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Atkins Diet: Why isn't caffeine or alcohol okay?

G

GermyBoy

Banned
One of my buddies just went on this, and I offered him both alcohol and coke, and he refused. I was shocked because he drinks these like they're going out of style...so I asked him why, and he said it was because of his Atkins diet. Wouldn't tell me why he wouldn't drink them though, so I want to know. My curiousity has peaked! 😀

Thanks for any help.
 
Alcohol has carbs, so a big no-no. Light beer is possible, esp. in stages 2 and later in the atkins diet. Caffeine can cause insulin levels to go high then fall, can cause hunger pangs. I still have coffee with artifical sweetener, I've still lost a lot of weight. I need my coffee, damnit. 😀
 
Caffeine isn't likely the issue in Coke, unless it was diet coke. Coke itself has carbs, which would be the problem.

Rob
 
Originally posted by: Amused
Was the coke diet? If not sugar is carbs... and a big no-no.
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Actually it WAS diet coke. I even handed it to him, he thought a second, and said, "I can't, it has caffeine in it."
 
Originally posted by: GermyBoy
Originally posted by: Amused
Was the coke diet? If not sugar is carbs... and a big no-no.
Click to expand...

Actually it WAS diet coke. I even handed it to him, he thought a second, and said, "I can't, it has caffeine in it."
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Hmmm, I dunno.
 
Lots of misconception here... Caffeine isn't ok because it causes an insulin spike just like carb does. And alcohol? Never heard of that... unless you're talking about beer, inwhich case it's just the carbs in that. Either drink light beer, or hard liquor.
 
Originally posted by: Moralpanic
Lots of misconception here... Caffeine isn't ok because it causes an insulin spike just like carb does. And alcohol? Never heard of that... unless you're talking about beer, inwhich case it's just the carbs in that. Either drink light beer, or hard liquor.
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Without carbohydrates for the insulin to metabolize, does caffeine still cause a spike?

I hadn't heard much about this. I know that simple sugars + caffeine can be bad, but hadn't heard that beyond its diuretic properties, caffeine in and of itself was.

In these studies the equivalent of five to six espresso coffees were given either as tablets or injections and the effectiveness of insulin fell by 15 to 50%. This is similar to the effect obesity has on insulin action (lowers insulin action by 40%). It is well known that exercise increases the effectiveness of insulin, but after the ingestion of caffeine, insulin action was impaired, even though the subjects had exercised for one hour (Thong et al., 2002). It is speculated that caffeine activates receptors (adenosine) in adipose tissue, increasing both the concentration of fatty acids in the blood (which in turn may impair insulin action) and blood pressure. Caffeine also increases the levels of the stress hormone adrenaline which may also impair the action of insulin.
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That's a lot of caffeine for a 15% decrease. Wonder what happens at normal levels?

Rob
 
I created a thread a few days ago asking about alcoholic drinks that were Atkins compatible. The consensus seemed to be that for beer Michelob Ultra was best (~2 grams carbs). And vodka with club soda was good too (no carbs).

Also I have done some more reading in Dr. Atkins book, and he said that alcohol doesn't stop ketosis, it merely postpones it. Therefore if you are in ketosis and you ingest alcohol, your body will use the alcohol for energy first, and after that is consumed will go right back into ketosis and using fat for energy.

So it looks like it may indeed be possible to indulge in some low carb alcoholic drinks and stay on track.
 
Being a type-1 diabetic, I'm really wondering about insulin sensitivity, spikes, etc. Anyone know where I could find good information on this? It's hard for me to understand what an insulin "spike" would be for me, since I'm always regulating my blood sugars manually. 😛

Rob
 
Originally posted by: Aceshigh
I created a thread a few days ago asking about alcoholic drinks that were Atkins compatible. The consensus seemed to be that for beer Michelob Ultra was best (~2 grams carbs). And vodka with club soda was good too (no carbs).

Also I have done some more reading in Dr. Atkins book, and he said that alcohol doesn't stop ketosis, it merely postpones it. Therefore if you are in ketosis and you ingest alcohol, your body will use the alcohol for energy first, and after that is consumed will go right back into ketosis and using fat for energy.

So it looks like it may indeed be possible to indulge in some low carb alcoholic drinks and stay on track.
Click to expand...

Quite right.

I'm semi Atkins (I do something called "Protein Power for Life"... carbs in the form of fiber are allowed. Who gets fat eating carrots?) and I still need my coffee and I still enjoy a vodka with a LOT of ice and a splash of grapefruit juice. I know grapefruit juice has carbs, but I'm low carb, not no carb!

BTW, I find that just sticking to lean proteins and lots of fruits, nuts, and veggies, I don't have to worry to much about weight.

It's those pre packaged, processed foods that our bodies can't handle. If I get lazy and eat convenience foods, I swell up pretty quickly.

 
Originally posted by: Isla
Originally posted by: Aceshigh
I created a thread a few days ago asking about alcoholic drinks that were Atkins compatible. The consensus seemed to be that for beer Michelob Ultra was best (~2 grams carbs). And vodka with club soda was good too (no carbs).

Also I have done some more reading in Dr. Atkins book, and he said that alcohol doesn't stop ketosis, it merely postpones it. Therefore if you are in ketosis and you ingest alcohol, your body will use the alcohol for energy first, and after that is consumed will go right back into ketosis and using fat for energy.

So it looks like it may indeed be possible to indulge in some low carb alcoholic drinks and stay on track.
Click to expand...

Quite right.

I'm semi Atkins (I do something called "Protein Power for Life"... carbs in the form of fiber are allowed. Who gets fat eating carrots?) and I still need my coffee and I still enjoy a vodka with a LOT of ice and a splash of grapefruit juice. I know grapefruit juice has carbs, but I'm low carb, not no carb!

BTW, I find that just sticking to lean proteins and lots of fruits, nuts, and veggies, I don't have to worry to much about weight.

It's those pre packaged, processed foods that our bodies can't handle. If I get lazy and eat convenience foods, I swell up pretty quickly.
Click to expand...

Sounds awesome.
 
Originally posted by: NuclearFusi0n
Diet Schwiet


Just don't eat crap and exercise a lot.

A++ would lose weight again.

BTW I doubt LSD has any carbs....try it....
Click to expand...

What the fsck does LSD have with dieting? 😕
 
Without carbohydrates for the insulin to metabolize, does caffeine still cause a spike?
Click to expand...

It does... it won't kick you out of ketosis or anything, but it'll make you hungry with the insulin spike.
 
Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: NuclearFusi0n Diet Schwiet Just don't eat crap and exercise a lot. A++ would lose weight again. BTW I doubt LSD has any carbs....try it....
Click to expand...
What the fsck does LSD have with dieting? 😕
Click to expand...

LSD is a drug. You'll forget about eating 100%, and it speeds your heartrate up so much. How many fat druggies do YOU know?
 
Originally posted by: GermyBoy
Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: NuclearFusi0n Diet Schwiet Just don't eat crap and exercise a lot. A++ would lose weight again. BTW I doubt LSD has any carbs....try it....
Click to expand...
What the fsck does LSD have with dieting? 😕
Click to expand...

LSD is a drug. You'll forget about eating 100%, and it speeds your heartrate up so much. How many fat druggies do YOU know?
Click to expand...

Fat Jay. The only motherfvker I knew who could do an eightball of coke and then eat three large pizzas with wings from Domino's. Fat druggies exist.
 
Originally posted by: Millennium
Originally posted by: GermyBoy
Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: NuclearFusi0n Diet Schwiet Just don't eat crap and exercise a lot. A++ would lose weight again. BTW I doubt LSD has any carbs....try it....
Click to expand...
What the fsck does LSD have with dieting? 😕
Click to expand...

LSD is a drug. You'll forget about eating 100%, and it speeds your heartrate up so much. How many fat druggies do YOU know?
Click to expand...

Fat Jay. The only motherfvker I knew who could do an eightball of coke and then eat three large pizzas with wings from Domino's. Fat druggies exist.
Click to expand...

aha ha hahhah aha


Fat Jay, great name.

A+++ would laugh again.
 
Caffeine does not CAUSE insulin spikes or insulin insensitivity. Caffeine can stimulate fatty acid oxidation and its corresponding hormonal cascades which include counter-regulatory hormones like cortisol and epinephrine (adrenalin). It is quite plausible the nonphysiological release of counter-regulatory hormones subsequently stimulate appetite but you will not get a significant response from insulin . . . if anything you are more likely to get an increase in growth hormone (which is anabolic and but is supressed by high plasma glucose/high plasma insulin).

Alcohol is metabolized as fat and carbs. A rough estimate is to count half of the alcohol content as carbs and then add that to regular beverage carbs to get the total carb count for a given drink.
 
Originally posted by: Entity


Without carbohydrates for the insulin to metabolize, does caffeine still cause a spike?

Rob
Click to expand...

Caffeine stimulates fatty acid release and one simple principle of cell operation is that nutrients are either being released or being absorbed at any one time, but not both. So, by pushing the body towards releasing fatty acids into the bloodstream, you're inhibiting the uptake of nutrients into your cells; hence, temporarily making insulin less effective.

It's no big deal and won't interfere with a ketogenic diet, but it's an argument for taking caffeine (or any other stimulant, which will have the same effect) before exercising rather than before eating, particularly if you're an athlete.

Alcohol, on the other hand, is neither a fat nor a carb, but metabolization of alcohol will elevate hepatic NADH/NAD levels, which will deepen ketosis for an individual on a ketogenic diet by favoring the production of ketones over glucose by the liver. While alcohol won't interfere with a ketogenic diet, it does have calories (7/gram).
 
I read an interview with a marketing director from Miller a while back. They asked if they had plans to produce a low carb beer similar to Michelob Ultra. His response, "We have been for years, it's called Miller Light."

I prefer Miller Light to Ultra, and you are talking about 2.6g in Ultra versus 3.2g in Miller Light.

I just thought that response was funny.

 
Dr. Atkins believed that Caffeine hampers the bodies ability to process Carbs efficiently and with alcohol breaks down into sugars.

Ausm
 
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