So what's the deal with the weight-loss industry hoodwinking us into believing that lowfat food plans don't work, and that only low-carb ones do?

Indeed, it's true that when you replace fat with processed, fat-free items, you're porbably increasing your caloric intake and defeating the purpose of cutting fat.

But do not tell me that cutting fat and eating whole and healthy food sources of 20% fat or less not going to reduce the size and weight of our bodies!

I would like to hear from the masses of Jack Spratters who have lost considerable amounts of weight, living a low-fat lifestyle.

I have done the low carb thing over and over, and what I find is that it is yummy beyond belief, but it eliminates all sorts of foods that I don't want to give up (like fruit), and also leaves me fearful of putting one carb over the limit into my mouth -- a constant, crazy-making, hypervigilance about food that I just don't want to engage in.

Jack Spratters... come forward!

I couldn't agree with you more on the limitations of the low-carb diet. I did Atkins for 2 years (about 10 years ago) and, while I did lose about 30 pounds and kept it off for a couple of years (gradually crept back)... I felt absolutely miserable the whole time. Exactly what you said: the hypervigilance, the not being able to eat beautiful summer-ripe fruits... no whole grain breads even... I really hated it. Yes it worked, my body felt light and healthy, but it wasn't good for me mentally. I think for the people who don't crave those foods, it's not so hard.. but not for me.

I havne't lost much so far, but I'm now just doing calorie counting. Not low fat per se, because again, I don't feel like limiting myself on anything. If I choose a higher fat or sugar (and hence calorie dense item), then I can't eat much of it and have to account for it in my daily goals.

It works for me, I'm happier and keepin' on keepin' on.

I'm curious, really. I also did the low carb lifestyle, and did the New Atkins for awhile. I did not like the restrictions. It wasn't working for me mentally or physically. I missed my carbs and I wasn't losing weight either!

Anyways, I'm no Jack Spratt. I love fat. I want to lose weight and be healthy, so I wonder where the balance is between carbs and fats. Right now, that's kinda' where I'm existing. My weigh loss has been slow, so I think I need to go back to low fat, since that worked well for me in the past. <sigh>

I'm also calorie counting, and just trying to maintain my daily nutrition below a certain calorie point, allowing myself to enjoy anything in reasonable quantities.

I love fat, too! But unless I cut my carbs to zero, that fat will keep me from losing weight. Then the disappointment and overeating cycle begins again...

I'd like to hear more about how low fat worked for you...

Calories have to come from three places - carbs, fats or protein. A blend is best, but the TYPE of blend is the key and it's diferent for each person.

I personally have to stay clear of too many carbs. But what is too many? I eat about 100 net grams a day (now). Sometimes more, sometimes less. Where I get them are from apples, veggies and in nutrition bars (for snacks). I do not eat and cannot eat rice, cereals, breads, pastas. When I eat those, I start craving things and I start to get HUNGRY much faster.

I don't 'need' bread and pasta and I don't really crave it, but giving up apples and mangos and such would kill me, so I eat them. And I eat a lot of fat, but it's fats like olive oil - not from things like burgers.

What I think happens is that people tend to lose the moderation - it's all or nothing when there is a lot of middle ground that is much easier to work with - you can go too low carb, too low fat and too low protein to make it difficult to follow a diet easily and really there's no reason for it.

The human body NEEDS FAT in order to "process" foods properly. Too little fat & you start having "digestive/poopy" problems. Nobody wants that!

Fat is also necessary for maintaining healthy skin, and it plays a central role in promoting proper eyesight and brain development in babies and children...HOWEVER, for all the good it does, fat is often fingered as the culprit in the battle of the bulge. It's easy to understand why. At 9 calories per gram, any type of fat -- good or bad -- packs more than twice the calories of carbohydrate and protein.

So, the trick is where you GET the fat. Processed foods are horrible for this - esp. any kind of "junk" food. Double-esp. any food of considerable yumminess, such as chocolate candy, cake, etc.

I opted for "low sugar" instead of low fat when considering my particular diet. While I'm not losing weight at a speedy rate (averaging 1-1.5 lb per month) BUT... I cannot tell you how much BETTER I feel!!! I strongly believe sugar is the devil's play toy!

And here's an article for your reading pleasure:
GOOD FATS, BAD FATS

~enjoy!

I wholeheartedly agree with Beach Patrol; sugar is evil. Unfortunately, all carbs (good and bad) turn into sugar in our bodies. I'm not saying that the good carbs should not be eaten and are not beneficial, but more and more studies are showing that the human body was not intended to process whole grains.

More than 40% of people have gluten intolerance at some level and don't even know it. I've been reading up on gluten quite a bit lately since my daughter is gluten intolerant.

I do agree with your that the unprocessed foods are the best, but like Beach Patrol mentioned, we need healthy fat in our diets...just not tons of it.

For me, I do a modified version of low carb. I do allow a slice or two of spelt bread occasionally, but I'm fine with no bread. Fruit is a different story. I like to have a piece or two most days. But I do lose faster and have less cravings for carbs and sweets when I eat more protein, non-starchy veggies and healthy fats than when I eat fruit and wheat bread.

I think what it all boils down to is: Find a diet that is healthy and that is not hard to follow for you, and modify if you have to. Years ago I loved The Scarsdale Diet, but it was practically no fat! So I added a couple tablespoons of olive oil at dinner and still lost weight on it. If you like fruit, that's a good one to try.

I don't consider my plan to be particularly low-carb nor particularly low fat. I don't think of either carbs or fat as my enemy, and each has its place in my eating.

Having said that, looking at the actual data for how I've been eating in the most recent month or two, my calories are coming about 60% from carbs, 20% from protein, and 20% from fat. I guess that just skirts the OP's requirement for a low-fat diet. My stats speak for themselves, as far as whether one can lose weight this way.

I'm a little surprised by that breakdown, though, and I should probably give some thought to how to get to more like 50% from carbs and 30% from protein. The reason my carbs are so high is that I eat a lot of fruit. It's my main snack during the workday - I eat 2 (or 3!) apples and a banana nearly every day, and sometimes an orange as well. I don't think my diet is unhealthy, but I do think it could use a little tweaking to increase the proportion of protein.

According to Thin for Life, the vast majority of people who manage to lose substantial amounts of weight and keep it off for years are on a low-fat diet. I can't remember the research cited offhand, but it's a popular book here, someone should be able to answer that. The National Weight Loss Registry is probably involved.

Last I checked, there was a huge amount of research published on the various benefits of wholegrains.

I started out with about 27% of my calories from fat, then was diagnosed with gallstones and told to reduce that, so now it's about 20%. It wasn't that big a change, I've got used to it, but it'll be nice to be able to relax this on occasion when my gallbladder is out and when I'm on maintenance calories.

I read somewhere the other day that people do better on low-carb diets when they have a lot of weight to lose, but not once they get nearer the healthy weight range. I'm quite intrigued by this idea.

I have no idea what amount of fat I eat in a given day, but I would guess probably 20 - 25%. Because I calorie count, I naturally choose low fat foods because I can't stand giving up a ton of calories to a small amount of food. I also know I wouldn't be able to give up bread or fruit, and it comforts me to know that in theory, I can choose to eat anything I want. Calorie counting was a perfect fit for me, and the results have been wonderful!