Dr. Atkins created a diet intended for elite athelets and sold his soul to make money. The result is an incredible threat to public health, which will likely only rear it's head a decade from now, after it's too late.
It's a theme I've already dealt with and am likely return to, but I'll say it anyway. If it seems too good, it probably is. And if it doesn't make sense, stay away. Anyone who tells you its good for you to eat nothing but eggs and bacon is lying to you, and selling something at the same time. Nutritionists say that the Atkins diet is a terrible idea, and they have the medical community with them. The jury is still out on a lot of the research, with conflicting studies being released both pro and con.
However, even the study that seems to support Atkins doesn't show appreciable differences in weight loss over the long term, as much of the weight lost by Atkins participants is put back on. As well, many doctors say that while Atkins participants do frequently lose weight, they are losing it in water by dehydrating themselves (as Ketosis (the act of converting protein to carbohydrate) requires a lot of water, and incidentally induces lots of byproducts that are toxic and can cause liver damage) and by losing muscle (because their body is cannibalizing their muscle mass due to it's perceived starvation due to lack of carbohydrate fuel), rather than by actually burning fat. Also, even if Atkins is a more effective way to lose weight than traditional low-calorie diets, there is no understanding of the potential long-term health effects. All of current medical knowledge says that the profile of what Atkins allows is dangerous to your long-term health. The only part which is currently supported is the use of fish-oils. Of course, regular use of fish-oil in your diet can be added to any health regimen, and does not require Atkins. Finally, Atkins is a low-calorie diet, which can explain many of the results.
Most (over 80%) of the carbohydrates in our body are used to feed our brain for regular functioning. This may explain some of the popularity of the Atkins diet, as after a few weeks of eating your "healthy" hamburgers without buns, you become increasingly stupid on your way to brain damage.
I'll avoid commenting on the recent contraversy over Atkins weight at his death, as the explanation released seems plausible (that Atkins had severe bloating and organ failure while in the coma following his fall). Here is the latest story and you can decide for yourself what it means, while tracking through the previous versions.
I can't help the feeling that the Atkins diet will be akin to Thalidomide, in a public-health crisis that only becomes clear many years after it's too late.
"Most (over 80%) of the carbohydrates in our body are used to feed our brain for regular functioning."
This explains a lot. I would say I know at least a dozen people (and I don't know many people, ask ish) who are on this diet and have been for multiple months. Unfortunately they weren't that smart to begin with. There have been some pretty impressive results from it, but I have to agree about the, "if it seems to good to be true," notion.
I guess time will tell. I take my solice in knowing I am killing myself the old-fashioned way.Congestive heart failure, here I come!
P.S. Hey ish, so is this site just going to be an alter to he who is, or are you going to let other people post stuff too? This is my first "blogging" experience so I'm not aquatinted with the rules.
Well, I tried it and I have a decent brain. I read the book (though a lot of it was crap, some of it did make sense). It is pretty obvious that Americans have a problem with being overweight. Just visit any European country, or even look around today, and it will be plain to see. However, I agree with the "if it's too good" principle.
Regardless, it didn't work. I tried it for a month. I lost 12 pounds in 1.5 weeks at the beginning, and then didn't lose anything else the rest of the month. Also, I don't like grease. It was a difficult experience, and I didn't like what I was eating. After no results after about 3 weeks of pain, I decided enough was enough. I assumed that it was "water weight" that I lost, and discouraged everyone else I knew from trying it thereafter.
Either I am getting older, or it was the diet, but I have a harder time digesting sugars now. I also have Reflux Disease, however, so that might have something to do with it. Who knows?
end of line.
Certainly there is a problem with obesity in America, which is precisely the reason why dangerous fad diets are a very crooked enterprise. The solution to obesity is very simple and hasn't changed, healthy diet and regular exercise. The solution is not to eat bacon. The fact that there is a problem doesn't justify doing crazy things, and the fact that doctors and marketers (and those that are both together) would take advantage of this problem by encouraging people to do crazy things is sick.
strictly speaking I am not following the "Atkins" diet, but I am pretty damn close. I broke 200 pounds over the last holiday and went into a bit of shock. I decided I needed to fix it
Following the atkins theme, I have reduced the carbs I am taking in and have lost over twenty pounds in about three weeks plus. I am not subsisting on meats and cheese, as I do eat a sh_t load of vegetables. For peace of mind and personal gratification I took last weekend off and had a wonderful chinese dinner on Friday, and pizza hut on Saturday. After recieving far too much bad news for my system to handle I had quite a bit to drink yesterday too. I am still stripping off weight.
I don't feel my mind is performing on any less than 100%. I am in a relatively new job, dealing with a new language, and I think I am kicking its backside !
I am not taking a strict side on this Atkins debate. Rather I think anyone who follows blindly like a lemming is being stupid. I have not read the atkins book but have spent a bit of time on their webiste - and there is some sound advice buried in the "fad diet". The advice is the same as that quoted above :
Healthy diet and Exercise
Atkins just seems to be advocating less sugars in that healthy diet. It seems to me less sugars or 'empty carbs' is a good advice and comes from more sources than just this atkins fellow.
Certainly the advice to eat less sugars does come from other sources, and most current research stresses that one should focus on complex carbohydrates as the focus of diet. Nutritionists are changing their recommendations with the new research that comes around. However, nothing in the research suggests the elimination of carbohydrates. Whole grain versions of bread, rice and pasta are very beneficial. Sugars from fruit and fruit juice (the real kind not the Sunny D corn syrup kind) are also very good for you. But a low-carb diet, shuns these things.
There are some responsible suggestions in Atkins, like the one you've stated about large amounts of green leafy vegetables, and vegetables in general. Most of these are good sources of complex carbohydrates or "complex" sugars.
Ultimately, people read between the lines on any diet plan anyway. And encouraging people to follow a plan with large amounts of meat without regard to fat and carbohydrate content sends the wrong message.
I won't argue the point that Atkins supports healthy diet and exercise, except to emphasize that most people ignore the exercise portion when evaluating a diet, and most people will skip the message of increased use of vegetables and fish oils, thereby making that advice void. You could say that the people following should take blame than, rather than the diet, were it not for the fact that the diet is marketed strictly by its least restrictive attributes. The marketers understand what they're doing.
As well, there's no evidence that it is any more effective than a healthy diet focusing on complex carbs, which is recommended by nutritionists. If someone were to eat a complex carb diet, and focus on including the HDL-improving fish oils in their diet, they would see the same benefits as Atkins (although they wouldn't need the HDL boost as much since they aren't focusing so heavily on meat). They also would avoid the potential health risks that the medical community warns against, from liver damage to congestive heart failure.
Also, who you should listen to:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743223225/p11-20/ref%3Dnosim/102-6769236-7928124
It comes from the Harvard Medical School and is supported by current research.