All you need to know about Atkins . . . UPDATED 12-3

[radioouman]

Very good!

 

[LordMagnusKain]

Originally posted by: minendo

Originally posted by: X-Man
I've lost 74 pounds since May 31. When my doctor put me on it (yes, you heard right, doctor prescribed, folks! But . . . but . . .it's quackery, right?!) I had high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high cholesterol, and the beginning stages of adult-onset diabetes. A couple of months after starting Atkins & exercise, the blood pressure was "fixed", without medication. My resting pulse dropped from 75 to 56 and now hovers in the mid-50s.

I go in December 3 to have my blood checked again. Should be interesting. 😀

Now, tell me it's a "fad", "junk science", or "cannot possibly work." 😉

Just because it worked for you does not mean it will work for everyone.

Just because it won't work for everyone dosn't mean it should be dismissed.

 

[GermyBoy]

Originally posted by: LordMagnusKain

Originally posted by: minendo

Originally posted by: X-Man I've lost 74 pounds since May 31. When my doctor put me on it (yes, you heard right, doctor prescribed, folks! But . . . but . . .it's quackery, right?!) I had high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high cholesterol, and the beginning stages of adult-onset diabetes. A couple of months after starting Atkins & exercise, the blood pressure was "fixed", without medication. My resting pulse dropped from 75 to 56 and now hovers in the mid-50s. I go in December 3 to have my blood checked again. Should be interesting. 😀 Now, tell me it's a "fad", "junk science", or "cannot possibly work." 😉

Just because it worked for you does not mean it will work for everyone.

Just because it won't work for everyone dosn't mean it should be dismissed.

Actually low-carbs DOES work for everyone. If it doesn't work for you, then Chapter 20. You just have a high metabolic resistance...

 

[jdogg]

while i'm no big fan of the atkin's diet .. you should get things straight ... the bread we eat today is really no where near the stuff that was eaten even a 100 years ago ... there are far to many empty carbs in it, basically, it has very low nutritional value comparatively to something wholesome like ezekial bread. I don't agree with the whole cutting fruits out though .. thats just silly, fruits are healthy

on the flip side, most people on atkins gloss over the fact that they are eating less calories than they used too, and ergo, that is the main reason why they are loosing weight ... I recall having this discussion with some other guy who claimed that he could eat as much as he wanted from mcdonalds and it wasn't the calories ... went on to describe meals of 3 triple cheesburgers ... sans bread of course ... when i added up the calories .. low and behold, he only had about 1700 calories that day ... and for a guy that size, 1700 calories is dieting.

bascially, to surmise .. eat right and light and you'll achieve a healthy wieght ... regardless whether its through atkin's or any other diet

Originally posted by: CorporateRecreation

Originally posted by: X-Man

Originally posted by: CorporateRecreation
Don't eat bread... a food product that humans have been eating.......... since the dawn of time.

<scratches head>

Hunter-gathering cavemen ate bread?

Let me get this straight.. you are arguing with me that bread isn't a centuries old food that has miles of supporting evidence that it was baked by early man to defend your fad diet that might work but is one of the most unhealthy life choices that you can do to yourself. Cut out fruits, veggies, and bread in place of................a huge hunk of charred flesh. Dieting should be a life change, not a fad diet that millions of people blindly follow because it yields results. I can cut my arm off to solve the fact that it has cancer on it, but it doesn't make sense does it. If you want to be healthy, diet, exercise, and eat natural foods.


Edit: I am happy for your accomplishments, it's great that you're on your way, but you really should consider doing something else with your diet, because it's honestly not healthy to cut out those foods in place of fatty foods. I am also not really wanting to get into a giant Atkins debate, because it's a tired old argument that has no winners.

 

[SuperTool]

Bought my first size 36 pair of jeans yesterday since the mid 90's. I lost about 30 lbs on Atkins and biking to work every day since october, and I cheated and ate cheesecake on thanksgiving 😀

 

[Cleaner]

http://www.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/diet.fitness/11/19/otsc.atkins.diet/index.html Interesting read on CNN about Atkins.

http://atkins.com/img/assets/862/Volekand_Westman_Ketogenic_Review.pdf Independent Study on Low Carb Diets. Carefully Read the last page. Especially the last paragraph of the Adverse Effects section. Also the preceding section on Athletic performance is very interesting. It seems that some of the participants performed better while on a low carb diet.

 

[Wingznut]

Originally posted by: Cleaner
http://www.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/diet.fitness/11/19/otsc.atkins.diet/index.html Interesting read on CNN about Atkins.

http://atkins.com/img/assets/862/Volekand_Westman_Ketogenic_Review.pdf Independent Study on Low Carb Diets. Carefully Read the last page. Especially the last paragraph of the Adverse Effects section. Also the preceding section on Athletic performance is very interesting. It seems that some of the participants performed better while on a low carb diet.

I've been (more or less) off the Atkins plan since November. Still exercising regularly, and still cutting out soda, unnecessary snacking, etc... I had way more energy while carefully watching my carb intake.

I never had the "energy swings", when eating low carb. I never got tired in the afternoon, or hungry between meals.

I went off of it to test a couple of things. One, was to test the theory that "you can eat whatever you want as long as it's in moderation and you exercise." Well, I have gained 7 lbs. Second, I wanted to ensure that my eating habits was truly one of the reasons I felt so much better, and not just because I lost 41lbs. Sure enough, the energy swings are back, and I just don't have the same energy level.

As of 2/1/04, I'll be back on the Atkins plan... And I'm looking forward to it. 🙂

 

[Ferocious]

This crap is from the 1970's.

I guess Atkins is good if you want to look nice and thin in a coffin.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Wingznut

Originally posted by: Cleaner
http://www.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/diet.fitness/11/19/otsc.atkins.diet/index.html Interesting read on CNN about Atkins.

http://atkins.com/img/assets/862/Volekand_Westman_Ketogenic_Review.pdf Independent Study on Low Carb Diets. Carefully Read the last page. Especially the last paragraph of the Adverse Effects section. Also the preceding section on Athletic performance is very interesting. It seems that some of the participants performed better while on a low carb diet.

I've been (more or less) off the Atkins plan since November. Still exercising regularly, and still cutting out soda, unnecessary snacking, etc... I had way more energy while carefully watching my carb intake.

I never had the "energy swings", when eating low carb. I never got tired in the afternoon, or hungry between meals.

I went off of it to test a couple of things. One, was to test the theory that "you can eat whatever you want as long as it's in moderation and you exercise." Well, I have gained 7 lbs. Second, I wanted to ensure that my eating habits was truly one of the reasons I felt so much better, and not just because I lost 41lbs. Sure enough, the energy swings are back, and I just don't have the same energy level.

As of 2/1/04, I'll be back on the Atkins plan... And I'm looking forward to it. 🙂

Does that mean you will have to do Atkins for the rest of your life?

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: apoppin
Today's news linked the Atkins diet to two DEATHS.

Continue at your own risk.

And from the article linked is this:

And a causal link between the deaths and the Atkins diet hasn't been proven, said University of Pennsylvania research Gary Foster.

IOW, this is a guess by a group with an agenda (pro-vegetarian).

Otherwise: Regarding bread from the beginning of history. Our digestive evolution was established long before that. In the wild, grains and fruits are very seasonal with low yields. It was not until we came out of the caves and onto the farms that these products became prevalent.

 

[Wingznut]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
[Does that mean you will have to do Atkins for the rest of your life?

Yeah, I will always keep carbs in mind. Not 100% strictly... But when making food choices, I'll be leaning towards the lower carb choice.

 

[gsellis]

BTW, since jerky is in season on the Atkin's diet... This rocks.

Bass Pro Shops link to Hi Mountain Jerky Maker - $30

1 1/2 hrs in a normal oven at 200. Many recipes on the web for jerky. I also found yakatori sliced rib-eye for $2.99 a pound already frozen. 🙂

 

[Cleaner]

http://record.wustl.edu/web/page/normal/793.html

I found another really good summary of another study that appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. It was a study of a low-carb diet versus a low-fat diet. The summary is this:

At three months, Atkins dieters lost an average of 17.6 pounds while the conventional dieters lost about 8.3 pounds. After six months, Atkins dieters lost an average of 21.2 pounds; conventional dieters lost an average of 11.5 pounds. At 12 months, the Atkins group was down an average of 15.9 pounds versus 9.7 pounds for conventional dieters.

I like to follow up my comments with verifiable FACTS unlike some of you who just blanket claim that something is bad or good. Time to start thinking outside the box and break away from the propoganda that the USDA has fed you your whole life.

 

[DT4K]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Triumph

Originally posted by: SammySon

After - Usually I have 3 eggs w/1.5 slices of bacon or 1.5 sausage links.

Cholesterol heaven.

So explain why Atkins dieter's are able to eat 3 eggs a day and lower their cholesterol? It's all well and good to say "cholesterol heaven," but the evidence and experience doesn't back it up.

Re: your evidence against meat eating. We are omnivores, capable of eating both meat and plant matter. As such, we are not exceptional at doing either, the way a strict carnivore or herbivore is. That is why we don't have the same teeth, intestines, acids, enzymes, etc as full blown carnivores. Any archeologist will tell you that all forms of primitive man had meat as a staple of their diet, in addition to naturally found fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts (i.e. the Atkins diet!). Man was eating meat in all of his forms (homo sapien, homo erectus, homo whatever you want to add) long before recorded history. Agrarian societies aren't even any more than a small fraction of the lifespan of the human race. And we can and do eat uncooked meat: prime rib and sushi are two examples, raw eggs are another similar example. Ground beef needs to be cooked because the grinding process and cross contamination exposes almost all of the meat to bacteria. So yes, we can eat raw meat, but we're not as good at it as strict carnivores because, again, we are multitalented.

Whatever, I bet that not eating Sausages and Bacon and replacing them with a lean meat would be healthier. I also bet that eating a large Grapefruit would be better too (my breakfast favorite)

Why?
Because it is lower in fat?
Why is fat bad?
Is it because it makes you fatter and raises your cholesterol?

If eating a higher fat diet can cause you to lose weight and have lower cholesterol, then wouldn't that make it just as healthy?

Shouldn't your health be measured by your body fat percentage, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels, blood pressure, etc.
If eating a high fat diet can cause improvements in all these measurements, why would you call that unhealthy?

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: Cleaner
http://record.wustl.edu/web/page/normal/793.html

I found another really good summary of another study that appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. It was a study of a low-carb diet versus a low-fat diet. The summary is this:

At three months, Atkins dieters lost an average of 17.6 pounds while the conventional dieters lost about 8.3 pounds. After six months, Atkins dieters lost an average of 21.2 pounds; conventional dieters lost an average of 11.5 pounds. At 12 months, the Atkins group was down an average of 15.9 pounds versus 9.7 pounds for conventional dieters.

I like to follow up my comments with verifiable FACTS unlike some of you who just blanket claim that something is bad or good. Time to start thinking outside the box and break away from the propoganda that the USDA has fed you your whole life.

Anything from my Alma Mater has to be good 😉

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: jamison
I tried Atkins for 5 weeks, I believe I lost some weight, but I'm not sure (I didn't have a scale and didn't "feel" the weight loss).

Growing tired of the diet, and cheating more than was acceptable, led me off of the diet. Three days after quitting, I am rushed to the ER with lower left abdominal pain. As some people know, kidney stones are not exactly pleasant. After three days in the hospital, I was released, also diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes, and put on an 1800 calorie diet. It is only day one of the diet outside the hospital (and 2 days inside with hospital food) but I am eating very small portions of food and never felt more "full".

For example, breakfast consisted of - 1 Fried Egg, 2 Slices of Toast, Small Bowl of Honey Nut Corn Flakes w/ ~ 4 oz. of whole milk, 1/2 glass of orange juice, 1 thin slice of butter.

This mix of a balanced meal and variety is magical, it makes you feel full, full to the point you can't eat another bite of food and sometimes have to eat less of the following meal due to the fact that you are still full from the last. I plan on sticking to this lifestyle change, because it is at this point in my life where ignoring my eating habits can significantly reduce my lifespan and quality of life.

Is Atkins directly responsible for my kidney stones? I will not go that far, but it is certainly not a positive sign for a digestive system that has never had trouble in the past of any kind.

How much water did you drink a day?

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: jamison
I tried Atkins for 5 weeks, I believe I lost some weight, but I'm not sure (I didn't have a scale and didn't "feel" the weight loss).

Growing tired of the diet, and cheating more than was acceptable, led me off of the diet. Three days after quitting, I am rushed to the ER with lower left abdominal pain. As some people know, kidney stones are not exactly pleasant. After three days in the hospital, I was released, also diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes, and put on an 1800 calorie diet. It is only day one of the diet outside the hospital (and 2 days inside with hospital food) but I am eating very small portions of food and never felt more "full".

For example, breakfast consisted of - 1 Fried Egg, 2 Slices of Toast, Small Bowl of Honey Nut Corn Flakes w/ ~ 4 oz. of whole milk, 1/2 glass of orange juice, 1 thin slice of butter.

This mix of a balanced meal and variety is magical, it makes you feel full, full to the point you can't eat another bite of food and sometimes have to eat less of the following meal due to the fact that you are still full from the last. I plan on sticking to this lifestyle change, because it is at this point in my life where ignoring my eating habits can significantly reduce my lifespan and quality of life.

Is Atkins directly responsible for my kidney stones? I will not go that far, but it is certainly not a positive sign for a digestive system that has never had trouble in the past of any kind.

Jamison, what did the doctor's say about the analysis of the stones' makeup? In all the cases I have know, they analysis the chemical composition of the stones to determine a potential root cause.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Shanti

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Triumph

Originally posted by: SammySon

After - Usually I have 3 eggs w/1.5 slices of bacon or 1.5 sausage links.

Cholesterol heaven.

So explain why Atkins dieter's are able to eat 3 eggs a day and lower their cholesterol? It's all well and good to say "cholesterol heaven," but the evidence and experience doesn't back it up.

Re: your evidence against meat eating. We are omnivores, capable of eating both meat and plant matter. As such, we are not exceptional at doing either, the way a strict carnivore or herbivore is. That is why we don't have the same teeth, intestines, acids, enzymes, etc as full blown carnivores. Any archeologist will tell you that all forms of primitive man had meat as a staple of their diet, in addition to naturally found fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts (i.e. the Atkins diet!). Man was eating meat in all of his forms (homo sapien, homo erectus, homo whatever you want to add) long before recorded history. Agrarian societies aren't even any more than a small fraction of the lifespan of the human race. And we can and do eat uncooked meat: prime rib and sushi are two examples, raw eggs are another similar example. Ground beef needs to be cooked because the grinding process and cross contamination exposes almost all of the meat to bacteria. So yes, we can eat raw meat, but we're not as good at it as strict carnivores because, again, we are multitalented.

Whatever, I bet that not eating Sausages and Bacon and replacing them with a lean meat would be healthier. I also bet that eating a large Grapefruit would be better too (my breakfast favorite)

Why?
Because it is lower in fat?
Why is fat bad?
Is it because it makes you fatter and raises your cholesterol?

If eating a higher fat diet can cause you to lose weight and have lower cholesterol, then wouldn't that make it just as healthy?

Shouldn't your health be measured by your body fat percentage, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels, blood pressure, etc.
If eating a high fat diet can cause improvements in all these measurements, why would you call that unhealthy?

Where did I say it was unhealthy in my post? I just said eating leaner meats and grapefruit would probably be healthier! Is it necessary to eat foods with a lot of fat for Atkins to work?

 

[BDawg]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Shanti

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Triumph

Originally posted by: SammySon

After - Usually I have 3 eggs w/1.5 slices of bacon or 1.5 sausage links.

Cholesterol heaven.

So explain why Atkins dieter's are able to eat 3 eggs a day and lower their cholesterol? It's all well and good to say "cholesterol heaven," but the evidence and experience doesn't back it up.

Re: your evidence against meat eating. We are omnivores, capable of eating both meat and plant matter. As such, we are not exceptional at doing either, the way a strict carnivore or herbivore is. That is why we don't have the same teeth, intestines, acids, enzymes, etc as full blown carnivores. Any archeologist will tell you that all forms of primitive man had meat as a staple of their diet, in addition to naturally found fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts (i.e. the Atkins diet!). Man was eating meat in all of his forms (homo sapien, homo erectus, homo whatever you want to add) long before recorded history. Agrarian societies aren't even any more than a small fraction of the lifespan of the human race. And we can and do eat uncooked meat: prime rib and sushi are two examples, raw eggs are another similar example. Ground beef needs to be cooked because the grinding process and cross contamination exposes almost all of the meat to bacteria. So yes, we can eat raw meat, but we're not as good at it as strict carnivores because, again, we are multitalented.

Whatever, I bet that not eating Sausages and Bacon and replacing them with a lean meat would be healthier. I also bet that eating a large Grapefruit would be better too (my breakfast favorite)

Why?
Because it is lower in fat?
Why is fat bad?
Is it because it makes you fatter and raises your cholesterol?

If eating a higher fat diet can cause you to lose weight and have lower cholesterol, then wouldn't that make it just as healthy?

Shouldn't your health be measured by your body fat percentage, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels, blood pressure, etc.
If eating a high fat diet can cause improvements in all these measurements, why would you call that unhealthy?

Where did I say it was unhealthy in my post? I just said eating leaner meats and grapefruit would probably be healthier! Is it necessary to eat foods with a lot of fat for Atkins to work?

Supposedly, yes. I'm not clear on the science behind it, but apparently, if you don't eat enough saturated fats, your body won't use stored fat for energy as readily.

 

[Gulzakar]

Tried it for weight loss...I had Diarhea (i cant speeel), constant headaches, joint pains, and an extreme lack of energy...working out was out of the question.

back to exercise and semi proper diet. Im lowering carb intake by avoiding sugars.

 

[BDawg]

Originally posted by: Gulzakar
Tried it for weight loss...I had Diarhea (i cant speeel), constant headaches, joint pains, and an extreme lack of energy...working out was out of the question.

back to exercise and semi proper diet. Im lowering carb intake by avoiding sugars.

The runs (I won't try to spell it. 🙂 )? Most people experience the opposite.

 

[Gulzakar]

squirts...I dare not fart...for I shall lose 🙂

I'm a big guy, but my blood tests reveal normal blood. BP fine, Triglycerides were LOW (yay!), Cholesterol low, LDL normal, HDL normal and so forth.

 

[beatle]

Originally posted by: Red DawnWhere did I say it was unhealthy in my post? I just said eating leaner meats and grapefruit would probably be healthier! Is it necessary to eat foods with a lot of fat for Atkins to work?

There's only 3 sources of calories in food: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. When you all but eliminate carbs from your diet, you have to eat foods that have calories in fat and protein. There are very few foods that are pure protein (tuna is one) so to "balance" out the meal, it generally contains fat.

Half of a medium grapefruit has 10g of sugar, so that would be out for Atkins, at least in the earlier stages. In addition, many low-fat versions of products are high in carbohydrates, like low(er) fat mayo, cheese and yogurt.

If you're looking to keep fat at bay while on Atkins, leaner meat is one way to do it, lower-fat cream cheese is another (I dunno why, but light Philly is lower in carbs than the original!)

 

[BaliBabyDoc]

Supposedly, yes. I'm not clear on the science behind it, but apparently, if you don't eat enough saturated fats, your body won't use stored fat for energy as readily.

Pure Atkins poo from his early books. Not even the small coterie of Atkins MDs claim saturated fat has any inherent positive influence in the human diet. We've known for decades that super low cholesterol diets may actually exacerbate hypercholesterolemia. But that phenomenon doesn't exist for saturated fat. In fact, if you don't eat enough unsaturated fat your body will make more saturated fat . . . Humans cannot create the double bonds for unsaturated fat.

The health benefits that come from Atkins, South Beach, or other varieties of low carb diets are primarily a function of weight loss (lowered BP, improvement in lipids, improvement in glucose tolerance). There's only ONE diet with published, peer-reviewed science demonstrating not only an improvement of lipid profile but also an actual reversal in atherosclerosis (crud in the arteries).

If you are overweight . . . losing weight is good for your long term health. Abusing yourself with Atkins (old version) is OK as a short term solution to excess weight. The most recent version of Atkins (which de-emphasizes beef, lamb, butter) while endorsing liberal use of lean chicken, fish, nuts is a GREAT diet . . . IF people match their diet modification with appropriate intake of fiber and micronutrients. Atkins sells multivitamin formulas but that's BS considering medical science is still struggling with which components and what form is required for micronutrients to provide health benefits.

The take home . . .
1) If you are overweight . . . lose it.
2) The only thing you should consume liberally is water and exercise . . . everything else should come in moderation.
3) Atkins is absolutely RIGHT . . . there's no place in a healthy diet for processed carbs.
4) Atkins is absolutely WRONG that any science (outside of the epidemiology of Inuit) demonstrates a benefit from high fat, high protein diets . . . particularly if the diet is high in saturated fat.