For those posting 3xweek or more, looking to make Atkins a life choice

Lo-carb can be a diet or it can be a permanent way to live, an integration of food choices, activity, and attitude which will carry us not simply to our goals but thru our lives.

Link

Wed. Oct 4, 10:29am

Please become informed about restrictive diets before making them a life choice.

Link

Wednesday, October 4, 2006, 11:11 AM

what about plain old moderation and balance? Atkins focus on meat seems like a real bad idea.

Wednesday, October 4, 2006, 11:38 AM

Considering the company went bankrupt, I think it proved that the diet was a fad instead of a lifestyle choice. How could something fail so miserably if it was the real deal?

Link

Wednesday, October 4, 2006, 1:23 PM

The link posted anonymously is to a group

read ActivistCash on this so-called responsible group:

http://www.activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm/oid/23

They are a radical animal-rights group, they post not one actual peer-reviewed study to back up their claims, and ActivistCash said of them "The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. PCRM is a fanatical animal rights group that seeks to remove eggs, milk, meat, and seafood from the American diet, and to eliminate the use of animals in scientific research...."

I chose to use real, peer-reviewed evidence researched from medical journal abstract services (MedLine & PubLine). By that research lo-carb eating plans, done with the appropriate supervision, are both safe and effective.

Link

Thursday, October 5, 2006, 4:55 PM

Atkins 'focus on meat"

The focus is on animal protien, yes - but that can very successfullly be a focus on fish alone. "plain old moderation and balance" sounds so good - and works for some people - for others, it never has and never will. Lo-Carb is not for everyone, but I find bitterly ironic the idea that so many push so stridently (and inaccurately) fro the idea that it is for no one.

Thursday, October 5, 2006, 5:00 PM

Classic muddied thinking

Commercial success equals proven effectivness? There was indeed an Atkins fad, with the concomitant bust, and neither proves anything about the validity of the approach. Atkins the company is gone - great, one less distraction from actually reading the source book, doing your own research, and making a decision based on fact instead of hysteric opinion.

Real studies examining both interim and long term effects of lo-carb diets on general populations do exist, and may be found by anyone with access to MedLine or PubLine and the journals to which their abstracts refer. The gist of that research is that no form of diet is all that effective, but that low carbohydrate diets are somewhat more effective in general populations, and that low carbohydrate diets are also effective both in reducing total serum cholesterol and in raising the HDL component of that number.

Thursday, October 5, 2006, 5:11 PM

Low carb and insulin resistance

Smart, low carb eating is helpful for the thousands and thousands of people with insulin resistance. This can be a precursor to diabetes (type 2). I have eaten a low carb diet for several years. Only high quality, complex carbohydrates; whole grains (barley, quinoa, brown rice, etc), sweet potatoes and some fruit. My initial weight loss has stabilized. My cholesterol is lower than when I ate low fat. I exercise vigorously and bench press 100 lbs. No lack of energy. I'm now moving through menopause and anywhere you look for information you hear the same thing...eat high quality, complex carbohydrates. Where low carb gets a bad rap is when ALL carbohydrates are restricted. For most Americans, just getting rid of the low quality, processed foods would do wonders for their health.

Friday, October 6, 2006, 9:21 AM

Once again PT people come through with insulting the OP and jumping all over their back instead of supporting. I was the 2nd post at 11:11. I don't think it's wrong to have a low-carb group, but I am worried for you're well-being if you strictly follow the Atkins diet. As I said please become informed about the risks.

Low carb diet used by doctors to help with type 2 diabetes is not the same as Atkins... again; become informed before making life changes- you could permanently injure your body by accidentally omitting an entire food group.

Again, I'm not saying don't do it-- I'm saying research it BEFORE you go on it. When I say research you should be calling a real doctor or nutritionist and consulting with them based on your personal body needs. If they give the go-ahead for a rather drastic dietary change like Atkins- then go ahead.

I think it's great there is a group to support Low-Carb dieters- as with ANY diet you can make mistakes and injure yourself; having knowledge of the low-carb diet you will be able to really support your group members and make wise food choices...

Please check out these links:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/health/HealthRepublish_1556663.htm
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/atkins.htm
http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/clinical/publichealth/nutrition/atkinsdiet.html

Or read any of the scholarly articles found when you Google search word: "Atkins diet and comorbid effects". The very first link takes you to the articles.

Friday, October 6, 2006, 10:22 AM

Dialog is not dead!

My thanks to the last two posters! Discussion as opposed to polemic is a refreshing change here, and decidedly welcome.

What escapes most people is how much most lo-carb diets converge in their 'long-term sustainable' phases. The second poster's most scholarly citation, from AAFP, mentions a lower bound of about 60gm/day for carbohydrate intake: quite independently I determined my maintenance level intake to be about 75 gm/day. The difference is almost totally in my carbohydrate selections: at least 50% leafy veg, 25%to 50% non-root veg(pod beans, sprouts, brassicas, etc.), and 0-25% root veg (carrots & beets). I cut grains completely, and don't miss them.

As for research, all that advice is good, and to it I would only add that making sure the healthcare professionals are both informed and disinterested. A shocking number are misinformed, and/or emotionally biased. As always, final responsibility for our healthcare choices rests with us.

Friday, October 6, 2006, 2:18 PM

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