Study of diets shows what truly counts: Calories
 

Published in the LA Times, based on a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Originally Posted by :
Two decades after the debate began on which diet is best for weight loss, a conclusion is starting to come into focus. And the winner is . . . not low-carb, not low-fat, not high protein but . . . any diet.

That is, any diet that is low in calories and saturated fats and high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables -- and that an individual can stick with for a lifetime -- is a reasonable choice for people who need to lose weight. That's the conclusion of a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, representing the longest, largest and most rigorous test of several popular diet strategies.

"There isn't any one way. That is the nice thing about none of these diets in particular winning," said Christopher Gardner, a nutrition researcher at Stanford University's Prevention Research Center. "We don't have any right to push low-fat or low-carb or high-protein. If one of these approaches is more satiating, where you will not be hungry and have cravings, that is the one that will work for you."

The diets ranged from 1,200 to 2,400 calories per day based on each individual's body mass index and gender, but everyone was asked to cut about 750 calories a day from what they normally ate. All the diets were low in saturated fat, the kind linked to heart disease and found in many fried or processed foods. Participants were asked to do 90 minutes per week of moderate exercise. They kept a food diary, and a web-based program provided feedback on how closely they met their goals. Individual and group counseling sessions were held over the two years.

http://www.latimes.com/features/heal...,4499014.story

I am not surprised. Thanks for posting this!

Great to hear! In the end, it's all about the calories! :p

Isn't it good to know we're doing the right thing?

Fortunately, i have discovered that the simplest things are the most effective when it comes to weight loss. I have followed the following steps to great results:

Indulge Your Thirst

Drinking lots of water is one of the most effective ways to lose weight. Replace your thirst for beverages with clean clear refreshing water. Drinking sodas and other carbonated drinks guarantees that you will gain weight because of the high concentration of sugars or artificial sweeteners in those products. From now on consider water your best friend and now drink lots of water to lose weight.

For Christ sake move your feet. Stop three or four blocks from your house and enjoy the walk home. If you need to go three or four blocks please don't jump into your car or a taxi or a bus, exercise your feet. If you live in an elevator building, climb some stairs everyday. This little routine will work wonders for your figure by helping you lose weight.


Stop eating while you're busy. Don't eat while driving or doing other activities. Consume your food in relative tranquility, while taking your time to masticate well before swallowing. From now on pay attention to what you eat by carefully looking at your food before putting it in your mouth. Make an effort to control your food and not the food control you. The best way to control your food is not to finish what is on your plate. Yes, delicious or not, only eat 80% to 90% or less of your portion. It is simple steps like this that will help you lose weight naturally and faster.

Wonderful article! And what I have believed all along. Thanks for sharing this .

I'm very glad to read this! I still have to watch my carbs for my blood sugar levels but I'm counting calories for my overall weight loss and it is helping me tremendously.

I was just coming here to post this same article that was in our paper today as well. It really is common sense but I'm glad to see it verified. It's good to know that what we are doing with counting calories is indeed the best way to achieve the weight loss we are looking for.

You know, I didn't see this article as saying "Counting calories is the best way to lose weight". I read it as "ANY plan will work (South Beach, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, etc) so long as it reduces your total calorie consumption". Which I find to be SO freeing...there is no one "right" way to lose weight, only the right way for -you-. And that right way is the way that keeps YOU satisfied while dropping your calorie level.

Quote (of mandalinn's quote).....That is, any diet that is low in calories and saturated fats and high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables -- and that an individual can stick with for a lifetime -- is a reasonable choice for people who need to lose weight ...... "We don't have any right to push low-fat or low-carb or high-protein. If one of these approaches is more satiating, where you will not be hungry and have cravings, that is the one that will work for you."
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I see this study, not advocating any single diet, but rather a simpler message "do what works for you." It's actually quite revolutionary advice when you think about it. I got rather upset (unjustifiably) in another thread when I misinterpreted the title of the thread about this study. I took "it doesn't matter what diet you follow" to mean that "any diet will work (equally well) if you choose to follow it." For me, high carb diets take a good deal of the choice out of the equation. I feel physically so hungry that all I can think about is food. For me, in order to control hunger and not feel like I'm a starving, rabid animal I have to control carbohydrates.

On a very low carb diet, I don't have to count calories to lose weight. That doesn't mean I don't realize that I am cutting calories. Hunger drops so dramatically, that I naturally eat far less food. However, I also tend to feel lightheaded, weak and slightly nauseous. So I have to include carbohydrates, but not many, and I have to choose the "best" carbohydrates that I can (lower GI whole grains, fruits and vegetables).

Even though I don't count calories per se (I do indirectly, but a calorie counting purist might disagree), I'm not so naive as to think that calories aren't important. I had to find a plan (and had to create one, when I didn't find one) that was flexible and yet controlled both carbohydrates and calories, so I chose and adapted a low carb exchange plan.

I consider exchange plans a form of calorie counting, because all of the foods in any given exchange are approximately of the same calorie count. My exchange plan is calorie controlled, 1500 - 2000 calories. If I choose high glycemic foods, I will usually exceed 2000 calories, because the old crazy hunger comes back. I keep tripping myself up thinking "only calories matter," to justify choosing a trigger food, and I'm successful just often enough to repeat the mistake over and over, because if I "get away with," eating a piece of candy and managing somehow to stay on plan, despite the increased hunger, I say to myself "see, you can have a treat now and then, and still stay on plan and lose weight." But, the truth is that while it's possible for me to include high glycemic carbs in my diet and stay on plan and lose weight, it's not terribly likely. More often than not (or heck, even if it's just a 50/50 chance) I will eat off plan because I can't bear the increased hunger and cravings.

What I really love about the results of this study is the acknowledgement (rare in the weight loss research) that there is NOT only one way to lose weight, nor even one best way - the best way is the way that works for you.

Yup. Reduce those calories, create a calorie deficit and you'll lose the weight.

Of course the trick, not sure if that's the right word, is finding which calories will work best for the individual. Which combination of calories (foods) any given individual is willing to stick with and which combination of calories will make it easier to stick with.

oh yeah! there was an article about it in the nytimes as well.

It's all about the math... whatever works for you is great, but at the end of the day, its calories in minus calories out!

Originally Posted by twilight:
It's all about the math... whatever works for you is great, but at the end of the day, its calories in minus calories out!

Yes, it's all about the math. And finding what's going to KEEP you and allow you to stick to that math.

When I read that article yesterday, my reaction was (channeling my inner teenage boy) "no duh!"

I've been saying this for years, but it amazes me there are still plenty of people out there who think that carbs or fats count more than calories. :dizzy: