PERSONAL HEALTH:
Sane weight loss in a carb-obsessed world

By Jane E. Brody,  New York Times

No, it's not some weird dessert. It is Hood's Carb Countdown Dairy Beverage, a low-carb substitute for skim milk, and the manufacturer says it provides "75 percent less carbs and 50 percent more protein than whole milk." A half-gallon of the Hood's beverage sells for $3.99, compared with $1.48 for the same amount of regular skim milk.

This costly milk replacement is one of scores of products that manufacturers are selling to cash in on the mania for low-carb diets with products intended mainly for those who find the dietary restrictions of Atkins and his ilk too stringent to maintain.

Is low-carb necessary?

None of my slender friends and acquaintances eat a low-carb diet. Nor do the world's slimmest people: Far Easterners who subsist on rice, and not even brown rice, but refined white rice.

I'm not endorsing a white-rice diet. Rather, I'm trying to make a point that you don't have to eat low-carb to remain slim or to lose weight and keep it off.

My friend Bob Silberberg told me recently that he'd lost 72 pounds "so far" over the course of a year.

"Did you do Atkins?" I asked.

"No way!" he exclaimed. "I work out at the gym for an hour a day, and I changed to a heart-healthy diet -- whole grains, low-fat cottage cheese, fruit, soup, fish, salad, regular dinners."

He added: "I didn't cut anything out, but as I lost weight, I found I needed less food and became less focused on food. I don't feel deprived, and I expect to eat this way for the rest of my life."

As a recent 12-week study of 34 men and women in their 60s demonstrated, those who consumed, without caloric restrictions, a diet high in fiber-rich carbohydrates (63 percent of calories, with 26 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories), low in fat (18 percent of calories) and moderate in protein lost more weight and a higher percentage of body fat than did those who ate the same number of calories of a typical American diet, that is, one high in fat (41 percent of calories) and relatively low in carbs (45 percent of calories).

The study showed that those on a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet could lose weight, reduce body fat and preserve muscle mass, even without any change in caloric intake, as long as the carbs were low in added sugars and refined starches. The weight was lost without the low-carb diet requirement to avoid delicious, healthful fruits and to eat lots of fiber-free and fat-laden eggs, cheese and meats instead. (The study by researchers at the University of Arkansas for the Medical Sciences and Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System in Little Rock was published in January in Archives of Internal Medicine.)

How can this happen? It happens because fiber-rich carbohydrates offer three major benefits to the weight-conscious eater: They hold water in the gut, they take longer to digest and some of their calories are eliminated unabsorbed. In other words, they can fill you up before they fill you out.

In fact, some of the so-called low-carb products now on the market are intended to cash in on this well-established dietetic principle. In foods such as low-carb bread and pasta, producers substitute fibrous carbs for some of the more refined ones, resulting in a product that is claimed to provide fewer "net carbs" than the original.

But will such foods result in a leaner population any more than the low-fat, fat-free food fad did? Not likely, given the lack of attention most Americans pay to portion control. Many people on low-fat and fat-free products gained more weight because they figured that fat-free eating gave them license to eat without regard to serving size and calories.

How many people know, for example, that 1 pound of uncooked pasta is meant to serve eight -- yes, eight, not four or two -- people? And how many examined the nutrition facts label on fat-free cakes and realized that a serving was still the same size as the full-fat version, and that the calorie saving per serving was minimal?

At least when it comes to "reduced-fat," "low-fat" and "fat-free," there are official definitions terms so that consumers know what they are and are not getting. There are no such definitions for "reduced-carb," "low-carb" or "carb-friendly," as so many products are now being advertised. That "low-carb" bagel could contain a mere 5 or 10 percent less absorbable carbohydrates than an ordinary bagel without incurring the wrath of the Federal Trade Commission, but such a reduction is virtually meaningless to a dieter determined to eat low-carb.

Portion control and exercise

A diet high in fat and low in carbs has yet to be tested for long-term safety and effectiveness. But fiber-rich balanced diets, replete with whole grains, fruits and vegetables along with reasonable quantities of fish, poultry, meat and dairy products, have been repeatedly shown to be enjoyable to eat and to help achieve and maintain normal body weight and long-lasting health.

What do my slender friends and I eat? Mostly -- but not exclusively -- whole-grain breads and cereals; lots of vegetables, salads and fresh and dried fruits; poultry, fish, meat, dried beans, peas and skim milk. But we also eat white rice, pasta, potatoes, winter squash, avocados, regular cheese, eggs, cookies, ice cream and an occasional piece of cake or pie.

Two factors keep us from gaining weight. One is portion control. We tend to fill up on those foods that are lower in calories and fat and eat less of the foods higher in fats and calories For example, I keep ice cream in the house, but to control my passion for it, I bought half-cup plastic containers and enjoy one container of ice cream almost every day. That way, I never overindulge nor do I feel deprived.

If, however, you are the type who cannot resist overeating ice cream when you know it is around, I suggest that you not keep it in the house. Instead, consider buying it only for special occasions in quantities that can be fully consumed on such occasions (for example, a pint of ice cream for dessert for four).

The second and equally critical factor is regular exercise. I mean regular. We walk briskly for an hour each morning and, in addition, I swim three-fourths of a mile nearly every day. My friends and I walk to and from appointments where most other Americans would ride, and I do most of my shopping on foot or bicycle. And, I assure you, none of us view this as a life of deprivation and self-denial.