Study: Low-Fat Diets Better Long-Term

Regardless of how they shed pounds in the first place, big losers stayed
that way by limiting fat rather than carbohydrates, according to new
research that could add fuel to the backlash against low-carb diets.

The rest of the article is here for those interested:
http://tinyurl.com/69jhj

Disclaimer: I do neither low fat nor low carb.

Jenn

Interesting article. It always seems to come down to eating a balanced
diet. I believe this is what our mother's tried to tell us years agog



"hjackson" wrote in message
...
November 15, 2004
Study: Low-Fat Diets Better Long-Term
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Regardless of how they shed pounds in the first
place, big losers stayed that way by limiting fat rather than
carbohydrates, according to new research that could add fuel to the
backlash against low-carb diets.

Dieters already have been turning away from Atkins-style plans as a
long-term weight-control strategy, and the new study gives them more
reason: Low-fat plans seem to work better at keeping weight off.

``People who started eating more fat ... regained the most weight over
time,'' said Suzanne Phelan, a Brown Medical School psychologist who
presented results of the study Monday at a meeting of the North
American Association for the Study of Obesity.

The study used the National Weight Control Registry, a decade-old
effort to learn the secrets of success from people who had lost at
least 30 pounds and kept them off for at least a year. The registry
run by doctors from the University of Colorado in Denver, the
University of Pittsburgh and Brown University in Providence, R.I.

They studied 2,700 people who entered the registry from 1995 through
2003. Their average age was 47, most were women, and they had lost an
average of 72 pounds initially. Doctors compared their diets to see
whether one type or another made a difference in how much weight they
had lost and how much they had regained a year later.

All reported eating only about 1,400 calories a day, but the portion
that came from fat rose -- from 24 percent in 1995 to more than 29
percent in 2003 -- while the part from carbohydrates fell, from 56
percent to 49 percent.

The number who were on low-carb diets (less than 90 grams a day) rose
from 6 percent to 17 percent during the same period.

The type of diet -- low-fat, low-carb or in between -- made no
difference in how people lost weight initially.

But those who increased their fat intake over a year regained the most
weight. That meant they ate less carbohydrates, because the amount of
protein in their diets stayed the same, Phelan said.

``Only a minority of successful weight losers consume low-carbohydrate
diets,'' she and the other researchers concluded.

Colette Heimowitz, a nutrition expert and spokeswoman for the Atkins
diet organization, noted that the study considered 90 grams to be
low-carb, while Atkins recommends 60 grams for weight loss and 60 to
120 for weight maintenance.

She said that for many of the dieters studied, ``the carbs aren't low
enough for them to be successful.'' They also should have replaced
carbs with more protein rather than fat, she said.

Dr. Thomas Waddell, a University of Pennsylvania weight loss expert
who had no role in the study, said it is too soon to say which
approach is better. Several longer-term studies of low-carb and
low-fat dieters are in the works, he said.

But he said: ``I do think that people who are keeping the weight off
are eating a low-fat, high-carb diet.''

The dietary establishment has long been skeptical of the long-term
safety and effectiveness of low-carb diets, and consumers increasingly
are losing their enthusiasm for the glut of low-carb products that
overloaded grocery store shelves as the diet became a fad in the past
few years.

More than half of Americans who have tried a low-carb diet have given
up, according to a recent survey by the market research firm
InsightExpress. Other published survey information suggests that the
number of Americans following such a diet peaked at 9 percent last
February and fell to 6 percent by June.

The American Institute for Cancer Research used those trends to issue
a statement in September urging dieters to ``come back to common
sense.''

``Eat a balanced diet weighted toward vegetables and fruits, reduce
portion sizes and increase physical activity,'' the institute said.

Dr. William Dietz, director of chronic-disease prevention at the
federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said it is
difficult to tell whether these low-carb diets really work because
people find it hard to stick to a strict regimen for long periods.
``My anecdotal experience is that people go on and off these diets,''
he said. ``When their weight goes up, they go back on the diet to lose
weight.''

Other research at the conference underscored the many health and
personal problems obese people face.

Duke University doctors said two-thirds of obese people seeking
treatment at the Duke Diet & Fitness Center reported not enjoying or
wanting to have sex, and having problems with sexual performance. Only
5 percent of normal-weight people from the surrounding community who
completed the same quality-of-life survey reported such problems.

================================================== ========

"JMA" wrote in message
...
Regardless of how they shed pounds in the first place, big losers stayed
that way by limiting fat rather than carbohydrates, according to new
research that could add fuel to the backlash against low-carb diets.

The rest of the article is here for those interested:
http://tinyurl.com/69jhj

Disclaimer: I do neither low fat nor low carb.

What do you do?

"Daven Thrice" wrote in message
news:Laemd.122225$cJ3.27827@fed1read06...

"JMA" wrote in message
...
Regardless of how they shed pounds in the first place, big losers stayed
that way by limiting fat rather than carbohydrates, according to new
research that could add fuel to the backlash against low-carb diets.

The rest of the article is here for those interested:
http://tinyurl.com/69jhj

Disclaimer: I do neither low fat nor low carb.

What do you do?

I *did* an 800 cal/day liquid diet (HMR) for 10 months and lost just over
150 lbs.

Some weight came back on, at first due to a lovely hormone condition that
caused me to retain 20 lbs of water in 2 days and 20 more over the next two
weeks. That was enough to get my bulimia kick started and screwed me up
enough that I went drastically up and down for a while - literally +/- 10
lbs every few days. My endocrinologist and other doctors that dealt with me
said that there wasn't anything I necessarily did wrong, but of course I
beat myself up over gaining some weight. Now that the medical stuff is under
control and I've worked through the bulimia and am in recovery, I am just
sticking to a healthy WOE that I can try to live with forever. Weight loss
seems to be a wonderful side effect and is easier now than it ever was
before.

I try to stick to a South Beach Diet style of eating 98% of the time which
is not low carb because I get more than 150g of carbs a day, just from
fruit, vegetables, legumes, soy, fat free yogurt, occasional FiberOne
cereal, and beer. I avoid refined carbs most of the time but I'm not
religious about it. It's become more of a taste thing for me. I also keep
saturated fat to a minimum and emphasize the "good" fats from vegetable and
nut sources. The other 2% of the time I eat what I want depending on the
circumstances. This could include desserts like cheesecake, surimi with
rice, occasional home fries or whatever.

I also count calories to make sure I get a minimum of 1200/day and try not
to exceed 1800/day but I will eat if I am hungry. I lift weights, heavy
stuff, and I am trying to get back into running but am prone to stress
fractures so I have to be cautious. I spend quality time on my elliptical
or the stairmaster at the gym, and doing yoga. In the summer I ride my
bike, in the winter I ski and snowshoe. I also climb rock walls in the
winter and soon I'm starting a pool running regimen.

That's what I do. I'm approximately 30 lbs from my goal right now, but it's
a moving target and subject to change based on how I look and feel.

Jenn

"Daven Thrice" wrote in message
news:Laemd.122225$cJ3.27827@fed1read06...

"JMA" wrote in message
...
Regardless of how they shed pounds in the first place, big losers stayed
that way by limiting fat rather than carbohydrates, according to new
research that could add fuel to the backlash against low-carb diets.

The rest of the article is here for those interested:
http://tinyurl.com/69jhj

Disclaimer: I do neither low fat nor low carb.

What do you do?

I *did* an 800 cal/day liquid diet (HMR) for 10 months and lost just over
150 lbs.

Some weight came back on, at first due to a lovely hormone condition that
caused me to retain 20 lbs of water in 2 days and 20 more over the next two
weeks. That was enough to get my bulimia kick started and screwed me up
enough that I went drastically up and down for a while - literally +/- 10
lbs every few days. My endocrinologist and other doctors that dealt with me
said that there wasn't anything I necessarily did wrong, but of course I
beat myself up over gaining some weight. Now that the medical stuff is under
control and I've worked through the bulimia and am in recovery, I am just
sticking to a healthy WOE that I can try to live with forever. Weight loss
seems to be a wonderful side effect and is easier now than it ever was
before.

I try to stick to a South Beach Diet style of eating 98% of the time which
is not low carb because I get more than 150g of carbs a day, just from
fruit, vegetables, legumes, soy, fat free yogurt, occasional FiberOne
cereal, and beer. I avoid refined carbs most of the time but I'm not
religious about it. It's become more of a taste thing for me. I also keep
saturated fat to a minimum and emphasize the "good" fats from vegetable and
nut sources. The other 2% of the time I eat what I want depending on the
circumstances. This could include desserts like cheesecake, surimi with
rice, occasional home fries or whatever.

I also count calories to make sure I get a minimum of 1200/day and try not
to exceed 1800/day but I will eat if I am hungry. I lift weights, heavy
stuff, and I am trying to get back into running but am prone to stress
fractures so I have to be cautious. I spend quality time on my elliptical
or the stairmaster at the gym, and doing yoga. In the summer I ride my
bike, in the winter I ski and snowshoe. I also climb rock walls in the
winter and soon I'm starting a pool running regimen.

That's what I do. I'm approximately 30 lbs from my goal right now, but it's
a moving target and subject to change based on how I look and feel.

Jenn