There seems to be a raging argument among nutrition ‘experts’ about the value of fats in the diet. If one looks at the government food pyramid, fats occupy the space at the top and are supposed to make up the smallest part of the diet. Most doctors agree that eating a diet high in whole grains and vegetables with moderate amounts of proteins and low fats is the best way to lose weight and ward off many modern diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. So the question becomes, ‘Can a person lose weight with a high fat diet?’
Proponents of low-carb diets say yes. There are many versions of the low-carb diet, with the most popular probably being the Atkins diet. Most of these recommend eating more fats as long as one sticks with unsaturated and saturated fats while avoiding polyunsaturated fats such as margarine. Of course these diets also eliminate most fruits and vegetables and all refined carbs such as white flour.
It is the belief of those who support the low-carb high-fat diet that carbohydrates are the cause of many modern problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease. They believed that the average Western diet contains so many carbohydrates that the body builds up a resistance to insulin, becomes unable to use these carbohydrates, and stores them as fat.
The authors of these diets claim that foods high in fats take longer to digest, which allows a person to feel full longer and promote eating less. On the other hand, those who support the low-fat diet claim that the type of food eaten has little bearing on how quickly it is digested, and that if one traced the function of the digestive system one would find that while digestion of carbohydrates actually begins in the mouth, the fats contained in food are digested and made available to the body before the body finishes digesting carbohydrates or proteins.
So, back to the question of can a person and lose weight with a high fat diet.
The answer, despite the majority opinion of the medical community is yes. The reason being, that if a person eats fewer calories than he/she is used to consuming and exercises more, where the calories come from, fats are carbohydrates, becomes irrelevant. It is the fact that the body is taking in fewer calories and burning more that creates weight loss because the body has to burn its own fats to make up the difference.