Fat vs carbs & Low GI food

[Mum of 3]

Ok, here goes... I have some questions which I hope will make sense!

1. Low fat vs Low carbs
In maintenance or I guess for anyone out there (incl. non Cohen's) who is generally watching their weight and wants to maintain a healthy diet, is it better to eat low fat foods even though the carb content is generally higher? From what I understand the amount and type of carbs you consume is directly related to the amount of insulin you produce so if you want to keep this to a minimum should you be opting for low fat or low carbs? For example, low fat ice-cream, yoghurt, cheese, mayo etc. all tend to have a higher carb content. I suspect low fat is always going to be the better choice but was hoping someone could explain the 'science' behind it.

2. Low GI food
After the programme should we also be mindful of eating low GI foods as this is also related to insulin production. For eg. if you do choose to eat bread, would it be better to eat low GI bread eg. Burgen brand etc. or is it more about the amount of carbs you eat?

For those of you I haven't confused !!!! any insights would be great.

[Hayley23]

I'm still relatively new to maintenance so i'll keep this brief...

Tried low GI, tried it all. In my experience most of the 'common sense' guidelines we grew up adhering to are a croc of sh*t. When you reach your goal weight and order your refeed, you will receive a set of maintenance guidelines. Follow them and you will maintain your weight.

Forget the 'low fat food fad' as its really a BIG FAT LIE! Moderate amounts of fat are good for us and help our organs to work efficiently. Also our brain is actually made up of mostly fat!

A lot of what we grew up beleiving is healthy and the right way to eat is, in actual fact, the WRONG way to eat to keep our hormones balanced. For example, "eat most of your day's carbs in the morning to ensure you burn them off during the day". I bet you have heard that one before? Well just so happens this is one of the worst things we can do for our bodies. Once you reach maintenance and receive your guidelines, they will reveal all. Trust in what Dr Cohen says and you will remain a healthy, happy maintainer.

A good way to gage what foods are good in maintenance is to think about how our ancestors ate: Veges, fruit, lean proteins, fish etc. - foods that are close to their natural state. Also be aware of the amount of additives/preservatives in what you eat - I beleive these were a big part of the reason my body was not working properly. If the types of foods I just listed make up the largest chunk of your diet then you will automatically be eating pretty clean and be doing so effortlessly.

Packeted and processed muck is fine to have now and again, just be smart about it. Always read labels and try to keep carby meals to once a day. In maintenance, you will definately have to be more aware of carb intake vs fat intake.

Once you finish your program your weight shouldnt be the only thing that has changed. Your mind should also have changed. After learning about what our body likes and what it doesnt like and seeing the benifits of the program, i'm sure you'll find yourself gravitating towards the foods that you know are going to do you a world of good.

I hope this has helped a little and wish you all the best.

Hayley x

[shell]

"Low Fat" food has less fat but a higher sugar/carb content.

As Hayley has said you do need good fats in your diet for organ function and also good fats will also "fill" you up.

From reading a lot of body building sites, if you eat a high carb meal, limit the fat you have with it as it much more likely to be stored as fat, a high protein no carb meal-have your good fat.

Check the ingredients list on foods, a rule of thumb is if sugar is in the first 4 ingredients listed, eat very sparingly or not at all!

Shell

[AuthenticMe]

What I have also learnt is to listen to what my body is telling me.

[lessfatty]

I agree overall with Harley.

My experience post refeed was that I put on weight only when I start eating more carbs (particularly breads, pastas, potato kinds). Pizza and beer followed by a desert of donuts ...that is probably the worst possible meal I can choose to eat given my body's "condition". Just as I found out during Cohen that I have an allergy to milk that gives me Asthma (which just in case you dont know my Cohen story was the best thing ever in my life to rid my life of Asthma). I just have to admit to myself that whilst, I like eating big carb meals like pasta...this food is not something my body can process correctly, I have an "Allergy" to big carb foods which results in obesity.

Even when I eat big carb meals I feel hungry soon and want a "snack" of you guessed it... more carbs (salt and vinger potato chips).

Low GI or low carb, either or both are the way to go, keep you insulin levels down. I think most of us you have been obese have found they put on weight easily and quickly with Carbs, I havent heard of anyone say they kept the weight off chosing low fat high carb diet.

My faviourite take away is Nando's, I have a full 1/2 chicken but I eat it with salad never chips, I feel statisfied for hours and hours.