Dr. Robert Atkins Dead

[E.G.C.]

Fox News just now reporting.

[Maven]

Ah, it is you of M's Cheesecake recipe fame.

Yep, that's me. LOL! I think the folks at ASDLC might have a collective coronary if they found out I'm a Freeper, too. Well, maybe only some of them - there's a pretty high percentage of conservatives over there, as low carb appeals to the scientist in all of us.

You look great, BTW.

Thank you. I feel great, too!

Maven

[BibChr]

So, there's no one good book that tells me all I need to know? Gotta break the bank and read two Tom Clancy's?

Dan
(c;

[george wythe]

I actually checked out Dr. Atkins' book New Diet Revolution from the library, and even though I did not believe all his explanations of why the diet works, I decided to give it a try.

The reason I became interested in the diet was because it promised to cut down sluggishness, dizziness, and other symptoms that I had due to my sugar addiction.

The only book I bought is Dr. Aktins’ New Diet Cookbook in paperback. It gives the diet’s instructions in simple terms on Chapter 2, and it has plenty of examples of diet meals that I always liked. It has a one-page list of low-carb vegetables that became my prime source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber during the first strict few weeks.

The bottom line about this diet is knowledge. Once you are shown that sugar is added gratuitously to our food, you will learn to avoid such foods with hidden sugar content. For example, I love peanut butter, but most peanut butter brands have added sugar and corn syrup. Armed with that knowledge, now I look at the ingredients’ label before I choose a peanut butter jar and buy the jar with no added sugar.

If you do the diet, don't forget to exercise and drink plenty of water; I still go to the gym about 3-4 times a week, no more than 45 minutes. I will never become a bodybuilder, but now I can wear a suit and look great without those extra bulges.

[Henrietta]

"I was following a low-fat diet, eating whole grains, and running 5-7 miles a day, and not losing the excess 20 pounds I was carrying."

I had a similar experience on a low-cal, low-fat diet, exercising my buns off and not losing an ounce. I lost weight on the Atkins diet. I think I'm one of those "carb-sensitive" types who just gains weight on carbs. I have a hard time staying away from them though; bread and butter and potatoes are just so good!

[Aquinasfan]

Only the diet took it off. Exercise has benefits--toning, aerobics, flexibility. But it doesn't do it for weight control.

Agreed. I'm back to my lean, mean, high school weight again, 22 years later. I couldn't be happier. I thought I'd never see it again. I've been 20-30 lbs. overweight for ten years, despite daily exercise. I ate waaaaaay too many carbs, doing the low-fat thing.

It's worth mentioning that adopting the Atkins lifestyle results in increased energy and mental acuity. And reduced cravings for high-carb, junk food.

God bless him. Who knows how many lives he's saved by reducing the number of cases of heart attacks and of diabetes.

[Aquinasfan]

Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution (aka "DANDR")

I can recommend this one as an "all you need to know book." My wife and I have used it with great success. I've also heard that "Protein Power" is also very good, but written by different doctors. Same theory though.

[tommyG]

jmc813 (The average citizen in Baghdad,right now, has more firearm rights than anyone in our country.)

Good point!

[Aquinasfan]

Same happened to me. My doctor congratulated me on "finally taking his advice". When I told him that I completely s***-canned his advice and went 180 degrees the other way, he refused to believe it.

LOL! Love it.

[Aquinasfan]

BTW, some Atkins dieters insist on ordering hamburgers with a lettuce "bun" & they swear by them. I think that's just too obsessive.

I have to eat burgers this way because I am gluten (wheat) intolerant (celiac disease). A 99-cent Wendy's Bacon Cheeseburger sans bun is reeeally good 8-) YUM!

[slane]

I think being female must have something to do with it as well. I was running every day, at least 5 miles, and up to 12 miles on weekends. My legs looked great but I couldn't lose the fat elsewhere. On Atkins I can lose weight and keep it off whether I'm able to exercise or not.

[Leisler]

Nothing bad ever happens on a couch.

[agrace]

Maven, you're beautiful. :) And thanks so much for the many contributions you've made to this thread. My family has a history of type 2, my mom has had it for about ten years, lost a lot of weight when she first found out and still struggles with 15-20 she has yet to lose. She and I have had many discussions about carb addiction, that some people seem to be more inclined than others to indulge heavily. With my mom it's always been a straight sugar issue and with me, I can lay off the sweets but the pasta, bread and potatoes are much harder.

My first indication that my real problem was carbs was about 18 months ago when I decided to lose the 40-50 lbs that had crept up on me throughout pregnancies etc. The first 15 or so came off pretty easily cutting mostly fat with no serious cravings, then I cut the carbs and WOW, was it hard to break some habits! Plus a lifetime of being told to eat low fat & carbs are fine.

My mom has struggled the same with cutting carbs, going on sugar binges, getting depressed about it, skyrocketing her sugar, annoying her dr, bouncing her weight around, getting put on oral meds for her diabetes, til a few weeks ago she decided to pretty much cut carbs altogether. She lost 8 lbs in as many days and her sugar is finally down under 120 consistently. She's walking every day too, which helps keep the sugar down.

I had gestational diabetes in my last pregnancy (gave birth Dec 22) and so of course now I'm even more of a risk for type 2 later on, and while the baby weight is gone, I still have 22 of that original 50 to lose. I'm nursing so being careful, but right now I'm low-carbing as much as possible - no pasta, potatoes, or sweets and non-white bread only occasionally. Plus exercise.

I have a question for you on behalf of myself and my mother - does low-carbing weight loss have plateaus? My mom is doing great, but getting discouraged by her occasional stretch of a week with no real loss or only a pound, and I just went through the same thing last week myself. I'm not thinking hidden carbs are the problem, but I'm to the point where I'm counting every single one and logging what I eat to be safe. And speaking of safe - how many carbs should we shoot for staying under on a daily basis?

Maybe I should just break down and buy an Atkins book and go on the diet officially. :) Thanks again for your posts, and those of others, it's been a great thread to read through.

[DonPaulJonesII]

"We need to reduce to a bare minimum fats, sugars, salt and caffein in our diets. We should live on complex carbs (like whole wheat pasta), low-glycemic index sugars (like apples), complementary amino acid protein (like brown rice and beans), veggies and a some salmon oil for Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids."

You are what I call a flat Earther. You have no idea what you are talking about and you have no facts, save modern day "fads" to back you up. The Atkins's diet works and it is scientifically based. Please keep your misconceptions to yourself, LOSER!

[ET(end tyranny)]

Probably his second book. Dr. Atkins NEW Diet Revolution

The second book gives more data on how bad the starches and simple sugars are and the previous 'food pyramid'. The second book also gives some pointers on how to kick start the diet again if you reach a plateau. Things you learn over time. Funny but the things I learned in the 70's appeared in his second book.

The diet though needs to be tailored to each individual. For instance, most people can have leafy salads right from the start. Not me. He suggests fried pork rinds... not me. For whatever reason, the pork rinds stopped my diet cold. You have to watch the ingredients to make sure they do not include sugar. It was only much later that I could add the pork rinds. You can make crumbs from the rinds and use as a filler for salmon patties or for breading if you miss breaded things.

You learn to be creative with foods.

His book 'Vita-Nutrient Solution is also a nice book, but isn't about the diet.

Experiment with various meats to see which help you lose best. Beef for me was the slowest.

I used eggs a lot. Omelettes, meat and cheese ones, but later you can add some veggies. Chicken omelettes with some swiss cheese is quite good.

Use the keto stix. They help for times when you may get discouraged. The book explains them. And get yourself a good carb counter.

[ET(end tyranny)]

If you're mostly interested in lowering cholesterol, 2 things come to mind. Do NOT remove all cholesterol from the diet. Your body needs cholesterol and will produce its own if you don't take any in.

You could try the Atkins diet for say 3 months and get your cholesterol rechecked and see if it goes lower.

An alternative would be to try some of the high fiber diets. Lots of bran muffins. I tried the high fiber bit, and found I was hungry all the time.

Oh, and for those that miss pasta... you can take cabbage, shred it, boli it and then put spaghetti sauce on it. Tastes really good and has a lot less carbs. I know, it sounds weird, but it really is good.

[ET(end tyranny)]

Yeah, well, I have about 947 pounds to lose, give or take, so maybe I should consider the other.

I'm fairly certain that you are exagerating here, but, for what it's worth, the more overweight you are, the faster the weight comes off on the Atkins diet. When I went on it in the 70's, I lost 25 pounds in the first 2 weeks, and 60 pounds in 3 months.

[ET(end tyranny)]

I think the other books you mentioned are 'spin offs' of the Atkins diet. And probably why Atkins has recently been vindicated. jmo

[ET(end tyranny)]

I have a question for you on behalf of myself and my mother - does low-carbing weight loss have plateaus? My mom is doing great, but getting discouraged by her occasional stretch of a week with no real loss or only a pound, and I just went through the same thing last week myself. I'm not thinking hidden carbs are the problem, but I'm to the point where I'm counting every single one and logging what I eat to be safe. And speaking of safe - how many carbs should we shoot for staying under on a daily basis?

You addressed your post to someone else, but I'm going t ojump in here and say YES, you can have plateaus on the Atkins diet. Sometimes it really isn't a plateau, just that the body can't get rid of the burned off fat fast enough, (and you just have to wait it out) other times its a plateau.

In the Atkins book he tells how to break the pleateau. And each person is different. You need to determine your critical carbohydrate level to know how many carbs to stay below and still lose weight. The more carbs, the slower the weight loss.

[BibChr]

There may have been a skosh of an exaggeration there.

Dan
(c;

[Artist]

Well, what do you know.....You might just change my life again, FRiend! I found this thread intriguing, but it wasn't until I saw your post that I thought I might actually try Atkins. I know from experience that your recommendations are worth taking! :^)

I'd love to get back to the weight I was when we married. I'm actually not that far from it, but I've hit a mark that won't seem to move no matter what I try. Being on a high carb/low fat diet for years hasn't done much for me. It's just so hard to believe that all the (supposedly bad) stuff I've avoided all this time could actually help me lose weight....