Low-Carb or Low-Fat? Which is better for Weight Loss?

Yes, there’s a lot of controversy out there about the kind of diet you should eat for weight loss. – Low carb, low fat or low calorie. One of the reasons low-carb and low-fat diets work is that cutting carbs and cutting fat ultimately cuts calories. Remember, a calorie deficit is needed for weight loss, and these diets work to reduce calories, pure and simple.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center put four popular diets -- high carb, high fat, low-fat and high protein -- to the test to see which of the regimens resulted in more weight-loss success.

After two years of monitoring the participants, "all the diets were winners," said study co-author Dr. Frank Sacks, a professor of cardiovascular disease prevention at the Harvard School of Public Health. "All produced weight loss and improvements in lipids, reduction in insulin.

The study determined that the key to weight loss is calories. It’s not the content of fat or carbohydrates, its just calories.

The basics of losing weight boil down to this: Limit the calories consumed so a person is taking in less than the body needs or increase activity to burn more energy.

No matter what you’ve heard, calories really do count in you diet and they count big time. If you don’t eat fewer calories than you burn off, you won’t lose weight. Period. Game over. End of story.

So how many calories do you need?

Here is a simple formula for you, put together by “The Biggest Loser” doctors and nutritionists. Grab you calculator; here’s the arithmetic.

Your present weight x 7 = your daily caloric needs for weight loss.

For example:
You currently weigh 200 pounds. Take 200 x 7 = 1,400.
1,400 calories a day should be your goal in order to lose weight.

Your calorie count should never be static; in fact, it’s a moving target. As you lose weight you will need to readjust your daily calories DOWNWARD in order to keep losing weight at a good pace and break through plateaus.

For example: it is week three and you have lost 10 pounds and your weight is 190 pounds. Take 190 x 7 = 1,330. In order to continue to lose weight you need to DROP your calorie intake to 1,330 calories a day.

If you weigh more than 300 pounds, start by eating 2,100 calories a day. If you weight less than 150 pounds, plan to eat around 1,050 calories a day.

Must have items to begin a weight loss program:

1) Calorie counting guide
2) Food Scale and Measuring Cups
3) Food Journal
4) Scale – To measure body fat you can purchase a bioelectrical impedance scale. This scale operates by measuring a signal that travels through your lower body, from one foot to the other. A faster signal means you have more muscle on your body. That is because water conducts electricity, and muscle is about 70% water; fat contains little water, so it “impedes” the signal. A range of 18 to 25 percent is generally considered healthy for women; for men, a healthy range is 10 to 18%.

To get started on a weight loss and exercise plan contact me at 941-993-9007 or send me an email @ shapeupchick@mac.com. Until next time this is your WQ Mag Shape-up Chick.