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• March 3, 2013 1:26 p.m.

  For those of you who want to look into this further, here is a reference for one of the best studies on low-carb versus low-fat: N Engl J Med 2009;360:859-73. This study involved 800 people and after a 2 year study, there were no significant differences in weight loss or cardiovascular risk factors among 4 different diets that ranged from low-fat/high-carb to high-fat/low-carb.

  - Don Hensrud, M.D.

• October 7, 2012 2:45 p.m.

  Oops, the comment I just posted meant to say that as for LOW carbs increasing cholesterol, the exact opposite is true. In other words, when you go on a low carb diet your cholesterol level improves. More precisely, your ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol improves considerably, and it's the ratio (rather than the total amount of cholesterol) that holds any meaning.

  - Dave

• October 7, 2012 2:36 p.m.

  Everyone should do themselves a HUGE favour and read 'Protein Power' by Dr. Eades. I read the book a little over a year ago, and lost 50 lbs in no time at all. The book explains that the ONLY hormone that causes your body to store fat is insulin. If you don't produce insulin, you CANNOT store fat. This is true no matter how many calories you eat. So all you have to do is cut out the carbs, eat as much as you want, and the fat drops off! As for carbs increasing cholesterol, the exact opposite is true. People need NO carbs in their diet whatsoever. Just ask the Inuit how often they plow their fields of wheat or visit their apple orchards, and they'll tell you they live just fine with ZERO carbohydrates. Not that I recommend zero; I aim for about 30g of carbs a day and it's keeping me slim and healthy. Unlike carbs, fat produces NO increase in insulin whatsoever, and protein produces only a tiny increase. Therefore, of the 3 things that fuel your body (carbs, fat and protein), the ONLY thing that CANNOT make you fat is (drum roll please) FAT! That's why I've switched to full fat zero carb cream and I'm LOVING my diet! I've lost weight, have much lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and feel FABULOUS! People who push low fat diets have absolutely NO idea what they're talking about. As I said at the start, read 'Protein Power' and get the facts on how the human body really works.

  - Dave

• June 8, 2012 11:14 p.m.

  Its really tricky when youre a diabetic as Carbs are the main culprit for possible spike in blood sugar depending on how much intake you eat in one sitting. Then again fat is also a contributor to ensuring no high weight gain. So, if you look at full cream for instance, the carb is quite low, but fats quite high. Process the cream to make it lite for less fat, you end up with a higher carb..so, which is healthier. I guess none and the trick is too not have cream at all :)

  - bobbie

• June 1, 2012 6:52 a.m.

  Like the saying goes "all in moderation". People sometimes make the mistake of having little or no carbohydrate which is dangerous because it can lead to issues like high cholesterol, kidney failure and kidney stones. So it is important to have some carbohydrate in the diet.

  - Martin

• May 9, 2012 1:33 p.m.

  You said: "The most important factor related to weight loss is not low-fat or low-carb — it is calories." This is very, very untrue. Do a tiny bit of research on this please. It is assuredly the calorie source that dwarfs any other factor. High carb diets cause tremendous weight gain and this has been known for hundreds of years. Very high fat diets cause no weight measurable gain in the vast majority of studies. Please try to show me some solid evidence for your statement and I'll turn on a dime.

  - John

• April 24, 2012 11:41 a.m.

  Isn't it true that obesity and diabetes have become rampant with the "Healthy Whole Grains" eating? What's wrong with what our ancestorrs ate... lean meat protien, eggs,fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds and fish? I say, forget all the wheat producs for best health.

  - Jay

• March 5, 2012 11:09 a.m.

  Alex, as you well know, type 1 diabetes is very different than type 2, and as you point out carbohydrate content of the diet is much more of an issue. If you haven't reviewed your dietary program with a Registered Dietitian lately you might consider that as they may have suggestions to help control your carbohydrate intake and make it tasty and sustainable. Good luck!

  - Don Hensrud, M.D.

• March 3, 2012 7:08 a.m.

  I am a type one diabetic, 19 year old, and I weigh 226. I have tried low fat and low carb. For me low fat seems to be the better option since I can have more food choices but it kills my blood sugars. Even when I watch my carbs and exercise five times a week but blood sugar levels are messed up. When I do low carb I have PERFECT blood sugars, never have to dose insulin for a meal and I lose wight. The problem is that after about two months I run out of ideas for low carb and usually fall off and go back to my old eating habits. I wander if I did low carb to lose 30ish pounds so that my blood sugar levels would be better and then transitioned over to low fat and went from there. Being a type one diabetic makes the whole dieting process harder because I can't eat 300 carbs a day without there being repercussions.

  - Alex

• February 12, 2012 4:46 p.m.

  Tom, it's great that you lost weight quickly, but most people have difficulty staying on a diet that emphasizes mainly cabbage soup, so long term weight loss is more challenging. And if you do, there may be a risk of nutritional deficiencies. Mikica, depending on the type of foods that you eat on a low-carb diet, it could increase total and LDL cholesterol even if you start out with a good ratio. As mentioned in the blog, it's important to make healthy food choices no matter if the diet is low-carb or low-fat. Good luck!

  - Don Hensrud, M.D.

• February 11, 2012 1:42 p.m.

  After 2 months with low-carb diets I am concerned about increase total and LDL cholesterol. Does a good cholesterol ratio is a enough guarantee for the risk of heart disease and stroke?

  - Mikica

• February 7, 2012 5:59 a.m.

  I tried the cabbage soup diet and lost 8 lbs in a week.

  - Tom

• August 16, 2011 1:10 p.m.

  I have followed lo-fat and lo-carb diets. The one that worked for me is LO-CARB. I did not incoporate fatty foods into the lifestyle but stayed focused on lean proteins, lo-fat dairy, salads and watery type vegetables (naturally lo-carb). I learned to make use of tofu, use sliced zuchinni like a cracker, marinated vegetables I had never eaten before, etc. I became a creative cook in my circle of "friendly food". I posted my list of friendly foods on the refrigerator and cooked lite dinners within that. I made great use of herbs, seasonings, condiments and cooking wines. All my food has flavor! THE RESULT? I lost 80 lbs 4 years ago and still follow this eating method. Nothing has changed except that I eat "outside the box" one day a week. I really appreciate a great burger or great pasta dish etc. because I plan for it. Hope this will help someone move forward to change their weight and health!

  - D'Lee

• June 4, 2011 7:00 p.m.

  A low fat diet works for me. In 2007 I weighed 250. I didnt read up on any diet but my mind told me that if I was fat, it was because I was eating too much fat. So I went on a diet as close to fat free as possible. I got down to 145...actually too skinny or me...but I felt great. Well...as we all know..the percentage of people gain the weight back for some reason or another. Mine had nothing to do with my diet. I lost my job and my incentive to eat and excerise came to a halt. I gained back ALL of it within a year! It seemed the more I gained the more I didnt want to lose..the effort was not there. Well...after a year of living at 240 I decided to try again. With much success I have lost 20lbs in 40 days. Im not starving. I love things like hotdogs...I found that I can eat soooo much fat free or low fat foods that I never feel hungry. Of course...with any diet....excercise is a must...or at least keeping active. Also...I started the Alli...You know whats great...I found out that I can make a strawberry dessert with chocolate whipped cream for under 150 cals and 3g fat!!! YES!! BTW...not only am I watching fat...I try not to consume more than 800 cals a day...but never hungry.

  - Kristine

• April 7, 2011 4:11 p.m.

  I am 63 years old, and found myself 25 - 30 pounds overweight. I started a low carb diet 2 weeks ago, and so far have lost 10 pounds. I am going through a modified induction period, where I am trying to stay around 20 carbs per day. The only fruit I have is a half cup of raspberries per day, but that can be increased when I begin to eat more carbs. I have one large salad per day, made with romain lettuce, red & green peppers, celery, and cucumbers, and one cup of frozen veggies. I limit my protein to a maximum of 6 oz. per serving, and the only processed meat I eat is some bacon. I also drink at LEAST 8 glasses of water per day. So far, this diet has worked very well for me. I do not go on and off diets like some people do. I am expecting to gradually increase my daily carb level when I get near my goal weight. I am also going for a complete set of blood and urine tests in another week to make sure everything is OK. I have done a lot of research on the internet to prepare myself for this diet, and feel it is something I can follow long term. For Pete's sake, there is even low carb ice cream now, as well as shirataki noodles with -0- carbs. (as well as no calories) Good luck to everyone in finding the program that works for you.

  - John

• March 25, 2011 12:39 p.m.

  Low Carb worked for me. I lost 40 lb.l in 6 months. But it was impossible for me to maintain a diet so low in carbs for the long term. I gained back 20 of those pounds. Now it is slowly coming off again. I have reduced my Fat/transfat intake and eat only good healthy carbs like whole grain products, no sugar, (I check everything) fresh fruit and I have upped my intake of fresh vegetables. My husband had bad eating habits before and high cholesterol. Now it has come way down and he has also lost pounds. Red meat is served only once in awhile and we are eating fish, Chicken, whole grain pasta, beans, olive oil (instead of butter) and we now make our own salad dressings with flavored vinegars and a little olive oil. Hubby used to love high fat Blue Cheese and Ranch dressings! The weight loss is slower this way, but I think this is a way of eating that once we've shed the pounds, we will be able to maintain a healthy weight without feeling deprived.

  - Mariel

• November 25, 2010 10:34 a.m.

  I follow and am very happy with the South Beach Diet, but my husband is having a hard time with South Beach. What are the differences between South Beach and Mayo Clinic Diets? Could this be a good alternative for him?

  - anne

• November 3, 2010 10:07 p.m.

  The more insulin one takes =a cause for gaining lbs.? So being on an insulin pump is not as good as taking insulin shots?

  - Pat

• November 1, 2010 12:46 p.m.

  It seems the blog posts are pretty infrequent. Can there be so little to say about the issues related to losing weight? I just had a week of travel and managed to maintain my weight loss, but not lose the pound-a-week that I set out as my goal (following Mayo advice on food groups and calorie intake). The following week I still maintained, but when I got home my food planning was shot. My commitment to this just doesn't seem the same today as it was 9 weeks and 10 pounds ago. I feel generally overwhelmed and unable to focus.

  - Carla

• October 31, 2010 2:31 p.m.

  Interesting comments everyone, a diet should be tailored to your own specific tastes and circumstances. Derek, the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research published the most comprehensive review of diet and cancer in 2007. It stated that the most important lifestyle habits to avoid cancer are to maintain a normal body weight, be physically active, eat a plant-based diet, limit energy dense foods including sugary drinks, limit red meat and avoid processed meat, limit alcohol, and limit salt. Specifically regarding colon cancer there is good evidence that red meat, and particularly processed meat, increases risk. The web site is http://www.dietandcancerreport.org/ All of these recommendations are consistent with The Mayo Clinic Diet.

  - Don Hensrud, M.D.

• September 29, 2010 12:37 p.m.

  I am a Type 1 diabetic who was a vegan for 7 years, no meat, eggs or dairy. Reasons my dietitian took me off the diet was because I was tired around 3 pm and I was consuming massive amount of carbohydrates. I was always hungry. I was put on a diet of meat, vegetables and fat. I eat about 1/3 less carbohydrates a day, use a lot less insulin and can even skip meals and it does not bother me. I am not tired during the day like I used to be either. Not all diets are right for everyone.

  - Jeff

• September 28, 2010 2:43 p.m.

  My body tends to store fat very easily so I find that for me a low fat daily diet works best. Even though I am reasonably fit (49 yrs old, 5'6" and 131 pounds) and workout with weights 3-4 times per week, I still have a lot of subcutaneous (sp?) fat and cellulite (ugh!). It seems to be a family trait unfortunately. A low fat diet helps to minimize the collection of cellulite on my body. The best shape I was ever in was when I limited my fat intake to 15 grams per day. My weight didn't fluctuate but the shape of my body changed drastically in a positive way. But as you can imagine, I couldn't do that for very long. Now, I just aim to keep to 25 grams or fewer and I don't count carbs at all. What does everyone else think??

  - Jean

• September 27, 2010 1:11 p.m.

  My sister and their family have become mostly vegan in an effort to prevent cancer. They still eat some cheese, eggs, and minimal meat. Apparently my brother in law just read some book that has him convinced that an almost vegan diet will help him avoid colon cancer (common in his family) and other diseases. He's also lost 15 lbs. Anyways, it goes against what my other Sister and Brother in law are doing. They're going gluten free and eating more fruits, veggies, nuts, and PLENTY of animal protein. This is a result of a book that HE read. I do want to be healthier, but I'm wondering what are the Mayo Clinic's thoughts on this issue. Thanks

  - Derek

• September 26, 2010 5:22 p.m.

  Calories should be kept in mind, to be successful to optimize one's weight and as a practising medical dr. for about 40 years, I found one exception to saturated fat and that is GHEE - clarified butter - takes you to optimum weight from over or under-weight and keeps so many diseases away by increasing the immunity and hope Mayo team unbiasedly does some research and save health of people globally and save billions in unnessesary treatments due to poor immune system

  - yes, research is needed

• September 25, 2010 11:22 a.m.

  Dieting should be for health not just for weight loss. Yes, in general, the intake and output of calories matter very much for weight loss. The key to successfully losing weight is satiety. The low-fat high-carb diet usually have to restrict calories for weight loss. On the other hand, the low-carb high-fat diet does not have to require calorie restriction. Rather, the LCHF diet is counting on satiety to reduce the calorie intake. The failure of adopting a quasi-low-carb diet, which allows a substantial intake of whole grains and carbohydrates is because the dieter usually stumbled back into the more-carbohydrate-intake, the more insulin-secretion and the more-craving for carbohydrates. One thing that we must realize is postprandial hyperglycemia over the period of entire two-three hours after meal is crucial to the level of inflammation, which is the key to developing diseases. Yes, I agree that the amount of calories matters very much for weight loss. However, dieter should bear in mind that dieting should not solely for weight loss. Rather, he should understand what the consequences are after each dieting program. I have restricted carbohydrate for eight years and enjoyed it very much because I have different foods for it.

  - Robert Su, Pharm.B., M.D.