1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Yeah, so Dr. Atkins was right ...

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Dick Whitman, Sep 2, 2014.

  1. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Study - and this isn't the first one - shows that low-carb, high fat and protein diet is the way to go:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/health/low-carb-vs-low-fat-diet.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSumSmallMediaHigh&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

    With all the blame put on high portion sizes, I wonder how much the American obesity epidemic can actually be traced to poor diet advice by people who are supposed to be trustworthy on the topic. I used to be pretty fat. In the early 2000s, at the height of the Atkins Diet craze, I cut back on carbs. Not to Atkins recommendations, but as a general lifestyle change. That was 70 pounds ago.

    Before that, when I'd try to lose weight, I'd start eating lots of pasta, bread, and cereal. Low-fat!
     
  2. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    Low fat isn't the thing, but Atkins isn't necessary either.

    You body needs carbs.

    Avoiding sugar is more critical.
     
  3. cranberry

    cranberry Well-Known Member

    Yeah, too many people go overboard in one direction or the other. Eliminate or greatly reduce simple carbs but absolutely make sure you get sufficient complex carbs.
     
  4. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    I guess the idea would be that what qualifies as "sufficient" is a lot less than people probably think.
     
  5. MisterCreosote

    MisterCreosote Well-Known Member

    There's a whole industry built around telling people they can lose weight while never actually eating less.
     
  6. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Or exercising.

    That's the biggest one I see.

    "Lose 100 pounds while never lifting one fat fucking finger!"

    In fact, there's an entire industry built around the (insane) idea that it's better to exercise lightly or moderately than intensely.

    Occasionally, even my wife will say something like, "You know, you lose more weight walking than running."

    Uh ... come again?
     
  7. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    That's 100% true.

    Portion size is critical, and what people think of as "moderation" often isn't.

    You want "healthy" fats, and complex carbs. And, it's really important to eat nutrient dense food and avoid empty calories.

    And, if you're truly looking to lose weight, it has to be a combination of eating right and exercising. If you're exercising, you want to be smart about that too. You need to work out hard to get your heart rate up, and you'll want to do more than just cardio. If you lift weights -- and don't use the 2lb dumbbells -- you will build lean muscle and burn more calories than if you just do cardio.
     
  8. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    This is supposedly a myth, though, i.e. the, "Muscle burns fat" idea.
     
  9. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    My wife started working as a personal trainer in March. One of her clients went from 250lbs to 190lbs in four months -- just in time for his high school reunion -- by eating better, and working out really hard. It's been life changing for him, and he didn't starve himself. In fact, he's a chef, loves wine, and is very social, so he's out and/or entertaining all the time, so eating right every tough for him.

    It has to be a combination of both.

    What is disconcerting is that some trainers see nutritional supplements on the side to make additional money. It's all of these multi-level marketing scams that you see.

    People are vulnerable, and they want to believe it's easy, or that it can be quick.

    It's not, and it won't be, if you want to do it right.

    And, if you want to keep wright off, it has to be a lifestyle change, not a diet. You can't learn to eat right if you're using "meal replacements" instead of eating sensible meals.
     
  10. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    If you lift heavy, you get you heart rate up into the fat burning zone, and with the "after burn" you can continue to burn calories for hours more. if you use a hear rate monitor, you can pretty much see this happen.
     
  11. HC

    HC Well-Known Member

    I've been weighing, measuring and tracking everything I eat for the past 6 years to maintain my current weight which is 90 lbs less than I used to weigh but still not at goal. I've been on a plateau for the past 4 years.

    This summer I spent 6 weeks working in France on an island off the Brittany coast. Lived in a very small town so walked everywhere and ate what I wanted. I ate more white bread and butter in the those 6 weeks than in the last 10 years. Ate beautiful pastries (especially pain au raisin) and didn't track a single thing.

    I gained not a single ounce. So now I'm back to weighing and measuring and wondering if I'm wasting my time.
     
  12. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    OK, thanks. That's a different concept than the one I often hear repeated, about metabolism and muscle.
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page