Quick Poll: If you only focused on one of these for healthy eating would it be...

[praisefor3]

I know the poll is narrow. I know there are other important things. I know this won't fit everyone. I know both might be equally good. BUT if these are your only choices...in whatever current state you are with whatever medical issues you have (or don't have) or current goals...what would you choose?

[mytwomonkeys]

hands-down. it would be no refined sugar.

[Gratia271]

Minimizing sugar.

[jplain]

I believe you can make the biggest difference by eliminating white stuff (bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, tortillas, etc.) and sweet stuff (table sugar, honey, syrup, fruit juice).

 

If you can't eliminate, reduce as much as possible. For example, I might eat a small serving of "white stuff" once a week, ie. 1/3 cup of rice or potato or a few fries.

 

But I do eat some very dark chocolate (Black & Green's Mint). I give myself 6 small squares per day. It is necessary for sanity. :D

Edited November 5, 2010 by jplain

[kokotg]

I wouldn't focus on low-fat at all. From what I've read, I'm very skeptical of claims that a low-fat diet is necessarily better for you. Add in my family history of diabetes, and there's no contest.

[Tabrett]

I don't think fat is all that bad. Hydrolyzed fat is very bad, but butter, coconut oil, olive oil, and the likes are good.

 

Refined sugar=vary bad!

[DarcyB]

good fat = good for you!

 

refined sugars, not so much. And a low-fat diet tends to replace the fat with sugars, especially in processed foods.

[jplain]

Regarding the flaws of low fat diet advice, here's a very interesting article from the New York Times: What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?

 

The author expanded these ideas into a very thoroughly researched book: Good Calories, Bad Calories.

 

And he has another book coming out soon: Why We Get Fat, And What to Do About It.

[Tress]

good fat = good for you!

 

refined sugars, not so much. And a low-fat diet tends to replace the fat with sugars, especially in processed foods.

 

:iagree:

[praisefor3]

Ok so here's the motivation for the question. I did South Beach once. It puts a lot of emphasis on low/no sugar, they glycemic index, etc. I get that. I believe in that. Due to being "stuck" where I am and just needing something different as well as wanting an accountability group for at least a short while...I joined Weight Watchers. I have about 25 pounds I really want to lose to forever (hopefully) be at my lifetime weight. I have only been to one meeting but also am doing it online for info. I see very little emphasis on low sugar. There is far more emphasis on low fat. Things are rated by points. Points are figured by calories, fiber and fat. I do understand that calories can reflect sugars so there is SOME correlation there. But I don't get the whole low fat thing. Please don't discourage me of Weight Watchers. At least I'm doing something! :) But perhaps I just haven't been enough to understand the full program yet.

[Mejane]

Fat is not the enemy. Our bodies need fat to function. Just eat good fats - monounsaturated ones like olive oil, in moderation. Sugar IS the enemy. ;) It basically serves no good purpose, and is in fact harmful.

[Gwenhwyfar]

i voted 'low fat' - but i was thinking of my own situation when i answered; i can't eat high fat foods without my digestive system being very unhappy. (it doesn't matter if the fat is 'good' or 'bad', it still causes the same problems for me)

[jld]

I think the whole low-fat/low sugar debate is like a political debate between conservatives and liberals. Neither side is going to give, no matter what evidence is presented. Each side has their books, their arguments, their experts, their success stories.

 

And once people start saying how much better they feel on something, and how much they need a particular type of food, well, hey, the argument is over. How can anyone argue with someone's feelings and needs?

 

How about asking your WW leader why WW puts so much emphasis on low fat? It would be interesting to hear her response.

[Mom2J112903]

For *our* family it has to be low-fat due to J's Gastroparesis. He is allowed 15-20g of fat per day and 10g of fiber per day. Not easy, but we do what we have to so he can be healthy.

[sweetstitches]

My unscientific answer is that I think sugar makes you feel hungrier, whereas fat makes you feel fuller longer.

[Crimson Wife]

I joined Weight Watchers. I have about 25 pounds I really want to lose to forever (hopefully) be at my lifetime weight. I have only been to one meeting but also am doing it online for info. I see very little emphasis on low sugar. There is far more emphasis on low fat. Things are rated by points. Points are figured by calories, fiber and fat. I do understand that calories can reflect sugars so there is SOME correlation there. But I don't get the whole low fat thing. Please don't discourage me of Weight Watchers. At least I'm doing something! :) But perhaps I just haven't been enough to understand the full program yet.

 

The folks I know who have been successful long-term at WW use their points to choose healthy, "whole foods". If you're buying their pre-packaged stuff, you might lose weight in the near term but you probably won't keep it off.

[Melissa in Australia]

I wouldn't worry about low fat or low sugar. I wouldn't (and don't) eat any processed food. Food enters my kitchen in it's natural state only.

[Peela]

Ok so here's the motivation for the question. I did South Beach once. It puts a lot of emphasis on low/no sugar, they glycemic index, etc. I get that. I believe in that. Due to being "stuck" where I am and just needing something different as well as wanting an accountability group for at least a short while...I joined Weight Watchers. I have about 25 pounds I really want to lose to forever (hopefully) be at my lifetime weight. I have only been to one meeting but also am doing it online for info. I see very little emphasis on low sugar. There is far more emphasis on low fat. Things are rated by points. Points are figured by calories, fiber and fat. I do understand that calories can reflect sugars so there is SOME correlation there. But I don't get the whole low fat thing. Please don't discourage me of Weight Watchers. At least I'm doing something! :) But perhaps I just haven't been enough to understand the full program yet.

 

I completely understand your confusion. I am on Weight Watchers also at the moment, and I have been examining this issue for a while...because on Weight Watchers, I do lose weight, wheras on a raw food diet (with avocado and coconut), I dont.

Where I am sitting with it at the moment is...too many calories is too many calories.

If you are a healthy weight, its great to eat plenty of healthy fats. And yes they do sustain you longer, our brains need them etc. It is great there is a movement away from trans fats and towards whole foods with their natural fats.

But if you are overweight, there seems to be 2 different ways to lose weight. Restrict carbs, or restrict fat.

I have tried restricting carbs to very low- I feel awful. But it works for many because they can eat a lot of fat, which sustains them.

But...for many, overloading the liver with even healthy fats, makes the whole system sluggish. It is good for the liver to have a break from eating fats now and then. In natural cultures, there would often be a virtual fast period at the end of winter/early spring. The body gets a break from digesting heavy foods.

I love fat. I enjoy my avocado, my coconuts, my whole raw milk. I eat healthy foods. However....my weight was creeping up and I didnt like it. I tried going mostly raw- everyone says the weight drops off them- not me.

Eventually I realised...I was eating too much fat. Too much healthy fat. Just too much food, basically. My body was telling me that. I dont eat a lot of carbs, no sugar at all, so it wasnt that.

I agree we need to eat fats, and that the low fat fad of the last few decades has done more harm than good. It has led to low fat diet foods which are high in both natural and artificial sugars. We tend to take things out of context- or at least, manufaturers will exploit official health directives out of context. It's not healthy to eat low fat crap food, full stop. Being low fat doesn't stop it being crap. And trans fats are poison.

 

On Weight Watchers...you can eat really healthy. I do. The way to "fill up" is to eat a lot of vegetables. But it is always a wake up call as to how much food I need to eat. No where near as much as I actually do eat :) I estimate that before WW I was eating about twice the calories as WW puts me on. I love food and I have a metabolism that can eat a fair amount up to a point...then my weight creeps up.

 

So...I wouldn't focus on low fat OR low sugar with WW. Some days you might crave some fat. Others, some sugar. I can satisfy my sugar cravings with a home made bliss ball or a date or a small mango. I will put 1/4 of an avocado in my salad instead of eating a whole one over the day :) .

Mostly, though, I would focus on filling up with vegetables, and just not buying anything processed. The only WW thing I buy is cottage cheese, which I put on my toast instead of butter, for my morning egg on toast.

 

Once I lose another kg or two I will go on maintenance and add in butter and coconut oil and my home made raw chocolates etc. Meanwhile....I am re-training myself to not eat so. much. food. It's just a reality check for me and I quite enjoy the whole process.

[praisefor3]

Peela - That was great info and great perspective. On South Beach I DID lose 9-10 pounds in phase one while eating peanuts, avocado, cheese, etc. So when I started to reach for nuts when I first started WW and realized how many points I would consume it was confusing to realize that some of the "good" foods had now become "bad" foods.

 

Do you mind another question as I don't yet know anyone else on WW and have only been to one meeting. According to the WW calculation, I am supposed to be on 19 points. I have not "cheated" by going over points and last week I left nearly 30 in my "bank" unused. But I am still not losing like on SB. In two weeks the only "splurges" I've had have been one chocolate cookie yesterday because a co-worker gave it to me and I felt like she would be offended, and one small piece of cake on Halloween. But I counted it all. Yesterday we had chili at work and I ate a bowl at lunch and a small bowl at supper. So yesterday was: one small bowl of cereal, 1/2 c of milk, bowl of chili, cookie, small bowl of chili, and when I got home I drank 4 oz of juice and a package of WW pretzel thins. No snacking all day. That ended up costing me 22 points! I COULD eat more veggies but I would just be eating to eat as I don't really need any more quantity. And I don't usually have 1 1/2 bowls of chili every day. Some days are a wheat thin with ham. But on SB the chili would have been a "good" food with the meat, tomatoes, beans.

 

At my first weigh in I had actually gained 6/10 of a pound but I did learn some lessons about weigh in. I wore jeans and at my initial weigh in I had worn regular pants. My initial was at 10a.m. and my next time was at 6pm. I drank a big glass of sugar free lemonade about an hour before. So I sabotaged the weigh in but I was expecting to have lost enough that those things wouldn't matter!

 

So...any other thoughts you may have would be greatly appreciated. I am continuing onward but when people say they eat lots of fruits and veggies for filling foods I don't know how I would do that. I'm not really going hungry. But for meals I don't want JUST veggies so even if I eat a "good" meal I have used up all my points!

[Whereneverever]

Keep in mind I'm eating chocolate chip banana bread as I answer this ;) but I'd have to say low sugar. I really believe the body needs fat.

[Cinder]

At my first weigh in I had actually gained 6/10 of a pound but I did learn some lessons about weigh in. I wore jeans and at my initial weigh in I had worn regular pants. My initial was at 10a.m. and my next time was at 6pm. I drank a big glass of sugar free lemonade about an hour before. So I sabotaged the weigh in but I was expecting to have lost enough that those things wouldn't matter!

 

I think the bolded above is key. I've always heard you should weigh yourself at the same time of day because your weight will fluctuate a bit throughout the day. Dh came home from a work trip kind of down about having gained a couple pounds when he was very careful about what he ate on his trip. Well, before he left he weighed himself in the morning. When he came back it was evening when he'd weighed himself again. We talked about the weighing yourself at the same time of day thing and this morning when he weighed himself those couple extra pounds were no longer there. You may have actually lost weight overall but the time of day thing affected those results.

 

BTW I voted sugar. Dh has done low fat and low sugar and has achieved overall better health results (not necessarily total weight loss) with low sugar.

 

Cinder

[Denisemomof4]

while animal fats are bad for you, sugar is absolutely worse. I'd focus on cutting out sugar first and then focus on only having GOOD fats. Limit bad.

[Chris in VA]

Praisefor3,

I was on WW off and on for a couple of years.

I don't think you are eating enough, and that can derail your weight loss.

 

Some tips--

 

Eat the veggies--you need the micronutrients, the fiber, etc.

Wear virtually the same clothes at the weigh in every time.

Weigh at the same time of day (most go to the same meeting every week).

Pee before you go to get rid of any extra water weight.

Watch your salt (no pretzels/popcorn/chips/frozen meals) the day before and the day of the weigh in. This give you a more accurate reading.

Eat 4 small meals evenly spaced throughout the day to keep up your metabolism.

At first, try for single ingredient foods--chili is great, and you certainly can have it, but it's easier to keep track (and uses less points) to start by using non combo foods.

Eat as tho you were not on a diet, but the way you would eat the rest of your life.

Make use of the 2 pt and 3 pt meals listed in your materials--they are great tips.

[mcconnellboys]

I said low sugar, remembering that carbs are sugar, too, and in particular I would steer clear of high fructose corn syrup....

[Dawn in OH]

Minimizing sugar.

 

I've done both over the years. I can tell you from experience that I have had the most weight loss and felt better over all with minimizing sugar. And I don't just mean foods with sugar added or sweets themselves. I've reduced my serving sizes on bread, pasta, etc. I eat whole wheat bread and brown rice, both in smaller quantities than in the past.

 

FWIW, I also eat a minimal amount of processed foods (that alone helps with the sugar issue because most processed foods have added sugar or HFCS, even in products that don't need sweetening). Really minimal.

 

I feel better now at 37 than I did at 27.

[Peela]

Peela - That was great info and great perspective. On South Beach I DID lose 9-10 pounds in phase one while eating peanuts, avocado, cheese, etc. So when I started to reach for nuts when I first started WW and realized how many points I would consume it was confusing to realize that some of the "good" foods had now become "bad" foods.

 

Do you mind another question as I don't yet know anyone else on WW and have only been to one meeting. According to the WW calculation, I am supposed to be on 19 points. I have not "cheated" by going over points and last week I left nearly 30 in my "bank" unused. But I am still not losing like on SB. In two weeks the only "splurges" I've had have been one chocolate cookie yesterday because a co-worker gave it to me and I felt like she would be offended, and one small piece of cake on Halloween. But I counted it all. Yesterday we had chili at work and I ate a bowl at lunch and a small bowl at supper. So yesterday was: one small bowl of cereal, 1/2 c of milk, bowl of chili, cookie, small bowl of chili, and when I got home I drank 4 oz of juice and a package of WW pretzel thins. No snacking all day. That ended up costing me 22 points! I COULD eat more veggies but I would just be eating to eat as I don't really need any more quantity. And I don't usually have 1 1/2 bowls of chili every day. Some days are a wheat thin with ham. But on SB the chili would have been a "good" food with the meat, tomatoes, beans.

 

At my first weigh in I had actually gained 6/10 of a pound but I did learn some lessons about weigh in. I wore jeans and at my initial weigh in I had worn regular pants. My initial was at 10a.m. and my next time was at 6pm. I drank a big glass of sugar free lemonade about an hour before. So I sabotaged the weigh in but I was expecting to have lost enough that those things wouldn't matter!

 

So...any other thoughts you may have would be greatly appreciated. I am continuing onward but when people say they eat lots of fruits and veggies for filling foods I don't know how I would do that. I'm not really going hungry. But for meals I don't want JUST veggies so even if I eat a "good" meal I have used up all my points!

 

What is "chilli" to you? Here in Australia we just call chilli, the chilli plant/fruit. Is it a spicy meal with beans vegies and chilli? Any vegies at all?

Because from what I see, your day was full of carbs- cereal, cookie, pretzels and juice are carbs, and chilli may be high carbs too.

 

Keep in mind WW varies slightly between countries, but its pretty similar. I am on 18 points, but I take an hour long walk which gives me another 2.5 points, which I often don't spend- or I save for going out for hot chocolate with dh one evening. You do need to spend your 19 points most days, or your body goes into starvartion mode and hoards its fat.

 

There is a healthy eating guide on our Aussie WW points tracking page. You are meant to tick off each of these each day, if you can- 3 serves of dairy, 2 of fruit, 6 vegetables, 8 liquids, 2 lean protein, 3 healthy fats, and only 1 wholegrain. So...it seems to me they ARE trying to minimise the carbs AND make sure you are eating sufficient fat. Of course, one serve of healthy fat is only 1 tsp.

 

Here is what I am typically eating:

Breakfast- one slice of healthy wholemeal bread, 1 tbs cottage cheese, one egg soft boiled, salt, 2 cups of tea- I use stevia to sweeten- and a total of 1/2 cup low fat milk in my tea. Some days, a glass of fresh orange juice. With the orange juice- thats 5 points.

 

Lunches

6 points- Taco soup- 1 serve tomato /bean/chilli soup, 25gms corn chips, 20gms grated cheese, 1 tbs light sour cream

6.5 points- wholemeal pasta (90gms dry), pesto (homemade, 1 tbs), salad.

3.5 points- double serve of vegetable soup, 40gms avocado, salad.

6 points- 1 cup cooked sweet potato, 1 small can tuna, 50gms avocado, vinaigrette

4 points- 2 serves of chickpea and vegetable patties with tomato salsa

 

Dinners:

7 points- small piece of salmon, mashed potatoes, peas, salad

3 points- lentil pattie, salad

7 points- chicken curry, basmati raice

5 points- vegetarian spagghetti bolognaise (sauce is no points) with cheese.

 

Snacks- a small mango or other fruit, one anzac biscuit, piece of dark chocolate.

 

One of my favourite snacks is 1 cup of frozen blueberries for only half a point. If I am hungry, blueberries and no fat organic yoghurt is a low point snack- or meal.

 

Does that give you an idea? Diet drinks are bad for you- and not good for your weight either. Drink water or dilute juices or herbal teas.

I am going into summer here so I am eating more salad. If I were going into winter as you are I would eat more steamed/baked vegies and I would find some way of eating them that appealed to me- for me it might be some sort of sauce made from Braggs (or soy sauce) and ginger and garlic. And/or cottage cheese. For me, adding sufficient salt and spices tends to compensate somewhat for the lack of flavour that fat adds.

[Liz CA]

Eliminate the sugar as much as possible.

Switch to coconut oil or olive oil as far as oils are concerned. I don't worry too much about other "fats." Nothing hydrogenated, though.

[OrganicAnn]

I can understand having the narrow poll, you'd get such diverse responses. Well here is my diverse response anyway :)

 

For our family, we really don't do low fat and while we try to not over indulge in sugar, we are probably not low sugar (although I'm not sure where line is).

 

We are a low salt, lots of organic vegetables, low meat. Healthy fats and no overindulging in sugar.