Weighing In on Diet Plans

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Weighing In on Diet Plans

Sat Jan 18,11:54 PM ET

By Kathleen Doheny

HealthScoutNews Reporter

SATURDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthScout News) -- If you've finally decided to lose

that weight, you'll probably find yourself immersed in the Great Diet

Debate.

Follow a high-carbohydrate diet and minimize fat, many experts advise.

Other experts argue that the surest route to weight loss is a

low-carbohydrate diet with generous amounts of protein and fat.

The debate isn't likely to die down anytime soon. Both sides are convinced

their plan is correct, the right way to lose weight and keep it off.

Dieters in a quandary can educate themselves on the merits of each plan,

then consult with a physician and decide the best plan for them. And they

can take heart that some diet experts say " high-carb " plans might be right

for some people, while " low-carb " plans are best for others -- at least

short-term.

" One size doesn't fit all, " says Bonci, a dietitian who is director

of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and a

spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

While low-carb diets that push plenty of protein (such as the Atkins diet or

other high-protein plans) are perhaps the most popular weight reduction

strategy of the moment, Bonci says, " body fat loss is not any faster on the

high-protein diets. There is a little more rapid water weight loss, loss you

see on the scale. "

But, Bonic adds, " the overall fat loss is equivalent, " whether dieters

follow a high-protein plan or other diets, as long as they cut down on food

intake sufficiently.

Another dietitian, Gail , a professor of nutrition at California State

University, Long Beach, says dieters tend to look on the low-carb,

high-protein diets as a quick fix.

But, she notes, the high-protein plans will " trick you into feeling

successful but won't give you the long-term success you want. "

She blames people's fascination with the high-protein, low-carb plans for

roller-coaster dieting. " They use it short term, get five pounds or so off,

then go back to typical eating and gain all the weight back, " she says. Soon

they are dieting again, she adds.

suggests a sensible eating plan, also recommended by other experts,

that includes a diet of 50 percent to 55 percent carbohydrates (such as

fruits and vegetables), up to 30 percent fat, and about 15 percent to 20

percent protein (including meat and fish) -- along with plenty of exercise

to speed weight loss.

But those who advocate a high-protein diet say controlling carbohydrate

intake is the key, especially in the initial stages of weight loss.

" When you control carbohydrates, you switch metabolic pathways so you burn

fat for energy, " says Colette Heimowitz, director of education and research

at Atkins Health & Medical Information Services in New York City.

In the initial phase of the Atkins diet, she says, people can lose at least

four pounds a week. But she says critics often don't understand that the

Atkins plan has four phases -- the initial weight loss phase, the ongoing

weight loss phase, the pre-maintenance phase and the lifelong maintenance

phase.

Each phase varies, depending on how much weight a person needs to lose and

how quickly it comes off, Heimowitz says. And, she adds, the maximums

suggested by Atkins -- a diet of 35 percent protein, 60 percent fat and 5

percent carbohydrates -- still fall within the upper limit of protein

consumption suggested recently by the National Academy of Sciences (news -

web sites).

But critics contend that even short-term deficits in carbohydrates can be

bad.

" Your brain absolutely needs carbs, " says Tribole, an Irvine, Calif.,

dietitian and author of numerous nutrition books. You need carbohydrates,

she explains, to get the amino acid tryptophan into the brain. And

tryptophan is crucial for maintaining levels of serotonin, which helps

elevate mood, she adds.

" If you have a history of depression in your family, a low-carb diet can be

bad news, " Tribole says.

" And if you are on a low-carb diet, it is going to be hard to exercise, " she

adds, because carbohydrates are " energy " foods.

Before beginning any weight-loss plan, Bonci suggests you administer a quick

survey of your eating habits. " Be really honest with yourself, " she

suggests. " What are you eating now? What are you willing to change? "

Think long term, not just in terms of what you will do in the coming weeks

regarding your eating habits, but in the coming years. Realize that

long-term weight control depends not just on healthful eating, but on

regular exercise, she says.

And always get your doctor's OK before beginning a weight loss or exercise

program.

What To Do

Jan. 19-25 is Healthy Weight Week.

For more information on diets and nutrition, see the U.S. Department of

Agriculture and the American Dietetic Association.