Two Studies Vindicate Atkins Diet

WCCO News Online ^ | 5/21/03 | A/P

[Library Lady]

I have been on this diet before and lost at little. Unfortunately, I got off track and gained it back. I grew up on country food -- bread, potatoes, corn -- and junk food -- potato chips, corn chips, etc. 50-year-old habits die hard.

[CathyRyan]

I am new at this so how am I doing...

B. 8oz. New York strip steak, 2 eggs

L 2 cup lettuce and cabbage and Maries dressing

D. 2 pieces of chicken and 1 cup of brussel sprouts with marg. (I know marg. is not good but I have it and want to get rid of it and will switch to butter next trip to the store)

No snackes I hate snacks.

[carton253]

I would think so too... I have been on it for 3 months and have lost 26.5 pounds...

[Katie_Colic]

As long as you're using a low sugar dressing and you promise to replace those trans fats ;), you're doing great!!!

[Katie_Colic]

Oops 326 was from me.

[BibChr]

In case anyone, like me, never heard of Waist Watchers, with difficulty I found their web site: Adirondack Beverages.

No listings for California. |)c8

Dan

[CathyRyan]

Thanks! I am using Marie's blue cheese dressing. I checked it on the hidden carb counter on the Atkins site and it said it had no hidden carbs... 170 cal with 160 of the cals from fat... *winch* I was afraid I might be too high in protein?? I decided to start on the meds I am on and see what happens before I go and start changing them. I have gained a lot of weight since I have been on them but I really think it is the fact that I just gave up and did not care what I ate. I think if they had been the cause of my weight gain I would have gained even more than I did. Besides my doctor is a exercise freak (eat more weight less types) and I do not know how he would handle Atkins...

[Aquinasfan]

Nationally, RC Diet Rite uses Splenda. I didn't know "Waist Watchers" was a New England thing.

Another great Splenda drink is Crystal Light. Iced tea is great, as is the raspberry drink. I use twice what they recommend. You can usually get it at Walmart.

[Katie_Colic]

Ooooh and have you tried Diet Ice Botanicals? They have Splenda and they are a GREAT drink...similar to Crystal Light but a little more flavorful. I've replaced my 3 year old's juice with this. She drinks mostly water, but when she asks for juice, I give her this and am so glad she's not hooked on sugar. Pediatricians now say fruit juice should be restricted to 6 oz. per day for someone her age because of the high sugar content, and most kids drink about 20 oz. or more it seems!

[BibChr]

I do Crystal Light at work. So I'll ask the big ignorant question: what's the big deal about aspartame, which seems to be in EVERYTHING? I just read in Atkins that he didn't like it because it was not fully tested yet. But like I say, everything has it. What's the big?

Thanks,
Dan

[Aquinasfan]

Ooooh and have you tried Diet Ice Botanicals?

No, sounds great though! Where do you get it?

We're kind of easing the kids (5 and 8) onto Atkins. They don't have a weight problem, but we want to establish good eating habits.

[Katie_Colic]

Sounds perfect.

Your doctor definitely needs to know you're changing you're eating, but saying Atkins is like waving a red flag in front of a bull for many of them. If you say, "I've cut refined carbohydrates out and am getting most of my carbs from vegetables," he gets the information he needs without feeling like he needs to go on an anti Atkins tirade.

[Katie_Colic]

Where do you get it?

Costco has it here.

[agrace]

ME TOO! I had a baby 5 months ago and have been low-carbing for almost 3 months now, as close to induction as I can while nursing, which usually falls between 15-50 carb grams a day. I check my ketones every day too to make sure I'm not doing too much. I'm including almonds for extra carbs and plenty of greens and veggies, for a total of more carbs than induction allows but less than I'll end up with for lifetime maintenance.

I had been low-carbing before getting pregnant but not drastically, only under 100/day, and had lost 25 lbs over 6 months. Then I got pregnant with another 25 still to lose (that extra weight creeps on between babies and into your thirties!). But, nine months later, I quickly lost the baby weight and started in on the next 25. I've lost about 12 in 2 months, 15 or so to go to really be happy. It's been frustratingly slow, but when I see "12 in 2 months' typed out, it doesn't seem that bad! :)

I've lost all cravings for starches too, having had no potatoes or pasta in months, with an occasional multigrain slice of bread. Had one rough week a month ago when I let myself have cake at my daughter's 5th birthday party (I'm not much for sweets but birthday cake is hard to resist) and had a tough time NOT eating other starches for days after. I won't be doing that again anytime soon. I certainly don't miss the sugar highs and lows - I used to get so sleepy in the afternoons, thinking it was a lack of sleep from my daughter being up at night and taking care of three kids all day, but now I feel great. Oh and also I am doing a pilates workout, nothing major, as often as I can also - great for stretching and feeling better.

I wish I could go gung-ho into it, will do that as soon as I am done nursing, in the meantime I'm plugging away. My family has a history of HBP, heart disease and type 2 diabetes, so this is a life investment.

Speaking of which, after yoyo-ing for years and being frustrated and depressed by her own inability to control her weight and type 2, my mom's been on Atkins induction for over a month, has lost 20 lbs (is 1 lb under her goal weight as of this morning), looks great, skin glowing, nails stronger than they have been in years, her sugar is between 90-120 all the time, and she has weaned herself off her meds for cholesterol, HBP and diabetes, with the blessing of her dr, who said, "How can I argue with your chart?" :)

Nice to find something in common with someone! Good for you, Yaelle, and good luck.

By the way, for those sweets cravings, Carbolite makes a great peanut butter chocolate bar with less than 2 net carbs, Atkins PB cups are his best candy I think, and IMO, the very best low-carb (net 3) meal replacement bar out there is Think Thin - PB, Choc Fudge and Smores, in that order. They have some nasty flavors too, like French Toast - ew, smells like syrup and tastes like flavorless nougat. But the PB are out of this world - who needs Hersheys? :)

[krb]

Dr. Atkin's diet didn't do him a lick of good in the long run.

What is the basis for your statement? He died from a head injury, and he was thin and in good shape for his life...

[agrace]

I'm no dr, but have a family history of type 2, including mom, and I had gestational diabetes with my last pregnancy...and it makes perfect, logical, "can't believe the connection wasn't made before this" sense.

Carbohydrates (at least processed and refined ones) = sugar.

Sugar (at least for type 2 diabetics) = bad.

My mom's dr has been telling her for YEARS to eliminate sugar to control her diabetes. So why has there been so LITTLE emphasis on refined carbs and starches as well? It's baffling.

[Katie_Colic]

"Baffling" is the appropriate word, as in "I was BAFFLED when my food plan for gestational diabetes included graham crackers and fruit juice" : (.

[Katie_Colic]

What is the basis for your statement? He died from a head injury, and he was thin and in good shape for his life...

Exactly! My grandfather can't walk to work in the snow and ice...he can barely walk, period, and has been retired for years. Dr. Atkins was in excellent shape. My husband is jealous, LOL.

[agrace]

That IS baffling! Mine actually didn't include fruit juice but did include milk, which I ignored - what a waste of carbs, haha. I wish I would have known about Atkins style of eating before my last pregnancy, I imagine the gestational diabetes would have been a non-issue, or Atkins would have at least made me MUCH more comfortable in my third trimester - talk about cravings while trying to control carbs on a low-carb AND low-fat meal plan. It was awful!

[Katie_Colic]

Well my meal plan was high carb and low fat, so I trashed it. I had already been on Atkins and knew how horrible I would feel if I ate like that. I didn't think uncontrolled blood sugars and low fat food would be good for my baby either.

I went on Atkins maintenance and everything was great. My morning sickness stopped immediately (I had it from August until January), I stopped gaining weight (I had been gaining weight so fast it frightened me) and my blood sugar was perfect. As long as I stayed on Atkins maintenance, the GD WAS a non issue. I was on a GD message board that was anti Atkins, and nearly all of the other pregnant women were on insulin. Gee, I wonder why???