|
Are you carefully counting your calories but not maintaining your weight or
losing as you'd like? Perhaps you should consider changing your approach.
Encouraging new research suggests that fat reduction can help keep weight off
with fewer fluctuations than a traditional calorie-counting diet. Fifty-one
overweight men women were randomly assigned to low-fat or low-calorie test diets
for four to five months. The low-fat group cut back far intake to about 1 ounce
per day, with no other calorie restrictions. The low-calorie group was on a
strict diet ( 1,200 calories per day for women; 1,500 calories for men ),
cutting both fat and carbohydrate intake.
Individuals in the low-calorie
group lost more weight ( an average of 21.6 pounds versus 12.3 pounds ) during
the study than those who restricted only fat. But they also gained more weight
back after the study ended. At a 9- to 12-month follow-up, the low-fat group had
regained back much less weight, on average, than the low calorie group. The
low-fat group had regained an average of 3.3 pounds; the low-calorie group
regained an average of 13 pounds. So the low-fat group is the one that actually
came out ahead. They didn't lose as much at first, but unlike the
calorie-restricted group, they managed to keep most of it off - " the
real goal of a successful weight-loss plan ".
Now more than ever before, diet experts are convinced that
reducing dietary fat plays a major role in lifelong weight
control. But you can only reduce fat if you know where to find it.
With a little practice, buying and eating lean will become second
nature, and before you know it, the extra pounds will begin to
disappear! |
