For decades, we have been told you need to count calories to shed weight, but scientists say the quality of the calories you take in is far more important than quantity when it comes to weight reduction.

The longstanding CICO (calories in, calories out) dogma has pure fat three days failed miserably, say obesity experts, who underscore that weight loss advice has to exceed the simplistic "eat less, exercise more" mantra individuals have been sold.

"We intuitively know that 'Eat less, exercise more' doesn't work," Dr. David Ludwig, director from the Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children's Hospital, wrote inside a JAMA commentary.

"It's such simple suggest that whether it worked, my colleagues and that i could be from employment. The uncomfortable fact is that the exceedingly small number of people can lose a large amount of weight and keep it off following that advice."

The key to weight loss, said Ludwig, is through carb restriction (that is exactly what the ketogenic, Atkins or Paleo diets do) and never by limiting calories or fat intake.

High-Carb Diet Fuels Insulin Surges That Spur Weight Gain

Dr. Ludwig said extra fat storage is because insulin spikes, that are fueled by eating too many refined carbs, especially sugar and processed grains like white bread -- a staple of the American diet that has made america the fattest country on the planet.

Ludwig and the study co-author, Dr. Mark Friedman, enroll in a growing listing of medical experts who're debunking the myth that eating fat makes you fat, which restricting calories is the best way to fuel weight loss.

"We need to your investment low-fat paradigm," said Dr. Ludwig. "Some high-fat foods like avocado, nuts and essential olive oil are some of the healthiest foods we could possibly eat."

The longstanding low-fat diet dogma and also the concomitant calorie myth is responsible for many frustrated people to blame overeating and sloth for his or her wherewithal to lose weight, which is wrong, said Ludwig.

Based on Ludwig, the obesity epidemic is largely driven by our high-carb diet, which in turn causes blood-sugar surges and insulin spikes. "Insulin is the granddaddy of anabolic hormones," he said.

Eating refined carbs, like a 100-calorie pack of Oreos, creates a huge surge of insulin that signals fat cells to store calories. In comparison, eating 100 calories of avocado won't make the same insulin charge. You will also feel fuller, longer, after eating the avocado, as the Oreos will make your blood sugar levels spike and rapidly crash, causing you to feel ravenous quickly.

Ludwig's JAMA commentary occurs the heels of recent research suggesting that unprocessed saturated fats is not the reason for putting on weight, diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

The true reason for obesity, coronary disease, high cholesterol levels and diabetes is a high-carb diet, especially one high in sugar. That's what investigative writer Nina Teicholz posits in her book, The Big Fat Surprise.

"Fat generally -- and saturated fat tomato plant weight loss pills specifically -- came to be blamed for causing heart disease, obesity and cancer," said Teicholz. "Eventually this unfounded belief became ingrained as our national dogma. Saturated fats is really pretty good for health. The most rigorous diet trials clearly show that a high-fat, low-carb diet is better for fighting obesity, diabetes and heart disease."