Atkins diet & weight training

[Yan]

My 13 yr. (soon to be 14) old son announced 3 weeks ago he wanted to "burn all my excess fat" get more fit and join a weight training program for teens. He was tired of being picked last in junior high for all of the sports activities by his peers and has "just discovered girls"! He's 5' 10" and 180 lbs. So we signed him up to weight train and hired a trainer to do an assessment and build a plan for him based on his goals as well as teach him how to use the weight room safely. He started working out and has been in the weight room every second day (with weekends off). At this time, we instantly decided to cut the sugar from his drinks (we agreed to one "diet pop" every couple of days) but he hated the taste of artificially sweetened sodas. We suggested he drink lots of water.

Well, last week I happened to be looking for exciting new recipes that would compliment weight loss and came across the new Consumer Report where various weight loss programs were examined. I read everything in the report and was intrigued by the small piece on the Dr. Atkins Diet. Off I trotted to the library to pick up the "Age-Defying Diet Revolution" and Dr. Richard and Dr. Rachael Heller's "Carbohydrate Addicted Kids. I was stunned at what I read and realised instantly that my son was a carb addicted teenager, not a big food eater but great consumer of drinks, sodas, juices, and all packed with tons of carbs and a bread addict to boot.

We've just started him on the Atkins Diet four days ago and combined with his weight training program (which he absolutely loves, he's feeling a great sense of accomplishment). He's lost 5 pounds in this short time. Unfortunately his trainer has told him it's a good idea to drink the likes of Gatorade but I have since discovered it is loaded with carbs. Now I know the weight room workout is intensive but aside from the electrolytes in the Gatorade why would it be so packed with carbs!

I am slowly learning how to count carbs and my husband is so impressed with the information on the Atkins Diet that he has decided he will also join (he too needs to loose weight, but not a lot). I on the other hand have no weight to loose but I now know that counting the carbs will take care of the many good things that come with this diet, like bringing the blood sugar into balance. My husband does not want me to weigh my son in each day at home as he does not want to emphasize the "weight loss" aspect although I know my son gets weighed in each time he attends the weight room. How can I convince my husband that the weigh in is a good thing?



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[Lisa N]

Hi Yan!

First of all, congrats on deciding to join us! It sounds like your son is doing pretty well so far and since it doesn't sound like any of you have a lot to lose, you might want to consider jumping in at the ongoing weight loss phase instead of induction. Gatorade is indeed loaded with carbs in the form of sugar or corn syrup to make it taste good. For a homemade low carb/low sugar version, check this thread http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=44054. You can mix it up at home and your son can take it to his weight training sessions in a sport bottle. I wouldn't say it's necessary for you son to weigh in every day at home, especially since he gets weighed every time he goes to work out and even for those who are trying to lose weight I encourage weighing weekly instead of daily as it can be quite frustrating to watch the normal daily fluctations in weight due to the food we eat and the water we drink. It sounds like you're on the right track...keep it up! :thup:

[Yan]

Lisa: Many thanks for your reply and the link to Gatorade substitutes. I made up a batch and my son says it tastes great! Yikes! Am I surprised. Yes, indeed, he does weigh in each time he enters the weight room, he's just been keeping that to himself.

I sought for an entire day in our city on the western province of Alberta and after 3 health food stores found low carb soy flour which I used this morning to make us low carb soy pancakes. The most difficult part was my son trying to get used to eating the pancakes with sour cream! I suppose I will have to look for a low carb pancake topping. By the way the pancakes were delicious and we were all surprised at how good they were.

My husband is at 54 is 6' 4" and 235 lbs; all of the excess fat sitting on his stomach. He's eager to loose about 35 pounds and he is becoming an avid fan of low carb intake. It's helpful certainly to have everyone on board and with the program. I will seriously go back over the ongoing weight loss part of the low carb diet in Dr. Atkins book as opposed to the induction phase.

Thanks for your support, Lisa!

[Lisa N]

Check out the low carb recipe forum. You may be able to find a few recipes for low carb syrup or panckake toppings there along with a lot of other very good low carb recipes. There are some low carb maple syrups on the market, but I haven't found one that tastes quite right yet.