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  #1   ^
Old Mon, May-12-03, 07:01
gotbeer's Avatar
gotbeer gotbeer is offline
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Posts: 2,889
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 280/203/200 Male 69 inches
BF:
Progress: 96%
Location: Dallas, TX, USA
Default "Calories, not carbohydrates, make you obese"

Calories, not carbohydrates, make you obese

By Wendy Large
[no kidding - that's her name - ed.]

link to article
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Continuing my series on weight-loss and diet options, this week let's look at the Atkins Diet.

Let me start by saying I have never been on the Atkins Diet, and never plan to be. I do, however, know many people who have tried this program.

For starters, I don't like the word "diet." To me that means "temporary." When you go off the "diet," you go back to your old ways of eating and you haven't learned anything about your habits. The best "diet," in my opinion, is and behavior modification. Remember, I believe in the 80/20 philosophy; it's what you do 80 percent of the time that will make a difference in your life and behavior. The remaining 20 percent is life.

According to the Atkins Web site, "one meal can destroy your weight-loss program for the day, and set it back for the week." Huh? There is absolutely no way that one meal can sabotage a week's worth of effort. It's all about moderation, not deprivation.

For those of you not familiar with the Atkins Diet, you basically are supposed to omit most if not all carbohydrates from your diet. The program even goes so far to say that if you frequent a burger chain, eat a bacon cheeseburger and toss the bun.

Say what? Let's forget about the weight-loss arena for a moment and think about your heart. What is that bacon cheeseburger, without the bun, doing to your heart? Fat is fat!

Whatever weight-loss route you decide to take, it is input versus output. Take in fewer calories than you burn, and you will lose weight, guaranteed. But I am very skeptical of any "diet" that eliminates any food or food group. We need to eat a variety of foods from all of the food groups. In a fast-paced, super-size meal era, we need to eat the appropriate quantities.

I agree with Atkins on one thing: If you eat these types of carbohydrates you will gain weight. However, it's not carbohydrates that make us fat. Some people don't even realize that vegetables and fruits are carbohydrates. How can we possibly be asked to omit this very important food group from our diet? It isn't realistic or even possible.

The best "diet" I can find does not require you to eliminate any one food from your life. If you omit something, you will crave it. If you crave it, sooner or later you will give in to temptation and overindulge. Instead, I recommend satisfying your craving with a taste and you won't feel deprived.

Many of the people I know who have tried the Atkins Diet have experienced temporary weight loss. The key word here is temporary. I have also noticed that people on this type of carbohydrate-restricted diet become irritable. They tend to need more sleep than they used to, find it impossible to exercise, etc. because they lack the energy. The reason is they aren't eating any carbohydrates.

Our diets are supposed to consist of 55-60 percent carbohydrates, with 48 percent being complex carbohydrates, including starchy and fiber-filled foods, such as whole-grain breads, cereals, pastas, rice, potatoes, beans, fresh fruits and vegetables. The recommended percentage of fats in your diet should be 20-30 percent of your total calories with protein consisting of 12-15 percent.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine the average adult American should eat 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. If you are on a high protein "diet," you are eating way more than that. Do you know what happens to the excess protein we ingest and our body doesn't use? Our bodies either convert it to fat or it is excreted through our urine. This means that Americans have the most expensive urine in the world!

An article in the April 9 Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that among published studies, participant weight loss while using low-carbohydrate diets was principally associated with decreased caloric intake and increased diet duration, but not with reduced carbohydrate content.

In summary, calories, not carbohydrates, make you fat. Burn off more then you take in and you will lose weight. Eat a variety of foods while watching your portion size. Try to concentrate on keeping your fat intake below 30 percent of your total calories. Eating healthy may not only result in weight loss, but will also help prevent cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

Wendy Large, 34, is the manager of MedCentral Health and Fitness Center. If you would like a specific Gen X health and fitness topic tackled, drop her an e-mail at wlarge~medcentral.org and you look for the subject in an upcoming column.

Originally published Monday, May 12, 2003
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  #2   ^
Old Mon, May-12-03, 08:30
ulua ulua is offline
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Posts: 22
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 269/232/190
BF:
Progress: 47%
Location: Minnesota
Default LOL!

*sigh*

For starters, I don't like the word "diet."

For one thing its not a diet, its a way of life.

For those of you not familiar with the Atkins Diet, you basically are supposed to omit most if not all carbohydrates from your diet.

Yeah right. I wish these nitwits would get their facts straight.

Some people don't even realize that vegetables and fruits are carbohydrates. How can we possibly be asked to omit this very important food group from our diet? It isn't realistic or even possible.

Oh yes we do!
This food group was introduced only 10,000 years ago; before that we were largely carnivores.
I have found it quite easy to eliminate the useless carbohydrates and keep the good ones.

The key word here is temporary. I have also noticed that people on this type of carbohydrate-restricted diet become irritable.

The only time I get irritable is when I read the musings of silly, misinformed, arrogant, know it alls.

They tend to need more sleep than they used to, find it impossible to exercise, etc. because they lack the energy. The reason is they aren't eating any carbohydrates.

I lift weights 4 to 5 times per week and am stronger than I have ever been in my life. Furthermore, because my snoring stopped as soon as I adopted the Aktins lifestyle, my sleeping has much improved.

If you are on a high protein "diet," you are eating way more than that.

I am? If so, not by much.
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  #3   ^
Old Mon, May-12-03, 10:07
gary gary is offline
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Posts: 273
 
Plan: ATKINS
Stats: 191/152/155
BF:
Progress: 108%
Location: Aston, PA
Thumbs down Another So Called Expert!

How many of these so called experts never read the Atkins book? I sent an email to her and to the editor.
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  #4   ^
Old Mon, May-12-03, 10:59
gotbeer's Avatar
gotbeer gotbeer is offline
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Posts: 2,889
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 280/203/200 Male 69 inches
BF:
Progress: 96%
Location: Dallas, TX, USA
Default

Dear Ms. Large -

I just read your article on the Atkins', and I feel compelled to respond.

Quote: For starters, I don't like the word "diet."

Diet is just a shorthand word for what Atkins folks refer to as a Way of Eating (WOE) or Way of Life (WOL), and anyway, the official name for this "diet" is Atkins Nutritional ApproachTM. This is one of the first things one learns when one actually visits the Atkin's website.

Quote: Huh? There is absolutely no way that one meal can sabotage a week's worth of effort.

The Atkins WOL uses the metabolic state of ketosis (fat-burning instead of carb-burning) to create ongoing fat loss and reduce hunger and food cravings. One high-carb meal can knock you out of ketosis and trigger new cravings that can sabotage the entire diet. Since you haven't tried the diet, you are unfamiliar with its life-changing impact on the body - after Induction, the gnawing hunger and cravings are almost eliminated, and energy levels increase dramatically. Personally, I used to sleep 9 hours a night and still want to nap in the afternoon; now I sleep 6-7 hours and bound out of bed before the alarm, and I am never sleepy in the afternoon. I used to be cold all the time; now I'm warm even in winter.

Quote: It's all about moderation, not deprivation.

I have never felt deprived on this WOE, not even during the first two weeks of Induction, the most restrictive time. This is luxurious way of eating - unrestricted access to succulent meats and moderated access to tasty vegetables, cheeses, cream, olive oil, and yes, even some fruits. The only thing discouraged on this WOE are tasteless starches and empty sugars - and for those like me with a sweet tooth, artificial sweeteners like Splenda easily fill the bill.

"Moderation" diets are dismal failures, as anyone familiar with our current epidemic of obesity should know. The Atkin's WOL encourages lifelong good eating habits to maintain healthy weight and vitality.

Quote: you basically are supposed to omit most if not all carbohydrates from your diet.

Almost right, but almost no one (except the misguided) omits all carbohydrates. Vegetables are a critical food and key to this diet.

Quote: Fat is fat!

Dead wrong. When in ketosis, dietary fat is burned and excreted, but rarely stored. For those NOT in ketosis, the body is burning carbs, and has little choice but to store the fat. If one eats excess carbs (and the nature of carbohydrate addiction makes this likely) the excess is converted to more fat. Low fat / high carb diets are killing Americans in record numbers; England and Australia are rapidly catching up. As far as human metabolism is concerned, carbohydrate is fat. We are fatter than ever because we are eating more carbs than ever.

Quote: The best "diet" I can find does not require you to eliminate any one food from your life. If you omit something, you will crave it. If you crave it, sooner or later you will give in to temptation and overindulge.

One doesn't crave narcotics unless one is addicted to narcotics. Likewise, most people on this WOE and in ketosis find that their cravings for carbohydrates are reduced to easily manageable levels - ketosis has broken their carb addiction.

Quote: The key word here is temporary. I have also noticed that people on this type of carbohydrate-restricted diet become irritable. They tend to need more sleep than they used to, find it impossible to exercise, etc. because they lack the energy. The reason is they aren't eating any carbohydrates.

The first few days of the stage of Atkins, "Induction", can be a struggle for some - women in particular seem to have a harder time than men, I've noticed. (Induction was easy for me despite my being 110 lbs overweight at the time.) After all, one is breaking a lifelong addiction to high-carb foods that are more universally available than crack in a crack house. But that stage is a mere two weeks - once ketosis takes hold, the energy gains make it easy to exercise and even minimize sleep. The reason is that one is no longer subject to the wild swings in blood chemistry that come from a carbohydrate-based diet.

Only the initial stage and its problems are "temporary" - follow the WOE guidelines, and the weight-loss will be permanent.

Quote: If you are on a high protein "diet," you are eating way more than that. Do you know what happens to the excess protein we ingest and our body doesn't use? Our bodies either convert it to fat or it is excreted through our urine. This means that Americans have the most expensive urine in the world!

Atkins is more properly a high-fat diet, not a high-protein diet. And the problem with expensive urine is...weight loss despite more calories, perhaps???

Quote: An article in the April 9 Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that among published studies, participant weight loss while using low-carbohydrate diets was principally associated with decreased caloric intake and increased diet duration, but not with reduced carbohydrate content.

Note the key phrase, "increased diet duration". In other words, people found it easier to stick to the Atkins WOE long-term - the other diets failed sooner - their cravings overwhelmed the dieters, whereas the Atkins folks stuck with the program. That sort of completely refutes your contention that this diet is "temporary", doesn't it? It is clearly less "temporary" than any alternative diet. This diet is EASY to stick to longer because:

1. Cravings are reduced (ketosis breaks the cycle of carb addiction).

2. The food is luxurious and delicious (fat & protein are much tastier than carbs).

3. Energy is enhanced; sleepiness is reduced.

4. Hunger is reduced - resulting in decreased calories. (How is that a bad thing for this or any diet?)

5. Even those who DON'T reduce their calories tend to lose weight (and more of it) on this WOE. The reason is that the excess fat calories are excreted though urine and sweat as ketones and feces as fatty acids.

These are just the primary reasons for the success of this diet - there are many others. Personally, my face has cleared of acne blemishes for the first time in 29 years and my alcohol intake has declined (because this WOE makes me more sensitive to alcohol).

Quote: Eating healthy may not only result in weight loss, but will also help prevent cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

Atkins IS healthy eating - blood tests during recent studies have proven that risk factors for cardiovascular diseases are best improved through the Atkins WOE. Type II diabetics and those with pre-diabetic conditions also report marked improvements - and I'm one of them.

It takes a bit of study and commitment to fully grasp the essentials of this WOE - obviously, the effort you put into it was not enough.

You shouldn't take my word for any of this; I encourage you to do your own deeper research. Here is an article by Gary Taubes that got me interested in Atkins:

What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?
By Gary Taubes
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  #5   ^
Old Mon, May-12-03, 12:07
ulua ulua is offline
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Posts: 22
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 269/232/190
BF:
Progress: 47%
Location: Minnesota
Default Bravo!

Good job gotbeer!

Did you supply Wendy with a link to this forum? Perhaps she can be educated.
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  #6   ^
Old Mon, May-12-03, 12:18
gotbeer's Avatar
gotbeer gotbeer is offline
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Posts: 2,889
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 280/203/200 Male 69 inches
BF:
Progress: 96%
Location: Dallas, TX, USA
Default

Actually, I doubt she'd be interested, and this site is pretty easy to find on google.

If she writes back (which I also doubt) I'll be sure to clue her in to this site.
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  #7   ^
Old Mon, May-12-03, 12:51
Turtle2003's Avatar
Turtle2003 Turtle2003 is offline
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Posts: 1,449
 
Plan: Atkins, Newcastle
Stats: 260/221.8/165 Female 5'3"
BF:Highest weight 260
Progress: 40%
Location: Northern California
Default BS

Quote: The key word here is temporary. I have also noticed that people on this type of carbohydrate-restricted diet become irritable. They tend to need more sleep than they used to, find it impossible to exercise, etc. because they lack the energy. The reason is they aren't eating any carbohydrates

When I see something like this quote, which is so profoundly wrong, I begin to think that we are not dealing here with ignorance and or stupidity, but with outright fabrication. In other words, she is a liar, probably a veggiehead trying to scare people away from this WOE.
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  #8   ^
Old Mon, May-12-03, 14:24
gotbeer's Avatar
gotbeer gotbeer is offline
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Posts: 2,889
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 280/203/200 Male 69 inches
BF:
Progress: 96%
Location: Dallas, TX, USA
Default

The first 3 or so days on Induction, some people do report such symptoms (I did not experience any myself). I think she's going off of what 2-3 friends have whined to her about - chick-chatter being what it is. Few people continue to have those problems after they become comfortable with ketosis, but you have to hang with it for a bit to get there.

I don't think she's actively lying but I do think she's actively ignorant, and to my mind, that is worse, because liars sometimes act with good intentions, but to act from ignorance is dangerous folly.
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  #9   ^
Old Mon, May-12-03, 15:04
cc48510 cc48510 is offline
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Posts: 2,018
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 320/220/195 Male 6'0"
BF:
Progress: 80%
Location: Pensacola, FL
Default Re: "Calories, not carbohydrates, make you obese"

Quote:
Originally posted by gotbeer
Let me start by saying I have never been on the Atkins Diet, and never plan to be. I do, however, know many people who have tried this program.


Here is problem #1...she is talking about something she has never tried.

Quote:
For starters, I don't like the word "diet." To me that means "temporary." When you go off the "diet," you go back to your old ways of eating and you haven't learned anything about your habits. The best "diet," in my opinion, is and behavior modification. Remember, I believe in the 80/20 philosophy; it's what you do 80 percent of the time that will make a difference in your life and behavior. The remaining 20 percent is life.


Agreed. That is why Atkins is superior...it can be easily be maintained for life.

Quote:
According to the Atkins Web site, "one meal can destroy your weight-loss program for the day, and set it back for the week." Huh? There is absolutely no way that one meal can sabotage a week's worth of effort. It's all about moderation, not deprivation.


One screw-up can knock you out of Ketosis and induce cravings. The whole point of induction is to put you in Ketosis and to reduce cravings. That is why you must go back to induction in such cases.

Quote:
For those of you not familiar with the Atkins Diet, you basically are supposed to omit most if not all carbohydrates from your diet. The program even goes so far to say that if you frequent a burger chain, eat a bacon cheeseburger and toss the bun.


Not true at all. 20g of carbs are allowed during induction. During OWL, Pre-Maintnance, and Maintnance carb intake will increase to a level that will cause neither weight gain nor weight loss. For some people, this can be 100g or more. For others, it is 30g. It is an person by person issue.

Quote:
Say what? Let's forget about the weight-loss arena for a moment and think about your heart. What is that bacon cheeseburger, without the bun, doing to your heart? Fat is fat!


Fat is fat. But, when your body is in ketosis...that fat gets wasted rather than stored. Only when fat is stored can it cause heart problems. Fat can only be stored when insulin is present. Insulin is only present when carbs or certain artificial sweeteners are eaten. No insulin no fat storage. Less carbs = less insulin = less fat storage.

Quote:
Whatever weight-loss route you decide to take, it is input versus output. Take in fewer calories than you burn, and you will lose weight, guaranteed. But I am very skeptical of any "diet" that eliminates any food or food group. We need to eat a variety of foods from all of the food groups. In a fast-paced, super-size meal era, we need to eat the appropriate quantities.


In Ketosis, you waste most of your fat and protein intake. This is why you can eat more calories...because you are throwing away most of your calories. Your body is operating on a huge caloric deficit...but, feels full. Hence, the reason it can be maintained so easily.

Quote:
I agree with Atkins on one thing: If you eat these types of carbohydrates you will gain weight. However, it's not carbohydrates that make us fat. Some people don't even realize that vegetables and fruits are carbohydrates. How can we possibly be asked to omit this very important food group from our diet? It isn't realistic or even possible.


Atkins suggests eating alot of green veggies. In fact, on OWL I've eaten as much as twice the RDI of veggies...all those from green (non-starchy) vegetables, high in fiber and nutrients.

Quote:
The best "diet" I can find does not require you to eliminate any one food from your life. If you omit something, you will crave it. If you crave it, sooner or later you will give in to temptation and overindulge. Instead, I recommend satisfying your craving with a taste and you won't feel deprived.


Not the case...once you stop eating something the cravings are bad for a while...but, will go away. I stopped eating eggs (Directly. I.E. omeletes, scrambled, hard-boiled, etc...) in 1988. I had no cravings for them after a short while. I only began eating them again in 2003, after going on Atkins, and that was not due to craving, but rather the fact that without there aren't many low-carb breakfast choices.

Quote:
Many of the people I know who have tried the Atkins Diet have experienced temporary weight loss. The key word here is temporary. I have also noticed that people on this type of carbohydrate-restricted diet become irritable. They tend to need more sleep than they used to, find it impossible to exercise, etc. because they lack the energy. The reason is they aren't eating any carbohydrates.


Perhaps, she should look a little more. I am less irritable and need less sleep than I did before going on Atkins. I exercise more than before...namely because it is so much easier when you are 70 pounds lighter and have normal blood pressure.

Quote:
Our diets are supposed to consist of 55-60 percent carbohydrates, with 48 percent being complex carbohydrates, including starchy and fiber-filled foods, such as whole-grain breads, cereals, pastas, rice, potatoes, beans, fresh fruits and vegetables. The recommended percentage of fats in your diet should be 20-30 percent of your total calories with protein consisting of 12-15 percent.


These are the misguided USDA suggestions. These guidelines have only been in place for the last 30 years. Prior to that...low carb was normal. In 1965, the average man ate more calories, 38g more fat and 75g less carbs than he does now. More importantly, he ate more green veggies, less starchy veggies, and refined carbs such as white bread and sugar. Whole grains have no nutrients which cannot be had from green vegetables and Low-GI fruit.

IMO, the USDA pyramid was designed for what people would eat rather than what was healthy. We all know that anyone would be better off eating Broccoli, Spinach, and other nutrient-rich green veggies, than eating low-nutrient starchy veggies. But, people prefer starchy veggies (potatoes, corn, etc...)

Same goes for grains. bread is addictive. That is why it is easier to get 6-11 servings of bread than an extra 4-8 servings of vegetables. But, noone can deny that the vegetables are a much healthier alternative.

Quote:
According to the American College of Sports Medicine the average adult American should eat 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. If you are on a high protein "diet," you are eating way more than that. Do you know what happens to the excess protein we ingest and our body doesn't use? Our bodies either convert it to fat or it is excreted through our urine. This means that Americans have the most expensive urine in the world!


What's her point ??? The wasted fat and protein is why we are able to eat more and loss at the same time. So, you are wasting most of what you eat...but, you are losing weight and getting healthy which is more than worth it.

Quote:
An article in the April 9 Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that among published studies, participant weight loss while using low-carbohydrate diets was principally associated with decreased caloric intake and increased diet duration, but not with reduced carbohydrate content.


Compared to their highest caloric intake, which are usually those immediately preceding Atkins...yes, they reduced calories. But, overall that is not true. For 3 years before Atkins, I ate 5K-8K calories a day, with 800-1200g of carbs. But, to compare my current 2-3K calorie intake against my 5-8K calorie intake just before Atkins misses the bigger picture.

That is that in 1996/1997 I went on a deprivation (LF/Low-Calorie) diet. Eating only 1-1.5K calories a day, it took me 6 months to loss 22 pounds. Yet, would you believe that I lost 22 pounds, yet didn't even lose a single pant size.

Even though I had reached a level weight-wise that was considered healthy (albeit on the high end), I still lacked energy. I could only run 1/4 mile without stopping. The diet had only succeded in decreasing weight...but, it didn't decrease it in the right places. Granted my face looked slimmer...but, the fat on my chest (that around the heart) had not budged, leaving me as unhealthy as before...while having a "healthy" BMI.

I've been on Atkins for 4.5 months. I have lost 70 pounds and 5 pant sizes. In the last 3 months, I have lost 7/7/7...that is 7" off each: Chest, Waist, and Hips. More importantly, the inches came off the chest first...This means that the fat around the heart was the first begin coming off on Atkins.

Quote:
In summary, calories, not carbohydrates, make you fat. Burn off more then you take in and you will lose weight. Eat a variety of foods while watching your portion size. Try to concentrate on keeping your fat intake below 30 percent of your total calories. Eating healthy may not only result in weight loss, but will also help prevent cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.


Somewhat true...That is the beauty of Atkins...you use (through waste) more calories than you take in. Thus, you lose weight. I get plenty of variety: Beef, Pork, Fish, Chicken, Nuts, Seeds, Berries, Cantelopes, Boskovich Spinach, Romaine Lettuce, Iceberg Lettuce, Red Cabbage, Green Cabbage, Cheddar Cheese, American Cheese, Monterrey Jack Cheese, Motzerella Cheese, and on and on and on.

It has improved my cardiovascular. Unfortunately, I didn't get the book before going on Atkins. I got the book a week later...so, I don't have any Cholesterol/Triglyceride readings from before Atkins. But, I do know that my Blood Pressure has decreased from Hypertension to Normal.]
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  #10   ^
Old Tue, May-13-03, 12:54
DebPenny's Avatar
DebPenny DebPenny is offline
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Posts: 1,514
 
Plan: TSP/PPLP/low-cal/My own
Stats: 250/209/150 Female 63.5 inches
BF:
Progress: 41%
Location: Sacramento, CA
Default Irritable?

Quote:
I have also noticed that people on this type of carbohydrate-restricted diet become irritable.
I'm sorry, but before I started low-carbing, I was taken off the HelpDesk because of my lousy attitude. Since then, I am back on HelpDesk, part time, because low-carbing has released the non-irritable person I really am.

;-Deb
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  #11   ^
Old Wed, May-14-03, 10:59
seyont seyont is offline
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Posts: 243
 
Plan: parts of them all
Stats: 181/166/165 Male 5' 8"
BF:25%/9%/12%
Progress: 94%
Default

I, on the other hand, have gotten more irritable. But I thought the cause was laughable journalism.

Her article makes more sense with one correction: change "For those of you not familiar with the Atkins Diet,..." to "For those of us not familiar with the Atkins Diet, we tell each other that..."
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  #12   ^
Old Thu, May-15-03, 03:21
gtarent gtarent is offline
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Posts: 71
 
Plan: Eades
Stats: 278/236/181
BF:44%/33%/14%
Progress: 43%
Default

Quote:
According to the American College of Sports Medicine the average adult American should eat 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. If you are on a high protein "diet," you are eating way more than that. Do you know what happens to the excess protein we ingest and our body doesn't use? Our bodies either convert it to fat or it is excreted through our urine. This means that Americans have the most expensive urine in the world!


Quote:
Many of the people I know who have tried the Atkins Diet have experienced temporary weight loss. The key word here is temporary. I have also noticed that people on this type of carbohydrate-restricted diet become irritable. They tend to need more sleep than they used to, find it impossible to exercise, etc. because they lack the energy. The reason is they aren't eating any carbohydrates.


Ok, a few things bother me about these statements.
1. Most low carbers do not eat high protein quanitities (However since I am also using resistance training and trying to increase mass, I do consider myself to be on a high protein diet, and I find it extremely difficult to reach by goal of 125+ grams/day without supplimenting. (my last bloodwork showed very minimal protein in my urine)
2. Do you know what your body does if it doesn't have enough protein? Reduced immunity, reduced lean body mass (and with it reduced metabilism, and reduced injury recovery. Hmmm, would I rather have expensive urine or starve my muscles? On a side note how could our bodies possibly shed excess protein in urine, wouldn't that be calories inputed, that weren't burned? Would kind of go against the whole a calorie is a calorie thing.
3. I lift 3 days on, 1 day off like clock work. I get 6 hours of sleep a night, I have energy....and dammit I'm not irritable!

I do like how people like this will throw in recommendations from organizations, like that somehow confirms they are right.
She says .8 grams/kg of weight, I have studies that show restance trainers should have 2.5 grams+/kg.
She states 55% of calories should come from carbohydrates... I have thousands here that would disagree.
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  #13   ^
Old Fri, May-16-03, 05:32
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manucpa manucpa is offline
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Posts: 480
 
Plan: ATKINS
Stats: 198/161/145 Female 5'5"
BF:
Progress: 70%
Location: Greenville, SC
Default

gotbeer. brilliant ! Very well written, clear, concise and compelling.
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  #14   ^
Old Fri, May-16-03, 07:04
gotbeer's Avatar
gotbeer gotbeer is offline
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Posts: 2,889
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 280/203/200 Male 69 inches
BF:
Progress: 96%
Location: Dallas, TX, USA
Default

Thanks - I still haven't heard a peep back from that woman - it is a regular column, so I can't wait to see what she says next.
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  #15   ^
Old Mon, May-19-03, 06:53
gotbeer's Avatar
gotbeer gotbeer is offline
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Plan: Atkins
Stats: 280/203/200 Male 69 inches
BF:
Progress: 96%
Location: Dallas, TX, USA
Default Followup article: Wendy's Witless Rebuttal

Why low-carbohydrate diets don't usually work

By Wendy Large

Originally published Monday, May 19, 2003


link to article

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am taking a break this week in my series on weight loss options to discuss some of the feedback I received about last week's column on the "Atkins" or low-carbohydrate diets.

Boy, did I ever get feedback, and I learned that for some the subject of diet can be as touchy as politics or religion.

For those who didn't read it, I began by admitting that I have not partaken in such a diet, and I never will. Then, in a nutshell, I said I am not a believer in any eating plan that requires you to severely limit one type of food, such as carbohydrates. To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you take in, and fat happens to have more calories per gram than either protein or carbohydrates.

Thanks to those of you who sent feedback. Some thought I brought up some points they hadn't thought of, and one person copied the column for her spouse who was thinking of using a low-carb diet to lose weight. Others pointed out that the Atkins diet has different stages, and I didn't mention that in last week's column.

Some people disagreed strongly, and were concerned because I have not read Dr. Atkins' book from cover to cover, so let me be clear: Proponents of low-carb diets can point to the New York Times Best Seller List, or studies funded by organizations that have a financial stake in the diet plans.

Skeptics such as myself can point to a mountain of medical information to the contrary. I have researched the Atkins Diet and other low-carb diets through the official Web sites of those organizations. I have seen and read news coverage -- both pro and con -- and read articles on this issue in professional and medical journals. At the MedCentral Health & Fitness Center we have hosted seminars by nutrition experts who see this the way I do.

Most importantly, as someone who works every day with people who are trying to improve their fitness levels, I have known many who have tried a low-carb diet. Most people quit after a couple of weeks, and exactly one was able to maintain weight loss after more than a couple of months.

For those of you who have found weight loss success by following a low-carb diet, congratulations and I wish you success in your maintenance program. I don't expect you to change your mind. But for those who are thinking about starting a low-carb plan, let the buyer beware.

I remain convinced of the following: For most people, if your goal is to lose fat you currently have stored in your body, you should consume less fat, and the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to decrease your caloric intake while increasing your caloric expenditure through exercise.

Wendy Large, 34, is the manager of MedCentral Health and Fitness Center. If you would like a specific Gen X health and fitness topic tackled, drop her an e-mail at wlarge~medcentral.org and look for the subject in an upcoming column.

Originally published Monday, May 19, 2003
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