Does low carb mean high fat?

[spiritmum]

Not sure where to put this, but anyway...

Years ago when I was in my late teens I lost shed loads of weight doing the old-fashioned Rosemary Conley diet - the one now longer regarded as safe, her current plan hardly resembles it. My weight crept up after turning veggie at around 18 or 19. I'm now 39 and after 3 dc I'm a size 16.

I've done some reseach and everything I'm reading is pointing to at least low carb as the way to lose weight, but there also appears to be quite a bit of evidence in favour of high fat food replacing the carbs - as in Atkins - with a mix of opinions as to the amount of veg

Since turing veggie my carb consumption rocketed and now our meals are often based around it. I eat eggs and cheese but not meat or fish, although now it's because they make me ill rather than for moral reasons.

I don't know what to do. Should I eliminate the carbs but replace it with low fat foods, or high fat? Should I try to reintroduce meat or fish as vegetable protein is getting a bad press, too?

Can't get a definitive answer from my GP or the practice nurse.

Any ideas?

It's quite hard to do low carb as a veggie - its not so much high fat as high protein really.

I have relied a lot on tuna and other fish, and am also a meat eater. Cheese is quite carby, and you do have to watch it as a low carber. Eggs are fine. Quorn etc.

I am currently doing Dukan which is both low carb and low fat and bloody effective it is too, although obviously you don't eat like this forever. But how you do it as a vegetarian I don't know.

Can you tend more towards low GI - you know - complex carbs and all that, rather than low carb per se? Cut out the white processed stuff as afar as possible.

I have to go out but I wanted to post a quick 'no' to the question in your title.

Have a look at the GL Diet - I have been following the Patrick Holford version of the GL diet - there are others who write about this diet but I find his approach very informative and effective.

It is a weight loss programme but also a diet for life with many, many health benefits. I am not a vegetarian but it can be followed by vegetarians and he writes about this in his books.

Must run. Hope that helps.

Hello again! I've got the Rose Elliot book and weirdly today I've been having a low carb day. It works for me (for a finite amount of time, to be honest, I don't find it sustainable) because it tends to make me feel very full and slightly nauseous.

I'm alternating a low cal but healthy diet with a day or two of low carbing. It works alright when I stick to it. The Dukan Diet advocates having 1 protein day a week when you hit your target weight and it will help you maintain it.

Thanks everyone!

Riven I have the Rose Eliot book, my only issue with it is that the dc don't really go for it. That's another issue really; they are carboholics - am I damaging them? I have bought Gary Taube's book The Diet Delusion and frankly it's shocking me. Everything I've read os far seems to be discrediting the low fat diet and backing up the high fat way of eating - especially animal fat.

Katisha - I've doen cutting out refined carbs, but it hasn't made a lot of difference. I probably did still eat too high portions, but I often feel hungry even after eating whole grains. And wholewheat just makes me bloat.

Pinot - will check that out, thank you. In the past whenever I've read Holford he's been very anti dairy - will be interesting to see if he's softened on that.

Bohemia - thank you - haven't checked that diet out (not into diets really, just want something I can do for life). When you do low carb do you do low fruit/veg as Atkins recommends? I'm wondering what would happen if I did high(ish) fat with lots of veggies.

Here' ssomething interesting (well, to me anyway): I have decided to try eating cheddar again. Yesterday and today I had cheese omelettes and I found that I felt full (but not unpleasantly so) and I had more energy. My other meals have had lots of veggies. I've also gone over to full fat Greek yoghurt (yum!)

If anyone has any definitive sources of which diet is best I would be really grateful.

Also if any of you know which diet allows me to have a cup of chocolate each day

Thanks again everyone!

hi, i did the no carb diet for 2 weeks and lost 8lbs, I have only dieted once before and put it all back on straight after. This diet really worked and if you are organsied and get all the right food in the house it is very easy and you never go hungry! And this best bit is I did not put a single lb back on!
I will give it another shot to try to loose another 7lb when the kids are back at school!

I followed this book which was excellent and I would definately recommend it. www.amazon.co.uk/Neris-Indias-Idiot-proof-India-Knight/dp/067091648X

The thing is spiritmum we are all different & therefore react to diff diets in differing ways. I follow my blood type for health and Paul mckenna for weight loss I eat fruit AFTER a meal (when hungry).