The Myth of the Low-Fat Diet

independent.co.uk ^ | 05/08/02 | independent.co.uk

[Bobber58]

Got Moose?

[Shooter 2.5]

The guy mentions steak a couple of times until I stopped reading.

I'm on a low-fat diet because it makes me look better and I have been exercising so I have more strength. The important thing is that I never did this to lose weight which is the biggest fallacy of diets. Less weight shouldn't be the goal. What should be the goal is how much you can do with the muscle you've gained.

Get into a sport that you like and the "weight problem" will take care of itself with proper eating.

[ghostrider]

Everyone has to decide for themselves, but it is very hard to beat low saturated fat, moderate amounts of complex carbohydrate and plenty of aerobic exercise to burn the carbs. When you see anything that encourages you to smoke, to eat saturated fat or to try alternative sex, then you better find out more about who did the research and who paid for it.

[3AngelaD]

This is what Dr. Adkins has been advocating for years. If you eat a proper diet, with adequate levels of protein and fat, and exercise to a moderate degree, your weight will stabilize. Not only that, but your coat will stay glossy.

[JCG]

Atkins rules!

America's Fifth Column ... watch PBS documentary JIHAD! In America
Download 8 Mb zip file here (60 minute video)

[Henrietta]

Low fat diets aren't really the health boon they are thought to be, but some people do well on them. The problem with "low fat" processed foods is that they take out the fat but add in a lot of sugar to make the food taste good. So you get carbohydrate calories instead of fat calories. There is a substantial body of evidence that for many people, controlled carbohydrate diets are the answer to weight gain, lack of energy, and high cholesterol. I'm a believer in lo-carb eating plans because they really do control weight without leaving one feeling hungry.

[Huck]

The article is sort of a bait and switch. It starts out saying a diet low in fat may not be good for you. Then midway through it turns out this is only because people who can't handle a balanced diet low in fat end up eating more carbs, which, when not burned off, become fat. So really there is no "myth". What is happening is people think they can eat anything that is so-called "low fat" and get away with it. It still comes down to calories in the end. Hell, sour gummy worms are fat-free, but they will become fat if you eat too many of them.

If you take in more calories of any kind than you burn off, it will become FAT. Therefore, eat moderate portions, exercise daily, lift some weights to give your metabolism a boost, and go easy on the FATTY foods AND the starches. Salads, fresh veggies, fish, all good stuff. Duh.

And one more thing: Make mine a rib eye.

[Huck]

Atkins advocates no carbs. He's a loony tune who just had a heart attack.

[Huck]

I agree with you.

[Niagara]

the brain is 70 per cent fat

Having followed politics for years I can vouch for this!

;-D

[Henrietta]

Atkins advocates no carbs. He's a loony tune who just had a heart attack.

No, he does not advocate no carbs. He advocates controlling carb intake so that you don't gain weight. You really should inform yourself before you say silly things that show that you really have no idea what you are talking about!

As for the heart attack, I have no information about that.

[Pharmboy]

Click here for REAL answer

...and Atkins is RIGHT: carbs are poison

[The Electrician]

Take a look at "The Schwarzbein Principle: The Truth About Weight Loss, Health and Aging" by Diana Schwarzbein. She's an endocrinologist (doctor), and her explanations of many of the mechanisms described in this article make a lot of sense.

[Shooter 2.5]

There's that thing about weight gain. The point of my writing was that too many people look at the scale for their success. That shouldn't be the goal. The goal should be how many times did you go around the park or how many push-ups were made?

[Gigantor]

"Atkins advocates no carbs. He's a loony tune who just had a heart attack."

At least get it straight, the Atkins diet is a LOW carb diet, not NO carb.

[SamAdams76]

This is nothing like what Atkins is advocating, which is in my opinion a "fad" diet that forces you to reduce or eliminate many carbohydrate foods that are good for you like rice, breads, pastas, vegetables, fruits, etc. In fact, a "diet" is not the answer at all for being overweight. What you need is a total change of lifestyle that includes more exercise and the removal of processed junk from your diet, while dramatically increasing the variety of foods eaten. The supermarkets are full of these "low-fat" processed foods that are disgusting. I see overweight housewives at the supermarket all the time with carts full of "low-fat" this and "reduced-fat" that. Yet we have more obesity than ever.

People get stuck with "comfort foods" and thus end up eating the same old crap over and over again. This is another reason why I hate the Atkins diet. Why would you want to go the rest of your life asking for a hamburger without the bun in restaurants? Ditto for the "meat-and-potatos" diet or the processed food diet of so many low-income families (Oreos, Doritos, Ding Dongs, Twinkies, cupcakes, cookies, etc.)

Here's what worked for me. Eat as large a variety of varied whole (unprocessed) foods as possible. I'm always trying that new vegetable or that exotic fish that I've never had before. My staple foods come from the "meditteranean" diet. Sardines, olive oil, garlic, nuts, soups, fish, vegetables, wine, beer. But I'm always experimenting, such as with Mexican or Asian cuisine. I like to mix it up. And it is far better to eat butter than margarine. Margarine is nothing but a block of chemicals that is high in trans-fatty acids - disgusting.

Lastly, there are a lot of people that are just going to have to come to terms with the fact that they are not ever going to have a sculptured and lean body unless they are willing to put an enormous amount of time into exercising. There are no "quick fixes" like a fad diet or one of those exercise machines advertised on late-night TV. I am one of those who have come to terms with my being overweight. Simply because I would rather spend my spare time pursuing my hobbies such as music, reading, or surfing the Internet than I would running 3 miles a day or working out at the gym. That's my decision. So if you are going to be overweight, why not eat healthy? I feel much better since I started eating right.

[Shooter 2.5]

I noticed that I get an energy boost from a nice big steak but only after I trim as much fat off of it as I can. I love going to Outback and even their salads are great.

Since I started on my diet, I can see the abs appearing and I feel much better. I have to get on the mountain bike in a half hour.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

Fat is a major component of cell membranes, the brain is 70 per cent fat...

I suppose calling someone a fathead can no longer be used as an effective insult.

[weikel]

This sounds like the zone diet theory. If the "Zone" were true I'd be a total gastropad I eat hardly anything that doesn't have carbs( everything low carb taste horrible to me I'm quite serious) and I don't exercise very much( I sprint between locations at college and lift weights occasionally). Since I'm not a total fatass and have in fact lost wieght recently I must conclude "the zone" is BS.