Atkins diet

[marc37]

Atkins diet rarely (if ever) works. All the weight that you lose comes right back after you go off of it. The above poster is very correct, you need to follow the food pyramid as closely as possible, plan your calories, and make sure to keep your metabolism up with cardio exercises and snacks between meals.

I HIGHLY advise AGAINST the Atkins diet. You can't just cut the most important source of energy out of your diet. Fats are NOT an efficient source of energy.

I work at a gym / recreational facility, and here is a segment out of our January newsletter:

Q. I want to lose about 10 lbs and get toned at the same time, what kind of diet should I go on? I tried the high protein low carb diet, but it was too hard to maintain. Once I got off it, I gained back all the weight I lost.

A.\tI would first like to say that you SHOULD NOT go on a diet. When you go on a diet you are restricting foods and your body needs all three kinds of foods (carbohydrates, proteins and fat). You lost weight on the high protein diet because you lost water and muscle weight. The weight was gained back because you lost muscle which caused your metabolism to drop. Carbohydrates are a very important part of your diet and approximately 60 percent of your calories should come from carbohydrates in the form of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. You can even eat non-whole grain carbohydrates, as long as you don't over eat them.
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BRAVO; it the first post l have read that doesn't make me cringe at the ignorance. Don't forget how Atkins died: high blood pressure, high levels of fats in the blood, overweight. (l know his crooked multi million dollar business croanies will strongly disagree. His appearance said it all). His diet is dangerously good to lose weight for the short term. Don't forget the liver and kidney damaging effects because of the excess uric and oxalic acid that has to be excreated by the body.

 

[regularjoe]

The problem with carbs is that people aren't sure what a serving size.

One serving of pasta is the size of your fist. A lot of people will eat 3 or 4 times that in one sitting for one meal. I'm with the moderation crowd.

Some days I'll have more meats than carbs.
Some days I'll have more carbs and a little meat.
Some days I'll go mostly vegetarian.

I think the important thing is to cut down saturated fats, try to eat more complex carbs instead of simple carbs (whole grain as opposed to white), and cut down on artificial ingrediants like hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup.

 

[Bradford]

I think the problem with any "diet" plan is that while you can lose weight while sticking to a particular regimen, how do you learn to change your everyday eating habits to maintain your new weight?

With that in mind, I'm going to recommend Dr. Phil's diet book, "The Ultimate Weight Solution." My wife is currently on this plan and after reading the book and watching some of his shows, I am convinced that he has developed a comprehensive system that deals with both the mental and physical aspects of gaining weight and encompasses a well-balanced nutritional approach.

I find the overall approach that Dr. Phil (McGraw) is espousing to be better (IMHO) than Atkins, Weight Watchers, the Zone, Sugar Busters, or any other diet plan I have reviewed over the years.

Bradford

 

[j]

The thing about the Atkins diet is that it's true you will lose weight and then gain it back when you go off the diet. What I don't understand is why people think they will ever do a diet that will keep weight off after they go off it. Duh.... You don't "go off" it. It's a maintenance thing. I do a low carb approach in general, but not to the point where I will turn down stuff I'm offered. I'm very slim so I don't need to worry about it, but I do try to eat more protein and vegetables instead of carbs just because I feel better and more energetic when I eat that way. I've been trying to completely cut out drinks that are mostly High Fructose Corn Syrup (e.g. Coke, etc), which is a large part of my useless carb intake that also messes up my insulin and energy levels.

But my main point is that no "diet" will permanently take off some weight, even after you go off it. Aside from the "remove the least important limb" diet, I can't see how this would be possible.

 

[fareau]

I am a clinical/research fellow in endocrinology and metabolism so let me spend my two cents on this subject: losing weight is simply a matter of expending more calories than you ingest.  Whether you elect to increase your level of activity, restrict your caloric intake, or practice some combination of the two, you will lose weight.  No amount of hocus-pocus or clever marketing can divorce itself from these inalienable truths

The real difficulty is faithfully adhering to a lifestyle change that prohibits the offending behavior which lead to the weight-gain in the first place, be it the consistent pattern of  overeating or the tendency toward general sedentariness.

The Atkins diet does work, sometimes quite dramatically in the first few weeks.  Your body preferentially uses carbohydrates as a fuel source, so virtually eliminating them is essentially like assuming a fasting state (even with continued consumption of protein and fat).  In time, your physiology adjusts and begins utilizing these alternative fuel sources.  It should be noted that the Atkins approach promotes an eventual graded reintroduction of carbohydrates which continues until weight is neither gained nor lost: if you have a high metabolism, you may eventually reintroduce a very sizable amount of carbohydrates in your daily diet (yes, you can still get fat with a "high metabolism&quot.  The studies with which I am familiar indicate that the Atkins diet is no more efficacious than other diets over the course of one year.  The risks of the Atkins diet are fairly hypothetical as there have been no studies (that I know of) of adequate size or scope to confirm or refute.

Frankly, sensible eating and liberal amounts of exercise are the best route.

 

[marc37]

l am almost frightened to ask, what is sensible eating?

 

[fareau]

Marc37,

When I say "sensible eating" (and admittedly I am painting in broad strokes), I mean the common sense principles that are the cornerstone of every conventional diet: eating in moderation and making healthy food choices. Healthy food choices would include emphasis on fresh fruits/vegetables/grains, complex carbohydrates over simple sugars, limiting cholesterol, avoiding overly processed items, etc.... I don't want to be didactic as nothing I am saying is revolutionary, just the same old tired recommendations that have faded into background noise given the endless promotional din of fad diets. I already feel like I am writing too much on this subject.

You seem to have established a fairly well-defined orthodoxy of "healthy foods" with which you are happy. If you are meeting your nutritive requirements and you find it palatable, I think that's great; believe me, I wouldn't dare to try to strip you of your dogma only to replace it with my own......although I must say, from a purely scientific point of view, the macrobiotics of your diet are quite unique.

 

[cjl2g]

bumping this, since four years have gone by and want to see if anyone is currently/was on this diet and their advice or comments

 

[hadecker]

Does anyone still do the Atkins Diet?

 

[robertorex]

now the stylish **** everyone is on is anabolic/ckd. but i actually dont mind low carb. find i generally feel better.

 

[Steve Smith]

cjl2g, google "Gary Taubes big fat lie" and read an article he wrote in the NY Times. If you find that interesting then research some more on the subject.

The problem with this subject is that everyone is an expert. Look at all the expert answers in this thread. IMO most of these experts don't know sh!t. Everyone "knows" all about the food pyramid and how you should eat a low fat, balanced diet. And yet obesity has been on the rise for about 30 years.

Research it and decide for yourself.

 

[Fat-Elvis]

Low-carb is a good way to go if you're having trouble getting rid of that last stubborn layer of fat. It kinda worked for me. It's just a ***** of a diet ot maintain, though, and it didn't last.

 

[ZackyBoy]

Atkins, Southbeach, Abs Diet... its a way of making people pay for low carb diets that have been around forever.

 

[robertorex]

well books are always fun to read. And people need to be educated about them anyway since the american dietary establishment doesn't give them a whole lot of information. Definitely a lot of free information on the internet though.

 

[greg_atlanta]

Nobody would admit to doing Atkins anymore..... now it's all about omega 3 and good carbs. Or just eating less.