What do you think of Atkins?

[Von Glassoff]

I have heard that the Atkins Diet throws your body into keytosis. Do not know if I am spelling that right. Which can be unhealthy for some people. I have never tried it. I have seen a lot of people lose weight on it and when they got off of it they gained it all back and then some. But that is the way with any diet. What no one has mentioned is that grain foods are high in omega 6. A ratio of 1 to 1 of omega 6 to omega 3 is ideal for the human body. Up until 100 to 150 yrs ago people consumed a diet that was generally balanced like this. (Probably the increase of junk foods and fast food restaurants) Most diets now are a ratio of 60-1 to 21-1. I don't think carbs are bad for us if we don't consume so much of them and not enough green leafy vegetables and fruits. Too many carbs causes inflamation in the body and weight gain. I am talking about all grain foods. That includes corn and cornmeal. If you want to fatten up a cow before the slaughter you feed it an increase in grain food. I think people should exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet. We all know what healthy is. I don't think people should eliminate grain foods. I think they should not go overboard on their intake of them. If a person writes down what they eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner and they see too many grain foods, then just cut back on them.

 

[urmaniac13]

I like to keep my processed foods to a minimum, I wouldn't go so far as to say that I eat a "whole food diet" but it has been years since I drank a soda. I don't eat too much meat, and what I do is typically very lean. It might sound cliché but if the recipe rocks, you rarely miss meat.

To me food has to have a certain level of pleasure, this doesn't have to mean gravy ladled over fatty meats or deep fried foods, nor does it per se mean a limp green salad or a lone, naked potato. Food is about more than just what it does or doesn't provide our body with (though of course these are truly important points). Eating should never become a dread, a burden or a chore.

Just use common sense, as most doctors note carbs are necessary in the long run to a healthy diet

I am totally with you Jessica, that is why creativity is very important in cooking, in my opinion. And as I said before, to keep a truly healthy "diet" throughout your life, it must make sense and something you can follow with pleasure, otherwise, sooner or later it will backfire in one form or another. And the important point is, the correct interpretation of the terminology "diet". It concerns your overall health, not a temporary/immediate weight loss.

 

[billmac]

Most people who oppose the Atkins diet (or other low carb diets) really oppose a charicature of the diet (ie: bacon but no veggies). Almost all the lo carb diets feature the same philosophy:

1. Lots of lean protein.
2. Healthy fats.
3. Lots of cruciferous veggies.
4. Lots of liquid.
5. Avoid white flour and white sugar.

None that I know of cut out fruit or all carbs. Some, like Atkins, have you cut carbs pretty drastically for a very short period of time. Most allow good carbs when your blood sugar stabilizes. Many encourage whole grains and ALL of them encourage lots of vegetables.

The bankruptcy in question was the Atkins branch that makes the lowcarb products, not the Aktins company itself.

 

[amber]

I guess we are all in agreement that the Atkins diet, or any fad type diet does not work and is not healthy. Portion control and exercise is the key!

 

[SpiceUmUp]

I have lost 50 pounds since late April by following a diet plan for type two diabetics. It has limited carbs, high in veggies and a fair amount of meats.



And I can eat all the sugar free Jell-O I want!!! Seriously, it is a livable diet but like any other, it will ultimately fail if I do not make it more than a diet, I have made it a way of life. I stay away from diets like Atkins because they are not livable in term.



The diet I am on is livable and simple.



Another 30 pounds and I will be there

 

[Andy M.]

That's great! Hang in there and keep plugging away. You must be really pleased with your success.

 

[Tater Tot]

If you know that the Atkins company declared bankrupcy recently, your question is answered.

I believe if you want to lose weight, all you have to do is consume fewer calories and burn more calories. The keyes are portion control and exercise.

You know Dr. Atkins died over weight?!

tot

dont mess with what a man needs, a woman needs, or what your body needs..

 

[Tater Tot]

I was 268 last year... I gave up cokes and beer..and I got off my @$$ (butt) and worked harder.. I did not give up my pasta or pizza.. I didnot give up much I just started moving my butt.. Im now 183.... but my normal diet may be diffrent,, I never eat ice berg, salt, or any junk food/candy.. I guess I was blessed with a dad that wnted his son to eat well so thats how I stayed..but to get my weight down I had to kill french cooking soift drinks and beer...I still hve a beer here and now but never three hours befor bed time..just rememer sugar is better for you then the poisons labled as sugar like...


Smaller tot

 

[Andy M.]

WOW! That's a lot of pounds to lose. Congratulations!

It's amazing how much caloric beverages can impact you. Three cans of soda/beer a day for a year equals about 37-45 pounds!!!

 

[GB]

I am of the belief that no diet is something you should do long term. If you need to lose some weight then many diets will work for you, but they will not work long term. You need to eat healthy and smart and also exercise.

That being said, my wife tried Atkins and did lose a lot of weight right off the bat. After a while though it just was not working much anymore and she was getting grossed out by eating so much bacon and cheese and things like that.

She is not doing a modified South Beach diet> For those who are not familiar with this diet, it is also a low carb diet, but it is not a NO carb diet. My wife is doing it on her own terms, not by the book. She has lost a lot of weight (you look amazing sweetheart) and is so much happier with herself. She is also exercising. She does situps every night and has been using the treadmill when she has time. the biggest change though has been in her mindset. She no longer wants to eat tons of food. She realizes that she only has to eat a little bit before she is full and that it is OK to then stop eating. She passes on deserts and sweets now and actually does not miss them. She has eaten a few things she maybe should not have eaten (chocolate fondue at the office) and did not enjoy it. She felt sick after. She is now fitting into cloths she hasn't fit into since college and she is so happy with herself. And baby if you are reading this, I am SO proud of you!!!

 

[bknox]

My wife was on the Adkins diet for a while (8 loooooong months). When she started I told her I would support her but then the ugly reality surfaced, No beans, No pasta, No bread, No Rice. That is pretty much my entire diet or as my wife calls my hillbillies diet. Where I was raised in the mountains of Virginia we called beans, rice, pasta and bread staples. I can not even imagine removing them from my diet. I would loose weight, because I would be starving to death. Not a big fan. Moderation is my diet.

 

[SpiceUmUp]

Ok, here I will play with semantics: we are all on "diets". Some of us are on good diets, some of us are on awful diets and some of us fall somewhere in between. For me, the turning point was the realization that the diet I was on (eat everything in sight) was going to kill me.



I have changed my diet. I now eat veggies, and meats and a small amount of bread, no pasta, rice once in a great while (usually with sushi) and my snacks are either sugar free Jell-O or fruit.



I think, and this is just me, that it is a mind set. Are you "on a diet" to loose weight or have you changed your intake to a healthy and controlled diet?



I avoided South Beach, Atkins, and “the Plan" and so forth because I didn't see any of them as a truly long term answer to eating healthy and living longer.



My goal is to drop from 305 pounds to 220 pounds and to maintain that for the rest of my (hopefully long) life. I am at 256 as of this morning.



To do this, I recognized that, for me, it is necessary to change ones approach to food and to eating, and no, they are not the same thing. One can eat small portions of the wrong food and damage ones health while still loosing weight.



I am trying, with the help of my Doctor and frankly this discussion group, to eat well rounded, flavorful meals.



Thanks for the support.



I have not felt this good (except for the minor head cold I have right now) in several years.



Well, to wrap this up, eat well rounded meals, that satisfy you with rich flavors and textures and eat in moderation. And get exercise!

 

[kyles]

I have a problem with all the "named" diets. I think the right diet is the one that works for you, and for me, eating healthily is just that. We all know what makes us fat, fatty foods, lack of portion control, "empty foods", and endless snacking.

I've lsot over 50 pounds since January by incorporating exercise into my life, concentrating on food which is nutrient dense and useful in terms of calorie input. Yes, I have days, even weeks off stringently eating healthily, and I still have meals where I eat for pleasure and don't worry about the calories, vitamins etc. But on balance, I eat what is good for me.

My problem with Atkins is that I couldn't do it. I can't eat all that protein, I can't do with any restrictions or I just get rebellious. To me, it's all about balance, and learning to listen to your body, which for someone who was previously morbidly obese, has been the biggest challenge.

 

[Claire]

The only thing good about Atkins is that it did put a lot of products on the market that are helpful for diabetics, with prominent carb markings, low carb products to supplement a meal that already has the proscribed numbers but isn't filling enough.

I'm a firm believer that every body is different, but really be careful. If you have cholesterol problems or other heart-related stuff going on, this diet becomes dangerous.

Did anyone really believe that a day consisting of steak, cheese and bacon was GOOD for them?

 

[billmac]

It's interesting the number of posts that basically say, I hate Atkins, I just eat lean meats, lots of veggies, and avoid sugary treats and eat just a little bread and fruit.

Well, you've pretty much described Atkins, and every other low carb diet out there. Lean meats, fruits, veggies, avoid white sugar and white flour, or at least be very careful with them.

Atkins does not say you can suck down a half gallon of bacon grease with your morning steak. No diet does.

None of these diets eliminate carbs. Not one. The most that happens on some (Atkins and South Beach) is that you reduce your carbs significantly for two weeks, to get your body used to a new way of eating.

 

[Rob Babcock]

Did anyone really believe that a day consisting of steak, cheese and bacon was GOOD for them?

Sigh...do you have the faintest idea what the Atkins Diet is? I don't mean to sound harsh, but that's not really what Atkins is about.

Anyway, if you assert it's unhealthy, please provide some evidence of it. The entire premise of Atkins is that the "Food Pyramid" as created by the FDA in the 80's is upside down and wrong. He cited reams of evidence and dozens of studies, and backs it up with case studies of hundreds of his own patients.

Would you care to compare your blood work to mine? Read the evidence before you jump to unfounded conclusions. If you have a history of heart disease, you really better look into Atkins. Low fat/high carb diets will see you dead in your grave long before a high protein/hi fat diet (especially the good fats Atkins encourages).

As the old saying goes, "It's not what we don't know that hurts us- it's all the things we know that ain't so."

I weary of constantly defending Atkins from cranks that criticize him without a shred of evidence or even a basic knowledge of the science behind it. And I'm sure that said cranks are tired of it, too. Anyone that wants info on Atkins or my personal experiences with it can PM me. Everyone that just wants to pile on, go ahead- I won't waste any more time on it.

 

[Claire]

I'll repeat myself, every body is different. I, personnaly, tend to lose weight on a lower carb regimin. I have freinds who do not. I have freinds who would kill themselves eating more meat. And I agreee -- whole-heartedly, that people think low carb means no veggies. The green stuff generally is good on these diets, it's the white stuff that isn't. Now that my husband is diabetic, I pay even more attention to it all. I was trying to say, in my opinion, that Adkins is not all bad or all good. Pay attention to your own body, and DO NOT simply assume that you can live on steak and bacon. Don't take what you like out of a diet, and leave the rest behind. Mostly don't look for shortcuts. Good food is good food, and you know what it is.

 

[Rob Babcock]

Sorry, Claire...I didn't mean to be rude. I work as the chef at a busy restaurant, and it was a rough weekend.

Yes, everyone is different. There are many ways to lose weight. My feeling is that at a certain point, say, 100 lbs obese, that any plan that will take off those pounds is better than being fat.

I don't know how many of you reading this have been more than 100 lbs overweight, but for me it was a living death sentence. I was so profoundly unhappy at 285 that I'd have risked death to lose that weight. Instead of courting death, Atkins got me into the best shape of my life.

Don't take my word for it, though. But realize, if you're morbidly obsese, your worst enemies are complacency, defeat & denial. Don't settle for being fat, don't concede that you'll never be thin, and don't pretend that you're really not all that overweight. Don't let fat rule your life- you can lose it and live like a human.

Take it from a guy who wore a 48" waist (31" in high school)- you can lose it. And it's worth (almost) whatever it takes to do so.

 

[Rob Babcock]

BTW, Kyles, you rule! I like your determination and your sensible approach. Slow and steady, you have the discipline that makes success inevitable.

Some people will tell you it's a waste of time to try, but you know better. Taking control of your life feels

 

[SpiceUmUp]

If you go by the US Government recommended weights, I was more than 100 lbs overweight. I weighed 305 at the start of my new way of living and the Gov recommends 195 for a man of my basic build and height. I was over 310 at one time.

I have lost 50 pounds. I did it by reducing my intake of everything. I significantly reduced carbs, but I also reduced meats and fats.

It is a simple equation: use more than you consume and you WILL loose weight. There is NO alternative. If you consume 2500 calories a day and burn 2000, you gain weight. If you burn 2500 calories a day, and consume 2000, you lose weight.

What ever helps you do that is good as far as I am concerned. Fact of the mater is that recent studies have shown that the Atkins plan is safe and effective. Fact of the mater is also that Dr. Atkins was not "Fat" when he died. He had however put on water weight because of steroids he was on to treat a medical condition.

I am following a type II diabetes diet because I am at extreme risk of developing diabetes. My Doctor, after a thorough medical exam, put me on this diet. It is working for me and for one reason only: I AM FOLLOWING IT.

Rob, congrats on the weight loss. Kyles, you know you are my hero.

I too am fitting in clothes I long forgot I had. It is a great feeling.

To sum: talk to your doctor (NEVER START A WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM WITHOUT TALKING TO A DOCTOR). Find the plan that you can live with. FOLLOW IT.