ATKINS ALERT

This South Beach diet sounds great, similar to what I have been doing, a modified Adkins diet. The following summary sold me, and here are a few salient paragraphs, from an article on WebMD. i HIGHLY recommend a complete read. The warning about losing water and electrolytic inbalance is very important to watch, as most of the quick weight loss diets, Adkins included, the weight you lose is mostly water, dramatically affecting particularly the salt and potassium balance of your body.

http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/65/72554.htm?lastselectedguid={B7F18B8A-5BA8-43FC-B950-5FA349C6A692}

The Atkins diet differs in that carbohydrates are severely restricted during the initial phase. The South Beach diet instead groups "good" and "bad" carbohydrates based on their glycemic index, a measure of how foods affect your blood sugar.

"The goal is to eat three balanced meals a day, and to eat enough so that you don't feel hungry all the time," Agatston says.

Forbidden in those first 14 days, however, are fruit, bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, or baked goods. No sugar, ice cream, cookies, or cake. And no alcoholic drinks of any kind (wine, fruit and whole-grain breads may be added back to the diet in subsequent phases).

Moore adds that despite the many positive aspects of Agatston's South Beach diet, you would be wise to work closely with a registered dietitian or your doctor with any diet that induces ketosis because the body is shedding water and, according to Moore, this might cause an electrolyte imbalance without proper hydration.

"havent read the whole thread yet, but where does beer fit in on Atkins? I fear it is probably a big no-no."

Sorry - not Adkins, but me - I have personally found beer really shoots up my blood sugar (full of carbs) - however - CONTRARY TO WHAT EVERYONE SAYS - pure alcohol actually lowers it. So Vodka and grain alcohol with diet soda seem to do pretty well, and martiini's, but avoid rum particularly, or any kind of booze made from sugar cane (in Florida they sell all kinds of booze (particularly at ABC Liquors - which is made from sugar cane - and it is not rum - read the fine print) and bourbon is not so bad, but not recommended, though whiskey seems to be OK. And in this is from personal experience, and I have read dozens of diet and diabetes books, and only one book have I found that will tell you this - alcohol actually lowers blood sugar.

203 - "And as a rule, you'll find that "low fat" products often have MORE carbs than regular!"

Boy, are you right there - LOW FAT MEANS HIGH SUGAR in prepared foods. (read the labels, there is almost no difference in calories in any 'prepared' LOW FAT product, and it is loaded with carbs.

Now I always aim for the full fat products.

217 - What obfuscation:

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

What they are really saying, and trying to cover up Adkins success, is that Adkins people and regular dieters both regained half the weight they lost after a year. The Adkins people lost 21 lbs (14+7), and regained 7; and the regular dieters lost 10.5 lbs and regained 3.5. So at the end of the year, the adkins dieters were down 14 pounds and the others down only 7 pounds.

I think my answer gave the wrong impression. I don't mean just that I know what put on the tonnage; that's kind of a combined "Hel-lo-o?" and "DUH!", in my case.

I mean, I know what was behind it. And as personal as I will get is to say that, for a long time, I Just Didn't Care. Glory to God, that has changed; but that was the root and all-including cause.

And when you Just Don't Care, every desire for food is answered with a "Why not?" Other people have similar processes; the fruits just aren't as readily visible.

Dan

I totally understand where you were coming from.

And I totally understand this: "for a long time, I just didn't care..."

Tell me about it.

This is very profound: "and when you just don't care, every desire for food is answered with a "why not?"

It's a downward spiral that takes the grace of God to escape.

I was asked recently how I managed to lose the weight. I told them I want to lose weight more than I want to eat cake... That's the difference.

I use the Atkins / South Beach / Medditeranian / DesMaisons Diet.

Limited carbs, plenty of fat and protein. Lots of olive oil and vegetables and nuts. Slow carbs are a must. 3 meals a day with a potato 3 hours after dinner. Red wine with dinner.

2 problems with low carb diets are saturated fat and reduced production of serotonin. A nightly carb with fat, but without protein, will produce an insulin boost that will recharge the body's cells and ensure the production of serotonin. Better sleep and better moods. If the nightly insulin boost is low enough, then fat recharging will be limited.

"You make some good points, but they get lost when you get over the top with negative generalities. There are a lot of allopathic people who are: (1) on and recommend Atkins, and (2) aren't "in it" entirely for money. Proof? I am one. My hospital sponsors an Atkins program for employees."

You managed to miss my MAIN point which is the allopathic approach DENIES the role of nutrition - whole foods. You automatically succomb to liver/kidney damaging drugs for the answer. This allopathic "answer" only masks the root problem. YOU NEVER address the ROOT problem. NEVER. This is how ALL allopathic doctors etc. are trained. You can NOT honestly deny that and that is what makes YOU (generic you) ineffective.

If for example someone has Graves' disease you MAY try ADT's (Anti thyroid drugs) but after an arbitrary amount of time, say 1-2 years tops the next "solution" is to totally DESTROY the thyroid which is the INNOCENT victim of an antibody attack. It's like you a mutiney - your antibodies are attacking your thyroid. So instead of addressing the destructive antibodies the "solution" is to use RAI (radio active iodine) ot destroy the ENTIRE thyroid. There is NOTHING wrong with the thyroid. NOTHING. only because the you guys REFUSE to address the underlying problem it's more convenient to destroy the organ and have the OPPOSITE problem - hypo thyroid and be REQUIRED to be on synthetic liver/kidney damaging drugs for the rest of your life. It boils down to this, if the doctor can not address the root problem, then either remove/replace (transplant, bypass) or destroy the organ involved.

Not in it for the money? LOL! There is NOT a doctor out there that isn't. It's a matter to what extent. Memebers of my family are in the midical profession. The first thing they want to do is pay off the debt of medical school which requires money. Next they want to enjoy the fruits of their labor (depending on your opinion of the allopathic community) which is fine however what has been taught isn't effective.

As for you, I doubt you'll get my point. It's almost like a cult. You've been indoctrinated to apply synthetic drugs which only serve to cause liver/kidney damage and ignore the root cause. This is what you are taught and know no different. Also who funds your research? Drug companies! What a coincidence. When in practice there is INCENTIVE to write scripts for the drugs companies. You will be rewarded through trips, material things and even PAID to go to conferences. Indeed I know ALL about it through family members as well as the media writing about it.

Another MAJOR problem is the allipathic community NOT keeping up with their profession. From the perspective of MANY, this is easily overcome by seeing the cute pharmaceutical rep.. Listening to their 15-20 min spiel on their latest drug or a new application of it. When a patient comes in, they're eager to NOT have to go tot he drug store and deal with the insurance company so they're happy to take on samples. So you keep the patient addicted to using a synthetic drug to cover up the root problem and all is well. LOL!

Oh there are so many things to say about your profession at large - such as prescribing to the insurance contract. You know as well as I that the ailment is NOT really that important. What is important is WHAT will the insurance company cover. Depending on what that is is what you will do or prescribe. If not, you will not be reimbursed by the insurance company and risk have a non paying patient - in short it's just not worth the hassle - just go with what the insurance company doctors feel is appropriate.

While I touch on insurance, ever look at a bill where there is NO insurance agreement in place - i.e. a provider NOT covered by the patients insurance? I have. It's OUTRAGEOUS. For example, I'm not kidding you - I had am appt for an MRI at the University of Penna. Hospital. FOr 45 minutes they took their photos with the injection to highlight stuff. Well we received a WHOPPING bill for OVER $10,000. I happened to like the neurologist however I told him, either you become a provider under our plan or we move on. Of course he was apologetic but clearly the insurance dictates pissed him off. I canceled the evoked potential test etc..

Need I touch on the silence from YOUR medical community on abortion? You've (generically) have come a long way from let your medicine be your food and food be your medicine. I'll let you guess who said that. Of course with how people live ... eating junk ... when they come in having a heart attack it's alittle late to offer whole foods and clean up their diet. Best to keep them around and THEN educate them. Truly all these by-passes are NOT necessary. Diet changes and exercise are what is needed. It's ALL unnecessary trauma to the body and expense.

Would you like me to go on about some of the drugs routinely prescribed, like Fosamax and what is REALLY does for you? Or how many ovary removals are totally unnecessary or how many women willing go through castration - all based on what allopathics say that is used to scare the patient into unecessary surgury? Psst vitamin C works wonders!

If the hospital you work at recommends Atkins to the employees great (bet they also recommend some other programs as well) - but what about the way you make money off of patients with ineffective treatments at grotesquely inflated rates ? I find that to be more interesting and in need of addressing.

I had to add alittle more to my original reply. You'll just have to deal with typos since I lack time to proof it. Besides, this is informal.

"You make some good points, but they get lost when you get over the top with negative generalities. There are a lot of allopathic people who are: (1) on and recommend Atkins, and (2) aren't "in it" entirely for money. Proof? I am one. My hospital sponsors an Atkins program for employees."

You managed to miss my MAIN point which is the allopathic approach DENIES the role of nutrition - whole foods. You automatically succomb to liver/kidney damaging drugs for the answer. This allopathic "answer" only masks the root problem. YOU NEVER address the ROOT problem. NEVER. This is how ALL allopathic doctors etc. are trained. You can NOT honestly deny that and that is what makes YOU (generic you) ineffective.

If for example someone has Graves' disease you MAY try ADT's (Anti thyroid drugs) but after an arbitrary amount of time, say 1-2 years tops the next "solution" is to totally DESTROY the thyroid which is the INNOCENT victim of an antibody attack. It's like a mutiney in your body - your antibodies are attacking your thyroid. So instead of addressing the destructive antibodies the "solution" is to use RAI (radio active iodine) after the doctor is tired of suppressing it through a drug like PTU. Nah, it's time to destroy the ENTIRE thyroid. There is NOTHING wrong with the thyroid. NOTHING. Only because you guys REFUSE to address the underlying problem it's more convenient to destroy the organ and have the OPPOSITE problem - hypo thyroid and be REQUIRED to be on synthetic liver/kidney damaging drugs for the rest of your life. It boils down to this, if the doctor can not address the root problem (which is the usual situation), then either remove/replace (transplant,bypass) or destroy the organ involved.

Not in it for the money? LOL! There is NOT a doctor out there that isn't. It's a matter of to what extent. Members of my family are in the medical profession. The first thing they want to do is pay off the debt of medical school which requires money. Next they want to enjoy the fruits of their labor (depending on your opinion of the allopathic community) which is fine however what has been taught isn't effective. Also they need the money to pay for their liabilty coverage which gets more expensive every year. YOu NEED the money to do this otherwise you are out of business. Instead of weeding out the really rotten apples in your industry, you cover up for them which helps to keep you liability rates so high.

I was entertained by family members who initially discussed the GROSS incompetency in medical school. It was ghastly what was said. The truth is that for quite a few years now, medical schools have admitted students based on ANYTHING but merit. You can't deny that. White males really had it rough. Some as yo may know had to go to the islands to get their degree while others were admitted with shall we say less than stellar grades etc.. This also contributes to the negative views of the allopathic crowd. Couple incomeptence with ineffective solutions and yuo'll better understand why some hold such a low opinion of your profession at large.

As for you, I doubt you'll get my point. It's almost like a cult. You've been indoctrinated to apply synthetic drugs which only serve to cause liver/kidney damage and ignore the root cause. This is what you are taught and know no different. Also who funds your research? Drug companies! What a coincidence. When in practice there is INCENTIVE to write scripts for the drugs companies. You will be rewarded through trips, material things and even PAID to go to conferences. Indeed I know ALL about it through family members as well as the media writing about it.

Another MAJOR problem is the allipathic community NOT keeping up with their profession. From the perspective of MANY, this is easily overcome by seeing the cute pharmaceutical rep.. Listening to their 15-20 min spiel on their latest drug or a new application of it. When a patient comes in, they're eager to NOT have to go tot he drug store and deal with the insurance company so they're happy to take on samples. So you keep the patient addicted to using a synthetic drug to cover up the root problem and all is well. LOL!

Oh there are so many things to say about your profession at large - such as prescribing to the insurance contract. You know as well as I that the ailment is NOT really that important. What is important is WHAT will the insurance company cover. Depending on what that is is what you will do or prescribe. If not, you will not be reimbursed by the insurance company and risk have a non paying patient - in short it's just not worth the hassle - just go with what the insurance company doctors feel is appropriate.

While I touch on insurance, ever look at a bill where there is NO insurance agreement in place - i.e. a provider NOT covered by the patients insurance? I have. It's OUTRAGEOUS. For example, I'm not kidding you - I had am appt for an MRI at the University of Penna. Hospital. FOr 45 minutes they took their photos with the injection to highlight stuff. Well we received a WHOPPING bill for OVER $10,000. I happened to like the neurologist however I told him, either you become a provider under our plan or we move on. Of course he was apologetic but clearly the insurance dictates pissed him off. I canceled the evoked potential test etc..

Need I touch on the silence from YOUR medical community on abortion? You've (generically) have come a long way from let your medicine be your food and food be your medicine. I'll let you guess who said that. Of course with how people live ... eating junk ... when they come in having a heart attack it's alittle late to offer whole foods and clean up their diet. Best to keep them around and THEN educate them. Truly all these by-passes are NOT necessary. Diet changes and exercise are what is needed. It's ALL unnecessary trauma to the body and expense.

Would you like me to go on about some of the drugs routinely prescribed, like Fosamax and what is REALLY does for you? Or how many ovary removals are totally unnecessary or how many women willing go through castration - all based on what allopathics say that is used to scare the patient into unecessary surgury? Psst vitamin C works wonders!

If the hospital you work at recommends Atkins to the employees great (bet they also recommend some other programs as well) - but what about the way you make money off of patients with ineffective treatments at grotesquely inflated rates ? I find that to be more interesting and in need of addressing.

Wow, XBob! Sorry you had such an adverse reaction! I always feel energetic after eating . . .

Yeah, your system needs very different elements than mine does. Amazing how intricate and specific the human body is. I don't doubt that your geographic/ancestry explanation (238) has alot to do with it.

Keep looking, though, because the right diet is out there for you! Have you tried Atkins or Sugar Busters?

Not in it for the money? LOL! There is NOT a doctor out there that isn't.

Good heavens. Do you know jammer, personally? Do you know every doctor, exhaustively?

God-like statements, from someone whom I happen to know IS NOT in fact God, tend to devalue everything else you say.

And though not a doctor, I agree with jammer once again: you do make some good points, but you drain their impact by unrestrained, unverifiable, unjustified, over-the-top gross overgeneralizations like this.

Dan

I have been doing the South Beach diet for a week now. I haven't lost any weight (but I'm on thyroid meds, which the Dr. said can affect speed of weight loss), however, I have had to adjust my diabetes meds downward. I haven't had low readings like this in a few years, so I am very happy with it.

As a diabetic, I know how the different carbs can affect my system, it just gets hard to give up so much, year after year. Apparently I needed to get serious with my lower carb eating again.

I will do this -- thanks for the tip.

I don't need to KNOW every allopathic doctor. They are ALL trained the say way and it is their approach to a health problem that is wrong. Synthetic drugs that do NOT address the root problem and ONLY SUPRESS the root problem is what the allopathic doctor is trained to do.

This gentleman, jammer(?) may be the nicest guy/gal out there however it is the SOLUTION they use that is wrong regardless of how nice or kind they are that is NOT effective. Look past the surfacy and look at HOW they go about "solving" a medical problem - synthethic drugs that supress symptons of a LARGER problem. The synthetic drug WILL damage your liver and kidneys. This is a known fact. While this drug is damaging your liver/kidneys and ONLY supressing the probem, that supression is allowing the ROOT health problem to get worse.

As much as it would be a comfort to believe that doctors really care about you etc. the truth is that like ANY other job after awhile they get tired of it. They typically do NOT keep up withwhat they view as advances in their field because they typically have to work longer hours to earn through VOLUME what they used to do with just a few patients. Doctors today PRESCIBE to what the insurance company will cover NOT what the patient may need. Whoever this "jammer" person is, KNOWS that.

Weak.

Let me try again. You may (or may not) have a point about allopathic treatment. When you join it to God-like statement about ALL doctors' motivations, you trash your credibility. All I have to do is know one dedicated, caring doctor, and your point crumbles.

Put another way:

My Bible says "O LORD of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind" (Jeremiah 20:12a). Is it your suggestion that it read instead, "O nmh, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind"...?

You really should retract, apologize, knock it off, and stick with making a fact-based argument.

Dan

347 - "2 problems with low carb diets are saturated fat and reduced production of serotonin. A nightly carb with fat, but without protein, will produce an insulin boost that will recharge the body's cells and ensure the production of serotonin. Better sleep and better moods. If the nightly insulin boost is low enough, then fat recharging will be limited."

Thanks very much. I would like to discuss this more with you. Your incite is very rare, and it seems to me also very accurate. I have pretty much totally given up on dieticians and endoronologists, as they never come up with information like this, and keep trying to stuff me with carbohydrates and insulin. I am totally fed up with their ignorance.

Where can I find out more, of this important information?

Rush Limbaugh went on a diet, which apparerently worked wonders for him, and the only 'secret' or info I ever heard him mention was that he had a chef, and he cut out foods which stimulated the production of insulin.

Food allergies are a known problem. And I don't know about weight gain particularly, but I do know about water retention (and resulting weight gain). Some times some thing happens and my weight goes up dramatically, and my feet and hands swell up.

As far as the remark about my brother and his simple ideas, once he came to stay with me for a week, and we ate and did just about the same things, and he said 'follow my diet' for a change. So I did, and I gained 2 lbs that week, while he lost 2 lbs

There is evidence of food allergies and weight gain. I once new a lady who weighed in pretty heavy most of her life. I ran into this thin gal years later who happened to be her. She said she found out that she was allergic to meat. There are people who swear by what is called the "bible diet" that consists of eating simple as in the olden days. Processed food is killing us all. A good computer program for losing weight is " Diet Power". A simple calorie counter program. Once you see how many calories you should eat and what you do eat can shock you. If you can tough out lowering your calories and start losing weight your calorie burn naturally increases. Diet power helps you to recognize patterns in your eating as well as informs you of nutrition values.

Plus I ment to add that they are finding out more and more that toxins are tearing us up. Toxins in forms of pesticides,hormones in meat, vapors from rugs etc. are time bombs. We don't know what all of this crud is doing to our systems. Doctors seem to be more and more baffled these days by ailments and physical problems.