There are two proven diet programs that top all the other programs; The Atkins-style also called the low carb diet and the traditional low fat diet.
A study conducted for a period of two years observed and documented the weight loss achieved by each group. Both groups were instructed to take not more than 1,200 to 1,800 calories per day.
The low carb diet group was supposed to take only 20 grams of total carbohydrates for a day and the low fat diet group with only a maximum of 30 percent of fat from the total caloric intake each day. This was combined with behavior modification sessions teaching them about healthy eating habits and the importance of a regular exercise.
After two years of the study, the results were out; it showed no significant difference in the weight loss by either group. Both groups lost 7 percent of their total body weight for the first year alone, which is on the average around 15 pounds.
In the end it didn’t matter much which program they took as long as they stick to the regimen and adapt it into their day to day living. Dr. Gary D. Foster of the Center for Obesity Research & Education at Temple University advised that what’s important is staying focused with the program and to stick to the diet they have chosen.
If there was one difference however, was that the group in the low carb diet showed an impressive decrease in their blood pressure and a significant increase in their good cholesterol level; making low carb diet the choice for people with heart ailments.
Another group of researchers concluded however, that low fat diet is more likely to keep more of the weight off among the participants for a longer period of three years than those in the low card diet
In the end, Lona Sandon, an assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas concluded in her study that it’s not fat nor carbohydrates that matter, but the amount of calories taken in per day that leads to significant weight loss.
What’s important therefore is for an individual to find the suitable diet that will be most effective and will motivate him to stick to it for the longer haul. Perhaps a combination of both low carb and low fat diet may be most effective.
