A couple more questions for the sake of reasearch...

[JulieB]

Re: A couple more questions for the sake of reasearch...

I might have participated, but you didn't specify how long a person had to be on the diet in order to qualify. I've only been on 8 days - didn't think that would help your data.

[SunnySmile501]

Re: A couple more questions for the sake of reasearch...

Incidentally, my myriad doctors at UVA Medical Center, Charlottesville, fully approve what I have done while doing Atkins. I had kidney problems (renal insufficiency) BEFORE Atkins, which has completely resolved in the three plus years on Atkins. Because of severe health problems, I have complete blood work ($2,000 worth) done every 90 days.

I am seen at UVA sometimes 15 to 20 times a month by pain management, neurology, physical medicine, endocrinology and Gastroenterology.

I've had so many MRI's, CT scans, EEG's, EMG's, swallowed so many cameras, I should glow in the dark. With all this testing they would find anything "dangerous" that was happening since I have been doing Atkins going on four years. The med students, interns and fellows are in awe of how much my health has improved in that time.

Ketosis is a normal bodily function. Ketones are the choice of energy for the brain. I have spent the last year doing real research and writing a book to dispel the myths out there. If you Google "ketosis" you will pull up several medical studies that will give you the truth.

[SunnySmile501]

Re: A couple more questions for the sake of reasearch...

Take the time to read this:

http://www.low-carb.org.uk/3rdweekstall.htm

Low Carb in the UK

Why has my weight loss stopped after the 3rd week? Explaining the Weight Loss Pattern on Low Carb

Written by Jan Jackson in May 2001, It just got reposted to the main list. I have been meaning to write something on this for ages.. so, I will just recycle instead!
The Atkins 2 Week induction phase:- heady stuff, weight loss nearly every day, usually enormous and unbelievable amounts!

This is very often followed by complaints of "a stall" or only losses of "just 1lb per week".

Many people don't know that weight loss is rate limited, in other words the body has factors preventing more than a certain amount to be released from storage and even more factors that prevent these released fatty acids from being used up instead of stored back in the cells.

This is called the set point principle.

The priority of the human body is survival, anything that threatens that results in a cascade of events to maintain the previous status quo.

Water fluctuations are one way the body protects itself.z During induction you may have lost 10lbs during 2 weeks, possibly 7lbs 1st week and 3lbs 2nd, then weeks 3& 4 - no loss! & weeks 5&6 only 1/2lbs each- so what's happening?

Initially the body jettisons your carb-burning enzymes whilst building fat-buring ones(around 3lbs), and the water attached to the glycogen stores that we diligently deplete to get into BDK. This amounts to 3-5 lbs water. In addition muscle stores of glycogen are not being replaced when used, which will account for most of the rest of your losses. All in all maybe 0.5lbs fat metabolised during 1st week & maybe same 2nd, so only 1lb fat lost, but 9lbs water and enzymes.

The body senses this diuretic effect, and the sirens go off, 'WARNING! Water loss occurring... New thing! get back to status quo!!"

The Brain tells body to produce vasosuppression antidiuretic hormone - more water is retained and so, no weight loss is registered on the scale.

Fat loss is still occurring however- maybe 2lbs per week- because BDK is firmly established and appetite suppression is in effect- but water is hiding that weight loss.

The body is preventing dehydration and that is a Good Thing. However, from the perspective of the scale this can be very discouraging, and why we all say "Get the tape measure out!"

Which is why the mantra 'Water retention hides weight loss' is helpful!! Water retention will mask ongoing weight loss for as long as the body retains the water.

We can combat this by drinking more water but we can't overcome this natural mechanism during the initial water loss phase of Atkins.

By week 5&:6 things start to get back into balance and the scale will begin to reflect true weight loss - which is still rate limited.

Individuals vary but max weight loss runs to about 2lbs per week- under extreme optimal conditions or 1% of body weight whichever is the lowest number. THE TAKE HOME MESSAGE: EVEN WHEN SCALE IS IN STALL- FAT LOSS CAN BE OCCURING. DONT USE SCALE AS AN EXCUSE TO UNDERMINE YOU PROGRESS!! GET THAT TAPE MEASURE OUT!



Copyright © 2000 Nikola Howard. All rights reserved.

[not2late]

Re: A couple more questions for the sake of reasearch...

Hi research.

I don't think you'll get a good grade on this paper. Or at least if you went to the college I graduated from, you wouldn't. Here's why:

2 nutrition books and a questionaire on an Atkins support site isn't even marginally "thorough" research.

Your primary sources should be the Atkins books, the various medical and nutritional professional journal studies about ATkins/low carb diets; the various medical and nutritional profession journal studies on lipolyis, ketosis, obesity, weight loss, etc.; human physiology textbooks; and human nutrition textbooks. If you could interview a low carb expert, that information could be used as a primary source.

You should be directly citing that material. Whatever information you gleen from here or your questionaire as supporting data only.


Regarding your questionaire, you need to tighten it up.

You don't ask for the sex of your respondents.
You don't ask for a personal medical history of diabetes, heart disease, etc.
You don't ask if they tried other weight loss diets.
You don't ask if they have read the Atkins book.
You don't ask if they followed the 2 week Induction as prescribed by the book.

Those are just a few things wrong with your questionaire.

[Slapshot]

Re: A couple more questions for the sake of reasearch...

For what it's worth, this really isn't a research paper (or shouldn't be). It's for a technical writing course - entirely different animal than a classic "research paper." Technical writing is vastly different from what it seems the OP is trying to accomplish. (Think of a manual for disassembling a car engine...)

I'm not even sure how a paper on Atkins would even fit into a technical writing course, but what do I know...

[mitzimarie]

Re: A couple more questions for the sake of reasearch...

Hi research.

I don't think you'll get a good grade on this paper. Or at least if you went to the college I graduated from, you wouldn't. Here's why:

2 nutrition books and a questionaire on an Atkins support site isn't even marginally "thorough" research.

Your primary sources should be the Atkins books, the various medical and nutritional professional journal studies about ATkins/low carb diets; the various medical and nutritional profession journal studies on lipolyis, ketosis, obesity, weight loss, etc.; human physiology textbooks; and human nutrition textbooks. If you could interview a low carb expert, that information could be used as a primary source.

You should be directly citing that material. Whatever information you gleen from here or your questionaire as supporting data only.


Regarding your questionaire, you need to tighten it up.

You don't ask for the sex of your respondents.
You don't ask for a personal medical history of diabetes, heart disease, etc.
You don't ask if they tried other weight loss diets.
You don't ask if they have read the Atkins book.
You don't ask if they followed the 2 week Induction as prescribed by the book.

Those are just a few things wrong with your questionaire.

Excellent points, Megs! I can't imagine that researchstudent will come anywhere close to being able to turn in a decent paper.

By researchstudent:

"Here is the thesis of my paper. (Remember I'm still in rough draft)

In examination of the Atkins Diet, my research will answer the following six questions: (1) Who created the Atkins diet? (2) How does one follow the Atkins diet? (3) What are the health benefits of the Atkins diet? (4) What are the health risks of the Atkins diet? (5) What are the health opinions of the dieters who are on the Atkins diet? (6) What is the medical opinion of the diet? "


With all due respect, it is going to take real research to be able to answer these questions. May I ask how/where you are going to get the information to these questions? The only questions above, that the responses you received on this board could satisfy is #5.

Megs gave you some excellent pointers to follow, if you are serious about getting a good grade. I am very curious... why did you pick the Atkins plan to do a research paper on, if you are on Weight Watchers... why didn't you do it on the Weight Watchers plan? It would be a lot easier to write about that, I would think. They pretty much ascribe to the notion that a "calorie is a calorie". Atkins has science and physiology involved... it's not as simplistic as counting calories or points.

And I really don't mean to add stress to your life... I'm just concerned.

[researchstudent]

Re: A couple more questions for the sake of reasearch...

Thank to all who anwered my questions in the most honest way could you were more help than you will ever know.
As for some people who are still skeptical of what I'm doing go on ahead and be skeptical. My grammar is none of your concern. This is a message board not an English Class shouln't matter matter here. And like I told you I have not spell checked my paper yet and have documeted dyslexia. Or would you like to see my LD papers too. You areadly know where I live and where I go to school.
Mitzimarie and SunnySmile501, you all are just being plain mean to me now. I got the info I needed for my paper and I won't be back. I'll be sure to mention what assholes you were to me in my conclusion of my paper.

[researchstudent]

Re: A couple more questions for the sake of reasearch...

Listen, It wansn't much of a class because she posted the whole semeter online. Tuesday will be the second time we have met in a classroom and thats to give our presentations to the class. We wrote resumes, memos, letters, instruction manuals, and this is the final paper to be written in APA which is what I'm working, Along with two other papers for two other classes.

[researchstudent]

Re: A couple more questions for the sake of reasearch...

I have more research materials than what I have told you. I have medical journal articles, magazine articles, and couple of more books than what I have mentioned. My paper will be fine I don’t need a very good grade on this anyway. I could fail it and still make a C and at this point that’s all I’m looking for in that class But thanks for you concern.

[researchstudent]

Re: A couple more questions for the sake of reasearch...

It's alright for the time I was told to write the paper, It would be impossible for anyone collect enough data. She only gave two weeks because she was trying to decide on a exam or a paper as the final. Along, with a portfolio of all the work we did for her corrected with her suggestions.

[Kathi22]

Re: A couple more questions for the sake of reasearch...

Lighten up everyone, I am exhausted from reading all of this. Reasearch, whether you are doing a paper or not, don't defend your spelling or lack thereof; none of us are perfect nor should we make anyone feel inferior or dumb for spelling errors. Who cares if this is real or not. Call me bitchy today, but this is just ridiculous.

[imagood1]

Re: A couple more questions for the sake of reasearch...

Thank you so much for calling us "assholes" -- I was one of the first to answer your questions as truthfully as I could. I was hoping to get some good press about Atkins out to the public for a change but from your comments I was sadly mistaken.

I am 51 years of age not over 65 - my kidneys are better now than before I started Atkins, my diabetes has gone from "uncontrolled" to "controlled" since I started and my cholesterol is better than it has been in 10 years. I am also exercising for the first time in years. I feel this is the best way of living my life I could have ever found.

It's sad you will add to the disparaging of Atkins because we are skeptical of your questions -- if you believed in a program as much as we do, had the success many of us have had but the program had so much bad press you would be skeptical also.

BTW I was never diagnosed with dyslexia because when I was in school that wasn't a term anyone used....but I have learned to overcome my reading problem. I hope you don't use it as an excuse in the future but learn to overcome it. Good luck to you.

[momonmission99*]

Re: A couple more questions for the sake of reasearch...

Lighten up everyone, I am exhausted from reading all of this. Reasearch, whether you are doing a paper or not, don't defend your spelling or lack thereof; none of us are perfect nor should we make anyone feel inferior or dumb for spelling errors. Who cares if this is real or not. Call me bitchy today, but this is just ridiculous.

I agree. It's really not supportive at all.
If she immediately stated she was doing it to go against the benefits of atkins, then I would understand attitude. She hasn't said anything bad.
I just don't see a reason to blatantly attack her for every little thing.
We're all here to support and this is the exact opposite. It's kind of disheartening. I know we're not supposed to hold hands and sing kumbya, but we could all be a little more kind to each other.

You've all been wonderful to me. I'm not trying to attack or cause upset, I just think that we could be a little nicer.

[Koober101]

Re: A couple more questions for the sake of reasearch...

reasearchstudent,

You said you will not be back, Is that a promise ?
I think it's all a joke so I never got involved with you.

Also, if you continue to call members here A**H****
I think I know a way to help you keep your not coming
back statement.

See ya,

[SunnySmile501]

Re: A couple more questions for the sake of reasearch...

Lighten up everyone, I am exhausted from reading all of this. Reasearch, whether you are doing a paper or not, don't defend your spelling or lack thereof; none of us are perfect nor should we make anyone feel inferior or dumb for spelling errors. Who cares if this is real or not. Call me bitchy today, but this is just ridiculous.

I care if it's "real" or not. I am severely disabled, but spend a lot of time on here trying to help people trying to be a success at doing Atkins. I don't appreciate being played with. I spent considerable time giving accurate answers. She totally blew off our answers and bungled the interpretation of the questionnaire. She doesn't even care if she gets a good grade.

This is an Atkins diet support website. We don't have to be a part of a poorly done research project whereby we come out looking like what the public perceives Atkins to be. If she had stated that this was just a lark for her, we could have saved our time to help someone doing Atkins.