Now they say Fat is Okay Again? And Carbs are Bad?

Laurie
I am sick of this fat vs carb debate. For years my husband tried to lose weight on a very low carb diet. What happened? His weight crept up and so did his cholesterol and blood pressure. His doctor kept telling him that he had to eat less fat, that was the position of the medical community, and the countries that ate less meat and fat like China and India had less obesity and heart problems. I am Italian and grew up eating pasta and bread and pizza-mostly plain or with a bit of sauce. Me and my family are slim.
It was only after his friend died from a heart attack my husband decided to give low fat a try. This time he counted all grams of fat and stayed very low. Surprise surprise, he is losing weight, and his blood pressure is now normal! Waiting to see cholesterol numbers but I bet they are now good. So where the heck do the experts get off saying that carbs are now bad and meat/fats are now good? I bet its the meat/dairy industry behind it. Thanks for your thoughts!   Karen L.


Ah yes, Karen, the age old debate of "fat" versus "carb" calories. And there are still those who say, it's just the calories, regardless what food they are from!

The low-carb diet has been around at least as early as the 1960's. Fat got a bad rap shortly after that and a lower fat diet has been recommended for many populations since the 1970s, especially people with coronary artery disease.

Now some in the medical community are coming out and saying 'It's not fat after all, it's sugar'.

The fact is, it's not one type of food or one food component that is the culprit: It's a whole lot of things, including overall diet, lifestyle, and health of the individual. As registered dietitians we emphasize a diet including 'everything in moderation' and finding what works for each person. There are those who follow the Atkins diet and do well with a low-carb regimen. It sounds like your husband did not. Others follow a fat-restricted diet (made famous in the 1970's by Dr. Pritikin and, later, Dean Ornish).

Perhaps the diets work better for some individuals because they are easier to follow for some people. Eliminating carbs is a helpful technique for those who can't stop once they get started with pasta, bread and snack foods. Many find it hard to stick to for long. But others need those "rules" that just say no to a whole list of food.

A low-fat diet works for many, and still others follow the Mediterranean diet, with reasonable amounts of both carbs and fats, the majority coming from fish and plant-based oils.

We can't say what works for one person will work for another, or even that everyone who eats a healthy diet will be a healthy person. We can just encourage people to find something that works for them, and stick with it.

It sounds like your husband has figured out what works for him. In that case, he should stick with it and enjoy the benefits!

Help! I've Reached a Plateau on the Atkins Diet

I have been doing atkins diet for the past year. For the first 6 months I lost 50 pounds, and for the past 6 months no more weight has come off, in fact I have put on about 16 pounds. I am currently 160. I have tried everything from exercise to adding carbs but nothing works. I'm guessing my metobolism has dropped so low that my brain thinks I'm in starvation mode. I am now consuming about 50 carbs a day and calorie intake about 2000. I'm worried by increasing carbs too much I will put it back on. im thinking of switching to a low calorie diet but worried that won't work due to low metobolism ie weight gain. I exercise 60 mins a day with combination of 20 mins bike and 30 mins moderate walking and jogging. Please give me some advise as to what to to. Elena S.

Dear Elena,

Wow! First of all, congratulations on sticking with it for six months to lose all that weight.

I suspect the problem may be that you are eating too many calories at this time.
I don't believe your metabolism drops on the Atkins diet: it usually drops from following a very low calorie diet for an extended period of time, and depending on how you follow Atkins, it's not usually low calorie. The fact is, at about 6 months is the time many people reach a point of taste fatigue on the Atkins Diet--they just literally can't put up with eating meat/vegetables/cheese and that's all anymore! Little by little, other foods work their way in to the diet. As soon as you add in the carbs, the principle of the diet won't work anymore (you now are feeding your body some quick energy and it doesn't have to constantly burn fat for it).

If you're now eating 2000 calories a day, that is a maintenance diet for your weight. You didn't mention your height or your goal weight, but I'm assuming you want to lose another 20 pounds or so, especially if you put 15 back on recently. It may be somewhat reassuring to know that, if you had added carbs back in, this results in normalizing your body's way of obtaining energy, which includes not flushing out a great deal of fluid to rid of the ketone bodies built up on a carb-free diet. In other words, several of the pounds the scale reflects now are just water in your body, going back to where it belongs... you probably did not gain 15 pounds of body fat!

Try going on a lower calorie diet (www.mypyramid.gov is a good site to build a balanced diet and find out how many calories you can eat and still lose weight) and eat as many grams of carbs as you like :)
Sometimes, switching to another diet will get you over that hump and back to losing weight.

Don't expect it to come off as quickly, though. If you lose a pound a week, that is fantastic progress, so don't be discouraged by doing it slow and steady.

By the way, great move with the hour a day of exercise! If you can make that a habit you'll be set for life at the weight you want once you get there :)

How Does the South Beach Diet Compare to Atkin's Diet?

When I tried the Atkin's Diet several years ago, I felt terrible, I almost passed out at work. I knew something was wrong with my body and I stopped. I presume that is the ketosis that your body goes through which you have spoken of regarding this diet plan. I have struggled with my weight my whole life (I’m sure you hear this often) but am curious if you would put the South Beach Diet in the same category? It was recommended by my doctor and seems to navigate the dieter to healthier carbs instead of no carbs at all. Thanks! Barbara R.

You are correct about the South Beach diet encouraging some carbs, as opposed to the Atkin's Diet which encourages a long-time severe restriction. The South Beach plan starts out with a severe carbohydrate restriction, but after a couple of weeks, those foods with lower glycemic index are added back in… Sweets continue to be on the “no-no” list, and healthy portions are encouraged. Also, this diet encourages more “healthy fats” and in general stresses healthier eating for life–instead of a “diet” to go off as soon as the weight is lost. Good Luck!