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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that the fat you eat is the fat you wear?

503 replies

florafawna · 30/10/2018 08:35

New study finds that fat consumption is the only cause of weight gain

medicalxpress.com/news/2018-07-fat-consumption-weight-gain.html

I know carbs are the villain at the moment, but it's only a matter of time before fat is the villain again.

I am on a low-fat diet and am sticking to that, I think, even though I am unfashionable. For the moment! Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
florafawna · 30/10/2018 09:06

I used to love the F-plan and always lost weight on it - hope it does come back in fashion and we get better recipies!

Wow, yes, I remember that. Didn't the "F" stand for "farting"? Wink

OP posts:
Caprisunorange · 30/10/2018 09:07

Don’t be ridiculous witches. There is plenty of evidence to say low fat is a healthy way to live and lose weight. Comparing it to the earth is flat is pathetic

Original poster
florafawna · 30/10/2018 09:07

High fat low carb is a myth, and we’ll be laughing at people who fell for it in 30 years

Yes. We had this already in the 70s (Atkins, anyone?) then that fell out of favour.

OP posts:
Caprisunorange · 30/10/2018 09:08

Yep well we probably won’t laugh because they’ll all be dying from stomach cancer and heart diease so it won’t really be funny but YKWIM

CovenofMiLsfromHades · 30/10/2018 09:09

When I did Rosemary Connelly years ago you had to restrict fat and calories. Why not simply restrict calories, then you can eat normal food and no need to faff about or miss out on something you like occasionally because of fat grams.

Original poster
florafawna · 30/10/2018 09:10

you really mean low fat supermarket foods like coleslaw/yogurts/processed foods etc where there is a low fat option.... crisps/biscuits/ice cream

I certainly don't. They are too processed foods IMO. Never have them in the house these days.

OP posts:
BowTieBaby · 30/10/2018 09:11

Regardless of fats v carbs v calories

You have a lot to learn about research design if you think a study that looks at mice for 7 days can be externally generalised to the eating habits of the human population over a period of years.

SoupDragon · 30/10/2018 09:12

I just think it's a matter of time before the wheel turns and we're back to high carb/low fat.

Given they've managed to "prove" every kind of diet recommendation, then surely the answer is simply to eat a balanced diet.

needsanewname · 30/10/2018 09:12

Or how about we don't demonise any food and we eat everything in moderation?

Low fat stuff is just pumped full of sugar anyway. Way worse that their full fat versions.

NameChanger22 · 30/10/2018 09:13

Low carb dieting never worked for me, I lost virtually nothing after nearly a year. I know it works for some people, but not all. At my age it is very difficult to lose weight not matter what I try.

I think the best diet is vegan. It's very difficult to eat an unhealthy diet as a vegan. It is still possible to eat too many calories, but I don't gain weight as a vegan no matter how much I eat. I would recommend to everyone.

Lovemusic33 · 30/10/2018 09:13

Lots of different diets work by cutting back on one food type (carbs, fat, sugar) but I think in the long term a diet which includes these food groups but in moderation will help you maintain weight loss.

Our bodies need a bit of everything, cutting out something completely can effect our health, can make us low in some vitimans or proteins.

So there is no right or wrong diet, different things work for different people.

I eat limited carbs, try not to eat too much fat but I kind of slip up with the sugar as a have a sweet tooth 🤣

PinkPupZ · 30/10/2018 09:14

Bollocks

Some people have lipodema
Some people have odema
Some people have thyroid disease
Some people have to eat diets which many replacement foods are higher in fat (coeliac etc)
Some people are in a wheelchair and can't exercise as much

Your argument is too simplistic

EricTheGuineaPig · 30/10/2018 09:15

Good old fashioned calorie counting works best for me too op. I'm a veggie and not mad keen on eggs. Love my carbs and they make me feel just as full as high protein stuff does. Call me a dinosaur if you like but I'm all for everything in moderation. I even - gasp - eat things with sugar in!

I can completely understand other stuff works for other people but what does my head in most about low carb discussion on here is it is so often touted as the ONLY way to eat healthily and lose weight. That is absolute bollocks. It is ONE way that works well for plenty of people I'm sure but it really isn't the only sustainable and healthy way to lose weight.

Caprisunorange · 30/10/2018 09:16

“Low fat stuff is just pumped full of sugar anyway. Way worse that their full fat versions.”

Ok, for the SECOND TIME what is pumped into semi skimmed milk, fat free greeek yogurt, low fat cheese?!

Dahlietta · 30/10/2018 09:16

You are not being unreasonable to point out that dieting comes in fads and that a low fat diet could still be a good diet for people to lose weight through.
However, your title gives away the fact that you really don't understand how eating works.

FurryDogMother · 30/10/2018 09:17

I spent around 30 years going on one low fat diet after another. I could lose weight, and be totally miserable doing it, and it wasn't a way of eating I could sustain for more than a few months - too restrictive and austere. In my late 40s I discovered low carb eating - and it changed my life! Who knew you could have eggs and bacon for breakfast and still lose weight? Who knew you didn't have to count a single thing, just stick to low carb foods? Who would have guessed that I could lose 5 stone and keep it off for years?

Yeah, low fat dieting works, but it is a joyless way to eat. Low carb is luxurious, and the food is a pleasure to eat - and it works. So, yeah, am sure people will lose weight on low fat diets - but I feel so sorry for them and have no intention of changing what works for me.

Juells · 30/10/2018 09:17

I eat an enormous amount of fat, in the form of butter and cream, and I'm not overweight. I don't eat meat though, only fish.

I don't know how anyone diets, I'm like a bitch out of hell if I'm hungry. :(

WithAFaeryHandInHand · 30/10/2018 09:17

Low fat stuff is just pumped full of sugar anyway. Way worse that their full fat versions.

This isn’t true of all low fat foods. Some foods are naturally low in fat, like lean protein, pulses and most plants. Low fat dairy has a higher percentage of sugar, because they’ve removed something. So if they remove one part, the percentage of everything else will obviously rise. If they somehow removed all the sugars and carbs from milk, the fat would rise. It hasn’t been pumped full of anything.

Obviously, some low fat convenience shite might be full of refined sugar; haribo is low fat for example. But anyone who eats that probably isn’t on a healthy eating plan anyway.

Limensoda · 30/10/2018 09:18

If I eat a cooked breakfast eggs, sausage, bacon etc...I'm not hungry until early evening and don't want any snacks.
I only lose weight by cutting out or down on carbs/sugar.

Original poster
florafawna · 30/10/2018 09:18

Given they've managed to "prove" every kind of diet recommendation, then surely the answer is simply to eat a balanced diet

That is likely the most sensible solution, I agree. There is different advice being given all the time. So confusing.

I just can't bring myself to eat really high-fat foods these days, but I guess I could relax it a little. I was worried about my gallbladder for a while (grumbling?) but it has settled now.

I am 4.5 stones lighter than I was though and my bloods are perfect.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-cholesterol/

My cholesterol was so low, the nurse asked if I was on statins (I'm not).

The NHS cite eating saturated fat as a baddie for your heart. The liver makes the cholesterol it needs already.

OP posts:
RandomObject · 30/10/2018 09:19

I do agree however that yes, faddy demonisation of one food group is likely to always be overly simplistic, different people have different things that work for them, and barring metabolic disorders or other health conditions, it's as simple as needing to take in the energy you burn.

The current anti-fruit sentiment really gets me - we are bloody apes, apes eat fruit and a bit of roughage and the odd bird or insect, we were fruit eaters for most of our recent natural history!

IcedPurple · 30/10/2018 09:21

Fat is very rich and you don't get much for your calories.

Fat is absolutely essential in a healthy diet. No, not transfats or that crap, but healthy fats from, say, olive oil or avocados. Protein is also absolutely essential. Ever heard of 'essential amino acids' or 'essential fatty acids'?

On the other hand, there are no 'essential carbohydrates'. If you never ate another slice of bread or pasta dish again, your health would not suffer and would probably improve. Your weight might too. However, if you omitted fat or protein, your health would suffer considerably.

Haffiana · 30/10/2018 09:21

Why are you advocating low fat, when surely the MOST reliable, irrefutably the best method to lose weight is to simply eat less?

CaptSkippy · 30/10/2018 09:23

Adam Ruins Everything has a good take on this:

GrabEmByThePatriarchy · 30/10/2018 09:24

As a total non-expert, it seems to me that there's going to be a lot of variation in the diet that's optimum for weight loss because some people feel fuller for longer on different things.