Hello,

I am not sure if this is the appropriate place for this, but I am so confused! I have read so many posts here on 3FC on all the different weight loss plans, but I have no idea what to do. Years ago I lost over 100 pounds on low fat and counting calories. I regained the weight, but that was my fault for not finding a maintance porgram. I just ate whatever I had missed. Lately I have read so much about Low Carb programs. I have tried some and lost a few pounds. My question is...what is the best program...low carb or low fat? What will work for steady weight loss? Which is easier to make a lifelong committment to? I'm sure alot is personal choice, but I just need some answers. I am tired of trying different plans every few weeks and never really losing anything!

Another thing...back when I lost the weight I did a lot of Slim Fast breakfasts and lunches with some added fruit and dinners were Lean Cuisine type meals and extra veggies. But now I have read that those are not good ways to lose weight! Alot of people say Slim Fast is bad. Please help! I am so terribly confused!

I think it's just a matter of finding something that works for you and that you can live with forever. For me, low fat/high fiber is the way to go. I could never follow a low carb diet and stick to it for the rest of my life, but there are a lot of people who do wonderfully on low carb.

I've never used Slim Fast so I can't really comment on that other than to say that I think I would be hungry all the time if I tried to lose weight using something like that. I'm sure you can lose weight rather quickly, but it's not a plan that most people could live with and be satisfied with forever. It takes a lot of food to fill me up, so I eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies when between meals and have found that I can lose weight and not ever have to feel hungry.

It's just a matter of experimenting until you find what's exactly right for you. As long as you keep trying and don't give up you will find the answer.

Good luck!!

You may find this to be an annoying answer, but why not do both? I'm eating low carb AND low fat (+ high protein).

With the SlimFast, I think one of the things people are "negative" about is the idea of replacing 2 meals a day with just a shake. I eat 3 meals a day plus 3 - 4 snacks -- all REAL food, just healthy food. I would imagine (although I have no experience with it) that drinking 2 shakes in place of 2 meals would leave you pretty hungry. And if you're hungry all the time, you're not all that likely to stick with it.

So, what are some foods that you eat that fit all 3 criteria? It seems that a lot of low carb foods are really high in fat. I never really thought you'd could do both. Well, I guess South Beach focuses on good fats... See?? I am totally confused! I am sorry to be so dumb about all this. Kate, how many fat grams and carbs do you eat a day?

KayElle- I understand what you mean by the Slim Fast not being enough food. Thanks for your help!

Thanks!

I eat low fat and lowish carb. I think the trick is to not eat processed food if you can help it. A broiled chicken breast with a small amount of brown rice or pasta and a huge salad or steamed or "stir fried" (I use water instead of oil) veg is a good low fat, high protein meal, and takes about 10 minutes.

There are lots of low fat ideas like this, that you can easily control the carbs as well. I eat low GI carbs, these are unrefined carbohydrates like brown rice, pulses and other wholegrain food, and avoid white stuff like white bread.

South Beach, from what I understand, advocates that sort of eating. You still need to get essential fats, but you don't need loads of them to get the benefits.

It's all a learning process and you will make mistakes, I know I have, but it's all about finding something that works for you and that you can incorporate into your life for the long term.

You know what will work? To just eat healthily and wholesomely. If you just try to stick to eating fruits (high carb low fat) veggies (low-high carb low fat) whole grain breads or crackers (medium high carb low fat) lean meat or tofu (low carb low fat) and other such natural and unprocessed foods you should be good to go.

I would check out the south beach diet.. it has a focus on good carbs (no processed stuff) and reduced bad fat intake...

Thanks so much for all your help. I really do appreciate it. I do have one other question. Let's just say I decide to follow a calorie counting program with healthy balanced food choices. Even if I was high on the carb side, could I still lose weight? Thanks!

Of Course!!! 'Cause at the end of the day it is about calories in and calories out, not some magic formula.

Then why not do that again if you already know it works?

Just make sure you follow a maintenance plan.

That's the way I've lost all of my weight, watching fats and counting calories. I don't eliminate any particular food group.

Carbs don't make you fat, [too many] calories make you fat.

Charlotte is correct

I'm doing the rabidstoat diet plan. It's kinda Zoneish or South Beachish, but I never really cut out carbs as much as they seem to. I have rice and bread and stuff. I'm trying to keep my fat to 25-35% (preferably under 30) and my protein at 20-30% (preferably over 20), which is kinda South Beachish, I suppose. And I try to make healthy choices. Learning about high/low glycemic food, and the prevalence of sugar, and the hidden dangers of low fat, has helped me a lot. Eating the right choices reduces my cravings. So did cutting caffeine.

But some days are different than others. I found eating low fat doesn't work for me. I get huge cravings. And low carb would drive me nuts, I like my grains and fruits. I've also found that if I mix protein and carbs and fats together in meals, I do better. If I just have carbs in the morning, I really do get cravings. I don't think it's like I instantly gained weight, but I'd instantly want to eat stuff that would make me gain weight.

The rabidstoat plan also calls for 'mistakes', like the late night candy bar or McDonald's drive-thru or Thanksgiving dinner. This happens to me. It just does. I'm at a high enough weight now where if it happens, it doesn't blow things for me -- unless I let one bad day snowball. So I'm just resigned right now to making, not necessarily mistakes but unplanned eating ventures, which just sounds better. And then learning how to recover from them. I'll work on minimizing them more later. I tend to have a problem about once a week now.

I think a lot of heavily processed low carb foods are high in fat, and vice versa. It seems like every time I pick up the latest box of "low carb crackers" (or whatever) they're loaded with fat. And "low fat" packaged foods (like my recent discovery of "low-fat granola") are just PACKED with carbs -- I nearly dropped the box right there in the supermarket. Half a cup of the granola was like 38 carbs or something. I think manufacturers who make all these pre-packaged, highly-processed foods seem are convinced that they need to add either fat or heavy-duty carbs to make the food taste good. And when you're trying to market foods to either the "low carb" or "low fat" dieters out there, you want it to taste good so people keep buying your product.

But there ARE low fat/low carb foods out there. Examples are: low-fat cottage cheese, low-fat string cheese, Quorn, Boca burgers, and low-fat/fat-free milk. I also buy low-carb protein shakes. Plus walnuts, almonds, cashews are high in protein and "fats," but these are BETTER fats than you find in other foods.

To be honest, I don't actually count grams of anything except protein (I don't count calories either). I aim for 100 grams of protein a day, but my trainer says 140 grams would be terrific. I'd estimate that my fat grams are below 35 grams or so, and carbs...dunno...50 or below?

Basically, I am sure I am hyper-aware of the nutritional facts for everything I put in my mouth, and I use a somewhat "homemade" formula comparing carbs/fats to protein to determine what food is "beneficial" and the best food for me. Example, a small tub of 2% cottage cheese has:

2.5 grams of fat
6 grams of carbs
11 grams of protein

...Now because the protein grams are almost DOUBLE the carb grams, I know this is an excellent food for me. Low-fat string cheese has an even better ratio: 2.5 grams of fat, 0 carbs, 9 grams of protein.

When I find a new food, I first ask, "okay, is there protein in this?" if there is, I check to make sure the carbs and fats are reasonably low, and if they are, it's a food I will include in my plan. The carbs and fats have to be "worth it" for the amount of protein I'm getting. Does that make sense?

The other thing worth noting if that no matter WHICH type of plan you follow (low carb or low fat), by watching carb/fat grams, you are automatically going to be eating lower-calorie foods. 1 fat gram carries something like 9 calories; 1 protein gram carries 4. So a food that is lower in fat will *naturally* have fewer calories.

Yaya-the best diet for you is the one you can stick to for life, provided it is based on good nutrition. If that is counting your calories, than that is what you should do. If there is a reason you were unable to stick with that plan before than maybe you need to rethink things. Low fat/low calorie and low carb diets are equally effective at helping people lose weight and keep it off. It's all in whether or not you can stick to it--and not just the eating plan but the whole lifestyle change: regular exercise, journaling your food intake, packing your lunch (if that is something you need to do to prevent slips), eating out less and cooking more, etc.

People tend to have very strong opinions about their nutritional philosophies, almost like they do about their political or religious opinions so realize you aren't going to get the most objective information here. Everyone is giving their opinion. You have to make up your own mind about what is going to work for you.