Does the Atkins diet really work.. long-term?

[Jello_gurl]

I mean it seems like yeah your gonna lose weight now, but once you start eating carbs again wouldnt you just gain it all back? I mean I dont want to be eating salads for the rest of my life! What is your opinion?

[Tony T]

You gain weight according to the amount of calories you take it. If you eat enough lean meat, eggs or whatever else is on the Atkins Diet, you will gain weight. Because it's mostly protein, it fills you up fast. If you start eating carbs, you will not gain weight unless you eat sufficient calories to do so.

 

I personally don't feel a straight Atkins Diet is good for the body for a long period of time because it is not a nutritionally balanced diet. You need a balanced diet to be fair to your body. Eat in moderation and you'll be OK. A vitamin supplement while on the Atkin's Diet is a very good idea. Also, drink lots of water. When taking in carbs for the first time in a long time, do it gradually.

[moimeme]

You really should get a checkup before starting on Atkins. People with kidney problems they didn't know about have had big problems. Taking in a lot of protein can be hard on your kidneys and if you have a latent problem, the Atkins diet can exacerbate it.

[Skittles]

Good Advice Moi...

 

 

I just had a check-up and RN told me that staying on Atkins for a long period of time is not such a hot idea.

 

...somethng to do with carbs being essential into converting brain fuel?

[moimeme]

Your brain runs on carbs. It needs (according to one source which I've not got the link for right at the moment) 60 grams of carbs daily to run properly. It is my (facetious) theory that the Atkins diet is a conspiracy to make people stupid so they'll believe whatever stupid stuff they're told about the world geopolitical situation

[Samson]

Atkins has worked great for me, but I've never considered it a 100% protein diet. it must include LOTS of insoluble fiber, and i also exercise regularly and intensely. While carbs are reduced, the regime doesn't completely exclude them. 60 grams carbs is nothing in most foods, e.g. a single serving of grape juice is over 30 carbs.

 

Of course as with any diet, if you're not in excellent physical health to begin with then you should discuss with Doc.

 

Additionally, I'm not sure what my political affiliation was before the Atkins diet (my memory seems to be mysteriously erased since October 2000). Until now I've always suspected alien abduction was the cause.

[crysiet]

My parents want to start on Atkins. I dont see how they think it will work for them. My dad drinks (major carbs), a lot, and is not going to give it up. My mom doesnt like meat too much and cant live a day without sweets. Im still not sure wheither its healthy or not.

[dyermaker]

According to SNL's weekend update, you don't actually lose weight from the atkins diet's food, you just burn a lot of the calories because of your "constant yammering to others about how you are on Atkins".

[youngandhopeful]

You really should get a checkup before starting on Atkins. People with kidney problems they didn't know about have had big problems. Taking in a lot of protein can be hard on your kidneys and if you have a latent problem, the Atkins diet can exacerbate it.

I have only one kidney after i had to get my left one removed. Would that mean the atkins diet would be dangerous?

[Tony T]

"Would that mean the atkins diet would be dangerous?"

 

Walking across the street can be dangerous. BE SURE you see a doctor before starting any kind of diet. With only one kidney, I'm sure you already know this.

[Vivid_29]

Tony said -

If you eat enough lean meat, eggs or whatever else is on the Atkins Diet, you will gain weight. Because it's mostly protein, it fills you up fast. If you start eating carbs, you will not gain weight unless you eat sufficient calories to do so.

 

Tony - I think it's the other way around, dude. Eating eggs and lean meats, while doing the Atkins diet, will help you lose weight, not gain, unless you are referring to packing on muscle. Carbs is what packs on the pounds.

 

~Vivid

[Vivid_29]

Hey Jello Gurl - Maybe you should look into 'Body for Life'. I've done it and got amazing results!!!

 

~V

[Tony T]

I stand by my statement that if you enough enough of anything, I mean anything...even celery...you will gain weight. Of course, there are things you have to eat a lot more of. It's much easier to gain weight with carbs...but lean meats, fish, chicken, etc. will do it as well eaten in sufficient qualities. The ONLY way you will gain weight eating carbs is if you eat more than you burn...plain and simple. This is a law you simply can't get around. I should have known many people would not understand what I wrote above and I should have left it out for that purpose. Sorry.

[moimeme]

Carbs is what packs on the pounds

 

No. Like Tony said, calories pack on the pounds. A 500-calorie carb is exactly the same as a 500-calorie protein in that regard. However, some foods contain lots more calories than others. Fat is extremely high-calorie in relation to the amount you eat. A half-cup of some ice creams can earn you 900 calories! It would take six baked potatoes to earn you 900 calories. So, essentially, you can usually fill up faster on low-calorie carbs than on high-calorie fatty foods.

 

Same with sweets. A tablespoon of sugar has 40 calories. A tablespoon of fat (butter, marg, etc) has 100.

 

Go look up Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss books. The photos of caloric equivalents of foods are extremely useful to help get this idea into your head. For instance, 2 2/3 oz mixed nuts (a quarter cup) has the same amount of calories as 10 cups of low-fat popcorn!

[Vivid_29]

In regards to gaining weight ----- are you referring packing on muscle or packing on flab?

 

~V

[moimeme]

Viv

 

Go read through Ryan's posts on caloric intake. He spent a lot of time studying information about nutrition and he did a good job of explaining weight gain and loss.

[Vivid_29]

Originally posted by moimeme

Carbs is what packs on the pounds

 

 

You are right, Moi. Too many calories will pack on the pounds. I forgot all about that.

 

I'm just scared to death of carbs and that's why I say that carbs will pack on the pounds.

 

~V

[Tony T]

"In regards to gaining weight ----- are you referring packing on muscle or packing on flab?"

 

There is only one meaning of "gaining weight." It is increasing the number of the scale. If you weigh 120 pounds today, each time you get on the scale and that number is over 120 pounds, you have gained weight relative to today. For the average person, gaining weight translates into packing muscle and/or pudging out in spots or packing on flab, as you say.

 

Out of curiosity, what are the alternative definitions for gaining weight? Maybe I haven't gained after all...and would that be a wonderful relief!!!

[Tony T]

"I'm just scared to death of carbs and that's why I say that carbs will pack on the pounds."

 

You don't need to be scared of any food or food group, only of your inclination to take in excess amounts. That's totally in your control.

[Vivid_29]

I understand you, Tony. I misread your post. Sorry, dude.

 

Besides flab and muscle, you wanted another definition for gaining wait? How about 'water weight'!

 

~V

[moimeme]

I'm just scared to death of carbs

 

That's ridiculous. Problem with these fads is they spread so much misinformation that people get their thinking all warped. Vegetables are carbs, my friend, and all the science tells us that the way to avoid disease in later life is to get lots of vegies. This stupid anti-carb kick will probably add millions to health-care bills years down the road

 

 

what are the alternative definitions for gaining weight?

 

'getting fluffier' 'more to love' 'becoming big-boned' 'becoming too short for your weight' 'being festively plump'

 

 

Or 'suffering from antique design' as explained by Dave Barry (quoted here: http://www.doxel.com/old_entries/000098.html)

 

The problem with human bodies is that they're based on a design that is eons old. Our bodies believe that any day now, we'll have another Ice Age, and there won't be any more food, so they need to store up lots of fat. So while our brains are in the 21st century, wanting desperately to lose weight, forcing us to eat salads and engage in bizarre cult activities such as ''Pilates,'' our bodies are back in 12,000 B.C., thinking: ``I made six more ounces of fat today! Bring on the glaciers!''

[Vivid_29]

Originally posted by Tony

"I'm just scared to death of carbs and that's why I say that carbs will pack on the pounds."

 

You don't need to be scared of any food or food group, only of your inclination to take in excess amounts. That's totally in your control.

 

I know man. It's just a food phobia that I have, being that I'm so anal about what I put into my body!

 

Hey, I read somewhere that it's better to eat fat than it is to eat carbs. Weird, huh?

[moimeme]

Hey, I read somewhere that it's better to eat fat than it is to eat carbs. Weird, huh?

 

Hm. Will Tony leapfrog me on this one, too?

 

Viv. I read somewhere that an alien had sex with a dog and the offspring will be the next president. Just because it's in print does not mean it's true. You have to get your information from excellent sources like NIMH, not from supermarket tabloids or books written by people who claim to be 'experts'.

[Vivid_29]

Vegetables are carbs, my friend, and all the science tells us that the way to avoid disease in later life is to get lots of vegies. This stupid anti-carb kick will probably add millions to health-care bills years down the road

 

Sorry Moi -- Let me be more specific. I've got to have my veggies, but it's the starches that I'm scared of; rice, potatoes, bread, ect, ect...

 

~V

[Vivid_29]

Originally posted by moimeme

Hey, I read somewhere that it's better to eat fat than it is to eat carbs. Weird, huh?

 

Hm. Will Tony leapfrog me on this one, too?

 

Viv. I read somewhere that an alien had sex with a dog and the offspring will be the next president. Just because it's in print does not mean it's true. You have to get your information from excellent sources like NIMH, not from supermarket tabloids or books written by people who claim to be 'experts'.

 

Moi - I also read somewhere that people who make fun of Vivid, will end up missing him, terribly, when he walks out of their lives, for hurting his feelings.

Be nice to be, Moi, cause you'll miss me when I'm gone!

 

Annnnyyyywaaaay, Moi - On a serious note -- I never said that I believed it or didn't believe it! I said it was weird, darling!

 

~V