Atkins Diet

Last night I was watching those prime time shows like 20/20 and Nightline. Anyway, what made me watch the show was an investigation on the Atkins diet. The doctor's name is Robert Atkins and I believe he is a heart surgeon. He claims that low carb high protein is the way to lose weight. I know many of you have been reading my post on my weight loss. I tend to be "for" the Atkins diet. I am not agreeing with him 100% and not having a FDA recommended food pyramid. I know one of the reasons I lost weight is the fact that I cut down on certain things and I do it in moderation. I still have iced coffee and chocolate on occassion but I don't deprive myself which was the key to my success. I am around 158-159 pounds now. As for the show, the reporter was skeptical that this doctor was against the FDA and seems to know more than they do. I leading research firm is now testing if Dr. Atkins theory is the key to losing weight. Some concerns were high cholesterol and high blood pressure. But they had this guy who claims he was on the diet and he had heart surgery before and now she claims that he lost weight and stuff. So I do believe that carbs is the reason we gain weight and yet carbs is also a necessity in our diet. I think the key to any form of dieting is moderation and knowing when to have an occassional snack. I would love to hear from all of you regarding this subject.

I did Atkins for 2 1/2 months, lost 29 pounds, my cholesterol dropped 15 points, and my blood pressure stayed at 116/60, just like it usually is. Plus all my fats stayed in the low normal range, in spite of eggs, meat, butter, cheese, mayo, etc.
Problem with Atkins is, its too restrictive. It's really hard to stay under 30 grams of carbs a day. I got so sick of meat and cheese it was silly.And I refuse to pay over 10 dollars for a small package of bake mix just to have something different.
Actually for diabetics they're having them count carbs now too, instead of doing the diabetic exchange. My Dad was just diagnosed with Adult Onset Diabetes, and imagine his surprise at his dieticians consults when they basically placed him on the Atkins diet that his (my) doctor had tried to get him to go on for the last few years.
There are several explanations for the low carb diet working, but the most common one seems to be that the chemicals in all the refined high carb foods out there tend to promote weight gain. It does seem rather funny that low fat diets have been promoted for years, and obesity has just bounded ahead in spite of it. Makes you wonder if they've been barking up the wrong tree.
Right now I'm low carbing again, my sister gets married next month, we go to DisneyWorld in Sept, so I need to lose a few. I'm staying right around 40 grams of carbs a day, I've found tortilla shells with 4 carbs, and some fiber crackers with 7, so I can have tacos and something sort of bready. I also stay away from saturated fat as much as I can. I don't think fat is bad, its the kind of fat you eat that is, and my doctor agrees. I eat tons of raw veggies.
Also, healthy is preferable to skinny, you can be skinny and very unhealthy, or overweight and healthy, its not either/or.
One thing I need to argue with you on, is you keep saying you're going to start working out when you get your weight off. Toned muscle burns calories way better than untoned. Ya gotta start working on those abs before you see them, or you're probably not going to get them.
Hang in there, you're doing great. I'm down 9 pounds in 3 weeks.

The simple key to losing weight: intake fewer calories than you use each day.

Fat has more calories per gram than carbohydrates do, nearly twice as much. However, a lot of foods are made up more of carbohydrates than they are of fat....so in theory, it is possible for one to intake fewer calories on a low carb diet....and it certainly appeals to a great number of people the idea that they can eat bacon and eggs and sausage and still lose weight. Perhaps for a person who exercises little, or not at all, eating more carbs is not a great idea, since it will turn to fat anyways and increase the risk of diabetes. However, for a person who takes time to exercise and burn calories each day, I think it's a needless risk to try to substitute high fat for high carbs. Just my humble opinion.


One thing you need to keep in mind....Dr. Atkins is just as much a businessman as he is a doctor. So when he writes a book that he wants lots of people to read, he's probably going to tell them some things he thinks they want to hear. The FDA, on the other hand, is not a for-profit entity....they have no financial or monetary stake in the advice they give (unless you buy into all sorts of conspiracy theories that some food producers bribe the government into appointing FDA directors favorable to their businesses). That of course doesn't mean they are always right, but it is something to keep in mind.

It does seem rather funny that low fat diets have been promoted for years, and obesity has just bounded ahead in spite of it. Makes you wonder if they've been barking up the wrong tree.


I think that has as much, or more, to do with a typical person's (especially children) lifestyle. When people are sitting around watching their Direct TV, playing their PS2 and Xbox, and surfing the internet....that's time they're not out walking or running or swimming or whatever else. Low fat diets, as you said, have been promoted for decades, but obesity has been growing as a problem a lot more in just the past 10 or 15 years than it had been before.

Jordan, your absolutely right just intake less calories every day. I keep my calories down to no more than 1500 and I have been able to maintain my weight of 102 since High school which was 16 years ago. i figure out that was they key and it has worked for me. It's tough at first but you get used to it. The Atkins diet looks like a bad idea. But even the standards that the government has set with there food triangle is bad also.

At the first of the year, I started researching lo carb/high protein too, because it was the only one I hadnt tried yet :) And I agree with Bella, Adkins is too restrictive and hard to follow - pretty impossible in fact. But I did find one that is liveable called "The Carbohydrate Addicts Book". You keep your carbs restricted during the day but for one meal (your choice of which one) you can have pretty much anything you want including dessert, bread or whatever as long as it is consumed within 60 minutes. That way you know at least once every day you can "cheat" and have things you really like. Also, I'm a big label reader and its funny that the things that are low calorie and low fat usually have more carbs!! This strategy has really helped me because I was pretty much living on carbs and NOT able to lose any weight. I thought I was doing well by eating grainy breads, fruits and vegetables, but even those have pretty high carbs. It takes a little effort, but like Bella said too, if you will just look around, you can find things you like with less carbs, some breads and things. I also started lifting weights at the first of the year for the first time. I've been a fitness walker for a long time, but it just wasnt working anymore. So with the combination of low carbs and building muscle (hopefully) things are turning around. I think you just have to keep trying different things till you find one that works for you. And make sure its something you like, or you wont stick with it!!!! I know these things wont work for everyone, but they did for me.

Southerngal :)

Jordan brought up another good point. I probably already knew this, but read it recently - American kids have the highest rate of obesity around. Thats NOT good!!!! They need less junk food and more exericse and maybe they wont have as many weight problems when they're adults!!

Southerngal :)

Try Herbalife it works amazing. I have never been on it but i have a few girlfriends that are on it and it is amazing. The weight seems to come of of them like rain comes off a car windshiled it's really amazing. I know they take pills 5 times a day and they have 2 shakes a day and then a normal meal. It works so well my mother and sisters are on it and are also loosing weight.

A little bump. Some old thread I found while cleaning chit chat! There are more, just dig! :)