Atkins Diet

lauren3101 · March 2013

Atkins = Lose weight fast, and muscle, while being extremely miserable, irritable and screwing up your metabolism in the process. Oh and if you like working out - forget it. You won't have the energy to do more than a sit up without feeling faint. And you will put that weight back on. Not from my own experience, have never done it, but have known many who have, and they all pretty much summed it up the same way.

Not true.

What people need to realize is Atkins = low carb is NOT a diet, it's a lifestyle change. People don't change their lifestyle, hence the reason the weight comes back.

For some of us with medical problems (hello diabetics) like me with PCOS which causes insulin resistance going low carb is the only way to go.

Carbs = sugars , wheat, and white flours. It is not a NO carb plan it is a LOW carb plan. These things hold ZERO nutritional value and personally, all they do for me and millions of others is make us sick.

Like many others I believe Keto is magic and Atkins is just a keto diet. Keto diets have been around since the 1800s. They began as a way to treat epilepsy and now are being used to treat cancer and Alzheimer.

Low carb actually fixed my metabolism.

If they were feeling faint, they weren't doing it right.

I have more energy than I have ever had before. I no longer feel bloated and junky after eating a high carb food. I no longer have sugar and carb crashes. Not only that, I have degenerative disk disease and osteoarthritis. Painful stuff. Low carb helps with inflammation. I cam kick the treadmills *kitten* every day now instead of once a month. I've also suffered from manic depression and PTSD for most of my life. I am no longer on any medication for that or for my PCOS thanks to my new low-carb lifestyle and I am perfectly happy living it the rest of my life, as well as millions of others.

So, no, low carb is NOT bad.

We are not a one-size-fits-all community. Some acting like we are.

I wish people would actually read the scientific research behind low carb before spouting off he-said-she-said because chanced are they aren't doing something right.

Lol, are you sure about zero nutritional value? And keto magic? maybe you should take your own advice and read the literature on keto

I have. And I have even worked with my doctors.

Sugar is not nutritional.
Wheat isnt either and nor is white flour.
Pretty sure thats why Paleo/Primal folks dont eat it too. There is nothing to is.
Its a manufactured product.
To some it can cause severe medical problems.
So yeah, not nutritional.

You want to talk about potatoes? For people who can handle higher amounts of carbs, sure, have a potato every now and then. For those of us with medical problem who have to watch our carbs, potatoes have TOO MANY. Potato are high starch. Usually high starch has higher carbs. For some - we just can't break these down.

So yeah, not the best nutrition for us. Maybe for you.

But again, if the research was read, you would see there are 100s of differ variations and levels of "low-carb" and we should ALL be allowed to pick what works for us.

There is a difference between good carbs and bad carbs. I prefer to eat my carbs in the form of vegetables. Those have vitamins and minerals. The other carbs dont. Pasta has nothing good for me and many others and there is plenty of scientific data out there to prove it.

Wheat Belly
Primal Blueprint
Ketogentic Diet
Why We Get Fat
Good Calories Bad Calories
DietDoctor.com
The Atkins website has a ton of links to medical journals and research
Eat Fat, Lose Fat
The Glycemic Index for Dummies
The Paleo Diet
The Paleo Solution
The Insulin Resistance Diet
We could also include Atkins books
The Keto Cookbook
Fat Fast Cookbook has a ton of links
The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living
and Google any search string of low carb living and I am sure you will find all of the science blogs on the first few pages.

So, yes, I have done my research.

Also, want to see my nutrition certifications? My Masters degree? Research I have done for thesis papers? My doctors credentials? My dietitians?

You know what you know and I know what I know. I also know how low carb living works for ME.

Again, we are NOT a ONE SIZE FITS ALL nation. We have different bodies with different problems.

So, if you think wheat pasta and white pasta are good for you than by all means it is. But bashing people who think differently when they is legitimate scientific data out there to prove otherwise is just stupid.

As for Keto, yes, I have done plenty. Again, millions of obese patients cant be wrong. Neither can diabetics, people with seizures of any kinds, people dealing with cancer and those with early and late stages of Alzheimer and dementia. The facts and the research are there if you just look for them.

Nothing is zero nutrition, Granted, some types of food are better than others, but it all holds some form of nutritional value.

You are basing your opinion on your experience, because you have a medical condition that is helped by a low-carb diet. The OP has not said they have a medical condition. Without said medical condition, I see no reason why anyone would need to go on such a restrictive diet.

laurengaugler · March 2013

I think everyone will have opinions of extreme diets like this one. I am currently reading a book and one of the main topics is how horrible animal products are for you, including meat, cheese, milk, etc. They also encourage limiting non-raw items from your diet, even whole grain bread and cooked vegetables. This will not work for me or my lifestyle, but I am taking several things away from this book:

1. People can go extreme in any direction, whether it be protein (atkins) or vegetables (this book)
2. I always thought high protein was the most important thing for weight loss, but according to this book, limiting animal protein is essential in cancer prevention and other serious diseases
3. Atkins won't work for me, nor will this raw diet. While I will lose weight initially I will stop because I won't be able to continue with it long term. We all need to find something that works for us.

TrishLG · March 2013

Atkins is the go-to diet if you cannot stay on a diet for more than a couple of hours--at least to get yourself going. However, a lean Atkins might work better, all light vegetables and a limited amount of animal protein. Otherwise you get so constipated!
The China Study found that a strickly vegan diet is the best, just as the stuff grows out of the ground, not vegan cookies and breads. The scientists and doctors doing the study were surprised that adding fish was a negative instead of the positive they expected.
Eat to Live, by Fuhrman is a good synopsis.

laurengaugler · March 2013

Read the research, read the science, read the reviews.

There is just as much science against it...

quirkytizzy · March 2013

No he didnt'. *smh*
He fell and hit his head on an icy side walk. Seriously....:grumble:

Huh. So he did. I'd mistaken his heart attack for the cause of death. Will google before I post about that kind of stuff next time.

CrystalWalks · March 2013

I have PCOS too.. and I once believed that restricting my carbs to and insane number lets say between 20 and 60 and day depending on which week of the diet I was on was the only diet for me because of my PCOS...but I am here to say thats not true I eat 1590 calories a day.. my carb limit is 219 a day I usually come under 219 usually anywhere between 150 to 200...and since joining MFP I have lost 10 and 1/2 pounds.. but before joining MFP I have a total weight loss of 26 pounds... I once did the low carb diet and lost 40 pounds in 3 months but once I re introduce carbs in my diet I gain back the 40 plus 10 pounds...I like carbs and I try to eat healthy carbs I prefer the low calorie diet...this way I can still have carbs, fats, and sugars within moderation...I do not elimate anything from my diet just how much and how often I eat it..... Guess what I am still losing weight and my blood sugars are fine and my blood pressure is under control..for me doing low carb the rest of my life is out of the picture I needed something more well rounded and lowering calories and eating healthier and not restricting myself from anything is the lifestyle change I can do for the rest of my life....

primallass · March 2013

Atkins is the go-to diet if you cannot stay on a diet for more than a couple of hours--at least to get yourself going. However, a lean Atkins might work better, all light vegetables and a limited amount of animal protein. Otherwise you get so constipated!
The China Study found that a strickly vegan diet is the best, just as the stuff grows out of the ground, not vegan cookies and breads. The scientists and doctors doing the study were surprised that adding fish was a negative instead of the positive they expected.
Eat to Live, by Fuhrman is a good synopsis.

Have a look at Denise Minger's site for a good critique of the bad science in the China Study.
http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/07/31/one-year-later-the-china-study-revisited-and-re-bashed/

jamieeas · March 2013

Well, I personally eat Primal. That is not to say I never have a piece of bread, but I don't nosh on refined grains and processed sugars at every meal like I used to. I think it's all about balance. I still eat carbs, I just get mine from natural sources now. Fruits, veggies, and some dairy. I am never tired, I feel good, and my blood work backs it up. I have normal cholesterol (and components: HDL/LDL/Triglycerides), normal blood pressure, and normal glucose levels. From someone who was a type 2 diabetic last year to someone who has virtually reversed it with my diet and exercise. I don't take insulin anymore, I don't take the 5 different meds for cholesterol and blood pressure I was on, and my endocrinologist is VERY happy with the way I eat. The fact is, while whole grains do have some nutritional value, most people DON'T eat WHOLE grains. They eat processed grains (white flour products, etc.) that have NO nutritional value. When grains are processed, virtually all of the nutrition is stripped away, then some of it is added back by the manufacturers as they are required to do. If you want science, check this out:
http://girlgoneprimal.blogspot.com/p/show-me-science.html

Love this girl.

Now there are a ton of arguments for and against EVERY kind of diet out there. I believe that people should find what works for them, and by all means, do that. There's no need to bash anyone because they see it differently than you. Just MHO.

Atkins Diet

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