13 January 2009

Low-carb, high-protein diet beats low-fat diet for weight loss - again

Supports Chapter 4: Learning from history,
Chapter 19: 'Healthy eating' is fattening,
Chapter 20: Diabetes deceit, and
Chapter 21: Diseases of the heart and blood vessels

Results from a systematic review demonstrate, yet again, that low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets are more effective for reducing weight and improving cardiovascular health than are low-fat diets.

Catherine Rolland and colleagues from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, UK, carried out a systematic review of 13 randomized, controlled trials including a total of 1222 individuals comparing low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets with low-fat diets.

Inclusion criteria included publication between January 2000 and March 2007, length of at least 6 months, participants aged 18 years and above, and a mean or median body mass index of at least 28 kg/m2.

Of the 13 studies, five lasted for 6 months, six for 12 months, one for 17 months, and one for 36 months. Eleven studies compared low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets with low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets and two compared medium-protein with high-protein diets. Measurements were compared at 6 and 12 months.

At 6 months, weight loss was an average of 4.02 kg greater in the low-carbohydrate, high-protein group than in the low-fat diet group.

At 12 months, the difference between the two groups had reduced, with the low-carbohydrate, high-protein group having lost an average of 1.05 kg more than the low-fat group.

Rolland and team also noted improvements in serum lipids, although these were more mixed, as a significant improvement in high-density lipoprotein and triglycerides was seen favoring the low-carbohydrate, high-protein group up to 12 months, but improvements in total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were higher in the low-fat group at 6 months.

A nonsignificant trend toward improvement in diastolic and systolic blood pressure was also observed up to 17 months for the low-carbohydrate, high-protein group.

The researchers conclude in the journal Obesity Reviews that their results show low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets are more effective for weight loss up to 12 months than low-fat diets with unrestricted or high levels of carbohydrates.

They add that although trends toward cardiovascular improvement favoring the low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet were seen in this study, “more evidence and longer-term studies are needed to assess the long-term cardiovascular benefits from the weight loss achieved using these diets.”

But there have already been many studies, both clinical and epidemiologic dating back over 140 years.

For example, as I showed in Trick and Treat, a study conducted in 1932 with four different diets with the same number of calories but different constituents gave these results in grams of weight lost per day on average:

high-carbohydrate/low-fat diet – 49 grams (Typical 'slimming' diet)
high-carbohydrate/low-protein – 122 grams
low-carbohydrate/high-protein – 183 grams
low-carbohydrate/high-fat – 205 grams (As recommended in T&T)

Those were all 1,000 kcals. But obese patients also lost weight at 2,700-kcals - but only on the low-carb high fat diet.

How much more evidence will it take before the disastrous 'healthy eating' experiment is called to a close - and those perpetrating it, and who are responsible for the increasing ill-health in our society, are called to account?

Hession M, et al. Systematic review of randomized controlled trials of low-carbohydrate vs. low-fat/low-calorie diets in the management of obesity and its comorbidities. Obes Rev 2009; 10: 36-50
DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2008.00518.x

44 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Barry,

I've just finished reading Natural Health and Weight Loss and have now been high fatting/low carbing for two weeks! Though my friend was cooking low carbish the week prior on our camping holiday (where I read your book).

After an initial drop in the first unofficial week of more than 1 kg, I have lost nothing more in the past two weeks. (I weigh 68.8 kg and am 5ft 3 39 years old). So far I am not feeling great on this new plan.I was sick as a dog to begin with, with a strange empty, hungry tummy feeling even straight after eating, reflux after eating salmon, bloating, constipation and extreme dehydration though I'm drinking way more water than I used to. I've also felt lethargic and spaced out.

I've been tracking my foods on fitday.com which shows that my average consumption over the past two weeks has been : fats 58% (saturated is 21%) carbs 16% protein 21%. My ave calorie consumption has been around 1800.

I know it's not been long, but I was wondering how long it will take to feel good. I think the theory of eating more fats - especially saturated fats makes sense the way you explain it but am disappointed that the weight is not coming off.

Any comments from you and your blog viewers would be gratefully appreciated.

Kind regards
Nicki (Auckland, NZ)

Anonymous said...

Nicki - did you make a rapid change from high carb to very low carb? The body needs time to adjust - it has to learn to burn ketones for energy instead of glucose. What you are experiencing right now are the typical symptoms of the notorious "Atkins-induction-flu". You probably also feel lightheaded from time to time. These symptoms should not last for more than two or three weeks - you should feel fine after that.

Barry Groves said...

Hi Nicky

Thanks for buying NH&WL. Your BMI is 27, so you're not particularly overweight. At this stage, I wouldn't worry about weight loss being slow. If you continue, it should reduce, albeit slowly. But, then, that is the healthiest way to do it.

On the way you feel, Anonymous could well be right, because you should notice no adverse symptoms at all. As I said on pp 21-22, it can be a mistake to cut carbs too radically at the beginning.

You don't give an amount, but from what you write, you may also be drinking too much water. I haven't made this clear in NH&WL (for which I apologise), but you don't need to drink as much on a low-carb diet as you do on a carb-based 'healthy' diet. It's possible you are drinking too much. About three pints (say, 1.5 - 2 litres) should be sufficient unless you perspire a lot.

When you drink is also important. More than about 1/2 pint with a meal could water down the hydrochloric acid in your stomach so that it doesn't break down the food as efficiently. I would suggest, say, up to 1/2 pint with a meal, and any more an hour or so later.

Best wishes

Anonymous said...

hi barry!
i am from austria and therefore i am not used in writing in english.
i read your book nhawl, dr. kwasniewskies book optimal nutrition and living without bread written by dr. lutz. all you and the other ones wrote makes sense to me and i tried to eat this way - but i failed: after each meal i got dizzy for a while, my heart beat like running a marathon and other symptoms. the cholesterol raised up to 455, i got a nafl.and i was ravenous. so i stopped eating high fat and now i am eating metabolic-balance - for 14 days without fat and now i am trying to get used to fat again - it´s crazy!!!! deep in my heart i know, that your way is right for me, but how can i do this???
please can you help me to do it the right way? i would be very grateful.
yours gitti

Anonymous said...

Gitti - the secret is to go slow. You have probably made the extreme change from very high to very low carb and back again and back again. This is extremely stressful for your body. As I said before - take it easy, gradually reduce the number of carbs and GRADUALLY increase the intake of fat AND make sure you are eating the right ones. You can get wonderful butter in Austria, right from the mountains, full of Vitamin A and D. Use it.

Anonymous said...

Will concure on take it slow I gradualy changed over more than a month slowly changing out a pice of bread for more butter and extra meat slices on top, put on thick liverpathe. Until I completly quit bread now I never long for it and its not particulary taste full if I take a bite when I am eating out generaly food that others describe as taste full I find bland and boring now its just not tasty if its low in fat, its the same with sugar I don't get much joy out of it while I still remmember the joy ocationaly, but its just not there when I eat it enymore.
-Søren

Anonymous said...

Hi all,

Thanks so much for your comments. I guess between 50 and 60 grams of carbs is low if you have been used to consuming around 200! I think that was what I was eating. So yes, that is probably why I felt so dreadful! I have to say I am feeling much better than when I first started.

The water thing is tricky. I never used to drink ANY I now have a glass of water when I first wake (as I am hungry and need something to do while I'm waiting for my scrambled eggs to cook) I also have a cocoa with cream at breakfast (and a piece of toast... can't quite give it up but I do slather on the butter). I have lunch around midday and normally have a cup of tea then. I do forget to drink water but by the afternoon around 3ish when I'm starting to get hungry again I start drinking water - probably only a glass or two I also eat nuts around then too. And I have a a few more glasses of water in the evening. So maybe I'm still not drinking enough?

Barry another question: How does drinking wine with your dinner affect digestion? I've been trying to avoid wine too but have had the odd glass of chard!

I did try and measure my water intake a few days ago and it was around 1.5 litres of water (that's not including the tea and cocoas which I think should be counted as liquid too or is that incorrect?)

Gitti I had the heart racing thing too just yesterday, but I had been on the exercycle. You not supposed to exercise too hard though apparently. I know it is early days so I guess we just have to listen to our bodies a bit more!

Nicki

Barry Groves said...

Hi Nicki

It sounds as if you could be drinking too much water. I know I haven't made this clear enough in the book, but all liquids count towards the total. Tea, coffee, cocoa, wine all are mostly water and count towards the total as, indeed, does the water in the food you eat. So, if you aren't thirsty, you probably don't need to drink at that time.

Liquids taken with meals do water down the hydrochloric acid in the stomach making it inefficient. So it's not a good idea to have a lot with a meal (I would limit to 1/2 pint or 285 ml). Drinking wine is the same as drinking water.

Incidentally, I discovered recently that tea and coffee also affect digestion independently from the amount of water with them - but cocoa does not. As yet, I don't know why.

Hi Gitti

What the others have said is right. Take it easy at the start and you should have no adverse side effects.

Anonymous said...

Hi Barry,

Thanks so much for your comments. I will tone down the water and only drink when I feel thirsty!

Another question I have is to do with protein consumption. I think in your book you mention consuming one gram for each kg of bodyweight - was that lean bodymass or total bodyweight?

I've calculated my lean bodymass as 55kg and I've been eating around 80g. If I lower my protein consumption further I struggle to eat the fat as I don't have enough to put it on (or in)... ie too much mayo on a small piece of salmon or too much creamy sauce on a small piece of steak etc.

Thanks for your feedback on this.. The concept is SO novel in New Zealand that everyone I speak to is shocked and disbelieving, so it's hard to get good info from others.

Regards

Nicki

Anonymous said...

hi everyone!
thank you so much for your comments!
this time i will do it step by step like soren.

nicki, the concept is novel in austria,too. so there is nobody i can ask and i am very grateful for your answers.

best wishes to you
gitti

Anonymous said...

Dear Dr. Groves,

I really appreciate the fact that you answer personal queries, so I'm going to try to ask you a few questions.

I was on a low carb diet from August to the first day of Christmas. Then I succumbed to my craving for chocolate, the bad type (hard to find dark truffles) and I am trying to get back on the low carb again as I put on about 2 kg in 3 weeks. I am feeling, wrongly, that I am free when I don't diet, that's why when I eat 'what I want' I overindulge. From a few chocolates today to an entire box the following day and then craving it like an addict. It's hard to change my relationship to sweet chocolate as I abused it for a few years. I suppose it takes time and desire not to become totally dependent again.
Do you have any thoughts on this?

I found an article about high-fat that doesn't sound good to me. Can you, as a doctor, have a look at it and comment?
http://www.naturalnews.com/025349.html
there is a link to the original abstract

Thank you a lot.

for Nicki
I think the previous people are right, you have to think about taking it easy, not expecting too much and waiting to consume all your reserves of glycogen (about 2000 calories worth) and then exercise. I never measured how much fat I ate or how much protein. You kind of know that by cutting all bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, beans you can control the amount of sugar that you eat. I would eat even 2 or 3 squares of dark chocolate every day, which is not a lot of sugar, less than 10 grams and I lost slowly 15 kg in 5 months. (more in the beginning, plateau a bit, loss again.) Good luck

Anonymous said...

Sugar can be addicitive. It appears that some people are more likely to become addicted than others. If you belong to the first category then sugar will remain a lifelong no-no for you. You may find, though, that after a few month of strict low-carb eating (this is not a diet but a way of eating!!!) the cravings will disappear and you will be able to look at a piece of chocolate with indifference.
About the "high-fat is bad for you"-article: unfortunately the abstract published on the website does not say whether the high-fat diet of those mice included carbs or not. Also, no indication of the study length is given. Unfortunately I cannot get access to the full text as this requires a subscription. Dr. Groves may be able to and I am looking forward to his comment.

Barry Groves said...

Hi Nicki

The one gram of protein per kilo, is referring to lean body weight. But that's really a minimum; you can eat more. What you have to avoid is eating so much, while cutting fats, that your body uses protein to produce glucose for energy. But 80g won't be a problem.

Hi Anon

I really don't know what to make of the mouse experiment with high-fat diets, as it doesn't make any sense from my experience.

There are a couple of points, however: firstly. this is a mouse experiment. Different animals have very different responses to foods. We are not mice, so this may have no relevance to us.

Secondly - and this follows from the first point - there have been many studies over the last century showing consistently that high-fat diets reduce obesity in humans. So one small mouse study saying the opposite must be viewed with suspicion.

Lastly, as you will know, high-fat diets have become much more popular recently as people have found that they work. There is now a concerted backlash as the 'healthy eaters' are finding their advice being questioned and are probably afraid of their reputations being harmed. There have recently been other attempts in the medical journals to frighten people off eating fats.

Anonymous said...

Hi Barry and others,

Great to hear about the protein consumption.

tonight I had lamb shanks slow roasted with garlic and rosemary and carrots cooked after in the juice/gravy. It was lovely! The whole "fat turns your appetite off" concept is truly amazing. I literally got half way through the second shank and couldn't face another mouthful!

I tell you it sure beats the "detox" diet my sister is doing. A sample of her day: organic oats cooked in water(no salt, no sugar, no cream) for brekkie, followed by an eggwhite omlette and salad for lunch - no dressings and a poached chicken breast all fat removed and a cup of veges for dinner.

How can we really complain about egg scrambled in cream for brekkie, tuna salad with capers and olive oil dressing for lunch, lamb shanks and a glass of red wine for dinner.... One is pure pleasure and the other is just pure misery!

However, as humans are wont to be contrary I find I am still struggling... I seem to be full of burps all the time!

I also fear the saturated fats are going to get me and reading the Harvard site makes me feel anxious that I am doing myself harm.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/

Does your metabolic type have anything to do with it?

Regards

Nicki

Anonymous said...

Nikki: consider the following argument. Your body fat, i.e. the stuff that your own body makes, is saturated fat. Just like the bodies of the other animals, because at the end of the day, that's what we are. Animals. So how can eating saturated fat be bad for us if that is the very stuff you body produces? If you go to Barry's website you will be able to read about the benefits of saturated fat and the problems of consuming polyunsaturated fats.

"Detoxing" is something of a myth. What your sister is doing is to starve her body of nutrients so she will most likely feel a lot worse for it. Virtuous, maybe, but worse.

Barry Groves said...

Hi Nicki

What Anon has written is right. Our bodies make and use almost exactly the same fats as are found in the fats of our food animals. And, if you think about it, what did our grandparents eat in the 19th century, before heart disease 'took off'? Animal fats.

It's only since we started to eat 'fake foods' in the shape of margarines and processed carbs that heart disease started to rear its ugly head.

I can understand what Harvard are saying - but suspect that they have a problem with losing face now as thay have been sending out that message for so long.

Does metabolic typing have anything to do with it? Not really. We are all one species and, just as all cows eat grass and all lions eat antelopes, so we, as a species, are all designed to eat the same foods. And that is a diet of animals.

That said, however, for the last 10,000 years or less, depending on the area of the world your ancestry lies in, you may have evolved to cope with different foods in addition to the carnivorous part of your diet. For example, the grain used in the Far East is rice; the grain used in northern Eurasia is oats. If, like me, you are a blue-eyed blond, then you could well tolerate oats better than rice. But that doesn't mean that oats are your natural food and you can live on porridge. All it means is that your natural diet should still be a carnivore one - but you can 'tolerate' a certain proportion of oats.

Notice I have left wheat out. That is a very recent addition to diet in evolutionary timescales and doesn't seem to be very healthy for anyone.

Barry Groves said...

Hi Nicky

I forgot to add that your lack of success with the weight could be the two lamb shanks.

People who eat a carb-based diet get used to eating a lot of bulk. But you don't need to on a high-fat diet.

I have also noticed that it really doesn't take much carb to put a noticeable amount of weight on. William Banting also noticed this in the 19th century. He wrote that just 5 ounces of sugar in a week caused him to put on 7 pounds in weight.

So it could just be that you are trying to eat too much.

Anonymous said...

Hi Anon and Barry,

I am blue eyed and brown haired. My Dad was blue eyed and blonde, my mother was blue eyed and dark. My sisters are blue eyed and blonde.

The saturated fat argument you put forward makes "sense" (it's just the doubting thomas coming out in me :) )

There definitely does seem to be a growing shift away from the low fat hypothesis - as I note that Weight Watchers has just launched a Satisfaction Plan which looks like they are recommending to eat more fat and more protein! But they haven't shaken off the carbs mentality yet.

I think you might be right about eating too much. My husband and I both felt our dinner last night was too big, and yet before this way of living we could easily have polished off the two shanks, the carrots and a big pile of roast potatoes too.

My total calorie intake yesterday was just 1400 but I felt too full to eat anything else.

You say William Banting found that eating 5 ounces of sugar a week (just 20 grams a day) caused him to gain 3 kg... That is sooo depressing.

How does that fit with your recommendation to eat between 50 and 60g of carbs a day?

Also, does burning off the glycogen out of your muscles mean you are losing lean body mass before you start burning the body fat? (I don't have a big issue with that as my muscles have always been too big, but the elderly might as they are told good muscles protect their bones)

By the way, thank you for responding every day as hearing your reassurances makes a big difference as I go through this transition!

Kind regards

Nicki

Anonymous said...

Hi Barry

Just out of interest I visited the Weight Watchers website to look at their 'Satisfaction' plan. It appears to be called 'Discover' in the UK. They had exactly the same photos of 2 slices of toast versus an omelette and a bowl of fruit for breakfast. In the UK these are worth '3 points' each and in NZ '4 points'. Just goes to show that you can't believe what a lot of the 'diet industry' says!

As to low carbing, I have been doing it for a few years now. Not always as strictly as I should (which I usually pay for with increased weight, acid reflux - especially after bread & sugar - and constipation). One of the things I really have noticed is how rarely I get the bugs and viruses going around. I work in a primary school in the office and as such all the ill children come to me before they are sent home. A lot of the teachers and other staff catch stuff, but I seem to rarely catch more than a cold or two a year and usually recover quickly. In 'Trick and Treat' you mention how polyunsaturated fats were used as immunosupressants. Well, I think that could certainly be a factor in why I am always sending so many children home ill. My daughter commented on the fact that she rarely gets anything either. I explained this to her and pointed out that we use butter, lard, dripping, full fat milk (non-homogenised) etc. I really do think it's got to make a difference.

To Nicki
Persevere with low carbing - it's not just about the speed of weight loss. Energy levels and general health also improve immensely. Also, if you need to nibble something late afternoon try olives and little chunks of mature cheese. The strong flavours and richness take the edge off your hunger very quickly and will keep you going until dinner.

Best wishes
Tanya

lightcan said...

Hi all,

(I posted as Anon as I couldn't remember my password, but now I'm logged in through gmail. I posted something yesterday but I can't see it)
Anyway, I agree with Tanya, I haven't been ill in a long while, and my kids haven't either, while all the others in school or playschool have been sick the last few months. I think the sugar is immunosupressant.
I found an article that supports Dr. Groves' view on the cholesterol myth that has references to studies, for those who haven't read about it.

http://www.naturalnews.com/022960.html

Nikki, you shouldn't be worried about the saturated fat. I always think about what we were eating for hundreds of thousands of years, especially in the temperate climate where fruit was only available in the autumn, with some berries in the summer.

Tanya, where do you find non-homogenised milk?

Barry Groves said...

Hi Tanya (It's nice to have a name, especially as there are two anonymouses)

Weight Watchers is a bit like the diet book author, Michel Montignac. They both change their ideas on diet to fit the prevailing fad. But WW won't tell their 'clients' the whole secret. WW is a wholly owned subsidiary of Heinz Foods. They are in business to make money - and WW does. So, WW will still be low fat, otherwise people would find that keeping the weight off was easy and stop going to meetings. And that would never do!

For Nicki
No, eating a high-fat diet prevents the use of glycogen once the body has changed over to using fats (it's called glycogen sparing). And, for the same reason, your body will no longer try to get glucose by breaking down your muscle tissue. It's the low-calorie diets that do that.

For Lightcan
In the UK, Jersey milk is not homogenised. I think that's because the people who buy it like to see the cream on the top. I understand that is the case in the US as well.

lightcan said...

Thank you dr. Groves for replying. Unfortunately, here in Dublin, I haven't seen any raw milk. I'm buying from the organic market or from a delicatessen shop raw fresh goats cheese, besides the raw emmenthal or gruyere that you can find. I hope that in Switzerland they let their dairy cattle eat grass.

Can you please comment on the issue of osteoporosis being caused (not solely) by an overly acidic diet, which means that it includes among others all the animal proteins? Is there a place on your site where you discuss this problem?

Thank you again.

Barry Groves said...

Hi Lightcan

Like many things today, this 'acid diet' and bone health scare is groundless.

This is discussed on my website under Osteoporosis.

The role of protein is about halfway down. You'll see that a high-animal protein diet actually protects and strengthens bones. It's the crap proteins and fake foods that do the damage.

Anonymous said...

Hi all,

Thanks for your comments Tanya. I will perservere. It is the vanity in me that is making it hard to stick to this I think.

I am to be a part of my sister's wedding ceremony and the dress I have to wear is too tight... I had hoped to lose around 4kg by March.

Do you think that is unrealistic?
One of the "anonymouses" - I like that :) said they had lost 15kg in 5months. Can I ask if you have reached your goal weight? Does that weightloss put you into the "healthy" weight range now?

Perhaps the weight is not coming off me yet because I had already lost 7kg slowly over the past year by taking omega 3 supplements, listening to a positive thoughts tape, walking more and eating less... However, I am still surprised I'm not enjoying better weightloss because normally when I try something new (such as WW many years ago) the weight comes off easily at first and then stalls a bit.

Barry, can I also ask you why I seem to be getting plagued with leg cramps? I used to get them all the time when I was younger but hadn't had them for years.

Regards.

Nicki

Barry Groves said...

Hi Nicki

A loss of 4 kg in about 5 or 6 weeks is not out of the question. It really depends on what you eat and, possibly as important, how overweight you are now.

If you are close to a normal weight, then weight loss is more difficult. And it may be inadvisable.

Leg cramps
Any mineral deficiency has the ability to cause leg cramps, but in my experience, the most likely cause seems to be insufficient salt (sodium) in the diet. Unfortuantely, as most salt is found in processed foods, I can be difficult getting enough when eating 'real food'.

Anonymous said...

Hi Lightcan

I'm afraid I can't help with the non-homogenised milk. I had to really search. I live on the edge of Bristol and I've been lucky enough to find a nearby dairy that supplies my local farm shop with milk and cream. It is pasturised but not homogenised, tastes gorgeous and keeps much better than supermarket milk and has that lovely 'top of the milk'. I really don't know why it is so difficult to buy raw milk in the UK. I go to France about 4 times a year and it is possible to buy raw milk in the supermarkets there. It is certified and sold in plastic pouches. The only warning is that it should be kept in the original packaging in the fridge - not difficult as I simply put the pouch into a flat fridge jug. I believe that the only way to buy raw milk in this country is straight from the farm.

Tanya

Anonymous said...

Try Marks and Spencer's food department. I saw pasteurised non-homogenised milk there two weeks ago. It was the branch in Weston-Super-Mare.

lightcan said...

Hi Nicki,

Yes it sounds good, to lose 15 kg, but Dr. Groves is right. The more you have to lose the easier it is at the beginning. I see it on the TV. There is a program on rte.ie, in Ireland called Operation Transformation. People want to lose weight and they do it almost in front of the whole population, disgusting. Anyway they weigh them every week and the fattest girl lost much more than the not so fat woman (18 stones compared with 14 stones) I'm not for a low fat low cal regime but it seems to work combined with strenuous exercise. It only started 2 weeks ago. You can check the website.
http://www.rte.ie/ot/

Regarding leg cramps, I recommend Magnesium citrate 400 mg. I had them, very unpleasant. (related to Ca, Mg) I can stretch my legs in the morning in bed without worrying they're going to hurt.

Thank you dr. Groves for your link.

Anonymous said...

Hi Barry

I love your stuff and have just finished reading Trick and Treat.

I have been following a low carb diet for 3 months now and feel great.

I have a question regarding the new weight loss drug from GSK called Alli.

There was a huge article in today's Sunday Times explaining how the drug works by blocking the lipase enzyme in your digestive system. So your body does not break down the fat.

I know these pills are potentially dangerous, anything that prohibits your body from doing what is natural. It failed to mention in the article that if you body is not absorbing fat, then I won't absorb the fat soluble vitamins effectively either.

I have constant discussions (sometines heated) with others esp those on my nutrition course on this whole subject of consuming fats vs. carbs.

I am interested to hear your views on this new pill.

If it is not fat that is making us gain weight then how does it work?

Thanks Suzie

Anonymous said...

Suzie,

it's the consumption of carbs that make us fat - carbs that the body doesn't use straightaway are metabolised into fat by the liver. Read up on the subject on Barry's website, there's plenty of information there. So fat is not the problem. Which explains why such pills are not only nonsense but actually dangerous as they block the absorption of vital nutrients in the bodyOra

Anonymous said...

Hi Suzie,

I wonder if the product works because it reduces your total calorie consumption which in turn helps you lose weight.

The problem being that as soon as you resume "normal" calorie consumption your body returns to its fat setpoint. The only way to stay slim would be to stay on the drugs.... hmmm clver little money makers aren't they!

Correspondingly though, us low carbers will only keep the weight off if we continue to stay low carb...

Week three now and I have gained 600 grams this week.... I don't know what I am doing wrong!

Barry Groves said...

Hi Suzie

Alli (Xenical) is marvellous stuff, if you want to sit in fatty knickers. What it does is stop your body absorbing fat. This then travels through your gut, undigested, and comes out the other end. It doesn't do this just when you go to the loo; it does it all the time!

The idea is that this is a powerful incentive for you to stop eating fats. But this raises another problem, because, as we know, fats are slimming. So if the reasoning behind using Alli is for you to lose weight, it ain't going to work!

And there are other, potentially more dangerous effects. See my article on Xenical.

There really are some Bl**dy idiots wasting our money. And even more examples in my new blog - "Nanny state at its worst"

rogermunns said...

Hello
Just discovered your blog today after googling about cholesterol fallacies.

Regarding the weight losses on a high fat, high protein diet compared to a low fat diet.......and how the difference gets less after several months:::

tying this up with the article about stone age diet; maybe that's how we're 'supposed' to eat; high fat and protein in Winter, low fat in summer. Would seem to follow nature?

Anonymous said...

Why would normal diet change due to seasons? Why low fat in summer its still a much better energy source than carbs, also carbs wasen't available in large amounts during summer until recently and your body still needs to rebuild it self in summertime which require fat and protein. As fare as I understand high protein is not healthy you should just eat what you need and by eating fatty meat that is easy you body tells you when to stop atleast in my expirence if you over eat you body will let you know.
-Søren

Anonymous said...

Barry,
Can you please expand upon your assertion in Ch. 19 of Trick and Treat that excess dietary fat is excreted and not stored as fat? Or did I misunderstand? I am trying to explain to friends why eating fat is good, but everyone seems to have the idea either that dietary fat is stored directly as fat or that it is irresistably attracted to artery walls. I can counter the atherogenesis part but not the storage of dietary fat part. Any idea how much fat we all need daily, ideally-speaking?

Barry Groves said...

Hi Alicia

You didn't misunderstand. Excess fat is excreted, not stored. This was demonstrated by several eices of work on both animals and humans in the the middle of the last cdentury. The references for this are Nos 10-12 of Chapter 19.

But there is more. Insulin is the 'key' that opens the 'door' into body cells, allowing in the nutrients that those cells need. Without insulin, fat cannot be stored. On pages 276 and 277, you will see from the two graphs that eating fat has practically no effect on insulin levels.

Perhaps your friends haven't considered that most of the diseases in T&T only took off in the last century. Yet we have been eating fats - particularly from animal fats and tropical oils for the whole of our existence. Why should they start 'sticking to artery walls' now, when they obviously didn't before?

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Barry Groves said...

Hi Edward

I'm afraid that impotence and Viagra are outside my field of experience. Although, that said, as low testosterone is more common in men with diabetes, perhaps it is something I should look at.

Barry

Barry Groves said...

There are many low-carb diet websites now. some are good, others are not.

This 'low carb recipes' website is one of the worst and most amateurish I have seen. And the few recipes, which use low-fat and highly processed ingredients are decidedly unhealthy.

I would only recommend this website only as an example of what is wrong with modern ideas about a 'healthy' diet.

Barry

Anonymous said...

Hi Barry,

Been reading through Trick or Treat, love it! I see you have recommendations for protein intake per day.

Let's say you do a lot of working out (resistance training using heavy weights), but want to maximize fat loss. Currently, "all data" points to "more protein yields more muscle mass", but how much do you really need?

Specifically, on a zero-carb diet (all meat/fish and butter), how many grams of protein per kg bodyweight (by scale or per lean mass) would you say is the minimum as to avoid muscle loss/enable muscle gain, while at the same time not giving a too high of a contribution to gluconeogenesis/insulin increase? The rest of the energy intake would be fat, adn again, 1-3g carbs.

Thanks!

Barry Groves said...

Hi Mikael

That's a question I can't answer with specific amounts. However, if you eat enough so that you are not hungry, and arrange the protein/fat ratio so that the fat gives you 65%-70% of your calorie intake, you shouldn't go far wrong. That ratio is slightly higher in protein than is necessary for a more sedentary person, so should cover for the extra needed for increased muscle.

Barry

constipation treatment said...

When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new feedback are added” checkbox and now every time a remark is added I get 4 emails with the identical comment. Is there any means you possibly can remove me from that service? Thanks

Barry Groves said...

constipation treatment

This was something you set up. I regret that there is nothing I can do about it.

Barry

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