Anyone a low-carber?

[Ivy]

I pretty much agree with you but I'm not so sure about the fresh fruit. I believe that you can get the exact same nutrients and fiber from fresh vegetables with a lot less sugar (and therefore less insulin response). But berries and low-glycemic fruits are fine in moderation (for those that are carb sensitive).

I think Atkins gets a bad rap and many have the mistaken impression that it's all meat and cheese or my personal favorite - buttered bacon

Well, I'm not sure it's a mistaken impression. I've read the book, and I know about "fat fasts," and Atkins DOES (or did, before he died) talk up the amount of delicious steaks and lobsters you can eat all the time on the plan. Yeah, you're supposed to eat veggies too, but that much meat can't be good for you IMO.

 

[cafe]

I don't really watch my diet much, but I feel icky when I eat a lot of carbs without protein to balance them. I hate the weird energy fluctuations and frequent hunger that eating too many carbs and not enough other stuff seems to cause.

 

[cascadeco]

I feel really skeptical about low carb diets. I know a lot of people who have gone on them and had a lot of success, but as soon as they started eating a regular amount of carbs again, they gained the weight back quickly, and sometimes put on even more weight.

I've found that it is very easy to lose weight if you reduce your calorie count. i've lost 20 pounds in 2 months and i did it by eating up to 1500 calories a day, and also reducing my fat grams by a lot. I also switched to only eating whole wheat, or whole grain products when necessary, because they are full of fiber and better for your heart.

Really you can still eat a lot of what you want, as long as you eat it in moderation, and stay on a low fat/low calorie diet.

Also it's impossible to keep weight off unless you exercise. Don't fall for diet fads like the low carb type of things, i don't think they are necessarily good,and if there is a chance that you could gain that weight back very quickly..all your hard work is wasted!

It is ultimately about lifestyle changes and it doesn't make a lot of since to be on a low carb diet for the rest of your life!

Scantily...I agree w/ nearly everything you wrote.

I don't really agree with any of the 'diets' out there. I tend to think it's about moderation and balance in everything, and also recognizing that it's a *lifestyle change* that should be integrated into your life as a whole, forever. That's why I don't think the fads are good, or restricting certain items are good...because while you can do that for X amount of time, to get the weight off initially, are you really going to want to maintain that for the rest of your life?

Balanced diet + excercise = good.

But more on topic w/ this thread, I think it can be beneficial to limit carb intake, but only in the sense of keeping it in balance w/ everything else you eat, and making sure you're getting more than just carbs. I mean...I still LOVE good bread. Yum. But I've started to eat rice a lot more than pasta, and in general I try to eat as much 'natural' food as possible, and limit a lot of the processed food (boxed mixes, tv dinners, soda..well, actually I don't drink soda at all)...but I also don't like the taste of a lot of that stuff anyway, so it's not like I'm depriving myself!!

 

[Seanan]

I'm probably not a good example because I'm T2 diabetic but my blood sugar and, consequent, weight was out of control until going low glycemic which extremely low carb. But, then again, I may be since I use a monitor and see the effects of carbs instantly on it. Its the same for everyone, diabetic or not. Anytime insulin levels are kept low weight is going to come off as it is the hormone that turns carbs into fat.

 

[scantilyclad]

To me it would just make more sense to be on a low fat diet and here is my logic.
carbohydrates only have 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate and
Fat has 9 calories per gram of carbohydrate.
Carbohydrate intake is not fattening, excess calorie intake is fattening. Your are much more likely to take in more calories cutting out carbohydrates than you are fat.
Of course eating too many carbs, or really too much of anything can be stored as fat.

Carbohydrates are used quickly for energy, you just can't eat a bunch of carbs and sit around on your ass and not expect to gain weight. i think they are quite good to have in your diet, especially if you are trying to make a lifestyle change.


Also my parents were on the Atkins diet for a while, all i EVER saw them eat was greasy bacon, lots of fatty cheeses, butter on everything..it just seems to me like they were clogging their arteries more than anything, while also becoming quite constipated, the lack of fiber in that diet has got to cause some irregular bowel movements.

 

[Zergling]

Fats will provide more energy for the same amount of material, but fats are also more filling, and are processed in the body more slowly, so people seem more likely to snack away on carby foods rather than fatty foods. (Though it does depend on the carbohydrate types.)

 

[Lateralus]

My dad tried that Atkins diet before. He did manage to lose some weight, but it sure seemed like he was trading one problem for another (clogged arteries).

 

[Metamorphosis]

The only "diet" that I've ever seen that I pretty much liked was Body For Life.

 

[scantilyclad]

yeah i know there is supposed to be a higher risk for heart disease if you are on the Atkins diet.

 

[Seanan]

To me it would just make more sense to be on a low fat diet and here is my logic.
carbohydrates only have 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate and
Fat has 9 calories per gram of carbohydrate.
Carbohydrate intake is not fattening, excess calorie intake is fattening. Your are much more likely to take in more calories cutting out carbohydrates than you are fat.
Of course eating too many carbs, or really too much of anything can be stored as fat.

Carbohydrates are used quickly for energy, you just can't eat a bunch of carbs and sit around on your ass and not expect to gain weight. i think they are quite good to have in your diet, especially if you are trying to make a lifestyle change.


Also my parents were on the Atkins diet for a while, all i EVER saw them eat was greasy bacon, lots of fatty cheeses, butter on everything..it just seems to me like they were clogging their arteries more than anything, while also becoming quite constipated, the lack of fiber in that diet has got to cause some irregular bowel movements.

Not all carbs are equal. High glycemic (starchy ones) must be converted to fat by insulin before they can be used. That's where the weight comes from... those "comfort" foods.

 

[alicia91]

My cholesteral, HDL, and tricylycerides etc. are all much better when I've been low-carbing for a while.

But there are different types of low-carb plans. Atkins is low-carb but not high-protein, and yes, you can eat lobster and steak but according to his last book you don't need a lot of it (about 30% of your total calories). One difference between Atkins and some other low-carb plans is that he doesn't limit fats, except for trans-fats. So natural, saturated fats are OK. The authors of other plans disagree with him, yet they all agree that it's the high-fat, high-starch diet that's the worst and has caused America to be so fat.

Of course it's all very controversial with lots of research and statistics on both sides but I'm going to agree with the concept that the low-fat movement over the last 20 years has worsened the health of Americans. We have continued to become fatter.

WIth a higher-fat diet, we simply tend to eat less, be more satisfied and don't constantly obsess over food.

Well, I'm not sure it's a mistaken impression. I've read the book, and I know about "fat fasts," and Atkins DOES (or did, before he died) talk up the amount of delicious steaks and lobsters you can eat all the time on the plan. Yeah, you're supposed to eat veggies too, but that much meat can't be good for you IMO.

But "fat-fasts" are only supposed to be done in extreme cases of metabolic resistance, and he talks about it as a short-term emergency measure. I think what people forget is that his system is based on a ladder approach. Initially it's mostly meats and vegetables, then you add in more vegetables, then you add in fruit, then you add in dairy , then you add in grains, etc. The problem is that many people stay on level one for too long because it promotes the most rapid weight-loss which was not his intention at all (for most people).

I've tried every conceivable diet over the years and the 'moderation' approach simply doesn't work for me because as soon as I eat anything starchy, sugary my body goes haywire. The problem with the Atkins approach for me is that it is so limited initially and it's not easy. I'm very tempted to go with something a bit more liberal like the Schwarzbein principal or South Beach - but last time I tried SB, even though I was diligent I simply didn't lose any weight.

My personal feeling is that we all have to find something that works for us long-term and becomes a lifestyle. As long as you are happy and you are healthy - then I say - do what works!

Interesting low-carb info for those interested:

frontline: diet wars: interview: gary taubes | PBS

 

[Seanan]

Before low-carbing, my lipids were extremely bad... now they're better than most teens the doc says. Most people think of Atkins as the more severe diet. What I follow is the maintenance Atkins although I don't attribute what I've done to him. I used my monitor to tell me what was safe to eat and later found it to be his maintenance diet.

 

[scantilyclad]

low carb benefits are only temporary.

 

[Metamorphosis]

low carb benefits are only temporary.

I'm inclined to agree. The best method is not following an off-the-shelf diet. Just eat 5-6 meals a day, all involving some amount of lean protein and complex carbs in at least the first 4. Eat a couple of hundred calories below your maintanence and there you go.

 

[scantilyclad]

I'm inclined to agree. The best method is not following an off-the-shelf diet. Just eat 5-6 meals a day, all involving some amount of lean protein and complex carbs in at least the first 4. Eat a couple of hundred calories below your maintanence and there you go.

yes it's really that easy.

 

[Ivy]

I don't think Americans are fatter because they're eating low-fat. Americans are fatter because portion sizes are out of control, and suburban sprawl means most of us drive everywhere we go.

 

[scantilyclad]

I also think American's are fat because of the indulgence of so many soft drinks and fast food. Cutting out fast food, and sodas alone can help you lose quite a bit of weight, or at least it helped me!

it also helped jared, that guy from the subway commercials. =)

also i don't understand how low fat diets has contributed to american's being fat? most people who eat low fat diets generally aren't fat.

 

[Seanan]

I also think American's are fat because of the indulgence of so many soft drinks and fast food. Cutting out fast food, and sodas alone can help you lose quite a bit of weight, or at least it helped me!

it also helped jared, that guy from the subway commercials. =)

also i don't understand how low fat diets has contributed to american's being fat? most people who eat low fat diets generally aren't fat.

The majority of fare at fast food places or any other kind of restaurant is starchy carbs. I know, I have to eat low carb for health reasons, and its tough eating out. Think about it.. starchy carbs are comforting because they're filling. Check out the menu next time at those pick-two-sides restaurants... you might find one or two non-starchy carbs in a list of a dozen. Eating out, for me, is usually meat, double salad and steamed low-carb veggie like green beans or broccoli. If they tell me corn or peas is the veggie, I leave.. who wants to just eat meat and salad.

 

[Seanan]

Oh, and just try to eat breakfast out anywhere! If you don't like omeletes, don't even try. There's an epidemic of diabetes... even in teens... for a reason.

 

[Metamorphosis]

I don't think Americans are fatter because they're eating low-fat. Americans are fatter because portion sizes are out of control, and suburban sprawl means most of us drive everywhere we go.

And something appearing small, doesn't necessarily mean that it is calorie-wise. I can eat a good deal, but a normal fast food meal at Wendy's could account for almost half of my daily caloric intake. Now, when people at fast food 3-4 times a day, you're looking at possibly thousands of calories per day over maintanence.