icedancer what great stats!!!!! Looking at them tell the everything about this way of life! I would have to think that a good amount of the 15 pounds is water.

I think the best observation here is that each person needs to build his/her own diet that they feel comfortable with, that is correct number of calories. For me it's about 1800 if I want to lose weight, I'm a guy.

Here's what I'm going to try to see if it will work for me. 2 ego waffles with sweetened condensed milk with a cup of coffee in the morning, tossed salad with sour cream for dinner along with some meat, potatoes and a small desert (carbs). At night I will have some nuts. Sometimes Sushi instead of the meat and potatoes, sometimes fish instead of meat, maybe some pasta.

I also plan to walk 3 to 4 miles every other day.

I will let you know how it goes in a week.

When I was 23 I weighed about 200lbs, I counted calories, kept between 1200 and 1800 cals a day, and walked 2 hours a day. In 6 months I lost 50 lbs down to 150.

Then I got married, had kids, and looked up one day and "noticed" I was 326 lbs..... I can lose weight too in other ways, but I must say that this particular WOL/WOE has been the best for me to keep stable and over the last 5-6 years I've steadily gone down, not in my old ways of steadily going up.

The important thing is to do something about it, but just keep an open mind about the benifits of Low Carbing, health wise and for the long term.....

later

Ummm...he has. "Eat until you are satisfied, but not stuffed." and "The metabolic advantage is not to be used as a license to gorge yourself..".
He also says clearly in his book that while low carb eating does give you a certain metabolic advantage because your body has to work harder to convert fat to energy than it does to convert carbs to energy, that calories DO matter in the long run. Those that follow a higher fat/moderate protein/low carb way of eating find that they are satisfied with what they are eating and aren't constantly hungry and going back for more food. Obviously, if you are eating far more calories than your body can burn, even with a metabolic advantage, you're not going to lose weight. Dr. Atkins never claims otherwise in his books.
People follow a low carb lifestyle for many reasons other than weight loss; to heal insulin resistance, to control blood sugars and seizures, to help with polycystic ovarian syndrome and to help with thyroid problems.
The problem that many have with low fat/high carb diets is the unstable blood sugars that result which cause frequent hunger making that way of eating hard to stick with and hard to control their caloric intake on, not to mention that many people simply have a problem with carbohydrate metabolism that causes all sorts of things to go wrong in their bodies like insulin resistance, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and weight gain.
As for being brainwashed, I don't think so. I've consistently been able to consume 500 calories a day more (1,800 calories) than when I was following a low fat/high carb plan (1,250 calories), have felt better, lost weight better and been able to stick with it consistently for over 2 years now. I'm not imagining 75 pounds gone and better lab readings than I've had in years. Neither am I imagining that I no longer need to take two prescription medications to control my blood pressure and blood sugar.
I'm sorry that you misunderstood the principles behind low carb eating and I hope that you find success with whatever you decide to try next.

Wow. I think that you are being a bit harsh ieatmeat. Just because something is not working for you does not mean that it does not work for others. Also just because you happen to have your own method of weight loss for yourself does not mean that the rest of us are brainwashed. Everyone has a different way of dealing with the process of weight loss you should not belittle others that use a method that is different than yours. I think it is really sad when something does not work for someone that they resort to saying everyone else must be brainwashed if it did not work for me. JMO

This is a nice board with nice people there is no need to be rude.

I appologize if I made anyone feel bad. This indeed is a very nice board and I guess I was somewhat beside myself when I made my comments. After suffering for a whole week with no results, I was very upset. I was even more upset after I found out that I really have to count calories on this diet, which is NOT what Atkins leads everyone to believe. Yes, he makes some hidden statements that we should not "overstuff" ourselves, but he also says that one of his patients happily eats 9 pieces of chicken for lunch.

Bottom line is, this diet gives you a slight metabolic advantage. Not a big advantage. I will happily trade that advantage for a meal that includes carbs.

When Atkins talks about the fact that in the old days people didn't eat as much carbs, I would question that. Flour has been around for ages. At least 2000 years. Jews leaving Egypt were eating Matzos. That's flower.

Now let's look at Chinese culture. Most of Chinese meals are rice, a big no-no according to Atkins. Have you seen many fat Chinese? I think there are a lot more fat Eskimos who eat mostly meats than there are fat Chinese.

The term "brainwashing" I use in this thread also comes from Atkins. He's convinced that AMA has brainwashed the entire US. Maybe so, but isn't he doing the same thing?

I'm happy for all of you who are able to withstand the low carb restrictions, but Atkins says that everyone should be able to do that and that's the only way to go. He does not think that a balanced diet is good for anyone. That's my beef (pardon the pun).

Again, I want to wish everyone all the best. We should all do what works best.

I don't think that he is brainwashing anyone. His method is something he believes in so he is "spreading the word" Thank you for coming back with such a nice post in reply. I did feel a little offened that you suggested that I must be brainwashed for following this method of weight loss. For me in the past I have tried low fat diets, low calorie diets etc etc and none worked for me because I always felt restricted. Carbs are really not such a big issue for me so Atkins works for me. Sure there are times when it is difficult, but this is what you experience on any sort of "diet". This is a "diet" that I will be able to make a WOE for my lifestyle and not feel so restricted as I am following this WOE. I don't think food is meant for us to gorge on, it is meant to provide us with energy and nutrition. I don't think Atkins is right for everyone but I think it is right for me. I wish you luck in your weight loss and hope you find a plan that works for you. I did not mean to come down on you by any means but I had to make it clear that I am not "brainwashed" I do what works best for ME and you should do the same.

Good luck!

Hi ieatmeat,

Are you losing weight yet? Everyone is welcome to figure out his/her own diet but it seems to me that you are doing your own low cal diet which is not low carb at all.



Yes, Ok - but unless you are a creationist, this is a very short time in the history of human evolution. With regard to the other races you mention, the population with the highest consumption of carbohydrates in the world is the USA with over 50 per cent of calories coming from carbs. They are also the nation with the highest rate of obesity - this is not a coincidence. I would say the culprit here is probably not wheat, but sugar. The Isrealites may have been eating matzos but they weren't drinking Coke!

I don't think anyone is brainwashing anybody. We are all free to believe and do as we please - just as you and the rest of us are are doing.

Good luck with your weight loss - however you work it out.

Robert

And you claim you have read and understood the book!?
I must say - you've got some nerve and I'm a very patient person, better believe it.
Alina

ieatmeat...

I'm not trying to convince you to stay with low carb, but I feel that I have to address a few of your comments here...



Yes, that's true but it was coarse ground whole wheat flour, not the highly processed stuff that we eat today. They lived a very strenuous existence and walked pretty much everywhere they went unless they were wealthy enough to own a horse or donkey. Obesity was also not unknown among the jews and when the mummies of Egypt are studied, they find skin folds consistent with obesity and plaque buildup in the arteries consistent with heart diesease as well as advanced tooth decay in most of them.




Again...they live a very strenous lifestyle and walk or ride a bike most places they go when they travel. Those that are doing manual labor 8 or more hours a day can afford to eat a few more carbs than those of us who dont. Rice is also used as a side dish and low GI vegetables and meat make up the remainder of the meal. Today, diabetes is rising faster in Asia than anywhere else in the world, especially China and India.
As for the Eskimos, obesity was fairly unknown among them until a Western diet was introduced as were heart disease and diabetes. They never had a word for acne until a Western diet was intruduced which leads me to believe that they never experienced acne until they started eating differently. Those that still eat the traditional diet of the Inuit still are not obese and have a very low incidence of heart disease and diabetes.

As you can see, even thin people develop chronic illness when they eat improperly so it's not just about weight.

Again, I wish you luck with whatever weight loss method you decide to try, but regarding your current plan...it's lacking in protein so any weight loss you do experience is going to include lean muscle mass which is something that I dont' think is high on the list of desired outcomes for most males.

I agree with Lisa N's comments and would like to add my own.

I may get flak for this, but I think that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. I don't disagree with ieatmeat when he says that it's a low cal diet, kind of, anyway. All I can say is, I've tried all the low fat/low cal/high carb diets and sure, I lost weight but I was STARVING all the time, craving sweets, etc. With Atkins I find that I'm satisfied much sooner (eat less) and am rarely hungry. If I can eat less calories but not feel like I'm deprived, that's good enough for me.

Good luck to you,
N.

And I second Nikkil. I am able to eat fewer calories on Atkins without thinking about food all day long. I do pay attention to calories, though. For me, this is just necessary. Doesn't the 10x-12x calorie rule come right out of Atkins? Can't remember. I am NOT losing weight right now, though, and I started Atkins on the last day of March. I think I might have lost one or two pounds. That's it. And believe me, despite my stats, I can spare it. However, I'm going to stick with it until I do lose the extra lbs., because I know that I can stick with it. I believe that any weight loss plan will not work if one is not commited to sticking with it, and on this one, it is actually possible. (I cut my cals. and did the low-fat thing from Jan. to March and lost nothing - also thought about food non-stop.)

Ieatmeat, I agree that you have to do what works for you. I'm among the few who wonders if ketosis is mythical or real, but I do know that low-carb works. I did the Zone 8 years ago and lost 35lbs. that I never gained back. Maybe you should think about other low-carb plans, ones that will help you to keep your carb options a little more open. (I'm doing Atkins now because I feel as though I need to kick it into higher gear to get ready for bathing suit season, and it's easier to start lapsing on the Zone - I'm trying to wean myself from overcarbing/overeating, which for me, go hand in hand.) Best of luck!

calories do count. i eat 10x my wieght and still take the lbs off. That's 2900 calories for you to start with. this is not a cult. don't go insulting other people (millions of people) because you can't control your own portions.

peace out

From Protein Power by Dr. Michael R. Eades and Dr. Mary Dan Eades:

The Diet We Were Meant To Eat

"Most experts agree that game-hunting was the primary means of sustenance for our ancestors 700,000 years ago. From that time until the beginnings of agriculture (about 8,000 to 10,000) years ago), man lived on a diet composed predominantly of meat of one sort or another. In fact scientists estimate that from 60-90 percent of the calories these early people consumed were in the form of large and small game animals, birds, eggs, reptiles, and insects. The forces of natural selection acting over some 7,000 centuries shaped and molded our physiology to function optimally on a diet consisting predominately of meat supplemented with roots, shoots, berries, seeds, and nuts. Only within the last 100 centuries have we reversed the order to become mainly carbohydrate eaters with meat as the supplement. This dietary reversal--from a diet providing, on average, about 75 percent of its calories from some sort of meat and the remainder coming from plants to one in which only 25 percent of calories come from meat, the rest from other sources--has taken place in approximately 400 to 500 generations, far short of the 1,000 to 10,000 generations deemed necessary by geneticists to allow any substantial genetic changes to take place. We may yet adapt to the high-carbohydrate agricultural diet, but history tells us it will probably take another 10,000 years."

You see, some of us aren't brainwashed by Dr. Atkins, some of us are by other doctors and scientists.

You might find this site to be intellectually stimulating.

Weston A. Price

Beth

ieatmeat: not everyone will respond to LC diets. Not everyone is the same. If you are interested in something else to look at I would suggest The Zone diet. It is very good. It didn't work for me because I am not lucky enough to burn carbs before it turns into fat. Some people can burn carbs fast enough to eat what they want. My brother could eat carbs only for the rest of his life and not gain a pound. He is luckier then me since most of the ready foods out there are carbs. Some people can't eat fat. That is why they do well on low-fat diets. It's a process of elimination to determine what your body will react to.