Low Carb, Low Fat, Vegetarian – Is One Diet Better than Another?
The way diet trends go back and forth, trying to follow them is like watching a game of ping pong. By their nature, trends aren’t meant to be long-lasting – and most people who jump onto the latest dietary bandwagon are usually looking for super-fast results. And if you ask those who have managed to lose weight how they did it, their answers are all over the map. Some swear by a low carb plan, while others give credit to a vegetarian regimen or a strict accounting of fat grams. With so many possible ways to lose weight, it sort of begs the question: is one diet better than another?
When it comes right down to it, the key to weight loss is cutting calorie intake – eat fewer calories than you need every day, and you’ll lose weight. And there are plenty of ways to do that. Any method that helps you reduce your calories is going to put you on the path to weight loss.
Several studies have pitted different methods of weight loss against each other in an attempt to determine if any one approach is truly more effective than another. And there’s been no clear winner. Whether the diets are low fat, low carb, vegetarian or simply stress behavior modification, the results are pretty consistent. Among subjects who are followed for at least a year, they all lose about the same amount of weight – no matter what approach they use.
One study1 involved over 800 people who were placed on one of four diets – all designed to create a shortage of about 750 calories a day. The composition of the diets varied a lot – fat ranged from a low of 20% to a high of 40% of calories, and wide ranging amounts of protein and carbohydrate were tested, too. And yet, across the board – regardless of which diet they followed – weight loss averaged about 10 pounds over a two year period, leading the authors to conclude that, “reduced calorie diets result in clinically meaningful weight loss regardless of which macronutrients they emphasize”.
If that’s the case, then, why don’t we just focus on calories and nothing else? If we love junk food, why not lose weight by eating junk food – only less of it? The answer, of course, is simple. The goal isn’t just weight loss, it’s healthy weight loss. And while different dietary approaches may lead to the same result, proper nutrition is key:
- Emphasize low fat proteins – fish, poultry, lowfat dairy products and plant proteins such as soy help to keep hunger under control
- Plenty of fresh, whole fruits and vegetables will give you plenty of fiber, vitamins, minerals and all-important phytonutrients.
- Include modest amounts of whole grains as your calories allow
- Fats add up fast, so eat modest amounts of healthy fats from fish, tree nuts, avocado and healthy oils like olive and canola.
- Eat small, regular meals and snacks to keep energy levels up
- Practice portion control so you know what you’re putting on your plate. Using meal replacements is a good strategy, too – the calorie count is built in, so it takes away the guesswork.
- Don’t neglect exercise. Get your heart pumping to burn calories, and pump some iron to build up your muscle mass.
1Sacks et al. NEJM 360(9); 859-873, 2009.
Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife.
Susan, this is a great article and will answer so many questions for constant dieters. I was a yoyo syndrome til HLF.
Hi Susan,
I’m looking at herbalife to continue my weight loss and weight management. To date I’ve lost about 25kilos using another meal replacement shake and varying my diet to pretty much exclude all carbohydrates. I no longer eat pastries, cakes, pasta, bread, and nothing with processed white sugar in it. No carbonated drinks, no potatoes but any fruit or vegetable other than potato that takes my fancy. A friend of mine is very enthusiastic about herbalife but there seems to be a fairly high loading of fructose in it – it concerns me, should I be worried? I’m not diabetic but should I go down the path of herbalife, I’d be recommending it to an older group of people, who in some instances, will be diabetic. If I started drinking herbalife would I need to watch my intake of fruits?
Hoping you might be able to resolve some of my queries,
Ian
Hi Ian-
We don’t consider our products to contain large amounts of sugar. Fructose is a sugar found in many fruits and is naturally processed in the body. It is often considered a preferred sugar for certain products due to its very low glycemic index and its relatively potent sweetening capacity. As with any product, if an individual has any concerns about a material in use, we recommend they speak with their physicians to understand if or how their health may be impacted. If a person is diabetic, we recommend they consult their physician about any changes to their diet.