I'm giving up sugar and thinking about Atkins. Anybody have any comments?

[tattoomytoe]

ok so far today i have not eaten refined sugar, i am going to try to stop. i eat way too much every day, mainly in candy form. i was also looking into the atkins diet.

 

anyone have experience with atkins? positives? negatives?

 

I appreciate the responses!

[Tony T]

Giving up sugar is a good idea because your body produces what it needs from the carbs you eat. If you go on the Atkins Diet which prohibits most carbs so there's little your body can convert to sugar, you will have a metabolic nightmare. Regardless, the Atkins Diet is OK for short term weight loss but researchers are still not sure of its long term effects on the body. My money is on doing Atkins for a month or so, then gradually getting back to a healthy eathing of portion-controlled balance diet consisting of meat, fish, poultry, multi-grain breat, vegetables, fruits, etc.

 

Remember, too, that sugar is contained in many, many products you would never consider such as most canned vegetables (believe it or not). The only way to truly avoid sugar is to eat fresh, unprocessed foods. Americans, particularly, have grown to want everything they eat to taste sweet...DUH! At the same time you start your diet, you might also consider minimizing salt. Salt is also added to or contained in most food and in large quantities it makes your body retain water, it binds fat and can contribute to high blood pressure as you get older. Two to 3 grams of salt (sodium) is plenty.

 

The key to living a healthy life is eating a well balanced diet in controlled portions. If you pay 39 cents to "biggy-size" everything, you'll biggy size yourself. And stay away from fast food places. Also remember, just because something says low carbs or low fat that doesn't mean you can eat more of it.

 

Have some candy once in a while to treat yourself. Giving up anything totally promises to bring on a binge at some point.

[Arabess]

I agree with Tony. If people would give up excessive sweets (and I'm a peanut M&m FREAK!), cut back on all soft drinks and curbed the fast food places....they would lose weight without any particualr diet.

 

Drinking water and exercise is the key to healty weight loss.

 

However, I know that if you feel you are overweight, all you want to do is lose it and lose it FAST. I actually took phen (without the OTHER phen) after my daughter was born. I looked like a COW! I didn't care if it was healthy or not. I just wanted to feel normal again. After I lost the 100 pounds or hell, maybe more, I quit taking the pills and never gained it back. I will never regret the decision in taking those pills. I weighed 239 pounds....NO JOKE!

[Tony T]

"I looked like a COW!"

 

I hope it wasn't the mad kind!!!

[tattoomytoe]

well i am going to read the atkins books, but for sure i am going to limit my candy and obvious sugars...i literally eat like 20-50 hard candies a DAY!!!!! it is ridiculous!

 

i just started exercising and i am trying to slowly turn this unhealthy eating of mine around.

i started cause i would not eat, then i would only eat candies.....well now i do eat regular, but this sweet tooth is packing on the pounds.

[carla]

Quote from Dr. Phil's The Ultimate Weight Solution Food Guide:

 

"The current preoccupation with ultra low-carbohydrate dieting in this country is of deep concern to me as a clinical and medical psychologist. What is so troubling from both a psycholoigical and nutritional perspective is that most of these diets advocate eating less than 100 grams of carbohydrates a day, when in fact your body requires nearly double that amount for normal brain metabolism and muscle function."

 

"When you deny your body and brain sufficient carbohydrates, it can damage your inner psychology. It can bring on fatigue, irritability, and mood changes. Why? Under normal circumstances, your brain uses roughly 500 calories' worth of carbohydrates a day for optimal functioning, including the production of brain chemicals responsible for feelings of mental wellbeing. So without carbs, your mental and emotional edge is gravely affected. Think of the consquences if you are an emotional overeater who decides to follow a low-carb diet. You already have a habit of medicating yourself with food. Then comes the double whammy: you choose to diet in such a way that it makes you feel worse emotionally and now you are more vulnerable than ever to bingeing and overeating. You are, in essence, conspiring against yourself by chooseing a diet that without question sets you up for failure by further weaking you where you are the weakest. You are creating obstacles for yourself that you don't need."

 

I quit smoking 1 1/2 years ago now I'm tring to lose the 20 lbs that I gained b/c of this. On the Dr. Phil's diet I lost 7 lbs in 2 1/2weeks (With out excercise Dr. Phil would be disappointed)anyway now I'm at a plato and after struggling to get beyond that 7 lbs I have started to do 5 miles a day on the excerise bike.

 

I have heard that the Atkins diet does work but like any diet I have also heard of failures. Dr. Phil doesn't look at his weight loss program as a diet he looks at it a a change in life style. Once you lose 20, 30 lbs or what ever and go back to your old eating habits your goin to end up back at square 1. Good Luck.

[cdn]

The Atkins diet is not based on science, although it purports to be, and neither is it healthy. You will lose weight on any diet that restricts your caloric intake. The key to doing so in a healthy, well-balanced way to to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. One that you can stay on for life. otherwise you will simply regain the weight you've lost. Getting rid of refined sugar and junk food is a great start. But don't also get rid of whole grain foods, which are necessary for energy production and brain function. (Interesting aside: studies have shown a marked decrease in brain function among Atkins dieters). Aim for something like a 60/20/20 (carb/protein/fat) or 70/15/15 blend, keeping your choices as unrefined and unprocessed as possible. You will both see and feel the difference.

 

You might also want to start weight training. Muscle burns at a higher metabolic rate than fat and it burns at this higher rate 24/7. In contrast, aerobic exercise only burns calories while you are engaged in the activity, and typically not very many of them.

 

Also, just FYI, Atkins was quite overweight at the time he died of heart disease.