ISBN: 1590770021
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Summary: A book that puts you right into the action
I tried Atkins Diet for two weeks with good results of weight loss. But I realized that I cannot have the strong will required to maintain it. I went back to NORMAL food. Soon, I gained it all faster than I lost. In fact I am sceptical about trying any other diets that are strictly focused on losing weight.
Summary: The truth about the world's most famous, most glamorous and most controversial diet.
When Dr Atkins first launched his diet, he was accused of breaking one of the most fundamental laws of nature. If you eat more, you'll get fatter. People also said it could kill you. Fat increases your cholesterol levels. You'll get a heart attack. The only problem was that people who followed the Atkins diet got thinner. While the rest of us got fatter. Then came studies showing that cholesterol levels can actually improve on the Atkins diet. The Atkins diet recommends a limit of 20g of carbohydrate each day for the initial 14-day induction phase. This is a very small amount; for example, a banana contains about 22g. So in this phase, the diet consists of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, a small amount of salad and vegetables, butter and oil. Carbohydrate-containing foods such as fruit, many vegetables, bread, cereals, rice, potatoes, pasta, cakes, biscuits, sugar, milk and yogurt should be avoided.
The next phase is the ongoing weight-loss phase which allows about 40g of carbohydrate a day. So dieters are allowed some fruit, and more vegetables and nuts. Only sugar-free drinks are allowed. When your target weight is reached, you can slightly increase your intake of carbohydrate until your weight stabilises, but the diet recommends not going over 90g of carbohydrate a day. During the induction phase of a low-carbohydrate Atkins diet, some people do experience side effects including constipation, halitosis, fatigue and headaches.
In terms of risks, there is concern that because fat intake is often increased on low-carbohydrate diets, changes in blood lipids may increase the risk of coronary heart disease. There has also been concern that high protein intake would put extra strain on the kidneys. But although high-protein diets would not be recommended for people with kidney problems, no short term effects were seen in the healthy individuals that took part in the Atkins diet trials study.
The Atkins diet is nutritionally restrictive, and vitamin and mineral supplements are advised while on the diet. Weight loss can be very rapid in the 14-day induction phase of the Atkins diet, and a lot of this seems to come from fluid loss. A weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week is expected in the ongoing weight-loss phase. No long-term studies into the Atkins diet have yet been conducted, so as yet the long-term effects of low-carbohydrate diets are unknown. When the body has used up its glucose stores, it turns to fat reserves for fuel. When the body burns fat, it creates molecules called ketones as a by-product. This is called 'ketosis'. Some ketones escape in urine, and some escape on the breath, which is why halitosis can be a side effect of low-carbohydrate Atkins diet. My conclussion is that the diet really works, but for a reason and in a way that Atkins himself had not seriously considered.
Summary: Vegan diet: A recipe for disaster
About a year ago, I began the Dean Ornish diet (low- to no-fat grains, beans, fruits, veggies ONLY). I needed to lose about 20 pounds, and even on a 1,500-calorie Weight Watchers Food Pyramid "balanced" diet and running several days a week, the weight just wasn't coming off.
The Ornish "vegan" plan was a disaster. There was no noticeable weight loss and in fact I began gaining weight. This plan is about 80% carbs. The fact that these were "healthy" high-fiber carbs didn't seem to make a difference to my body. I was just not losing weight. Throughout the past year I started gaining more weight because I began binge-eating, even if it was "healthy" stuff like fruit, vegetarian soups, and grains. But my sugar cravings continued. They never went away, like Ornish says they will. All of this high fiber is supposed to "regulate" our blood sugar somehow. I don't buy it. It didn't work for me. But I stuck with it because I had been brainwashed to believe that a high-fiber high-carb natural foods diet was healthiest. But ingesting so many carbs keeps you in a cycle of binge-eating and wanting more and more food. It's like you just can't get satisfied. You don't get satiated, your body is always looking for more.
I gained 13 pounds on Ornish over the last year. This was in addition to continuing to run 3 miles 3-4 times a week. I was not only not losing weight on Ornish, I was up 13 MORE pounds from my original 20 excess pounds.
Two weeks ago, I started the Atkins diet. After all of my "vegan" brainwashing, it was difficult for me to even think about ingesting so many animal products, but I was now 13 pounds heavier than when I began Ornish a year ago. So I bought the book and started Induction, adhering strictly to the guidelines.
I have dropped 9 pounds in the last two weeks. I don't know if this is all water weight - I have about 30-35 pounds to lose. Frankly, I don't care if it's all water weight - it's 9 pounds off my body, just gone. In two weeks. It's miraculous. I couldn't lose 9 pounds in a year on Ornish's plan. Not in a year.
The best part of Atkins is how it cuts cravings. My body must not do well with lots of carbs, even the "healthy" high-fiber carbs, because I binge-ate on Ornish, even though it was "healthy." My cravings are gone. I just don't want to eat any junk. I'm not thinking about food all day. I eat until I feel satisfied, and I stop. I'm not looking for food an hour later, not foraging around, becoming obsessed with sweets or snacking an hour later. It's amazing. This is one of the most "freeing" aspects of the plan, the feeling of being in control of your eating. On Weight Watchers and on Ornish, I was constantly thinking about food.
I bought into the "vegan" health food hype about high-fiber carbohydrates. It doesn't work. Perhaps it works for some. But many of us are just too carb-sensitive. It is difficult to adhere to and causes binge-eating even though it is high in fiber. I no longer believe the high-fiber "hype" brought to us by the grain and cereal industry. It's a crock. We don't need 40-50 grams of fiber every day packaged in a carbohydrate that sends our blood sugar through the roof and sets us up for weight loss failure. We don't need it.
For an interesting follow-up interview with Gary Taubes from 12/03 (since his NYT article from 7/02), Google "frontline interview gary taubes." He talks about how we've all been hookwinked by the AMA, the FDA, and the powers-that-be with respect to our low-fat diets.
People, we've been taken for a ride by the food industry and the medical establishment for the last 20-25 years with this low-fat myth, and it's killing us. It's been a long-running experiment on the American populace, and we're dying and killing ourselves because of it. Get off the low-fat bandwagon, folks. Your blood sugar will thank you, your body will thank you, and you will be more in control of your eating than ever.
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