Low fat won’t make you thin! Carbohydrates are the key

Many people who want to lose weight pay special attention to avoiding excessive fat intake in their diet, but can a low-fat diet really help them lose weight? Over the past 40 years, most people have agreed with the view that fat is the main cause of obesity. However, a recent research report published in the authoritative journal "New England Journal of Medicine" has put forward a different view. Some fitness coaches have even conducted personal experiments and found that a low-fat diet actually increases weight.

Fat is innocent! Research has found that carbohydrates may be a bigger cause of obesity than fat. (Photo/Taken from the British Daily Mail)

According to the British Daily Mail, a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine (BMC Medicine) stated that the low-fat, high-carbohydrate weight loss method is outdated. Carbohydrates are sometimes the key to obesity because carbohydrates promote the body's secretion of insulin. The more insulin the body produces, the easier it is to store fat.

Should I eat high-fat or low-fat to lose weight? Fitness trainer's personal experiment

In addition, a British personal fitness trainer named Sam also conducted an experiment on himself. In his experimental plan, he set the daily calorie intake at an average of 5,000 calories. However, he implemented a low-fat and high-carbohydrate diet in the first three weeks, and changed to a higher-fat, low-carbohydrate diet in the other three weeks; but the total calories were the same.

Logically speaking, if gaining weight is due to too high calories, then both diets should result in the same amount of weight gain. However, the experimental results found that the low-fat diet made him gain 16 pounds (about 7kg) and his waist circumference increased by 3.7 inches (9.5cm); but in the three weeks of high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet, he only gained 2.5 pounds (1.3kg) and his waist circumference even decreased by 1 inch (2.5cm).

The fitness coach used himself as an experimental subject, and compared the low-fat and high-carbohydrate diet with the high-fat and low-carbohydrate diet for 3 weeks. He found that the low-fat diet made him gain more weight (Photo/Taken from the British Daily Mail)

Carbohydrates may increase cholesterol risk

Experiments have shown that the amount of fat in the diet is not the only factor causing obesity; instead, excessive carbohydrate intake is the key factor affecting body shape. In addition to the changes in weight and body shape, Sam later underwent a physical examination and found that after three weeks of a high-carbohydrate diet, the triglycerides in his blood increased by 4 times, while the good cholesterol HDL also decreased, indicating that carbohydrates have a significant impact on cholesterol levels and human metabolism.

Past studies have found that refined carbohydrates stimulate insulin secretion, increase hunger, reduce energy used for metabolism and physical activity, and even lead to the risk of heart disease and chronic diseases. In addition, the reason why fat has become something people fear and dare not eat is that its calories are much higher than carbohydrates. If you only look at the calories, you will naturally think that eating fat will make you fat.

However, in fact, many products on the market that claim to be low-fat use sugar, salt and artificial additives to replace the taste and flavor of fat, which actually increases the risk of obesity. Therefore, when choosing food, we cannot just look at a single nutrient or calorie. The most ideal diet for losing weight and maintaining body shape is to eat more protein and fat and less carbohydrates.

★《Don’t be picky eaters》Carbohydrates are as important as fats!