"Proper diet, exercise key for weight loss--not eating fewer carbs"

[Aeon]

From The High Plains Journal.

Proper diet, exercise key for weight loss--not eating fewer carbs (http://www.hpj.com/archives/2007/apr07/apr30/Properdietexercisekeyforwei.cfm)

Losing weight can be confusing with the never-ending array of weight-loss messages and schemes available.

It's estimated that nearly 25 percent of Americans are following the latest diet--low carbohydrate and high in proteins, said Wanda Koszewski, a University of Nebraska nutrition specialist.

25 percent of all Americans?

Hardly.

Maybe 25 percent of current dieters, but that would probably be a stretch.

However, the diets, which restrict high-carbohydrate foods, such as bread, pasta and most fruits, and allow liberal amounts of protein such as beef, poultry and fish and some vegetables, probably are just another passing fad, she said.

"No matter what people think, the low-carbohydrate/high protein diet still is a fad diet," Koszewski said. "The only difference this time around is food manufacturers and restaurants have gotten on the bandwagon and have started to offer low-carb products."

People may be making the same mistake with low-carb diets that they made with the low-fat diet phase a few years ago--assuming that it equates to low-calories which isn't necessarily true.

"People still need to read those food labels, and they still need to know how many calories they're eating each day," she said.

Koszewski, and Linda Boeckner, a nutrition specialist at the university's Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff, say the best way to get rid of those extra pounds simply is to eat fewer calories and exercise most days of the week.

To lose weight, a person's caloric intake needs to be less than their output.

People need to monitor what their current caloric intake is and make a 500 to 1,000 calorie deficit between energy in and energy out, and they'll lose 1 to 2 pounds per week, Boeckner said. This can come from less food and more exercise.

Boeckner said the low-carbohydrate/high protein diets work so well for so many people because people are lowering their caloric intake.

"Studies are showing that it's not the carbohydrate content that is creating weight loss, but the low-calorie nature of the diet," Boeckner said.

The problem with the low-carbohydrate/high-protein diet is people aren't getting the vitamins and nutrients that the body needs to function.

"Most of these diets recommend 30 grams of carbohydrates, but the body needs 130 grams of carbohydrates a day in order to function, especially the brain," Koszewski said.

However, in a society where people like to eat meat, the diet is attractive, she said. Grains, fruits and vegetables are still important, though, for fiber, vitamins C and A and other nutrients associated with these food groups.

"Eliminating food groups is not a good thing," she said. "A baked potato is a nutrient-packed food; it's what you add on top of it that makes it bad."

Also, the long-term effects of the diets are still unknown, Boeckner said. When carbohydrates are so restricted, fat composition in the diet generally goes up. Short-term, it appears blood lipid levels are not harmed, but long-term studies with followup will be needed to determine if there could be harmful changes over time.

"People are losing weight and are excited, but the long-term concern is if people's habits have changed enough to sustain weight loss over time," Boeckner said. "Unless people can find a way to make an adjustment that they're ready to live with then it's not going to work for them. They'll slip back into their old habits."

Also, Boeckner said it isn't surprising that people lose so much weight so fast on these diets because as with most fad diets rapid initial weight loss is just water weight.

"The rapid weight loss is a real motivator for people, but in general, a diet high in fiber and fruits and vegetables will be more successful," she said.

Both Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources specialists say a balanced diet, which includes grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, protein and fat, is important. In addition, people should be moderately active 30 to 45 minutes most days of the week.

"I would encourage people to consider their fitness level first, then look at the food they're eating," Boeckner said. "This is a slow process, but examining your food habits is really critical."

People need to make sure they're eating the right portion sizes, getting enough fruits and vegetables and not eating french fries and candy all the time, she said. People also need to find out if they use food as an emotional crutch and figure out ways to deal with periods of emotion and anxiety that don't involve food.

"Over time, if they really work hard at it, they'll develop some nice habits that they can maintain," Boeckner said.

As everyone here has clearly noticed, the low carb WOL tends to attract these really prolific aggregations of misinformation.

The only redeeming characteristic -- the laughter value of these pieces -- must be balanced against the damage they do to the people who believe this stuff.

[anewlcme]

i totally agree. i know for one i was put on low fat by a nutritionist and was monitored for 3 mos and i gained eating less calories and more carbs.
so sad why don't they just understand NO ONE PLAN FITS ALL

[JL53563]

"Eliminating food groups is not a good thing," she said. "A baked potato is a nutrient-packed food; it's what you add on top of it that makes it bad."

You might as well just eat a bowl of sugar.....it has about the same effect. I'll take the butter and sour cream, though. :lol:

[tmatrocks]

This article was written in 2007?

Yikes!

What's going on in Nebraska!!??

[Aeon]

This article was written in 2007?

Yep, 2007.

Yikes!

What's going on in Nebraska!!??

I guess that being one of the agricultural "bread-basket" states might make them partial towards carbs.

[deirdra]

Losing weight isn't confusing - I can lose/maintain at the same rate if I choose any of these approaches:

1) LF HC 1100 cals/day & 10 hrs exercise/wk (hungry & irritable all of the time)
2) LF LC 1400 cals/day & 10 hrs exercise/wk (hungry & irritable most of the time)
3) HF LC 2000 cals/day & 3 hrs exercise/wk (satiated & cheery all of the time)

#3 is the only one that I can LIVE on.

[tom sawyer]

What nutrients are present in a potato? Even if you do eat the peel?

LC IS the "proper diet".

[Drmcdonald]

[QUOTE=tom sawyer]What nutrients are present in a potato? Even if you do eat the peel?

One important nutrient in a potato is fiber. Fiber helps absorb cholesterol and lowers risk of heart disease and some forms of cancer. It's also rich in Vitamin B6, niacin, folate, potassium (important for lowering blood sugar, especially in a high sodium diet) and vitamin C.

Eating a potato is not at all the same as eating a bowl of sugar. The complex carbohydrates in a potato take time and energy to break down into glucose, the body's main source of energy (especially brain energy) while the bowl of sugar has an immediate effect not only on the enamel of your teeth, but your pancreas, liver and blood sugar.

For more information or to check facts, look at the USDA's website www.mypyramid.gov

[tom sawyer]

Simple starches are hardly complex. And fiber in a potato? I don't personally think fiber is all that important anyway. I get all those vitamins and nutrients from vegetables much lower in carbohydrates.

[KoKo]

http://busycooks.about.com/library/weekly/aa082802b.htm


The Satiety Index measures how satisfied you feel after you consume a food. When you are satiated, or satisfied, you will consume fewer calories in the course of a day. Foods higher in Satiety Index can reduce your caloric intake overall. Guess which food has scored the highest in the Satiety Index? The potato, vilified in high protein/low carbohydrate diet plans because of its high GI numbers.

I know that many here (make that most) will disagree with the above but I find it to be true for me. One baked potato (plain or with plain yogurt) with dinner and I don’t snack at night (even if my plan calls for it I’m too full to snack) in fact if I start with the potato and have a few bites of vegetable I have to force myself to eat the protein part of the meal. Without the potato in the meal I’d eat twice as much of everything else and be hungry two hours later. I’m saying ONE potato not a pound of potatoes. One plain potato.

1 medium potato (long baking type)

37% RDA of B-6
20% RDAVitamin C
1% RDA Vitamin E
1% RDA Calcium
5% Folate
38% Copper
8% Iron
13% Magnesium
16% Maganese
19% Niacin
21% Pant. Acid
4% Riboflavin
1% Selenium
18% Thiamin
7% Zinc

[Drmcdonald]

Simple starches are hardly complex. And fiber in a potato? I don't personally think fiber is all that important anyway. I get all those vitamins and nutrients from vegetables much lower in carbohydrates.
your personal opinion on fiber may have little to do with reality Tom.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fiber.html

Lack of adequate fiber (due to Americans over-consumption of refined and processed foods) is probably one of the main reasons so many nutrition related diseases are prevelant today. (diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome and cancer)

starch is synonymous with complex carbohydrate. there are simple sugars - like refined white sugar, then complex sugars, like starches.

still, i'm glad to hear you haven't given up on all veggies.

[Dodger]

your personal opinion on fiber may have little to do with reality Tom.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fiber.html

Lack of adequate fiber (due to Americans over-consumption of refined and processed foods) is probably one of the main reasons so many nutrition related diseases are prevelant today. (diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome and cancer)

starch is synonymous with complex carbohydrate. there are simple sugars - like refined white sugar, then complex sugars, like starches.

still, i'm glad to hear you haven't given up on all veggies.I'm glad that you posted that reference. Here is what it says about potatoes. Notice that potatoes are in the same group as sugar.
Foods that have a high glycemic index include potatoes, refined foods such as white bread, white rice, refined cereals (corn flakes, Cheerios), white spaghetti, and sugar. Also, that article does not mention potatoes when listing foods high in fiber. According to the USDA food database, a medium baked potato, with skin, has has 161 calories and 36.6 grams of carbs or which only 3.8 are fiber. Hardly fiber rich. And equivalent amount of cauliflower (161 calories) has 28.8 grams of carbs of which 16.1 are fiber.

[tom sawyer]

Quoting nutritional dogma is not persuasive. I'm fully aware of what the conventional wisdom is, although even at that I hardly think championing the potato is warranted.

Read some of the threads on this site and educate yourself.

Thanks for the data to back up my flip comments, Mike. I am so lazy, and we get so few of these "conventional wisdom" types here that I don't tend to take them seriously.

What do you want to bet, this guy's first name is Ronald?

[tom sawyer]

Seriously, check out the thread "Man is a Carnivore" for a whole different view of fiber, then get back to me. Not everyone in the world is convinced that fiber is a cure-all. I'm one of those people. Although I don't avoid fibrous foodstuffs, I don't seek them out simply for this nondigestible material.

[tom sawyer]

I bet 80% of people don't eat the skin of a baked potato, and I further bet that 90% of the "nutrition" of a potato is in that skin.

[waywardsis]

Lack of adequate fiber (due to Americans over-consumption of refined and processed foods) is probably one of the main reasons so many nutrition related diseases are prevelant today. (diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome and cancer)


So...it's not the lack of basic nutrients in refined/processed foods, or the added preservatives, or the vegetable oils (hydrogenated or otherwise), or the high sugar content, or the insulin response some suffer, or the autoimmune reaction some get from these foods (wheat, corn, soy etc), or the artificial colourings, flavourings and other additives, for example...it's just the lack of adequate fibre.

Hmm. Interesting theory. When does the book come out? ;)

Sweetie...you seriously need to read around a while. We've talked fibre to death. Some of us don't react all that well to it, esp. in grain/starch form. Others need more. Personally, I do better with less...as does a good friend of mine with IBS who, for the first time in her life, is NOT constipated bc she stopped taking her fibre supplements. They made it worse.

Anyway...I love "proper diet", as if there's one true diet for all. I'm sure the author would have loved me when I was eating a whole-foods vegetarian diet, full of fibre and whole grains and low-fat dairy, and exercizing at least one hour a day...and overweight, and not losing a bloody inch, and sick all the frickin' time.

[dina1957]

http://busycooks.about.com/library/weekly/aa082802b.htm



I know that many here (make that most) will disagree with the above but I find it to be true for me. One baked potato (plain or with plain yogurt) with dinner and I don’t snack at night (even if my plan calls for it I’m too full to snack) in fact if I start with the potato and have a few bites of vegetable I have to force myself to eat the protein part of the meal. Without the potato in the meal I’d eat twice as much of everything else and be hungry two hours later. I’m saying ONE potato not a pound of potatoes. One plain potato.

1 medium potato (long baking type)

37% RDA of B-6
20% RDAVitamin C
1% RDA Vitamin E
1% RDA Calcium
5% Folate
38% Copper
8% Iron
13% Magnesium
16% Maganese
19% Niacin
21% Pant. Acid
4% Riboflavin
1% Selenium
18% Thiamin
7% Zinc
Koko,
Are we twins? I figure that I must eat some starches or grains to feel full, and this is very unfortunate since I have to watch carbs for diabetes control.
I can eat a little of strachy food or some grains, I am not hungry and feel perfect. I won't miss meat at all, if i can have 1-2 baby potatoes, or some beans, or 1/2 cup of whole grains or pasta, and small salad- I am full. If I eat just meat and green salad, i am hungry in 2 hours and will look for a bedtime snack. Even we I dress my salad properly with full fat dressing, even if I eat cheese for dessert, still will be hungry 2 h after, and have horrible heartburn.
I start thinking that I have really some issues with serotonin, and this drives me appetite when I eat VLC and/or avoid starches, grains, and fruit completely. I know it does not make sense, but I am hungry on VLC. I can't eat lots of fat, heartburn and indigestion will kill me. But there is something in eating lots of protein without starches that makes me hungry, miserable and stressed out. Actually, I think my body is really carbs hungry after 5 years of deprivation, as well it is no longer wants much protein and fat. Something must be really wrong with me, if I get hungry on strict lc.
I have read SPII, when she states that we indeed must eat some starchy carbs to avoid adrenal burnout, hormonal imbalance and anxiety/depression. So there may be some hormonal and neurotransmittal deficiency going on with me, otherwise, I can't explain why afetr years of being strict, I can't no longer follow VLC plan.
Re-potatoe, never thought it is junk food either. Lots of nutrients in very small and low calorie package, an ultimate comfort food IMO. Some countries used to depend solely on potaote crops and managed to thrive on it.
BTW, if you soak cut up raw potaotes in cold water for an hour prior to cooking, most of the starch will be removed.

[Dodger]

BTW, if you soak cut up raw potaotes in cold water for an hour prior to cooking, most of the starch will be removed.And then you can use the liquid to put up wallpaper.

[Squarecube]

This article was written in 2007?

Yikes!

What's going on in Nebraska!!??

Yeah, this bothered me too. They just recycle this stuff, again and again.

However, I liked that they used the word "dense" with potato. There aren't too many foods that you can throw through a plate glass window. White bread would just bounce off -- same for rice, and pie.

[KoKo]

Koko,
Are we twins? I figure that I must eat some starches or grains to feel full, and this is very unfortunate since I have to watch carbs for diabetes control.
I can eat a little of strachy food or some grains, I am not hungry and feel perfect. I won't miss meat at all, if i can have 1-2 baby potatoes, or some beans, or 1/2 cup of whole grains or pasta, and small salad- I am full. If I eat just meat and green salad, i am hungry in 2 hours and will look for a bedtime snack. Even we I dress my salad properly with full fat dressing, even if I eat cheese for dessert, still will be hungry 2 h after, and have horrible heartburn.
I start thinking that I have really some issues with serotonin, and this drives me appetite when I eat VLC and/or avoid starches, grains, and fruit completely. I know it does not make sense, but I am hungry on VLC. I can't eat lots of fat, heartburn and indigestion will kill me. But there is something in eating lots of protein without starches that makes me hungry, miserable and stressed out. Actually, I think my body is really carbs hungry after 5 years of deprivation, as well it is no longer wants much protein and fat. Something must be really wrong with me, if I get hungry on strict lc.
I have read SPII, when she states that we indeed must eat some starchy carbs to avoid adrenal burnout, hormonal imbalance and anxiety/depression. So there may be some hormonal and neurotransmittal deficiency going on with me, otherwise, I can't explain why afetr years of being strict, I can't no longer follow VLC plan.
Re-potatoe, never thought it is junk food either. Lots of nutrients in very small and low calorie package, an ultimate comfort food IMO. Some countries used to depend solely on potaote crops and managed to thrive on it.
BTW, if you soak cut up raw potaotes in cold water for an hour prior to cooking, most of the starch will be removed.


We could be Dina, that’s why I wish you’d start a journal. I’ve read many of your posts and often agree with what you have to say, not always agree, but often.

I understand your point that VLC is not for everyone and there are others here on the forum that feel the same way. I don’t try and push what works for me on other people and I understand that many people here do need to lead a very VLC lifestyle. I think that everyone should be open to the fact that what works for some does not work for everyone and also remember that this forum is also a place for those who follow controlled carb diets (which can be as high in carbs as 180 a day, maybe even more depending on the person).

Dina, Swartzbein is one of my favorite plans, I would say my favorite is F-Plan - all whole foods and at least 40 grams a day of fibre. I too used to do VLC years ago (although I won't say I wasn't hungry on it, I did get very skinny) now I don't lose weight and I am hungry, can't sleep yet have no energy and am depressed. Controlled carb, mainly whole food is what works for me. Please think about starting a journal ;)

[afuentes]

"The problem with the low-carbohydrate/high-protein diet is people aren't getting the vitamins and nutrients that the body needs to function." - I think not. Since I have been doing Atkin's, I have been receiving more vitamins/nutrients than when I was eating a higher carbohydrate diet.

"The rapid weight loss is a real motivator for people, but in general, a diet high in fiber and fruits and vegetables will be more successful," she said. - Atkins is a high fiber diet. When you follow it by the letter, you are getting your 25-30grams effortlessly. :)

"People still need to read those food labels, and they still need to know how many calories they're eating each day," she said. - This is funny. When in you engage in a Low Carb lifestyle, there is no reason to worry about labels. You are eating whole foods. LOL When you occasionally have to look at a food label you look for the carbohydrate level, sugar level, and most importantly, the fiber level.

Ayana

[322432]

Chuckle-- some time ago when I was interested in fiber, I scrounged the web looking for studies--not opinions, or summaries of studies, that were not supported by the study data. I found only one, although I can not recall the name. Those that ate the most fiber, had the highest rate of colon cancer.

Some of these ideas defy logic and history. I often refer to the Inuit, because I have experienced both past and present eating habits of theirs first. Past--no fiber or plants of any kind other than maybe a berry or two--very healthy people. Present-- fiber, plant food,whole grains, juice, fruit, root vegetables--have all the diseases that every one else has that eats all that garbage. Also, can someone explain to me how the vitamins and minerals are extracted from insoluble fiber by us humans.

[dina1957]

And then you can use the liquid to put up wallpaper.
yep, but you need to boil it first to make a glue. but it indeed draws starch out.;)

[dina1957]

I understand your point that VLC is not for everyone and there are others here on the forum that feel the same way. I don’t try and push what works for me on other people and I understand that many people here do need to lead a very VLC lifestyle.
I am not pushingmy agenda on other ppl, I am still trying to understand why it works for others but not all, and why it is either high carbs or no carbs.
I guess my OP was not understood, my point was: apprently not the carbs they made americans fat, but combination of factors or something esle?
I think that everyone should be open to the fact that what works for some does not work for everyone and also remember that this forum is also a place for those who follow controlled carb diets (which can be as high in carbs as 180 a day, maybe even more depending on the person).
180g, are you kidding, this level of carbs can get you 2 years in jail, LOL, this is a low carb support forum ( as I have been reminded many times). ;)
Seriously, it is all individual, I agree with you.

Dina, Swartzbein is one of my favorite plans, I would say my favorite is F-Plan - all whole foods and at least 40 grams a day of fibre. [quote]
I loke whole foods, and try to eat high fiber, works for everything and keeps me full for hours.
[quote]I too used to do VLC years ago (although I won't say I wasn't hungry on it, I did get very skinny) now I don't lose weight and I am hungry, can't sleep yet have no energy and am depressed. Controlled carb, mainly whole food is what works for me. Please think about starting a journal ;)
Are we in the same age group by the chance?;) I have the same problems, and only see weight loss if I cut out sat.fat and eat a little bit of olive oil, lots of fresh produce, fiber and less protein. I could not sleep on VLC, got bad anxiety, tired and wired, and derpressed. I am hangin in LC boat mainly for blucose control, otherwise, I feel like eating mostly carbs nowdays, this is all I want.
I will think about journal, but I am not sure I can commmit though, besides, I have already posted too much as is, LOL. I post mostly when i am between projects at work, and bored, or read or come across something that makes me think again. I guess I never trully wrap my mind around idea that carbs are unhealthy, silly me, still after so many years.
I wish I lived up North, like Inuits, so I will crave fat all the time, LOL.
Thank for the suggestion, I will think about journal.
regards,
D.

[KoKo]

I am not pushing my agenda on other ppl,

Oh Dina, I didn’t mean to say that you were, sorry if you took it that way. I was just making that statement about myself.

[doreen T]

BTW, if you soak cut up raw potaotes in cold water for an hour prior to cooking, most of the starch will be removed.
Soaking peeled and cut potatoes in cold water (and then discarding the soaking water) does reduce the starch content slightly, definitely not *most*. However, soaking peeled and cut potatoes will leach out most of the water-soluble vitamins and minerals. In fact, dialysis patients are routinely advised to soak their potatoes before cooking, in order to reduce the potassium content.


Doreen

[dina1957]

Oh Dina, I didn’t mean to say that you were, sorry if you took it that way. I was just making that statement about myself.
No, I don't look at it this way, but I am getting myself in troubles by even questioningcertain aspects.;)

[dina1957]

Soaking peeled and cut potatoes in cold water (and then discarding the soaking water) does reduce the starch content slightly, definitely not *most*. However, soaking peeled and cut potatoes will leach out most of the water-soluble vitamins and minerals. In fact, dialysis patients are routinely advised to soak their potatoes before cooking, in order to reduce the potassium content.


Doreen
Doreen,
This works if you want to add 1-2 potaotes to a pot of soup without adding too much starch, and get your vitamins/minerals from other sources. Whjat about soaking unpeeled potatoes?

[doreen T]

Doreen,
This works if you want to add 1-2 potaotes to a pot of soup without adding too much starch, and get your vitamins/minerals from other sources. Whjat about soaking unpeeled potatoes?
I'm not a food science expert, but it would seem that leaving the potato intact .. unpeeled and uncut .. would defeat the purpose of soaking in the first place, no? I suppose a shriveled old potato might absorb some of the water.

I remember a highschool home ec. teacher advising us to soak potatoes cut up for french fries, as this would remove some starch from the surface and prevent the fries from sticking together. Of course, the cuts then had to be allowed to dry before frying, otherwise would be a spattery mess!

This same teacher advised us that all of the vitamins, minerals and protein are found within half-inch of the skin. The middle of the spud is pure, rapidly digested starch (in today's terms that would translate as "high glycemic"). This is most obvious in an old, stored potato in late winter .. if you cut in half, you can plainly see the ring. I remember this because I used it as an excuse to get out of one of my chores at home, which was peeling potatoes :lol:. I convinced my mom that potatoes shouldn't be peeled, as all the vitamins were being thrown in the garbage.

Of course, my new task became scrubbing potatoes in their skin :lol:



Doreen

[Mandra]

http://busycooks.about.com/library/weekly/aa082802b.htm
One baked potato (plain or with plain yogurt) with dinner and I don’t snack at night (even if my plan calls for it I’m too full to snack) in fact if I start with the potato and have a few bites of vegetable I have to force myself to eat the protein part of the meal. Without the potato in the meal I’d eat twice as much of everything else and be hungry two hours later. I’m saying ONE potato not a pound of potatoes. One plain potato.

I, on the other hand, would often put away 4-5 baked potatoes (with butter and sour cream) and still have room for more.

still, i'm glad to hear you haven't given up on all veggies.

DrMcDonald, I think if you actually look around the forum here you'll find that the majority of serious low-carbers have actually increased their vegetable consumption since starting this WOL.

[rightnow]

It's estimated that nearly 25 percent of Americans are following the latest diet--low carbohydrate and high in proteins, said Wanda Koszewski, a University of Nebraska nutrition specialist.
Since this is so wrong it's laughable, I have to guess they either misquoted her, or we'll just have to hope this idiot doesn't hold a Ph.D. Although with today's educational system that's getting more and more common.

However, the diets, which restrict high-carbohydrate foods, such as bread, pasta and most fruits, and allow liberal amounts of protein such as beef, poultry and fish and some vegetables, probably are just another passing fad, she said.
They hope. Probably 70+% of our medical system and its dependencies would be unemployed if it were truly implemented culture-wide.

"No matter what people think, the low-carbohydrate/high protein diet still is a fad diet," Koszewski said.
And what is that, but what she thinks? A fad diet that has been hugely successful for over 30 years if you start from Atkins, and pretty much since the dawn of time if you want to start there, seems a bit persistant.

"The only difference this time around is food manufacturers and restaurants have gotten on the bandwagon and have started to offer low-carb products."
Can't begin to compare to the low-fat obsession! More food, less 'products called food', would be nice, while we're at it.

People may be making the same mistake with low-carb diets that they made with the low-fat diet phase a few years ago--assuming that it equates to low-calories which isn't necessarily true.
That's a straw man. Anybody with the slightest education about lowcarb plans -- even one book read -- would know that calories aren't the point of it at all.

However, expecting an 'expert' to actually read a single book to have the slightest knowledge of what they are publicly opining on, would be a lot to ask, I realize.

"People still need to read those food labels, and they still need to know how many calories they're eating each day," she said.
This is presented as if it is an "alternative" to that weird fad lowcarb, even though it's a completely separate topic. I read more labels now that I am lowcarb than I ever have.

Koszewski, and Linda Boeckner, a nutrition specialist
Oh. Well that explains it.

How can you 'educate' someone according to an indoctrinated party line and expect them to be anything but a parrot for the party line when they're done?

People need to monitor what their current caloric intake is and make a 500 to 1,000 calorie deficit between energy in and energy out, and they'll lose 1 to 2 pounds per week, Boeckner said.
Many bodybuilding experts -- and I mean experts judged by hands-on personal success with themselves and others -- say that the deficit, if you are working based on calories and exercise, should not be more than about 300 calories a day, definitely not over 500, or the starvation response will kick in and reduce metabolism.

If calories worked like the magic so many claim, then I could simply go without food every other day, eating 4,692 calories each of the other days (gradually reducing), and after 10 days, I would have lost 6.7 lbs. I will have lost a couple hundred lbs after one calendar year. Think it'll work? ;)

Boeckner said the low-carbohydrate/high protein diets work so well for so many people because people are lowering their caloric intake. "Studies are showing that it's not the carbohydrate content that is creating weight loss, but the low-calorie nature of the diet," Boeckner said.
It's the carbohydrate content -- meaning FEW for ketogenic results -- that makes the body use its own fat for energy, that makes the appetite greatly reduced, that prevents the massive carb cravings of other diets, etc. It's almost like "sleight of hand" in diet-talk, to say one thing which has some truth, but which neatly ignores the more important considerations.

The problem with the low-carbohydrate/high-protein diet is people aren't getting the vitamins and nutrients that the body needs to function.
I eat more official vegetables, as well as supplements, on lowcarb than I ever ate in my life.

The big 'straw man' in all these sorts of articles and assumptions is this: that if person X was not eating steak, they would be eating broccoli. Baloney. Prior to lowcarb, I was eating quick foods, cans and boxes, or McD or Taco Bell. And I suspect that's the case for a helluva lot of our society or it wouldn't be getting fatter at the speed its happening.

My best friend is always remarking on how wonderfully I eat on LC compared to when I'm not on it.

"Most of these diets recommend 30 grams of carbohydrates, but the body needs 130 grams of carbohydrates a day in order to function, especially the brain," Koszewski said.
Well first and most obviously, that is induction. Reading one book would have educated her about that.

Secondly and more important, it was my understanding that there is no research -- none -- which actually indicates that man cannot function/live without carbohydrates. If this were true, the Inuit would have been extinct.

"Eliminating food groups is not a good thing," she said. "A baked potato is a nutrient-packed food; it's what you add on top of it that makes it bad."
Oh for godssake. Anything that grows in the ground will have some vitamins and minerals, sure. That doesn't make it a good food trade. And the assumption that butter and sour cream are what is terrible for you is only true if you insist on eating them on potatoes -- mixing high carb with high fat.

Fortunately, LC encourages us to eat cauliflower instead. Oh wait! I forgot. We don't eat vegetables. Somehow, she knows.

Also, the long-term effects of the diets are still unknown, Boeckner said.
The fact that the human race lived to argue about this ought to argue in favor of a protein-centric diet.

When carbohydrates are so restricted, fat composition in the diet generally goes up. Short-term, it appears blood lipid levels are not harmed, but long-term studies with followup will be needed to determine if there could be harmful changes over time.
That's wonderful. I'm 41 years old, and I weigh about 400 lbs. Perhaps I should just wait until, oh, 10-30 years from now, when she feels more sure about things. I wouldn't want to lose a ton of weight and improve my blood readings and cure a dozen medical symptoms NOW, because who knows about the future?

"People are losing weight and are excited, but the long-term concern is if people's habits have changed enough to sustain weight loss over time," Boeckner said. "Unless people can find a way to make an adjustment that they're ready to live with then it's not going to work for them. They'll slip back into their old habits."
That's another no-brainer nobody would argue with no matter what the eating plan. Now if bozos like this would quit pushing potatoes and grains on everybody from their Expert Podiums, that'd be easier.

Also, Boeckner said it isn't surprising that people lose so much weight so fast on these diets because as with most fad diets rapid initial weight loss is just water weight.
Yes it is. Which is wonderful. And which makes continuing the effort possible. Instead of being exhausted and hungry and miserable, you feel energetic and full and lighter and delighted.

This could have been written in 1977. Or 1987. Or 1997. Or -- hey! 2007!

It's like nutritional-expert-SPAM. It never sickens and dies. Unlike the cultures influenced by their advice.

.

[doobie]

Wow. ::applauds::

I especially liked the part where she says that the only reason low-carb works is because it's really low-calorie in disguise! That's so untrue it isn't even funny. Granted, some days I do have a calorie deficit, but for the most part I am eating just around 2000 calories per day, and I'm sure most of you fellow LC'ers are too. Kinda hard to keep your calories low when you eat so much fat!

[pbowers]

For more information or to check facts, look at the USDA's website www.mypyramid.govahh, the good old facts, as interpreted by the usda. and why is it that the department of agriculture has decided to give us "the facts" on nutrition?

[RobinDBois]

A not so long time ago, in europe, potatoes where seen as food for the pigs, not human food. Then hunger and famine made humans eat potatoes, pig food.

Now, McDonald serves potatoes by the truckfull in Americas guts, and this pig food is not a good filler, it makes us fat.

"Beep" that... I will not adore the potato.

Long live the chicken mayo cheeze salad.

KISS

gL

[deb34]

i notice drmcdonald has only two posts and hasn't responded to any of the above comments....wonder why?

[Frederick]

I especially liked the part where she says that the only reason low-carb works is because it's really low-calorie in disguise!

This is where the nutritional establishments circular logic astounds me. On the one hand, they preach eating less and in moderation. Except, when low carb naturally accomplishes eating in moderation, they criticize it for "making you eat less" in disguise. Again, they're saying the problem with low-carb is that it works because it works.

Hypocrisy must be some form of deity all of these people pray to daily.

[RobinDBois]

DRMCDONALD

WTF? You have no power of me!

I WILL NOT EAT POTATOES not matter how hard you try to sell them as a good source of protein, fiber, and complex carb.

As far as I am concerned Dr.McDonald you can eat potatoes and pimp McDonald's restaurant food items if you want, but seems like a lowcarb forum is not the right place.

Duh?

[brobin]

I agree. A proper diet and exercise are the key's to sustained weight loss.

I exercise and follow a proper, low carb diet. :P