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[straydog1980]

i've decided to go back on Atkins, for a couple of months (i need to drop about 40 pounds) and wanted to talk FOOD with you all. You know.... trade secrets and all that jazz. Sometimes eating, or rather finding VARIETY in what to eat is difficult with this diet so I thought I would share my experience, my current diet and see if anyone else has ideas I haven't thought of.

I know this diet is effective for me because I've lost tremendous amounts of weight with it before. In fact I lost about 50 pounds on it 2 years ago. A marriage, and the resulting depression from it's downfall put the weight back on. So.....here I am again!

EDIT 1/26/08 - I WILL ALSO UPDATE THIS THREAD REGULARLY WITH MY RESULTS

WEIGHT AS OF 1/24/2008 = 221 LBS
WEIGHT AS OF 1/26/2008 = 219 LBS
WEIGHT AS OF 1/28/2008 = 217.5 LBS
WEIGHT AS OF 1/30/2008 = 216 LBS
WEIGHT AS OF 2/4/2008 = 215 LBS
WEIGHT AS OF 2/7/2008 = 214 LBS
WEIGHT AS OF 2/12/2008 = 212
WEIGHT AS OF 2/22/2008 = 207
WEIGHT AS OF 3/8/2008 = 203

BODY FAT PERCENTAGE AS OF 2/1/2008 = 25.2%
BODY FAT PERCENTAGE AS OF 2/21/2008 = 22.3%
BODY FAT PERCENTAGE AS OF 2/29/08 = 19.6%
BODY FAT PERCENTAGE AS OF 3/8/2008 = 14.6%

My diet currently:

BREAKFAST

2 hard boiled eggs (2g net carbs)
1 Atkins shake (1g net carbs)
_____________________________
total 20g protein, 3g net carbs

This meal is easy, fast, yummy, and keeps me full until lunch time (high protein). I have no problem eating this every work day. On the weekends I will have bacon, ham, or sausage and eggs.

LUNCH

this meal varies quite a bit, so I will list a few possibilities:

1/2 Roasted Chicken (0g net carbs)

you can find these at virtually any grocery store for between 4 and 5 bucks. I will eat one half of the chicken for a meal, then save the other half for the next day.

Fresh Spinach Salad (2g - 6g net carbs, depending on dressing)

Get yourself a bag of fresh spinach (I like Fresh Express spinach personally), and some fat free dressing (Italian has really low carbs). Eat as much spinach as you like because it's basically a free food and incredibly healthy to boot, the dressing is what adds carbs to this. Fat free italian dressing is good and will generally have 2g carb per serving (2 tablespoons).

Smoked Sausages (0g net carbs)

This is a really yummy meal, but be careful when picking out your sausages as some of them are EXTREMELY high in fat. Granted, Atkins burns fat as energy so a really fatty meal can sometimes effect me like an energy drink :lol , but keep in mind Atkins is not EAT ALL THE FAT YOU WANT AND STILL LOSE WEIGHT diet. You can do it this way but your weight loss will slow down faster and you will be unhealthy when it's all said and done. Plus transferring back to a lower fat diet (and more carbs) when you're off atkins = you shitting your pants out for a solid 3 days. So watch your fat intake still!

DINNER

well, here are some of my favorites:

Steak (0g net carbs)

OMG YES. I can eat steak every day for the rest of my life and this diet lets me do it! Usually I'll select a fairly inexpensive cut such as a ribeye. However, if ribeye's are still expensive to you then get a chuck blade or shoulder roast cut. They are huge pieces of meat, cheap, and delicious when cooked properly! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO GRILL a shoulder roast. Cook this on the stove, in olive oil. Oil up the skillet, herb up the oil, then toss the steak on medium heat once it's good and hot. If the cut is especially thick, cut it in half to aid cooking. Trust me if you do this right it will taste like prime rib and only cost a few bucks.

Chicken (0g net carbs)

not much to say here....just cook it on the stove (i like to broil it sometimes) with some lemon pepper and butter. Yum!

Tuna Wraps (0g net carbs)

this is another one of my favorites. Make yourself some tuna salad (mayo + tuna FTW), but instead of wrapping it in bread, get yourself a head of good Romaine lettuce. Take a leaf off, put a spoonful of tuna salad in it, close it up like a burrito and say hello to Jesus for me cuz you're in heaven. I love it! This is a great snack also when you're home because it's pretty filling and 0g carbs!

SNACKS

ok so what do you snack on? Easy...

you're going to miss potato chips. Their replacement? PORK RINDS. 0g carbs and gives you the "crunch" you WILL miss.

My favorite snack is almonds. Low carb snack, usually only 3g carbs for about 30 almonds. Get a can of smoked almonds, keep them on your desk for when you get a hunger itch. This diet will make you want to eat more often, so you have to find things you can snack on that aren't going to kill your carb intake. Almonds are an atkins staple, IMO.

Now here's a little secret for you, and this one I know not everyone knows. You want coffee? You want a sweet, hot, creamy, coffee beverage?????/ YOU CAN HAVE IT! Took me months to figure this out, finally a kind old Starbucks employee came up with this one for me. Get this... 0g CARBS!!!!

Go into Starbucks and order this, exactly:

"i'd like a breve latte (pronounce bre-vay) with heavy cream instead of half and half, and sugar free (vanilla, hazelnut, caramel) syrup"

This will give you a fantastic, sweet, creamy coffee drink with 0g net carbs. Trust me if you're a coffee drinker, this is going to be critical.




Success on the atkins diet really depends on your dedication to it. If you commit to it, and can make it past the first slump, you will be successful. The most critical point in the diet is usually on day 2 or 3 of your diet. You will get INCREDIBLY tired and start craving carbs like a madman, possibly walking around mumbling things about pasta and bread and generally acting like a zombie. YOU MUST FIGHT THROUGH THIS PERIOD. What is happening is this: your body is used to processing carbohydrates for energy. As you deprive your body of carbohydrates you get really really tired. This is also the point at which your body starts to recognize FAT as energy instead of carbs. Once you cross over this line, eating a fatty meal suddenly ENERGIZES you instead of slowing you down. It's fantastic.

IMO.

 

[Phobophile]

So how do you counteract the high fat and cholesterol?

 

[Numbers]

By not eating carbs?

 

[straydog1980]

So how do you counteract the high fat and cholesterol?

it's possible to do Atkins without being high fat, in fact the official Atkins diet is not a high fat diet. This is a common misconception. While eating high fat isn't going to stop Atkins from working, it isn't the best way to do it. If you look at a lot of my meals you won't find really high fat content (save the snacks, and the sausages).

The last time I did Atkins I made that mistake. I was just eating fat fat fat fat fat all day long, sometimes upwards of 150g of fat a day. And you know what? I still lost almost 50 pounds in 60 days. But it wasn't healthy at all.

You CAN do Atkins and be healthy, imo. That's what I'm trying to do this time around. For example, take my spinach salad. Simple, inexpensive, 0 fat! Almost no carbs, the nutrients from the fresh spinach are enough. My breakfast is probably...12-15g of fat. My lunch is usually between 12-15g, unless I'm eating sausage. My dinner is usually around 20 mark depending on how much butter I am cooking with. I'm really trying to be healthier about it this time around.

And it's still working! I started on monday, and I've lost 2 pounds so far. I imagine I will lose 5 more at least by next Friday. We'll see!

Right now my weight is 221. I'll post in this thread what my weight loss is....

 

[joelseph]

A successful diet is simply eating healthy and exercising.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

In fact I lost about 50 pounds on it 2 years ago. A marriage, and the resulting depression from it's downfall put the weight back on.

What put the weight back on was that you're doing fucking Atkins. It's an unhealthy quick fix that logically just stops working when you stop doing it.

A diet is made up of small lifestyle changes that are so easy to do that they stick with you forever. It is not eating eggs and cheese for dinner, shitting mud, and lowering your lifespan.

 

[Propagandhim]

Why not just eat fewer calories? Fucking easy. I lost 50 lbs by just eating less of what I normally do. I never had to worry about ketosis or shit like that.

 

[AstroLad]

Nice write up straydog. Been through pretty much the same food decisions. I can even add a couple: throw American cheese slices in the the microwave on wax paper for :30-1:30 and they will puff up and get hard and crunchy and basically be like bread. You can use these to make sandwiches, or if you get the sugar-free (1g carb, as you know "sugar free" means jack shit unless it's basically carb-free) ketchup, mini pizzas. Also, these guys have tons of carb-free stuff like Apple Butter, Peanut Butter Spread, etc. that has 0 carbs. Obviously it's basically the Diet Soda equivalent of the real thing, but imo it's all pretty good (but stay away from the salad dressings, bleh): http://www.waldenfarms.com/

A diet is made up of small lifestyle changes that are so easy to do that they stick with you forever. It is not eating eggs and cheese for dinner, shitting mud, and lowering your lifespan.

As a type 1/juvenile diabetic, I actually do a low-carb diet that's quite a bit stricter (<30g of carbs a day, no fast-acting carbs ever) than Atkins, and have done it for the past five years or so: http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com/ (Dr. Bernstein's diet).

I did exhaustive research and it's by far the healthiest diet for most diabetics (and certainly the best for me in terms of my overally health). I never needed any weight loss, and actually I eat enough protein that it hasn't made me overly skinny either.

There's a lot of misinformation out there, and Atkins is certainly an easy target, but all of the recent studies indicate that a truly low-carb diet along the lines of Bernstein's is quite healthy. Obviously if you play the Atkins yo-yo game, that's ridiculously unhealthy (fat+carbs=death); but as a permanent lifestyle choice it can be quite good. I've had several doctors tell me my blood sugar numbers are the best they've ever seen.

 

[monchi-kun]

after experiencing kidney stones i started researching possible causes and high protein diet is a probable cause.

it's indescribable pain i wish upon no one....

how do asian people stay thin with rice/noodles as diet staples?

 

[Orin GA]

Enjoy as your brain eats its ownself without sugar >:|

 

[DarthWaiter]

after experiencing kidney stones i started researching possible causes and high protein diet is a probable cause.

it's indescribable pain i wish upon no one....

how do asian people stay thin with rice/noodles as diet staples?

Because they walk everywhere

 

[rezuth]

Remember that you can die from eating like this.

 

[DarthWaiter]

People need to learn to not eat as much, and if you feel hungry drink a glass of water, and see after that if you are still hungry.

Loosing weight is easy. I've lost alot of weight just eating ice cream.

 

[AstroLad]

Enjoy as your brain eats its ownself without sugar >:|

:lol that's one of my favorite urban legends. With some of the stuff I hear from people, it's truly a miracle I'm still walking after a half decade like this.

 

[way more]

The comments in here are exactly as I expected.

 

[teh_pwn]

So how do you counteract the high fat and cholesterol?

Fat is calorie dense, but digests too slowly to create a calorie surplus that in turn creates body fat. Your body is continually digesting and creating energy. It doesn't have an accountant calculate some sort of surplus of calories at the end of the day and instantaneously make changes in body fat.

All it takes is a temporary surplus. So, for example...you could consume a very sugary large meal once per day and consume fewer calories than you need per day. This could cause a temporary period of fat gain, and then when that's done your body would slow it's metabolism down and eat away at fat and muscle. The end result is that you become a "skinny fat." High body fat percentage, no muscle, no definition, but not too heavy in pounds.


Fat alone won't create this surplus. It requires the insulin boost of carbs to create a surplus. And this is in a nutshell how Atkins works: it prevents any opportunity of your body having a caloric surplus.

It works, but there's really no reason not to add whole fruit and vegetables, because the health benefits are enormous, and the fiber in fruit/veggies slows down digestion and it won't interfere with your goals.

 

[darscot]

Has this no carb crap not died already.

 

[AstroLad]

It works, but there's really no reason not to add whole fruit and vegetables, because the health benefits are enormous, and the fiber in fruit/veggies slows down digestion and it won't interfere with your goals.

Yep, totally agree with this. I think generally low-carb is the ideal diet for diabetics, but not necessarily for the general population. As the general population goes, though, it does have the benefits of being strict and simple, as well as providing the psychological reinforcement of generally quick weight loss results. fwiw, fiber is more or less than only carb I eat (Bernstein is very big on fiber). About 10g a day usually.

 

[teh_pwn]

Has this no carb crap not died already.

Well, no because Atkins does hint at the truth as to why America and soon the world will be overweight: Fine powdery carbs lacking fiber + oil = explosive digestion and perpetual hunger. It is really that simple, it's just Atkins isn't the best solution.

 

[Orin GA]

Really, instead of counting carbs just limit the amout of fruit juice you drink, stop drinking soda, and stop eating foods with refined sugar.

Instead of white bread eat honey wheat, instead of white rice eat brown. Your body and brain need carbs to operate efficiently.

 

[darscot]

Well, no because Atkins does hint at the truth as to why America and soon the world will be overweight: Fine powdery carbs lacking fiber + oil = explosive digestion and perpetual hunger. It is really that simple, it's just Atkins isn't the best solution.

People are overweight because they eat more then they exercise its not brain surgery. People need to stop making excuses and blaming everyone and everythign else but themselves.

 

[teh_pwn]

People are overweight because they eat more then they exercise its not brain surgery. People need to stop making excuses and blaming everyone and everythign else but themselves.

Okay...maybe this is the Soviet Russia approach. Ignorance, accusations, and brute force.

Or, you can be smart about it and comprehend elementary facts about the digestion system and eat fruit, vegetables, meat, nuts, fish, and some more typical foods in moderation and not have to run 5 miles a day to maintain your weight.

I never made excuses, lol. I'm in shape.

 

[acidviper]

Cutting out that high fructose shit is a good idea - I don't think there is any in your diet unless you use BBQ sauce. And exercise with that diet would really help it out.

 

[Grecco]

Even "low fat" its still high in cholesterol stuff like bacon/eggs is crazy everyday.

I tried it for years. Lost tons of weight but it takes its toll. Im now on a candida diet because of the shit i did to my body on atkins.

 

[Gaborn]

Remember that you can die from eating like this.

I'm not a big fan of the Atkins diet, but... you can pretty much die on almost any diet. In fact, I have yet to see the "death free" diet.

 

[ironichaos]

Kinda off-topic, but how does one go about gaining weight without eating unhealthy? More specifically, what are some foods that will help someone who wants to gain muscle mass?

 

[Chichikov]

Kinda off-topic, but how does one go about gaining weight without eating unhealthy? More specifically, what are some foods that will help someone who wants to gain muscle mass?

Milk (note: if you’re in the US you may want to consider organic milk).

Other than that, proteins, usually from dead animals.

 

[Fuzzery]

ugh

 

[straydog1980]

Cutting out that high fructose shit is a good idea - I don't think there is any in your diet unless you use BBQ sauce. And exercise with that diet would really help it out.

yeah I got a gym membership as well and am working out. Hopefully the diet and the workout regimen will get me the results I want.

And for all the people bashing atkins, all I can say is it's effective. And I'm not eating bacon and eggs every day. I have bacon and eggs on saturday and sunday mornings. Every other day of the week I am eating two hardboiled eggs and an atkins shake for breakfast. Exactly how unhealthy is that?

Also, if you take the time to read over what I'm eating, I don't eat a lot of high fat foods. I am following atkins to the way it was intended. Atkins is not an EAT ALL THE FAT YOU WANT diet. People perceive it that way, and unfortunately it still works if you do that, but that is unhealthy and is NOT how I'm doing it.

kthx.

 

[Deleted member 1235]

I remember we had a nutritionist come to the office and educate us about healthy eating/living. We had a rampant atkins fan in the audience who kept 'proving her wrong'

Her facial expression screamed 'oh fuck an atkins guy' it was great.

 

[straydog1980]

I remember we had a nutritionist come to the office and educate us about healthy eating/living. We had a rampant atkins fan in the audience who kept 'proving her wrong'

Her facial expression screamed 'oh fuck an atkins guy' it was great.

lol wat a tool.









































wait.

 

[ChryZ]

Never tried Atkins, but it sounds unbalanced. I prefer to eat any food in moderation depending on its calories/nutritional ratio.

 

[IronicallyTwisted]

The science behind Atkins is solid, its just unhealthy. But then, so is being a fat sack of crap.

 

[Snah]

Nice write up straydog. Been through pretty much the same food decisions. I can even add a couple: throw American cheese slices in the the microwave on wax paper for :30-1:30 and they will puff up and get hard and crunchy and basically be like bread. You can use these to make sandwiches, or if you get the sugar-free (1g carb, as you know "sugar free" means jack shit unless it's basically carb-free) ketchup, mini pizzas. Also, these guys have tons of carb-free stuff like Apple Butter, Peanut Butter Spread, etc. that has 0 carbs. Obviously it's basically the Diet Soda equivalent of the real thing, but imo it's all pretty good (but stay away from the salad dressings, bleh): http://www.waldenfarms.com/



As a type 1/juvenile diabetic, I actually do a low-carb diet that's quite a bit stricter (<30g of carbs a day, no fast-acting carbs ever) than Atkins, and have done it for the past five years or so: http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com/ (Dr. Bernstein's diet).

I did exhaustive research and it's by far the healthiest diet for most diabetics (and certainly the best for me in terms of my overally health). I never needed any weight loss, and actually I eat enough protein that it hasn't made me overly skinny either.

There's a lot of misinformation out there, and Atkins is certainly an easy target, but all of the recent studies indicate that a truly low-carb diet along the lines of Bernstein's is quite healthy. Obviously if you play the Atkins yo-yo game, that's ridiculously unhealthy (fat+carbs=death); but as a permanent lifestyle choice it can be quite good. I've had several doctors tell me my blood sugar numbers are the best they've ever seen.

You know your stuff.

I'm not a diabetic, but I consume a low-carb diet due to it being healthier than a processed food/carbohydrate diet. I'm not overweight or obese, but I prefer having stable glucose levels, preventing insulin resistance and other degenerative diseases associated with it. Having glucose levels that are out of control is a serious health risk, and a low-carb diet normalizes glucose levels better than any out there. What a lot of folks don't properly understand is that all carbohydrates (outside of indigestible fibers) are converted into glucose, whereby the body will secrete insulin to hopefully get rid of any excess amounts circulating in the blood which can be toxic and lethal at high levels.

For some reason fat has a negative stigma associated with it which shouldn't be the case. It won't raise glucose levels and it won't spike your insulin, and it is the body's preferred source of fuel for most functions (which is why your body stores excess energy as fat and not carbs). Fat is also responsible for the proper assimilation of fat-soluble vitamins and there are essential fatty acids, but interestingly enough carbohydrates are not a required human element in the diet. Blood glucose has multiple pathways of creation in the body to maintain them at stable levels and carbohydrates are not required for this process. And, it ultimately makes sense based upon what primitive people ate prior to modern food processing. They largely ate a hunter-gathered diet rich in animal protein and fat, from the Eskimos to the Native Americans; it's an ideal, highly nutritive diet that we are naturally meant to consume.

Also, contrary to popular belief, saturated fat and cholesterol do not cause heart disease. A low-carb diet actually improves most markers of cardiovascular risk; it increases HDL cholesterol, decreases triglycerides (which will SKYROCKET on a high-carb, low-fat diet), normalizes blood sugar levels, and should lower insulin levels. Consumption of dietary cholesterol also does not significantly alter blood cholesterol.

So not only do I get to eat foods like steak, eggs, cheese, sausage, chicken, butter, et. al. without fear, but I also eat them to stay healthy, stave off diabetes and insulin resistance, and consequently get to also have a great source of protein after workouts.

 

[straydog1980]

So not only do I get to eat foods like steak, eggs, cheese, sausage, chicken, butter, et. al. without fear, but I also eat them to stay healthy, stave off diabetes and insulin resistance, and consequently get to also have a great source of protein after workouts.

yes, this is where I'm at. Except for the diabetes part. I guess that's just a bonus lol.

 

[Snah]

yes, this is where I'm at. Except for the diabetes part. I guess that's just a bonus lol.

Don't be scared of fat. Like I said, I consume bacon and eggs on a daily basis and I've never felt better. Human breast milk is mostly fat by caloric volume, and as mentioned before there are essential fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins whereby fat is a requirement. If you're doing a low-carb diet the proper way, you will be consuming a considerable amount of fat. Obviously, if you want to reach weight loss goals, you can lessen the fat but absolutely do not cut it out of your diet entirely...just be sure to keep track of your calories more than anything else.

 

[pubba]

Good luck with your program, straydog. I did a similar diet plan a few years ago and was amazed at how much weight I lost.

The hardest part of the diet is the first 3 days, when you change your body from burning carbs for energy, and start burning your fat reserves instead.

For the first 3 days, I was strictly protein only. Boiled eggs, lean chicken breast, tofu, no bacon (it has weird preservatives and stuff). It's tough getting through the first 3 days, but after that it's a whole lot easier.

It's tough cutting out sugar. Here are some things I did to help out..

* Diet Jelly and fresh whipped cream is a nice desert.
* I used to make those lettuce 'wraps' too. They are great
* I used to eat boiled chinese tea eggs a lot. They had a lot of flavour, but no added sugar.
* Sugar substitutes in my coffee/tea
* Drink HEAPS of water.
* Fibre supplements are a must.

 

[RSTEIN]

First of all, congratulations and I hope you find continued success.

However, I do find myself in the Atkins skeptical camp. Out of the 5 people or so I know that have tried Atkins, not one has been able to stay on the plan. Also, nobody has been able to maintain their diet-low weight.

That being said, a diet that minimizes carbs is essential. The points about sugar in the thread are spot on. America is on a sugar/carb high. Sugar has infiltrated every corner of our diet - whether it be food purchased at your local grocery store or the food you eat at restaurants.

That being said, the extreme rise of carbs and sugar in diets cannot be combated with an extreme reduction of carbs and sugar. It's just not how people work. Moderation and an active lifestyle are key. Do cardio for 20 mins 3/week. Buy some free weights. Combined with low carbs, vitamins, and protein you're sure to lose weight.

 

[Tobor]

Atkins is very healthy and balanced when done properly. I repeat, when done properly, which is where 95% of dumbasses go wrong when they try it.

 

[fatigues_gasolini]

Atkins is very healthy and balanced when done properly. I repeat, when done properly, which is where 95% of dumbasses go wrong when they try it.

You mean my all bacon diet isnt the right way? Dear lord, what am I gonna do without my bacon shakes!?

 

[reggieandTFE]

I'm a vegetarian and even I try to not any processed carbs. I try to stick to fruits, nuts and legumes. Occasionally I'll have some rice, but that's it.

 

[sebmarine]

I'm also a vegetarian and I eat lots of carbs. I've got a good fat reserve but I'm not overweight.

 

[Beavertown]

Atkins is fine when you do it right. And a lot of people don't know, that after you're on it for a while. You start to feel less hungry and end up eating way less than you normally do. Which equals less fat in the long run.

 

[AstroLad]

Some great points in here.

Just as a related matter, most of you are probably familiar with the myth of "sugar-free" products loaded with sugar alcohols and other assorted goodies. There's a great Slate article about it, and low-carb eating, as well. One of the biggest scams going in nutritional labeling (aside from the fact that food labels need only be accurate within 20%, which gets about ZERO press coverage).

A Carb Is a Carb Is a Carb
The misleading marketing of packaged low-carb products.

A handful of papers published in the last two years suggest that patients on low-carb regimens—defined as diets that restricted carbs to fewer than 20 grams or fewer than 30 grams per day, depending on the study—lost more weight during the first six months than did their counterparts on reduced-fat plans. (Weight loss generally leveled off after the first six months.) Surprisingly, members of the low-carb groups also tended to have better blood lipid profiles at the six-month and one-year marks: They showed greater decreases in blood triglycerides, which are a risk factor for heart disease, as well as greater increases in HDLs, high-density lipoproteins or "good cholesterol," which helps to prevent the arteries from clogging....."One can no longer dismiss low-carbohydrate dieting as fad," asserted an overview published this summer in Journal Watch Cardiology. Low-carb diets may also offer benefits for people with diabetes. For a variety of reasons, then, many academic physicians have come to like—or are at least reluctant to dismiss—the low-carb approach.
....
The most deceptive marketing trick has been the focus on "net carbs," a quantity often featured prominently on product labels. Net carbs (also called effective carbs or net impact carbs) means total carbohydrate content minus any carb or carblike substances that have a "minimal impact" on blood sugar—and, implicitly, on weight gain. Such substances may include fiber (found, for instance, in whole grains) as well as sweeteners called sugar alcohols. This is where things get problematic. Sugar alcohols (xylitol, maltitol, sorbitol) are structurally similar to their carbohydrate cousins but have an increased number of hydrogen atoms, which, in chemical terms, renders them "hydrogenated" or "reduced"; as a result, they are processed somewhat differently by the body. (For a complete rundown of various sugar alcohols, including some differences in absorption pathways, click here.)

Consider maltitol, one of the most popular (and, not incidentally, cheapest) sugar alcohols. Maltitol is not absorbed in the small intestine as regular carbohydrates are; instead, it passes undigested into the large intestine where it is fermented by intestinal bacteria, producing carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and small fatty acids. (This process, as well as its byproducts, can cause all manner of gastrointestinal distress.) The fatty acids are then absorbed across the lining of the large intestine into the bloodstream—and, ultimately, can be broken down for energy, stored as fat, or converted to other molecular forms, including glucose. In other words, eating maltitol can increase the amount of glucose in your bloodstream, albeit indirectly; it can raise your blood sugar—as many diabetics have now discovered. It is thus misleading to make "net carb" claims that exclude all sugar alcohols. Some experts believe that the issue is so confusing that net carb marketing in general should be prohibited. In addition, dieters might be surprised to learn that most sugar alcohols have a caloric impact that is not insignificant: While maltitol may contribute fewer calories than regular carbs do—approximately 2 kilocalories per gram rather than 4 kilocalories per gram—its caloric count is plainly not zero.

Ultimately, the more technical food claims become—the more shopping for snacks seems to resemble shopping for pharmaceuticals—the savvier we as consumers need to become. However, considering this country's tortured relationship to food, and government's stated desire to address rampant obesity, it is a shame that the FDA has not stepped in to regulate misleading claims—that it is, to use Liebman's words, "abdicating its responsibility." It is particularly ironic that this explosion of claims and products threatens to undermine the low-carb approach to dieting just as it has begun to prove itself in reliable clinical trials.

http://www.slate.com/id/2109384

 

[demon]

So how do you counteract the high fat and cholesterol?

absolutely nothing wrong with high fat, in fact it's good if you're trying to lose weight, as long as it's healthy fats. And the real causes of high serum cholesterol are different from what people used to (and still do) think. ie "eat lots of eggs and your cholesterol will skyrocket!" = bullshit. In fact, a lot of what nutritionists have been telling us for decades is pure bullshit. One of them being that grain is one of the most essential parts of our diet. yeah uh....no.

Why not just eat fewer calories? Fucking easy. I lost 50 lbs by just eating less of what I normally do. I never had to worry about ketosis or shit like that.

low-carb diets can be more efficient, and they're certainly the only option lots of people who are trying to get rid of their last layer of fat have. I tried a simply "low calorie" diet a couple times and all I lost was muscle. Only time it was worth it was when I was pudgy and first started exercising.

I don't know about using Atkins/low-carbs as a permanent weight loss solution, but I know it'd be my best bet if I wanted to shed some fat pounds for a six-pack for the summer/a beach vacation/whatever. Merely cutting my calories just doesn't do it.

 

[Wraith]

I have a couple of questions about low-carb diets and weight lifting. Assuming you are lifting 3-5 times a week, doesn't a super low-carb diet affect your workouts? I mean, aren't your glycogen levels always relatively low on this? Also, what do you do for your post-workout shake? You'd have to throw the whey+high-GI carb shake out the window.

 

[Snah]

I have a couple of questions about low-carb diets and weight lifting. Assuming you are lifting 3-5 times a week, doesn't a super low-carb diet affect your workouts? I mean, aren't your glycogen levels always relatively low on this? Also, what do you do for your post-workout shake? You'd have to throw the whey+high-GI carb shake out the window.

If you are properly adapted, a low-carb diet should not effect your workout. We are physiologically meant to consume fat and protein as our dietary staples. Other animals that require strenuous feats of labor also do not have any requirement for carbs, such as strict carnivores like Cheetahs, yet they manage to do this on a near 0 carb diet.

Glycogen levels in the body are not particularly large, so you can still consume a low-carb diet and they will be maintained. Also, if you're eating a low-carb diet, most fruits and veggies are allowed so long as you don't go absolutely overboard on the fruits. Most normal sized portions of fruit doesn't have a huge number of carbs, so if you have a few pieces a day that will only amount to maybe 30-45 grams at most, which is still considered low-carb and will help you maintain glycogen if you're that concerned.

Also, you don't necessarily have to throw the whey+high GI carb shake out the window. This is a period where your body is really sensitive to insulin, and I know a lot of low-carb bodybuilders and diet gurus like anthony colpo recommend to take shakes after your workout in order to refill glycogen levels and stimulate protein synthesis.

 

[monchi-kun]

Can anyone help me find more information regarding Atkins and people who are prone to Kidney stones?

here's what i found so far as the top google hit:

American Kidney Fund on April 25, 2002
http://www.kidneyfund.org/AboutAKF/Newsroom_020425.htm

The American Kidney Fund is the leading national voluntary health organization providing direct financial assistance for the benefit of kidney patients supported by comprehensive educational programs, clinical research and community service projects.

(Rockville, MD) The American Kidney Fund (AKF) is warning Americans about popular high-protein diets for weight loss. The diets place such a significant strain on the kidneys that even conditioned athletes can become dehydrated, according to researchers at the University of Connecticut.

AKF Chairman of Medical Affairs Paul W. Crawford, MD said, "We have long suspected that high-protein weight loss diets could have a negative impact on the kidneys, and now we have research to support our suspicions. Dehydration forces the kidneys to work harder to clean toxins from the blood. Kidneys not only filter the blood, but they help regulate blood pressure and the number of red blood cells."

The researchers studied five fit endurance runners who consumed a low, then a medium, and finally a high-protein diet. During the high-protein phase, the runners consumed about 30% of their total calories from foods such as eggs, steak, and so-called "power bars". Blood tests showed that increasing the protein intake led to a progression toward dehydration, and that a greater strain was placed on the kidneys due to the excessive amount of protein.

"Increased protein intake leads to a build-up of nitrogen in the blood. The nitrogen ends up at the kidney in the form of urea, where it needs to be cleaned from the blood and gotten rid of in the urine," explained Dr. Crawford. "The resulting increase in urination can cause dehydration, further straining the kidneys," he added.

In otherwise healthy individuals, a protein intake of no more than 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight was recommended by the researchers in order to avoid negative long-term effects. Dr. Crawford also discussed the risk that bodybuilders take in eating high-protein diets while building muscle. He noted, "Bodybuilders could be predisposing themselves to chronic kidney disease because hyperfilteration (the strain on the kidneys) can produce scarring in the kidneys, reducing kidney function."

"Chronic kidney disease is not to be taken lightly, and there is no cure for kidney failure. The only treatments are kidney dialysis and kidney transplantation. This research shows that even in healthy athletes, kidney function was impacted and that ought to send a message to anyone who is on a high-protein weight loss diet," concluded Dr. Crawford.

I read this and basically Atkins + keeping hydrated seems the way to go?

 

[Snah]

Can anyone help me find more information regarding Atkins and people who are prone to Kidney stones?

here's what i found so far as the top google hit:



I read this and basically Atkins + keeping hydrated seems the way to go?

Atkins isn't a low-fat, low-carb, high-protein diet.

Protein intake is adequate, meaning anywhere between 1-2 grams per pound of bodyweight, depending on activity level.

The rest of your calories are consumed primarily through fat, namely saturated and monounsaturated fats found in meats, butter, olive oil, etc.

This "research" doesn't make much sense to me. If you're eating whole foods, this shouldn't be a problem.

The problem is when people consume excessively high protein diets in the area of 400-500+ grams a day (some people actually do this).

 

[Kintaco]

Thanks OP, I'm going to try this out. I've done it before and lost some weight but I really didn't put too much effort into it. I'm going to take your suggestions here. I need to lose some weight by July.