Fad Diets (Bashing low Carb diets Alert!)

wbz4 ^ | 4-9-03

[aruanan]

Again I appreciate your contribution to the thread. It was literally packed with pertinent info.

It was packed with pertinent information: Those who are on the anti-carb, high-protein bandwagon (including Atkins) either are nutritional ignoramuses or have pecuniary ulterior motives (Atkins).

I've said it before and I'll say it again: If you consume food, whether all vegetables or all meat or a mixed diet, that exactly replaces your kilocaloric expenditure, your weight will not change (if you're no longer growing). If your energy intake, regardless of the type of macronutrient, is less than your energy expenditure, you will lose weight. If your energy intake exceeds your energy expenditure, you will gain weight. The weight gain may be fat or muscle or both depending on the type and intensity of physical activity during hypercaloric intake.

People are not fat because they eat too many carbohydrates but because they exceed their energy expenditure by their energy intake. The relationship between eating and obesity is that simple.

These threads are invariably filled with horribly ignorant people ranting about "insuline" causing people to make fat from glucose (it almost never occurs to any appreciable amount in humans) or talking about ways of getting the body to produce the glucose it needs from fat (it cannot happen, period) or that cyanocobalamin is "natural" Vit B12 but methylcobalamin isn't or just about every possible quack remedy that derives its power by appealing to some mystical feeling evoked by the word "natural" or by appealing to a paranoid reaction against the idea that there could actually be experts while at the same time promoting itself as an anti-expert expert.

[Glenn]

I'm sick of oatmeal & don't want to bother with cholesterol lowering drugs.

It's your life. After five heart caths I'm pretty convinced high cholesterol might just be a problem.

Roll the dice.

[MaggieMay]

LOL

[Johnny Gage]

Maybe I need to go back on but not at the induction phase

Actually, in the Dr. Aktins book, where he describes the induction phase in depth, he states that for the first week you may feel lousy. I the first time through that, I felt like crap starting about day 4 through about day 9, then seemly overnight, I felt much better.

as with all things, YMMV.

Good luck!

[skeeter]

It's your life. After five heart caths I'm pretty convinced high cholesterol might just be a problem. Roll the dice.

I don't plan on gambling with my health. I was simply looking for alternatives.

My doctor assures me my high levels aren't a problem 'cause my LDL is offset by my HDL (or vice versa) but I'd still like to take em both down a notch or two.

[joesbucks]

My wife and I have been doing this for 9 weeks. I've lost over 20 lbs. She closer to 10-15. For the last few weeks we've been in a "zone" of up a few, down a few. But I seem to continue to lose inches. Older clothing now fits, current clothing now falls off of me.

Wife recently had blood work done. She was way out of bounds a year ago in many areas. Those are now all within normal limits.

I have never had a diet or time in my life when I no longer think of food all the time. I used to live to eat my next meal. Now I don't even think of it most of the time. Cravings are gone. I can look the candy machine in the eye at work and sincerely not want anything in it.

I do miss some things like pasta or my old daily feeding of Post Grape Nuts, but I don't crave them.

[Johnny Gage]

I have never had a diet or time in my life when I no longer think of food all the time. I used to live to eat my next meal.

That's the same for me. Wife and I did weight watchers, and while I lost about 15 lbs, the biggest thing was I was hungry ALL THE TIME.

Follwing Atkins plan, I have to "remember" to eat, because there are little or no cravings... (except for an ocassional Nacho Crave)

I recently restarted doing Atkins, after a hiatus, and have hit a plateau... It's kind of a struggle, but I'm determined to break through.

[Johnny Gage]

Just in case someone didn't know this:

If you "just can't live without" drinking a can of pop. Be sure to drink the "Diet Rite" line of soda.

They are all, Sugar free, Caffeine free and best of all, they are sweetened with Splenda, which is the only sweetener recommended in Dr. Atkins books.

Just a FYI.

[chilepepper]

They already know that the American Heart Assoc' "food pyramid", with its requirement of 300-400g of carbs daily, has turned us into a nation of diabetic WHALES.

Good for their business...

[dc27]

Carbs aren't bad if they are low GI, like oatmeal. The problem is people are eating high GI stuff.

[chilepepper]

People are not fat because they eat too many carbohydrates but because they exceed their energy expenditure by their energy intake.

This is extremely simple minded almost to the point of being dogmatic.

As someone who has dieted all my life and *finally* gained control of my weight through lo-carb, I can by experience tell you that it just AIN'T SO SIMPLE AS THAT.

I realize that you got a warm fuzzy feeling when you took your physics class in University that you were starting to discover a UNIVERSAL TRUTH that you could apply everywhere and viola! you understand how things work.

BS - human metabolism is EXTREMELY tricky, and is constantly changing its energy expenditure based on dozens of obscure variables.

It was perhaps unfortunate that the unit of energy was called the 'calorie' which of course is the same name, but by no means the same UNIT used to raise water temperature. This allows the same mechanistic mindset to spout the meaningless drivel you have uttered.

The human body is an exquisitely crafted FEEDBACK SYSTEM, not a big beaker full of distilled water.

[joesbucks]

Down side of Splenda......It gives you gas!

[MaggieMay]

I wanted to mention the study I refer to in my post,paraphased from the Seattle Times article, was from a report released at the annual meeting of the American Dieteics Association.In addition I wanted to thankyou chilepepper for your lesson in physics!

[Mamzelle]

Perhaps (ketosis: a normal and comfortable "starving") this could explain why men can lose so easily on Atkins, and women go so much slower. We're programmed for better, more efficient, hibernation due to role in childbearing.

Was sad to hear that Atkins is in very bad shape. He made quite a contribution, and rec'd little scientific credit. His books are some of the most readable of any I've read on nutrition. He did make a BUNDLE, thought!!

[Nov3]

There is no diet that is going to work if you eat whatever you want. Your example is doomed to be obese.

I have found Atkins relatively easy to follow. I do however feel weak when I get around quality pastries and good croisants! Every once in a while I indulge myself and endure the headaches and heartburn.

[Mamzelle]

re: People are not fat because they eat too many carbohydrates but because they exceed their energy expenditure by their energy intake. The relationship between eating and obesity is that simple. )))

"A calorie is a calorie is a calorie."

On the surface, this is as sensible as "A is A".

A gram of fat is about ten calories, a gram of carb about four. So, it is reasonable to think--"eat your grams in carbs and you'll eat fewer calories. Eat fat and gain."

It takes for granted that the body treats all calories the same.

I keep hens, and it is remarkable to me that I load them up with corn and some calcium supplements, and they give me eggs (fat and protein)wrapped in a thin layer of stone. This is a pretty good indicator that the living creature is an astonishing factory of chemicals, and what you put in is certainly not what you get. If I want to fatten a hen, I don't feed it cheese and meat and oil. I feed it corn. Now, even grain has a little fat and protein in it, but not as much as I "put in" to the chicken to receive an egg.

I don't push Atkins--I need someone to bake cakes and bread and cookies for. My family eats sweets (though probably not as many) and I load up a salad with creamy dressing. Or have a bigger portion of steak. Or put butter on my broccoli, something I never did before. I consume more actual calories now than when I was eating a "normal" diet because I snack on nuts, macadamias by the handful!, instead of crackers and pretzels.

It's not protein vs. carbs, it's protein and fat vs. carbs. Atkins won't work without the generous addition of all sorts of fats. When I indulge in popcorn, I pour on some butter because it keeps me from eating too much popcorn. The fat also makes it harder for the body to "get at" the carbs.

Fat is more interesting to me as a means of weight loss than protein, which also gets stored as fat if you eat enough of it. Fat will kill your appetite quickly, keep you satisfied. I read that Russian soldiers in Siberia get a ration of butter, which they eat like candy bars. This generates heat, I read.

[William Terrell]

Researchers also say it isn't the restriction of carbohydrates that leads to weight loss, but instead an overall reduction in total calories.

Huh. And here I have been thinking that more calories than is exercised off leads to weight gain, carbohydrates being high in calories.

Silly me. But, but, but everybody I've seen reduce carbohydrates, including myself, have lost weight. I wonder how they explan that?

[joesbucks]

Giving up (or seriously cutting back on) such healthy foods as oatmeal, bread, pasta, corn, rice, and about a dozen other foods that are very nutritious is not the way to go. The Atkins diet also restricts beer and wine - drinks that are proven to be very healthy for your heart and cholesterol levels.

Some of the misconceptions are in your mention. Once past induction and into regular ongoing loss or maintenance, Atkins does suggest Old Fashioned Oats but not 1 minute or microwave(pg 45 Atkins for Life) 100% whole grain bread in moderation (pg 45 Atkins for Life) All-Bran (pg 45) apples, berries, cherries, grapefruit and lots of green vegetables. Yes sweet corn should only be eatin in moderation (pg 39) Red wine is allowed in moderation and no diet suggests beer.

In the beginning phase, Atkins is pretty restrictive, but it is almost a cleansing of a wrong carb infested body. Honestly, this is the first time in my life that whether dieting or not, I don't think about or crave food all the time. Some people eat to live, I lived to eat. No longer. There wasn't a donut shop, cookie aisle, candy rack or pizza house that I could pass. I have no desire for those items now. I used to eat a dozen donuts in a setting I was that bad. I stopped at a Krispy Kreme one night and was going to bring home the hot fresh donuts. Bought a dozen. Gone before I got home. Sad. But no longer.

Thursday night we made spaghetti squash with meat sauce and a salad. Last night pork chops and broccoli and cheese with strawberries for dessert. Lunch was a Jr. bacon cheeseburger (without bun but with lettuce and tomato) and salad. Seems pretty healthy to me.

Some days to jump start, I do induction myself for a few days, but moderate back to a more liberal diet.

Also a year ago, my wife had blood work done. Almost everything was out of whack to the high side. She did it again last week. Everything was back to normal levels. She has weened herself from the coke, pop tarts, candy bars and lack of proper diet to Atkins. Biggest problem with the above is refined sugar or worse corn syrup and refined flours. They are killers.

[SamAdams76]

Well to each their own and the Atkins Diet is definitely better than a diet of soda pop, cookies, donuts and other heavily processed junk food. I believe your lifestyle choice is much better than what you were doing before, so congratulations on that.

I've seriously looked into the Atkins Diet and even read the book from cover to cover. But I just can't subscribe to a diet that would have me remove buns from hamburgers the rest of my life. Many have told me before that the Atkins Diet allows carb foods such as rice and pasta in moderation during the "maintenance phase", but the book clearly states that it would be better if you did not. While wine is grudgingly allowed (to one small glass per day), Atkins is a teetotaler and clearly does not believe in any alcohol consumption at all in his diet and recommends that you do not have any alcoholic beverage on his diet.

Like you, I have had some unhealthy diets over the years. But I feel that refined sugars and saturated fats are more of an enemy than carbs.

About three years ago, I discovered the Mediterranean Diet. I've made some minor alterations to it to make it suitable to my tastes, and while I have not lost a lot of weight with it, I have definitely stopped gaining weight and I feel much healthier and have much more energy. I've also dropped by cholesterol to 185, which really shocked my doctor because I am still technically overweight. Curiously, I also require much less sleep than I used to. I only get about five hours a night on average, though I do "sleep in" on Saturdays so at least once a week, I get eight full hours.

I don't really consider what I am on a "diet" and you won't find it in any books. I've basically taken the Meditteranean Diet concept and tailored it to my own tastes, as I said before. So the foods I eat most often are fish (lots of fish), poultry, rice (including that cous-cous stuff), pasta, lot of vegetables (especially corn), beans and olive oil. In fact, I use olive oil instead of butter. Olive oil is loaded with the "good" fats and is very good for you. Much better than the palm oils and coconut oils that you find in most processed food today (and is high in the "bad" fats). But given a choice between butter and margarine (such as at a restaurant), I prefer butter because margarine is very, very bad for you - it's basically some of the worst stuff you can possibly put in your system. I also drink beer or wine pretty much every night, usually 2-3 glasses.

I totally avoid processed "snack foods" and instead snack on nuts (unsalted), especially peanuts and pistachios. Yes, they are high in fat, but a much healther snack than chips and cookies and even pretzels. I also have a can of sardines (packed in olive oil) pretty much ever day for breakfast.

I also totally avoid soda pop and milk. Soda pop is nasty stuff, and milk makes me feel bloated and gassy (besides, I don't like the taste very much). So the only things I drink is beer, wine and water (and probably in that order!)

I eat less red meat than I used to but I have hamburgers at lunch occasionally and at least once a week, I treat myself to a porterhouse or T-bone steak or even a piece of prime rib. If I'm going to only have steak once a week, it's going to be the best one that I can buy!

Anyway, that's what works for me. The Atkins Diet isn't a totally bad idea (and it's better than what you were doing before). But I personally find it too restrictive on the foods that I like to eat.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Down side of Splenda......It gives you gas!

I haven't noticed that at all with Splenda - NutraSweet really does, though, plus it causes a lot of stomach pain. In twenty years, I think it will universally acknowledged that aspartame is a poison.