Study of 4 diets puts Atkins atop the food chain

"But all diets work. It doesn't really matter which program you're using. When you reduce your calories and get more exercise, you lose weight," Burke said. "Atkins might have had the best results, but I'd like to see what would happen a year from now, or two years from now."

This study hhas been done already by the scientific community, the opposite is true, most of those diets don't work, and on the Atkins participants, the participants had significant weight increase, significantly higher then their original weight!!!
"Your" diet is the one that works for you, simple!!! Less intake of calories, more output, ""excersise") of calories.

The BMI calculator is deceptive, beyond useless. Healthy, well-muscled individuals, think NFL cornerbacks, are near obese under the BMI.

Let's not say the word diet. That in itself sets you up for failure. It's a lifestyle change and on Weight Watchers you can eat whatever you want as long as you account for it. Everything is OK as long as it's within moderation. When someone tells me I can't have something, I want it more.

It's not rocket science. Our bodies are still in prehistoric survival mode while we live in modern times with an overabundance of food, particularly starchy, highly processed food.

Eat less, move more. Write down your calories. Stay away from craving-inducers like high-fructose corn syrum and msg. Walk 11 miles per week. Do these things and you WILL lose weight.

I realize America is in a health emergency because more than half of us are overweight, but speed of weight loss is not important. A weight loss of 1/2 pound per week adds up to more than 25 pounds over a year. It's a long term goal; one doesn't get fat in a month. It's more important to take it off slowly, with a combination of healthy diet and daily exercise. The exercise should combine strength training and aerobic routines. Numerous studies have proven that people who take off their pounds this way tend to stay healthy throughout their lives; they don't lose muscle mass and they therefore the maintain strength. Eat lots of fiber, drink lots of water and count calories.

So simple.

OmiGod wrote:

I realize America is in a health emergency because more than half of us are overweight, but speed of weight loss is not important. A weight loss of 1/2 pound per week adds up to more than 25 pounds over a year. It's a long term goal; one doesn't get fat in a month. It's more important to take it off slowly, with a combination of healthy diet and daily exercise. The exercise should combine strength training and aerobic routines. Numerous studies have proven that people who take off their pounds this way tend to stay healthy throughout their lives; they don't lose muscle mass and they therefore the maintain strength. Eat lots of fiber, drink lots of water and count calories.
So simple.

Absolutely. I think too-rapid weight loss triggers a body's survival mechanism - i.e., you slow down your metabolism and crave food. Strength training is an excellent way to keep your body's calorie requirements steady (actually increases) which is why you see a fairly rapid drop in your waistline (or other problem area) even though you might not see a big pound drop on the scale at first.

Our bodies are amazing miracles, but the self-preservation mechanism can keep us fat in today's times if we're not careful.

All posters are correct. Being overweight is a choice - or the result of lack of information. Go to a site like calorieking.com and look up the foods that you are eating in restaurants and at home. If you want to eat like an unrestrained pig you will be fat. If you make good choices, and find another hobby other than eating, you will not be fat.

Want to know if you are overweight? Just take a look at yourself in a bathing suit - BMI is a silly measurement when the truth can be seen in a mirror.

one word... EXERCISE! We've become a society of lazy people.. our children don't even want to go outside and play anymore.. that's the problem. Everyone is glued to the TV or computer.. that's the epidemic! Unplug the TV/Computer and GO OUTSIDE.. We live in FLORIDA.. there's no excuse!

As far as diets, i'd have to agree with the person who said Weight Watchers is the best. I've done the Atkins and Weight Watchers and at least on Weight Watchers you can still eat your favorite foods. Its all about managing how much you eat. The only draw back is that you seem to become obsessed with the amount of "Points" in food.. Atkins is easier because you dont have to weigh or measure out your food..

I still doubt the healthiness of the Atkins diet or most diets for that matter. It is not important to find a diet program with a name attached to it. Make changes in daily life. Don't buy junk food at the grocery store. If it's not conveniently in the house, you won't be tempted to eat it. Get more exercise; join a gym, if possible. Build time for exercise into your daily routine. Treat it as being as important as brushing your teeth or taking a shower. Before you realize it, you will miss it if you don't do it. As an added benefit, exercise reduces stress and anxiety too. Don't eat out as often, especially avoid fast food restaurants. eat out at least twice a week, and it is possible to make healthy selections in almost every restaurant.

I have no name for my diet or my routine. I have just figured out what works, and it did not happen overnight. It took time and dedication and re-prioritzing my life. I am approaching 50, and I feel better, am in better shape, have almost no health issures and am having more fun than ever before in my life. All that gives me the reason and motivation to keep doing what I am doing. I don't need a bunch of books or weekly meetings or a diet with a famous name on it.

I MAY BE A "SCREAMER" OR "FLAME" AS SOME OF YOU HAVE WRITTEN IN THE PAST, BUT I DO KNOW WORK OUTS AND BUFF BODS. MY BODY IS A SHRINE...AND IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME, THEN COME ON DOWN TO THE OLD 1-2 AND SEE FOR YOURSELF.

WE ARE TALKING FIVE 4 MILE WIND SPRINTS EVERY OTHER DAY. I GET MY PULSE UP TO 205 AND KEEP IT THERE FOR 30 MINUTES BEFORE I SLOW THE SPRINT DOWN TO A 6 MINUTE A MILE PACE. YOUR METABOLISM KEEPS BURING FAT ALL DAY.

I BENCH PRESS 550 FOR 8 REPS THEN DO 1000 SQUATS IN THE SAND (2 REPS). I FOLLOW THAT UP WITH A THREE MILE SWIM. 1.5 OUT (TO THE OIL TANKERS) THEN BACK AGAIN.

I FEUL UP WITH L-GLUTAMINE, BANANAS, AND SEAWEED SOUP. BOIL IT FOR 8 MINUTES. SINCE I SLEEP IN MY STAND I USE A STERNO CAN OR BBQ (HIBACHI) FOR THAT TASK...OF COURSE, OUTDOORS SO THAT MONOXIDE IS NOT A PROBLEM.

I LFEX (YOGA STYLE) DAILY A NOON. I AM WORLD REKNOWNED. I AM A DREAM TO MANY MEN AND WOMEN.

BUT HERE IS MY PROBLEM WITH THE ATKINS DIET. YOU MAY LOSE WEIGHT, BUT WITH ALL THE MEAT YOU EAT, YOU WILL BE A THIN PERSON WITH COLGGED ARTERIES. BESIDES, ONCE RIGOR MORTIS SETS IN AND YOU BEGIN TO DECOMPOSE, YOU WILL NATURALLY LOSE WEIGHT. cARBS ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY SO LONG AS THEY HAVE A LOW GLYCEMIC RATING.

I JUST SAW MYSELF IN THE MIRROR. I AM SO HOT...WOOOO-WOOOOO

I've had sucess recently by sticking to a routine breakfast and lunch (one or two options). Allow little variety except at dinner. You can still have alcohol and light snacks. Of course, exercising is a must, at least five hours a week.

I agree with Jackie that exercise plays a big role. On the other hand, I frequently see the same ladies at the gym doing aerobics and they never seem to lose much weight. So... in my many years of dealing with weight I've come to realize that calories do matter too. In fact, I've found that if I only have enough time to focus on 1 area (i.e., calories vs. workouts) then I'm better off focusing on calorie intake.

The best thing about exercise is that it gives you a metabolic edge - you can eat a little more and not gain. Strength training gives you an even bigger "edge."

The other thing that seems to work for me is to keep a food diary for 3-5 days. Hone in on the weak spots. Develop a repertoire of things you eat and what their calorie counts are. Then its not quite as much work to track your eating without feeling completely obsessed with it. This is basically what Weight Watchers does for someone (also gives support). To me, Atkins is not a viable long-term eating style.

When Atkins was alive, the AMA called him a quack. Now that he is dead, suddenly his diet works! Gee, now what about all those clogged arteries caused by fatty foods? Now we'll all get on the Atkins diet, lose weight, so we can look good at our wake after our clogged arteries kill us. Welcome to the wonderful world of medicine.

My older brother who is 49 went on Atkins last year. He was not severely over-weight but his lifestyle included many hours of office work and little exercise. After 6 months he had lost less than 10 pounds. At about 1 year of dieting he suffered a heart attack. He is retiring this year and his doctors think he has done irreversible damage to his heart. The Atkins diet is dangerous but Dr Atkins who also died of a heart attack is not around to share that with you.

yes the study sponsored by the Atkins institute showed that the Atkins diet works!

just like beer is good for you (it will get you blonde bimbos from the commercials), and yeah so is marijuana, yeah and milk does a body good according to the dairy industry.. oh and i forgot red wine is good too (according to the Calif wine industry).... yeah of course. the gullibility of people is incredible.

you want a real diet plan? google alkaline diet. it works and is healthy for you

MJD wrote:

"But all diets work. It doesn't really matter which program you're using. When you reduce your calories and get more exercise, you lose weight," Burke said. "Atkins might have had the best results, but I'd like to see what would happen a year from now, or two years from now."
This study hhas been done already by the scientific community, the opposite is true, most of those diets don't work, and on the Atkins participants, the participants had significant weight increase, significantly higher then their original weight!!!
"Your" diet is the one that works for you, simple!!! Less intake of calories, more output, ""excersise") of calories.

You missed the point. ALL DIETS DO WORK, UNTIL YOU STOP USING THEM.

When you return to you regular eating habits, the weight returns.

Surprise!

Warning wrote:

My older brother who is 49 went on Atkins last year. He was not severely over-weight but his lifestyle included many hours of office work and little exercise. After 6 months he had lost less than 10 pounds. At about 1 year of dieting he suffered a heart attack. He is retiring this year and his doctors think he has done irreversible damage to his heart. The Atkins diet is dangerous but Dr Atkins who also died of a heart attack is not around to share that with you.

So Dr. Atkins died as a result of injuries sustained when he slipped and fell on an icy sidewalk in New york.
Your brother at 49, sedentary, stressed, no exercise could have easily been on the path to a heart attack anyways. Health and diet are a serious subject for a lot of us, how about go easy on the disinformation and untruths.

Indy wrote:

I agree with Jackie that exercise plays a big role. On the other hand, I frequently see the same ladies at the gym doing aerobics and they never seem to lose much weight. So... in my many years of dealing with weight I've come to realize that calories do matter too. In fact, I've found that if I only have enough time to focus on 1 area (i.e., calories vs. workouts) then I'm better off focusing on calorie intake.
The best thing about exercise is that it gives you a metabolic edge - you can eat a little more and not gain. Strength training gives you an even bigger "edge."
The other thing that seems to work for me is to keep a food diary for 3-5 days. Hone in on the weak spots. Develop a repertoire of things you eat and what their calorie counts are. Then its not quite as much work to track your eating without feeling completely obsessed with it. This is basically what Weight Watchers does for someone (also gives support). To me, Atkins is not a viable long-term eating style.

From today's YAHOO page...this is why some don't lose even with excersize.

1. Exercise in short, intense bursts (interval training) for effective fat burning after exercise.
2. Increase the amount of resistance/strength/weight training you do, to build more lean muscle. Muscle is ‘metabolically active’ and burns more calories than other body tissue even when you’re not moving.
And of course, for best results:
3. Chill on the amount of food you are eating.

Technically:
1. Our bodies are built to survive, so when you exercise for long periods of time (often and consistently) your body thinks it needs to hold on to fat for energy. Doing short (12-15 minute), intense exercise sessions builds strength and burns calories, but not fat, so it “feels safe” using fat stores for energy after exercise.
2. Resistance training (using extra weight) helps build lean muscle mass (and strong bones), and muscle burns more calories than fat.
3. If you are obsessing over things like fat grams and not eating a nutritious diet, your body will reserve energy (store fat) to survive.

Realistically:
1. Varying your exercise is the most effective and efficient way to stay lean and healthy. You must do some longer exercise to build cardiovascular endurance, burn lots of calories, and yes, even burn fat during exercise - your body will not click in to “save” mode unless you exercise for long periods of time, regularly and often.
2. You must do resistance training in order to build muscle and strong bones.
3. Nobody wants to exercise more - and we don’t want to train our bodies to need more exercise to stay fit. So exercise efficiently – two short, very intense (relative to your level of fitness) training sessions weekly, like a 15-minute fast run/walk or fast cycling sprint intervals, and two moderately long, moderately intense sessions (30-45 minutes) of strong walking, cycling, or yoga, with one long day (60-90 minutes) of a moderately paced walk/hike. That’s a great five-day/week training schedule.
4. Instead of adding more days to your workout schedule, add a weighted vest to your training. I have said this before, but this is the most efficient way that I know of to build muscle while burning calories. For more information, go to www.walkvest.com .
5. Eat moderately - stop counting fat grams and calories and look at how much food is on your plate! And eat more nutritiously by eating foods that are natural and unprocessed.

Yes its true because I did the Atkins program and it worked for me I started at 245pds and now I am 165ponds oh boy yes it really works!!!! and I am very much Healty...

As a person who uses the Atkins diet occasionally, and has had great results with it, I am still not able to believe it is healthy. It goes against everything I have learned. yet I maintain myself at 185, 6', age 43, cholesterol 155, BP 135 over 76.
I am neither rabidly for or against it, but back 8 years ago when I was 215, that is what dropped the pounds, and quickly. Now, if I feel I am getting too heavy, say over 189, I just cut out carbs in the form of breads, rice, starch, pasta, and no added sugars. It always works, with not too much pain.
Oh yeah, somehow you gotta fight against all the oversized portions and constant advertising. Let's not be too harsh on heavy people, it takes a tremndous vigilance, as well and being armed with information, support, and the money and time to keep part of oour focus on health. That deck is stacked against us in this country.