The Atkin's Diet

The typical diet is basically all the stuff Atkins allows, only with a bunch of simple carbs thrown in.

I am not an advocate one way or the other (not really qualified to make a firm statement), but Atkins does seem to allow massive weight losses to occur. I could see the long term benefits of getting back to a more reasonable body weight as being more helpful than a few months of what might be a diet high in fats.

 

I eat 32 ounces of steak a day and a dozen eggs, plus two pounds of cheese and it hasn't hur...........GAHKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!! (slump)

 

It would appear the online membership has just decreased by one.

 

I did a more reasonable Atkins earlier this year (ie. turkey bacon not pork, LOTS of salad and chicken, etc) and lost 30lbs in 4 months. It worked for me because I am a bread/pasta/rice/sugar carb addict.

No fault of the diet, but unfortunately through extreme indulgence in pizza, burgers and ice cream in the first semester of law school - without keeping up my gym regimen - I've gained it all back...

 

Atkin's diet is horrible. You can lose plenty of weight with it, but there's also alot of side effects.

While you're on the diet, you have a distinct bad odor. Your breath is horrible. If you don't drink plenty of water, you can get kidney stones. Afew people I know had this happen.

The high protein intake puts a big strain on your organs.

One person I know lost about 100lbs so quick he had to have reconstructive surgery to cure the "flaps" of loose skin hanging from his belly. Sexy, eh?

One thing I do know that works is exercise. Hmm wait, that's the same story as 100 years ago, isn't it? Not only will you lose weight, your health will improve drastically. Works better than *any* diet.

 

Why do you care how other people diet? If a no-carb diet makes someone feel better about themself, then more power to them. Likewise if someone thinks an avacado, boysenberry and mango diet does the trick, then good for them.

It's their life, why must there be One True Way? Is it yet another control freak do-things-my-way-or-else thing, like religions are?

 

I lost 30 pounds on "Weight Watchers" over 3 months eating whatever I wanted to and have kept it off 6 months later.

I just started the "South Beach Diet" today to lose the small pouch of stomach fat that accumulates on men.............it's a 4 week very low carb regimen, but it's not overly high protein either, as your total caloric intake is limited.

We'll see if it works. I am thoroughly sceptical of the spot reduction theory, but hey, enough people are raving about it, and the book was a best seller and a doctor I know said it worked for him...........so.............here we go.

Breakfast was one fried egg, one piece of lean ham, a glass of skim milk and a glass of tomato juice.

 

Be sure to include some fat and salt in your diet.
Otherwise, it's a recipe for disaster.

 

Hey Keith,
It works. my father did it and lost about 20#. He's kept it off for three months now. Following those recipes can be a P.I.T.A. (gotta love those cauliflower mashed potatoes!)

DL

 

That certainly would be a reasonable assumption.

But, as a bit of anecdotal evidence, I know a fellow who did the Atkins and tracked his cholesterol. The "bad" cholesterol actually dropped over 80 points while dining daily on cheeseburgers!

I am by no means an expert on any of this, but it seems that food combinations are somehow more important than the foods themselves.

 

You never answered the question. Why do you care how other people eat? Isn't that their business, not yours?

BTW: I never said I'm on Atkins. I never promoted any diet. I just want to understand why it matters to you.

 

Atkins is so popular because it fits nicely into peoples' lifestyles. Eat lots of fatty foods, don't exercise, and lose weight. Well, common sense alone tells you that if you live this way you're headed for trouble. You have to transition off of it at some point.

 

I agree that it's really up to the individual to decide what they want to do. Oddly enough, I do understand the other point of view to a certain extent. The basic rule for losing weight, or at least not gaining weight, is to burn more calories than you ingest. So if you eat 2000 calories a day, just make sure you burn 2001. It's really a simple formula.. exercise is all you need, yet people spend all kinds of money and change their lifestyle to match the latest fad diet, when all they really need to do is join a gym. If people want to buy all the latest books and pills and whatnot, good for them. I'll stick with eating what I want and getting some exercise.

-R

 

If you give up the beer you won't be Rob! Although you seem to do pretty well using a red wine substitute.

 

Find one Atkins book that says that going the Atkins Diet without exercise is the what they recommend and your statement would be correct. They, like nearly all diet methods, recommend exercise in addition to whatever other method they are choosing to limit intake in your system.

As for the accuracy of the article (not your typing of it but the article) the Atkins website responds:

Atkins Has Not Changed

"Make That Steak a Bit Smaller, Atkins Advises Today's Dieters," published in the January 18th edition of The New York Times--and the subsequent publicity--is yet another dramatically inappropriate example of the media reporting on the media and perpetuating a false report on Atkins. This is a great disservice to the millions upon millions of Atkins followers who have been benefiting from this nutritional approach for more than 30 years. The accusation in the media, which claims that Atkins is retreating from its long-held position on the consumption of fat is simply wrong. It is a false premise created by members of the media themselves, based on input from "experts" who apparently have neither read any of Dr. Atkins' books, nor even casually browsed this Web site.

Atkins has not changed. The basic tenets of the Atkins Nutritional Approach™ (ANA), consistent since 1972, are to control the intake of carbohydrates, avoid refined carbs (like sugar and white flour), eat a balance of fats (including saturated fat but not trans fats) and consume a variety of protein sources, such as red meat, fish, poultry and tofu. Saturated fat remains a valuable part of the ANA. There is absolutely no scientific research to support any claims that eating red meat and saturated fat as part of your Atkins program is anything other then beneficial. These protocols have been consistently reinforced as safe, effective and beneficial and have been further supported by 17 studies released over the last three years.

Equally as important, and terribly troubling to all of us at Atkins, is the attempt once again by critics of Atkins to ignore fact, science and the clear messages stated in Dr. Atkins' own words over the past 32 years, in order to sensationalize the ANA as the "all-the-steak-you-can-eat" approach to weight loss and good health. This has never been true and the millions of individuals doing Atkins, along with the health care professionals who have read Dr. Atkins' books, clearly understand this. We would urge anyone who is confused, including the media to simply read Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, Atkins For Life or The Atkins Essentials, or review this site, rather than interpret Atkins on the basis of sensational reports manufactured on hearsay and mischaracterization.

Even in the original 1972 edition of Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution, Dr. Atkins explained, "fat allows for enormous variety in your diet; that vital and best of all, it keeps you from feeling deprived. Of course, you aren't confined to steak, you can have almost any kind of meat, fish or fowl." He continued, "One of the biggest reasons this diet works so successfully is because you eat protein and fat…."

Dr. Atkins made no secret of the fact that his methodology evolved over time as scientific discoveries added new and useful information. He rewrote his original 1972 book three times, exactly because he felt it was his responsibility to keep people up to date when it came to the most recent and relevant information on controlled carbohydrate nutrition and health. In the 2002 edition of Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, he wrote, "Eat either three regular-size meals a day or four to five smaller meals. Eat liberally of combinations of fat and protein in the form of poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs and red meat, as well as of pure, natural fat in the form of butter, mayonnaise, olive oil, safflower, sunflower and other vegetable oils. Adjust the quantity you eat to suit your appetite, especially as it decreases. When hungry, eat the amount that makes your feel satisfied but not stuffed…."

By providing individuals doing Atkins with a life-long strategy, including exercise and meal plans (at various carb thresholds) incorporating a wide range of foods, as explained in Atkins for Life, Dr. Atkins believed he would finally put to rest the misconception that his approach was based on eating only red meat. His simple goal was that people would come to understand how to incorporate his controlled carbohydrate nutritional approach as the first step in gaining control of their nutritionally out-of-control lives.

Millions of individuals who benefit from doing Atkins understand that the ANA is a very effective four-phase approach to healthy eating. The ANA focuses on moving people away from diets loaded with refined carbohydrates like sugar and white flour to a lifestyle centered around eating whole foods and nutrient-dense carbohydrates like leafy greens, and finding a balance in the consumption of proteins and fat.

 

I guarantee that none of my friends who are on the Atkins diet have actually read through it. They have interpreted it as something like:

Breakfast...3-egg cheese and sausage omelet, no toast

Lunch...2 Quarter-pounders w/cheese, throw out the bun

Dinner...Large red meat based dinner, no veggies or starches.

All combined with an inert lifestyle. The problem is that my friends who are doing this are lazy and avoid physical activity at all costs. Plus, they smoke and drink a ton as well.

 

Rob.......

Lifestyle change is exactly what it's all about!!

Weight Watchers taught me to control portion size, eat 4-5 times a day and eventually to delete certain things because they were too high in point value (or just eat a lot less of them). So now I have my caloric intake more or less under control as the last 6 months has shown and I am not going crazy.

It was a tough thing to do.....I used to worship pizza, beer and ice cream. Now I only pray occasionally to the gods of red wine.

Darth550......

Well that's good news about your dad. My wife got the book for Christmas and we just went shopping Sunday for all the stuff for 2 weeks worth of menus. And you are right, it was a "PITA" to prepare everything for today.

 

IMO the Atkin's diet is not too safe; time will tell, long term affects of people who remain on the diet for long periods will tell us how safe.

I went from 260 lbs to 169 lbs in a few months following what I call the New Balance 990 diet. here's how it works:

1. cut back on the crap food

2. buy a pair of New Balance 990 running shoes. Now use them for what they were designed for at least 60 minutes a day (unless you have bad knees; substitute swimming or weight training)

 

Our bodies evolved with a diet filled mostly with protein and water, and very few to virtually no carbs. Carbs didn't come along until agriculture.

If you want to be as healthy as possible, live the following lifestyle (reminiscent of australopithicus africanus through homo sapiens)

1. Walk 2 - 5 miles a day (not run, walk)
2. Drink as much water as your stomach will hold (pretend that everytime you see water, you wont see it for another three days)
3. Eat a lot of protein and leafy green vegetables (romano lettuce, spinache, etc)


That's what our lifestyle consisted of for 2.5 mil years, and that's what'll make you most healthy. Notice there is no mention of cheese, cream, fired foods, chocolate, etc, in the above.

 

The only sure way to loose weight:

Eat Less and Excercise

Too bad it's so hard to do...


Doms Fact of the Day: When rats (and monkeys, too it appears) are fed limited vs ad libitum (i.e., all you can eat), those whose food intakes are reduced live longer. (Exp Gerontol. 2003 Jan-Feb; 38(1-2): 35-46)