A High Protein Low Carbohydrate Diet Is Key To Staying Slim
It sounds like something you've heard before...
and you have.
Lots of weight loss gurus have been saying what a team of European researchers now confirm - a high protein low carbohydrate diet is the best way to lose weight, and keep it off.
The work started by enrolling 773 men and women, and their families, from eight different European nations.
The families were randomly assigned to one of five weight maintenance diets for 26 weeks.
None of the plans restricted calories, but four of them did dictate the proportion of proteins, fats and refined carbs for each day.
One group had no restrictions and served as the control.
A bit more on the eating plans themselves.
There was a low-protein, low-GI diet; a low-protein, high-GI diet; a high-protein and low-GI and a high-protein and high-GI diet.
In the low-protein groups, subjects took in 13% of calories as protein; in the high-protein groups, 25% of total energy was protein.
A total of 71% (548) of those enrolled in the study completed it.
Only those who ate the low protein, high GI diet gained a lot of weight (about 3.
7 pounds).
When the team examined those in the high protein diet groups, they found these subjects gained less than those in the low protein groups.
Subjects in the study who lost at least 8% of their body weight using a low calorie eating plan and then spent the next 6 months on a maintenance diet that was high in protein and light on the refined carbs, were the least likely to regain.
And, the least likely to drop out of the study.
The carbs participants ate foods that were categorized as either high or low on the glycemic index.
You've probably heard about the glycemic index - the idea that different types of carbohydrates have distinct effects on blood sugar in the body - it was originally developed for diabetics.
The glycemic index (GI) ranks foods (from 0 to 100) in terms of what they do to blood glucose levels.
High GI foods (white bread, for example) tend to bring a rapid surge in blood sugar.
Low GI foods (whole grain breads, for instance) bring a slower change in blood sugar.
A glycemic index of 70 (or more) is considered high; 56-69 is medium and anything below 55 is low.
The trouble with eating a lot of high glycemic foods is that this continually pushes your body to extremes...
especially if you're not all that active or are overweight already.
Most labels don't give you the foods' GI rating, and this is one of the rare cases when it's not easy to find what you need on the internet either.
Of course researchers are quick to mention that you need to use common sense when applying the low glycemic principle in real life.
A hazelnut chocolate spread like Nutella has a lower GI than boiled carrots, but that does not mean it's better for you.
It's better to use the glycemic index idea in food groups - whole grain vs.
white bread, brown rice instead of white.
The take home message is that while losing weight can be a challenge, keeping it off calls for effort too.
The fact that in this work those on a high protein, low GI diet were most successful at doing this, and appeared to actually like this way of eating more, shows that it can be done...
and done well.
Want to give a high protein low carbohydrate diet a try? Experts suggest adding a serving of nuts or beans each day, and cutting out two servings of refined grains a week to see what happens.
You may be pleasantly surprised.
and you have.
Lots of weight loss gurus have been saying what a team of European researchers now confirm - a high protein low carbohydrate diet is the best way to lose weight, and keep it off.
The work started by enrolling 773 men and women, and their families, from eight different European nations.
The families were randomly assigned to one of five weight maintenance diets for 26 weeks.
None of the plans restricted calories, but four of them did dictate the proportion of proteins, fats and refined carbs for each day.
One group had no restrictions and served as the control.
A bit more on the eating plans themselves.
There was a low-protein, low-GI diet; a low-protein, high-GI diet; a high-protein and low-GI and a high-protein and high-GI diet.
In the low-protein groups, subjects took in 13% of calories as protein; in the high-protein groups, 25% of total energy was protein.
A total of 71% (548) of those enrolled in the study completed it.
Only those who ate the low protein, high GI diet gained a lot of weight (about 3.
7 pounds).
When the team examined those in the high protein diet groups, they found these subjects gained less than those in the low protein groups.
Subjects in the study who lost at least 8% of their body weight using a low calorie eating plan and then spent the next 6 months on a maintenance diet that was high in protein and light on the refined carbs, were the least likely to regain.
And, the least likely to drop out of the study.
The carbs participants ate foods that were categorized as either high or low on the glycemic index.
You've probably heard about the glycemic index - the idea that different types of carbohydrates have distinct effects on blood sugar in the body - it was originally developed for diabetics.
The glycemic index (GI) ranks foods (from 0 to 100) in terms of what they do to blood glucose levels.
High GI foods (white bread, for example) tend to bring a rapid surge in blood sugar.
Low GI foods (whole grain breads, for instance) bring a slower change in blood sugar.
A glycemic index of 70 (or more) is considered high; 56-69 is medium and anything below 55 is low.
The trouble with eating a lot of high glycemic foods is that this continually pushes your body to extremes...
especially if you're not all that active or are overweight already.
Most labels don't give you the foods' GI rating, and this is one of the rare cases when it's not easy to find what you need on the internet either.
Of course researchers are quick to mention that you need to use common sense when applying the low glycemic principle in real life.
A hazelnut chocolate spread like Nutella has a lower GI than boiled carrots, but that does not mean it's better for you.
It's better to use the glycemic index idea in food groups - whole grain vs.
white bread, brown rice instead of white.
The take home message is that while losing weight can be a challenge, keeping it off calls for effort too.
The fact that in this work those on a high protein, low GI diet were most successful at doing this, and appeared to actually like this way of eating more, shows that it can be done...
and done well.
Want to give a high protein low carbohydrate diet a try? Experts suggest adding a serving of nuts or beans each day, and cutting out two servings of refined grains a week to see what happens.
You may be pleasantly surprised.
Source...