Any negatives to Adkins Diet?

[Dakotabound]

Egg based? Hmmm...trade recipes? :-)

[Reagan is King]

Good post foto.

[birbear]

Again, FWIW:

Any 70's Successes?

Low carbohydrate diet regimens have been in existence for decades. Dr. Atkins published his first book back in the 70's based on the same concepts as his current book. If these plans worked in the long run, the release of new diet books wouldn't even be necessary. The followers would have actually been capable of maintaining weight loss by eliminating high carbohydrate foods for over 25 years. Their long term weight loss success stories would have spread worldwide as the cure to obesity. Paradoxically, as more and more diets appear, the weight loss industry continues to get richer, and America continues to grow fatter.

from: the diet channel.com

[knuthom]

I started a low carb diet in August 2000. I lost 60 lbs in eight months and have kept it off so far. This is the only diet that worked well for me. I have tried plenty in the last 15 years.

I have talked with a lot of people about their experiences with low carb diets and believe that some people, myself included, have a metabolism that responds well to this diet. In my case, I have diabetes in my family and have always been been very sensitive to blood sugar changes. I do much better when I control carbohydrates.

Read about insulin metabolism. Don't just read Atkins. Get Protein Power by Eades and the Carbohydrate Addict by Heller.

[Protagoras]

Constipation, continuous & serious bad breath, not to mention that it is close to impossible to keep the weight off for good once you resume normal eating

I have never experienced any of the problems you listed. I have known many people on the diet and they never mentioned them either. Could be different from person to person. I also would point out that no diet continues to work after you no longer follow it. Have you?

[altura]

Hey, get over on the Drudge thread where you belong.

I can't understand these fad diets. But some people simply cannot eat less and exercise. They have to do something drastic.

So I say, "whatever."

I wrote a diet newsletter for 20 years and NONE of my clients lost weight. They just wouldn't do what I did!!

My sister lost weight on a similar diet to Atkins. It was called the Quick Weight Loss Diet. She never gained it back, but I always throught it harmed her digestive system ... she had problems the rest of her life.

[looney tune]

I have never been on the diet, but my step-daughter has. She did lose weight, but gained it back quickly. She stated to me that she regrets being on Atkins. Now opting for a more normal way of eating.

[gimme1ibertee]

Not to mention liver damage.

[bluefish]

You are talking about working against the fundamental way in which a NORMAL body works. Someone who can't lose weight, or who overreacts to excessive carbohydrates (or in my case even moderate carbohydrates) are in a different pickle. It is not possible to make blanket statements like the ones you have made. There are SOME people (and I am one of them) that does VERY WELL on a ketogenic diet,primarily because it corrects or compensates for a disorder, imbalance or fundamental problem with normal metabolism. No blanket statement regarding health, diet, nutrition, supplements, medicine or medical procedures applies to everybody. What may be extreme or inappropriate for one person could very well be the corrective therapy for another who has a very different body chemistry or metabolic bias.

My suggestion for Shawv is to read up thoroughly on the subject and educate yourself, rather than listen to people spew one line reports that are nothing more than what they read in a headline. At FR, we know to take the news and "common knowledge" with a grain of salt. This applies very much to health issues as well.

[Sistyelder]

I agree with you about Weight Watchers!!! I have tried everything, Atkins too, and this is so much better!! Weight Watchers 'points plan' is so easy and I love it! I lost 30# in 3 months and I am so happy with it. I am a member 'online'...I don't go to the meetings. I find everything I need on their website.

[The KG9 Kid]

Go to a gym.

[DouglasKC]

Most of these people are full of you know what. I did it for two months, lost 30 pounds. Didn't get sick. Chlorestol didn't increase. The health benefits of weight loss more than makes up for increased chlorestol, which will be minimal if any. It is hard to stay on the diet though because our entire food system is built on high carb stuff.

Try it and good luck.

[Sen Jack S. Fogbound]

The Atkins Diet is highly dangerous and you are well advised to leave it be.

Go with a common sense diet such as high vegetable diet but low in calories and fat. There are many books that cover this, for example, McDougall, Pritikins, etc.

There is no magic way to lose weight. You need only so many calories to stay alive. Take 1000 calories off this daily and you will lose approx 2 lbs. a week, a safe level. Any more than that, you will lose tissues.

Here's the math: Average person needs 2000 calories daily doing nothing. To lose 2 lbs a weight, 3500 calories = 1 lb., so that's 7000 calories a week to lose or 1000 calories a day. Substract 1000 calories a day ( don't go below 1000 or you will throw the body into starvation mode). Then just eat balanced low fat diet. That's it.

[Coleus]

It's called the Atkin's Diet.

I've been on it and it's great. Never felt better. Ketones are the way to go. I had more enegry than ever in my life while on the induction phase. Make sure you drink about 12 glasses of water per day. I was in Ketosis, on the induction phase for almost 6 months and lost an average of 15-20 pounds per month. My cholesterol dropped 100 points and my triglycerides dropped about 500 points. This was while I was eating 3 dozen eggs per week and steak about 3 times per week.

Buy his books and go on his website www.atkinscenter.com

you can listen to his radio call-in show on the internet through his site or at wwrl's web site, and go to www.delphi.com and put atkins in the search and go into the bulletin boards about living low carb.

If you go on atkins, you will have to stay low carb the rest of your life. If you don't you will gain all the weight back and more.

Good luck

[bluefish]

i have a mom and aunt that are researchers, microbioligy, phd types. ADKINS DIET dangerous, change your eating habits, do exercise. go for high water content food, vegatables and fruits. TRUST ME, if you go on adkins diet you will end up getting sick. the other poster is right heart disease and heart attack waiting to happen

It never ceases to amaze me how people are willing to make blanket statements like this, while knowing absolutely nothing about the person asking the question.

For all the naysayers who are simply repeating "what you heard" somewhere, it is not possible to draw a single conclusion for everybody. My doctor was amazed after I did a high protein, high fat, low carb diet. My cholesterol level DROPPED to very healthy levels, I lost weight, I had increased energy - I could go on and on. I now enter into mild ketosis every time I feel like I am sliding health wise, and it always does the trick.

Ketogenic states are certainly not for everybody. I have known people that did very poorly on them, some who intially felt awful and then felt great, and others who experienced nothing. I've also known people who have lost a ton of weight, experienced many other beneficial side effects and very few if any bad ones (although constipation has been common).

Like I said, read up and then decide if it would make sense for you to try it. That is a smarter approach than listening to people who have almost religious beliefs about health, regardless of facts presented to them. The fact that you are asking at least shows you are open and willing to learn.

[Coleus]

You may want to buy "whole psyllium husks" by yerba prima.

You will need fiber while on the induction phase. If you eat the fiber, you can eat all the cheese you want.

Also, a multi vitamin, multi mineral from a health food store, a good brand, should be taken daily.

[Senator Pardek]

It depends on the individual. I know people who have done it, and lost a great deal of what.

I can easily avoid foods like butter, whole milk, and peanuts. But ask me to give up bread, pasta, and potatoes? Impossible.

High carb/low fat has worked wonderfully for me as a way to keep off fat in the long term.

And walk a couple of miles every night instead of watching TV!!!

[sourcery]

What is the purpose of your diet? If it's to lose weight, all that matters is total daily calories. However, it is easier to stick to a calorie-restricted diet that is a) properly balanced among fats, proteins and carbohydrates, and b) avoids blood sugar surges.

If the purpose of your diet is cardiovascular health, then you can't do better than the Mediterranean Diet, as thoroughly discussed and researched in the book Low Fat Lies, or else the Paleolithic Diet (which is similar).

Key points:

• You must consume the omega-3 essential fatty acids in sufficient quantities. Especially alpha-linoleic acid. Most americans do not get enough.
• You must consume saturated fats in sufficient quantities, but you probably need less than the typical american eats. Saturated fats are found in meats and dairy products (steak, milk, butter, cheese, etc).
• You must consume polyunsaturated fats in sufficient quantities, but you probably need much less than the typical american eats. The worst thing about polyunsaturated fats is that they very easily get rancid via oxidation (and thus will have a high content of free radicals).
• You must consume monunsaturated fats in sufficient quantities, and you probably need much more than the typical american eats. Monounsaturated fats lower LDL, raise HDL and lower tryglycerides. Best source: olive oil.

[CityGirl]

I have lost 35 pounds this year by simply staying away from fast food like the plague; and watching my daily intake of fat, esp. saturated fat, like a hawk. Just gradually start eating healthier. And read those nutrition labels! You will be amazed at what you have been eating. Just take it slow, it's easier, and take a break now and then to keep up your morale.

[185JHP]

There's two sides to it: (1) You can eat as much as you want of good stuff like steak, cheese, eggs, etc., as long as you only eat tiny amounts of certain foods - so you can be on this diet, never be hungry, and lose weight really fast. The other side of it is, some people say it is dangerous and will hurt if not kill you. Adkins has responded and said in effect: "OK, show me the autopsy reports of people my diet has killed." The critics can't prove a thing,and their discrediting of the diet is basically theorizing and carping. You have to remember that some medical people are arrogant and on a power trip, and resist admitting error when it is proven - how many apologies and how much remorse have you seen after the "low salt/no salt" foolishness was exposed experimentally? I read one guy saying "Well, I don't see that much damage being caused" - only the loss of enjoyment by people not using something they like, because you told them it was dangerous! You've got to watch medical people - the worst of them are like leftists - they believe they're "more right when they're wrong, than you're right when you're right!" Only solid things I've heard about the Adkins diet are (1) can cause ketosis (possible kidney damage) and (2) can cause bad breath. Watch those medical people - the worst of them, when caught making stuff up, just go off and make up something else. I'm not aware of any proof it harms people - even though a solid debunking book could make a lot of money. Watch those medical prople...