Atkins diet beats low-fat fare

MSNBC ^ | 11-18-02 | AP

[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.

...

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.

[muawiyah]

The way my ancestors ate meat was to catch lots of fish! Dr. Atkins probably would take it to be merely a variation on his diet, but I supplement it with 10 pounds of nuts per week.

Oh, yes, a fresh squirrel is an acceptable deviation every now and then.

[hellinahandcart]

But Sam, you can have practically unlimited CHEESE. And you're allowed to eat the chicken skin, or the fat on a steak.

I have wine or whiskey every night too.

Not deprived here.

[Darnright]

>And here's the kicker...no beer! NO BEER!

Wrongo, Bucko! A can of Miller Light has around 4 grams of carbohydrate. Ok, you can't get drunk, but you don't have to give beer up totally.

[GunRunner]

Not true. Michelob just came out with low-carb beer. A little more expensive than my good old silver bullet, but about the same as any import.

[cmsgop]

Hemorroids happen to some people on the Atkis Diet....

[Victor]

"....So knock the 10 years off my life already and hand me that bottle opener..."

Hey Sam, I switched to Scotch. No carbs, and more to the point.

[cmsgop]

Thanks , Thats what I was talking about to Sam......

[meyer]

Hey Sam, I switched to Scotch. No carbs, and more to the point.

Hey, Alcohol has calories also. It is energy. I'm not quite sure of the metabolism mechanism with it, but an overabundance of alcohol will help make you fat.

That said, I'm not at liberty to tell you what my brother-in-law and I did to a fine Ardbeg 10 year old single malt last weekend, but it wasn't pretty. :^)

[sinkspur]

I try to tell her that I haven't felt more even-keeled energy-wise in so long. Me, the food-vaccuum, and I don't pig out like I used to. I actually can push away.

We're going to find out, eventually, that carbohydrates are what are killing us, food-wise.

Now, Atkins stresses that a low-fat diet (meaning no fatty red meats, no fried meats, no cheese) will take off weight even faster, and he has an aversion to alcohol.

White wine has 3 grams of carbs in a 4 oz glass, which means two glasses yield only 6 grams of carbs.

Drinking wine hasn't affected my weight, in the least.

Stay with your program, and walk a little, and you'll continue to lose weight.

Remember: Nothing tastes as good as thin looks and feels.

[Rate_Determining_Step]

Yup. No feed-bag cattle "food pyramid" for me. Steak, fish, eggs, etc. At perfect body weight and feel great - for 3 years.

Once you get to "maintenance", you can introduce some carbs back into your diet. I'll eat the burger with the bun and even fries.

Every couple of months, we even order a pizza.

[hellinahandcart]

Congrats, it's going to be very easy to stick to, and the weight will just fall off, for the first couple of months especially. Just don't do like I did, which was to flip out after a successful year and a half and start eating sugar again (long story, won't bore you with it). Because it's MUCH harder to get into ketosis again after you repent of your backsliding, as I did. Fortunately though, I'm nearly back where I was before I reacquainted myself with the local Krispy Kreme...

[LO_IQ]

I'm a newbie (started Atkins two weeks ago). I weighed 257 on Election Day, and am now at 240.

Hang in there, dude. It gets easier after a while.

One of the most important aspects of the Atkins' diet is exercise. Joint a gym! Work out with weights 3 times a week. It made a big difference in my metabolism.

I did the Atkins' rigorous diet 3 years ago, then I started incorporating carbos at a moderate rate. I'm still skinny as a toothpick ;-)

Actually, the extra protein from Atkins's diet and the moderate gym workout have given me a nice, healthy body. Once you realize you can change that old look for good, you will be glad to ditch sugar from your diet

There are several things that I quit eating on a regular basis, such as sugar and white flour products.

I eat with moderation fruits and whole grain breads, and I drink wine a few times a week.

I eat a lot of vegetables and meat, and of course, my eggs for breakfast.

All my bloodwork comes out fine all the time, I have a lot of energy and I'm seldom hungry.

[RightOnline]

Yeah, I heard of it..........just never cared about the details. Didn't need diets.

[Rodney Dangerfield]

Another Atkins testemonial here:

On March 11th 2002, I weighed in at 250 lbs.

Today, (11-18-02) I weigh 181 lbs.

The diet is easy, I eat plenty and never go hungry or feel deprived.

I have more energy, need only 6 hrs. sleep per night instead of the 8-9 I needed before, my Blood Pressure, Heart Rate and Bad Cholestorol levels are all way down as well.

[Salo]

I started Atkins after reading a thread here a few months ago about it. I've gone from 197 to 165 lbs. It was easy. The only thing I had a problem with was (and is) a lack of good stuff to drink.

[sinkspur]

Hemorroids happen to some people on the Atkis Diet....

They also happen to people NOT on the Atkins diet.

I got them from doing heavy squats with weights in my 30s. Had to have surgery. It takes two weeks before you can drive after hemorrhoid surgery, even the laser version.

[Route66]

Add me and my entire family to the list of low carbohydrate dieters. I agree with you entire list of benefits from eating this way - and then some.
The bashers of this diet will descend upon this thread shortly. I've seen it happen time and time again. It's just not worth trying to tell people who are so sure they are right.
It saved my life and restored my health. That's all I know. I will never eat any other way. I suggest anyone who is interested to seriously look into it....not just to lose weight, but for the health benefits.

[habs4ever]

'Roids would come from not enough water, which is a no-no in a high protein diet.

[Victor]

"...Hey, Alcohol has calories also. It is energy. I'm not quite sure of the metabolism mechanism with it, but an overabundance of alcohol will help make you fat....

I shoulda known a technician would show up. You're right. Alcohol still means calories; in fact Atkins' diet books talk about alcohol being a "slow down factor" in weight loss, actually having more impact on metabolism mechanisms than calories would have.

That said, a scotch or two has less carbohydrates than an equivalent amount of beer.

[lafroste]

I would also like to know how it affects endurance.

I'm a die-hard Atkins fan who lost 70 lbs in eight months on it. Before I started it I tried exercising to lose weight, swimming. I swam five times a week at lunch hour instead of lunch. Before Atkins, and after three months of the swimming regimen, I gained a half a pound, and had gone from struggling to swim 200 yards, to struggling to swim 300 yards. Once I seriously started Atkins, I went from struggling to swim 300 yards to struggling to swim 2,000 yards (that's more than a mile) in six weeks.

Cholesterol cratered, BP cratered, waistline cratered - my doctor thought his office scale was broken at first. Fantastic results!

To the poster that said "moderation is the key" - Wrong! No moderation for carbs, "cutting down" doesn't cut it, at least for me. Carbs required eradication before the benefits kicked in.