Confused and freaking out a bit...

[Maerow]

Re: Confused and freaking out a bit...

Bottom line, do what you want to do, what works for you. For me, that's atkins (I can't stand being hungry and atkins keeps me feeling full), but there are all kinds of plans out there, and different strokes for different folks. It's just a matter of what you can live with and what works for you.

[not2late]

Re: Confused and freaking out a bit...

When I was deciding to go on Atkins, I did a lot of research on it. First I did an Internet search and found all the critical websites that essentially said Atkins meant death. Then I read the book and re-read the book. After reading it, it made sense to me: carbohydrates breakdown into glucose, glucose stimulates insulin, insulin transports the glucose to the body’s tissues where it is either used for immediate energy or stored as fat. The more carbohydrate you take, the more insulin you produce, the more your body becomes sensitized to insulin while leads to insulin resistance and its medical problems.

The other thing about Atkins was that the most restrictive phase only lasted 2 weeks. After those 2 weeks, you could begin to reincorporate carbohydrate foods, like more vegetables, fruits, legumes and grains.

I also realized that there is a lot of misinformation about this diet. The majority of it from people who didn’t bother to read the book. I read:

1. You eat a lot of red meat on Atkins.

Wrong. There are plenty of protein sources from which to choose. Poultry, fish, seafood, pork, lamb, and beef are all fair game. Moreover, tofu is completely acceptable during the Induction phase.

2. You eat a lot of fatty food like butter and bacon.

Wrong. It only takes 1 tablespoon of added fat to make a meal high fat. Therefore 1 tablespoon of olive oil used to dress vegetables is more than enough.

3. You don’t eat any vegetables on Atkins.

Wrong. There are 54 vegetables that are completely acceptable to eat during the Induction phase. During the remaining weight loss phases, you add more vegetables to your diet. Moreover the Induction vegetables are generally very nutritious, with the exception of lettuce. Broccoli, cabbage, green beans, pumpkin, peppers are nutrient powerhouses.

4. You don’t eat any fruits on Atkins.

Wrong. Fruits are defined as the part of the plant that contains seeds. So vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and squash are fruits and are acceptable to eat even during Induction phase.

5. You don’t eat enough fiber on Atkins.

All vegetables contain fiber. Since we eat vegetables on Atkins, we get enough fiber, particularly if we choose our vegetables carefully.

6. If you eat fat, you’ll get fat.

Wrong. The best website that has articles refuting this is http://www.westonaprice.org.

7. Eating fat will clog your arteries.

Yes. Eating the wrong type of fat will contribute to heart disease. The wrong type of fat is the hydrogenated oils/ trans fats. This is the fat found in most margarines, bakery goods, and processed foods. This was the only type of fat Dr. Atkins said to avoid. But the natural fats like olive oil, avocado oil and even some animal fat aren’t associated with that risk. What about the scientific evidence that shows animal fat is associated with heart disease? It’s based on very bad research: The Seven Countries study by Ancel Keyes. Keyes was a cardiologist who in the 1950s did a prospective study about heart disease and dietary fat intake. His theory was that the more fat you ate, the higher your risk for heart disease. He had the data for 21 countries, but choose to use the data from the 7 countries that supported his theory. Had he included the data from all 21 countries, his theory would have been kaput. In other words, everything the mainstream believes about fat, diet and heart disease is all based on dishonest science. The Weston A. Price link above has more on Keyes and his ‘theory’.

BTW, here’s a factoid for all you military folks. Remember the ‘K-rations’? You can thank Ancel Keyes for them.

8. You eat a lot of protein and that’s bad for you.

Wrong. The recommended daily intake of protein is the minimum amount of protein our bodies need to function. About 100 years ago, a chemist named Chittendon did a study using US Army recruits. He wanted to see what the amount of protein the body needs in order to avoid protein malnutrition. He found it needed at least 1 gram/kilogram body weight to do that. That minimum is now the "maximum" in 2006.

[julirama723]

Re: Confused and freaking out a bit...

I agree that different eating plans work for different people. For me, Atkins is the best choice for very important reasons.

1) I eat more veggies now than I ever did before! Prior to this, french fries were the closest I came to a veggie....grrrr...
2) Diabetes runs in my family. By changing how I eat now, I can control or possibly prevent the onset of diabetes.
3) I was addicted to carbs. Any addiction is not healthy. I would eat bread, potatoes, candy, pizza, french fries, buns, rolls, and anything carb-y I could get my hands on. In return, I was grumpy, irritable, emotional, uncomfortable, bloated, and fat because my body was not healthy.
4) I was tired and had no energy, and exercising was difficult. Because I was so overweight and kept on gaining more, I was exhausted, and began having joint/muscle pain which made exercising or movement for extended periods of time very painful.

Ok I posted these reasons to show that it wasn't a whim to go on Atkins...I know how good it makes me feel, how much I'm able to accomplish, and I know that this WOL is good for my body and its particular genetic makeup. Personally, I would not succeed on the Slimming World program because I wouldn't be learning anything about what causes cravings in me, what I'm allergic/have adverse reactions to, and I know with all those carbs right away, I wouldn't be able to control portions.

For you, I would say, research many types of eating plans. Find one that is healthy, realistic, and can be followed indefinitely--something that's not a crash diet. Perhaps Atkins will be the right choice for you. DANDR has a lot of info, keep reading it, re-read the parts you've read, and then you can make a good decision.

Best of luck!

[Lyssie]

Re: Confused and freaking out a bit...

I'm sorry, but I don't think I could follow something that says I can eat cake one day and can't eat it the next. I would be all for eating it all the time. That said, maybe this WOL is not for you, but I haven't seen anybody who has honestly *tried* to follow it, fail. Those of us who have fallen off, or tried other things, or "modified" it, end up coming back saying, I should have stuck with it. It's a WOL though, not just a "diet" or quick fix. This WOL has me eating more veggies than I ever did, trying new foods, EXERCISING (I could never have the *energy* to do that), and I learned how to cook too.. to some extent anyway.

That's my 2 cents.

P.S. 13 lbs in 3 weeks isn't that much considering what I've seen *some* people do.

[angelstar]

Re: Confused and freaking out a bit...

Everyone reacts differently to different diets. Alot of people do slimming world, lots of people do weight watchers, lots of people do slim fast and lots of people do Atkins.

I did all the diets above before finding Atkins and none of them worked for me. I was hungry, bored, barely losing anything and getting annoyed with weighing everything/working out points/drinking cr*ppy shakes.

I lost 10lbs in the first 2 weeks of Induction, more than what I've ever lost in doing a month of the above diets. I was totally motivated!!

U know that Atkins is working for you so that definately counts towards u sticking to it. But the decision lies with u. See a doctor and get ur blood work done, then see ur doctor 6 weeks later and have the blood work re done and I bet u will be amazed.

There is a negative media surrounding Atkins because alot of people think that the Induction phase is what Atkins is all about but its not. How can cutting out junk food and eating fruits, veggies, meat and dairy be unhealthy!?

I hope that you make the right decision and stay with Atkins but its up to you. Good luck xxx