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Is it long for this world?
We here it everywhere now. It seems to have reached it's peak. Even Burger King had a "Atkins Menu" sign on their window today. Burger King is now "low carb"? LOL
But we still haven't seen any long term studies of how sustainable this diet is.
Nancy,
if you read the Atkins book it suggests that its been around for about 25 years.
Interestingly enough there was a documentary show in the UK that used volunteers for 6 months on a variety of diets such as Atkins, Weight watchers, Slimfast etc.
At the end of the period the conclusion was that adherents to each diet lost pretty much the same amount of fat and bodyweight. however those that went on the Atkins diet had a very rapid loss in the early stages whereas the other diets had a slower but steadier weight loss cycle.
Doesn't really answer your question about the long term effects of the low carb diet fad - BUT undoubtedly those that do lose and maintain the weight loss will be a lot better off than if they continue to grow obese and suffer all the ailments associated with that.
Ron :D
good point ron.
i think you can probably lose weight quicker on atkins for sure.
if you do the strict induction and trigger ketosis you will lose weight relatively fast.
but the whole diet is going to become very responsible for misinformation about food.
i now see many atkins offerings being touted as "healthy eating" at restaurants and i don't buy it. eating a n.y.strip with cheese on it and a side of broccoli hardly constitues "eating healthy". that amount of protein can only be useful if major exercise is included.
To Big Boy,
How do you know it's not healthy? Think about the egg. Think about all the controversy around it. The "experts" come up with something new about it every year. I still can't decide if they're bad (to much HDL) or one of the best diet foods out there because of the natural, chromium, inositol and zinc found in them. You can escape the media saying "Americans have been on a low fat diet for the past 25 years, and we're the fattest we have every been." I believe this is true. Something is terribly wrong with our standard diet. Pasta and broccoli hasn't gotten me thin or healthy, basically just made me hungry and craving more, so I'm going for the steak! I’ve been ready the Insulin Resistance Diet. Protien is a must! It makes sense.
i agree that it all make sense logically. but i also tried it several times and failed.
the main reason i failed on low carb is because of how it made me feel.
all the heavy foods left me feeling heavy. when i eat a much lighter type of food like salad i actually feel lighter.
carbs like the carbs in oranges and bananas are getting a bad rap. i mean for anyone its working for, i say great job and keep it up.
but i still thnk fruit, whole grains, vegetables and the like make me feel better on average.
i'm not even really complaining about atkins so much as i am complaining about everyone is going to market atkins to death and change many of the concepts of diet.
cholestoral and high levels of fat are probably stiill considered to be big problems for heart disease. atking is too lenient on fat.
I dont think that i could stick to a diet that limits a lot of foods. I think that the atkins diet limits way to much. It says to stay away from orange juice. I think that is redicules. Who has ever heared of orange juice being bad for you? Not for me. If atkins works for you gofor it but i am staying away.
Good luck to all those who want to try
kiara
High protein diets can be unhealthy due to the damage they can POTENTIALLY cause the kidneys. Not everyone will respond this way. If the Atkins diet is working for you and you feel great (and your doctor concurs), by all means stick with it.
What most people - including doctors and those in the health industry - fear is that many on the Atkins program get far too much fat in their diet. Having a LEAN steak is fine. Getting those vegetables is great. But diving into heavy fatty meal, just because it's also high in protein, day after day, meal after meal, will hurt more than help.
Also, one drawback is that people aren't getting enough vitamins. Vegetables are a good source of nutrition, but many on the Atkins diet don't eat enough of them (and I fear this is because many don't really follow the diet as they should). Also, eliminating healthy fruits is not a good sign. Fruits contain tons of anti-oxidants, which will help in weight loss, aging, fighting cancer and overall health. A diet that recommends low amounts of fruit because of their very natural carb content does worry me.
Still, it's the high-fat portion that gets most people worried. Plus there is concern that once a person starts eating carbs again (if they ever stop following the diet) that the person may regain the weight they lost.
If you are to follow the Atkins diet, please make sure you are following it closely. Don't forget to exercise either. If you are able to incorporate weight-training (even some mild lifting) into your exercise, that will make great use of all that protein you are consuming. Plus, the extra muscles on you will help burn off calories even faster.
if i lost 15 pounds on atkins, i could gain back 10 in one session if i ate some carbs.
that sort of bounce back effect was troublesome to me.
you eat any carbs, even fruits, and your insulin levels spike and you gain a massive amount of weight in a short amount of time.
i heard on the news yesterday that 9 out of 10 dieters who lose all their goal weight go on to gain it back.
any diet that has a big bounce back factor scares me.
i've never tried the atkins diet, mainly because i absolutely love bread, but i think it's a ridiculous diet. now, don't get me wrong, you can lose weight on atkins but the weight loss is mostly water and short term. anytime you cut out any major food group you are going to lose weight because you're not getting the nutrients you need. if you need to lose a lot of weight fast, atkins might be a good idea but over a long period of time i think the best diet is just limiting calories and increasing exercise.
It is all the rage right now.
I simply can't eat that way every day of my life. That was what made the decision to not do Atkins. I followed it for a while (somehow never longer than 3 weeks) I craved carbs so bad! Then I would have them.. and gain weight.
Having an overall healthy diet is a better way for me. if I feel like having some pasta or a piece of bread, I don't want to feel "guilty" for breaking a diet, and my weight doesn't shoot up 15 pounds! :evil:
I know others that have had success with this diet, so I can't speak for others, but just my 2 cents..
It's a high fat, low carb diet called THE SOUTH BEACH DIET, I've been on it for it 1 month and have lost a total of 22 lbs. before that I was doing THE EATING FOR LIFE by Bill Phillips (which isn't a diet) it just teaches you to eat healthier and I had lost 10 lbs. that way as of now I've lost 32 lbs since the beginning of this year.
I'm such a believer of the SB Diet. because like most of you I love my carbs, so with this diet there are 3 phases, phase 1 no carbs, no fruit, no dairy, phase 2 you start incorporating carbs, fruit and dairy back into your diet if you'd like to. I haven't because I learned that I really didn't miss them all that much. I still however crave strawberries, and smoothie's from favorite juice bar. My biggest issue was how do I exercise without any energy so I was like once I got past phase 1, I bought low carb sugar free energy bars and haven't looked back since. If I feel like I'm falling off my diet and I have one bad day I come here and think I'm doing this for a reason.
So try the South Beach Diet and forget Atkins, the only good thing I liked in Atkins was I could have Fried Pork Rinds because they were really low carb almost no fat.
You know.. There are a lot of diets out on the market right now that one will appeal to each one of us. As far as Atkins goes, I have lost 60 + pounds on it last year, and then I went back to eating whatever I wanted (Im an ice cream junkie) and I gained none of the weight back. Im still at 280, and just started doing Atkins again to try and drop 50 more pounds. Granted, the 1st rapid weight loss is definetly from water shed. I have already lost 8#'s this week, but I make sure I drink plenty of water, and do plenty of exercise, mostly cardio. I have tried the low calorie diets to no avail, so this is what works for me. Like anything else, you have to follow it carefully, and not just fly by the seat of your pants and make your own rules. I think thats what happens a lot on most of the diets. People just add a lil here and there till its no longer a diet anymore. Hope whatever diet you pick and follow works for you, and good luck to all...
Glad to hear it worked out for you Umpire88. Keep up the great work.
Thanks Nancy... Will see what happens!!!
Not every diet is for every dieter.
Find what works with your lifestyle for sure. That is the best way to lose weight and keep it off..
Congrats on all of your lost pounds.. keep us posted on how your plan is working out for you! Loser (I mean that in a good way!)
As you know, the FDA is revising the Food Pyramid - guess what, they are cutting the carbs. Since raising them made us all fatter they have seen the error of their ways. Dr. Atkins never recommended people eat fat and protein of any kind - there are actually limits on how much bacon, etc. can be eaten and some carbs are added back in as the diet progresses. It's the people who never read the book, get some small idea of what the diet is and then broadcast their version that give it a bad name. As far as being a fad, 25 years is a long time. Fads are usually over much sooner. It's definitely not for everyone and not for me. I have a personal plan worked up by my nutritionist of my preferences and health issues which is very similar to South Beach. Refined carbs are the culprits, complex are good for us.