Low carb diets vs High carb diets

By Weight Loss Consultant • Related • Filed Under

All diet programs work; each diet has a devoted group of followers who insist that their diet is better because of some gimmick which sells lots of books, provides entry to talk shows and coins lots of money. We have all been bombarded with diets spanning almost every possible permutation of protein, carbohydrate, fat and calorie imaginable. On one end is Dr Atkins with the low carbohydrate, high fat diet. On the other end are advocates of the high carbohydrate diet chanting their mantra of reducing your fat intake. In the middle is Dr Sears who insists that dieting must be in tune with his 40:30:30 ratio. Dr Atkins talks about the evils of insulin, Dr Sears raves on about prostaglandins and the high carbohydrate advocates preach about the evils of fat.

Research has consistently shown that losing fat has nothing to do with insulin, fat or any one particular chemical or hormone. The key to losing fat is to ensure that you are in energy deficit. Energy expenditure must exceed energy intake. It’s that simple.

The Atkins Diet

The reason that people lose weight on the Atkins diet is because it is low calorie. Much of the initial weight loss is actually lean body mass, being muscle glycogen and water. After this stage fat loss does occur. However, common sense dictates that eating enormous quantities of bacon, beef, cheese and eggs is not conducive to long term health. There are also numerous drawbacks to this diet and these are summarized below.

Benefits:

  • Virtually guaranteed weight loss
  • Latter stages of the diet will result in fat loss rather than lean body mass

Drawbacks:

  • Initial loss of lean body mass through water/glycogen depletion
  • Flat workouts
  • Unknown health consequences
  • Initial tiredness and grumpiness as you slip into ketosis
  • Bad breath from ketone production
  • Requires a fiber supplement

The Zone Diet

The Zone Diet itself is quite sensible. It involves eating moderate quantities of low glycemic index carbohydrates combined with suitable quantities of protein and fat. My problem with this diet is the strict insistence on adherence to a ratio of 40:30:30. Dr Sears behaves as if this ratio has divine meaning and uses pseudo-science to back his claims. The concept of moderating protein, carbohydrate and fat is sound however there is nothing magical about the numbers that Dr Sears proposes. The main reason that the Zone diet works for fat loss is that it is low calorie. Dr Sears recommends 1700 calories per day for men and 1300 calories per day for women. This low calorie diet would produce fat loss regardless of the macronutrient composition of the meals.

Conversely, a 5000 calorie diet with a 40:30:30 ratio will make you fat even if you were eating using the Zone diet. In terms of practicality, it would be highly tedious to weigh every meal for the rest of your life in order to conform with the draconian rules. After all, are you really going to ask your mother to weigh all the ingredients in her Sunday roast just so you can ensure you are ingesting the right amount of protein, fat and carbohydrate?

Benefits:

  • Healthy diet
  • Balanced macronutrient ratio

Drawbacks:

  • High inconvenience conforming to 40:30:30
  • Very difficult to dine out

The high carb diet

Appropriately used, this diet is quite sensible and is almost mandatory for endurance athletes. The problem with this diet is that the quality of carbohydrate is not considered.

There is a big difference between getting your carbohydrate intake from oatmeal and getting your carbohydrate from a french baguette. The former will provide fiber and slow releasing energy. The latter will cause your blood sugar levels to go on a roller coaster ride that will leave you feeling terrible. The absence of healthy fats also makes this diet questionable in terms of promoting optimal health.

One problem that high carbohydrate advocates do not mention is that carbohydrates are very easy to overconsume. Gram for gram fat is much more energy dense than carbohydrate. However, consider two hypothetical meals. The first high protein/high fat meal consists of five eggs. The second high carbohydrate/low fat meal consists of five slices of toast with jam. Most of us would agree that five slices of toast and jam is much easier to consume than five eggs. However, the toast and jam meal has almost double the calories of its high fat counterpart. That is, the high carbohydrate meal could make you fatter!

Benefits:

  • Reduced consumption of saturated and trans fatty acids
  • No elimination of whole food groups or need for tedious measuring

Drawbacks:

  • Neglect of healthy fats and essential fats
  • Easy to overconsume carbohydrate

So which diet is the best for losing fat? Quite simply it’s your favorite; the one you can stick to. Anyone claiming that their diet system is the best is trying to sell you something. Each person is different and no single diet can accommodate each and every one of the world’s 6 billion people.

Can you see yourself on the Atkins diet in a month, a year, a decade? If not, then it is not the right diet for you. Can you see yourself measuring your food in a 40:30:30 ratio for the rest of your life? If not then it is not the right diet for you. Can you see yourself munching on low fat foods for the rest of your life? If not then it is not the right diet for you. Your diet needs to be palatable and compatible with your lifestyle. The diet should be healthy with plenty of low glycemic carbohydrates, good fats, protein and vegetables.

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