Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: low carb diet vs low fat diet

Question:
What are the pros and cons of low carb diet vs low fat diet. I notice that most people here are on one or the other. I am trying to find something I can stick to.. and that is not easy

Answer:
1. You need to find the type of diet that works for you. Diets can be broken down into two basic groups, those that are low cal, and those that are low carb, with dozens of diets in each group and in the middle. A low cal diet usually follows the 5 basic food groups, grains & starches, proteins, fruits and veggies, dairy and fat. You eat a balanced diet, usually limiting your fat intake and keep your total cal intake at a level that still maintains your health, but also results in weight loss. The low carb idea is for people whom have a problem with carbs (starches). Some are addicted to them, i.e. they can not stop eating things like bread and pasta. Others are hypoglycemic and need to lower carbs in order to be healthy. Some just prefer the foods, (protein, fat and nonstarchy veggies) and don't really mind not eating the carbs. Both plans work, for different reasons and on different people. 2. Now you need to find the diet that suits you. You need to take into account, what foods you like, what things you are willing to do, and what type of diet fits into your lifestyle. If you don't really like meat and prefer pasta, then low carb might be a problem, but if your favorite foods are meat and fat and when you eat pasta you can't stop, then low carb might be the good thing. With a low cal diet, you need to weigh and measure food quantities, with a low carb diet you need to test your urine daily for signs of ketosis and have blood work done a few times a year to make sure your lipid profile improves. You also need to look at what makes you fell good. A good place to start looking at diets is the alt.support.diet FAQ located at http://www.geocities.com/heartland/1320. There is a wealth of info there. 3. You need to grasp the idea that your diet must be a life style change, not just a temporary stage. If you want to maintain the weight you worked so hard to lose you need to change your food choices, cooking and shopping habits for life. going back to your old ways of eating after you have lost the weight will make that weight return quickly. For a lot of dieters, this is a concept they never really learned. I have gained & lost close to 1000 pounds in my life, only to see it return because I was changing my habits only temporarily, not for the rest of my life