Posted on 11/18/2002 5:32:27 PM PST by Paradox
Nov. 18 — Multitudes swear by the high-fat, low-carbohydrate Atkins diet, and now a carefully controlled study backs them up: Low-carb may actually take off more weight than low-fat and may be surprisingly better for cholesterol, too.
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Westman studied 120 overweight volunteers, who were randomly assigned to the Atkins diet or the heart association’s Step 1 diet, a widely used low-fat approach. On the Atkins diet, people limited their carbs to less than 20 grams a day, and 60 percent of their calories came from fat. “It was high fat, off the scale,” he said.
After six months, the people on the Atkins diet had lost 31 pounds, compared with 20 pounds on the AHA diet, and more people stuck with the Atkins regimen.
And here's the kicker...no beer! NO BEER!
That's actually not true, Sam. I'm on a semi-Adkins diet as I've reached my desired weight. I have pasta once every two weeks or so, sushi every two weeks, and drink two glasses of wine EVERY NIGHT!
Americans eat too many carbohydrates and consume way too much sugar. Surely you recognize that.
The Adkins diet works. It has a 30 year history, and there are too many success stories to discredit it.
I, for one, am glad to see Dr. Adkins getting some recognition after being laughed at for 30 years.
Those who laughed at him are some of the fattest people on earth right now.
You could always try Dean Ornish's diet, and eat grass the rest of your life.
I can see the merit in reducing carbohydrates however. But I think people have a tendency to go overboard. Moderation is the key.
No, but I think the brewers of the beer I drink did. None of the beers I drink twist off. Pilsner Urquell, Sam Adams, Samuel Smith...
Exactly. But cutting calories never worked for me. Never. I don't have the discipline for it.
I eat two hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, a chicken breast for lunch, some cheese in the afternoon for a snack, and a meat and a Caesar salad (with wine) for dinner.
Guess what? I actually eat fewer calories than I did when I was stuffing my face with bread and nachos.
Protein satisfies hunger much more than carbs do.
And your body is not worn out all the time by consuming and digesting all those carbs!
I'm a newbie (started Atkins two weeks ago). I weighed 257 on Election Day, and am now at 240.
Tough? Yeah. I would love to have some potatoes, apples, and, GOD KNOWS, I could eat an entire chocolate layer cake IN MY WEAK MOMENTS.
But, those weak moments are brief, and as I write this I'm not hungry in the least, and my intake today consisted of two boiled eggs at breakfast, a baked chicken thigh and leg at lunch, and seasoned pork ribs and cheesy broccoli at dinner.
I'm acutely aware that KEEPING the weight off is the real challenge, so, like the Republicans, I'm not about to start gloating.
But I'm encouraged for the first time in my life.
But the problem then becomes hunger. The beauty of the Atkins approach is that you are nowhere NEAR as hungry as you used to be; that is, when you ate bread and potatoes and pizza and desserts (and don't forget those breakfast cereals).
Losing weight is simple -- just burn off more calories than you consume. What makes this difficult is that people try to reduce the "consumption" side of the equation instead of increasing the "burning" side.
Having said that, I can also see the value of an Atkins-type diet. I have found that carbohydrates tend to slow the body's metabolism, thereby making it harder to burn calories during periods of low activity.
Sure-fire way to lose a ton of weight -- get a full night's sleep every night, get up early, and exercise in the morning, even moderately. It will raise your body's metabolism for the entire day.
The other thing that is mandatory is exercise. I walk 8 miles a day, 5 days a week. It works, folks.
Okay, but you are in the maintenance phase. I've read the book and it clearly states NO pasta and no beer or wine during the weight-losing phase of it. And Atkins even goes on to say in the book that he does not think people should drink any alcoholic beverage of any kind. Clearly he is of a Prohibitionist bent.
I totally agree that people eat way too many carbs (which convert to sugars). That is why I totally shun the processed junk in the supermarkets like chips, cookies, cakes and so forth and stick to "whole" foods as much as I can. My diet is on the Meditteranean model - lots of meat, fish, nuts, pasta, rice, olive oil, vegetables and beans. With beer and/or wine daily. I hardly ever eat fruit because I find it too sweet and besides, it doesn't keep well when I get it home.
And, to all Freepers who are interested (or as a now retired old boss who grew up in The Bronx used to say "innarested") in this and similar subjects click here for many great links and basic information on the paleolithic (caveman) diet.
I'm hardly ever hungry on this plan, but I never skip meals. Initially, I went on it to control my hypoglycemia and food allergies. I was shocked to find out how much it's stabilized my blood sugar. Now, I have no more hypoglemic episodes and my allergic reactions are gone. Other added benefits: no more insomnia (I sleep like a rock), my skin looks a thousand times better, no more indigestion, I can *concentrate*, and I never get sleepy during the day. There's more, but I don't want to be long-winded. :)
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