200 (I’m 5’11” and my age is 65) my weight loss rate dropped to 1 pound per week. I presently weigh 195 and plan on shooting to keep my weight below 190. My docs are monitoring me. I’m off a pill I took for blood pressure. I still take a low dose statin and a pill for gout. I’ve lost 4 inches off my gut and wearing clothes I haven’t in years!! I’m thrilled with these results!! The top result is how clear my mind is on this diet! And my mood is excellent and my energy level is superb also. I’m also snoring way less and off my CPAP. Finally I am moderately active and trying to exercise more - and may need that to lose the last 5 pounds I’m after. It’s not for everyone but keto has worked for me and I’m thrilled.
10
Dr Jason Fung wrote The Diabetes Code and The Obesity Code. I read them, followed the low carb, high but not unreasonable fat and moderate protein diet he proposes and lost 25 lbs. He also recommended fasting, which I follow, too. For me, sugar and grains are the hardest to avoid, and very addictive. I’m also cooking more from scratch to avoid sugars in processed foods, but it’s not perfect. That’s ok.
5
We don't need experts or diet books. Stop eating anything in cans, jars or bottles that come with contents you can not pronounce . If it is not real, don't consume it. No snacks between meals. Eat small portions. I have not changed my weight since I was a teenager. I am still nimble and very quick on my feet. My husband who is eight years younger can not keep up with me. He calls me, a quantum particule. Eating is a habit developed at a very young age.
Fascinating study that adds to the literature. A concern is that the description of the 'diet' can be misleading. It is not an advantage for weight/fat loss for those who 'cut carbohydrates', but rather an advantage for those who cut 'starch and sugar'. We have known for a long time that not all carbs are the same, and this distinction should be made clear. The high-glycemic carbohydrates (i.e., starch and sugar) tend to be hyperinsulinemic, fat producing, and metabolic syndrome risk enhancing. However, more complex carbohydrates (think 'fresh fruits and vegetables, and legumes) have been found to be associated with desirable health and weight effects. This distinction between 'carbohydrates' should be made more clear.
Dan Benardot, PhD, RD, LD, FACSM
Visiting Professor, Center for the Study of Human Health, Emory University
Professor Emeritus, Nutrition, Georgia State University
9
None of the information in this article will surprise those who have followed the Atkins program. In order to feel the true benefits of a low-carb regimen, you need to make it a lifestyle, not a temporary diet. When I started a low-carb program, my cholesterol was over 200. After a year, it was 143. Gone were the sugar cravings, inflammation, cellulite, and hunger pangs resulting from my more typical American diet. Science keeps bearing out the legitimacy of Dr. Atkins' work, and perhaps some day more people will embrace the healthful benefits of a low-carb lifestyle.
6
I grew up in a Greek American household where good quality and delicious Greek food was on the table most nights, along with some American fare that was also part of the repertoire. I was always horrified by my American friends' diets growing up, and I know that most other hyphenated-Americans who have managed to keep their cultural roots intact feel the same. America is simply culturally inferior when it comes to food and diet, and by a wide margin. The issue is one of quality and portion. Americans eat processed junk all day long and that's why they overeat. If they ate healthier, better quality food they would eat less and a lot of the obesity and diabetes in this country woukd vanish. Alas, good home cooking is a scarcity in this country as American women mostly consider cooking beneath them, or are 'too busy' or just never learned from their own mothers how to cook. I have my own business and work long hours, but still find the time to cook my own meals a few times a week... In 20 to 30 minutes all done. Prepare a lot of it and have leftovers three days a week. It takes less time than going to a restaurant, you'll be healthier and you'll save a fortune too.
4
Wonderful you assume women not cooking for modern families is the problem. Don’t blame women please.
21
Too bad that valid points Andrew made were overshadowed by his unsupported and unhelpful assumptions about women and their presumed attitudes towards cooking. Better to have said that people in general are working full time outside the home, come home weary and unlike previous generations, may have less knowledge about how to prepare healthy and quick scratch meals at the end of a long day...
I am the female breadwinner in our household. I leave home at 7.30 am and return exhausted at 7.30 pm. I also happen to love to cook. However, there is no way we would eat as well as we do if not for my retired husband having taken control of weeknight cooking. He has become an awesome home cook. We eat healthier and I’d much rather eat at home than go out 9/10, unless it’s somewhere really interesting. Sam Sifton’s great column in this paper provides lots of great ideas.
We ‘cook up’ on weekends, use our freezer and eat reconfigured leftovers at least once per week. What I’ve found helpful: I occasionally make and freeze large batches of homemade chicken stock from organic carcasses sold at our local store, later to be simmered with vegetables and puréed into great soups all winter long. Such soups are low carb, low fat, nutritious, more satiating than salads, frugal and delicious.
1
If we were to take the standard 2000 calories a day which most nutrition labels use and take 20% of that for low carb diet, then that equals about 100 grams of carbs. I think many of the people writing of their difficulties with low carb diets have followed those very low carb diets such as Atkins, and Bernstein, recommend of around 30 grams. I have good weight management at around 100 grams, feel satisfied with my food choices - yes i can eat beans, whole grains...just stay away from those extreme sweets - no more candy, ice cream, or added sugar.
4
In some diseases where weight gain is needed, patients are told to drink sugary protein shakes and full-fat anything. They're not told to eat whole grains and vegetables. Why? fiber -- it also makes you feel full. And it needs to be in the equation here.
1
I noticed years ago that it is almost impossible to buy any bread that does not contain sugar --even the "healthy" breads. I am not a starch eater-prefer fruits, but any suggestions? I think it is one of the biggest problems in US. Sugar is in EVERYTHING
4
Unless it is a sourdough, most breads use a small amount of sugar to feed the yeast that create rise in the bread. If you don’t want sugar in your breads, seek out flat breads. There are many commercial breads though that are very low in sugar when you look for those with less than 2g per slice. 4g is roughly a teaspoon. Also recognize new labels that identify added sugars as well. Some sugar is natural- think lactose in milk. The Aunt Millie cracked whole wheat on my counter has only 1g added sugar per slice.
3
Can someone explain to me how $12 million is spent on feeding 164 people for 20 weeks? Simply insane. Yes, yes, there's testing & fees, but, honestly...that amount of money could feed a small town for a year.
3
What works for you may not work for others. It's down to your genetics. My hubby and I both did full Tibetan herbs for weight loss treatment ( not Tibetan tea ) along with healthier balanced diet and can't recommend it enough. We both lost more weight than initially were expecting. We feel great and have more energy. The idea is that it will change your metabolism and it certainly changed ours. Highly recommended for anyone who never tried natural weight loss boosters before. If you what to know more about Tibetan medicine and the herbs, just Google "Tibetan herbs for weight loss".
1
Hello, they just rediscovered ketosis. Gary Taubes published good calories bad calories 11 years ago. And the Atkins diet started over 40 years ago. Calories are not all same when it comes to weight loss, something many of us already knew, thanks to Taubes, Atkins and others. But docs pushed the notion that fat is the problem, not carbs, going back to the late 1970s when the medical establishment attack on fat drove the American diet into a very bad place. Cut fat and consume more carbs, they advocated, Americans started getting fatter and fatter and fatter. And here we are, fat America. Starting with our president.
10
You use the phrase "the conventional wisdom" as if it were a proven methodology for weight-loss and weight-control. But if you look around you, you will see that it is not.
I am sure it is strictly true: if you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight.
In terms of value, this is about as useful as saying to a business owner: "if you earn more than you spend, you will make a profit".
True, but totally unhelpful, and frequently misguided. It misses even obvious things, like the fact that if the businessman does not spend money on advertising or research, he will get less income.
So the idea that the "conventional wisdom" might be wrong fits into the category of "the bleedin' obvious" as John Cleese might put it.
Good advice does exist. It talks about consuming food that gives you energy, consuming food early in the day rather than at night, eating a variety of foods, getting enough fruits and vegetables, etc. - all these apparently secondary things are actually the real key to weight-control. If you follow these, and combine with a healthy lifestyle, you can lose weight - not 50 pounds in a month, but rather a gradual but sustainable approach to a healthy body.
And then, when you're doing this, if you do the calculations, you will discover that you are actually burning more calories than you consume - not because you're starving yourself, but because you're eating healthily and fueling your body to be more active.
4
I came across a book called "How Not to Die" by Dr. Michael Greger. He promotes a plant-based diet, with no meat and little oil, though he readily concedes that you can eat what you like on special occasions. I thought I would try it for a while. My cholesterol dropped thirty points and joint pain has disappeared. I have no plans to return to my low carb diet and now think that following a low carb diet, reliant on meat and fat, will kill you faster over the long term. Plant-based means just that: mostly veggies, fruits and whole grains, not processed, packaged food. I start the day with oatmeal that's been soaked in soy milk, topped with ground flax seeds and a chopped apple. I think that is far healthier than the two eggs I was eating before.
11
In Feb 2018, I was told I had Type 2 diabeties. I misunderstood the dieticians advice; I thought she said 15 carbs a day - she meant 15 carbs per meal. So I reduced my carb intake to 15 carbs a day. When I started, my weight was 185 pounds. Ninety days later when I had my next A1c text drew and evaluated, I was down to the low 160’s. Today’s I’m floating between 150 to 155 pounds; just at the border of overweight.
One thing I realized was my portions were smaller and it took a little time to adjust. Unfortunately, once I dropped below the magic number 155, I began to give myself larger portions so now my weight hovers around 155.
It takes will power to stick to a diet and you never get a break ... you’re always watching what you eat and how much.
3
What I find is often overlooked in these discussions is that there’s more ways to measure health than weight loss (though excess fat is an indisputable contributor to many health ailments). I rarely hear mention of the long term impact to a high fat diet on the heart, or brain function. Other research suggests a correlation between fatty diets and plaque build up, and just like not all carbs are created equal, neither are all fats.
7
The problem here is that the data is all self-reported by the participants. There is minimal-to-no independent verification of calorie intake or energy expenditure or weight.
One particular study that looked at this issue found that what participants reported as their food intake was half of what independent observers unknown to the participants recorded, and the participants reported physical activity was twice what independent observers saw.
This study is essentially meaningless.
1
It was not self reported. The article clearly states that researchers gave pre-made meals and snacks to the participants, for all their daily calories, for the duration of the study. Sure, it could be that somebody ate extra ice cream and lied about it. But asking people "did you eat anything we didn't give you?" is easier to get a truthful answer than, "how many calories did you eat today?"
11
@C. F.
I disagree. People lie about these things all the time. Especially to please authority figures- like researchers.
Admittedly, t would be prohibitively expensive to do a study that controls all of these factors, but that doesn't mean we should accept by default these very flawed studies- which all seem to come out of the various Schools of Public Health.
Oh, and in the conclusion, the study authors state that there is a link between genetics and obesity without citing a source. But there is, in fact, NO proven causal link between the two in healthy adults.
I've been on a Whole 30 diet for about 1.5 years now...so, I've pretty much eliminated all refined sugar, flour, grains, and dairy. I eat meat, vegetables and fruits. I do not count calories. I've lost about 50 lbs and have kept it off. I do eat potatoes and squashes, so some carbs, but that's it.
11
If you eat cold potatoes and cold rice, there is resistant starch which is beneficial and less harmful. Read about resistant starch.
2
This is all well and good but again the real world intrudes, which is to say the world in which our meals do not come to us, carefully measured and prepackaged, from researchers. We make choices -- most of us know well the feeling of battling temptation when trying to adhere to one kind of restrictive diet or another: low carb, low fat, keto, McDougall, Ornish, "clean eating," etc. An extra twenty pound loss over three years sounds ok. Will it happen for a potato lover making daily choices, trying desperately over the long haul to pretend that cauliflower makes as good a mash? Probably not. And he'd probably have been better off eating that potato without attaching learned feelings of guilt and failure to it.
In my experience, and in reading through the other comments here, it seems as though most people who make sustainable dietary changes find a way to genuinely enjoy a primarily whole foods diet. For some, that may mean low carb. For a lot of us it won't. That's ok. It doesn't take a research study to sort out, though, that the common factor here isn't a percentage of calories from carbs or total grams of fat or what have you: it's pleasure. We've (mostly) come around to the idea that exercise routines that are experienced mostly as a chore and a slog won't be kept up for long -- that health benefits aren't enough, we need to love what we do to keep doing it, and that what we love will vary dramatically from person to person. How have we not yet realized this about food?
15
I'm sure a believer. I spent 3 months counting every calorie going into my mouth, on a moderate Mediterranean diet. Lost about .5 pounds a week--barely. Then switched to the Atkins' diet, i.e. low carb, and began losing 2 pounds each week, and enjoying my meals.
As a btw: I met a man recently, of an excellent weight, who goes on a low carb diet for the first month of each season--ie 4 months per year. (He starts the winter month on Jan 1). Rest of the year he eats mediterranean.
Really nice concept, I thought.
6
Different people get different things from different foods in different ways, depending upon the weather.
Nutrition's not an exact science.
6
It seems they excluded the people who could not maintain theiir weights based on the diet they were given. Seems that those folks would be an important groups to study.
4
We all know how dangerous cigarettes are, but how dangerous is Soda, French fries, potato chips. I think we need a list of the 10 most dangerous foods, and 10 most healthy foods. The answer to health and proper weight may be avoiding all the unhealthy foods and sticking to the healthiest food. I mean I think we all know that donuts are bad for you , but they are delicious, and there is a Donut shop on just about everyone corner and they go so good with coffee. The problem is that the simplest and easiest pleasure is food.
7
Whatever the reason this works, low carb diets have always worked brilliantly for me. My hunger disappears and I find myself having to remind myself to eat!
When I eat low carb, I lose 2 pounds a week without counting calories, all the way down to my ideal weight (or below, if I don't watch myself). If I start eating high carb again, the fat just comes back.
27
It sounds as though the main problem with the linked study against low-carb diets wasn't that it was too short. Rather, it was too extreme. The new study in favor of relatively low-carb diets compared 20%, 40%, and 60% of calories from carbohydrate. The one against low-carb diets used only 5% of calories from carbohydrate. I think most of us could agree that 5% carbohydrate is way too low.
2
The proof is in the (lack of) pudding. I changed my macros (protein, fat & carbs ) to fewer different items. I i I ate only single ingredient portions, ate more fat and protein and shaved carbs to 150 daily. I painlessly and with little effort lost 20# in 120 days. No sugar, or processed foods except the occasional slice of toast.
2
I love articles like this in the NYT, not for the article itself, though it is excellent, but for the comments, where you can glean real, time honored information from the real reporters, the people. People who can speak from experience about what has actually worked and not worked. You get some real excellent information. I love any article that concerns health, because the people, through the comments, will give you real world advice, that can really help you, honest advice, which you can trust.
35
Yes I totally love the NYT comments. I still subscribe to the weekend print edition, but I go back and forth between the paper and my iPad. I seem to find more articles more easily in the print edition. But I must read the comments! Thanks NYT community!
@Lonnie Anixt
Thanks I totally agree! Love the comments more than the articles as I learn so much and get so much perspective from the varied experiences and wisdom from so many people.
Also to add to the information here, I have been eating low carb for over ten years for a variety of reasons, and have found it to be extremely beneficial in multiple ways regarding my health. I am not full keto as I allow myself full fat dairy and limited fruits, and the way I have been able to tolerate since I love food is to allow myself weekends to 'indulge' in much loved mostly whole grains and other carb foods such as beans, with occasional crazy forays into potato chips, etc. Very limited and always going back by monday am more resolved and better for it:) I find food a satisfying and important part of life, but am fortunate to really love vegetables and 'healthy' foods, have little to no taste for sugar after so many years not eating it. My weight and overall health excellent. I think we all must find what works best for us though, believe the only universal is as has been stated, eating real, whole foods with minimal processing, added white flour or sugar. Wish health and peace to all.
1
There is so much misinformation in this article and the comments. Yes, processed and refined carbs (e.g. sugar, soda, white four) are not good for you. But neither is fat from dairy, meat and eggs as they are chock full of cholesterol and saturated fat. This leads to heart disease and weight gain. Cholesterol and fat lead to heart attacks, this has been known since the 1950s; it's nutrition 101. On the other hand, unprocessed, natural carbs are NOT bad for you and in fact are the healthiest thing you can eat. Our digestive system and biology show that we are made to eat fiber, starch and whole carbohydrates. The people of Okinawa live on a diet of mostly sweet potatoes and they have more centenarians than any other population. If you don't believe me, try this experiment. Eat ONLY unprocessed carbs for a week. You do not have to count calories or watch portion sizes. Eat all the brown rice, potatoes and whole fruits and vegetables that you want. Do not add any animal products or fat from oils or other sources. ONLY whole plant foods. I guaranty that you will lose weight on this very high carb diet.
13
Have to disagree. I have been on keto almost two years and eat high fat. My HDL started at 127 now is at 147. HDL is the good heart number by the way. My LDL hovers at 100, but I have had a fluffy LDL test and I have zero problem for heart disease! If you eat high carb trust me you are asking for blood sugar, prediabetes and diabetes problems. Get a blood sugar monitor and test your levels and it will tell you the effects of high carb on your sugar levels. It’s an eye opener! You can ask your doctor for scrip but you can get monitors cheaply these days.
5
@Will
It was "unproved nutrition hypothesis 101" in the 1950s-60s. The rest of us have moved on. The idea that dietary fat and cholesterol cause heart disease has been refuted about as thoroughly as anything can be in nutritional science.
That's a willful and ludicrous mis-statement of human digestive adaptations. We've been omnivores for literally millions of years.
Any "plant-based diet" which claims to prevent or reverse any disease always involves removal of _sugar_, refined starches, and other highly processed foods. Yet somehow the benefits are attributed to the veganism, while ignoring the sugary elephant in the middle of the room.
2
I had always been a firm believer in calories in, calories out and would preach that to anyone asking me about weight loss.
After being diagnosed as pre-diabetic I adopted a low carb diet. As an extremely active person I wanted to maintain my calorie level at a relatively high 3500 calories per day, same as before changing to a low crab diet. Despite maintaining this level of caloric intake I very quickly dropped 10 pounds after making the switch to a low carb diet. I had to increase my calories to re-gain the 10 pounds I didn't want to lose. Throughout this time my activity level remained unchanged.
Clearly there is more to it than calories in, calories out.
15
Let me just say what no one in America ever wants to say. Capitalism is to blame. Until we address the root of the problem with regulation, Americans will still be persuaded to eat cheap carbs and sugars (from cheap corn and soy) and nothing will change.
Advertising and the corporate food industry need to be reigned in big time. It is a public health crisis and it is time something drastic be done.
35
I agree with you wholeheartedly - though ironically the cheap soy and corn supply comes from government subsidies
3
I think this study is very valuable for its thoroughness and well-controlled variables. As an obesity researcher, I focus on the molecular mechanisms of obesity and diabetes, working with mice. This study shows very clearly in humans how low glycemic foods can help maintain weight, which is a common issue with diets. Excellent article!
8
Here will go again, the umpteenth story on this subject.
We can rationalize, intellectualize, ax grind, scapegoat, cherry pick but the bottom line is more calories lost, more pounds lost.
One can adapt their diet to their own needs, but the bottom line is the above rule.
If you follow it and want to lose wait you will, if not you won't.
Period.
2
@Paul What the article suggests is that even with the same calorie count, people who ate fewer carbohydrates were able to maintain their body weight loss. Usually people regain weight after dieting.
6
@Mario-Thank you for your reply. While it is may be technically true what the author says and one must fit one's diet to their needs the bottom line is still true, once you find the diet that is good for you if you want to really lose weight you will, if not you won't.
2
@Paul
The bottom line is less hunger, less calories in. What satiates hunger? Protein, fiber, micronutrients, naturally fatty foods. What fails to satiate hunger? Lack of protein, refined carbs and refined oils, highly processed foods.
Nutritional quality drives satiation, which limits subsequent calorie intake. "Calorie flows" are effects, not causes.
2
Perhaps it is time we began asking why we are the most obese nation in the world.
Does the antibiotics we add to chicken and beef stay in the meat and make us fat too? Does the HFCS make us fat? Is it true that diet foods make us fat? Is it true that artificial sweeteners destroy our gut microflora as was reported in Nature. Do the chemicals that are all banned in Europe but used here make us fat.
I really think that the cause of our obesity is all of the above. Our government has had a single minded purpose to feed us as cheaply as possible and in doing this they have destroyed our health.
8
Its not “carbs” its basically refined carbs.
Sugar, white flour, your body gobbles them up and shuts down.
The KEY quote
“he stressed that the findings do not impugn whole fruits, beans and other unprocessed carbohydrates. Rather, he said, the study suggests that reducing foods with added sugar, flour and other refined carbohydrates could help people maintain weight loss”
Eat a big slice of german pumpernickle and equal weight of wonder bread. Not the same, and you know it in five minutes.
If you dont the flatulence will tell you in 15. LOL
9
Nonsense I am an a 53 year old, Italian American I eat bread, pizza and pasta. My health is excellent and I have no body fat. I don't eat meat except occasionally a piece of fish. If you control your portions and you exercise you don't have to deny yourself all this wonderful food. The low-carb diet was always a scam to help sell cookbooks.
9
It always amazes me to read an article like this and see no mention of Barry Sears and his book, "Enter The Zone." He had this all worked out in 1995.
2
[Is Gary Taubes behind this report] instantly came to my mind.
Gary is the world famous evangelical purveyor of the low carb presto change- magic weight loss diet.
So who paid for this $12 million trial?
Bingo my friends; G Taubes.
Curiously, he ran his own study some years back which failed to back his theory.
The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy can be neither created nor destroyed so you can't win the diet game by magic.
No matter how you slice of dice it, to get rid of a calorie, you're going to have to burn it through the usual metabolic cell cycles well worked out decades ago in the lab.
The good news is that losing weight requires no faith in mystical diets. The bad news is that it is still hard.
5
@sjm
You have no idea who Gary Taubes is, what he has written about, or what he advocates.
Here's a themodynamics puzzle for you. Using "calories" explain to us _why_ a pregnant woman or a growing child gains weight. (Not how. Why.)
2
My company loaned me out to a subsidiary in Geneva Switzerland which is a french canton.I am overweight and my US diet is mainly homecooked food with no desert but the ocasionaly doritos binge or holiday binge. My main problem being portion size whether it is steak or green beans. Upon checking in at my residence I proceeded to stock up on butter, chocolate and bread. I pigged out all month. My main food items were pita, butter, chocolate, tons of canned tuna,chicken and meat. Even with the pigging out on choco, fresh baked french bread and butter I lost weight. The food all consisted of fats and protein in normal portions which with all the fat was still very satisfying. One would have had a difficult time getting fast food since most restaurants were sit down. It was definitely a higher caliber of food that satisfied you and left you not needing to snack in between meals.
1
I went on a very low carb diet with the hopes that it would improve my endurance in cycling. I lost 17 pounds in 3 months (I'm 6'1" and 200 lbs) but there was not much in the tank when it came time for a sprint. I could maintain the diet if my life depended on it (as in uncontrolled type 2 diabetes) but I tired of stuffing fat in my face. It was an interesting experiment on the bodies adaptability and I would recommend the experiment to most anyone.
1
@DrDC
I am also a cyclist and lost weight on a low-carb diet. I never expected that low carbs would improve endurance but I agree that cycling while seriously restricting carbs affects sprinting. I was surprised by how little it affected endurance over a training ride. Also I could return to moderate carbs and have plenty of energy. Carb restriction per Atkins was never about maintaining an extreme low carb diet just its efficacy for easy and rapid weight loss.
5
My experience is that Low-carb diets absolutely work, but you also need to watch your calories. Measuring your food teaches you portion size, and good flavorful fats will keep you full all day. Drink water. Eat plants with every meal. Walk the dog, go for a hike, or take a swim regularly. No crazy beast mode necessary. If you can make these life changes, you will not only look better but you will feel better too. It's not a fad or diet as much as it is self care. It's not expensive, and anyone can do it!
10
The anti low carb crowd always says that the increase in obesity since the 70s is due to people consuming more calories. This was when the "heart healthy", high carb diet was endorsed by the American Heart Association. I have never seen any study backing this up and as someone who grew up before this diet was imposed on everyone, I suspect people since the 70s actually consume fewer calories than they did before the "heart healthy" diet. It may not be possible to reconstruct calorie consumption before the computer age, but I sure would like to see a comparison of what we ate before and after the 70s.
6
The article lost me when I got to this: the study "was supported largely by a grant from the Nutrition Science Initiative, a nonprofit research group co-founded by Gary Taubes, a science and health journalist and proponent of low-carbohydrate diets." So even if the results are valid, they are tainted due to the study being funded by someone who already had a very distinct point of view, and who earns his livelihood in large part by promoting a low carb diet.
I have tried low carb diets and am able to lose weight on them as long as I burn more calories than I consume. If I overdo it with bacon and butter and roasted chicken, etc. I will still gain weight. And I find it much harder to exercise while eating low carb.
Eating a variety of unprocessed vegetables (starchy and non-starchy), beans, grains, and whole fats (nuts, seeds, avocados, olives) works better for me. I feel better emotionally and physically, and I am able to exercise with more energy.
15
@nimble nurse
Gary Taubes is a journalist. That is not the same as a company paying for research that affects their bottom line. Even scientists have opinions and biases but they design experiments to produce objective results.
12
@nimble nurse Yet another "forget this it was funded by Gary Taubes" comment. You dismiss the results because of Taubes involvement and then give us an anecdotal comment about your own experience. Might be more sensible to carefully scrutinize the NSI study to try to divine what was right and wrong about it. If you suspect pure fraud you may want to avoid his study altogether. There is also the possibility that the low card hypothesis is correct and that Taubes was trying to convince himself whether or not to believe it.
Interesting. I stopped eating 2 avocados a week due to cost and I've gained 5 pounds. I think I'll start buying them again!
6
dunno about low carb diets - but I've read and found from experience that eating carbs like bread without fats like butter tends to make you sleepy.
1
The results may be 'profound' as the Doctor said but low carb diets just don't work for human beings. The most desirable foods are full of carbs. I lost 12 lbs on South Beach and as soon as I started eating 'normal' foods again I gained it back. Now I use the app 'Lose It' to track my calories and I lost 37 lbs and kept it off for over a year. If you watch the calories you consume and you eat a variety of foods the weight comes off.
4
Many years ago my parents noted that every doctor's health advice they had ever read about would later be contradicted by a future doctor's article. Whenever one of them would come across such contradictory advice in the newspaper, he or she, would announce "doctor tells!". I can't keep up with all the different diet studies and their conflicting conclusions. That said, I avoid processed foods and exercise by walking at least 10 hours per week. With that I've been able to maintain a normal weight.
1
The best advice I ever got about what to eat and what not to eat: shop along the walls of the grocery store (where most of the “real” food is, refrigerated) and avoid the middle (where most of the high-carb, processed “food” lurks). Easy rule to remember and works like a charm.
12
I have never met a fat person eating the Macrobiotic Diet. (plant based whole foods) If anything they are too skinny They, including myself eat complex carbs / brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, millet, barley, basmati rice all the time, half my plate is carbs. the rest is vegetables and beans , there is no meat on it.
I'm 50 weigh 132 and feel well. consistently
Stop worrying about physical weight loss or gain, start focusing on health outcomes, the weight will adjust. Yes, you will get skinny but who cares, what you will get is inner well being and peace from being alive and well. True wellness is my wish for all people. You can do it.
In fact
18
@Oella Saw & Tool
Beans are vegetables and all vegetables are carbohydrates.
Where are the studies of glycemic index as a factor in the role of carbs? If I eat 300 calories in a sugary danish rather than 300 calories in whole oats (not flakes--whole uncut oats that take an hour to cook, or another whole grain like wheat berries), my body will react very differently. Why? Because those same calories are turned into simple sugars at a different rate, so I can use them as they come rather than storing them for later. Plus they ferment better in my gut, and help lower bad cholesterol levels. Win, win, win.
My personal advice, based on a case study of one: Be strict in avoiding added sugars and get your carbs in a low-glycemic index form (as whole as possible, as unprocessed as possible, sprouted or fermented if possible, with as much fiber as possible) and you will be satisfied for hours and not gain weight.
7
Low carb doesn't work for everyone. There is no ONE DIET that is good for all of us. Just as we have different body types, different skin color tones, different eye colors, we have different metabolisms. Some people burn carbs for their primary fuel and putting them on low carb would be disastrous. The "experts" don't know what is best for you - each person has to find what works best for him/her. We need to stop this obsession about weight in our society.
11
The metabiome - gut bacteria - hugely impact the amount of calories actually absorbed (as opposed to ingested). Things like processed v real foods, caesarian sections v normal delivery, breast vs bottle feeding, overuse of antibiotics, and much more, impact the metabiome.
2
I have been on a low carb diet for over 16 years now. I had tried and failed on so many diets over the years, that I had almost given up. When the first large Atkins study was published back in 2002, I telephoned my doctor and asked her opinion. She told me to go for it. I am no longer overweight, I feel good all the time, and I am in good health.
While I do not eat refined sugar, I enjoy a wide variety of food. It isn't all eggs and bacon and cheese. I have learned how to make my own low carb breads, cookies, and other baked goods. I have learned how to make good substitutes for potatoes. My Mother favored my low carb mashed cauliflower over regular mashed potatoes. There are a lot of options available if you are willing to cook. I use many Julia Child recipes as written, and many other standard recipes (even for baked goods) only have to be tweaked a little.
I have never looked back from the moment I started this diet. That had never happened before. I no longer feel deprived nor do I feel hungry all the time. I can eat at restaurants as well, I just avoid dishes I know will have added sugar.
This has been a very satisfying lifestyle. I only wish I had tried the diet years ago when Atkins first touted a low carb diet in the 1970's (he was not the first to do so).
I am just relating my own personal experience, but every body is different, and not everyone is going to enjoy a low carb diet. If you are happy with whatever diet you are on, then stick with it.
24
When reading these studies I always wonder how they define carbohydrates. There are good carbs and bad carbs. Beans are almost all carbs but have great nutritional benefits (including satiety, which curbs appetite), whereas white bread is also all carbs but offers no nutritional benefits and increases hunger. I'm not saying that this study's results are not true, but I do wish it was more specific.
9
My take away from all of this is that 1) moderation in everything is probably still the most sound advice; 2) we should try to avoid sugars and processed foods as much as possible; 3) different people clearly process foods differently and there's never going to be a "one size fits all" approach to diet.
As I write this I'm enjoying fresh chicken salad on my toasted, home-made bread. Not giving THAT up for anything, even if it means not living to 90!
7
The mineral magnesium is important for metabolism:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_in_biology
"Magnesium is an essential element in biological systems. Magnesium occurs typically as the Mg2+ ion. It is an essential mineral nutrient (i.e., element) for life and is present in every cell type in every organism. For example, ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the main source of energy in cells, must bind to a magnesium ion in order to be biologically active. What is called ATP is often actually Mg-ATP.[5] As such, magnesium plays a role in the stability of all polyphosphate compounds in the cells, including those associated with the synthesis of DNA and RNA.
Over 300 enzymes require the presence of magnesium ions for their catalytic action, including all enzymes utilizing or synthesizing ATP, or those that use other nucleotides to synthesize DNA and RNA."
Almost all whole foods contain between 0.25 mg and 0.6 mg of magnesium per kcal. E.g. potatoes contain 0.3 mg/kcal while walnuts contain 0.25 mg/kcal even though walnuts unlike potatoes derive their calories mostly from fat. This means that eating 3000 Kcal worth of whole foods should get near or above 1 gram of magnesium. However, the RDA for magnesium is 400 mg, and most people fall way short of that.
It's a similar story for fiber intake. Whole foods should get you above 60 grams a day, the RDA is 40 grams, most people fall way short of the RDA.
3
Humans didn’t evolve to eat simple carbs because there aren’t any in nature. Simple carbs are an invention of 20th century humans that are wreaking havoc on our metabolic health.
8
@Tiger shark
What about honey?
3
Honey is sugar which is a carb. There are good replacements. Search Amazon. Xylitol and erthyritol are excellent replacements that taste like sugar. There are also syrups. I personally hate the taste of stevia but many people enjoy it. You eventually just lose your enthusiasm for tons of sugar.
Sorry Dr. Atkins is not here to read this.
5
More nonsense about low carb diets. Another recent study showed that the more fat you eat, the fatter you get. Low carb diets are high in fat.
1
@Mark Do some reading. Come back later.
6
@mark You need to update your reading list and read more comments. Have you tried the keto fat diet? People who have not actually done it, make remarks like this! It works.
4
People need to know that a low carb diet has been found to lead to a higher death rate than a balanced diet. I am a retired Physician Assistant, and death rates were an important part of my Evidence Based Medicine practice. You may simply leave a more svelte corpse. Eat less of everything, move more!
4
But there’s low carb that’s all bacon and eggs and the like, and low carb that includes fish, poultry, low carb veggies, etc. I think that recent study indicated that a plant-based low carb way of eating can be healthy. I think most people know in their hearts that it’s not healthy to eat nothing but bacon and cheese.
6
I am glad you are retired because this is nonsense for the low carb high (healthy) fat diet being discussed by many here today. In fact the LCHF way of eating is associated with reversing diabetes, reversing obesity, lowering blood pressure, and has shown zero detrimental effects related to cardiovascular risk.
LCHF is not to be confused with the dangers posed by high fat COMBINED WITH high (refined) carb diets. Yet this confusion is where a lot of uninformed comments seem to be coming from.
Perhaps you and the oncologist who posted a sarcastic comment earlier should read the growing body of research? Just a thought. I am tired of the people in the medical profession who chime in on something out of their area of expertise and pronounce it dangerous. Sorry, just because you are in the medical profession doesn’t mean you are up to speed. Your old recommendations, basically the SAD diet, have resulted in an epidemic of obesity and diabetes and have done NOTHING to help with cardiovascular disease.
9
@Boomerpa, until humans become immortal the death for everyone is 100%. Perhaps you meant to say “shorter life span”.
2
In 2013 I lost a pound or so a week over a ten-week period on a calorie-counting diet. Then I essentially cut out all added sugars and grains of any kind, and lost an additional 15 pounds over a five-week period (3 pounds a week). I was 47 and it was the lowest I'd weighed since high school or early in college.
Since then, I'm eating less sugar and grains but still a significant amount, with most of my lost weight returning (particularly around the end-of-year holidays).
2
I have been on a no-carb high fat diet for years now. My waist was 60 and now is 42. I experience no hunger, cravings, nor do I feel the need to cheat, nor, often, do I feel the need to eat. I fast everyday now, and eat only small amounts of food. This is a profound change from my earlier eating. How do I feel? Better than I ever have. Maybe low/no carb regimens are not for everyone, but they have certainly worked for me.
8
"A Low-Carb Diet Might Help You Maintain a Healthy Weight". Am I wrong, or wasn't that already common knowledge?
5
This article can be distilled into one word: Bacon!
4
I run and train for marathons and I can eat anything! so there!!!!
2
@RDK573 the majority of marathoners plod along. What's impressive is running a 10K sub your age or a fast half.
1
I ride a bike (fast group rides)200 to 230 miles a week and while I can eat plenty, I too can gain body fat weight when my daily calories get too high. So I monitor my intake. Also it helps to walk 5 miles on the days I don’t ride. Important to note, I am a 114 pound 55 year old 5’2 woman and it seems I have to keep a rein on my appetite and intake much more then when I was a bit younger. I start the day with a T. of unrefined raw coconut whole food. It is delicious stuff with a similar texture and mouthfeel to peanut butter... Fatty foods are so important to feel satiated.
2
@Hollis Hmmm..If you do the research on this matter, you will find that the majority of marathon runners can run faster 5K-10K-Half
than the average 5K-10K-Half runners in their age group...
When scientists have told us what to eat, they have a long history of being wrong. When I was a kid we were fed margarine because butter was unhealthy. Then came the “fat makes you fat” lies. Then cholesterol was demonized. “Only eat highly processed industrial canola oil” the experts told us. Now it’s low carb, paleo, CBD juice diet. What a load of self serving regurgitation.
What makes cattle fat? Round-up laced grain and antibiotics. What do Americans eat? The same as cattle. The food industry has directed the science to fool us time and time again.
What should you eat? I suspect you already know but don’t want to hear it. Don’t eat chemicals and that includes chemical “vitamins” which are toxic. Eat organic. Eat sprouted sourdough. Eat fermented. Eat grass fed, pastured, and wild caught. Eat local. Eat tree nuts, legumes, colorful foods, spices, and drink organic coffee and loose leaf teas. Take whole food vitamins.
And for gods sake, stop reproducing. Overpopulation is our number one problem.
11
This plan works. Cutting out the big carbs and regular exercise will take the weight off and diminish hunger. And if you really want to see it melt away, cut out the booze.
8
I wish I could get back my 20's where I always felt so bad about myself and the dress size I wore, and never understood why I wasn't a size 4. I was always so "good" eating homemade pasta, low fat cookies, and some skim milk and toast with jam for breakfast. It was hard work but it didn't work.
Right around when I turned 30 I started to pay attention to all the people losing weight on South Beach/ Keto/ Paleo diets and, without going on any official diet, I started to eat the foods that I craved.... beef, pork, half and half in my coffee and cheese... CHEESE!!! cooking my veggies in butter... and stopped eating all of that "healthy" pasta and I lost weight and am able to maintain a weight that is 15-20 lbs lower rather easily.
It is pretty upsetting to think that I (and many others) could have avoided years of low self-esteem and dieting if we hadn't been getting bad information.
16
Another Big consideration is our bacteria. We are learning that many foods are modified by our bacteria. These have great effects on how our metabolism works. Obese folks have different bacteria then thin. Changes in bacteria are necessary for weight change. Fiber is very important. This area needs to be evaluated also.
3
I have struggled with weight and appetite for 20 years. I started the Keto diet in May of this year. I have lost 25 lbs without effort, but most important, I am no longer controlled by food. My cravings are gone. I feel good, I am not hungry. I suspect others who found that not to be the case did not cut carbs enough. Keto has you down to 20gms a day.
It works, my B/P is down, weight is down, energy is up. But most of all, I don't feel out of control anymore around food. I just don't feel compelled to eat sweets, breads etc. anymore.
12
Where do I sign up? I’d. Love for someone to feed me for 20 weeks.
3
I have never been overweight but have struggled for 20 year to lose belly fat . This is the first thing that worked, and I didn’t even go cold turkey. I still eat breads and pasta but by eliminating sugar in tea, coffee, oatmeal etc… I have real results without being hungry. It’s very hard to give up favorite tasty items like donuts, cake and cookies and certain fruit but I treat myself with real butter, whole milk, ice cream and fatty steaks so I am loosing belt sizes and I am not hungry.
Small side effect, you feel like you always have bad breath, it’s the fat burning
5
Interesting that the article does not disclose that David Ludwig is the author of "Always Hungry," which advocates the low-carb, high fat approach that the study tends to support.
This may or may not be a factor in the study's apparent conclusions, but should have been disclosed in any event. It is more worrisome if this was not disclosed in the study's conflict section, whether or not it is required to be disclosed.
7
@Kurt E. Walberg Always Hungry book starts phase 1 for 2 weeks at 50 % fat which is actually moderate fat and then goes down from there in the subsequent phases. It's moderate protein and low glycemic foods. The article mentioned he's the author of a best selling diet book. I cant speak to why they did not name his book. Could have been an editorial decision.
I would call keto at 70-80 percent fat high fat. The plan in Ludwig's book is no where near that level of fat or that level of carb restriction.
Thank you,Sodexo -- for giving these researchers the funding AND the study design that you knew in advance would show some spurious result. YAY full-fat meat and dairy!
This, of course, is part of the now-decade-long effort by dairy (and meat) producers -- originated in Mexico City in 2008 at a worldwide dairy producer's conference -- to promote the idea and the science that fat is good for you and that full-fat foods are better than low fat.
These diets are fine for weight loss -- but TERRIBLE for longevity. Blue Zone diets are ALL basically whole-food, plant-based diets. Studies that clearly show the tight correlation between cholesterol and saturated fat intake and atherosclerosis have been done, repeated and the evidence is so powerful as to not be questioned by any serious nutritionist. Lose weight -- but clog your arteries. In addition, the lipotoxicity model of type 2 diabetes shows that by increasing the intake of SatFat, the risk of hyperglycemia skyrockets. Continue these diets at your own risk -- but be aware of the risks of a shorter life, more cardiovascular disease and an increased risk of diabetes.
16
As a physician we are taught-- beware of a study which is funded by the company trying to prove their bias. So this study is funded and carried out by low- carb proponents. The results seem to me to be hypotheses- re grehlins and metabolism-- not real results ie decrease body weight, improved glucose , BP, fatty liver-- ie markers that we physicians need to assess a patient.
I have seen many weight losses over the years and , despite the type diet-- have seen improved control in all the above areas with any significant weight loss. I feel we are missing the forest for the trees.
9
The take away of this study is that not all calories are processed alike by the body, and that metabolism, weight, and health status will depend on what you eat, as much as they do on how much you eat. Just because people on a high-fat diet burned 250 more calories a day than those on a high-simple carbohydrate diet doesn't mean that the high-fat diet is healthy. It simply means you burn more calories on the high-fat diet compared to the simple carb diet. Both diets, high-fat and high-simple carbohydrate, are unhealthy. Using the data of this study to support a high-fat keto diet is misguided, and the authors make no such claim.
2
Dr. Michael Eades has postulated a novel obesity hypotheses that is more plausible than most of the what is currently observed by current scientific testing. It began with the observation that the increase in North American obesity tracks almost perfectly with the increase of refined vegetable oil consumption and the physiological mechanism has been identified as to how the polyunsaturated fats promote storage of fat and metabolic disruption at the cellular level. Furthermore, consumption of processed food, fast food, and restaurant food has increased exponentially over the past 35 years and all of these sources contain high levels of the problematic refined vegetable oils high in polyunsaturated fats such as canola oil, corn oil, and soybean oil.
5
I am confused. Didn't Robert Atkins develop the first low carb diet in the 80's or 90's? I'm not sure. And why isn't he ever mentioned in the new studies conducted lately lauding low-carb diets for weight reduction? In its inception, the NYT wrote an extensive article. I think in the magazine section, about its benefits. I remember reading it to my friends. There have been so many articles debunking his findings. Has it been debunked?
After reading that article, I came up with my own diet program: By eliminating white food and dispensing with desserts, combined with a 30-minute walk 5 times a week, I lost 15 pounds and have kept it off since I started. Reading Mr. O'Connor's article, it seems that we're back to the low-carb diet. Can someone enlighten me?
1
The focus on carbs vs fats is absurdly simplistic. Carbs are fantastic for you as long as they are not highly refined, or combined with refined fats. A whole food plant based diet emphasizing starches has been proven to be the healthiest diet on the planet.
10
I re-joined WW for the 3rd or 4th time in Feb and started following their Freestyle plan: unlimited eggs, non fat Greek yogurt, fruit, vegetables, beans, lentils, fish, chicken and turkey. I lost 10 lbs in 12 weeks and a total of 16 lbs. I have maintained it since June. I still have an occasional cookie, steak or sandwich. I don't feel deprived or hungry. I am a regular gym goer (3x/week). I don't believe a calorie is a calorie. Reducing the amount of processed food in my diet (bread, cereal, sweets) has made a tremendous difference.
4
Instead of eating three slices of pizza, I'll order six, and eat only the sauce and cheese after scraping it off the crust. I'll be SO healthy, I can hardly wait.
1
I don’t care about Santa Claus! Please just let this be true!
4
Science and the results of the study and reported here are one matter. The intersection of science and human behavior, preferences, will power and experience is a different kettle of stew, as reflected within the variety of comments. Managing one's weight and health is so very personal and requires individual attention and commitment.
More anecdotal experience, here. I've eaten this high fat & protein, low carb diet in the past and did lose weight. I was also careful not to eat sugar in all its delicious forms. But I was never really comfortable thinking about what all that fat and protein was doing to heart and blood vessels. I wondered, too, about all the animals slaughtered so I could feed my face and whether this was sustainable for everyone on earth.
Now I'm eating a whole food, plant-based diet: tons of fiber, high in healthy carbs - potatoes and grains without any fat - beans and other legumes, along with vegetables and fruits. No calorie counting, eat until satisfied or stuffed, wonderful digestive/elimination system, and my bloodwork numbers are where they should be. I feel good, I'm helping my animal friends and the planet.
If both the high-fat, low-carb diet and the low(no)-fat, high-carb diet both produce weight loss, why not go for the globally sustainable, truly heart-healthy whole food, plant-based way of eating?
20
@Michael Sklaroff I have the exact same concerns as you did. I can't put meat and dairy in my mouth, and believe that I am doing anything "healthy" to my system. Whole food, plant based is the future. Good for you.
5
@Michael Sklaroff
yes, the healthiest, most humane, most ethical way of eating is plant-based.
1
People need to learn how to cook everyday meals on their own. The problem is not the pasta or the potatoes. The problem are processed foods. If people would buy and eat more from the vegetable aisle, they would do a lot better.
8
I am an oncologist.
Yes, eat lots of fat. Don't eat fruits and vegetables, don't exercise, don't limit meat intake, sit and watch lots of tv. Eat lots of bacon, lots of marbled ribeye, lots of coconut oil.
Make sure you have great health insurance with good cardiovascular prescription drug and procedures coverage. Find a good endocrinologist and cardiologist before you start this diet.
A very high fat diet is the key to a short life.
15
@hl mencken You write as if we're all idiots, eating the worst food we can find. I eat a high fat vegetarian diet with tons of olive oil, fruits, vegetables, and a limited amount of dairy. In addition to eating healthfully, I avoid foods with a high carbon footprint (I miss you, avocados).
Tell me again how a high fat diet is shortening my life?
5
@hl mencken
Nowhere in any of this does anybody advocate "don't eat fruits and vegetables" or "don't exercise". You can keep your straw men, and I will keep my whole foods omnivorous diet.
1
I ate the Atkins diet for *decades* and, now, as I approach 60 yrs old, I am convinced that I changed my metabolism. Now, I eat whatever I want and do not gain weight.
4
I’d like to see this study redone with all of the carbohydrates coming from non-refined sources:whole fruits and vegetables, whole grains, unrefined pulse crops. That will provide real answers, as the roughage in unrefined foods both increases metabolism and decreases calorie absorption by the digestive system.
7
I agree with a number of commenters below that one of the key phrases in this article is "refined carbs." Vegetables are carbs too, as are beans. I've found that I am eating fewer carbs in general, but that all (or very nearly all) of my "carbs" if they aren't veggies/beans are definitely 100% whole grain.
I've maintained a 20+ weight loss while still enjoying bread, for example - 100% whole wheat, rye, etc., with seeds and nuts in/on them. Had steel cut oats for breakfast today in fact, now that colder weather is here.
I do NOT deny myself ALL refined carbs, as I do like a cookie or slice of pie or a pastry once in a great while - but NO added sugars in any real food I eat, less eating out & more cooking.
5
@JustInsideBeltway - I can only speak for myself, but finding out that sugar and processed carbs were REALLY not good for me (which happened several years ago) was definitely not good news. Finding out more recently that in the interest of weight, energy, focus, moods, and sleep, eliminating pretty much all carbs was by far the best thing for me to do was even less welcome. I love pizza (real pizza, not with a cauliflower crust). I adore Indian food - chickent tikka masala spooned over white rice with a big pile of garlic naan on the side was heaven. And don't even get me started thinking about Chinese food. (Sweet and sour chicken, anyone?)
I miss those. And I wish the facts weren't the facts. But they are, and so I am now following a ketogenic diet. I love what I eat now, and will never go back because this is far and away the best and healthiest way for me to eat, but I don't know of anyone that WANTED this to end up being the case. It's just a matter of trying it for yourself and then accepting reality.
6
I tried a low carb diet for two months, but it left me so ravenously hungry that I gained a few pounds. I got tired of the limited choices as well. Even if it had worked, it wasn't worth the misery. Eating more careful portions allowed me to take off the extra weight and keep it off for more than four years now. Healthy, whole carbohydrates like beans, vegetables, and fruit are just more filling for me than fatty foods. As much as I love bacon, being able to eat 250 more calories per day of greasy meat while enduring painful hunger just isn't all that appealing.
My last hemoglobin A1C was 5.2, my blood pressure was 100/60, and my cholesterol is superb, all with no medication. I'll stick to carbohydrate-rich beans and lentils.
160
@J Bean
Beans and lentils are great for you. The study was looking at refined carbs like sugar and white flour. There is no contradiction between the study and your experience. I think the nice thing for us who like bacon and olive oil is that they're not necessarily bad for you. Also, if you must have mashed potatoes, put a lot of butter in them, as the South Beach diet believes that cuts down on the high-glycemic effect of high carbs.
Anyway, it worked for me. I lost 17 pounds and they haven't come back.
37
@J Bean I'm sorry you got so many recommends on this. I'd like to see the weight of the people who clicked "Recommend" ;-) I lost 25 lbs. ditto husband and have kept it off for 8+ years after reading Taubes's GC,BC. That's a book you'll look at and say, "I could never read all this..." but once you get into it, it's so well written it reads itself. It's like a mystery novel. WOW Hubby picked it up too and said 2 things I really agreed with: (1) "I'm sorry it ended. Wish I could read the long version his editor made him cut!" and (2) "I don't think anyone could REALLY understand and undertake what's necessary without reading this whole book." Bingo.
21
@J Bean I have had the same experience. I simply cannot stick with a low-carb diet for the same reasons.
11
My husband and I travel frequently, and have noticed a key difference in attitude towards eating in Europe, for example, France (where we've spent a great deal of time). The French eat a wide variety of foods, to be sure, but restaurants there are open only at specific times of the day and evening, so mealtime is carefully planned and there is less random food consumption and snacking. Most meal cooking is done at home, with groceries bought fresh that day. In-between mealtimes simply don't exist other than simple coffee shops and bakeries, and you would never, ever see a Frenchman or woman eating in their car! Fast food is much less popular, as meals are treated almost as a ritual, served at a table, at specific times. The French also walk a great deal more than we do, which certainly doesn't hurt. I absolutely agree that mitigating processed carb intake makes a world of difference in weight and health, but our American cultural attitude towards food could also use an overhaul!
191
@Hannah Jane, As I wrote in my comment (after having lived in Italy for a number of years), Italians eat a huge variety of foods and tend to be more "active" than Americans. But, there's a fundamental difference in the foods themselves in Europe and the U.S. The food science industry has led to huge alterations in the building blocks of the food in the U.S. People find it hard to loose weight and stay healthy here because foods have become "formulations."
Many here argue that they don't have time to cook or that they can't afford good food. Well, the food industry has certainly done a good job of training Americans how to eat the garbage they sell.
30
yep - 3 meals a day with no snacking in-between - and in the South of France they all seem amazingly slim and fit looking.
In my rental car I had a guy on a bicycle racing me UP the alpine hills !
one strangeness tho' - as tourists, we'd be looking for a popular local restaurant as we drove around - come 6pm we'd see the outdoor tables full of people chatting - but on the tables only glasses of wine - no-one eating !
Didn't get to the bottom of that - did they go home to eat later ? Dunno.
5
@Hannah Jane
Well, the excessive smoking may also play a role in appetite supression and increased metabolism...so I'm not sure they are the best role models.
8
The Stillman Diet, circa 1970s, worked well for me, as well as Atkins. I'm glad that the "experts" are finally willing to accept that calories/calories out is not the be-all and end-all of weight management.
2
Balooned up to 215 in June with illness in our family and sleep loss. In mid July said to my self "enough is enough," read Gary Taubes, cut out sugar completely, am down to 187 heading toward my goal of 175. Just saying no to sugar was enough for me along with a modest exercise program. Sugar and flour are tough to cut out of your diet and keep popping up in tempting situations, but it isn't really that hard. Splitting a pomegranate for dessert, apples, tasting your vegetables -- no need to feel deprived and plenty of reasons to feel good as you shed the pounds.
11
Until this last year, I had been living in Italy, a country where people eat an amazingly diverse variety of foods. They eat pasta, often more than one time per day. They eat bread. They eat potatoes. They eat all sorts of meats from beef to pork (greasy, tasty, uber-delicious pork) to lamb, rabbits (everything!) seasonal vegetables and fruits, etc. You name it, they eat it. And guess what? Time and time again studies show they are the healthiest people on earth. Only recently, with the introduction of garbage American-style formulations (let's not call them "foods"), far fewer Italians have weight issues than Americans. I suspect that if they didn't smoke, they'd live forever.
So, I'm going say something most of you can understand: The American Diet Is Broken. It's broken because the food system has been compromised by all the genetic modification, the "formulations" that pass as foods, the high-fructose corn syrup and god only knows what else food science has done to the things we eat here. I'm currently living in central Michigan and the vast majority of people here are overweight. It's not coincidental that there's a filth food joint every 200 feet and that people are sedentary (spending most of their time in huge trucks) and spend little time being moderately active.
So sorry, but you all should quit trying to find "the perfect diet." Learn how to cook, be choosy about the thing you put in your mouth and quit snacking between meals (Italians snack hardly at all).
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@mrfreeze6 When we moved to South America 20 years ago, there was not a fat person to be seen, the occasional chubby, middle-aged adult maybe but not obesity. Fast forward a generation and the obesity rate is climbing, it will probably equal the state's rate in another 20 years. And now, for the first time, there are overweight teens and children. Packaged foods are available everywhere, people buy juice in plastic bottles instead of making it at home -- we have every fruit and vegetable imaginable year round and at 1/3 the cost in the states -- I live within walking distance to three McDonalds and two Burger Kings, it's frightening.
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'The American Diet Is Broken'
reminds me of the National Lampoon's US Vacation movies where Chevy Chase's character worked creating chemical 'food like tasting substances'
Last time in the US I was recommended to try a slice of fantastic looking iced cake - I was dubious but went ahead - the taste ? uhhh - no taste - at all - I finally decided it must be plastic foam. The waitress asked 'delicious ?' - uhhhh urrgg .... no.
5
@mrfreeze6 I
I agree. I lived in Italy for a number of years, too. Italians are the absolute oposite of food-neurotic Americans. In the States, food and eating are fraught with anxiety and guilt-what to eat, carbs versus fat, the latest 'magic bullet' food (kale, for example), portion size, etc.
Eating in Italy is what eating should be- an appreciation of great (healthful) regional culinary traditions, the opportunity to share all with family and friends, a joy.
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I've lost 135 pounds since last December, counting calories and getting my heart rate up for a minimum of 60 minutes a day. I do not eat any processed foods.. and I follow Michael Pollen's advice... eat everything, mostly vegetables, and be careful of portion size for high calorie foods.. (but at least 100 g of protein a day), as much green leafy veg and whole fruit as I want...nothing made in a factory, or raised in a factory. And white food (like potatoes, and regular pizza, are foods I enjoy once a month, when I go out for dinner.) Easy Peasy, rarely hungry, and my depression has finally lifted. Not low carb at all.. but "my fitness pal" app, tells me my complex carbs, fats and proteins are usually in balance. I've tried atkins, paleo and keto..the results were not sustainable, and I was really crabby... this simple app finally worked.
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@St George the Dragon slayer That's an impressive feat. Congratulations! Hope you enjoy long-term improved health and happiness as a result of your effort.
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Thank you for sharing what worked for you. Do you have a favorite Michael Pollen book which you especially liked?
I’m 60 years old. When I was a kid, growing up in the 60s and 70s, most everyone was thin. I’ve looked at old photos of us running around in bathing suits at the beach and everyone, kids and adults, all had the same sort of normal thin look. And I also remember the typical meals my mom served us back then: On my plate was usually a small serving of some sort of meat with a sauce, along with a couple vegetables from the garden. The vegetables had plenty of butter. Maybe one slice of home made bread with butter. There was a glass of full fat milk or water. No soda except for special occasions. Pasta was served only once every couple of weeks when we had spaghetti night, and portions were small. Desserts were also small and included things like in-season fruit with a tiny piece of chocolate (not the whole chocolate bar). Ice cream was rare and only for special occasions. There were no bags or boxes of junk food in the house. Looking back, I can see that this could be considered a somewhat low-carb diet, but back then it was considered a normal diet and obesity was not rampant then.
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@MargaretL I grew up in a fifth floor walk up in the Bronx. The stairs alone were a great workout,plus our meals were at given times and there was nary a cookie in the house to snack on. We had a tiny little freezer, held maybe a can of frozen OJ and some ice cubes, so mom had to shop every day and haul the groceries up those stairs. She didn't buy anything she didn't need which eliminated everything we shouldn't eat. It was a great diet, maybe I should move back....
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@MargaretL, no matter how much people deny it, there's something wrong with the food in the U.S. today. Ever since food scientists started in the 70's, in earnest, experimenting with genetic modification, artificial fragrances and flavors, adding high-fructose corn syrup (to everything), and encouraging people to eat their fancy formulations, Americans have exploded in size.
You know the food industry has marketed itself really well when people complain that they don't have time to cook. But back during the times you refer to, people ate at home with their families. My how things have changed.
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@MargaretL
Absolutely. We had more access to junk and meat than you did, but we still had "balanced" home cooked meals, soda was a rarity, etc. On such a diet, people don't get fat.
It may be worth pointing out that there's a difference between a *weight loss* diet and one that maintains healthy weight. The latter is far easier to maintain. I find that Atkins is great for weight loss, but if I eat a healthy diet of the kind we did back in the 60's the weight doesn't come back. Sugar is the big villain in that -- if I start eating junk, I put on weight.
6
I have been on a low carb diet for about a year. I see a nutritionist and in that time I have lost 40 pounds. Of course exercise plays a large role. It is not a diet, more of a change in the way one eats. Sugar levels are down, cholesterol down, blood pressure down. Im 57 and feel better than I've felt for many years. I used to wear a size 50-52 suit and now I am a very comfortable 46. I've maintained my goal weight of 200-205 lbs for the last 5 months with hardly any effort. The change in eating habits works, but the weight does not come off immediately. If it did, it would come back on just as fast. Be patient and you can see results. This is NOT a diet but a lifestyle change.. Good luck
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Having done many diets in my time, what finally worked for me was to stop dieting. When I realized and accepted I had to make changes in late 2011, I knew that what I did to lose weight was what I'd be doin for life. To that end, I committed to choosing to eat healthy most of the time, track my food and stay at a reasonable calorie level and move more. Nothing was really off limits. Made small sustainable changes over the years and ended up losing 85 lbs and keeping it off for about 5 1/2 years. Now pretty much follow Michael Pollan's advice to eat "real food, less of it, more plants." I also exercise every day.
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Exactly - so you traded in bad diets for a good diet.
2
@Martha Your comment is very encouraging to me. Under the guidance of a nutritionist I've been following a very similar plan-- a caloric intake that I never deviate from, a careful record of what I consume and a commitment to exercise every day. I've also been practicing mindfulness, which has helped me recognize when I'm feeling full, and when I'm about to consume a poor food choice. It also helped me to focus on the very positive effects of moving a lot more. Over the last 19 months I've dropped 35 kilograms and am still getting smaller although at a slower rate. Your story inspires me further to keep at it. For the record I'm will be 70 next year and feel like I did in my early 40's.
20
@Martha we must be twins or something! In 2011 I got tired of being overweight and sick of my aching joints. I quit sugar and processed foods. I too have lost 85 lbs. I rarely eat meat but track my protein & sugar intake. For the past year I have been making sure that I include some fat at every meal. I do think that's what helped me maintain my loss. For a long time I was barely able to walk due to problems with both knees. I cracked my patella at the end of June and started phys. therapy. Total left knee replacement in Sept. and the right knee replacement scheduled for 12/6. Have been doing at least an hour of strengthening exercise almost every day since mid-July and I have never been in better shape. I feel happy and proud that I've kept the weight off and exercise sure helps my mood. As soon as I'm able I'm going to start core strengthening so I can go on trekking. Congrats to you, I hope you're proud of your achievements. My life has changed profoundly since I started the journey 7 years ago and I could not be happier and in 5 years I expect to feel even younger than I feel today.
A low carb diet is working for me. I have cut back on starchy carbs like potatoes, rice, pasta, and bread, and it’s made a big difference in the last six months.
I don’t deny myself and will eat a sandwich or have a bowl of pasta on occasion. I eat peanuts, almonds, cashews, and walnuts instead of corn chips and cookies. I eat a large variety of blue, red, orange, yellow and green fruits & vegetables. I eat meat, love bacon, consume dairy, limit the ice cream.
I’m much lighter and my gut is gone, my love-handles shrinking. I didn’t lose the weight. I shed the weight. You want to find what you lose, like a lost wedding ring. You shed something that is no longer needed, like a bad lover.
Shed, don’t lose. Eat better. Variety is important. Color, too. Limit the carbs.
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@Pietro Allar -- Well said, especially the part about shedding a bad lover! Bravo!!
For years, I struggled with my weight and tried every known diet - (I'm in my mid 50s) - Scarsdale, Grapefruit, Weight Watchers, MediFast, etc.
The only time I have found I feel good with what I eat is on a high protein, restricted carb diet. I've cut almost all processed sugar from my diet. Very occasionally have white flour or pasta. I try to stay around 100 g of carbs daily including fruits and vegetables and about 110g protein.
If I start the day with a bagel - I'm hungry all day. If I start with two scrambled eggs (about the same calories - maybe less), I'm fine until lunch.
Clearly, every body processes food differently, but not all calories are equal to every person. For me, carb calores count twice, so I don't eat them. I think, in part, it is why bariatric patients are successful - once you cut the carbs and get past the cravings, it's almost easy.
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@Knitter 215 I am exactly the same. If I don't have an egg or other good protein first meal, I am shaky and hungry all day until I do have it. Then again, I am never the one who falls asleep from carby lunches at afternoon meetings either!
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@katea Read up on Dr. Barry Sears and how he worked with elite athletes to improve their endurance levels. He preaches about the importance of eating 1/3 protein, 2/3 unprocessed carbs and a small amount of fat. Following his formula for a balanced meal in the morning, I can nearly go until 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Skip the eggs, too. They're not the healthiest protein and "breakfast" foods are so last century.
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@Becky Eggs are fine. My gastro wants me eating them and I have greatly improved my LDL/HDL/Trigylcerides on a low carb diet with lots of eggs.
55
I figured out the basic tenets of this article for my own lifestyle and diet back in 2014. In my low 40's in age, I was experiencing ill health effects like food allergies, inflammation, carpel-tunnel, and high heart rate and blood pressure, so I decided to try a low refined carbohydrate diet. I had to bid farewell to all processed bread and carbohydrates like snack chips.
Today, proteins, fats and low-density carbohydrates like whole fruits and vegetables are my primary source of daily nutrition. Additionally, I added modest amounts of activity like walking to my daily routine.
To my surprise, the weight began to come off. I went from a size 40 plus waist to a slim 32 inches. I am no longer constantly hungry (nor thirsty). The allergies disappeared and my heart rate and pressure plummeted to normal to low levels.
I do enjoy a weekly meal with carbs or sneak in a candy bar here and there... but that's as far as I will allow myself to fall off the high-density carb wagon.
It has been nearly four years and I have maintained a healthy weight and I am never going back to my old eating habits. Ever.
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@Robert
Well done you!
5
It works and it just isn't that hard.
3
Inspiring, and sounds very doable. I’m going to try that.
4
I dumped sweets - including fruit - and processed carbs from my diet years ago when I realized the horrifying effects that sugar had on my moods. At the same time I also upped the protein to increase dopamine production. Essentially what I ended up with was a high protein, moderate fat, moderate carb (in the form of whole grains). This worked okay, but I was still getting hungry between meals, my moods were better but still up and down more than they should have been, and sleep was good but restless. I was able to maintain my weight, but then had several significant and unwelcome changes in my life and ended up gaining about 50 pounds.
When I finally regained some sanity in my life, I went back to what had (sort of) worked before but I couldn't lose the weight no matter how much I resricted calories (even under 1,000 a day) and I also noticed that I wasn't reacting well in terms of mood.
So, I switched to keto. I eat between 1,500 and 1,700 calories a day - about 60% fat, 30% protein, and 5-10% carbs (if that, and usually it's just very small residual amounts in sauces). The weight is flying off - I don't use a scale because day to day swings are inevitable and not good for morale - but my pants are far looser and I can now wear shirts I couldn't squeeze into three weeks ago. I'm sleeping better, and dreaming deeply for the first time in years. And my moods and mental clarity are fantastic. Oh, and I almost never actually get hungry.
Try it and decide for yourself.
5
Industrial “food,”
Delicious but deadly
So cook, live longer
1
Is this one of those times when the Times pulls up an article from 5 years ago and republishes it? I’m trying to figure out how low-carb is still big, surprising news.
2
this is hardly new news...see "Good Calories Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes...first published 10 years ago!
1
Does the name Atkins come to mind?? This is old news. What I’m waiting for is something that will kill my love of muffins. Like the urge to pick up that cigarette, even years couldn’t overcome....addiction!!
I will note that after several months on Atkins (years ago), those creepy, worm-crawling, crazy legs sensations, stopped. And came back with the...muffins.
‘It’s the Carbs, Stupid!’
How amazing, that many people still think calorie intake must equal calorie expenditure, when this has been debunked by protein-based diets. Hordes of practitioners lost and kept off weight while on these diets, while ingesting much larger than usual amounts of calories via proteins, without exercising or otherwise spending more.
Somehow, the body seems to ignore and dump excess protein. The same is not true for carbs; the amounts not burned soon are efficiently stored as fat.
Of course, there is a ‘price’ for processing protein, including formation of free radicals, so a well-balanced diet is a must for anyone.
Yet, the first items to avoid in any such diets are carbs. One can get sugar from whole fruits, enjoy breads, pastas and some desserts in moderation, but treating those as the exceptions - the top of a food pyramid.
1
My mantra when eating healthy is
“ what did gramma cook , grow, eat in the 1950’s and earlier”
We ate onion and butter sandwiches on wonderbread!
She picked out live chickens at @ the egg lady’s farm which said farm lady would slaughter and bleed out.
Me and gram would burn off the feathers we couldn’t pull off.
We had all homemade
I got chubby when the A and P came to town and Cumberland farms destroyed our pure creamy dairy milk from local farmers.
I got chubby eating processed cold cuts instead of sopressatta
I got chubby from hostess cupcakes not homemade bread pudding and rice pudding.
Our two 20th century world wars , with their K Rations and the space program with Tang gave us type 2 diabetes and 10 year old girls with
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Oh yeah.... how bout the Cult of positive body image that is currently in vogue.
Fat is not beautiful. Fat is deadly for Americans
Obscene too when juxtaposed with Yemeni children skeletal from wars raged with American weapons
It all runs deeper this eating healthy garbage
Thank you gramma.
We all need a Cult of Gramma diets.
Stop government handouts to school lunch too
That food ... given to poor kids is poisoning them.
Our 1950/6os
Lunch ladies made homemade for us
Entire roasted chickens ..... never nuggets
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Uhhh...two words...Dr. Atkins. Why is this even a question?
i've been on a low carb, Adkins type, diet for over a year. no processed complex carbohydrates and no sugars. i eat lots of fruits and vegetables with meats (chicken, beef, pork, fish) and snack on nuts, cherry tomatoes etc. over this time i've lost 20 lbs and easily maintain my weight. i exercise every day (even before i started the diet) so, i'm an advocate. at least for me, the diet works and it's not onerous to eat like this. i have no craving for sweets and at the office i can easily avoid the goodies that are brought in by co-workers. i no longer fear the holiday feeding frenzy. i encourage people to try it out. cutting carbs might not be for everyone but for some people - like me - it's a godsend.
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This article is all well and good but is totally useless advise to someone who just does not have the time to cook or money to go to expensive restaurants. Prepared foods that taste good enough to eat are all carb rich as are cheaper items at restaurants.
They should stop labeling items with calories, just with the amount of carbs per package or menu item.
I am not giving up Babka. Just walk a bit more and skip unneeded, impulse calories.
The entire metabolism issue seems to be lacking in evidence. Whenever I see an issue about have a higher or low metabolism, it typically does not seem to consider energy balance in the body.
One has to have a certain metabolism to maintain body temperature and body processes. That metabolism would change with activity, but be the. And, if two people are the same weight, with the same muscle mass and activity, I would expect their metabolisms to be essentially the same. If a person has a lower metabolism, their body temperature would lower and not function properly.
I don’t see how a diet could change one’s metabolism. I can see how changing one’s diet can influence a body’s ability to store excess calories. Perhaps carbs store much more easily in some people due to gut flora and therefore have become more vilified.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5082693/
Repeat after me - sugar is poison and grains make you fat-and inflamed. I don't know why there's a debate about this. Once I stopped eating so much pasta and bread I lost 30 lbs in about 5 months. And my inflammation markers are super low. Now I weigh what I did in high school. My type 1 diabetic daughter has a much easier time managing blood sugars now that she severely limits her carbs because she's not flooding her body with glucose.
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So skip the bead and just go for the butter?
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This topic has been thoroughly studied before:
https://sma.org/southern-medical-journal/article/relative-merits-of-low-carbohydrate-versus-low-fat-diet-in-managing-obesity/
It seems that the effect of eating low carb versus low fat
attenuates over time when it comes to the effect on weight loss.
Lighten up everybody! At some point ostentatious self denial just becomes obnoxious. I think the constant focus on diet is because it is one of the few things we really can control in our lives.
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I have found that a low glycemic index diet combined with regular exercise does the same thing. www.glycemicindex.com. (University of Sydney, Australia)
But everyone's body is different.
Eat low-processed, whole:
nuts
seeds
vegetables
beans/peas/legumes
grains
fruits
Get your fats from nuts, seeds, olives, avocados.
Avoid anything from factories, especially factory farms -- which means all animal products now.
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Not all animal products come from factory farms- our local whole food store, and famers market have eggs and chickens that are pasture raised , and grass fed beef...flavor is much better too. My goal is less but better quality.
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@JustInsideBeltway
I tried it, and your recommended diet left me fat, bloated, lethargic, and constantly hungry. I lost weight, satisfied my hunger, and healed my digestion by cutting grains and beans while eating more beef, fish, shellfish, and full-fat dairy.
There is no one-size-fits-all diet.
Just love it when the Times thinks something that's been known since the late 1970's is news.
The Atkins (low to ZERO carb) diet has worked for decades now, including my 100 pound weight loss. More importantly I never put the weight back on because being satisfied by eating fat is better than eating sugar.
This is well known by now. There is nothing new here.
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Really? "the study suggests that reducing foods with added sugar, flour and other refined carbohydrates could help people maintain weight loss by increasing their metabolisms at a lower body weight." This is news? The title should not be how a "low-carb" diet might help, but how avoiding processed food might help. Whole foods, mostly plants. I've lost almost 40 lbs., never count calories, eat no animal products and plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. It's not the carbs, it's the kind of carbs.
1
-Lost 30 pounds after a heart attack.
-Put Type 2 Diabetes into remission (I am able to keep my A1c between 4.9-5.3 over 4 year period).
-Returned to college weight and clothing size.
-Off all RxMeds.
-Now have saved my health insurers and me in aggregate over $20,000 in prescription drug costs and continuing. (Remember the Disease/Sickness Management Profit models counts on you being a customer for life)
-Have maintained weight loss now more than 4.5 years from the heart attack.
-Trigylceride/HDL ratio of under 2 (last checkup it was 1.6)
All this is possible with Low Carb which works great for me. Find the diet that works for you and follow it. I only have the appetite for one or two meals a day and enjoy great real foods. Easy to do and I don't miss the bread, pasta, rice, grains, or sugar. No Sugar, No Grains, No Starches, No Vegetable Oils. LowCarb works...
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@Usambcuba So does plenty of whole grains, vegetables, fruit and beans. I've lost almost 40 without limiting anything I eat, other than zero animal products. Super easy for me and good for the planet too! All Blue Zones have one thing in common, beans...
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@Kelle you do what works for you. I enjoy meat and animal foods. I don't have a Vegan agenda like others do. Grains (even whole) don't work for me or most diabetics I know. I haven't had rice in 4 years, or beans in 3 years. Don't miss them.
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This study involved keeping weight at a constant level by adjusting people’s calorie intakes.
That is very different from people losing weight by changing their diet.
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I'm 68, at a healthy weight, and I count calories. I am at a lower weight than my WW goal weight of 15 years ago.
The link to the NIH summary about losing weight is quite balanced. It's not the carbs. It's the refined foods that lead to weight gain. They generally don't weigh much for their calorie values. An ounce of potato chips averages about 150 calories, an ounce of broccoli- 8. One ounce( weighed) of vegetable oil is about 250 calories.
I eat a lot of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, a moderate amount of good fat, and lean protein and... I drink 1.5 beers a day. Lots of carbs there!
I also walk about 4 miles per day. I also have a half hour resistance cord workout. That helps- but one could easily eat the exercise calories back.
So a balanced approach, nutritious diet, moderate exercise, and monitoring energy intake works.
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The more you eat the more you want to eat. This is especially true of carbohydrates.
The real benefit of portion control is that it effects your over all appetite.
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"he stressed that the findings do not impugn whole fruits, beans and other unprocessed carbohydrates. Rather, he said, the study suggests that reducing foods with added sugar, flour and other refined carbohydrates could help people maintain weight loss by increasing their metabolisms at a lower body weight."
I think I'll just keep doing what I've been doing for years- avoiding refined carbohydrates and added sugar, and eating a Mediterranean diet with lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, which also happens to be delicious.
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"was supported largely by a grant from the Nutrition Science Initiative, a nonprofit research group co-founded by Gary Taubes"
Brought to you by someone who makes a fortune by telling people what they want to hear.
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@JustInsideBeltway
Nobody wants to cut out bread, pasta, cake, cookies, donuts, cereal, bagels, etc. These foods are delicious. But some of us had to in order to lose weight and normalize blood sugar. Grains are inessential, while meat/fish/eggs are satiating and nutrient-dense. Taubes' advice was dramatically more successful for me than anything I'd heard from the "conventional wisdom" nutrition advice.
One still needs to be careful though about applying the findings as communicated in the article for oneself. The study was conducted on people with a BMI greater than 25 which would fall under the obese category. The findings may not be replicable among people with "normal" BMIs.
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Just curious. 250 calories per day times 365 days per year times 3 years, divided by 20 pounds comes to 13,688 calories per pound.
I thought that it was about 3,600 calories per pound.
@Larry Israel
You are right. If people really ate 250 calories less each day and all the weight loss was fat they would lose 22 pounds a year not in 3 years. The article STATES that their estimate of fat loss due to this effect would be less than that due to " confounding variable" which are not explained. I suspect the confounding variables are mainly that people do not comply with the diet.This diet did not achieve weight loss. It only showed that higher fat intake resulted in an increase in metabolic rate. Suggesting to me that if you want to go off your diet perhaps this might keep you from getting fatter.
My friend's cardiologist recommended a keto diet, and it really worked for weight loss. However, he said he was pretty much always hungry, eating only meats and vegetables. I find the same thing. I would love to change my diet, but as someone whose diet is centered around carbs and dairy, how do you do it without that empty, unsatisfied feeling?
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@Treetop It's simple. Add fat. Saute those vegetables in olive oil or ghee. Add cream to your coffee. The first week will be hard. It's easy to maintain from that point on.
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@Treetop It's good to hear cardiologists are on board with this. The key to managing on a low carb diet is to eat enough fat. It is not just protein and vegetables. Using lots of butter, olive oil and coconut oil plus eating fatty meats, fish and fowl will satiate with a smaller total caloric intake. This is one of the reasons a low carb diet is superior for weight loss. At the age of 68, I have been eating this way for 16 years. I eat 2 meals per day. My recent CAC score was zero.
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Eat low glycemic index carbohydrates only, not refined carbohydrates. The whole grains don't cause insulin spikes which helps.
The effect of eating low carb instead low fat is real but small.
The authors conclude that one can lose 20 pounds in 3 years by doing this. Perhaps.The study never was extended to determine this. But if true this means however that if you go on this diet you will lose 3 1/2 pounds in 6 months.
Those who want to lose weight faster than that will have to either increase their activity level or decrease the total amount of food they eat.
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Yes, yes, yes. Thank you NYTimes for publishing this. There is so much damage done by the SAD and conventional low-fat advice. Low-carb and keto diets, especially combined with intermittent fasting, are actually reversing diabetes - and very quickly, at that. It's high time we started applying actual science to this issue.
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I've been doing a very low carb diet with higher than previous amount of fats (butter, cream). In 6 months, I've lost 40 pounds, from 239 to 199 (yesterday!). My goal was 200, and so lately, I've added a few (very few) carbs. But I'm considering a new goal. I do miss pasta, and my wife REALLY wants some bread. But. . . it works. One thing that has happened which I didn't anticipate is that we eat much less. I cooked a rock cornish hen a few days ago, and we ate half of it. I made a chicken salad from the remains which was most of our lunch yesterday. (Back in the day, I'd cook two cornish hens, and we would each eat one! Not any longer.)
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@Dan Moerman Hi Dan. You mention something that a lot of folks don't pay attention to, especially when talking about how eating low carb is not affordable. When we increase the fat in our diet we are more readily satiated and don't need to eat as much, including expensive proteins. We also eat less of high intensity agricultural products. So low carb over all is a more sustainable way to eat, economically and environmentally as well as nourishing-ly.
1
This is nothing new to us who have been eating a low carb diet for awhile now. I don't know why doctors are still fighting this. It's because they were taught the american food pyramid for nutritional needs for there 2 week nutrition course over there 8 years of schooling. Join any keto or low carb group on facebook and you will see the infinite weight loss transformations, disease reversals not just limited to type 1 diabetes, and vastly improved blood tests. There are alot of doctors now prescribing a low carb diet for pre diabetes, type 1 diabetes, and a plethora of other diseases, as well as weight loss.
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@Jordan Doctors are still fighting this for good reasons. There has not been one serious study that has shown significantly better weight loss with low carb vs low fat. This one is just another example, it's using an indirect measurement and try to suggest weight loss. Look at the study.
Until we have more results, it's better to stick what's been shown to work: reduce calories. That does not mean keto "does not work". If a large part of your intake is high calorie carbs, replacing them with fewer fat calories will trigger weight loss.
1
My diet is called don’t drive to the grocery store and always take the stairs. Miami hasn’t caught onto it yet and I eat whatever I want.
6
Been experiencing worsening lactose intolerance episodes, so I've been forced to cut most candy and processed food out of my diet. It's ridiculous how much of it contains dairy, really.
And yes, I'd definitely say that going low-carb (except for when I decide to eat some canned pineapples or a coconut macaroon) has been nice. My initial weight has been in the healthy range and stayed there, but I've found the stomach bloat to be a non-issue ever since starting the cut. Veg/tofu or chicken/rice noodle miso soup is my favorite university dining hall food now, not that I have a lot of other dairy-free options.
@tea. I have been living the Keto life style for 16 months. You might want to check out a book by Maria Emmerich “Easy Dairy-free Ketogenic recipes”
Always lot's written about being overweight, and has spurned a billion dollar loose weight industry. From fad diets, to becoming a gym rat. Seems obvious, there is little research or association with folks genetics. BMI is hopeless, when used as a rule of thumb as they say. Folks are for the most part, far better nourished, and have increased their height, since those BMI charts were invented. So so few folks ever keep the pounds off they lose.
In Dec. 2016, my doctor told me I had a high blood sugar level, 2nd time in a row (113) and was at risk of pre-diabetes. I was 58, 5'5". l weighed 197 lbs.
She told me to cut out anything white - sugars, starches, refined carbs- and eat more protein and fats. She also told me not to eat lowfat products, as starch usually replaces fat, but to eat whole fat dairy in moderation and add in healthy fats like nuts & avocados.
So I did, and after about 4 months of eating this way, I had lowered my blood sugar to 89. I had also dropped about 25 pounds. I continued to follow the diet and now, almost 2 years later I am around 147 and a normal BMI for my height. My blood sugar is in normal range
I've easily stayed within 5 lbs of this weight (144 -154) for a year now. I don't count calories, just mainly don't eat the bad stuff. I cheat once in a while, but not often. When the scale creeps up, I'm real strict with carbs for a few days and it goes right back down. I eat most things, even pizza. But only once a month or so now.
My overall cholesterol has lowered (135), my good cholesterol has gone up, the bad down. My blood sugar has stayed within normal ranges.
I hope to eat this way the rest of my life, it's obviously good for me. My 2 sisters, who were both overweight, have begun eating this way. One has gone from size 22 to size 14 - she's been real strict with carbs. The other has gone from size 20 to 16 - she's has not been nearly as strict, but is still slowly losing weight.
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@D. DeMarco
congratulations you are the exception.
@Dan Green
no she is within the majority
1
The idea that all calories are not the same has been around for quite some time and frankly makes sense. I don’t understand how a scientist and obesity expert at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases could find fault in a study that says sugar and high carbs might not be great calories to consume. Isn’t a diabetes diet low carb and low sugar?
3
Twelve million dollars for this study? A balanced diet consisting of some protein and lots of vegetables, with fewer sugars and starches is common sense...But here's the thing.... With the food system as it is currently constructed in the US, it is hard for folks of all socioeconomic levels to access healthy food... Where are the studies analyzing how we produce our food, how much it costs, and how it is distributed?...What are our current methods of production doing to the environment? We have "cheap"(unhealthy) food for "all", but it actually gets expensive when you add in the cost of medical care and environmental degradation... In any event, I am glad to read about the study's conclusion, though not surprised by it. I would rather you study the social justices privations of our big Ag multi-tiered classist food system.
11
It's exasperating reading yet another article about what is the "best" diet. Any clinician practicing nutrition knows that different diets are better for different people. All treatment, nutritional or otherwise should be individualized. The attempt to resolve the question what the best diet is is looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. This being said, it is fairly well established, if not indisputable that certain foods are deleterious to health, whoever you are: refined flour, sugar, trans fats, processed foods, artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, farmed fish, and animal foods from animals raised in CAFO farms. Some people have sensitivities to certain food and need to avoid these. Examples include: nuts, dairy, eggs, gluten. There is a growing consensus, hotly disputed by the industries that have vested interests in them, that GMO foods are hazardous to health. There is research suggesting that raw milk and dairy is more healthful than pasteurized dairy. Organic is likely to be better for health and more nutritious than non-organic. It seems increasingly likely that gluten is a pro-inflammatory food and should be limited or avoided. Biodynamically designed farms are better for our wold, and hence our individual health than standard farms. Rather than search for a one size fits all diet, why don't we just stick with what we know? We already know enough to give design a good diet which still leaves room for individual preferences.
6
@Mark
You are posting ideologies without scientific evidence.
There is no definitive evidence that organic is better than non-organic food.
https://www.zmescience.com/other/science-abc/organic-food-science02092015/
There is no evidence that GMOs are harmful. (genetic modification of foods has been done for millennia…GMOs are just more precise--and preferable to using gamma rays to make hybreds.)
There is no need to eliminate gluten from one’s diet if one is not allergic and does not have celiac disease.
Raw dairy products are definitely more dangerous and not more nutritious.
https://www.fda.gov/food/resourcesforyou/consumers/ucm079516.htm
13
Clearly this kind of diet helps a lot of people, and is preferable to the “Standard American Diet” with chips, soda, and so on. What never seems addressed in these comments is that people in places like Japan, who eat plenty of white rice, or Italy, who eat small portions of pasta daily, live very long and are very healthy. Rather than throw out all my cookbooks filled with the delicious food wisdom of these cultures for a fad invented by Americans in the late 20th century, I would rather try to understand what they are doing right. Italians interestingly tend to separate pasta from meat as separate courses. I sometimes wonder whether the success of this practice for their health can account for why both low carb AND meatless (vegan) diets often lead to better health. Perhaps the problem lies in the way we combine foods.
13
@Beth Martell Italians also eat their pasta al dente- which helps in not spiking blood sugar. They also eat a small portion, not overly sauced.
But how does this bear on guidelines for a healthy heart, or for those with coronary artery disease? Any bearing on autoimmune disease symptoms, too? Curious and confused.
7
Thanks, but if my nightly red wine is verboten, I’m out. I’ll simply spend some extra time on the treadmill.
6
@Concerned MD
Red wine and all but sweet wines are very much in on a keto-diet because they are low in carbs. So I guess you are in?
4
@Concerned MD the treadmill won't undo the damage, nor will it help you lose weight.
3
@Maxwell I was pretty happy to find that a little Lagavullin now and then is perfectly fine as well!
2
these are all great stories and wonderful to hear that people are figuring out that good eating and exercise is critical to a happy and healthy life. A few more points that are important but no mentioned a lot below:
-stop eating out fast food or no, too many cal's, no control of food input, portions are gigantic
-get out of your car!!! walk, bike to work, build some movement into your day to day life-Italians do a a lot of biking and walking and they look great!
Cooking is an art form-it not only makes you healthier to cook but its good for your creative mind and binds you socially to your family and friends, its fun when you have people over and you provide a healthy tasty meal!!
Bon Voyage!
9
While the low-carb diet may, according to this study, accelerate weight loss, weight is not the only indicator of health. Consuming a high number of proteins relative to carbohydrates can lead to kidney stress. Did the doctors check for creatinine levels when they monitored them? A longer term study would not only measure weight loss, but also overall health effects other than weight loss.
3
Protein intake was consistent across all 3 types of diets. Only the fat/carbohydrate ratios changed
6
@Colleen Dunn
A low carb high fat diet (LCHF) doesn't raise the amount of protein in the diet, it lowers the carbs ans raises the healthy fats (nuts, avocado, olives for example). Fat and protein will keep you feeling full longer. Cutting down carbs will lower food/sugar cravings after doing this diet for a week or two. I started this last year and lost 25 lbs and kept it off.
It's FREE too, there's plenty of great information about it online.
5
Wait, so now we have an official study confirming the Atkins diet? Funny.
12
That’s what was thinking, also keto diet...
@Irina this isn't the Atkins diet.
I lost 15 pounds in two weeks, dropped 4 points A1c, my HDL 147, fluffy HDL great, triglycerides great.I eat HIGH fat keto diet. Been on the diet almost two years. More energy, healthier. Myth I do not eat slabs of beef and bacon at meals. I do use full cream for coffee, full fat cheese, yogurt. I eat oily salmon, bacon, fatty meats BUT all with copious amounts of vegetables. No breads, pasta, crackers, sodas. There are many delicious low carb options for standing for pasta and crackers these days. My husband lost 25 pounds just eating what I was eating (I’m the cook) and he reduced his A1c and blood pressure! I’m all for it. It takes about a week for you to lose all the sugars in your body and get into keto btw. Well worth it if you need to lose weight and fix your blood sugar. Read Jason fung
27
@Mary Agreed. I have been on a low carb diet for a while and I agree that you don't sit around gnawing on the side of a bison all day long as most people think. I do eat steak, pork, chicken. But no matter what, I also eat at least 2 small salads a day mixed with vegetables. Lost 40 pounds, have kept it off and feel great.
5
I find myself in one of those unmentionable categories, I have a hard time keeping weight on. O.K., laugh at me. Fish, vegetables, whole grains, fruit from the orchard, rice, potatoes and some dairy.
You are what you eat. I have the enviable position where I can choose what I eat. If you are hungry, have no choices, do not have the resources to pick and choose, you will eat whatever you can afford to eat. I have been there and it is not a pleasant road to walk.
3
To mimic the political campaign phrase "it's the economy
stupid " - it's the metabolism stupid." Diets just did not work for me. Then, I started running 41 years ago at age 39, just to get in shape. After the initial month or so to get in condition so that I could run, I ran three miles three times a week. In the first few months I lost about 5 of my 170 pounds. It appeared to be a calories in, calories out situation. Then in the fifth month, the weight just started falling off; 20 more pounds in a very short time. And during that time, I ate what I wanted, much more than I ate before running.
During the ensuing 41 years, I have generally kept on running and now I include bicycling. On a few occasions I have had to quit my moderate running because of injuries (once because of a serious injury in an automobile accident). About 5 months after quitting running, the metabolism changes and the weight starts to climb.
I've never again approached 170 pounds. After a few years layoff following my auto accident, I hit the high 150's. I run 10 miles a week now (very slowly, I'm 80 years old) and I eat what ever I want, including including about one scoop of Ben and Jerry's, with a lot of nut on it every day. My weight is in the low 140"s.
Year after year I read these inane studies about weight and calories. Why don't these researchers study a group of moderate runners or bicyclists. These are the people who keep their metabolism up and keep the weight off.
6
I am glad running works for you. it doesn’t work for everybody, particularly middle aged women. Google weight gain for women training for a marathon and see what you find. Some of us actually GAIN weight with a lot of endurance cardio due to effects on our hormonal balance.
2
@George Carlson -
Think about what you wrote: "On a few occasions I have had to quit my moderate running because of injuries (once because of a serious injury in an automobile accident)."
This is the same for every fitness-buff in a coffee group of older men I belong to. Every one exercised regularly until they injured-themselves/had-to-have-orthopedic-surgery so that they couldn't continue.
Think about that.
It's like smoking. Strenuous exercise over years or decades is like smoking: it almost inevitably leads to self-harm.
Of course there is multi-billion dollar industry promoting such self-harm. Including all those orthopedic hospitals. Just follow the money.
Stressing any part of your body long-term is bound to ultimately hurt you. Don't be fooled by the exercise-industrial complex.
A five month study is worthless. Report back after five years when all other dietary advice has become statistically irrelevant
6
@Stephen
In terms of study length vis a vis results, a researcher (which I am not) could better explain why this one was rigorous in terms of methodology and credible in terms of results, whereas many other studies have not been.
But as for longer term studies, we certainly have the Biggest One of All, conducted on about 300 million people over the past 40 years, when the Standard American Diet become gospel, pushed by the government and doctors. And look at most of us now.
7
@Stephen
Short-term, yes, but it was a real randomized controlled trial, with food portions controlled. Worth more than the endless observational studies based on self-reported food surveys.
Dr Atkins is smiling.
6
I only have one thought: Here we go again.
6
I propose a new article entitled: "How Never Eating Anything Advertised on TV can help you Maintain a Health Weight"
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@DILLON Many people new to the ketogenic lifestyle comment that one has to just shop the outer aisles at the grocery store to avoid the other 90% of the store (and refined carbs held therein.).
Half of the reason we’re nuts! Which I guess we should eat. No, no, no,“ shoulds”. Find something that works for you and explore emotional eating as well.
1
All things recycle. Isn't this the tenet of the Atkins diet----years and years ago?
2
Eat what you want, but avoid consuming sugar in any form, and do not eat mammals. Never eat after 7pm, eat small healthy snacks and if you don’t wake up starving you’ve eaten too much too late the day before.
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I did the high fat low card diet and lost 25 lbs. I’m a believer but I still wonder why Italians can eat pasta and not get fat.
1
@Me. by walking everywhere? when i was staying there and asked how far away something was, they’d say “10 minutes” or “30 minutes” or whatever. but they meant by foot, not car.
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@MeCause its not fattening!
1
"Regardless of what you eat, the key is to track your calories and burn more than you consume."
That is still the case. This new study does not indicate that you can eat unlimited amounts of fat. You still need an energy deficit to lose fat. What this study may indicate is that calorie counts for refined carbohydrates should be adjusted slightly upward.
6
Many of the comments here read like paid testimonies from infomercials, which is fitting for the tone of this article. Do people really need a million dollar study to learn that removing refined sugar from their diet leads to weight loss and better health?
6
for those of you who have had good luck cutting back on simple carbs, how do you feel about plain, full fat yogurt? I like it and also full fat milk for breakfast. is that ok?
1
@Susan Full fat dairy is lower in carbs and works for me. Have been on low carb twice now, this last time have lost 15 pounds which is fine for me. I actually eat WAY more vegetables now than I did before, because I substitute them for starches, eg Cauliflower Rice. I do eat quite a bit of animal protein, but lots of it is fish, not bacon, sausage, etc. This is not a "diet". It’s a different way of eating that can be challenging, but worthwhile.
9
I've lost 175 pounds eating low carb.
9
My sister and I have effectively done our own study. We both had the same goal of losing 25lbs and both went on the low-carb diet which we started late February. Initially, I lost 10 lbs but that came with keto flu, fatigue and terrible constipation. After a couple months, I realized the low-carb diet was not something that I could maintain so I did a 180 to a starch based, high-carb, low fat, plant-based diet while my sister stuck with the low-carb diet. The results: I've lost and easily maintained a 25lb weight loss on a starch-based low fat diet while my sister, who stuck with the low-carb diet has lost half as much, 12lbs, with greater effort and difficulty maintaining.
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@GBrown
Might the result of your informal study show that different bodies process and react to food differently? Your sister lost less weight but did she suffer fatigue, constipation, and keto flu? If you had not been on a diet, it would sound as if you were very ill for a period and recovered. Thank you for posting this. The author of the article has great success keeping on a low carb diet; you have great success with something which sounds like the opposite. No one has had success with excess sugar or processed foods as far as we know.
2
@Rosemary Irwin My sister is having similar side effects from the low-carb/keto diet. After doing some research, I'm very concerned about her being on the diet because it's not heart healthy. Guess how they induce atherosclerosis in lab animals for studying atherosclerosis? High fat/high cholesterol.
"In 1908, Ignatowski provided the first experimental demonstrations that atherosclerosis can be induced in laboratory animals. He fed rabbits a protein-rich diet (mainly meat, milk, and egg yolk), which led to the formation of atherosclerotic lesions in the aortic wall."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5403338/
1
I am 70. Back in 2003 I had to lose about 40 pounds before a surgical procedure. I went on the clinic's diet, which was basically the Atkins Diet, and lost the 40 pounds between October and April. Note that during this time I did not drink alcohol, and worked out once or twice a day. I was 55 years old.
I remained on the diet for about five more years and maintained a lean weight around 190 with about 11% body fat. Then, in 2009 I decided to be a vegetarian and immediately started gaining weight, albeit slowly. I also started drinking red wine again in 2011 after abstaining for 11 years.
Gradually, my weight crept up to the point where I was only ten pounds below where I started in 2003. In 2016 I started recording all calories in a notebook and made an effort to eat more protein and fat, and fewer carbs. Also I restricted my intake to 2,000- 2,300 calories a day, while drinking as much as a bot of cab a day. If you are on a 2,300 calorie diet and 635 calories of that is wine, you need to eat high quality protein and fat, limit carbs, and, if possible, avoid refined starches and sugar completely. In two years and three months, starting at about 228, my weight now ranges from 200 to about 208. This is complicated by blood pressure medicine, which is a beta blocker that reduces metabolism.
The hardest thing of all, when I started this back in 2003 was kicking sugar. It was three months before I stopped craving sugar. Sugar is a lot harder to quit than booze or smoking.
12
You assume that most people know what "carbs" are. They don't. Start your story with a definition of what carbs are in the first place.
13
Veggie carbs are not the carbs they are talking about. Its rice, bread potato etc.
11
Yay - butter is back. Just not on a potato.
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I'm not a scientist but it seems pretty ridiculous to write an article like this and not mention the effect of exercise on all of this. Were all of the subjects strapped to a gurney and given the same exact diet or did their daily physical activity vary and in what ways?
5
Sadly exercise doesn’t count much. Exercise tones you up, makes you feel better & look better. But it’s DIET that makes you lose weight. We’ve gotta eat less! We all over eat in the US...myself included.
7
How does nut fat fit into this? I love nuts and peanut butter but never eat animal fat other than from seafood like salmon, and my wife cooks with olive oil (Mediterranean diet). So what sort of fat is the one that replaces carbs?
8
Keto. Been around for a while. And yes, you do need to restrict natural carbs as in fruit and beans.
5
@A. Brown Not so. The carbs in fruit, vegetables and legumes are very nutritious and the fiber in them slows your metabolism. The article is referring to refined carbs like bread, rice, pasta, sweets.
2
I'm SO sick of all these "diet" articles which invariably contain contradictory information. They also presume one is young and healthy with no mobility issues.
I lost 70 pounds over 2 years by doing vigorous exercise and watching my portions and avoiding sweet snacks and bread. Then I got sick and my chronic, progressive disease no longer allows me to exercise at that level. Nor does my age - I did this 11 years ago. There is a BIG difference between what one an do at 64 and 75! I do not eat "junk/fast" food, or highly processed foods. I just can't burn enough calories due to mobility issues.
I will confess that when it gets really cold outside (like now!), nothing on earth looks as good to me as a potato in some form. I try to eat them with the least fat possible.
13
@India This is not simply a "diet article" but rather a discussion of a ground-breaking experiment. The quality of the experimental design was very high and the results are at odds with consensus opinion. It suggests changes in dietary guidelines, and for that reason it is quite newsworthy. Having said that, it does needs to be reproduced.
1
I'm not even gonna bother reading this. Why? The necessary explanation of "good" versus "bad" carbs will be absent, or rushed thru.
And like always, many readers will either simply see the headline and draw personal dietary conclusions. Or - adopt the usual American diet (or exercise) rule. "If this much, or less is good - then this excess, or complete lack of - is better."
Meaning; people will disregard all carbs, or try to - and then fail when the impossibility of the diet overwhelms them. (or workout everyday, doing too much, when they haven't for years)
American dieters are not the type to educate themselves on the nuances of nutrition. And certainly they run the worst self-tests on their needs ever...!
5
Clearly there are very conflicting data regarding what works and what doesn't work. Given the complexity of biology and the rather remarkable genetic differences between us, it is really not that surprising. If I were to try to summarize this article and propose what one should do in light of such conflicting data, I would say do the experiment - try different diet regimens and see which one works for you. What the "experts" say works (especially if it is posited in a book on which they make money), may be completely useless for you. Oh yeah, and exercise more!!!
4
It really ain’t hard, folks. Eat a bunch of carbs, in an hour you’ll be hungry again. Eat a bunch of protein, you won’t be. It’s not rocket science.
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@30lbsin There is a difference in the nutritional content of refined carbohydrates and whole grains, and a difference in how quickly they are digested ( and how quickly they leave you feeling hungry). Whole grains have an fiber-rich outer bran layer that slows the breakdown of starch into glucose, as well as providing vitamins, phytochemicals and antioxidants. In addition, whole grains contain the germ that is removed from refined carbohydrates, and is rich in healthy fats, vitamin E, B vitamins, phytochemicals, and antioxidants.
A diet rich in whole grains is satisfying, and may provide other health benefits such as protection from inflammatory diseases.
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/whole-grains/
@Edie Clark
Whole grains are more nutritious than refined grains, yes. But otherwise, grains are nutritional light-weights compared to meat, fish, eggs, nuts, tubers, vegetables.
Sugar is the brain's fuel.
1
@turbot Au contraire. This is why there is a keto “flu” when changing fuel sources, but once that is complete (after a week or so) the brain works quite well on ketones. In fact, it becomes preferred fuel for the brain. This is why children with refractory epilepsy (not well-controlled with medication) have been using ketogenic diets for over 100 years with great success. There is only one cell in the body that needs glucose, and that is red blood cells. The small amount needed for those can be easily synthesized by the liver (gluconeogenesis) when on a ketogenic diet.
2
Yes, that’s why cavemen had bags of it lying around for millions of years. It’s why my cat sips on soda pop all day long.
1
@turbot
Predators have big brains that require glucose, yet they don't eat sugar or starch. Search for "gluconeogenesis".
It worked for me, cutting out most carbs, watching what I eat ( not just calories, but GI(glycemic) index).
I noticed a while ago, that grabbing something from the bakery on my way to class/ work... was not a good idea. First, I became a little jittery, and after about half an hour I became very sleepy. (I have insulin resistance, I am aware of this now, it is a pretty common thing.) When I finally managed to pay attention get a good breakfast (usually eggs) and purge stuff like bread, rice, potatoes etc. I lost weight and was no longer so sleepy during the day. ( I am lucky, I have no problem eating greasy stuff.) Here in Hungary we also have problems with obesity, people do not eat so well, there is a bakary on every corner, a quick fix for people rushing to work, but the side affects are clear.
15
Sure - that's until another study comes along that has a different outcome. Moderation in diet and exercise, and quit worrying about what you weigh.
7
A trial of 164 people is considered large? Will the study continue? It would be helpful to know if the results continue and also whether there are any adverse health effects that appear after an extended time frame. The fact that the study was supported by a grant co-founded by a proponent of low-carb diets gives me pause. Were any of the participants vegetarian or vegan? What do the researchers think of genetic analysis (such as with 23 & me) that indicate whether a person is likely to respond to generic calorie cutting vs a specific approach to dieting? Many questions yet to be answered. We already know that reducing foods with added sugar, flour, and other refined carbohydrates can help people manage their weight. Such foods also lack nutritional value.
7
I wish that simple sugary carbs were not classified in the same category as healthy complex carbs.
31
@lah they are metabolized in the very same way. When the complex carbs (which are not necessarily healthy) hit your saliva, they become glucose. For those sensitive to gluten they continue to do nefarious things to one’s gut.
1
@Paula M. O'Buckley
actually no. A piece of fruit has to be digested and release its stored "sugars"...whereas a piece of white bread wholly begins that process in the mouth and the sugars are released faster and often all together. In a dump. Like candy, sugary drinks, etc...which all go from the stomach nearly straight thru to the bloodstream.
Why do you think a diabetic, anyone actually drinks juice for a low-blood sugar bump, instead of eating an orange...which can take much,much more time...
1
@Paula M. O'Buckley. If someone has a gluten allergy, it's a special case. But for the general
population complex carbs such as beans, oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa and whole grain breads are very healthy choices. Each of these foods are digested and absorbed slowly.
1
We all have a shot at a longer, healthier, more active life. Years ago the culprit was fat, now it’s simple carbs. Simple carbs include sugar and soda. I eliminated both and miss neither. Well, a little candy. Besides obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes sugar is implicated in cancer. With vigorous exercise and weights at age 58, I hope to remain active forever. No guarantees though.
6
This story is incomplete.... It is
true that this diet can help people lose weight. However, it does this by starving the human body of carbohydrates, therefore forcing the body to rely on fats. As fat is burned away the person eats no new carbohydrates, therefore meaning it is all artificial, since your weight will all come right back. The best diet is a generally well balenced diet. I understand the whole diet movement, I really do, Whole Foods is my favorite store and lots of people there are diet types. I eat 3,500 calories a day, including carbohydrates and red meat, and I still weigh low for my height of 6'. I do it by eating a well balenced diet and by doing 45 minutes of intense exercise a day, I suggest you try my method.
5
@American Patriot — You are completely correct that weight will come back if a low-carb dieter resumes a mid- to high-carb diet. There are however, many people (myself included) who treat low-carb as a lifestyle, just as many vegetarians change their eating habits for life.
I started an extremely low-carb diet to help with inflammation, even though I was already a healthy weight. The results were miraculous for me. There is no going back to how I used to feel. The jury is still out on the long, long-term effects of such low carb diets, but my research has presented me with enough anecdotal evidence showing more positive than negative impacts, that I'm willing to take this risk to feel as good as I do.
As the article points out, it has also been shown to help (and sometimes reverse!) Type II Diabetes. For those patients, it also becomes a lifestyle.
This diet is certainly *not* for everyone, though, so like you, I am always cautious when I praise it. Similar to vegetarians, extremely low-carb dieters must be diligent in tracking their macro and micronutrients, in order to prevent side effects like muscle cramps and headaches. Again, I would argue that it's worth it, but that's because the work of tracking my food far outweighs the health issues that this diet has cured.
11
Weight control is virtually the only endeavor in life in which effort guarantees success. With the exception of those persons who have some kind of medical abnormality that prevents weight loss, any person who reduces food consumption can lose weight, particularly if one also exercises. One of the main reasons why I have maintained a reasonable weight throughout most of my long life is because I want to take advantage of the one and only aspect of my life over which I have complete control. Nothing else is so certain. One can eat and exercise perfectly and get cancer or other diseases. One can be frugal and make good investments but get financially clobbered by forces beyond one's control. One can be intelligent and hard-working and yet fail to prosper in one's career for reasons that are not one's fault. One can be a meticulously safe driver and die in a car wreck. I could provide other examples, of course. But if one eats less, particularly less of foods that anyone with common sense knows are fattening, weight loss for most persons is a certainty. I find it difficult to understand why anyone would not want to take control of the only part of life that most of us truly can control.
18
@Cromer Unfortunately, the "common sense" about which foods are fattening is wrong.
1
@Cromer
You have completely ignored the role of hunger. Nobody enjoys being obese, or dislikes being lean and healthy. People are obese because eventually hunger overrides conscious motivations.
Diet modifications that account for hunger are generally more successful and more sustainable than simply cutting calories (which increases hunger).
Eat fewer carbs, but please, eat healthier carbs as well. Likewise fats. Your body will notice!
Perhaps this will prompt food tracking software companies to update to better predictive standards. MyFoodDiary is constantly chastising me for eating insufficient carbs and too many fats, while predicting I will lose weight much more slowly than I actually am. I love them because of their database, ease of use, and other things they track. But when I've lost 10 lbs. in 8 days eating a low-carb, healthy diet, rather than taking the three months they predicted, there's clearly something off.
6
Folks: read the food labels on the food you buy. Period.
I did lose 25 lbs in 12 weeks on the Weight Watchers diet several years ago. But you have to count fats, carbs and sugars.
The easiest thing to do is look at carb and sugar grams per serving on the easily read information provided on any food container you buy. High protein, low carbs. That's the ticket.
I eat no more than 40 grams of carbs per day. Eat low fat proteins, like fish, chicken, turkey, cottage cheese, yogurt.
Does it require some work at the grocery store to read the labels? Yes. Is it hard? No.
10
I think the correctness of this observation is not in doubt, and as many comments have noted this has been know by many for years. I find the controlled study described here informative and have also deliberately yo-yoed for the past couple of years and the weight loss, loss of hunger, etc. are real.
The question is, how could this not be a widely shared view, given how non subtle it is. Gary Taubes details in his "Good calories, bad calories" book how this came about. Much of the blame seems to be due to physician scientists who should know better, doing studies that confirmed that low carb is effective but then agreeing in meetings of experts (e.g. arranged by NSF) that the conventional understanding (eat a balanced diet with moderate amounts of rice, etc.) had to be correct. There is also a bald faced disinformation by the sugar association that sounds much like the Tobacco Institute. At one point I talked to my very well informed physician about low carb, and she repeated the old tale about the food pyramid. Taubes is well aware that convincing everyone is an uphill battle, but he is doing it the right way, running carefully controlled studies that everyone will have a hard time challenging.
12
It works for me! I lost 25 kgs (55lbs) with a no carb diet. And that unfortunately includes no beer. Of course, the daily gym workout also helped.
10
Not again please....
First of all, the word "carb". Do you mean a piece of fruit? a sweet potato? a cracker?, a tablespoon of sugar? 3 pounds of spinach? a cup of oatmeal?
These "specialized" investigations and reports need to clearly state the difference between refined and unrefined carbs even at the top of the article. Most of the people jumping on the "low-carb" wagon are dumping inflammatory, unrefined carbs too. That's why there's a deficit of calories contributing to weight loss (every diet can attain weight loss under normal circumstances).
Now to the fats. No one can prove a high-fat diet is sustainable and it will not affect the individual on the long term. Because there is no single study that covers that time span. Compare that to a whole food plant based diet, and you'll see a lot of difference in the quality of research. Body runs on glucose, on carbs. But the good carbs. Eat fruits, veggies, grains, all what you want. You won't starve, you won't be "weak", but all the opposite.
40
Finally! Thank you for this report!
Count me among the low carb, high fat believers. After receiving alarming cholesterol and blood pressure numbers in June of this year, I finally got serious about what I ate and began educating myself on this subject. (My doctor simply advised me to eat low fat and exercise more. Tried that many times before, always stayed hungry; didn’t lost more than a few pounds, so clearly I needed to try something different.)
So after much reading on the subject, I committed to low carb high fat, and will never go back to a starchy, sugary way of eating. Since June I have lost 25 pounds and have never felt better. It was about 6 weeks before weight loss really got going consistently. It is worth sticking to it.
I am finally in the “normal” BMI, blood pressure is now normal, I have far fewer migraines, think more clearly, have more energy, and enjoy a consistently better mood. I am due for new blood work soon and cannot wait to see the results.
It is beyond time to retire the unhealthy, outdated US food pyramid!
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@Joanne
Congrats on your weight-loss. I would be concerned, however, that your LDL numbers will go up as result of the high fat content of your diet.
If there were a positive way to control the negative cholesterol impact of this higher fat diet, I would be all-in. But the reality is high-fat leads to increased LDL.
5
@SMac85
Thanks for the congrats, and please consider doing some reading on the details of LDL particle size. I fully expect good results. In particular you might want to read the work of Stephen Phinney, Jeff Volek, and journalist Nina Tiecholz, who wrote “The Big Fat Surprise” based of years of research.
16
@Joanne @SMac85 — My LDL actually went down when I switched to an extremely low-carb (ketogentic) diet, and my HDL went up. This varies from person to person, and particle size is indeed important to look at if LDL goes up.
I have followed a ketogenic diet for a year, and started it for neurological reasons, not weight loss. It has been was miraculous.
I also highly recommend the works of Phinney, Volek, Tiecholz, and Taubes. "The Big Fat Surprise" is a phenomenal, well-researched book.
12
I've been lowering my carbs over the last two years, with the result being I felt better in general. After my husband had a stroke, we decided just to try eliminating flour and sugar. I make seed/nut bread with no wheat flour, and mostly during the week eat a low carb diet. We can have as much fresh fruit and vegetables as we want. I've found that because my meals are richer, I don't need to eat as much. This in turn has made my stomach smaller. When I eat out, generally I eat half I what I used to. I don't feel at all hungry or deprived. I've lost about 15lbs, and my husband is at about 25. I try to walk more and do some sort of aerobic activity for about 25 minutes each day. It is so nice to fit into my old clothes! This is no diet. It is the way I eat now, and I know it's sustainable. I allow myself to cheat once a week, and it's all good. If you lower the total amount of calories you eat all week, you cannot help but lose weight.
28
By cutting out grain, sugar and high glycemic foods like white potatoes, lowering use of sweeteners/honey, etc to almost none. I lost a few pounds, but my spouse with the large belly fat problem lost about 30 pounds in just a few months. He has kept the weight off, and I have maintained my ideal weight range, also. I sometimes make exceptions for celebrations, but we don't keep chips or other addictive snacks around the house. No sugar based desserts. This article is a good reminder. I work in health care related business, as a health insurance agent. I am saddened by the toll taken by type II diabetes and other lifestyle based negative health results that are caused least partly from a high refined carb diet.
22
I was pre-diabetic with high cholesterol. in 2016 my doctor gave me a choice, change my lifestyle or go on meds for the rest of my life. I quit sugar and refined carbs, and instead went to a whole food diet. fresh fruit, vegetables, meats. The closet thing to packaged food was the occasional late July chips made from whole grains with guac. I lost 85 pounds in 14 months and kept it off. that was April 2016 and now in Nov 2018 I have been the same weight of 175lbs for more then a full year. I no longer have any risk factors for major disease. this is a no brainier study, the traditional american diet is a joke and antiquated. it was not easy to do what I did, but I wish more people would try. and that they were encouraged to do so by recommendations and knowledge.
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@mike I had a very similar experience brother. I will never go back to the American diet. Congrats!
2
I lost close to 50 lbs in less than a year by giving up carbs and switching to a diet high in olive oil. For instance, instead of eating oatmeal for breakfast, I ate fried eggs with spinach, tomatoes, and a huge amount of olive oil.
I went keto to try to avoid developing Alzheimer's disease. In addition to weight loss, the keto diet is established to reduce the risk of dementia.
I've also read that it reduces psychosis symptoms for people who suffer from schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, etc.
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@andrea olmanson...andrea...see "Grain Brain" by david perlmutter, md...for more about diet & cognitive health
1
27 years ago at age 25 my Mom commented that I was getting a little chunky. I was 162lbs, 5'9", and roughly 10 lbs heavier than my slim self was when I left high school 7 years earlier.
I read a bunch of diet books and being a meat lover decided low carb diet was for me. Tried it a few times and it worked well but I also love breads, buns, pasta...etc...so I missed those foods too much, and ultimately couldn't handle the diet.
After seeing my weight increasing again I decided to try again but rather than drastically cutting out bread, buns, pasta like the diets suggest, I decided to just decrease the carbs roughly by half.
Now 52 I am 145lbs, lighter than high school, and this compromise has kept me slim for 27 years. My weight varies between 145-155.....as soon as I get up 155, I eat at least 3 main meals a week with only meat and veggies, no potatoes, and then I keep that up for about a month or so and right back to 145 I go.
I never feel starved ever.....half the battle is making sure to weigh yourself everyday or 2 and have a known max weight where you promise yourself to again cut back on the carbs.
My brother who was also very slim and weighed about the same as me in high school eats lots of carbs and now weighs 220lbs.
45
Many nutritionists, doctors, and ordinary people have been saying this for ages. The so-called conventional advice has been outdated for about 20 years.
49
I wonder if schools are going to pay attention and start giving kids whole milk again, rather than lots of carbs, little protein, and even less fat.
87
@Talbot milk has lots of sugar/carbs
1
Milk is bovine mammary pus intended for baby cows. I would simply avoid it. If you must drink it, all milk is full of sugar/carbs, but at least whole milk has some fats in it to dampen the sugar rush.
Soda is just sugar water, or water with chemicals that mimic sugar in some ways but not all. No good there.
Juice is also sugar water, with some fiber.
Drink water (sparkling if you like), as humans evolved doing.
Do that, and save your carbs for beer.
4
As a 60+ year-old bicycle racer, I kept gaining weight no matter the 6,000 miles annually I trained. A year ago, my girlfriend suggested we try ultra-low carb keto. The first month was tough (keto "flu"), but thereafter 30 pounds have been shed, personal records set on every hill climb, multiple medals in state races. Blood lipid levels are now perfect (my physician used to nag me). I'm 6'1", 158 pounds, about 12% body fat. I now train half as many miles with better results and have more fun, too.
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@Andy Stahl Congrats Andy!
When I switched to KETO I was lucky enough not to experience the Keto flu - it was actually a very easy transition (other than cutting out all the beer).
I’m running 35-50 miles a week now and feel amazing.
1
I feel like we need two new names to replace the label carbohydrate, or perhaps a new term for fruits and veggies and make four categories not three: protein, fats, x, and y where x is the new term for fruits and veggies and y is the new term for bad carbs. Or better education re glycemic index for foods. We need simple, clear guidance.
16
When talking about carbs with others, I refer to sugar, flour, etc., as simple carbs. Complex carbs refers to plant based carbs (except processed flour). The phrases are a little wordy but descriptive.
9
We say ”fast carbs” and ”slow carbs” referring to how fast the energy enters the blood.
1
This article is correct, all calories are most certainly not equal. A low carb diet combined with 2-ltrs of water daily significantly reduces (for me) craving for food & I am able to reduce my caloric intake without feeling hungry by adopting a low-carb Mediterranean-style diet. I lost 35-lbs by doing this, and have kept it off for years. My BP, total & LDL cholesterol, and markers for inflammation also went down.
27
@asagar00
I recently began eating very few carbs and immediately lost 10 pounds without being hungry, and I felt better overall with much less inflammation. That sounds like an infomercial, but it's not. Just the truth!
33
As the article notes, close to the end, not all carbohydrates are alike. There are complex and simple carbohydrates. The complex ones, typically are associated with high fiber-fruits, beans, and vegetables. While a calorie may not be a calories, a carbohydrate is not a carbohydrate.
19
@Harvey Black - Well said. I was also surprised not to see this mentioned.
Once I ignored the advice of doctors and went on a low refined carb, higher fat diet my weight has gone from 190 to 125 and am in remission from my pre-diabetes diagnosis. I’m happy there is growing science to debunk the calories in, calories out model but for me the proof is in the pudding, or rather my veggies, nuts, seeds and olive oil.
125
I lost 18 pounds in 3 months by slightly lowering my caloric intake, significantly cutting down (not cutting them out completely) on carbs like pasta, bread, and white potatoes, cutting down sugar intake (few sweets and no soda) and increasing vegetables and fruits. I substituted pita bread for sandwiches and eliminated desserts except on special occasions. This was not a keto diet. I also made sure I exercised at least 30 minutes (primarily walking) a few days per week. I saw a nutritionist to assist me at first. It really was not that difficult to lose the weight - I did not have a horrible diet before I lost the weight - I mainly had to make more of a conscious effort to eat a certain way, not overeat, and exercise. I feel so much better, and now my clothes fit me again. I do believe that cutting down on the non-complex carbs and added sugars was key to my weight loss. I have maintained the weight loss for 6 months now and will never go back!
32
Yes, my own experience would suggest this to be true. I weighed over 180 pounds at age 30. I am 5 feet tall. For the past 41 years I have weighed and measured a NO sugar/NO refined carbs/NO starch diet with the help of a 12 step recovery program. I have maintained most of that weight loss -- about 57 pounds-- for the past 4 decades. I have no cravings and find I am very satisfied with my protein, veg, fruit and healthy fats diet. Full disclosure, I also bike, swim, do yoga and lift weights--that's another reason that my metabolism works well.
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@Nora Mantell: I am glad this worked for YOU....but you are not everyone. Most people -- even naturally slim people -- can not tolerate a constant diet requiring weighing and measuring every mouthful of food -- and you have done this for over FORTY YEARS.
Even slim Type ONE (blameless, auto-immune) diabetics struggle terribly to weigh and measure their food, and match it with their insulin.
Lastly: what "recovery program" and what was it you were recovering from? eating carbs? Carbs are a normal, natural part of the human diet.
1
Researchers who conducted the study surely knew the preferred outcome. Mr Taubes, whose foundation sponsored it, has a lot at stake in this research. His net worth will increase if the findings are positive and decrease if negative. If he were a candidate for a jury whose verdict hinged on this question, he would surely be disqualified. I'd like to believe the results, but my experience with "sponsored research" gives me pause.
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@PaleMale
Fair enough, although that logic counts out ANY scientific hypothesis...of course researchers see net positives when their research pans out as anticipated. Anyway...my actual experience with true Keto eating (65 pounds lost over the last 10 months) is exactly as the article describes. Sounds the same for most every commenter on here that has actually tried what the article states and done so in a serious fashion. Maybe instead of debating whether you'd "like to believe the results", you could try it yourself or speak to others who have first hand experience, or speak to other medical or nutrition experts (if you can trust them?). Seems like it would beat the alternative of speaking out against it because of your gut instinct/skepticism of science and the scientific process.
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@PaleMale It is certainly good to be suspicious of "sponsored" research, given all the false results that we get from big pharma and Coca Cola supported work. However, over application of your concern may also have its down side. Climate change deniers have been making essentially the same claim as you about pro- global warming scientists being in it for the money, not having the same concern about those "denier scientists" supported by the petroleum industry. Taubes is a pretty thoughtful scientist, no snake oil salesman. I think you will need to consider his arguments and evidence, rather than reject it all out of hand because he may profit (selling more books) from being correct. Sadly, checking with our doctors is not actually an option as they are often not scientists and the food pyramid idea is a well accepted orthodoxy. I still remember my friend being told by his physician that he should cut out smoking cigarettes, since he was a long distance runner, but that a pipe (a much more potent source of carboxyhemoglobin than cigarettes) was OK.
5
@PaleMale
Try going no- or low- carb, you'll be convinced!
2
The article states: "But experts like Dr. Ludwig, argue that the obesity epidemic is driven by refined carbohydrates such as sugar, juices, bagels, white bread, pasta and heavily processed cereals….Dr. Ludwig... stressed that the findings do not impugn whole fruits, beans and other unprocessed carbohydrates. Rather, he said, the study suggests that reducing foods with added sugar, flour and other refined carbohydrates could help people maintain weight loss by increasing their metabolisms at a lower body weight.”
And that’s crucial: reducing consumption of refined carbohydrates. That means avoiding processed foods, which are high in refined carbohydrates (added sugars and flours), fat, and salt. The complex carbohydrates in veggies and fruit, beans and WHOLE grains, and nuts and seeds in moderation are fine — and these foods are very actually very healthy.
I’ve never understood calorie counting. But I know too many people who have lost weight and kept it off, and gone off meds for diabetes, high BP, high cholesterol, etc by eating plant based whole foods to think that eating animal products (= high fat) are necessary or even healthy.
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@Dr. J Grains are not healthy. Neither are beans. Not even "in moderation".
These health articles in newspapers suffer from the same problem. One study, in and of itself, means nothing. You have to look at it in the context of all available information. The article does acknowledge potential problems with the study toward the end. There is an exception to this in that some multi center huge clinical studies take years, involve thousands of people, are designed to give a relatively definitive answer on much researched issues (of course these are also very subject to error). I find many of the statements in the article to contradict currently accepted knowledge, this is fine, current knowledge is sometime wrong, but one study is not sufficient to refute current thinking.
6
@wayne griswald The authors themselves agree with you, as they state the study needs replication. But studies vary greatly in quality and rigor. This one, from the methodology described, sounds far more meritorious in terms of rigor and robustness than most; certainly worthy of reporting, and very possibly more worthy of refuting current thinking than you are entertaining, given the surfeit of poorly designed research studies that get funded and published upon which current thinking is so often based.
10
@wayne griswald The study is actually being replicated (completed?) at the Warren Conf Center & Inn in Ashland, MA. Three-year study, live-in. Started a couple months ago. There are cohorts who live there for 3 months at a time. All meals weighed. They're seeing what diets allow maintenance of weight loss (all participants lost weight before being enrolled in the study). My husband works at the Inn.
1
@wayne griswald As the two comments below point out, this question is finally being examined carefully by a group that wants to know the actual truth. In the meantime I take your point being that we all need to reserve judgement for several more years. Sensible. On the other hand, anyone with diabetes or pre-diabetic poor insulin response may want to start cutting down on sugar and potatoes and see if it helps their blood glucose. Obesity/diabetes is a real public health crisis. Also, it is great not to have a 10 AM rush to the donut store, to combat the severe hunger that came from eating the 8 AM donut.
I find it better for myself to consume saturated fats and complex carbs with grass-fed/pastured meats used only side dishes put aside for certain days.
This study reinforces my continuation of consuming grassfed yogurt with organic fruit, along with green vegetables sauteed with either grass-fed butter, avacado oil, or olive oil, and a vegetable/fruit blended smoothie with flax seeds, chia seeds, organic coconut water, a little put of raw local honey, an avecado to give it a smooth texture. Hmm, yummy.
5
@WL: Do you realize that avocado oil, olive oil and chia seeds are primarily sources of UNsaturated fats?
@Annette Dexter
Avocado oil and and olive oil are mostly monounsaturated fats and, yes, I'm aware that flax and chia seeds are mostly unsaturated. Dosen't mean that I still don't add them in my diet just because I consume saturated fats and complex carbohydrates.
One issue rarely mentioned in any dietary advice, or latest research piece.
People who have been long struggling with their weight, maybe part of the yo-yo dieting club - have in many cases tweaked their metabolism, their "body mechanisms" to such a degree that even a sound diet is often a difficult, if not daunting means to a meaningful end.
Their metabolism has been significantly altered by decades of mistake making in their diets and exercise attempts - making real gains, rather losses, more difficult then it would be for others who have not been on a roller-coaster of diets.
Take me. Ive maintained an ideal weight and body fat ratio into my 50's. All due to decades of proper nutrition and exercise, and a very active lifestyle, including work. A major piece; I eat to nourish 90% of the time, with the 10% for indulgences. And that 10% often has carry-over points month to month.
So when I listen to people who claim to have "lost the weight and kept it off", saying they occasionally eat butter, I look at them like a confused dog. I eat (good) butter whenever I wish! Its always been in my diet, there was no reason to leave it out - because in the right amounts its used for nourishment, not over-indulgence.
There's simply not enough sound advice, for dieting and exercise, aimed at how those with long term weight struggles, can best counter the damages they have done to their metabolism.
FYI; it wasn't the dreck "Biggest Loser" peddled.
10
I am 61 years old and have always eaten healthy from the traditional food pyramid. I have been eating Keto now for six months. I lost 25 pounds in two months then stabilized. Best of all my persistent gout is gone and many of the aches and pains of an active lifestyle are gone with it. Keto is more like 5% carbs rather than 20% carbs but this is interesting research. I know I am not going back to the traditional food pyramid ever.
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@BradF Been on Keto for two years and I’ll never go back. My ratio is 6% carbs / 60% fat based and 34% protein. I’m down 60 lbs and with the inflammation loss I can run 35-50 miles a week with no problem and a fast recovery.
1
The calorie-is-a-calorie thing just never made sense. Why would anybody ever believe that the 150 calories in two eggs would have the same effect on your body as a 150 calorie can of Coke?
So tired of hearing smug platutudes like "eat food, not too much" or "eat less, move more." Maybe people pacify themselves with these platitudes, but if you actually care about what is scientifically true, you have to throw them away.
Human metabolism is complicated, and the research is just starting to scratch the surface. But at least we know that the advice from American government, industry and media (including some NYT writers I will not mention) to eat a high-carb low-fat diet was 180 degrees wrong and contributed greatly to the epidemic of obesity, diabetes and abdominal cancer.
Just acknowledging what was wrong is a good starting point, even if we don't have all the answers yet.
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@Tom
The issue with that prescription was there was no real advice backing it up. From the medical community. Oh there were lots of rushed to bookstore "How To's", and fad diets shilled at grocery store check-out magazine shelves.
But find a physician who could actually prescribe a nutritionally sound regimen - good luck! Its still a difficult task, as nutrition is simply not a part of the GP's education.
I recall my parents MD short-shrift, "cut out sugar" diet advice. All they thought sugars were in were cakes and cookies and ice cream. I had to to show them refined sugar was everywhere in their canned, bottled and packaged goods. Then methodically explain how fruits, vegetables, and whole grains were not the same thing. But could also be overeaten resulting in weight gains.
As to the low-fat...that problem was the sudden appearance of all those high-sugar, low/non-fat foods. People were replacing all fats, inc. basic good fats, from their rightful and proper sources, with those fake food stuffs.
A dearth of sound advice has always been at the heart of the American dietary and exercise mistake making.
We're a peoples hooked on the quick-fix, especially if shilled by a celebrity, or in a long-form Info-mercial, with lots of human interest stories of miraculous wins.
17
@Tom I don't think Michael Pollan's advice to "eat food, not too much, mostly plants" is smug. He was trying to emphasize choosing actual food vs the processed slop sold as food. A lot of people literally cannot tell the difference, possibly because the majority of stuff in the average supermarket is slop, not actually nutritious food, and finding it in a supermarket is confusing (perhaps you could most easily rule out that which is also found at a gas station, or whatever is also in the charcoal briquets aisle).
Mr. Pollan may have been too subtle, but I don't agree that his advice is smug.
21
@Tom I've read Taubes's Good Calories, Bad Calories, start to finish, twice. Lots of underlining and margin notes. And an autograph from the man himself when he came to UMass and talked to the diabetes people in 2016. CICO is WRONG because of "fuel partitioning" - fat makes you LOSE weight. Our "keepers" couldn't have been more wrong.
4
There is no be all, end all diet or strategy for permanent weight loss. There simply is not. I don't care whether one counts calories, fats or carbs, it is a recipe for obsession. Those who have done well on low carb, bully for you! But that doesn't mean everyone will, or if they don't, it is because of a "willpower" deficiency. In my case, a low carb diet caused a severe medical issue and hospital care; this problem has not recurred since I resumed eating carbs. My weight has been up and down over the years, with about 32 pounds lost during the past two years, simply by a personal doctrine of "little choices," like not eating after dinner, cutting most desserts and incidental snacking, and increasing my gym time. I still eat carbs, even, gasp, refined carbs! And at least a soda a day. I I've got no idea whether the loss will be permanent, but I do know my strategy has not - like all the diets I've been on - made me crazy. I also know that weight and health are two different things and that BMI is neither a health metric nor a proper diagnostic tool. Now pass me the bread.
13
@Katie
You're absolutely right. Not all methods of eating (I don't say "diet" bc too many people associate that with something you do temporarily) work across the board. I don't think anyone is trying to claim that. Each person should find what works for them...however, maybe the hostility towards the group that it is shown to work for isn't needed? By all means, eat your bread, but maybe don't do so as a martyr? Seems like trying to rub it in the face of low carb eaters when you're really both accomplishing the same end through your individually chosen means (sustainable health and happiness)...huzzah to everyone!
2
@Katie I think your comment typifies the anecdotal approach that leads to permanent confusion about what is best for our bodies. Certainly most of the comments here are also anecdotes about how great a keto diet was for losing weight. I guess we could weigh your anecdote and those of others and come to a conclusion that way. A better option is to base our decision on carefully done science with excellent statistics. I also believe that even in advance of reaching a firm conclusion it may be sensible for many people to try a low carb diet, just in case it turns out to be ideal. There do not seem to be major downsides of trying it, except maybe reducing the income of dentists.
2
@Cody B I don't eat bread very much at all. It's the fact I couldn't eat blueberries, cantaloupe, lentils and beans that bothered me. But I could make a cake out of almond flour, egg and monk fruit and stay in ketosis. Also, depleting your body of glycogen doesn't seem like a good idea and insulin helps with vascular flexibility -- unhealthy to fight your body's natural tendencies; I admit that's opinion, but it is true that a study (reviewed this past summer in Time magazine) was done that showed long-term keto resulted in more deaths -- especially from vascular causes.
Anybody who has successfully lost weight and kept it off knows that the key to such success is low carb intake. Although I treat myself occasionally to a baked potato or rice when my weight is on the low side, I hardly eat any carbs. I do eat olive oil and even butter on occasion but have lost 18 pounds over two years ago and kept it off to this day. I also do cardio three times a week and weight training twice a week. I never feel deprived.
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@Judy
I went vegan 8 yr ago, have a diet with plenty of “carbs” and have lost and kept off 30 lb.
So it is possible without a low “carb” diet.
2
After years of being effortlessly thin, I had been put on a medication that made me ravenously hungry, gained over 20 pounds and had to stop the drug for that reason. But the weight did not fall off easily. I worked hard at dieting and took it off, but struggled to maintain the loss and gradually gained it back, lost most of it, gained it back...At this point, I found a successful weight loss story (Google " How Linda Bye 90lbs ") Her method really worked for me. I came to recognize the behavioral pattern that was causing me to yo-yo,
1
I’ve lost weight over the years using all kinds of methods. The problem was the weight came back as soon as my routine was broken. Then, I discovered the diet of all diets: Plant-based. I went plant-based on July 16 and I’ve lost weight without working out or counting calories or going hungry. I haven’t had ANY meat, eggs, dairy, fish, or added oils. The weight fell off, my energy went up, and it’s like my whole life changed. My eyesight even improved. But, I didn’t do it to lose weight. I did it because I’ve been increasingly concerned about my heart health. I’m in my early 40’s. My dad had a heart attack when he was 49. He didn’t die, but he told me it was the most painful thing he’s ever experienced. He said the pain was so bad that if EMS told him they could stop the pain by hitting him in the head with a shovel, he would beg them to do it. That was enough to scare me into making some changes. Now, about 2 weeks ago, I was feeling tired and running a low body temperature. I thought I had a virus, but after some research I discovered that I might be running a B-12 deficiency which is common in vegans. So, I added clams to my diet and I bounced right back. If you have any health problems, what you really need to cut from your diet is animals, animal products, and oils. I’m not saying this research is wrong, but if you go plant-based, you couldn’t eat enough carbs to make up for the calories you’re going to lose from cutting out the fat and oils.
21
@Mark: Clams are animals too!
1
@Iam 2: Yeah, and Pluto is a planet! :)
@Mark
Lots of people have the same results on whole foods omnivorous diets, which also cut sugars, refined starches, and refined oils, but keep the nourishing animal foods and don't require supplementation in order to stay healthy.
A plant-based diet of sugars and starches could easily be fattening and cause other problems, and many of us find an omnivorous diet including naturally fatty foods satiates the appetite and produces weight loss.
I note that animal foods (clams) were the solution to your nutritionally-deficient vegan diet.
When I was diagnosed with celiac disease a few years ago my gastro, not a talkative person, said only this about what to eat: Cut way back on carbs -- including dairy, legumes and beans plus gluten free baked goods, GF pasta, snack foods, rice and other low fiber carbs -- instead eat lots of vegetables, lean meat (not too much red), the lower sugar fruits and a little dairy. Avoid added sugars.
My weight hasn't gone down, but it has stabilized. Plus increased regular exercise has replaced fat with muscle. I weight the same, but I look different. Trimmer and fitter. Everyone's metabolism is different but lowering carb intake has worked for me, and my huband has also lost weight following along with my diet.
10
20 pounds in three years ... ugh. That's a pretty slow curve. Given I'd like to lost about 60 pounds, this would take me 9 years!
9
@bob
That calculation was based on just the weight lost from increased metabolism but no calrie restriction. If you want to lose faster, decrease your calories by 10 percent along with the carb reduction and fat increase.
1
My husband and I went on Weight Watchers, which basically restricts carbohydrates. We both lost the amount of weight we needed to lose and have been staying at our goal for several months. Monitoring and reducing carbohydrates and fats really works.
9
A lifestyle of walking, riding a bike and not driving car keeps people fit in Belgium. No special diet is required.
21
@Craig Much of the reason for "no diet required" is because the everyday food in Belgium is extremely different from the everyday food in America. People in Europe get a lot more of their calories from real food. In America, many people eat packaged foods all day long and rarely eat meals made from scratch. It may not be a conscious "diet" that Belgians are on, but in effect that's what it is compared with American food.
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@Craig Claudia's point is good, that the diet in US is not very normal. On the other hand, there are anecdotal reports from lots of friends that living in NYC, if without a car, also keeps people lean and energetic. Lots of walking may really help.
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@Craig
You seem to be under the bizarre impression that merely because the obesity problem in Belgium is not quite as severe as it is in the US, it is not a problem. I'll never understand why you didn't take the simple step of using the search engine of your choice to gather information by typing "Obesity Belgium". You would have discovered the unsurprising fact that Belgium has a significant obesity problem. Walking and bike riding are good but Belgium is hardly free of obesity, to put it mildly.
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This article should have started with this sentence: A new diet study supported largely by Gary Taubes, an author who has gotten rich promoting low-carbohydrate diets, has raised questions about the best diet for weight loss, especially among some very gullible journalists, including me.
A study involving 164 subjects hardly seems like a large study. And if the subjects can go home and eat whatever they want, then it is not particularly rigorous either.
I have never counted calories, and I have never been overweight. The best advice for losing weight and keeping it off is to eat a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables and whole grains, with little or no meat or dairy products. And to exercise, a lot. Vegans consistently have a lower BMI than the general population.
The New York Times and other media outlets that continue to give charlatans like Taubes free publicity are confusing people and contributing to the obesity epidemic.
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@Dan Frazier It is obvious that you don't have a clue about scientific research, particularly with human subjects. The number of participants is huge for this type of study. Also, most dietary studies just use the participants' recollections of their diets. In this case, they actually controlled their diets in both phases of the study, which made it very expensive. Clinical trials with hundreds to thousands of participants cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Your anecdotal evidence is meaningless; you are an N of 1. It would be great if everyone would be a vegan, but it is not going to happen because it is too hard for most people to sustain. I have been a flexitarian (don't eat red meat) for over 30 years, but I would still never become a vegan.
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@Dan Frazier,
My favorite nutritionist is Dr. Aaron Carroll; the other, a friend in the field of Public Health, who has cheesecake for breakfast, but remains optimistic that one day she will wear a size 10 again.
And, in the meantime, joining you in adding some of us appear to have a greater affinity for mass confusion and less moderation.
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@Scientist,
Rarely is anything obvious in life, excepting a blinding flash of the obvious.
A moderate carnivore here, was placed on a vegan diet a few years ago, and look singularly ghostly these days enough to spook the horses and scare the children.
A little red meat once a week would be a treat, but I am now too tired to take out the skillet. Enjoyed the days of raw hamburger with sharp mustard, but apparently this is one way to reach fatality in unfortunate ways.
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I have lost 50 lbs and am no longer diabetic on the Keto diet..high fat, very low carb, moderate protein. I eat more calories a day than I ever did but I am sure that my matabolism is just working better. If you have access to Netflix please watch the documentary "Magic Pill". It will open your eyes to the forces behind keeping Americans on a high carb diet. You guessed it...it's money, like everything else in this country, we have been sold out. It has been known for years (50) that high fat diets speed metabolism.
A study done on athletes showed a 50% increase in performance on a high fat diet...and what do they tell us to do before a race or other sports events...carb load. Makes sense right. Another benefit to Keto is that you never get bored of it .. and therefore, you succeed.
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Or go read Geneen Roth’s books. All these articles set and never a mention of our relationship with food!
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Weight gain happens over time and is hardly noticeable as it occurs. Weight loss can be the same...eat sensibility, be active and over time your weight will gradually decrease without the need to endure the unpleasant experience of a so called diet. The trick is to create a new normal for your metabolism.
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I have been a fan of both authors mentioned in the study, but I don't think this changes anything. There biochemistry may or many not be correct but I'm not interested in what is happening in a person's body at 5 months; I'm interested in how healthy they are at 1,2,5, 10 years etc. Would love to see how these participants end up doing years down the line; if there is a difference then, I will change my attitude that any restrictive diet is doomed to fail and will only result in yo-yoing.
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@V. Sharma, MD Look to the work of Sarah Hallberg, et al. I do believe they’ve released their study after 1 and 2 years.
I've been keto since April. I lost about 15 pounds over 4 months eating mostly vegetables and fats with a moderate amount of protein and very little carbs - averaging under 50g of carbs daily.
Since August, I've become slightly less strict about my diet, meaning I'll eat some chips or have a small side of fries with my (still bunless) burger sometimes but still averaging less than 100g carbs per day over the course of a week. I have a sweet tooth, so while I avoid sugar completely most days, having a dessert now and then is okay and a real treat as it should be.
Beyond just the weight loss, which I'm now maintaining, I feel more focused, have more steady energy throughout the day than I used to.
I also feel much more connected to the food I'm eating as I prepare 90% of my meals myself and almost all of it is whole and unprocessed.
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This really isn't news. We've known this all along. My grandmother (born in 1907) always looked at "heavy" people (her word) and said they had a "sweet tooth" or "loved their bread and potatoes."
Eliminate the added sugar. Stick to whole grains; avoid white flour. No soda, French fries or potato chips (sorry).
I know this is easier said than done, given the constant presence of processed food in our stores and in advertising. They make it so easy — and tasty — to chow down on sugar and carbs!
But it really is the "white devil."
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@Elizabeth A: your grandma's dislike of fat people or claims she "just knows they love sweets, bread and potatoes" is not scientific evidence.
Lots of slim or normal people also enjoy sweets....bread...potatoes....snack foods, processed foods. It just does not make them fat, because they lucked into a brisk metabolism that burns off any excess calories easily.
There is nothing unique about white flour, nor are "whole grains" lower in carbs than similar products made with white flour. You could remedy the bran reduction by simply taking a spoonful of Metamucil or added bran to your cereal or stirring it into a sauce.
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A diet free of junk carbs (but not veggie and berry fruit carbs) does not send me searching for something to stuff in my mouth all day. A couple weeks after getting rid of sugars and starches and I dont crave them anymore. I am not hungry. I have kept my weight off since 2010. BMI from 30.3 to 21.6 Yes, I do use portion control but it doesnt take much anymore for me to feel stuffed now. I dont go out of my way to eat fats either.
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Having tried both low fat and low carb diets the one that worked best and lasted longest for me was the high fat, green vegetables, no carbs and no fruit (except for one cheat day a week) diet. I am available to be poked and examined. I know, fat chance.
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A low carb diet does seem to be helpful for many people. But I imagine that it maybe due to less caloric intake. It is very hard to eat a lot of food that is mainly protein or fat, but it is very easy to eat a lot of food if it is carbohydrate rich. I can eat more cheese with crackers than I can without crackers. That old commercial that says "bet you can't eat just one" (potato chip) is actually pretty accurate.
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@David M Are you making the case for studies that involve control and monitoring of actual food intake? The many studies over the years that relied on self report of recent eating have not actually advanced our knowledge much.
@David M Well and also it is pretty stupid to paint all carbs with the same brush. A bowl of oats can keep you fed from breakfast to lunch, while drinking coke for breakfast is probably indeed a bad idea.
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“The observed metabolic difference was large, more than enough to explain the yo-yo effect so often experienced by people trying to lose weight.”
No: the yo-yo effect comes from the simple fact that if you only change your diet temporarily, your weight will only change temporarily, and bounce back to its initial level (actually to a slightly higher level because by starving your body you have “trained” it to store more fat).
That means that ALL the temporary diets that ALL magazines sell do not work (and are bad both for your body and your self-esteem). Either you change your diet on a permanent basis, or you get comfortable with the weight you have. If you don’t have the willpower now to give up sodas and candy bars while exercising regularly, you certainly won’t have it after starving yourself for a couple of months with a temporary diet.
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@Bob Robert
"Simple fact" really? How do you know this simple fact? Low carb diet worked best for me over the last 5 years. Have held my weight steady after a life time of trying to keep my weight down. Also cravings for sugary foods is pretty much gone. Last measured fasting blood sugar was 95. It took me many years to discover my own simple fact.
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@Nor Cal Rural If your diet was over the last 5 years, then it is not a temporary change, is it?
And low-carb might also result in low calories, and better eating habits that reduce cravings (many of the bad eating habits involve sugar), so carbs are not necessarily the issue (starches and sugars are not the same thing at all even if they are both carbs).
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@Nor Cal Rural It sounds like you did change your diet, on a permanent basis, so you saw lasting change. That's what Bob Robert is saying.
Articles like this, well meaning, should be more careful. The use of 'carbs' when the study and the author all mean 'only certain carbs' could lead to incorrect interpretations of the results. Vegetables are carbs, as are fruits. These studies limited refined grain foods, white potatoes and rice, and sugar. These are the carbs which led to weight gain. The studies no doubt (this article doesn't say) limited saturated fat, and allowed poly and mono-unsaturated fats in moderation. Lumping, say, vegetables with, say, bread, and concluding that limiting carbs is the goal is misleading. The study suggests the obvious, but backs it up with data: limit refined grain foods, limit white potatoes and rice, limit added sugar and desserts, and limit saturated fats. Increase vegetables, use mono and poly-unsaturated fats but in moderation, get protein without saturated fat. These things, say the study, offer the chance to change matabolism and help maintain weight losses.
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@Gioia99: From the article:
"Dr. Ludwig emphasized that the results need to be replicated by other investigators and he stressed that the findings do not impugn whole fruits, beans and other unprocessed carbohydrates. Rather, he said, the study suggests that reducing foods with added sugar, flour and other refined carbohydrates could help people maintain weight loss by increasing their metabolisms at a lower body weight."
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Its true that vegetables are carbs, and no one disputes this, but there seems to be a new usage of “carbs” that refers specifically to sugar, bread, white rice, potatoes: aka simple carbs/sugars/“empty calories”.
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@Gioia99 Potatoes do not lead to weight gain. I challenge you to try to gain weight eating only potatoes. Go ahead, each as much as you like, just plain potatoes with some spices. You will not gain weight, in fact you will lose weight.
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Despite everything you’ve ever read, Total Calories Burned (Total Energy Expenditure) is unalterable, fixed to the exact amount necessary to keep body temperature at 98.6. I’ve detailed this in an unpublishable op-ed length article.
So, this study must be methodologically flawed; I’ll study it in detail to spot the flaw and notify Dr. Ludwig by email. I’m “sure” he’ll be receptive.
Still, diet programs are not equal. After an adaptation period, very low carb diets do not subject dieters to ravenous hunger. Higher carb diets do.
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Perhaps, but according to this study, low carb leads to more calories burned.
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@Charlierf: this makes no sense. Ask a marathoner if she burns more energy by running. Better yet, put her in a whole body calorimeter on a treadmill. You'll quickly find out you are wrong.
@Charlierf Surely pointless, but I'll reply. How much does it take to keep your body temp at 98.6? What if you vasodilate, and send more warm blood to the body's surface? Or vasoconstrict, and send less blood to the body's surface? Or how about if you sweat -- putting fluid on your skin which evaporates and cools you? The energy needed to maintain your core temp is very flexible. Does wearing a coat or turning up your thermostat make you fatter? Less energy needed to maintain core temp, so maybe it does! But wait -- you can move your body, and that takes energy. Also, your digestive system is not 100% efficient -- calories can get 'escape' without being harvested.
Perhaps it's not too early for an apology to Atkins who was mercilessly pilloried in the 90's by dietary "experts".
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@34all
I went on Atkins 15 years ago, and lost 25 pounds. My LDL and HDL both went into the normal ranges, as did my triglycerides. Since then, there have been many, many studies that support a low carb diet, but few “experts” want to acknowledge them. So yes, Atkins, deserves an apology, even if some of the details of his book may have been tweaked along the way. He got the main principle, low carb, right.
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Excellent. I kept scrolling down down down wondering if anyone was going to mention Atkins. He wasn’t the first, but he was the one responsible for the big splash on low carb diet decades ago. Thank you for mentioning him!
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@N413N Atkints was very obese and plagued by heart disease when he collapsed and died.
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I listen to The Ultimate Health Podcast. The hosts are doctors themselves and interview other doctors. There is a lot of conflicting information when it comes to nutrition. One doctor says, "Gluten is evil." Another doctor says, "The notion that meat is unhealthy is founded on bad science." Another one says, "Plants hate humans. They give us disease to defend themselves." Another doctor says, "From my studies, keto diets help my patients with cancer." "Check your T3/T4 levels. It cured everything!"
These doctors need to get their stuff together.
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@William Smith
Nutrition isn't physics. These doctors are shooting at moving targets. No one is testing "identical" food; we all eat food grown who knows where under who knows what varying circumstances. Each study looks at something that may sound the same but may not be the same. Add to that, each of us may, due to previous diet momentum (what organisms are in our guts) and differing genes, digest food differently. Population studies work for populations but perhaps not for individuals. Oh, yeah and then there are the on-going changes in food processing which means that the food you eat today may not be put together the same way it was two weeks ago let alone two or twenty years ago.
Yes, this is frustrating. The doctors you mentioned are not at odds because they haven't got it together. They are reporting from different fronts in the war.
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Knowing that this study was funded by Gary Taube, it is likely relevant and have went through rigorous measures to produce the outcomes it did. I read his book "Good Calories, Bad Calories" a few years ago, which I still reference from today, where he talks in-depth about fat and metabolism. The major theme in the book is Taube dissecting each research finding that falsely linked dietary fat to atherosclerosis/heart disease and we learn that these researchers were not experts in the field.
While reading, I sense that he wasn't being biased, but, instead, trying to point the flaws from studies done by researchers like, Ancel Keys, who was a major proponent of the Mediterranean diet and blamed heart disease on saturated fats.
In the book, Taube's delves deep into the historical research of fat and metabolism that goes back to the 19th century, showing results produced in those time still holds true today; and that it is not fats, but the refined carbohydrates and sugar that are causing major problems in weight gain and diabetes.
The book is very scientifically dense, requiring to highlight each page to for a better understanding. I high recommend it to anyone into dieting and health.
My only suggestion from research like this is that there needs to be clear distinguishments between the bad refined carbohydrates from the complex carbs that we should getting more of. This can be confusing to some folks.
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@Woodley Lamousnery: I have also read Taubes in detail and I find him completely deceptive. He appears to be the source of the lie that the Seven Countries Study had data from twenty or so countries and simply threw out the ones that didn't fit, a line propagated by any number of other low-carb activists who don't actually know what the Seven Countries Study was.
Taubes also ignores anything in the recent medical literature, giving preference to quotes from obscure journals and minor players. He comes out with unfounded statements like "fibre has never been shown to influence any human disease". For the record, I found a good meta-analysis contradicting this in under thirty seconds on Google Scholar.
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@Annette Dexter This is a real "Blind men and the Elephant" discussion. I also read Taubes and, while not an expert on the biochemistry he lays out, I found him convincing. Indeed he dismisses many "consensus statements" but I found that OK, given that he is up against a very well accepted orthodoxy. I also talked with 3 metabolism specialists and they found him quite credible. Finding contradictory meta-analyses is not surprising, given how irreverent Taubes is to orthodoxy. On the other hand there are people out there who find him interesting if controversial. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/thin-body-of-evidence-why-i-have-doubts-about-gary-taubess-why-we-get-fat/
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@Annette Dexter
I have read other studies that supports what he has outlined. It's convincing to me. Plus, other meta-analysis could also contradicted what you were able to find on Google Scholar, so who to believe? There are always going to be contradictions.
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As with most aspects of human health, there is no single approach that is going to work for everyone. Personally, I found I have to cut carbs AND do intermittent fasting to maintain a healthy weight as I enter menopause. The added bonus is that my weight training finally seems to paying off with more toned muscles. That was never the case when I stuck to a high-carb, low-fat diet in my 20s and 30s.
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At 65 I’ve been rethinking what I eat because some foods just don’t make me feel good. I can’t wrap my head around the whole keto diet, too much fats, but there are some parts of it I have embraced. On top is sugar, it’s added to everything! Then there are the carbs like crackers, rice,bread, beans etc that increase insulin in your blood. I can’t tell you how much better I feel when not walking around bloated. I do love fresh fruit and that has to be in my diet. It’s funny when you put an item in your diet that you’ve taken out and it makes you feel yucky it’s not difficult to do without. There are too many people who are sick and have to do chemo,radiation,surgery or take debilitating medication to be better for me I’m lucky because I just need to take certain foods out of my diet.
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@Peggy C,
well, taking all bread and rice out of my diet leaves me hungry, wanting and miserable. of course I am not taking about an abundant amounts of any of those or white versions. I mean doing without even brown rice, quinoa, couscous, other grains and multigrain breads sounds miserable. I love rice bowls and poke bowls- with brown rice.
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2 years ago I tried kind of Keto Diet,which was modified by late Michiko Miyamoto,(But unlike her,I didn't take 20g of salt her doctor recommends..But took a lots of green veggie which is included in this modification.)All sugar and white rice was omitted.But could eat pasta and cracker.Butter.olive oil,meat,fish.(I kept my sodium intake in moderate !)
It lead me lose weight,But 2 years later,I got TIA,High blood pressure which needs medication.Ketosis itself simply cause spend fats in body as energy.It's even on wikipedia.I don't think it's good thing for human to go extreme diet,from my experience.
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@Kaori
Unfortunately, your results were likely caused by combining high healthy fats with too many carbs. You cannot do both. That’s why most Americans are sick because they eat too many carbs and too many fats. Keto is Keto. When you modify it and still eat pasta and crackers, it is no longer Keto. Keto has reversed my mother’s GERD and prediabetes, and reversed a friend’s diabetes diagnosis. It has done wonders for me and my lifelong digestive problems. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.
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@Kaori Keto is extreme and too hard for most people to follow. After many years, I stay away from all the passing food fads: Anything that fetishizes food, isn't nourishing. And nourishing the whole person is where it's at, not in measuring, weighing, peeing on strips of paper to determine what my metabolism is doing.
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OK, so, people who want to lose weight, all they have to do is find a catering company that will prepare and deliver healthy, nutritious meals for free for 3 years with a measured low carb content i.e. 20% and they will lose 20 lb. Who knew weight loss could be so easy?
The problem with this type of study is not that a few days or weeks or months is not enough time to draw conclusion about how different diets affect the metabolism in the long term, the problem is translating these diet studies in real life. Until this can be achieved on a large scale, people will continue to struggle with their weight and researchers will continue to feel good about themselves that they are advancing the dietary science.
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@MA @MA Ludwig's book, "Always Hungry?: Conquer Cravings, Retrain Your Fat Cells, and Lose Weight Permanently" is a translation of this research into practice. It's a helpful, user-friendly guide on how to make these dietary changes in a lifelong, sustainable way. There's a very active, supportive 14,000+ member, free online Facebook community of folks who are following these guidelines in real life. Many members have been following this program for over two years. I know it's worked for me, and many others. The Facebook group is called The Official Always Hungry Book Community.
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@Jen I agree completely, I followed the Always hungry plan for 2 years and it got my eating back on track and the FB group is great.
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And the processed-poisons industries will continue to find their million-dollar ad campaigns hugely profitable.
I hope the proponents of the ketogenic diet don't use this study as proof of what they advise. I'm not talking about the South Beach or Atkins diets which advocate for reasonable calories from carbs and/or have some carb flexibility. Over the Summer, I became acquainted with and tried a newer extreme ketogenic diet -- one that works for children with epilepsy -- but for others, including myself takes carb restriction to an unhealthy extreme. Such ketogenics advocate 5 - 10% calories from carbs -- for the duration of the diet (unlike Atkins that allows more carbs back in). Note that a recent study found higher death rates -- especially from vascular causes -- among people on long-term ketogenic diets. Another point -- fat comes in several varieties and some people I've known use the ketogenic lifestyle as a license to eat lots of meat and cheese -- all saturated fat. Even if you want to go unsaturated, keeping in mind the need for some omega-3 also has to be a consideration.
Otherwise, I currently try to be around 20% carb and am happy to hear the results of this study.
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@Katie
You should take a look at the most recent research about fat. Fat is only unhealthy when highly processed - like in carb laden foods. Animal fat is good. Meat and other healthy fats are good.
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@Dee: no, this doesn't accord with what research shows. Saturated fat is saturated fat whether you process it or not, and has an inflammatory effect on your cells. Just calling them "healthy fats" doesn't make it so.
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@Dee Please stop promoting the Keto diet. There's no one size fits all.
I realize there may not be much alternative if I want to lose or maintain healthy weight but I absolutely despise meals without carbs- mostly because I am not much of a meat eater and I can only do so much dairy and produce. but will ditch it when the time comes.
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@JA the secret is in the type of fats you use and how you build your meals. You may find the Always Hungry book useful, You don't have to be a meat-eater either.
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Perhaps the high fat low carb can help people lose weight initially but obversations of many patients show a gain back of almost all the weight loss over time in most people
Additionally the study does not address the increases in heart disease and cancer with a high fat diet. I continue to follow and advocate a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables, low in refined carbs and low in all fats especially saturated fats which are present n most animal products.
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@Concerned citizen I 100% agree. This review suggests this study is important because adding fats to our diets may help use lose weight.
If we want to lose weight, why not start smoking cigarettes? Nicotine and tobacco increase metabolism and suppress hunger. The obvious reason to not start smoking is death.
Here, Anahad seems to postulate that shedding a few pounds is worth increasing our risk of developing cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
This article fails readers by not discussing in-depth how biomarkers (such as insulin-like growth factor and tumor-necrosis factor alpha) changes when we consistently eat more fats and are concrete ways to measure risk of getting cancer for example.
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Hi @Richard
I'm glad mentioned insulin growth factor and tumor necrosis factor; both factors do eventually casue cancer. However, insulin growth factor happens when we eat proteins, like red meat, in excess, which I wouldn't recommend anybody to do. Our body needs insulin growth factor but high amounts of it can cause serious problems like cancer and too little of it can cause conditions like sarcopenia. I play it safe by taking the middle ground and follow an omnivore diet with mostly organic vegtables and fruits, grass-fed/grass-fed meats as sides, and a whole lot of intensive excersise and weight training.
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Heart disease and cancer does from consuming saturated fat.
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Interesting, I suspect that many overweight people are in the beginning stages of diabetes, and diabetes makes you feel sluggish. On a low carb diet they probably feel better and are more active.
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