More men are jumping on the diet bandwagon

By PATRICK BEACH, Cox News Service, [ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 1/20/04 ]

http://www.ajc.com/health/content/h...20mendiets.html

AUSTIN, Texas -- Even guys, who have the observational acuity of sorghum, notice when other guys' appearance changes radically. Say when they shave their mustaches, or lose a major limb, or drop a bunch of weight dramatically through means other than the timely acquisition of a hideous disease.

Now, with generations X and Y trailing boomers into the unfamiliar territory known as The Age When You Can No Longer Eat Everything, and with low-carb diet mania having reached a certain peak -- some 20 million people have lost about 300 million pounds -- a curious thing is happening, one that may be a harbinger in the evolution of the male human: Guys are actually talking to one another about their diets. Next thing you know we'll be going to the bathroom in pairs and describing shopping trips to the Home Depot as "therapeutic."

And yes, we know we're following a trail blazed by those pioneers of better living through deprivation, women.

"The women have already tried it and if it didn't work, they don't want people to know," said Alexa Sparkman, an Austin nutritionist. "Men have better response to (low-carb diets) because they have a better genetic tolerance for protein and fat. I'm hearing lots more workplace talk from men. They're excited and they chatter like women used to chatter."

Mmmm . . . protein and fat. This is the enduring gift of the late Dr. Atkins: We can eat meat and forswear everything our mothers told us was good for us. (At least that's the conventional wisdom; other experts say it's important to get some nutrients from fruits and vegetables. According to the latest USDA guidelines, bacon is not a vegetable.)

This critical mass -- har -- of dieters is making for some unprecedented water-cooler conversations, ones in which ketosis is not mistaken for a new Japanese steakhouse and The Zone is not presumed to be a sports call-in show.

"A lot of people do notice and ask what you are doing," said John Martin, 36, of suburban Houston, who's gone from about 380 pounds to around 300 after going on the South Beach diet last June. "I just tell them I'm smoking a lot of crack."

But seriously: "I don't know if we're getting old or boring or what, but we seem to be talking about (diets) a little more," Martin said. "When we get together now, that tends to be one of the topics."

Again, part of what might be called the New Male Sharing may be a side effect of the dramatic weight loss common among dieters early on in the program. When the guy in the next cubicle loses the equivalent of an entire person in a month or so, it's hard not to notice. And say something. That turns out to be good reinforcement for the dieting guy and possible inspiration for, uh, you?

"People recognized it, and it obviously made me feel good," said Kirk Price, 43, an Austin financial adviser who's lost some 40 pounds. "I had the tailor take in my suits two pants sizes. I have a friend down the street, a guy who lost 25 or 30 pounds in three months. It's something that gets talked about and gets around."

It is indeed noticeable -- much more noticeable, in fact, than the stealthy way the pounds accumulate. Price attributes hitting 30, "when your lifestyle drifts more toward watching TV and taking care of babies rather than playing sports," with being the beginning of the gaining years.

For all of the guys interviewed for this story, what's happened to them isn't a diet change so much as a lifestyle change. All are exercising and are far enough in the workout groove to miss it when they don't. All know they can no longer have the third piece of cake, the bedtime bowl of ice cream.

"I feel a lot better," said Brent Paullus, a lieutenant with the Comal County Sheriff's Office who's lost 35-40 pounds over six months. "My wife even told me I stopped snoring."

Losing love handles and the cessation of nocturnal log-sawing are welcome developments in most any domestic situation, even if it means breaking it off with those tempting twin mistresses, bread and beer, but some people who know what they're talking about say the jury is still out on Atkins and other low-carb diets. Isn't it possible that in 20 years an entire generation of low-carb devotees will be careening aorta-first into coronary thrombosis? Might such a diet lead to more cancer? Don't these people know that such diets can make you cranky, halitotic, flatulent and five times more likely to be audited by the IRS?

"My concern is that people don't focus on vegetables, they just focus on bacon and eggs," said Sally Bowman, a licensed dietitian at The Hills Fitness. "They could be adding . . .something to add vitamin C and beta carotene, something to support their immune system. From cancer research we know that vegetables and fruits are king. And when you're eating all this meat, you're more acidic, which actually causes you to pull calcium from your bones, so one of the potential risks is more osteoporosis. The other piece is that acidity is not good for your organs, kidneys in particular."

In other words, as usual, according to the latest, cutting-edge science: Whatever you're doing is wrong.

Not that Sparkman and Bowman think all the Atkins mania is such a bad thing, whether or not it lasts. Sparkman, for her part, has seen the 3-decades-old Atkins diet recycle its popularity twice in her 30-year career. All diet fads fade, although a few die-hards remain. (Think adherents to the hyper-restrictive Ornish diet, the dietary equivalent of those Japanese soldiers who never found out the war was over.)

"People are being more conscious about their eating," Sparkman said, "and paying attention and making choices."

"People are suddenly aware that the Big Gulp they've been getting has massive amounts of sugar in it," Bowman said. "If people are more aware of the empty calories, that's a good thing."

On the other hand, she said, she's not so much a fan of demonizing all white starches. But we seem to, uh, crave absolutes and rules.

"As a nation," Bowman said, "we don't do moderation well."

B absolutely loves this diet, and this is the main reason. He says any diet that will let him eat all the meats he loves is a good diet for him. Considering he's lost roughly 60 pounds since last summer, I agree.


That made me chuckle, since that's a line B's used. Honestly though, a lot of people have noticed and made comments to him. He loves it! He's gotten his father interested and slowly turning to LC, noticing subtle benefits due to the changes in diet.


It really is a lifestyle change. So many people don't realize that and wind up saying something about how LC didn't work for them. One of the main reasons it doesn't work for some people is they don't adopt it as a Way of Life. They consider it another lose-weight-fast plan and are upset when they stop and wind up gaining all over again.


Hah, another giggle was warranted by that last line. The heart disease issue was a concern of mine years ago when I had friends who were trying the Atkins diet. I was worried that could lead to complications for them. Now, having read the results of the cholesterol tests, I don't believe there's a danger at all.


If people are reading books and doing research before saying they're following plans, this shouldn't be an issue. Dr. Atkins (at least in the latest edition of DANDR) encourages eating vegetables with high nutritional value (i.e. broccoli, spinach, etc) throughout all four phases of his plan, and even encourages reintroducing fruits with high nutritional value (i.e. berries of all sorts) during the second phase. I don't know if other plans discount the value of such foods, but so many uninformed people look at fruits and vegetables as low-carb no-nos.


Sounds about par for the course, although it does appear as though things might actually be looking up for LC.


What a revelation! I never would have thought we don't do moderation well without being told!! Really!!