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Atkins diet

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He lived. They said it was a condition unrelated to coronary artery disease, and wasn't caused by diet.

There was a study done, not long ago, on people using this diet. They expected to find people on it would have elevated levels of cholesterol. They didn't. It said the levels actually went down.
 
Looking at atkinscenter.com, for coffee it says decaffeinated only, but I got a book that lists carbs for major foods, and it says coffee has 0 g carbs. I'm confused, anyone know or care to comment?
 
There was a study done, not long ago, on people using this diet. They expected to find people on it would have elevated levels of cholesterol. They didn't. It said the levels actually went down.
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Unfortunately, we now know that for most people the increased risk of morbidity is not the absolute cholesterol level but the relative proportion of HDL to LDL. Best evidence to date implies the greatest risk may come from small dense LDL particles versus moderate-sized or big fluffy LDL particles.

Hence it is possible to decrease your cholesterol but increase your risk of disease.
 
Originally posted by: tontod
Looking at atkinscenter.com, for coffee it says decaffeinated only, but I got a book that lists carbs for major foods, and it says coffee has 0 g carbs. I'm confused, anyone know or care to comment?
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Caffein isn't any good for you naturally, so just stay away from it.
 
Looking at atkinscenter.com, for coffee it says decaffeinated only, but I got a book that lists carbs for major foods, and it says coffee has 0 g carbs. I'm confused, anyone know or care to comment?
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What's your question? There's no relationship between caffeine and carbs.
 
The reason I say it is because the atkinscenter diet says to have decaffeinated coffee only. I gotta have my morning fix of coffee. 😀😉

I just want to make sure I stick to the diet.
 
Tontod,
I would highly recommend you get Dr. Atkkins revised edition of his book, and read through it. he talks about how caffeine affects blood sugar and insulin.

Also, there is still a LOT of BS floating around about the ill affects of the Atkins and other low carb diets. The book discusses in length the pros and cons, as well as answers to some of the myths still floating about (even in some of the posts here).

Here is a good resource: LowCarb Center

It contains links to good/bad studies on low carb diets, including Atkins, as well as news links.



I would suggest reading his book, researching the studies, and decide for yourself.

I'm on the Atkins diet, as recommended by my doctor. It's worked well, I feel so much better than I did, and I've dropped 4 notches on the old belt.

Moderate excercise is also recommended as part of the diet, as well as good vitamin supplements.

The only reasons people are saying "six months" is that the non low carb sponsored studies that have monitored people have only been done for 3 to 6 weeks, up to 6 months. So even though they were surprised that the Atkins or low carb diet actually outperformed low fat diets in reducing cholesterol and tryglicerides they hedge their bets in saying that more longer term studies need to be done.

The Atkins diet has been used by thousands of people over the last 10 years, with no long term adverse effects being proven.

Excerpt from the study byDuke University Medical Center study:
Serum total cholesterol level decreased 11 +/- 26 mg/dL (P = 0.006), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level decreased 10 +/- 25 mg/dL (P = 0.01), triglyceride level decreased 56 +/- 45 mg/dL (P <0.001), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level increased 10 +/- 8 mg/dL (P <0.001), and the cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio decreased 0.9 +/- 0.6 units (P <0.001). There were no serious adverse effects , but the possibility of adverse effects in the 10 subjects who did not adhere to the program cannot be eliminated.
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It isn't for everyone. Vegetarians will have a difficult time staying on the diet, as their food choices are severely limited. Carbs have been my fav food for decades, but I feel so much better than the slug I was before I went on the diet, that it's been easy for me to avoid them. 🙂

[edit]
And if you are really into some heavy duty reading, read This
Includes references to studys supporting each point, and further in the post even has links when possible to those studies.
😀
 
its not good for your kidneys because all the protein must get excreted out because its not stored, so its turned into urea and the kidney has to go through more work to excrete all that urea out. It puts excess strain on them and can lead to problems down the line.

Plus alot of urea makes urine smell really bad
 
Any negative aspects to this diet that I should be aware of?
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Yes: Goodluck staying on it.

Long term effects are difficult to identify because you need to be a god to tolerate the restrictions of this diet long term. Personally I can lose weight with weights/cardio and cutting back regular food - and if once a week I turn into a pig and suck back half a papa johns pizza with 6 beer I'm not sabotaging more than a day of hard dieting to get back to where I was. Staying on the atkins long term is super freaking hard, and that's why it's only a patch. You can lose all the weight you want on it but once you're done the diet you'll pile it back on.

In terms of how good it is for your health there are pros and cons. Some recent studies have shown that surprisingly it can benefit your cholestorol, though of course there is more to health than that.
 
Originally posted by: BaliBabyDoc
Ah ha! Hmm, come on people, lets get some more respones to this thread, tontod ain't the only one considering it.
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Don't do it.
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You're just part of the medical status quo. You don't care about patients, and you don't want them to learn new things. Anything that works, but is contrary to your training, you deem bad. Open your eyes, man.

Did I cover all of the Atkins cop outs?
rolleye.gif
 
Diet physiology is based on calorie debt. Your body makes specific modifications in response to calorie debt. There is absolutely NOTHING in the Atkins diet that counteracts the natural catabolic response to sub-maintenance calories. You will likely lose less muscle mass on Atkins but it will still occur. You will have a DEFINITE increase in turnover in ALL tissue. Carb and fat will not be replenished b/c fat is in such high demand as a fuel substrate and carbs are diet limited.

The only tissue that responds positively to increased turnover when adequate substrate is present would be skeletal muscle (biceps et al) . . . working out primes the pump and a good diet (plus rest) builds. Weight loss diets marginally maintain. You cannot maintain an active exercise program on minimal carbs. You cannot supplement healthy levels of fiber into your diet without feeling like crap. The ONLY diet to ever show true positive outcomes (decreased coronary plaques and decreased cardiac events) is the Dean Ornish's diet. Ornish is high carb low fat and damn hard to follow.

You would be better served ignoring Atkins and Ornish . . . since the former is unproven long term while the latter is oppressive . . . and make modifications in your lifestyle that are sustainable. Keep your morning coffee and the caffeine just drop the sugar and creamer. The typical 12oz soda packs 120-150 calories on the high end that would be 4500 calories per month. Pick an activity (or activities) that you want to do . . . don't jog if you hate jogging. Make realistic goals. Find a friend willing to kick your arse when you feel lazy. Don't buy anybody's books or programs. Save your money for some good cookware. Change your life and the body will follow.

BS Nutrition 1995
MD
 
You're just part of the medical status quo. You don't care about patients, and you don't want them to learn new things. Anything that works, but is contrary to your training, you deem bad. Open your eyes, man.
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To be perfectly honest I wouldn't want anybody to try anything that had NO physiological basis for being healthy. I would definitely prefer someone try the Atkins and exercise to being a fat sedentary pig. But I wouldn't want them to live on the diet. Ornish's diet not only makes physiological sense it actually works (short and long term) but NO ONE is happy on the Ornish diet. Following the Atkins diet will help most people lose weight . . . they just won't keep it off when they resume their normal diet.

Part of the conflict in vitamin/mineral studies comes from the clear difference between supplements and the natural foods that happen to contain certain vitamins and minerals. A handful of tablets will not provide the health benefits of fruits and vegetables. Atkins' has no answer.
 
I don't think anyone should do the Atkins diet unless their like 60+ pounds overweight, eaiting healthy is much more beneficial for the body and easier to deal with in the long run.
 
Congratulations . . . your son is healthier b/c he lost weight and he exercises. The Atkins diet was a tool for that weight loss BUT it is not consistent with a healthy lifestyle.
 
Originally posted by: tontod
Anyone on the atkins diet? I just got on it. Its not too tough for me since I dont crave pasta/breads/rice. Having the option of eating eggs, steak frequently is nice 🙂

Any negative aspects to this diet that I should be aware of?

Edit: oops, changed paste to pasta. 😀
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You will....wait a week during your initiation phase 🙂 I started on Jan. 2nd. I'd KILL for a pancake now 🙂

Actually, it seems to be a great diet. I love meat...and I can eat a lot of it!
 
Originally posted by: axiom
All you need to know is that you shouldn't stuff your big greasy pie hole with fast food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

BIG N TASTY!
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Breakfast is OK....eating it for dinner then plopping your lazy butt in front of the TV or computer until you go to bed is what kills you.
 
Originally posted by: alee25
its not good for your kidneys because all the protein must get excreted out because its not stored, so its turned into urea and the kidney has to go through more work to excrete all that urea out. It puts excess strain on them and can lead to problems down the line.

Plus alot of urea makes urine smell really bad
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Funny....in the 5 days I've been on it, my urine is actually nearly clear. It's the constipation that's the big downer 🙁
 
I did it for about 4 months a year and a half ago. Lost about 50 pounds, of which I have packed on 10-15 since. I am about to start again for a couple of months to slim down a bit. I was really strict and it worked pretty fast. For me, after 2 or 3 days, I become very uninterested in food. Carbs are, for me anyway, the most addictive substance I've ever had. However, after they were out of my system, I began to care very little about food. I would have to remind myself to eat the 3 or 4 meals I was having at the time. That was a first for me.

But, after a couple months, you begin to really want something sweet again. You start thinking about having just one burger (w/ bun). It starts to get worse. I realized I couldn't stay on it long term, but it did teach me to limit carbs as much as possible. I still don't drink regular sodas or caffeine for the most part. I developed a little better eating habits for meals and try to eat a couple heathy items like chicken and green beans.

I think it's a good tool to use for some weight loss. I wouldn't personally live my life forever on it. However, I have been a bigger guy for some time. I'm in a five year personal plan to loose a bunch (some each year) and develop better eating habits. Once a year, I'll do the Atkins for a couple months because it really does drop the weight for me. It's hard keeping it off, but it's usually hard any time you try and change your lifestyle in such a drastic way.
 
Originally posted by: BaliBabyDoc
Congratulations . . . your son is healthier b/c he lost weight and he exercises. The Atkins diet was a tool for that weight loss BUT it is not consistent with a healthy lifestyle.
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Your opinion. You know that Eskimos have lived on this diet for hundreds of years and they're the healthiest group of people on the planet. They eat ALL fats, hardly any veggies.



 
Originally posted by: Fritzo
Your opinion. You know that Eskimos have lived on this diet for hundreds of years and they're the healthiest group of people on the planet. They eat ALL fats, hardly any veggies.
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Although the key there is a diet rich in fish with high content of Omega-3 fatty acids. All the people I know on Atkins are chowing down on red meat and cheese.
 
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