So here are two good questions for anyone who wants to lose weight!! (and who doesn’t??)
Which is more detrimental to weight loss, carbs or fats?
Which produces more weight loss, dieting or exercise?
Who hasn’t asked themselves these questions before? Someone, you say? Yeah, well are they still BREATHING??
(I doubt it…). They ARE good questions. So here goes!
So which group, carbs or fats, is more harmful to losing weight? It is the carbs, hands down.
When I was in medical school we learned that there are 9 kcals/gr of fat and only 4 kcals/gr of carbs. So carbs are better, right? Nope. Refined carbs (white bread, white rice, potato, and SUGAR COATED BREAKFAST CEREALS or anything like them) produce a surge in insulin when we consume them. The insulin quickly drives those calories into fat cells where they become stored energy (medical speak for FAT!). As the calories leave the blood stream this way, receptors tell our brains that our blood sugar is low and that we need to eat again, sooner than we would if we had consumed fat. This leads to cyclic, more rapid eating and increased fat deposition. And good bye to the bikini for another summer!!
So are all carbs bad? No. But the more refined they are (sugar is the most refined carb), the worse they are. White rice is worse than wild rice, white bread worse than heavy, whole grain bread, etc. And if you will couple even the good carbs with a protein, that will blunt that insulin spike and stave off that hunger response longer. This needn’t be meat or cheese. Cooked beans or legumes of any kind are a better choice. That is why most of the third world eats beans and rice (a nonfat protein and a carb). Or celery with some peanut butter in the groove—another good choice.
And the question of dieting vs. exercise?? In general you will lose 75-80% of your weight by changing your eating patterns and another 20-25% by exercising. (Actually I always counted on 5-10% from re-programming my home scales….but don’t tell my doctor…). And the exercise that is best is aerobic (walking, biking, swimming, jumping rope—that which gets your heart pumping and your breathing increased).
Of course, balance and common sense is still most important. Vegetable fats (oils) may not have any carbs or cholesterol, but I wouldn’t drink it regularly as a beverage and expect to be thin. I used to have an old Hermann cartoon that showed a male patient in a hospital bed who is casted head to toe—just his beady eyes visible—arm and one leg in a trapeze apparatus over the bed. Standing beside the bed is a doctor holding a clip board and telling the patient:
“Your insurance is denying all coverage on this accident because of a pre-existing condition, Mr. Smith. They say you were already an idiot before you rollerbladed backwards down the freeway at rush hour!”
I have lots of medical textbooks, but Hermann is my last authority!
If Hermann, common sense, and easily explained, useful information sounds like Medical care the way you would like it, then call us (356-8883) and get in, and let’s talk!
There is a lot more where the Hermann joke came from….
Your doctor appointment is waiting….!
