Question:
NEED HELP WITH LOW CARBS AND LOW FAT..............................

Hello everyone I am just wondering about low carb foods if I am doing low carbs should I be worried about the amount of fat in the food or not also I was wondering about some other low carb foods other than meat, eggs, cheese, and some drinks any advice is appreciated thanks everyone from the support    — JENNIFER S. (posted on May 16, 2004)

May 16, 2004
Are you doing such low carbs because your surgeon advised you to or because this site advised you to? I assume that most people's surgeons want them to go low carb? If so, you listed pretty much all the naturally low carb foods there are. However, science is making all sorts of foods that are generally carb filled in a low carb way. I don't do low carb, I just make sure to do protein first, so I don't really know. As far as whether you have to do low fat along with low carb? I don't think fat has ever been the real culprit, it's just gotten a bad rep for being "FAT". I read in my Glamour, I believe, that back in the 70's, "FAT" became the culprit of choice for weight gain. When people avoided the fat in their foods, they lost weight, because high fat and high calorie foods were pretty much one and the same. However, in the 80's, science found a way around this. They produced low fat, high calorie foods-something that prior hadn't been seen. For example, a cookie in the 1970's would have, say, 12 grams of fat and 300 calories. It was both high fat and calorie laden. Snackwells came up with the technology that allowed them to lower the fat to, say, 2 grams-but this was at the expense of the calories, which doubled. People saw the low fat count, ate as many as they wanted, and ballooned in weight. So, as you can see, the real culprit is and always has been the CALORIE. And while the saying, "a calorie is a calorie is a calorie" may not be true-there are healthier calories than others-science will never change the fact that if you eat fewer calories than you expend, you will lose weight. I would not worry about the fat if I were you-that's not to suggest guzzling a bottle of vegetable oil, but try not to worry too much about it unless it causes you to dump.
   — jenn_jenn

May 16, 2004
The way I do it is: If I'm following strict Atkin's, I use only 20 gm of carbs per day, then don't care about the fat amounts. BUT..if I'm not on Atkin's, I do high protein but low fat, so like Tuna, chicken vs bacon, cheese. 4+ years out and no gain.
   — ZZ S.

May 17, 2004
Jennifer~I strongly suggest that you ask your question of a dietitian. A balanced diet is so critically important for long-term health, that I really think you need an expert opinion (as a previous poster said: are you doing this because your doc said to, or because you read on here that you "should"?) While I find this site to be incredibly supportive and informative, I also find it to be sometimes misleading and uninformed--caught up in the fad of the moment. Your body absolutely needs some carbohydrates to function properly. Carbohydrates are the preferred fuel source for our hearts, brains and lungs, for them to function efficiently, and your brain REQUIRES carbs to function adequately (this explains why many people on low-carb diets describe themselves as feeling "fuzzy" and unfocused at times). The trick to a balanced diet is to balance the fat, protein and carbs in a healthy way. It is generally REFINED carbohydrates that cause problems as they are digested quickly, spike blood sugar levels (which can lead to hunger and cravings), and often have lower levels of nutrients than other food choices. However, the carbohydrates found in vegetables, whole grains and fruits are essential to your health. They provide a variety of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals) that you cannot get anywhere else, even from vitamin supplements, and necessary fiber. A more useful approach to your question would be how to balance healthful carbohydrates with fats and proteins (the three types of food sources, along with alcohol). We are each different, and our doctors have different protocols, so you really should get a medical professional for this question. Nutrition is too important to leave to opinion, however well-meaning. Best wishes to you.
   — Vespa R.