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,