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Thread: The Atkins Diet - Your Opinions

  1. #1
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    Jan 1970
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    The Atkins Diet - Your Opinions

    I was just wondering what everyone thinks of the Atkins diet (low carb, high protein). It seems to create a lot of controversy when I ask about it with friends & family.

    Please share your thoughts.
    cxxx[]:::::::::::>
    Behold, I see my father and mother.
    I see all my dead relatives seated.
    I see my master seated in Paradise and Paradise is beautiful and green; with him are men and boy servants.
    He calls me. Take me to him.

  2. #2
    HI.

    My Parents went on it a few years back(18 or 19).
    They shed the weight, but it didn't take long to come back again.

    Also they complained about the daily pH-Level check and having to bake that Bread substitute(Yuck stuff).

    I think like most 2 weeks diets it works, but has no real long term benefits.

    As far as I am concerned any radical diet like the Atkins one can have some bad side-effects.

    Just my take.

  3. #3
    I know a few people that have dropped weight and kept it off with the Atkins diet. Personally, I wouldn't do it for more than a month or so. There is just something inherently wrong with robbing the body of it's primary source of energy: carbs.

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    Yeah, I went on it, but despite what they say it tends to drop more water weight than anything else. It also has the bad benefit of not giving long term results. You'd do better to exercise regularly and STOP EATING YOU FAT F*CK!

    (Sorry, ABandit, I couldn't resist! )
    K. Mark Hoover

  5. Two thoughts - rather than publish his work in relevant medical journals and bear the scrutiny of his professional peers, Atkin's publishes "bestsellers" and sells his ideas. Thank god, the rest of medicine doesn't work like this.

    Also, the gentry in Europe during the 18th century also had a diet that was extrememly high in protein. Gout was common and I believe was due to the high protein intake. I have no idea if Atkins addresses this, but it is worth looking into for anyone considering going that route.

  6. #6
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    not to mention the ammonia by-product that is created...

    bad, bad...

    joedoe..there are some decent scientific critiques out there on the web (i've read them before). i'll see if i can remember where they are. you might just try typing the name in to a search engine though.

  7. #7
    Join Date
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    USA
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    I have a book by Daniel Reid, it's about Taoist practices in modern language (very readable). He doesn't come right out and say "Dump carbs", but he suggests that it aids in digestion to eat EITHER protein OR carbs during a meal...with as many raw green veggies as you can handle. So, I always thought the Atkins Diet would fall in line with the Taoist ideas of seperating the two.
    Me, I could probably never give up bread...good luck.
    Keep it simple, stupid.

  8. #8
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    Excellent for cutting weight.

    Not so good for long term loss unless you are "insulin resistant..." a loosely defined term that is used as an excuse by fat people for their blob like nature (people in good shape are not insulin resistant).

    Here's where the initial weight loss comes from: It takes approximately 3-4g of water to store 1g of glycogen in the muscles and liver. Deplete the stores of carbohydrates by 1kg, and you lose 3-4 kg of water... you do the math

    Of course, as soon as you start eating carbs again....

  9. #9
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    i think the reason the high-protien diet works for many people is because all the foods that make you fat are carbs


    sugars, candy bars, non-wholegrain bread

    these things make you fat


    the "diet" im currently on is pretty-normal,
    about 30% grain/fruit, 30% protien, 40% vegetables

    except ive cut out the processed grains (bad-for-you-carbs)


    if you dont wanna be fat, stop drinking the soda and eating the candy bars


    peace
    travis
    Travis

    structure in motion

  10. #10
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    I'm not saying the Atkins diet does or doesn't work, because I dont' know the specifics of it. All I know is that it's a "low carb" diet which could mean anything.

    That being said, has anyone ever observed a bodybuilder during the week or so before a bodybuilding show? A lot of bodybuidlers do keto (ketosis) diets which are zero carb diets (maybe not "zero", but under like 30 or 50g or something per day) because they make you drop fat FAST and therefore you come in shredded on the day of the competition.

    (this is in reference to people in college) So, if you watch these BB'ers who diet like this during their diets, you will notice that they never talk, they just sit in the back of class and sleep. They have no energy, they don't want to participate in anything. They just exist while their body burns fat. As previously mentioned, carbs are the body's main source of energy. Also, they provide vital nutrients to the brain. The summary of this long winded story? No/low carb diets make you feel like crap.

    Plus, they only work as long as you stay on them. Start eating carbs again and the weight will probably come back.

    IronFist
    "If you like metal you're my friend" -- Manowar

    "I am the cosmic storms, I am the tiny worms" -- Dimmu Borgir

    <BombScare> i beat the internet
    <BombScare> the end guy is hard.

  11. #11
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    Budokan: How did you know I was a fat fu(k? You been looking for photos of me or something?

    I have started a modified Atkins diet - lowered carbs but not to the extreme that he suggests for his induction phase.

    He does address the issue of uric acid & gout and does recommend that if you suffer from gout that you should seek advice before doing the diet.

    Having said that, I do suffer from gout (thanks to my father's genes ) and so far I have not had any trouble - I still minimise red meats as a source of protein.

    So far, I have lost about 4kg (after 1.5 weeks) and actually feel very good - no lack of energy and I no longer feel bloated all the time, especially after meals. My aim is to lose another 6 kg. I have followed his suggestions of dietary supplements to maintain the vitamin intake so that may also help.

    I think ultimately what I have got out of this in the long term is that while carbs are not the source of all evil, I was probably eating way too much before. So now I think I just need the discipline to moderate my carb intake - unfortunately I am a bread lover too .

    I'll keep you posted on my progress.
    cxxx[]:::::::::::>
    Behold, I see my father and mother.
    I see all my dead relatives seated.
    I see my master seated in Paradise and Paradise is beautiful and green; with him are men and boy servants.
    He calls me. Take me to him.

  12. #12
    3 months.

    When my Parents were on it, they max period suggested, methinks, was 3 Weeks.

    With daily ph-level checking of the urine and immediately stopping when the ph-level went drastically either way.

    Substitute Bread tasted like @*+#, I treid it once.

  13. #13
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    I have heard mixed things about the Atkins diet. To my understanding when you don't have carbs in your system your body will have to find something else to get it's energy from. Your body may start to eat up a lot of protein which your body needs for muscle growth and repairs. THat's the idea of the diet though, right? you eat more protein so your body will start to use it more for energy than carbs? I guess i'd be afraid I wouldn't have enough carbs or prtein in my system and my body would start to eat the fat as well as the muscle. but yeah, I could be wrong. It's sounds interesting, let us know how it goes. personal I eat a lot of carbs for energy.
    I am nothing.

  14. #14
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    If you want to check if your body is in ketosis you can buy these things called ketostix or something that you **** on and they change color and tell you. Sounds like what red_fists was talking about.

    IronFist
    "If you like metal you're my friend" -- Manowar

    "I am the cosmic storms, I am the tiny worms" -- Dimmu Borgir

    <BombScare> i beat the internet
    <BombScare> the end guy is hard.

  15. #15
    Iron-Fist.

    Yep, same things. Different name.

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