A Low-Carb or Low-Fat Diet?

Last Updated on August 2, 2025 by Pen Pixel

I once thought I ruined my life because I ate a banana.

Yes, a damn banana.

Because I thought carbs were evil.

Welcome to diet culture, baby. Where your body becomes a battlefield and food becomes either your best friend or your personal demon.

• Have you ever eaten salad and still felt fat?
• Have you ever lost weight but also lost your mind in the process?
• Have you ever “done everything right” but still felt like your body was working against you?

Good. Then this article’s for you.

The Key Takeaway.

Most people aren’t choosing between low-carb or low-fat, they’re choosing between control and shame. And whichever one you pick, if your mind isn’t right, you’re gonna lose either way.

A Low-Carb vs Low-Fat Diet Isn’t Really About The Food.

• It’s about identity.
• It’s about the type of control you think you can maintain.

Low-carb people? Usually the “I need fast results” types. The hustlers. The ones who hate waiting.

Low-fat people? Usually the “I still want to feel full but not guilty” types. The logical, clean-eater types.

Both are just different flavors of obsession. Yep. Let that sink in.

What Do These Low-Carb vs Low-Fat Diets Do To You?

Low-Carb.

It gives you fast results. You drop weight quick. You feel like a superhero for about two weeks. Your belly shrinks, your jeans fit better, your ego inflates like a birthday balloon.

But then…

• Your energy dips.
• You get headaches for fun.
• You start hating the smell of eggs.
• And carbs? They become your ex you secretly stalk.
• You start fantasizing about bread like it’s an ex you can’t quit.
• You fear mangoes. You fear rice. You call plantains the devil.

You. Start. To. Lose. Your. Mind.

Suddenly, you’re not living, you’re surviving. The line between “healthy” and “disordered” gets blurry as hell. You’re telling people you “feel great” while googling if yawning is a symptom of dying.

Low-Fat.

It feels safer.

• You eat your rice. Your fruits. You snack on cereal and tell yourself you’re “still being good.”
• You feel like you’re playing it smart.

But then, you’re always hungry. Always craving. Always overcompensating.

Low-fat makes you feel clean on paper, but empty inside. 

• Because sometimes, you just need peanut butter.
• Sometimes, you need butter with no apology.
• Low-fat will have you eating 3 bowls of oats just to feel “safe” when one spoon of real fat would’ve satisfied you in seconds.

But you won’t take the real fat. Because it feels like failure.

Low-fat makes you feel emotionally sterile. Low-carb makes you feel emotionally unstable. So… what the hell is left?

What People Wouldn’t Tell You.

Neither of them works if you’re just using them to outrun your fear of being fat.

Yeah, I said it.

You can track macros all day, you can cut carbs, fats, your whole personality if you want.

But until you fix your relationship with control…

Until you stop using diets as a personality trait or a punishment… Nothing will ever work for real.

• You’ll lose the weight and gain the anxiety.
• You’ll hit your goal and still hate your reflection.
• You’ll be skinny and still not feel safe in your body.

So What Do You Actually Do?

You stop treating food like math, start treating it like data instead.

• What makes you feel bloated?
• What gives you energy?
• What makes you anxious around food?
• When do you binge? When do you restrict? Why?

It’s not about “low this” or “low that.” It’s about low shame. Low fear. Low guilt. If a diet gives you abs but takes away your peace, it’s not worth it.

Ask yourself:

• Am I eating this because I want to… or because I’m scared not to?
• Am I avoiding carbs because of what they do to my body… or what they make me feel about my body?
• Would I still be eating like this if no one was watching?

You can’t heal your body with the same mindset that made you hate it in the first place.

Low-Carb vs Low-Fat: Which Diet Works Best for You?

That’s the wrong question. The better question is:

• Which one lets you eat without losing yourself?
• Which one doesn’t make you feel like food is a landmine?
• Which one still lets you eat cake with your friends and not spiral?

That’s the real test. Because any diet can shrink your body. Only the right one expands your life.

Choosing a diet without fixing your food trauma is like trying to mop a flooded bathroom while the tap is still running. You’re working your ass off. But you’re not fixing the real leak.