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Atkins

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by budcrew08, Jul 1, 2008.

  1. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    If you want to lose 10-15 pounds in two weeks, it's a fantastic way to get started. It's a hell of a lot better than eating dry toast and grapefruits and losing two pounds a week.

    The diet is really strict, but it works really well.
     
  2. Diabeetus

    Diabeetus Active Member

    My dad started on Atkins and switched to South Beach. He's lost 70 pounds in about a year and a half, and he's finally getting to the point where he's able to be active and get some exercise again. He plans on going to a more balanced diet once he's to the point where he is able to do it regularly.
     
  3. HC

    HC Well-Known Member

  4. forever_town

    forever_town Well-Known Member

    Maybe so, but it still doesn't discount his being a fucking quack.
     
  5. ServeItUp

    ServeItUp Active Member

    Thanks for mentioning South Beach, 'Beetus. It is a low-carb, high-protein diet that does not totally eliminate carbs from the diet because the body does need them. My brother-in-law has been on South Beach for years, running marathons and finishing two Ironman triathlons as well, which tells me it's for real.

    Atkins just seems too odious and not the least bit heart-healthy but I won't quibble if it's worked for you.
     
  6. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    Again, Atkins does not eliminate carbs from your diet! If you can ingest 69,945 carbs a day and maintain your weight, you're good.
     
  7. Jay Sherman

    Jay Sherman Member

    Atkins works, but it sucks. Just monitor your calorie intake, exercise, and cut down on crappy foods. I'm about to start a diet and lose 15 pounds. I've done it a few times over the past few years and it works every time. Maybe I'm not the poster child because I can turn off my temptations like a light switch.
     
  8. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    If you are overweight, or worse obese, from a health standpoint, anything that makes you lose weight is more healthy than what you are currently doing. So if you lower your body weight on Atkins it is typically going to be a good thing. The benefit from losing weight--no matter how you do it--is often going to outweigh (no pun intended) the negatives from the methods you used.

    The problems with the diet are several, though. From a long-term, lifestyle, living healthy perspective, complex carbohydrates (not all carbs are equal) are GOOD for you and they do NOT make you pack on weight. Branched complex carbs (usually cellulose from plants--your veggies) are not easily digestible the way simple carbs--or simple starches--are. The typical American diet turned very starchy in the middle of the last century as processed, bleached flour and sugary type foods became prevalent. And those kinds of foods are relatively empty calories and make you pack on weight. Complex carbs are always significant sources of nutrients and dietary fiber, though, that are just good for the functioning of your body. And from a health perspective, you eed them to be a substantial part of your diet, in order to thrive. They reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and are good for your digestive system.

    Your body needs protein and it is a very important food component because proteins are the building blocks of every part of your body. But it is just not meant to be the bulk of your diet and in fact it probably stresses some body systems when you way overdo it. Diets that are more than 30 percent protein have been shown to cause buildups of toxic ketones, which tax your kidneys. The paradox is that in the short term, if you shock your body with a diet like that, a ketongenic diet puts your kidneys into overdrive and you lose a significant amount of water -- particularly if you are exercising heavily. The water loss shows up on the scale as weight loss. Of course that isn't sustainable. The negatives are not worth it, though: the strain on your kidneys; it's bad for your heart. And it can make you feel weak and dizzy and lead to other problems (the smelly egg burps my friend who was a wrestler used to let loose when I was in high school).

    Your body needs fats, too, but fats in excess are the most unhealthy food component--especially saturated and trans fatty acids which clog your heart. If you go on a diet like atkins and start changing a high-fat diet into a higher protein diet, it can be a really good thing. But if you are getting more than 20 or 30 percent of your calories from protein and you are sacrificing carbohydrates--which are not as bad for you as fats--you are going to end up creating a host of other problems for yourself.

    And importantly, the weight loss isn't sustainable. Your body needs complex carbs to function well. I don't know a ton about Atkins, but my perception is that it JUST tries to limit carbs, so they will have someone eating fatty foods in excess. That is just plain bad for you. Bad for your heart, bad for your life expectancy. The reason that what HC linked to shows that weight watchers has the best long-term results, is that weight watchers isn't just about shedding pounds quickly. It's about creating a sensible diet that is sustainable. And as hard as people make this--because in large part it is a will power thing that means you have to avoid a lot of things that taste good and are almost like food opiates and concentrate on things that aren't food weaknesses--it isn't brain surgery. If you get enough protein in your diet, cut out saturated and trans fats and limit your fat intake overall as much as you can (you will naturally get enough fat in your diet eating healthy foods) and allow the bulk of your diet to be complex carbs (not sugary things or foods filled with bleached flour, but instead green, leafy vegetables and the like), you will not only lose weight, you will be able to sustain it. And even more important than the feeling good about your weight, you will be taking care of your body and giving yourself your best chance at good health.

    That should be equally important, shouldn't it?
     
  9. fishwrapper

    fishwrapper Active Member

    That wasn't your original statement. And, your latest one is at the very least jejune.
     
  10. ArnoldBabar

    ArnoldBabar Active Member

    PW wins the thread, and in a first-round knockout! Impressive.

    It absolutely works, but hardly anyone can do it long-term. It's so limiting, you eventually go crazy. If that crazy leads you to rebel and eat crap (which is usually what I did), what you accomplished will be quickly undone. But if you transition into a sensible diet, Atkins is a great kickstart.
     
  11. Frank_Ridgeway

    Frank_Ridgeway Well-Known Member

    If anyone, even a doctor, knew for sure about any of this, we wouldn't keep seeing new diet books every year. This would be settled. I don't see that Atkins was any more of a quack than any other diet doc. I don't see how one could rationally argue that he was.

    I found it worked well if combined with light exercise, even walking a mile or two a few times a week. I dropped 40 initially about eight years ago and never gained ALL of it back, but at one point gained about three-quarters of it back. Temptation was not the problem -- I liked the diet and missed rice, bread, pasta and fries less than I thought I would -- but social obligations make it very difficult, and if you can't be consistent, it's really not worth doing. If you keep bouncing on and off it like I did, it will stop being effective even if you finally get back to an extended time on it.

    At the low point I weighed about what I weighed in my mid-20s (was wearing some of the same clothes, in fact) and was maybe a little too thin. I'm 18 pounds over that now and would like to drop 5-8 pounds. I'll do it the slow, hard way -- not much sugar (Splenda), no bedtime snacks. No knock on Atkins, but I've been off it for nearly two years and have fluctuated within about a 10-pound range during that time, which is OK and has not necessitated any alterations to clothing. I have pants in two waist sizes, and as a practical matter my perfect weight is when both sizes are wearable. I'm about five pounds from that now.

    I think Atkins was the answer at the time. I was probably about five pounds from needing to go up a pants size, and Atkins reversed the trend. In my opinion, that's what it's good for -- when you want to draw the line and say, this is the most I'll ever blimp up.
     
  12. budcrew08

    budcrew08 Active Member

    Thanks for all the help, guys... I knew SportsJournalists.com would come through for me for a good debate on the subject. Keep the opinions coming.
     
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