The Atkins plan: It's to diet for : The Morning Call Online

Lou wrote:

Here's the thing. Not just watching the carbs, but also everything else you are putting into your system. I've heard of friends having 3 eggs and a half pound of bacon with breakfast, but no toast while on Atkins. Yes, by lowering your carb intake you can lose weight, you just need to watch everything else.(Fats, sodium, etc...)
My wife is a dietitian and DESPISES the Atkins diet.

What about South Beach? That is actually what I follow b/c of the less fat...My Dr approved it for me too!

yeah - that's true - I do eat 20 grams of carbs a day give or take a few

btw, there are NO peer-reviewed studies that show that consuming high levels of dietary protein causes any damage to otherwise healthy kidneys.

When something has been around for over 25 years it isn't a fad. There isn't a diet on earth that has taken more crap than Dr Atkins and his low carb diet. Even the Grapefruit diet, for god's sake, got more good press.

There is nothing "hoaxy" about reducing carbohydrates in your diet. Diabetes is a huge epidemic and the body basically just gives up on providing gobs and gobs of insulin to convert the average person's daily carbo feast into useable energy. I mean the food pyramid that was JUST recently tossed out wanted you to have ELEVEN servings of bread! In one day! Who does that benefit? Grain growers, maybe.

If the average person's breakfast is toast, eggs and bacon, why would eliminating the toast be "dangerous?" If the average person has a sandwich of turkey, swiss and some soup for lunch, what is "unhealthy" about not having the bread? If you have chicken, potato and veggies for dinner, why is it not wise to skip the potato and double up on the veggy? There is no person on earth that can't survive without bread, without potatoes, without rice. ALL of the nutrients in these foods are found, in higher amounts, in other foods. Humans have no innate need for grains or sugar or potatoes or corn.

Low carb is NOT a high fat diet unless you choose high fat items consistently. Low carb isn't even high protein unless you make it that way. Low carb is just low carb and most definitely not NO carb. People need to stop labeling this diet as harmful.

The reason why the Atkins food group has filed for bankruptcy is because they were hoping that their pre-packaged foods would become a new staple in the American diet. Anyone who has seriously tried to lose weight on a low carb diet will attest: if you eat too many of those products, it will stunt your weight loss. Plus they have too much soy and taste like they have too much soy. I call it "health food store" flavor. The sugar alcohols mess with digestion and cause gas, bloating and diarrhea. In fact, Dr Atkins, when he was alive, was not a huge proponent of people relying heavily on those products. It was only after his death that they went crazy with those offerings. Cha-ching. This has absolutely no bearing on the basic diet itself which has saved hundreds of thousands of lives in the last 30 years.

Any diet can be bad for you if you make poor choices in the realm of what is allowed on that diet. Atkins is no different. If you choose bacon and eggs, your health will reflect your choices, although you can still lose weight. But people have their stomachs stapled! Their nutritional intake FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES is going to be poor! That's acceptable and Atkins isn't? It just makes no sense. And to me, when things just don't add up, there are usually unfounded baises involved.

Dietitians despise Atkins because it goes against everything they've been taught. Never mind that it might actually benefit some. So they blow the kidney thing out of proportion.

I know people who were told by their doctors that NOT losing the weight would be far worse for them than any potential risks involved with Atkins.

If somebody is eating three eggs and a half a pound of bacon, they aren't following Atkins.

Lou wrote:

Here's the thing. Not just watching the carbs, but also everything else you are putting into your system. I've heard of friends having 3 eggs and a half pound of bacon with breakfast, but no toast while on Atkins. Yes, by lowering your carb intake you can lose weight, you just need to watch everything else.(Fats, sodium, etc...)
My wife is a dietitian and DESPISES the Atkins diet.

user-1259 wrote:

yeah - that's true - I do eat 20 grams of carbs a day give or take a few
btw, there are NO peer-reviewed studies that show that consuming high levels of dietary protein causes any damage to otherwise healthy kidneys.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/hea lth/2859733.stm

I just found this link about high protein diets.
I'm not one to believe all of the media, but this article is interesting.

Sure,I would love to run but a bad knee joint tells me no.I swim in the Summer for cardio but fatten up like a Butterball Turkey afterwards.These low carb diets are a life saver for me.

I'd love to know how many of you on Atkins will develop colon cancer with the amount of meat you are shoving down your throats... blech. Let me know how your first colonoscopy goes.

Oh Dear

runningirl wrote:

Stop buying junk, get off the sofa, and go kick some assphalt. I'm tired of people whining about dieting. For most people it's about making choices--exercising for an hour or two, or watching tv with your friends, Chip and Dip. Granted, some people have other health issues that cause added pounds, but not most of America. And giving birth to five kids is no excuse for a big ars either. Been there, don't have one. This is your only body. Take care of it and stop subscribing to this fad madness.
One size does not fit all, but the health care costs continue to skyrocket because we have so many people who make bad choices.

The running girl lays a smackdown, well said.

I have lost 20 pounds since October by eating whatever I want. I limit my caloric intake, eat breakfast everyday, eat 4 - 5 times a day, don't eat three hours before I go to bed and exercise at least 5 times a week. Bada bing, bada boom.

Does it s – u – c - k going to the gym at 9:00 at night or 5:30 in the morning? Yup, but heart disease and diabetes s – u – c - k even more.

Finish this: "Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we ___."

The thing about low carbs is that you want to eliminate the bad carbs (i.e. anything that is white and refined-sugar, white flour, white rice, white potatoes, etc) and stay with the good carbs (i.e-whole grains, fruits and vegetables). This is the basics with any diet be it Atkins, South Beach or Zone.