Eat Fat To Lose Weight: Why Low-Fat Diets Don't Work

Posted on: 26 November 2014

Are you trying to lose weight? Don't seek out traditional weight-loss recipes that are low in fat and high in sugar or carbohydrates: scientists are beginning to believe that fat isn't bad for you, but carbohydrates and sugar are.

The Low-Fat Diet Made America Fatter

It turns out that the so-called healthy diet containing lots of carbohydrates and very little fat may be the culprit behind why the population is fatter than ever. According to the Campaign To End Obesity, just twenty years ago, not a single state in the United States had an obesity rate above 15%. Now, 41 states have obesity rates of 25% or higher.

In the 1980s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture suggested that people eat more grains and less fat to reduce the risk of heart attack. Unfortunately, that resulted in people eating more calories per day and consuming far more sugar, as manufacturers created more and more low-fat products with extra sugar to make them taste better. New research is also showing that fat may not actually be bad for your heart and arteries, so if you're looking to lose weight, avoid the low-fat recipes.

Low-Carb Diets Burn Fat More Effectively

Low-carb diets help you to lose weight faster than other diets because they change the way the body fuels itself. Your body usually creates energy from glucose, a type of sugar that's stored in your muscles after you eat food containing carbs and sugar. When you cut down on your sugar and carb intake, your glucose storage becomes depleted and your body switches to a back-up method of energy production called ketosis.

When your body switches into ketosis, it stops storing glucose and creates ketones from fat you eat instead. In short, when you eat fat, your body immediately starts transforming it into an energy source that's used to power everything you do. So any form of exercise or movement is helping you to burn fat, not stored sugar. It also prevents fat from being stored instead of used, and also burns fat that's already stored more quickly than dieting and exercising on a traditional carb-heavy diet.

What To Look For In A Low-Carb Recipe

If you're interested in trying out a low-carb diet, seek out weight loss recipes that state that they're high in fiber, low in carbs and contain little or no sugar. Since your body needs fat on a low-carb diet to produce energy, don't be afraid if the recipes contain butter, oils, or other added fats. Leaving the skin on poultry and not cutting away excess fat on beef is also quite common in these recipes. It may initially feel like you're doing something bad for your health, but as your body adjusts, it'll start to use that fat as fuel instead of storing it.

In addition, go crazy with the leafy green vegetables! Fiber fills you up, and since fruit is generally avoided due to its higher carb count, veggies provide necessary nutrition that you can't get anywhere else.

Low-carb diets work for many people and there are great recipe resources on the internet to help you create amazing meals that fit the low-carb lifestyle. Always remember to consult with your doctor before starting a new diet to make sure it's right for you.

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