Low Carb Diet Seems Too Good To Be True

[Blackened]

Originally posted by: Eli
C-A-L-O-R-I-E-S.

IMO, any drastic diet isn't going to be good for you. The best diet is balanced.

There are good carbs and bad carbs, just like there are good fats and bad fats.

Just by eating foods that are nutritionally dense, instead of nutritionally.. nothing.. you will be doing yourself a huge favor.

I know nothing about the Atkins diet.. It doesen't tell you to not eat fruits, which are a source of carbs.. does it?

:Q

I'm not at advocate of the atkins diet - but atkins is absolutely right on in saying that all calories aren't created equal.
But as long as-- like you said-- eat the RIGHT KINDS of carbs you will be able to lose weight without such drastic
measures.

And yes - fruits are quite insulinogenic so they are eliminated in low carb diets.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Blackened

Originally posted by: Eli
C-A-L-O-R-I-E-S. This is the only word that matters if you want to lose weight. The reason we associate fat with fat so much is because not only does fat taste good, it also contains a lot of calories. For example, A candybar may be 2oz and 280 calories. You would have to eat 3 1/2 large apples(17.25oz), 4 oranges(21oz), 3.5 medium bananas(11oz), 11oz of corn.. Even 1 1/2 servings of something like a potato, at 5.3oz. So.. Stay away from those candybars, icecream, etc.

The fruit with the highest caloric density are plantains, with ~218 calories in ~6.5oz.

IMO, any drastic diet isn't going to be good for you. The best diet is balanced.

There are good carbs and bad carbs, just like there are good fats and bad fats.

Just by eating foods that are nutritionally dense, instead of nutritionally.. nothing.. you will be doing yourself a huge favor.

I know nothing about the Atkins diet.. It doesen't tell you to not eat fruits, which are a source of carbs.. does it?

:Q

I'm not at advocate of the atkins diet - but atkins is absolutely right on in saying that all calories aren't created equal.
But as long as-- like you said-- eat the RIGHT KINDS of carbs you will be able to lose weight without such drastic
measures.

And yes - fruits are quite insulinogenic so they are eliminated in low carb diets.

That's horrible! :Q

Is there such thing as a "main stream" plant matter diet?

That makes more sense than a meat diet.

 

[Blackened]

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: Blackened

Originally posted by: Eli
C-A-L-O-R-I-E-S. This is the only word that matters if you want to lose weight. The reason we associate fat with fat so much is because not only does fat taste good, it also contains a lot of calories. For example, A candybar may be 2oz and 280 calories. You would have to eat 3 1/2 large apples(17.25oz), 4 oranges(21oz), 3.5 medium bananas(11oz), 11oz of corn.. Even 1 1/2 servings of something like a potato, at 5.3oz. So.. Stay away from those candybars, icecream, etc.

The fruit with the highest caloric density are plantains, with ~218 calories in ~6.5oz.

IMO, any drastic diet isn't going to be good for you. The best diet is balanced.

There are good carbs and bad carbs, just like there are good fats and bad fats.

Just by eating foods that are nutritionally dense, instead of nutritionally.. nothing.. you will be doing yourself a huge favor.

I know nothing about the Atkins diet.. It doesen't tell you to not eat fruits, which are a source of carbs.. does it?

:Q

I'm not at advocate of the atkins diet - but atkins is absolutely right on in saying that all calories aren't created equal.
But as long as-- like you said-- eat the RIGHT KINDS of carbs you will be able to lose weight without such drastic
measures.

And yes - fruits are quite insulinogenic so they are eliminated in low carb diets.

That's horrible! :Q

Is there such thing as a "main stream" plant matter diet?

That makes more sense than a meat diet.

The whole premise behind no fruits is that fruits are insulinogenic and contain fructose. Excess fructose is converted to fat in the liver
before even entering the bloodstream, and when combined with high insulin levels will contribute to bodyfat.
1-2 servings of fruit daily are healthy as they contain many anti-oxidants, but I would eat them in moderation IF trying to lose fat

 

[Blackened]

Originally posted by: UDT89
every single person i know that went on these diets, GAINED it all back as soon as they stopped it.


You need to exercise to lose weight and keep it off. Its about the body's metabolism, exercising increase it. Then add in a well balanced diet, not just no carbs, and ur on your way.


Im a fan of calorie counting. I took my normal eating day calories, and subtracted 500 from it. Im doing that for a month, then subtracting another 500. Thats where i'll stay for however long.

Yeah - thats why I never eliminate carbs. Carb depletion inhibits the release of TSH (thyroid simulating hormone) and as such
resuming normal eating will result in a large gain in bodyfat. The only way to avoid this is to ramp up carb intake very, very
slowly and even then TSH levels do not return to normal in some cases. Meaning your thyroid is f*cked.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: UDT89
every single person i know that went on these diets, GAINED it all back as soon as they stopped it.


You need to exercise to lose weight and keep it off. Its about the body's metabolism, exercising increase it. Then add in a well balanced diet, not just no carbs, and ur on your way.


Im a fan of calorie counting. I took my normal eating day calories, and subtracted 500 from it. Im doing that for a month, then subtracting another 500. Thats where i'll stay for however long.

Here's a similar report from ABC News.

 

[soup or man]

Originally posted by: Beast1284

I'd love to see the cholesterol levels of a person who's been on the "eat all the steak you want" diet for 6 months or more.

my mother(who is 42) just had her cholesterol tested, she's been on atkins for 9 months. 138....total. her cholesterol has actually gone DOWN since being on the atkins diet. it's really pretty remarkable, since it's generally goes UP for people on this diet.

Another positive side effect was a chronic dull pain in her wrist subsided after a week of being on the diet. turns out she may have had a mild allergic reaction to wheat, and never known about it. now that she doesn't eat it, she doesn't have the pain. she was very happy about that one. my dad(who is 44) is also on the diet for the same amount of time. he lost 30 pounds in the first 6 months, and doesn't want to lose anymore, so he's changed his diet a little bit. his cholesterol is 180something i forget the exact number. anyway, that's not bad at all for a 44 year old 6'2" 220 pound male.

 

[ROTC1983]

My dad has been doing the atkins diet correctly, and so far no damage has been done

 

[Acanthus]

unless your problem is biological.

Get off your ass and walk an hour a day. If you walk an hour a day (dont jog that actually uses less calories because you start-stop throughout the period, and its bad for your knees) and combine that with a 1700-2000 calorie low-fat diet, you will drop weight very quickly. Dieting alone doesnt do anything. I'm sick of people trying to lose weight and starving themselves rather than just getting some friggin exercise every day.

Also recent studies show that sodium does NOT adversely effect blood pressure as previously thought. My grandfather had a mild heart attack 2 years ago. And the Cardiologist specifically said that if you are on a low fat - high carb diet, you can eat a bucket of salt every day and it wont effect you one bit.

Searching for linky on sodium.

edit: heres one

edit: Link 2 about salt, some very interesting finds

 

[Renob]

Low Carb Diet Seems Too Good To Be True

Well I have been on the LC diet (atkins) for about 8 months and have lost 70lbs started at 340 and and now Im at 270 I just need 30 more and that will make it a sweet 100

I should reach my goal in around 4 months.

So I would have to say its NOT too good to be true.

 

[Renob]

BTW if you drink diet pop make sure it has no caffeine.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Renob
BTW if you drink diet pop make sure it has no caffeine.

Why?

 

[Riprorin]

I'm about 5'8" and have gone from about 175 lbs to 161 lbs in about a month. I'd like to lose another 5 - 10 lbs.

My diet consists of:

Breakfast: 2/3 bowl Fiber 1 cereal, 2/3 cup 1% milk and strawberries (or eggs/bacon, or oatmeal and fruit or wheat pancakes with sugar-free syrup) + a little yougurt, cottage cheese or tofu.

Lunch: spinach salad and ham/turkey strips with blue cheese dressing or vegetable soup

Dinner: fish, beef, pork, tofu, or chcken and vegetable, fruit.
I snack on nuts, cheese, and olives.

I also run 4 miles before breakfast and do light lifting, push ups, and crunches.

In my opinion, this is a very healthy program. I eat no junk/processed foods. My cholesterol is histrorically about 235. I'm looking forward to getting a blood test. My guess is it's going to go down dramatically.

By the way, I'm 43 years old and feel great.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: Riprorin
I'm about 5'8" and have gone from about 175 lbs to 161 lbs in about a month. I'd like to lose another 5 - 10 lbs.

My diet consists of:

Breakfast: 2/3 bowl Fiber 1 cereal, 2/3 cup 1% milk and strawberries (or eggs/bacon, or oatmeal and fruit or wheat pancakes with sugar-free syrup) + a little yougurt, cottage cheese or tofu.

Lunch: spinach salad and ham/turkey strips with blue cheese dressing or vegetable soup

Dinner: fish, beef, pork, tofu, or chcken and vegetable, fruit.
I snack on nuts, cheese, and olives.

I also run 4 miles before breakfast and do light lifting, push ups, and crunches.

In my opinion, this is a very healthy program. I eat no junk/processed foods. My cholesterol is histrorically about 235. I'm looking forward to getting a blood test. My guess is it's going to go down dramatically.

By the way, I'm 43 years old and feel great.

Heres to doing it right.

 

[SinfulWeeper]

Originally posted by: Renob
BTW if you drink diet pop make sure it has no caffeine.

Care to inform us of why? I know caffeine ain't exactly good for us in terms of addiction. But I never heard of any weight increases/reduction from it...

 

[element]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: Wingznut

I would expect a doctor to be disgusted by a 20lbs of bacon a day intake.

I asked the doctor about the Atkins diet when I went to lose weight. I was 230, and wanted to get to 205-210. She said that it was very bad for your kidneys. You trade out kidney time for weightloss, according to her. She told me to eat right and exercise. Stop drinking so much soda.

I've lost 21 pounds.

I can't really comment on the Atkins diet, because I'm not a doctor. I just recommend that everyone see a real doctor before doing something like that.

What the heck is kidney time? And how far off is that from eastern standard time?

 

[royaldank]

Originally posted by: soup or man

Originally posted by: Beast1284

I'd love to see the cholesterol levels of a person who's been on the "eat all the steak you want" diet for 6 months or more.

my mother(who is 42) just had her cholesterol tested, she's been on atkins for 9 months. 138....total. her cholesterol has actually gone DOWN since being on the atkins diet. it's really pretty remarkable, since it's generally goes UP for people on this diet.

Couple of studies got released yesterday. They showed that obese people average more weight loss with a low-carb diet over the course of a year, and their cholesterol dropped. It is now being recognized as a cholesterol lowering diet by many doctors.

It was CBS This Morning, so there are probably links over there.

EDIT: Caffenine isn't good if you are on the Atkins plan. Can't remember exactly why, but it's not recommended. However, it's not going to stop most people. I still drank a lot of diet sodas with caff. and still lost weight. I kept my water intake very high, though.

 

[elGatoXL]

About caffeine...

For some people, it produces similar symptoms to that of low blood-sugar levels, even though levels are low or normal. This drop in blood-sugar levels may make you feel hungry. Hungry people either over eat or cheat.

 

[FeathersMcGraw]

Originally posted by: royaldank

Couple of studies got released yesterday. They showed that obese people average more weight loss with a low-carb diet over the course of a year, and their cholesterol dropped. It is now being recognized as a cholesterol lowering diet by many doctors.

That's a slightly inaccurate characterization of the study findings. LDL cholesterol levels were unaffected in both groups, but HDL ("good" cholesterol) levels rose slightly in the low-carb group. Triglyceride levels also decreased in the low-carb group.

There was no net difference in weight loss after one year (as both groups regained weight after the initial weight loss), although the low-carb group did experience quicker initial weight loss. The weight loss on the low-carb diet was greater at the end of a six-month period, however.

ScienceDaily

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: kracmunkie
Low carb/high protein diets (like Atkins) do help you drop the weight quickly, but not without repercussions. Carbs are essential for keeping your serotonin levels normal. Serotonin is the chemical that your body needs to feel happy. So basically, low carb diets = chronically depressed but skinny. A healthy balanced diet with moderate exercise is always the best to go for your body and your brain (and exercise boosts your endorphins which also help in feeling happy).

People love to see the pounds drop so quickly but it's really not good for your system, losing about 2 lbs a week is about the max people should shoot for. But also, the heavier you are, the easier it is to drop weight at first, and the closer you are to your ideal weight, the harder it is to lose weight (for good reason, otherwise I could be a size 0 by the end of next week, which would not look that great)

HTH

Get in the know...

See the study released yesterday showing that this diet looks like it might actually be better than a lowfat diet. People lose weight faster and lower cholesterol levels faster than with low fat diets. It was on all the news channels.

As for the depression thing, I've been on it since January and have lost 30 lbs. No depression, I feel great, and I stuff myself silly every day! The only bad thing is a bit of constipation, so I have to eat a lot of broccoli and salad. As for losing weight too quickly, it's not unhealthy...it just lowers your likelyhood of keeping the weight off. I've accepted this diet as a lifestyle change and no longer crave starches/sweets, so I don't think I'm going off of it anytime soon.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: Wingznut
Bacon = 0 carbs

Careful there...maple flavored and some sugar cured bacon has a few carbs per slice. Here's some good hints for people on this diet:

Subtract fiber content from carb content to get net effective carbs in a food. For instance, if your favorite soup has 8 carbs, and 3 come from fiber, the total carbs is 5.

Same thing with sugar alcohol. This stuff rocks! It tastes just like sugar but is not absorbed by the body. They make chocolate out of this stuff and it gets rid of any sweet tooth you might have. So, deduct any sugar alcohol from the carb count.

Bacon is usually safe (unless it's sweetened, like I mentioned above), so most people would consider ham ok as well. Pressed ham is good (usually only 1-3 carbs), but a spiral ham will go up to 7-12 carbs per serving! This is because of the sugar that these hams are usually wrapped in.

Do not eat corn, peas, or any beans except green beans, and limit tomatoes. Corn and peas especially...they're loaded with sugar. Eat lots of broccoli and cauliflower (melt cheddar cheese on it....yumm!) Pretty much any leafy vegetable is fair game as well.

Need a snack? PORK RINDS!!! Yes! You can actually eat all the pork rinds you can stuff in your face @ 0 carbs! I recommend the BBQ ones. someone said they have ranch ones available, but I haven't seen them. Melt some cheese on them and a dab of salsa and you have low carb nachos!

Salami and cream cheese....try it. You'll like it.

Need milk? use heavy cream and water. Some say use soy milk but that stuff is awful and $$$$$$$$$$.

Watch out for processed cheeses. Cheeses like cheddar are the best, as they usually have 0-1 carbs. Velveta and american cheese have around 2-3 carbs per serving...that can add up.

Sugar free maple syrup and Atkins pancake mix= great Sunday morning breakfast. Highly recommended.

Berries and melon are about the only fruits you can eat in any quantity. Strawberries are your friend! Strawberries and canned whipped cream = around 4-5 carbs. Blueberries are pretty low too. Have them on your pancakes

 

[Blackened]

Originally posted by: Acanthus
unless your problem is biological.

Get off your ass and walk an hour a day. If you walk an hour a day (dont jog that actually uses less calories because you start-stop throughout the period, and its bad for your knees) and combine that with a 1700-2000 calorie low-fat diet, you will drop weight very quickly. Dieting alone doesnt do anything. I'm sick of people trying to lose weight and starving themselves rather than just getting some friggin exercise every day.

Also recent studies show that sodium does NOT adversely effect blood pressure as previously thought. My grandfather had a mild heart attack 2 years ago. And the Cardiologist specifically said that if you are on a low fat - high carb diet, you can eat a bucket of salt every day and it wont effect you one bit.

Searching for linky on sodium.

edit: heres one

edit: Link 2 about salt, some very interesting finds

I would rather do atkins than a high carb, low fat diet. Some fats are not harmful, and are in fact essential to
keeping the metabolism ticking. Its all about balance.....both the atkins and low fat diets are extremes that
are not necessary.

 

[Looney]

The purpose of a diet is to lose fat, not water

And being water bloated is good how?

The reason why i don't take creatine is because i hate looking bloated. I've been on the a low carb diet for over a year now, and i like my cut look.

I *am* a bodybuilder that has competed in several state contests. I'm well aware that bodybuilders use modified ketogenic diets (and a boatload of clenbuterol, winstrol, tren acetate) , but ONLY for contest prep - because you can't gain mass on a low carb diet. They only use it to achieve a dry, stirated look no achievable otherwise....i'm not aware of ANY bodybuilder that does this in the offseason. Also, NO SANE competing bodybuilder would do atkins - there is always a risk of muscle loss....bodybuilders (the ones I know) use a modified ketogenic diet that has a weekly carbup to prevent muscle loss...I have used this type of diet and like it alot.

Um, this thread isn't about the Atkin's diet... it's about a low carb diet. Why is it when people argue, they always use the extremes to make their point?

And yes, i've heard of SANE bodybuilders using the ketogenic diet... that's still a low carb diet.

 

[Blackened]

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: kracmunkie
Low carb/high protein diets (like Atkins) do help you drop the weight quickly, but not without repercussions. Carbs are essential for keeping your serotonin levels normal. Serotonin is the chemical that your body needs to feel happy. So basically, low carb diets = chronically depressed but skinny. A healthy balanced diet with moderate exercise is always the best to go for your body and your brain (and exercise boosts your endorphins which also help in feeling happy).

People love to see the pounds drop so quickly but it's really not good for your system, losing about 2 lbs a week is about the max people should shoot for. But also, the heavier you are, the easier it is to drop weight at first, and the closer you are to your ideal weight, the harder it is to lose weight (for good reason, otherwise I could be a size 0 by the end of next week, which would not look that great)

HTH

Get in the know...

See the study released yesterday showing that this diet looks like it might actually be better than a lowfat diet. People lose weight faster and lower cholesterol levels faster than with low fat diets. It was on all the news channels.

As for the depression thing, I've been on it since January and have lost 30 lbs. No depression, I feel great, and I stuff myself silly every day! The only bad thing is a bit of constipation, so I have to eat a lot of broccoli and salad. As for losing weight too quickly, it's not unhealthy...it just lowers your likelyhood of keeping the weight off. I've accepted this diet as a lifestyle change and no longer crave starches/sweets, so I don't think I'm going off of it anytime soon.

This is what I mean about people on this diet not knowing WHAT THE F *CK they are doing. Atkins never
intended for anyone doing his quackery diet to STAY in ketosis - in fact I believe he has you doing trace
carbs for 2 weeks then ramping up slowly to normal levels over time. YOU CANNOT CARB DEPLETE
for a long period of time without repercussions! Let me explain something: when you alter
your body to stop producing a hormone naturally, natural production will become severely limited
or will cease all together; If you carb deplete for a long period of time TSH (thyroid simulating hormone)
will be severely inhibited. If you inhibit it long enough, natural production will be much much
lower than it was previously - so you're essentially screwing your thyroid up. In addition, your kidneys rely
on water to flush toxins from your body, and with ketosis causing dehydration this can be a source of problems.
Short term ketosis will not cause problems, but staying in ketosis for a long period of time is absolutely stupid.

I suggest you read up on how atkins intended this diet to be done.

 

[The Sauce]

Originally posted by: Wingznut

Originally posted by: Beast1284

Originally posted by: SammySon
Atkins provides way too much protein.

I'd love to see the cholesterol levels of a person who's been on the "eat all the steak you want" diet for 6 months or more.

*sigh* Seriously... Do a little research, and throw in some common sense. I'll take anyone's bet that my cholesterol will be no worse in 6 months than it was last time I measured it (2/01), and it was low then (168, iirc.)

For what it's worth, I eat chicken and fish just as much as I do red meat.

For anyone who is interested, this weeks' copy of the New England Journal of Medicine (the highest regarded general medicine journal) has two randomized prospective studies on the low carb diets. The first study showed at 6 months a significant advantage to low carbs with regard to weight loss, triglycerides, and insulin resistance when compared to a conventional low-fat diet. The second study went for 12 months and showed a significant difference in weight loss at 6 months but no difference at 12 months when compared to a conventional low-fat diet. Aside from the improvement in triglycerides (expected as carbs are converted directly into triglycerides), there was no significant difference with regard to cholesterol levels.

 

[Looney]

every single person i know that went on these diets, GAINED it all back as soon as they stopped it.

ANY diet you do, you're goign to gain it all back when you stop.

And that goes for any exercise regime too... if you stop doing the exercise, but continue with your same consumption levels, you're going to gain it all back.

Is that so hard for people to understand?