Do certain “fat-free” and “low-calorie” foods actually help with weight-loss?

lawrence_d_w on Sat, 20th Mar 2010 11:15 am 



I think that in general, eating low-calorie and low-fat foods will help you lose weight, especially when combined with an increase in exercise.

However, make sure to read the labels. Some fat-free foods can still be packed with calories.

If you want to eat even healthier, try to avoid sugars too. Sugars are pretty much empty calories that provide no nutritional value.

ksneo627 on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 9:08 pm 



you actually have the right idea in terms of making healthier choices everytime you’re faced with food. that will be successful in the long run where fad diets fail.

whether or not that food helps with weight loss will depend on a lot of factors. for instance, “fat free” doesn’t mean low calorie. often times, they’ll add in a bunch of sugar and/or salt to make up for the flavor. so despite having less fat, it might have more sugar than the normal counterpart, and the calories end up being the same in the end. there are exceptions to this of course, like low fat/fat free dairy. it’s identical to whole dairy, just minus fat. things like that WILL help you control your daily calorie intake. same goes for lean meats in place of fatter/fried meat.

you have to take into account the total calories that is in something. if its less than the “normal/bad” version, then it’ll help you lose weight. aside from that, you want to look for foods that have nutritional value like vitamins, minerals, and fiber. for instance, whole wheat bread is going to contain more fiber than white, so you want whole wheat in that case. once again, comes back to making a healthier selection from options available to you.

i also want to say that you need a balance of all the major 3 macromolecules (fat, carbs, protein). no “low” anything diet will be good for you since it’ll restrict the kind of nutrition you can take in.

Patrick A on Thu, 25th Mar 2010 1:52 pm 



In reading your blog I see you seriously into food in a big way; that is your issue, not what or when to eat, but food period. Your behavior is addictive.

You could go to a shrink and pay mega bucks for life, or, get clued in and highly motivated and get into a sport, something important; if you don’t like it right this minute, allow for time to learn to like it, find a rush thats higher than food and most of all STICK WITH WEIGHTWATCHERS, they tell you what to eat…Don’t sit around dreaming about low-cal food to eat, it’s weak, your not weak, your just acting weak….DON’T be a weak link and fade to fat, loose wieght and join the Marines and get motivated. Without goals it’s easy to sit back and stay fat and think about low-cal crap to eat….BURN MORE CALORIES THAN YOU TAKE IN; IF SOMEONE SAYS YOUR TOO FAT TO BE DOING WHAT YOUR YOUR DOING SET’EM STRAIGHT AND MOVE FORWARD….ooooorahhhh

aphrodite on Sat, 27th Mar 2010 8:58 am 



you’re right, some low-calorie options are worse than the original, higher calorie food.

for example, a sweetener used in many low-sugar foods (diet drinks, yoghurt, ice-cream etc) called aspartame has been linked to developing cancer. so drinks like diet coke which are full of aspartame are pretty bad for you.

in terms of low-fat, it really depends whether the fat has been replaced by an artificial chemical to bulk up the food. some low-fat products, e.g. low-fat yoghurt have been made with skimmed milk rather than full-cream. low-calorie is NOT the same as low-fat though, sometimes they add extra sugar or salt to make the food taste better, so make sure you check the calorie content of the food.

all in all, it sounds like you’re doing really well by replacing fried chicked with grilled chicked, and soda with unsweetened tea, but you need to watch out for the so called ‘diet’ foods which are often worse than the original. it’s often better for your health to eat a smaller amount of the non-diet food and cut calories that way rather than put a load of unnatural chemicals into your system.

fill up on vegetables and fruit, eat fish and lean meats, and if your willpower is crumbling, treat yourself to a small (NB… Small!!) amount of whatever you’re craving.

a good general rule is to only eat foods where you recognise all the ingredients and know that none of them are artificial. good luck… every little helps and you’ve made a great start!

(also, green tea is reputedly good for weight loss – it is said to boost your metabolism and also act as a mild appetite suppressant).

hotwheels5515 on Sun, 28th Mar 2010 7:30 pm 



I think so…I use fat free salad dressings every time I eat salads because it makes a big difference in calories. On the other hand, I always see fat people drinking diet soda..but they are obese… Obese people think it’s okay to eat MORE since they are eating fat free foods…and they end up eating more.

Forlon on Tue, 30th Mar 2010 11:13 pm 



I would certainly suggest 100% certified organic food but that alone is not enough…

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