Low Fat or Low Carb Diet - Which One Achieves Weight Loss?

Whether we want to admit it or not weight loss is a constant battle for most of us. How many times have you felt that no matter what exercise regimen you try and no matter what diet you follow our bodies can often feel as if they are working against us?

You may not be wrong either, as statistics show that those who are successful in losing a significant amount of weight gain back one third or one half within a year, or often less.

We find ourselves constantly asking should I be on a low fat diet or a low carb diet? Which one has the longest effect on long term weight loss?

Well apparently neither, new research has shown that the two diets are actually equal in success and failure.

Dr. Christopher Gardner headed up a scientific team from Stanford University School of Medicine to organize a clinical study to see if they would be able to definitively find an answer to the question that so many of us have asked.

A group of 609 men and women between the ages of 18 and 50 were recruited.

Half of the participants were instructed to maintain 20g of fat per day for two months, then gradually add fat back into their diet until they felt it was at a level at which they could maintain long-term.

The other half of the participants were given the same instructions but with 20g of carbs rather than fat.

Both groups were given the additional dieting instructions:

Focus on nutrient-dense, minimally processed whole foods.
Maximize vegetable intake.
Minimize refined flour, trans fats, and sugar intake.
Prepare meals at home whenever possible.

Whilst they were in the study, each participant attended 22 dieting and nutrition classes to assist them on their journey.

A year later the results were as follows:-

The average weight loss for each participant was 13 pounds, with some losing as much as 60 pounds and others gaining as much as 20 pounds. This included those on the low-fat diet as well as those on the low-carb diet.
The average calorie intake for each participant was also similar for both groups at the end of the study.
After several other tests, such as blood pressure, insulin, and blood sugar levels, the results showed that low-fat and low-carb diets are not what makes a difference in weight loss.
In fact, they seemed to be almost identical in all categories.

So it would seem that both worked or didn’t work, depending on which way you look at it. However, the study did produce one overwhelming result and that was, even without counting calories, eating a diet consisting of home prepared meals with whole foods and vegetables was an incredibly successful way to lose weight.

The other interesting result was that each participant was encouraged not to subject themselves to an incredibly strict diet but were encouraged to develop healthy eating habits that they felt they could maintain indefinitely.

The key to weight loss then is this:-