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.

Top

[agrace]

I know! The website advertises 2 bucks a pop and my local stopnshop has them for a whopping 2.69 each! They generously go down to $2 on sale.

BUT, Trader Joe's just a little further down the road sells them for 1.69 each - cheaper than Atkins - so I buy them by the box of ten. :)

[BibChr]

Ooh, cool. Sadly and stupidly, there is no nearby TJ's, but I'll keep it in mind. Love TJ's -- don't know how lo-carb friendly they are, though.

Dan

[carton253]

Today... I made the under 40 pounds loss club... it feels great!!!

[SamAdams76]

Forget about the snack bars. I mean, they might be low in carbs but they are still full of processed ingredients. It would be one thing if they were a lot cheaper but $2.69 for a "snack" adds up quick.

What I do for snacks is buy those 1oz packages of Planters nuts in bulk. Peanuts, cashews, etc. At the local warehouse club I belong to, I can get a box of 24 1oz peanuts for $7. That's twenty-nine cents a bag! And only a few carbs and 170 calories per bag. Those little bags of nuts have bailed me out plenty on the road when the only alternative was high-carb junk. I keep them in the glove compartment in my car and in my office at work. Nuts are whole foods and totally unprocessed. They make a much better snack than a "candy bar."

[ko_kyi]

Sam, you are exactly right. It seems like the arguement of "when you stop the diet you gain the weight back" is an indication that it DOES work. If you stopped and your weight didn't change, the diet probably had nothing to do with the weight loss in the first place.

I described that arguement to an acquaintance as "My car doesn't work. It only takes me places if I sit in it."

[ko_kyi]

How do the Atkins people party, or do they abstain from alcohol all together?

Good quality bourbon over ice. Can't beat it for taste or buzz.

[agrace]

I agree, my favorite snack - raw almonds.

[BibChr]

You're glad you've lost less than 40#, or that you have less than 40# to go?

Dan
(c8

[carton253]

Sorry... I've lost 40.5 and have 59.5 left to go! (Sometimes I get embarressed that I let myself get that out of control with food)

You are going to have freepmail in about a minute.

[tubebender]

I have enjoyed your post to these threads over the last few months. I also buy peanuts in the small pack and also mixed nuts in the 2 1/2 # jar at Costco. I heard Atkins recommend Macadamia nuts on L King Alive. The ones I buy from Costco are too salty so I rub them between a towel to remove some of it. I'm glad to hear about Blueberries and Strawberries as I grow lots of them. Man I miss those Blueberry Pies...

[BibChr]

Hm. I get this on peanuts:

Total Fat 13.98g 22%

Saturated Fat 1.94g 10%

Polyunsaturated Fat 4.42g

Monounsaturated Fat 6.93g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 122.76mg 5%

Potassium 193.35mg 6%

Total Carbohydrate 5.37g 2%

Dietary Fiber 2.61g 10%

Protein 7.47g 15%

Does that mean ~2.8 "impact" carbs? Certainly cheaper than bars. Wonder whether I'd find it as filling. Wonder whether Costco has them.

Dan


mmmmm.... peanuts.....

[BibChr]

Oh, look... I don't know whether you've noticed, but I don't even SAY at what weight I think I started, why I'm not sure, and how much I have to go. I just stick with the "Lost 50-60 pounds, feel astonishingly better, am on right track."

The omissions mean something! (c8

Dan

[BibChr]

BTW, woo-hoo! Great job! You go, carton!

Dan

[carton253]

Always subtract fiber from carbs to get impact carbs... I had some peanuts this morning.

Carbs are 5 for the pack.

Fiber are 2 for the pack

Total carbs: 3 carbs.

[carton253]

That's what I'll do from now on. (But I still can't believe I let myself get so out-of-control)

[BibChr]

I'm sure it encourages people to hear your stats, and I hope you don't think I'm criticizing. Probably might encourage people to hear mine as well, but... women aren't the only ones with some vanity, I guess.

/c#

Dam

[carton253]

I did not think you were criticizing me. When people ask how much more do I want to lose, I tell them. But, when I do, I'm always a little embarressed that I allowed myself to get so big! 100 pounds is a lot of weight.

Thanks for your reply to my freepmail. I knew the answer, but I was grappling with a slippery fellow. Made me doubt my own name.

[BibChr]

Well, I know exactly how I got to where I got. And, as my wife and I remind each other, we didn't get where we were overnight, and we're not getting where we're going overnight, either.

Dan

[carton253]

And I know exactly how I did it too. Cake (iced sheet cakes with lots of frosting) and donuts.

[Johnbalaya]

Day 2

I've been eyeing the bread when i walk into the kitchen...and the popsicles in the freezer are screaming "Eat me! Eat me!