Atkins Was/Is A Terrorist - Discuss

[matcom]

just saw a commercial for Low-Carb Milk :eyes:

bet it costs over $5 for a half gallon.

people, if you want to lose weight, EXCERSISE and cut out the damned DinDongs

i am SICK of this "Low-Carb" crap. Drink you milk for its CALCIUM (if you want to) and take some gawd-damned responsability for your INTAKE.

</rant>

*flame-retardent suit on*

[VelmaD]

1. I'm glad you started this and not me

I've lost just over 125 pounds since January of 2002. Went from a size 24 to an 8. And I didn't do it on some fad diet. I did it by eating less, eating healthier, and exercising more.

[ForrestGump]

7. Congratulations, VelmaD!

Extremely low-carb can work, short-term (heath risks abound), and can work longer in modified form, but I think your approach pretty much nails it. Exercise is a big missing element in so many Americans' lives, I think, too...as dire as the 'average' national diet might be, we'd probably be less padded as a nation if we offset some of these dysfunctional calories with a regular spot of exercise.

Never been enamored of Atkins' particular snake-oil, but good luck to those who are on his program or something along those lines...at the very least, they'll be eating less refined sugar, and that's a good thing. I'm very close to a couple of people who are on and off low-carb diets and have even been (still am) involved with a marketing project that'd appeal to a lot of people on such diets (I'm involved as a favor to a friend).

Where it gets really out-of-whack is when people take the 'good' bits from low-carb programs ("mmmmmm....bacon") and conveniently skip the bits they don't like ("brussels sprouts and broccoli? Why, when I can dip pork rinds in Velveeta?"). Hardly the fault of Atkins or anyone else who's a diet guru, but anyone who knows anyone will probably suspect that many Americans tend to want (i) instant results and (ii) no negative consequences (weight gain) for negative behavior (forgoing spinach for aforementioned pork rinds).

[Dookus]

27. what health problems abound?

Seriously... people keep saying this, but there is NO evidence for it.

Recent peer-reviewed scientific studies demonstrate that people on a low carb diet (which does NOT equal a high saturated fat diet) have BETTER cholesterol numbers than people who eat a lot of carbs.

In my own case, after one month on Atkins, my bad cholesterol dropped over 40 points, my good cholesterol doubled, and my triglycerides were cut by more than half.

My experience is not unusual, and a plethora of real studies over the last couple years is backing it up. Does it work for all people? Probably not. But it works for a sizable number of them.

[ForrestGump]

30. Just the usual things that come with living on

bacon grease and heavy whipping cream...that an too much protein (too much of anything, really) not being good for the body.

I'm willing to accept that this kind of rampant eating is at least primarily committed by people who are abusing the Atkins program, though, but I'd also suggest that there're a lot of such folks out there.

At heart, though, I just don't see the benefits of cutting one or more groups of foods unless it's absolutely necessary...I think the Buddhists and plenty of others had it down pretty well with the whole moderation/Middle-Path thing. Balance. For the same reason, I see vegetarianism as an aberration and potentially dangeorus, though if it's done right it's arguably more healthy than including meat in the diet (especially in the proportions that Americans consume meat, even before the whole Atkins thing really took off). I also happen to be a long-time fan of tons of fiber, and carb-heavy foods like beans and grains tend to number among the richest sources of various kinds of fiber.

[Dookus]

32. well

instead of talking about "conventional wisdom", which is wrong quite often when it comes to dietary matters, how 'bout some studies that demonstrate health problems associated with Atkins?

Really.... where are the studies that show a lot of protein is bad for healthy people? I will grant that people WITH KIDNEY DISEASE have problems on a high-protein diet. But there's NO study that shows people with normally functioning kidneys have any problems.

The fact is, the conventional wisdom that a high-carb, low-fat diet is healthy is wrong. The conventional wisdom that a dietary cholesterol translates directly into serum cholesterol is wrong.

I was very skeptical of the claims made when I started examining it. Then I read some studies - peer-reviewed, published studies - that indicated the diet could be healthy. Since then, even more studies have come out showing its benefits.

I do it not for weight loss, but for my heart. I had an emergency angioplasty and stent-placement at 41. As I mentioned above, a short time on Atkins totally changed my blood chemistry as it relates to cholesterol and triglycerides. My cardiologist said he'd seen such results in many others, and encouraged me to keep doing it.

If you've read any of my posts in the Meeting Room or in other places, I'm a huge skeptic. I take all sorts of claims with a grain of salt. But there really *IS* science that backs up the claims Atkins made, and none that reinforces what his detractors claim.

[Catholic Sensation]

36. one health risk: too much protein fucks up the kidneys

[Dookus]

37. did you read my post?

Find me a study that shows too much protein fucks up the kidneys in people with otherwise normally-functioning kidneys.

I have asked that question at least 10 times in various Atkins threads and nobody has yet provided one.

[ForrestGump]

38. There's that same old problem, the one in just about every

aspect of science and medicine: there are studies published in reputable outlets that say the Atkins diet is dangerous and unAmerican and there are studies published in reputable outlets that say the Atkins diet is a true patriot's [athway to Pure, Clean, Shiny Health. I think, as always, that they might just both be right...too many variables, for one thing.

[Donkeyboy75]

39. There are no good long-term studies of these diets on the body...

period. Anyone who says otherwise is just uninformed. I am inclined to believe that this is just another fad diet. Low carb diets must almost necessarily be high-protein diets. Guess what? This leads to a buildup of uric acid, which is not good for the ol' kidneys, and has been linked to osteoporosis and gout...not to mention lupus.

There's not enough info out there about the Atkins diet, which is why I don't condemn it. But the way a body's metabolism works isn't in doubt. If you consume less calories than you expend, you lose weight. Yes, there are slight variabilities in enzymes which give everyone a slightly different chemistry, but there's not a body in the world that shits out carbs or fats without the body processing them. They are nutrients, folks, and our bodies have been geared towards incorporating those for thousands of years. A simple trick of not eating rice ain't going to change that.

[chicaloca]

29. exactly!

"Exercise is a big missing element in so many Americans' lives, I think, too...as dire as the 'average' national diet might be, we'd probably be less padded as a nation if we offset some of these dysfunctional calories with a regular spot of exercise."

This completely reminds me of the Dutch! I studied in Holland for a year, and at first I was absolutely shocked at how much cheese, other dairy, and bread-stuff they eat. Yet, they're the most healthy, beautiful people I've ever seen. I knew one Dutch guy who seriously ate like 10 slices of bread a day (as part of a sandwich!) but he was incredibly toned and healthy. However, the Dutch are also extremely active, even apart from the fact that they walk and bike almost everywhere they go. There was actually an article in New Yorker magazine about how the Dutch are some of (if not the) tallest people in the world largely because they have such good eating habits, and even the poorest kids there get enough to eat.

[ForrestGump]

31. Same with where I come from

A place where people ate real food, plenty of it (including lots of bread and dairy, and lots of meat), and burned it off and converted it to the right ingredients through hard work and hard play...playing sports, for example, instead of watching them, and engaging in all sorts of outdoor activities. I know that when I travel to nations or places where high-fat foods are de rigeur, in the course of field work, I inevitably lose pounds despite a higher fat intake than I'm used to. The reason's pretty simple: my work forces me to exercise like a maniac for much of each day while I'm in the field.

Exercise, exercise, exercise...

I used to be able to get away with the sedentary flipside of my life these past couple of decades, but no longer. Too much good food here...getting back into an intense workout regimen not to drop accumulated poundage but because I need to do it...it feels good and makes everything else better.

[FDRrocks]

34. I'm with you Velma...

Less food, more excercise. Aren't the non-superficial benefits of getting your body in shape great? :)

Viva la fitnesse!

[MikeG]

2. Can we just eat like pigs?

[matcom]

3. OINK

no problems here :)

[MikeG]

6. Good, cause I'm getting a pizza in a few minutes.

[AspenRose]

4. I think Atkins is probably rolling in his grave right now

I would like to think that this is NOT what he had in mind when he proposed his diet. It's Low-Carb Fatigue! (tm)

South Beach is working great for me and I'm not about to go out and buy "low carb" milk...

[geniph]

26. South Beach has worked great for us, too

much more sensible than Atkins, mostly because it isn't really a diet - it's more about changing the way you think about food. My husband has lost 56 pounds since February, and I lost the 20 extra pounds I was carrying and am back in a size 3. We eat quite well, just changed WHAT we eat - lots of fish and fresh veggies, and a lot less simple sugars and saturated fats. Just cutting down on cheese was major for us; everything we ate before had a pound of cheese in it!

[Westegg]

5. Don't think Atkins was a "terrorist," but I get your basic point...

...and I agree. Eat moderately, and exercise regularly. That should be good enough---it has been for me. Yeah, as I get older, it's harder to keep the pounds off, but when I find I'm gaining weight I jog a bit longer, and eat less pizza and ice-cream. Pretty damn simple, that.

[Philosophy]

8. I've tried it

It's not bad, but it does have kind of a weird texture, and yes, it does cost over $5 a gallon.

[boxster]

9. Anyone who thinks that it's healthy...

to replace carbs with high amounts of saturated fats is insane.

Saw "healthy" Atkins ice cream bars at the store yesterday.

12g of SATURATED fat EACH.

That's 60% of the US RDA of saturated fat in one ice cream bar. And about twice as many calories as the regular ones. My arteries were hardening just reading the label.

People must really be stupid. Weight loss is not worth heart disease and the zillion other medical conditions that are going to be caused by completely screwing up the body's metabolism with Atkins.

Just wait - in five years, there will be umpteen class-action lawsuits and the company will go bankrupt. The suit currently in the legal system is only the beginning.

Atkins is/was our generation's PT Barnum.

By the way, I agree with your plan. Exercise and cut caloric intake. Works for me.

[Amaya]

10. I'm so sick of this low carb band-wagoning!

People eat less and move more. DON'T buy or eat processed foods. And have some wine for Cryin' out loud! :beer:

[tigerbeat]

11. hey what a shock....another anti-atkins thread.

honestly, doesn't anybody have better things to do with DU bandwidth and capital letters than to rag on what other people eat?

live and let live mofos.

[MikeG]

12. HoHos sound real good for desert. Mmmm. HoHos.

[ForrestGump]

13. HoHos? What a wimp. REAL men just eat a bowl of flour.

[MikeG]

14. Flour's the main course, And pizza.

[ForrestGump]

17. You want extra chocolate syrup on that pizza?

Strangely enough, I just described my lunch.

Maybe I should re-evaluate my carb intake.

[MikeG]

19. I never thought of that - chocolate syrup on pizza.

I usually put that on my chocolate ice cream.

[ForrestGump]

21. Dude, come on...it's the natural accompaniment to marshmallows and

anchovies.

[MikeG]

22. MMMMPH! BLIPHH!! URKK!! BURP!!

OK. I'm done.

[supernova]

16. Here you go

Eat up, Forrest! :D

[ForrestGump]

20. Mmmmmmm...thank you, Ms nova!

I've lately been concentrating on wholewheat flour -- better for me -- but a bag of the old white stuff would hit the spot right about now. The resultant flour moustache is kinda embarrassing, though.

Truly, I've been eating all the carbs you're skipping...gotta address that while I can still see my toes (good thing I've got big feet, huh?).

[supernova]

23. You can have my carb share

of flour-y things, Forrest. I do love them and miss them, like a family special called "pinapple pizzas," more a kind of dessert danish than pizza.

But I don't miss the chubby look one bit! I now weigh the same as I did in high school and college. ;-) *popping another garlic-stuffed olive in my mouth*

Big feet?!? Hmmmm.......

[Blue-Jay]

15. WTF-ever.

Chet Atkins is one of the best guitarists in the history of American music.

[Ramsey]

18. Totally agree

Atkins is a scam, all of these fad diets are just excuses for the diet industry to bilk money out of people.

The only way to lose weight is eat a sensible well-balanced diet and to EXERCISE instead of coach-potatoeing it.

:lovey:

[SarahB]

24. I'm a low carb person.

I think I wrecked my body with sugary crap for too long and it affects me too much. Tonight I ate seasoned tofu and stir fried veggies and I exercise. *Gasp* the unhealthiness of it all. :scared:

[MikeG]

25. I got some pizza left. Want any?

[SarahB]

28. Nope

Happy being 140-something instead of over a deuce (and admitting to 140-something is hard enough).
Thanks anyway. :D

[FDRrocks]

33. I agree

Excercise, in combination with at least a moderately healthy diet, is the only really good way to lose weight.

Some people just can't commit to it. I lost over 100 pounds by simply free-weight training and walking (progressing to running), and it made me feel so much better in many ways other than superficially.

*tries to fit in matcoms flame suit*

[Lou_C]

35. My guess is $7.00 a gallon

Right now in KY our milk is $4.00 a gallon.