ATKINS ALERT

THE DAILY RECORD ^ | Aug 13 2003 | Keith Mcleod

[carlo3b]

News
ATKINS ALERT

Aug 13 2003

Diet followers at risk, says expert

Keith Mcleod

SLIMMERS following the controversial Atkins diet are gambling with their health, a nutrition expert has warned.

Dr Susan Jebb said it would be "negligent" to recommend the diet, favoured by stars such as Geri Halliwell and Catherine Zeta-Jones, to anyone overweight.

Millions of people around the world have tried the low-carbohydrate, high-protein regime.

But Dr Jebb, of the Medical Research Council's Human Nutrition Research Centre in Cambridge, said its claimed benefits were based on "pseudo-science".

She argued that, despite a number of studies, no one knew what the long- term effects might be.

Dr Robert Atkins, who developed the diet, believed that carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, rice and starchy vegetables made the body produce too much insulin.

He claimed that led to hunger and weight gain.

His answer was to avoid such foods and eat unlimited amounts of fat and protein, leading the body to burn fat.

But Dr Jebb said such a dramatic change in eating habits was a leap in the dark.

For most people, protein accounts for a mere 15 per cent of their calorie intake. But much higher levels are eaten on the Atkins diet.

Dr Jebb said: "We simply do not know the long-term health implications.

"I certainly think we should be adopting a precautionary principle in terms of public health."

Her warning comes two months after two teams of American scientists declared the Atkins diet was effective and safe.

They found that over six months, 63 Atkins slimmers lost almost twice as much weight, an average of one and a half stone.

After a year, the gap had closed though, with the Atkins dieters down to an average weight loss of a stone compared with half a stone for others.

But Dr Jebb said the studies were too limited to provide meaningful evidence.

Dr Atkins died in April, aged 72, after slipping on ice outside his New York office and hitting his head.

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[tubebender]

Thanks for the link. Everyone should try to read it.(it's long) I bookmarked it...

[sinkspur]

Knowing that it will get better in a few days helps. I have to get this weight off.

Do you guys still have cravings, or have they completely disappeared? Can you just pass up dessert with ease now?

The cravings will go away. Excuse me for butting in here. I've been on Adkins for five years, am at my target weight, and vary five pounds on either side.

In my case, I make sure to have a "cheat" meal once a week. Anything I want (Mexican food with chips, enchiladas, etc.) That way, I know I can still have stuff I really like. And I don't give up dessert; a bowl of strawberries with Cool Whip on top has about five carbs, and tastes wonderful. You can use blueberries too, but stay away from bananas and pears and oranges..too much natural sugar.

Stick to it. In my case, it took me nearly nine days on the Adkins plan to lose a pound, but, after that, it started falling off at the tune of three pounds a week.

And, I didn't do the induction phase, so I never got to "ketosis." Just eliminating sugars and flours and starchy stuff like potatoes worked in my case.

I like this eating plan (it's not a "diet") because I'm never hungry.

For snacks, I get some beef jerky through Robertson's (the best beef jerky in America, IMO, and they're on the web) or eat a handful of almonds.

And, I drink two glasses of wine every night, too. White wine has 3 grams of carbs in a four ounce glass.

Good luck. Need encouragement, just FReepmail me.

You can do this, and you'll feel like a million bucks without all that sugar in your blood stream!

[BibChr]

First of all, remember you can eat more, within the guidelines. Get some of those Atkins bars, they're pretty yummy. Check out www.vitaglo.com -- incredible selection, good prices, good service, no tax if you're not in (I think) NY, no shipping for orders over $50. You may want food you can't eat, but you needn't be genuinely hungry, EVER, on Atkins.

Second, my honest answer is that I do look to God for discipline in not dwelling on the things I can't eat, and fixing such for my kids is not the funnest thing I do all day. But that having been said, the time that takes in the average day is NOTHING. I'm looking forward to the bar, to the steak, to the ham, to the salad, to the turkey, to the chicken, to the mayonnaise, to a few peanuts. I'm not lying or exaggerating: I used to eat all the time, be hungry all the time, and I weighed, well, a lot. I'm never craving, I'm virtually always really satisfied, I feel great. It isn't a fraction of the the problem I thought it'd be.

And now that I'm past induction, although because of how much I still have to lose I stay near it, I can do this and that, with allowances.

Short summary answer: cravings are not a problem, I feel great and am delighted with and grateful for the diet. To my GREAT AND ONGOING surprise.

Dan

[ampat]

She must be getting paid by the American Dieticians Association.

[nmh]

Alot of women and men use liposuction as a means for weight loss. A doctor is going to complain $$$$$.

Here's another unrelated example of how unscrupulous a doctor is. A deviated septum is often done for an insurance covered nose job. It's PURELY cosemtic and at the whim of the patient. The MAJORITY of doctors will NOT walk away from the $$. It's all about $$.

COncerning liposuction you'll hear, "I've exercised all I can and NOTHING works". So liposuction to the rescue for PURELY co$metic reasons and doctors don't blink an eye, KNOWING that this is being used for weight loss.

I know of MANY women who after pregnancy REFUSE to exercise and have liposuction on their tummy for purely cosemtic reasons and laziness. They get their shape back BUT the fat comes back because of lifestyle (fatty diet and NO exercise) yet they'll plead they've done all they could tohave flat stomach. I'm talking women in their 20's, 30's and 40's.

[nmh]

"I can't wait for my flat stomach, six-pack-abs and rippling chest and arms!!!!"

GOOD FOR YOU! Sound like a hunk already. Imagine no doctor visit for weight reducing pills or anything else they conjure up. THe truth is the medial profession, that is the allopahtic crowd HATES it when a patient doesn't need their divine wisdom. They're used to playing god - atleast in their minds. They are a legend in their own mind.

[Wright is right!]

Darn, my fault - I should have remembered who you are. The Freeper Triathlete. No wonder! What's your next event?

Michael

[CajunConservative]

Thanks to both of you. This morning I feel like something's missing and my breakfast didn't quite satisfy me. Of course, my mind is racing from cereal to donuts to pancakes, so that's not helping anything. I'm trying to stay committed, but I was an absolute slave to carbs and cravings. Knowing that it will get better in a few days helps. I have to get this weight off. Do you guys still have cravings, or have they completely disappeared? Can you just pass up dessert with ease now?

Hang in there! Don't give in to those cravings! They do pass :) For me day 3 and 4 were the hardest, the withdrawal headache was horrible, but what I did on those days was to eat small frequent snacks of fat/protein and drink LOTS of water.

Keep in mind that on the other side of this discomfort is freedom from those cravings and constant nagging urge to eat.

If you get a headache take something for it, it's just a couple of days of discomfort that is worth the benefits of commitment.

Also, people are very creative when they have to be. There are tons of recipes on the web that someone has figured out how to modify their favorite foods to fit the plan. You will be surprised that you really don't have to give up as much as you thought you did.

[Protagoras]

But Dr Jebb said such a dramatic change in eating habits was a leap in the dark.

As opposed to all the other diets out there which have failed in the light of day.

[nmh]

"No, I think it's the red meat that people object to. They have been so brainwashed about cholesterol and threatened by the PETA freaks that the idea of eating meat every day is beyond the pale for them. The fact is, we don't eat any more red meat than we did before starting the diet."

Actually RED meat is GOOD for you. You need the protein and I forget which but I believe it is the B-12 that you can't get from other sources other than red meat. Also the protein from veggies is NOT sufficient. You need MEAT protein.

Being a vegan is actually a spiritual experience for some. Totally misguided but they have this Disney view of meat. Vegans may look good but they don't live as long and since they are nutritionally starving their bodies have lots of health problems. Again the allopathic crowd REFUSES to inform the patient that they are committing nutritional suicide. They WANT the office visits so "respecting" what is insane is to their benefit.

[ShandaLear]

What exactly is she saying? Looks like nothing from my reading of it.

My husband went on Atkins and not only lost nearly 50 pounds, but moved from being a borderline diabetic to having normal blood sugar levels. Also brought his blood pressure into almost normal ranges. His doctor was blown away.

I've lost 25 pounds on Atkins.

I report, you decide.

[nmh]

Yeah ... :) Psst don't tell your doctor what your doing. He/she will have a heart attack. Their misguided ways is their RELGION and they take it VERY personally when you reject their ridiculous opinion.

[agrace]

Carboholic is a good term, it is an addiction for some. My mom and sis and I are convinced that we are more inclined to be carb-addicted than other people might be, that some people are affected by carbs in general more than others. For me it's not a sweet thing, but I love the bread and potatoes and pasta etc. Of course I haven't had spaghetti in about 6 months so I don't remember what it tastes like, haha. And frankly I don't miss it at all. The bread I struggle with, probably because I let myself have it more than any other carb. Anyway, I digress.

There's type 2 diabetes in my family - mom has it, aunts have it, I had gestational diabetes with my third baby, which puts me at greater risk for type 2 later. My mom has yoyo-ed with weight for decades, diagnosed with type 2 about ten years ago, and ever since it has been a struggle for her to lose weight, keep it off and keep her drs off her back. They finally put her on oral meds for the diabetes a couple years ago, plus one for high blood pressure. She would constantly say things to me like, when I eat certain things - chips, cookies etc - I sometimes can't stop til it's gone. And her sugar, when she would test it, would spike over 300 and scare both of us.

Then she decided to try Atkins, around last April I think. Since then she has lost over 30 lbs, is below her goal weight, her cholesterol is normal, her blood pressure is normal, her blood sugar is normal and maintained, she feels better, looks better, her fingernails are stronger, and she is OFF the meds for diabetes and HBP.

My sister on the other hand (back to the carb addiction thing) is having a really hard time staying on Atkins because she is so carb addicted that she actually goes through withdrawal. She has severe headaches, feels utterly useless and washed out, irritable, nausea etc for days. And she enjoys her carbs so much that I think she is having a hard time feeling like the suffering is worth it. :) She'll get there though. I experienced the same thing the first time I really cut carbs only not as drastically. But once it is out of your system, the difference is remarkable. More energy, alertedness - I used to think my dragging through the afternoon was due to lack of sleep from being up with my infant, HA! It was the food I ate for lunch. Right now I'm not doing Atkins in the strictest sense because I'm nursing, rather I'm doing lifetime maintenance, which for me is keeping it under 50 carbs or so a day. Not losing, but maintaining, and the baby weight is long gone. After I'm done nursing, I'll start losing that last 20 in earnest.

And back to addiction - my mom has found that she can't even eat low-carb bars or candy because it triggers that sweet addiction. Once the switch is flipped, it's a struggle. Unfortunately for a lot of us that's just the way it is.

[krunkygirl]

bump for later reading

[nmh]

Also these idiotic allopathics need to explain WHY people that lived years ago, when they are found lived just fine on a meat diet. The ones they find that DID NOT eat meat had other diseases. You are HEALTHY eating a meat diet - some fat too! Not ALL fat is bad. That's another thing - fatfree diets. That also will make you sick. We need the OMEGA 3's in out foods.

I find vegans to be rather simple minded and easily lead. Best expressed emotional troubled. I know of a couple who were devout vegans. They were BOTH so protein starved they actuially started having convulsions which means it was affecting their brain. STILL it was a major feat just getting them to eat an egg. They would actually throw up when they first tried to do so since mentally and emotionally it was a no-no. As soon as they were able to get some protein in their diet the seisures stopped. Now they've worked up to meat -horrors! :)

[tubebender]

My wife makes me a sugar free pudding from Jello that uses milk. It comes in delicious flavors including my favorite,Pistachio. I eat about half cup if I crave a sweet. Adkins has made me feel more energetic and I'm eating less.

[Trust but Verify]

Women get lipo for LOOKS, not for weight loss. Most women who get lipo do not need to lose weight, they WANT to lose cellulite. I have lost all the weight I need to (110 lbs), but wouldn't mind getting lipo to get rid of some of the by-product of having lost so much weight. I won't do it partly because I'm afraid to, but mainly because I'm too cheap to pay for it.

Lipo is for vanity, not weight loss. I have never seen it advertised as a weight loss scheme.

[mhking]

How long before the good doctor's book comes out?

Just damn.

If you want on the new list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[patriot_wes]

Brought to you by the American Sugar & Baked Goods Institute!

[lysie]

Check out www.vitaglo.com -- incredible selection, good prices, good service, no tax if you're not in (I think) NY, no shipping for orders over $50.

Great site. Have you tried the Keto ice cream mix products? I attempting to make a low carb ice cream made of cream and vanilla beans. I have been successful with it on a small scale..1/2 cup, but when I try to increase the portions it freezes like a rock in the ice cream maker.