Low-carb? Low-fat? Study finds calories count more

[Jasman0717 9]

Feb 26, 7:15 AM (ET)

By ALICIA CHANG

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Low-fat, low-carb or high-protein? The kind of diet doesn't matter, scientists say. All that really counts is cutting calories and sticking with it, according to a federal study that followed people for two years. However, participants had trouble staying with a single approach that long and the weight loss was modest for most.

As the world grapples with rising obesity, millions have turned to popular diets like Atkins, Zone and Ornish that tout the benefits of one nutrient over another.

Some previous studies have found that low carbohydrate diets like Atkins work better than a traditional low-fat diet. But the new research found that the key to losing weight boiled down to a basic rule - calories in, calories out.

"The hidden secret is it doesn't matter if you focus on low-fat or low-carb," said Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which funded the research.

Limiting the calories you consume and burning off more calories with exercise is key, she said.

The study, which appears in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, was led by Harvard School of Public Health and Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana.

Researchers randomly assigned 811 overweight adults to one of four diets, each of which contained different levels of fat, protein and carbohydrates.

Though the diets were twists on commercial plans, the study did not directly compare popular diets. The four diets contained healthy fats, were high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables and were low in cholesterol.

Nearly two-thirds of the participants were women. Each dieter was encouraged to slash 750 calories a day from their diet, exercise 90 minutes a week, keep an online food diary and meet regularly with diet counselors to chart their progress.

There was no winner among the different diets; reduction in weight and waist size were similar in all groups.

People lost 13 pounds on average at six months, but all groups saw their weight creep back up after a year. At two years, the average weight loss was about 9 pounds while waistlines shrank an average of 2 inches. Only 15 percent of dieters achieved a weight-loss reduction of 10 percent or more of their starting weight.

Dieters who got regular counseling saw better results. Those who attended most meetings shed more pounds than those who did not - 22 pounds compared with the average 9 pound loss.

Lead researcher Dr. Frank Sacks of Harvard said a restricted calorie diet gives people greater food choices, making the diet less monotonous.

"They just need to focus on how much they're eating," he said.

Sacks said the trick is finding a healthy diet that is tasty and that people will stick with over time.

Before Debbie Mayer, 52, enrolled in the study, she was a "stress eater" who would snack all day and had no sense of portion control. Mayer used to run marathons in her 30s, but health problems prevented her from doing much exercise in recent years.

Mayer tinkered with different diets - Weight Watchers, Atkins, South Beach - with little success.

"I've been battling my weight all my life. I just needed more structure," said Mayer, of Brockton, Mass., who works with the elderly.

Mayer was assigned to a low-fat, high-protein diet with 1,400 calories a day. She started measuring her food and went back to the gym. The 5-foot Mayer started at 179 pounds and dropped 50 pounds to 129 pounds by the end of the study. She now weighs 132 and wants to shed a few more pounds.

Another study volunteer, Rudy Termini, a 69-year-old retiree from Cambridge, Mass., credits keeping a food diary for his 22-pound success. Termini said before participating in the study he would wolf down 2,500 calories a day. But sticking to an 1,800-calorie high-fat, average protein diet meant no longer eating an entire T-bone steak for dinner. Instead, he now eats only a 4-ounce steak.

"I was just oblivious to how many calories I was having," said the 5-foot-11-inch Termini, who dropped from 195 to 173 pounds. "I really used to just eat everything and anything in sight."

Dr. David Katz of the Yale Prevention Research Center and author of several weight control books, said the results should not be viewed as an endorsement of fad diets that promote one nutrient over another.

The study compared high quality, heart healthy diets and "not the gimmicky popular versions," said Katz, who had no role in the study. Some popular low-carb diets tend to be low in fiber and have a relatively high intake of saturated fat, he said.

Other experts were bothered that the dieters couldn't keep the weight off even with close monitoring and a support system.

"Even these highly motivated, intelligent participants who were coached by expert professionals could not achieve the weight losses needed to reverse the obesity epidemic," Martijn Katan of Amsterdam's Free University wrote in an accompanying editorial.

Edited February 26, 2009 by jasman0717

[almaty 19]

i think, this diet fads are stupid..eat less and exercise more...end of story

[Jasman0717 9]

Diets don't work, life style changes do. I just found this interesting that the author is indicating that it may be more important to concentrate on calorie intake for weight loss. I have tried to modify my eating behavior since January 19th when I weighed 292 pounds. I am now at 270 and have a two year goal of 190. Then I will need to adjust calorie intake to maintain that weight. I am trying to keep my fat gram intake under 30 grams a day and really would like to lower it to below 20 but then food really starts to get boring

[almaty 19]

congrats..brother jim on the weight loss..sanita did the same for me...slowly, she has changed my eating habits.worked me too death and made me walk 3 miles a day in the Park....

[almaty 19]

congrats..brother jim on the weight loss..sanita did the same for me...slowly, she has changed my eating habits.worked me too death and made me walk 3 miles a day in the Park....

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

The formula is, "Execise more, and eat less."

For me, low-carb works for a few reasons. First, by eliminating carbohydrates from my plate, I am reducing calories, satisfying the formula. Second, almost all of the easily obtainable, ready to eat foods contains lots of carbs, so no Burger King, no Mc Donalds, no Pizza Hut, no KFC, no candy, no chips, no ice cream. See what I mean? Third, I don't get the ups and downs of energy from high/low blood sugar, and high/low insulin levels. Fourth, it is an easy plan to follow.

What works for somebody else may be, and probably is, different. Diet is not something you just do for a while, it is a lifestyle.

[HAL 9000 96]

Everyone's genetic background offers them up different ways of coping with excesses in dietary habits. Otherwise the rates of Type 2 Diabetes in this country alone would be through the roof (more so than they already are).

Common sense is at times the least common in practice.

[Jasman0717 9]

congrats..brother jim on the weight loss..sanita did the same for me...slowly, she has changed my eating habits.worked me too death and made me walk 3 miles a day in the Park....

I took a four month furlough from the gym but started back on Jan. 20th. I go four days a week. I need to walk more and want to get back to walking and carrying my clubs at the golf course. They say men should do 11,000 to 12,000 steps a day. I am doing about half that so need to pick up the pace.

[amberdima 6]

calories are calories. 2,000 calories of fruits and veggies calculate the same as 2,000 calories worth of big macs. although the nutritional value of each is very different, they have the same impact on weight.

[HAL 9000 96]

calories are calories. 2,000 calories of fruits and veggies calculate the same as 2,000 calories worth of big macs. although the nutritional value of each is very different, they have the same impact on weight.

Sorta true.

Its not just weight impact but potential detrimental effects to metabolism and energy balance. Hence in that regard, they are not the same.

*thinking of some fried chicken now*

[AlHayatZween 2]

my genetic background copes quite well with fried chicken.

[HAL 9000 96]

hmmmmm fried chicken. But no... its lentils today... and after I go to the gym in a few min.

[Jasman0717 9]

hmmmmm fried chicken. But no... its lentils today... and after I go to the gym in a few min.

I'm doing pinto beans today. Poor Claudeth tonight, all snug in the bed, under the covers

[Peikko 1,575]

I'm have a 'well duh' moment. 3,000 calories = 1lb. Consume more calories than you burn and every time that adds up to 3,000 you'll gain a pound and of course for reduction vice versa. There is no rocket science, but that doesn't make it easier

[Jasman0717 9]

I'm have a 'well duh' moment. 3,000 calories = 1lb. Consume more calories than you burn and every time that adds up to 3,000 you'll gain a pound and of course for reduction vice versa. There is no rocket science, but that doesn't make it easier

It certanily is easier to put it on than off.

Several years ago I tried to change my eating habits and started eating about 1600 calories of healthy food a day. The fat just melted off and I lost 50 pounds in about 90 days. Not a good way to loose weight cause not only did I eventually gain it back I also put on an additional 40 pounds. I am now modifying my life style. I am eating a lot fewer calories and will continually make adjustments until I can find the range were I loose about 1 or 2 pounds a week until I reach my goal weight. I will then re-evaluate my calorie consumption to find the appropriate amount to maintain my weight. Gone are the days of cheeseburgers and pizza. I will miss them but the alternative is much more grim