Everything else is just fluff.
Yes, but there are still a million ways to package that message in the eyes of creative marketers! :)
Mmmmmm fluff.
"calories burned > calories consumed = weight loss."
True, but the types of food you eat can affect your metabolism which affects your calorie burning potential.
We all react differently to different foods...no one diet is good for everyone. When I cut back carbs I lose weight, feel better, sleep better, and don't get heartburn. With others, it may be the fat that is the culprit.
Atkins was too rigid and extreme though.
calories burned > calories consumed = weight loss.
Everything else is just fluff.
lo-carb **is** a calorie reduction diet/lifestyle. If you watch your calories lo-carbing, you eat less calries, because you stay "full" longer. Eating proteins and fats satisfies your hunger a lot longer than eating carbs.
You can't change the laws of thermodynamics. Lo-carb is not a "magic bullet", it incorporates many of the things that any diet needs to have success in losing weight: calorie reduction, portion control, and avoiding certain foods. It also helps those with abused insulin response systems to take control back from the sugar spikes.
And Atkins himself pushed for daily exercise, the other part of the equation. Just eating lo-carb won't do it, you have to move your butt, too.
That's true to a point. The body can only handle so many carbs in a short period of time. It has to convert the extra to fat. So in reality it's not so much how many calories in a day you consume, it's how dense those calories are in a short period of time. And many high processed, high density carb foods simply overwhelm the body's capacity to process sugars. Then even worse, if you don't eat for a period of time afterward, the metabolism slows down to the point where it will conserve the fat. The best way to lose weight is to basically "graze" during the day. Eat small meals every few hours. Keeps your metabolism constant and gives the body time to process the calories without overwhelming it.
Lemmie see if I can correct this...
(calories burned + calories expelled) > calories consumed = weight loss. Now that is more like it.
"calories burned > calories consumed = weight loss."
Animals on a calorie-restricted diet live surprisingly LONGER, too.
American packaged and deli food has a LOT of sugars hidden in it. It is not listed as the first ingredient, but if you keep on reading, the corn sweetener, etc., really adds up. Try getting completely off sugar for a while, and then you can really notice the feeling when you eat something that has it somewhere in there.
Paul C. Bragg's booklet "The Toxicless Diet" is quite an effective method, also outlined in his other booklets. He is the fellow who "started" Jack LaLane, and was Douglas Fairbanks SR.'s personal trainer. His books do not recommend potions (other than raw apple cider vinegar), pills, extreme diets...but rather what people and animals have done throughout history, to be healthy and fit, especially when already sick...: eat simple, natural foods, drink pure water, get enough good sleep, exercise, regular water-fasting, and keep a positive, wholesome attitude and philosophy.
Not true. There's good science behind the diet. And the diet works when adhered to. That's the hard part.