Why does Atkins work?

Options
1235»

Replies

  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
    Options
    Actually, you don't need carbs and fat to build protein, you need amino acids, which come from protein.

    Low carb works for some people, and if used in the short term very low carb diets coupled with adequate protein do allow them to lose fat while retaining muscle mass. When the body is in starvation mode it breaks down protein into amino acids to generate the minimal amount of glucose it needs for survival (very small amount--the rest of the body can burn fat). So if there is adequate protein/amino acids available via diet such as small frequent meals that contain high protein levels, the body doesn't need to break down lean body mass (protein) into amino acids.

    Long term inadequate intake of carbohydrates can cause problems because of the vital nutrients that accompany those carbohydrates can be missing. However, the body actually doesn't have a minimal amount of required carbohydrates per day in order to survive, unless you want to count 0 as a number. Also it is much healthier for our colon to have fiber. Healthy kidneys and livers handle low carb just fine, but some people have suggested that the higher acid produced by the metabolism can lead to bone loss (again, need long term studies to tell if short term low carb effects bone density in the years to come).

    More studies are needed to tell if a 6 month to 12 month period of low carb diet is more hazardous to the health than an extra 50-100 lbs.

    Some people eat normal or high carb (typical american diet) and still eat like crap, and take in little to no nutrients or fiber. Those who are obese as well, coupled with diabetes, heart disease, htn....will a low carb diet in the short term really cause more of a health issue, if they can eat a "normal" diet once they have reached goal weight?

    I don't know, but think short term very low carb is less dangerous if the weight can be kept off, at least compared to doing nothing.


    And for the person who thinks low carb causes more foul flatulence---from personal experience I was much more gassy (embarrasingly so) on Jenny Craig than the low carb diet. On low carb diet gas production was tiny, almost zero. At least until I started to add in more fruits and veggies. Don't know if everybody experiences that but unfortunately I did.
    l

    Re:flatulence. I wasn't on a diet before other than trying to be low glycemic in general. but my gas was so bad my hubby called me domo kun.

    flatulence after a week on this diet (including a very decent amount of veggies) zero.
  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
    Options
    I know I said I wasn't going to weigh-in after my original post. But not one defender of Atkins has said a single thing about any of the information in my post. Animal protein is bad for you. Eating high amounts of cholesterol and fat will damage your capillary system, your kidneys, and your liver. Ketosis is not a healthy internal chemistry for the body. It is a sign that something is wrong.

    Atkins will shed weight, but that doesn't mean it's healthy. See: anorexia. See: any crazy method that sheds weight at the expense of healthy diet or lifestyle.

    I usually stay out of the ever present Atkins or no Atkins debate that is constantly fought out on these boards. But the one time I weigh-in, I see pages of post with every Atkins' defender giving my post a wide berth. Who wants to challenge my points? I've been following this discussion, if not posting constantly.

    Anyone who follows Atkins and wants to learn from practicing medical doctors like Neal Bernard or Dean Ornish that Atkins will jeopardize your longterm health. . . really needs to consider reading the books I have mentioned. When you are 20 years older and your doctor tells you your kidneys are failing, it will be too late to then go looking for the information you so resisted in the present moment. . .
    Dr. Neil Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes
    Food Revolution by John Robbins
    Watch any lecture by Dean Ornish, M.D.

    Excessive meat consumption triples your risk of certain types of cancers: mainly: breast, prostate and colon.

    World class athletes are learning that vegan or vegetarian diets are giving them a performance edge in their sports.

    Vegan and vegetarian diets are generally better at reducing insulin resistance (increasing insulin sensitivity).

    The more vegetables you eat, the less of the bad stuff you eat.

    Eating a meat heavy diet is quite probably bad for your kidneys, your vascular system, and your heart. The Western diet, high in meat consumption, tracks with heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

    There are plenty of medical doctors that now advocate a vegetarian or vegan diet. Note, the first U.S. government panel tasked with creating the first food pyramid was going to advise Americans to eat "little to no meat products." The cattle association got an advanced copy of their report and collectively freaked the F out. They lobbied the government to rework their findings not include this suggestion in the final report. The entire history of this was published in the New York Times. It was about 15 pages worth of article. I didn't look extensively for it, but if you look for an NY Times article that talks about the food pyramid task force in the 70's, you're getting warmer.

    Atkins is good at burning glycogen storage in your liver in the first weeks. This is the "easy" weight to lose. Weightloss slows way down after that. My brother has been on again off again Atkins and has
    1) never been ever to stick to it for the longterm
    2) never loses much after the first few weeks
    3) belittles and condescends me constantly for being a vegetarian. I have lost 110 pounds since starting WW. For at least 5 years I have been a vegetarian, and I get to eat very large volumes of vegetables and thus can trigger the "full" sensation because eating sessions have to do with food volumes as much as anything else.

    These are just my points. Google the things I've mentioned, consider reading the books I've mentioned, or watch Dean Ornish's lectures on YouTube.

    I will not get mired in a debate over my facts. If you don't agree, feel free to post responses. But replying for me would just be redundant. I have heavily researched these issues. Atkins may work for some, but they are going to damage their kidneys in the long term because Ketosis is not a positive condition. It is the body's homeostasis run amok. Homeostasis is the measure of the body's internal functions working harmoniously and in alignment. Ketosis is not a positive internal body chemistry. At least research the critics of Atkins for their views on Ketosis. You are playing with your body chemistry in the worst way when you starve yourself of all carbs. I eat 200 or more carbs a day and I lose weight EASILY when I stick to program.

    edit: I don't mean to sound hostile in that final paragraph. Debates over the Atkins diet on MFP boards are constant. People on both sides have very strong opinions about it. I usually stay out of it. People usually don't change their minds when they feel so strongly about it. I'm fine with anyone not agreeing with what I said in this post. But I'm prophylactically stating that I have said what I have to say, and if you don't agree, there is really nothing more I have to say against the Atkins diet.

    I'm giving it wide berth because it's full of propaganda and I don't feel like debating with someone on a cracker barrel. you're seeing one tree in a forest. It's just not worth arguing with someone who presents as a fanatic or believer. you go. you believe what you believe but it's not the whole story and it's Not fact.

    but I recognize that nothing I say would ever be able to change your mind on the topic so why would I bother? silence doesn't mean you're right. It means you're so wrong no one wants to go there.
  • nancycaregiver
    nancycaregiver Posts: 812 Member
    Options
    also depleting glycogen makes you lose "fakeweight" otherwise known as waterweight.

    Wow!! You mean I had 81 pounds of water weight!?!? No wonder I was always needing to pee!!
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,630 Member
    Options
    Oh, you eat LOTS of food out of the box on Atkins. Shakes, bars, baking mixes, low carb baked goods. All full of soy and artificial sweeteners.

    You don't HAVE to do Atkins that way, but it is very easy to get sucked into it. So you wind up still eating a great deal of sweet foods.

    I would recommend Gary Taubes as a resource if you are really interested in how insulin and hormones impact weight
    Loss/obesity. They are currently researching which comes first, obesity or insulin resistance.

    Is low carb for everyone? Nope. But for people with certain medical conditions, it is a great way to learn to use food as medicine. Johns Hopkins has been treating epilepsy with ketogenic diets for 100 years. The science IS there.

    I technically do Keto and did Atkins before all the prepackaged crap was in existence. I lost 100 lbs and kept it off for 18 years. I gained back due to serious lifestyle changes several years ago. I've lost 37 lbs over 3 months on Keto with another 30 or so to go.

    A lot of people do not realize just how revolutionary the ketogenic diets were regarding treating such conditions as Epilepsy, many think such diets are just fads, this is not true and as you correctly stated, the science is there, very much so.

    Are you on the Keto diet for health reasons? curious.
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,630 Member
    Options
    also depleting glycogen makes you lose "fakeweight" otherwise known as waterweight.

    Wow!! You mean I had 81 pounds of water weight!?!? No wonder I was always needing to pee!!

    :noway: You must have been sloshing around like a good'un! :laugh:
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Options
    also depleting glycogen makes you lose "fakeweight" otherwise known as waterweight.

    Wow!! You mean I had 81 pounds of water weight!?!? No wonder I was always needing to pee!!
    Yes, that's exactly what it meant. Are you intentionally being argumentative? Approximately 5-10 pounds of initial weight loss on a ketogenic diet is water weight due to glycogen depletion. This is why ketogenic diets show faster weight loss in the short term, but over 12 month periods they show no difference in overall weight or fat loss compared to a higher carb diet. Nobody (except the posters who really seem to just be trolling) is stating anywhere that all weight lost on a ketogenic diet is water. I suppose it's always easier to pretend to be ignorant than to have a rational conversation, though.
  • lilylola72
    lilylola72 Posts: 2
    Options
    I don't know why, but YES, it does work better than any other diet I have tried. I have been dieting and exercising for 2 months, logging everything I eat and all exercise, keeping at about 1200 calories a day, and I have not lost a single pound. Now I am doing Atkins, and in 3 days, I have lost over a pound. And I am eating 1600-1800 calories a day. I hope it keeps working...
  • milesvictors
    milesvictors Posts: 83 Member
    Options
    I don't know why, but YES, it does work better than any other diet I have tried. I have been dieting and exercising for 2 months, logging everything I eat and all exercise, keeping at about 1200 calories a day, and I have not lost a single pound. Now I am doing Atkins, and in 3 days, I have lost over a pound. And I am eating 1600-1800 calories a day. I hope it keeps working...

    Honestly, its probably because you are now eating 1600-1800 calories a day. You are no longer fighting your biological hormones of digestive functions and giving yourself enough calories to operate properly. This probably has little if anything to do with Atkins vs vegan vs whatever. Just saying...
  • kskonkol
    kskonkol Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    I don't want to enter into any debate about this one.... but the movie FatHead probably gives a better description of low to moderate carb theories than most things I have seen. You can watch it free on youtube.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evcNPfZlrZs

    The gist of it is lowering your blood glucose by consuming less sugars/starches, and thus your insulin response....which in turn should lower the fat storage.

    Folks will debate till blue in the face over it all.

    Personally, I can only say moderate to lower carb has helped me control blood sugars and drop pounds better than calorie control alone. But I also agree, the overall calorie number is important too. I don't think too low is good, nor do I think an unlimited amount of calories is fine even if it is low carb.

    I think different bodies have slightly different needs. Overall, it is worth paying attention to BOTH calories and carbs in my opinion. I hope the link helps.

    Fathead's main takeaway is eating at a deficit causes weight loss, most of the other stuff in the movie was nonsense

    I thought the main takeaway was that he really, really hated the movie, Supersize Me, and needed to vent.
  • LoCarbAngel
    LoCarbAngel Posts: 2
    Options
    also depleting glycogen makes you lose "fakeweight" otherwise known as waterweight.

    Wow!! You mean I had 81 pounds of water weight!?!? No wonder I was always needing to pee!!

    Exactly my mom lost 100 lbs on Atkins in 1 year. She had gastric bypass and died in 11 mo from the surgery. Her levels were amazing, better than mine after the 100lb lose and she is 25 years older than me. I'd like to lose another 90lbs of water weight.
    If I ate as much fruits and veggies on another diet my body would go into shock. I'm sensitive to sugar and border line diabetic.

    So I agree with you whole heartedly!
  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
    Options
    the other thing about is a keto diet is that because your body is set up to burn fat instead of sugar when you work out you burn fat right away. you don't have to work out for 20 minutes and then get around to burning fat. you're already doing it. house hold chores you're burning fat.
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
    Options
    the other thing about is a keto diet is that because your body is set up to burn fat instead of sugar when you work out you burn fat right away. you don't have to work out for 20 minutes and then get around to burning fat. you're already doing it. house hold chores you're burning fat.

    You're burning fat in a deficit too. As long as you get enough protein to maintain the lean mass that you have, you're burning fat.
  • JaceyMarieS
    JaceyMarieS Posts: 692 Member
    Options
    I know I said I wasn't going to weigh-in after my original post. But not one defender of Atkins has said a single thing about any of the information in my post. Animal protein is bad for you. Eating high amounts of cholesterol and fat will damage your capillary system, your kidneys, and your liver. Ketosis is not a healthy internal chemistry for the body. It is a sign that something is wrong.

    Atkins will shed weight, but that doesn't mean it's healthy.

    Barnard is a PETA shill.
    Having uncontrolled diabetes will damage your capillary system, your kidneys, liver and pancreas.
    Dietary cholesterol doesn't correlate to serum cholesterol.
    I haven't met a single vegan diabetic who was able to achieve truly normal blood sugar levels without medication. I know many LCHF (Atkins, keto, etc.) diabetics who are tightly controlled with truly normal blood sugar levels and no or minimal medications
  • aalicia88
    aalicia88 Posts: 77 Member
    Options
    I know how it works and what it's about, but if it's simply a matter of calories in vs out then why are so many people losing a lot of weight on atkins? I know people who eat their TDEE and over every day yet still shed weight consistently compared to when they they tried conventional dieting of eating less calories. I don't want to cause any debates here, I'm just after the science behind this particular diet as I can't seem to find it on Google.

    I know for some people it doesn't work and I also imagine that if you suddenly stopped and ate "normally" you'd just put the weight back on.

    I think its because it is still low calorie. Protein has less calories than carbs and your body uses up more calories to digest them, or so I've read.

    I also think that unless you have a medical condition that requires you to eat this kind of diet, I wouldn't recommend it. While people can lose weight, I think people can take it to another level where it is just plain unhealthy.

    For example, my mom always tries to stick to low carb diets, unsuccessfully because she loves bread too much. Meanwhile, when she does, she will eat meals like greasy bacon cheeseburgers, without the bun.. fried chicken, high sodium green beans, no corn.. etc etc

    I mean I think these foods are fine in moderation, once in a while. But when you take it to the extreme and eat like this every day, It can't be good.

    I think its better to eat what you love so you don't feel deprived, in smaller portions of course. Add in fruits, vegetables, and don't believe that bread/carbs is the enemy. Personally, I love bread and wouldn't dream of cutting it out of my diet :D
  • Booksandbeaches
    Booksandbeaches Posts: 1,791 Member
    Options
    also depleting glycogen makes you lose "fakeweight" otherwise known as waterweight.

    Wow!! You mean I had 81 pounds of water weight!?!? No wonder I was always needing to pee!!
    Yes, that's exactly what it meant. Are you intentionally being argumentative? Approximately 5-10 pounds of initial weight loss on a ketogenic diet is water weight due to glycogen depletion. This is why ketogenic diets show faster weight loss in the short term, but over 12 month periods they show no difference in overall weight or fat loss compared to a higher carb diet. Nobody (except the posters who really seem to just be trolling) is stating anywhere that all weight lost on a ketogenic diet is water. I suppose it's always easier to pretend to be ignorant than to have a rational conversation, though.

    There aren't those qualifiers and expanded explanations in the post that most people are mocking when they refer to the "fakeweight" they've lost. That one sentence comes off as all the weight you've lost on a ketogenic diet is fake weight.
    also depleting glycogen makes you lose "fakeweight" otherwise known as waterweight.
  • Hazevamp
    Hazevamp Posts: 8
    Options
    I can't say whether or not I'm on Atkins(as I haven't read much on it but have been to the forums) but I am trying a low carb clean eating approach. I'm currently in Ketosis and I feel great! I'm not hungry all the freaking time so I eat less, I feel full without packing my plate. I eat lean meats, egg whites, I use low fat milk with a protein shake (not an Atkins shake). I eat my veggies and guess what? I eat vegetarian a good amount of time. Morning star is my favorite brand of products but I'm going to start experimenting with Textured veggie protein to make my own veggie meat as soon as I get some money to buy it. I don't deal with any of those Atkins shakes, bars et al. Eating vegetarian has not knocked me out of Ketosis yet and I still feel very full on less. I'm also drinking a lot of water. I still eat corn, sweet potatoes et al but I eat them in moderation and still going strong! I also fill up on lots of water. From what I have read on Atkins, it seems to promote meats and veggies until a person can control themselves then gradually adding fruits and other veggies into the diet. Just because people abuse it by thinking of it as a bacon fest doesn't negate the success and methods of so many others. While I'm reducing my carbs, I'm learning that I don't NEED to throw sugar on my sweet potatoes, having them plain is sweet enough and I don't need to pack my plate full of food, Stevia in place of sugar is great in natural things like tea or on fruit.

    I've looked up low carb vegetarian recipes and I'm eager to try them out. I'm trying to reduce my sodium intake, I'm starting to eliminate pork from my diet and beef may be up next. But I won't give up chicken and turkey :D

    Low carbing doesn't have to be unhealthy, so I'll keep this up for as long as I can and i hope it works out for me. I will be taking this slow and steady. :smile:
  • moxiept
    moxiept Posts: 200 Member
    Options
    Bump!
  • mamosh81
    mamosh81 Posts: 409 Member
    Options
    i actually watched a clip on youtube about it a few weeks ago there conclusion was due to the increased fat and protein intake people feel full faster so even when they allowed to eat as much as they want just high fat they dont eat as much so

    Calorie deficit
  • danimalkeys
    danimalkeys Posts: 982 Member
    Options
    I know how it works and what it's about, but if it's simply a matter of calories in vs out then why are so many people losing a lot of weight on atkins? I know people who eat their TDEE and over every day yet still shed weight consistently compared to when they they tried conventional dieting of eating less calories. I don't want to cause any debates here, I'm just after the science behind this particular diet as I can't seem to find it on Google.

    I know for some people it doesn't work and I also imagine that if you suddenly stopped and ate "normally" you'd just put the weight back on.

    I think its because it is still low calorie. Protein has less calories than carbs and your body uses up more calories to digest them, or so I've read.

    I also think that unless you have a medical condition that requires you to eat this kind of diet, I wouldn't recommend it. While people can lose weight, I think people can take it to another level where it is just plain unhealthy.

    For example, my mom always tries to stick to low carb diets, unsuccessfully because she loves bread too much. Meanwhile, when she does, she will eat meals like greasy bacon cheeseburgers, without the bun.. fried chicken, high sodium green beans, no corn.. etc etc

    I mean I think these foods are fine in moderation, once in a while. But when you take it to the extreme and eat like this every day, It can't be good.

    I think its better to eat what you love so you don't feel deprived, in smaller portions of course. Add in fruits, vegetables, and don't believe that bread/carbs is the enemy. Personally, I love bread and wouldn't dream of cutting it out of my diet :D

    Proten and carbs have the same cals/gram, which is 4.

    As far as the post quoted above this one, I'd be willing to wager that no matter what diet you use to lose weight, if you stop and go back to your old habits once the weight has come off, you'll gain it back. The key is NOT going back to bad habits and making it a lifestyle change, not a temporary fix.
  • MsEndomorph
    MsEndomorph Posts: 604 Member
    Options
    also depleting glycogen makes you lose "fakeweight" otherwise known as waterweight.

    Wow!! You mean I had 81 pounds of water weight!?!? No wonder I was always needing to pee!!
    Yes, that's exactly what it meant. Are you intentionally being argumentative? Approximately 5-10 pounds of initial weight loss on a ketogenic diet is water weight due to glycogen depletion. This is why ketogenic diets show faster weight loss in the short term, but over 12 month periods they show no difference in overall weight or fat loss compared to a higher carb diet. Nobody (except the posters who really seem to just be trolling) is stating anywhere that all weight lost on a ketogenic diet is water. I suppose it's always easier to pretend to be ignorant than to have a rational conversation, though.

    There aren't those qualifiers and expanded explanations in the post that most people are mocking when they refer to the "fakeweight" they've lost. That one sentence comes off as all the weight you've lost on a ketogenic diet is fake weight.
    also depleting glycogen makes you lose "fakeweight" otherwise known as waterweight.

    Nowhere in that post did it say that the ONLY weight you will lose is water weight.
    Atkins is known for helping people lose a ton of weight very fast in the beginning. And that is because of a crazy amount of water weight coming off.
    For example, I did South Beach 7 years ago and I lost 15lbs in the 2 week initiation phase - and I only had 30 to lose total.
    The reality is, it's impossible that I lost 15lbs of fat in 2 weeks.

Categories