What do I say to this person?

[susan423]

On another forum (nondiet) they started talking about a low carb diet. I mentioned I was in Atkins and promptly got attacked. I don't even know why I bothered cause I'm no good at debates. So I'm coming to you fine folks that know more then I do. What do I write back to this person?


"There's some good advice here. I would, however, take exception to the Atkins diet and any food plan which promotes high protein to the exclusion of almost all carbohydrate and inclusion of a great deal of fat. Reason: carbohydrate is the only source of "food" the brain uses. Some folks on the Atkins diet experience mental confusion, which directly relates to a lack of carbohydrate in the diet. And, for those of us who inherited the gene which causes our bodies to manufacture higher than normal amounts of cholesterol, a high protein/high fat diet can actually be a killer. Let's be wise in our choices."

[Georgiana]

Re: What do I say to this person?

Reason: carbohydrate is the only source of "food" the brain uses. Some folks on the Atkins diet experience mental confusion, which directly relates to a lack of carbohydrate in the diet.

Since on Atkins I took about 40 exams, gave 2 talks, and right now I'm teaching a course at uni. If this is what "mental confusion" allows you to do, then I think I like it.

[susan423]

Re: What do I say to this person?

Since on Atkins I took about 40 exams, gave 2 talks, and right now I'm teaching a course at uni. If this is what "mental confusion" allows you to do, then I think I like it.

I know, right? Like I said, she needs to get more info. Don't know where folks get this stuff from.

[Brook]

Re: What do I say to this person?

Studies out of Harvard and Columbia both prove that when cardiac and brain tissue are presented with a choice of fuel (keytones and glucose), they preferred the keytones first. The brain does use glucose, but I'm not sure where the assumption that the *only* place glucose comes from is stuffing our faces with refined carbohydrates comes from. Probably the same place the statement "the only source of food the brain uses is carbohydrate" - but I digress.

Ever meet a fat tiger? Ever meet a skinny cow? Tell me again what they both eat?

Now that aside, Atkins is not a "high protein diet" - Atkins protein intake stays right around 30% like most other plans. Atkins is a "high fat" diet and does *NOT* exclude almost all carbohydrate. In the most restrictive beginning phase- which most people - yourself obviously included - mistake for being the entire plan, Atkins eaters eat more than the USRDA recommendation of vegetables. Atkins followers do *not* drink bacon grease from tea cups and avoid all carbs. 99% of what we hear about in magazines/on TV/from other people is the Weight Watchers equivalent of someone who spends their entire point allotment on Skinny Cow ice cream and Fat Free potato chips. Technically, you *can* do that within the framework of the program, but it's a blatant abuse of the structure and intention of the program and I will treat it as so.

For the record, Dr. Atkins was a cardiologist who used nutrition and diet to treat his patients- successfully.

Mental confusion? Would you mind providing sources please? I'm seem to be too befuddled to find them on my own. .

I'd strongly suggest you do some serious reading before chiming in on plans you obviously haven't done any reading on again. Here's a great list to get started with:

1. Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution.
2. Good Calories, Bad Calories.
3. Cholesterol Myths

We're not supposed to eat red-meat because of cholesterol levels, but what were the cows eating that got their cholesterol up so high to begin with??

Everyone should *educate* themselves on the various plans - there is no one size fits all approach to anything. Any plan worth anything is going to take you from the very basics of eating and hold your hand through to a natural, whole foods, moderated way to eat as well as exercise and supplementation. Find your own path and don't listen to anyone who would sooner rely on an interpretation of what their sister's boyfriend's aunt's half brother's girlfriend's cousin's mechanic had to say or anything that came off TMZ.

For the record, my cholesterol dropped 100 points and my triglycerides are down almost 200 points. I've ran races. I teach aerobics. Should I call my life insurance agent and get my funeral arrangements made now?

Heh.

[PaulaMM]

Re: What do I say to this person?

What a smarmy pain in the !

Tell them it's a darned good thing Atkins isn't a high protein/no carb diet, for one. Also tell them that the only confusion we on Atkins experience is when people who have no flipping clue about our WOE spout garbage and try to present is as fact. And then tell them that, of course, Atkins is not for everyone and obviously neither is knowing your hind end from a hole in the ground.

[Brook]

Re: What do I say to this person?

Sorry- had to edit. Forgot a couple of things in there and had to fix a typo!

[MissLiss4u]

Re: What do I say to this person?

LMBO, I'm so happy to read all these defensive comments! LOL, it shows that we all love Atkins...and why is that? Because it works and we FEEL GOOD! When I eat carbs I'm to sleepy to think right, when I eat like I do on Atkins I am AWAKE with energy. Everything about my body is better. My response to anyone who starts bashing Atkins to me is ask them to actually understand what it is they are talking about. If it works it works...

Best of luck you.

[misplaced southerner]

Re: What do I say to this person?

uummm....how about "it must stink to be you since i am well on my way to being healthy and you are NOT!"

nah, that's a tad snarky but you get the idea. since living the atkins lifestyle I
*have lost 73 pounds
*lowered my choesterol 22 points
*i measure about 70 inches less than i did before
*i went from 39% body fat to 23% body fat

i am FAR healthier than ever before. i refuse to debate that with anyone. heck, if others don't want to look and feel the way i do, then i sure won't waste too much brainpower and energy trying to change their minds. and by the way, MY DOCTOR AGREES!

[susan423]

Re: What do I say to this person?

Thanks, Brook. Very well said. Mind if I quote you to this naysayer?

[susan423]

Re: What do I say to this person?

Well, I've decided to let it go. I'm no good at debating. I pretty told her what Brook had said. She still insisted that the body needs all food groups. I told her that the body does not need sugar and processed crap. She disagreed again. I told her that my body does not need a twinkie (no matter how much it thinks it does ) Then she said that my head knows more then my body so I must "need" a twinkie How do you debate someone like that Anyone that can do a really good job of debating this, pm me and I'lll give you the website. But I'm done

[misplaced southerner]

Re: What do I say to this person?

susan, you know that old saying "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.".....continue to empower yourself with KNOWLEDGE....and ummm, yea, sometimes we just have to ignore those little head voices that are telling us we need twinkies and such because isn't that how we gained weight in the first place?

you are smart....you stated what you know. now, when you continue to melt and gain good health and yes, your brain will work JUST FINE IF NOT BETTER....your pal will be wondering why that darn scale won't move and the brainfog won't lift....and you can smile all the way to the smaller size department!

[gooniegirl]

Re: What do I say to this person?

I'd say forget about it! The advice of not casting pearls to swine come to mind!
Gigi

[FLdoodette]

Re: What do I say to this person?

Well, I've decided to let it go. I'm no good at debating. I pretty told her what Brook had said. She still insisted that the body needs all food groups. I told her that the body does not need sugar and processed crap. She disagreed again. I told her that my body does not need a twinkie (no matter how much it thinks it does ) Then she said that my head knows more then my body so I must "need" a twinkie How do you debate someone like that Anyone that can do a really good job of debating this, pm me and I'lll give you the website. But I'm done

Hi, Susan! Good rule of thumb: Never argue with an idiot. Saves a lot of time and aggravation.

[susan423]

Re: What do I say to this person?

susan, you know that old saying "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.".....continue to empower yourself with KNOWLEDGE....and ummm, yea, sometimes we just have to ignore those little head voices that are telling us we need twinkies and such because isn't that how we gained weight in the first place?

you are smart....you stated what you know. now, when you continue to melt and gain good health and yes, your brain will work JUST FINE IF NOT BETTER....your pal will be wondering why that darn scale won't move and the brainfog won't lift....and you can smile all the way to the smaller size department!

Thanks, I usually don't care allot what other people think but sometimes I just get tired of holding my tongue and just want to shake people until they here what I'm saying Then I come to my senses and shrink back into the corner again

[liv]

Re: What do I say to this person?

It is impossible to convince people who are stuck on something. It is obvious that metal confusion is common in people NOT on Atkins especially when it comes to their opinions about this diet.
Research show that the body will produce the glucose the brain needs. Glucose does not only come from carbohydrates.
One experiment from 1995 on rats showed this to be true (and we who do the diet knows that the mental confusion is rubbish)
Here is the abstract from the 1995 research (published in Neurology)

We measured regional cerebral metabolic rates for glucose and selected cerebral metabolites in rats fed one of the following diets for 6 to 7 weeks1) regular laboratory chow; (2) high-fat, carbohydrate-free ketogenic diet deriving 10% of its caloric value from proteins and 90% from fat; and (3) high-carbohydrate diet deriving 10% of its caloric value from proteins, 78% from carbohydrates, and 12% from fat. In preliminary experiments, we found that moderate ketosis could not be achieved by diets deriving less than about 90% of their caloric value from fat. Rats maintained on the ketogenic diet had moderately elevated blood beta-hydroxybutyrate (0.4 mM) and acetoacetate (0.2 mM), and a five- to 10-fold increase in their cerebral beta-hydroxybutyrate level. Cerebral levels of glucose, glycogen, lactate, and citrate were similar in all groups. 2-Deoxyglucose studies showed that the ketogenic diet did not significantly alter regional brain glucose utilization. However, rats maintained on the high-carbohydrate diet had a marked decrease in their brain glucose utilization and increased cerebral concentrations of glucose 6-phosphate. These findings indicate that long-term moderate ketonemia does not significantly alter brain glucose phosphorylation. However, even marginal protein dietary deficiency, when coupled with a carbohydrate-rich diet, depresses cerebral glucose utilization to a degree often seen in metabolic encephalopathies. Our results support the clinical contention that protein dietary deficiency coupled with increased carbohydrate intake can lead to CNS dysfunction. NEUROLOGY 1995;45: 2261-2265

As you can see the research showed that rats on a carbohydrate diet on the other hand suffered from "mental confustion" because protein is needed to maintain good brain function.