Low fat diets vs. low carbohydrate diets

There are many people in today’s society who want to go on a diet. The only problem is which one do you choose? The problem with wanting to go on a diet is that there are too many diets to choose from. There are two different main diets that people are always talking about. That is low-carb diets and low-fat diets. How do people know which diet is better? Low-carb diets are diets to where you eat low-carbs and high protein. Low-fat diets are just where you eat low fat or reduced fat. The Atkins diet plan, which is a low-carbohydrate diet, is a very popular diet. Many people have lost a lot of weight with this diet. It was stated in a Diabetes Forecast article, Researchers at Stanford University made a splash in the diet and nutrition world last March when they reported that in a 1-year study of 331 women, participants lost more weight on the controversial low-carbohydrate Atkins diet than popular rivals such as the Zone, Ornish, or LEARN diets. Even more shocking: Those on the Atkins plan didn’t suffer any negative health effects, including the bad cholesterol levels many experts predicted. Suddenly, news stories in the popular press were proclaiming victory for Atkins and all but vilifying the other plans (D’Arrigo, 2007; para. 1). So the Atkins diet does not have any negative health effects, which is very important to look for in a diet. Most women that were in many groups ” experienced improvements in their cholesterol, blood pressure, insulin, and blood glucose” as stated in the article (D’Arrigo, 2007). The Atkins diet is an excellent diet for those wanting to go on a low-carbohydrate diet. There are plenty of different books on the Atkins diet on the market, and many to choose from. With a good bit of research done, it shows that low-carbohydrate diets are better to lose weight than low-fat diets. There was a study done in New England where some obese people were on a low-carbohydrate diet, and some were on a low-fat diet. This is what was stated in a CBS. com article, One study followed severely obese people with a high rate of diabetes and high risk for heart disease for six months. They found those people lost more weight on a low-carb diet – an average of almost 13 pounds compared to the low-fat diet, where people lost an average of about four pounds (Senay, 2003). There are several more low-carbohydrate diet plans other than Atkins such as the; South Beach Diet, The Zone, The Fat Flush Plan, and many others. There are many to choose from when it comes to low-carbohydrate dieting. The most popular one is Atkins. ” Low-carb diets are better than low-fat diets when it comes to lowering lipids,” (Boschert, 2007) as stated in the Cardiovascular Medicine journal. So if someone needs to lower their lipids such as triglycerides, a low-carb diet would be more ideal to use than a low-fat diet. The one bad thing about low-carbohydrate diets is that one has to cut out bread, rice, pasta, and mainly the good stuff. In the long run it is worth it to lose weight. People on a low-carbohydrate diet lose weight quickly in the short term. People on low-fat diets do not lose weight as fast. Low-fat diets are better than low-carbohydrate diets when it comes to lowering cholesterol. It is stated in a Nutrition Today article, Low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets are equally effective for weight loss, but the low-carbohydrate, high-fat route raises total and low-density fipoprotein cholesterol levels, according to researchers here. In a meta-analysis of 5 controlled clinical trials, the investigators found that an increase in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol for low-carb dieters offset an increase in HDL cholesterol and a decrease in triglyceride levels (Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins, 2006). So low-carbohydrate diets can raise your cholesterol, whereas a low-fat diet will not. With a low-fat diet you have more food to choose from. You are not limited to just proteins like you are with a low-carb diet. So that is a benefit of a low-fat diet. Another benefit of low-fat diets is that, ” women who have had breast cancer before can decrease their chances of recurrence when they lower their fat intake (McBride, 2007).” Low-fat diets are not bad for you at all, it really depends on the person which diet to use. If someone is going to go on a diet which ever one they choose, they need to think of some factors. The first factor is that weight loss will not happen with dieting alone, someone needs to have an exercise plan to go along with a diet plan. Exercise is one of the best things to do to lose weight. Exercise is good for the body and mind. The key to exercise is to find something you enjoy doing such as swimming, running, walking, playing in sports, or aerobic exercise. Just do not overdo it. As with anything do it in moderation. Even just walking thirty minutes a day is good for your heart. The second factor is will power. Someone has to have the willpower and a good attitude to stick with a diet and exercise plan. The third factor is to drink plenty of water. Water intake is very important to keep the body well hydrated. A fourth factor is to get a good night sleep. Try to get at least eight to twelve hours of sleep a night. Do not get stressed out over a diet, if at first someone does not succeed try again. Do not give up on a diet if it seems to hard, just stick with it. If the diet someone is on is not working out, try another one. The main thing is to talk with your doctor before trying any kind of diet out, to see if it is the right one for you. Diet pills are not good to use, the best thing to do is to lower food intake and exercise more. Avoiding stress is another thing to consider. Stress is one of the number one factors that cause weight gain, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes. If you have had a stressful day, take an hour for yourself to go meditate, or relax. Staying stress free will help many people in the long run. Another way to avoid stress is to avoid stressful situations, if one can help it. Skipping breakfast is one of the worst things someone can do, if they are dieting. Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. In a study done, ” researchers found that women who skipped breakfast for two weeks ate more during the rest of the day and developed higher (the bad) LDL cholesterol” as stated in a Foxnews. com article (Warner, 2005). Unfortunately many people in today’s society skip breakfast, because they do not have time to eat. Eating breakfast is an important factor for dieting. Something to avoid when someone is on a diet is fast food. Fast food is one of the worst foods you can eat when dieting. Fast food restaurants pretty much all have greasy food, so try to avoid eating it. Staying away from sodas and sugary drinks can help too. It is stated in an article on Kidshealth. org, ” If someone quits drinking about two cans of sodas a day, and switches to diet soda, it can save you 360 or more calories a day (Gavin, 2005).” Just cutting out sodas alone and drinking more water can help someone lose weight. If you are hungry between meals, eat a healthy snack. Eating healthy snacks like grapes, apples, carrot sticks, celery sticks, and other fruits and vegetables will not make you gain weight. Fruits and vegetables are very good for diets, and have a lot of vitamins as well. Someone starving themselves is not a way to lose weight. If someone starves themselves, they are just causing harm to their bodies. They are missing key nutrients and vitamins they need to stay healthy. So in the end dieting comes down to the person itself. The question that remains that which diet is better than another? Well it depends on the person. Low-carbohydrate diets may suit some people, and low-fat diets may suit other people. It all depends on the person’s preference, health issues, and what their doctor thinks. The main thing to remember it is not what kind of diet someone goes on it is what someone wants to do to lose weight. Always keep in mind about this; with every diet, there should be plenty of rest, exercise, drinking enough water, avoiding stress, and eat three healthy meals a day. Dieting should not be a chore, it should be enjoyable. If you decide to cook low-fat or low-carbohydrate, remember there are plenty of wonderful recipes to make some delicious meals. With all of the low-fat and low-carb foods we have today, there is plenty to choose from. Someone can have a low-fat meal and really enjoy it. With everything out on the market today, there is no reason someone can not have a good diet plan to go by. Checking with your physician is the first step to any diet plan, to make sure someone is physically able to do so. Also to find a diet plan that is right for someone. Once you find a good diet plan, take it one day at a time. Someone may not lose weight overnight, but overtime the benefits will pay off. Do not get discouraged if the pounds do not come off right away, with any diet losing weight takes time and patience. If someone has a friend or loved one that wants to diet as well, then do the diet together. If someone has another person that can do the diet with them, it will make dieting more fun and enjoyable. It is always good to have a companion to do something with, instead of doing it by themselves. When someone loses weight, they feel better and have a better attitude about themselves. By keeping this in mind, people will have the steps to lose weight, and stay healthy. At the end people will have something to be proud of what they accomplished. Just remember to choose the right diet plan that fits your needs, and that you will enjoy. Both low-carbohydrate diets and low-fat diets seem to have benefits. So I do not think one is better than the other. In the end, either diet seems to be good for losing weight, and staying healthy in the long run. Just remember with everything someone does, they just need to do it in moderation. Moderation is the key factor to any diet someone chooses, or anything else people do in life. Also, getting a thorough health checkup to see what kind of diet someone can go on, and see how healthy they are needs to be done before starting any kind of diet. Once that is done, find a good diet and exercise plan, and then go for the goal and achieve it.