Iâ??d like to involve more people to see if we can motivate each other toward success and share ideas.

Feel free to join us and to spread the word. Thanks and good luck.

If you’re doing Atkins correctly, you shouldn’t be cutting out carbs completely, just limiting them. In addition, other than on the induction phase, you’re really just ruling out things that pretty much all *other* diets say are bad, too. I don’t think you’ll find loads of sugar and refined flour on any diet designed to help someone control their weight.

Now, personally, I have a lot of reasons other than weight loss for liking the Atkins diet. First, I don’t have to actually *give up* anything long term–just find alternatives. I have whole-grain pancakes instead of buttermilk ones. I eat smaller portions of things like potatoes, and I eat them less frequently. A major thing that I like is that there aren’t an abundance of snack-type foods on Atkins; if I want to snack, I need to exert some sort of effort. I make my own low-carb cheesecake and ice cream for when I really want something sweet, but another advantage is that I don’t find myself wanting those things very often. I can tell the difference between being hungry and being thirsty now; and the difference between thinking something sounds good and actually being hungry. I don’t feel like eating everything in sight.

In addition, I’ve noticed that I haven’t gotten any really killer headaches since I’ve been on the diet.

I’ve never cared so much for white bread and rice. I don’t crave sugar. There’s no reason for me to go off Atkins, because it’s working for me–making me healthier, helping me lose weight.

Incidentally, I don’t know, and don’t really care, whether Atkins works by limiting calories or through some sort of metabolic advantage. I *do* know that I’m eating less, because I’m simply not as hungry.

It’s a keeper, as far as I’m concerned.

Or perhaps those who’ve never tried the plan are ridiculously aggressive (often to the point of distortion) in their criticism of others who’ve lost weight on the plan.

I am guilty. Touche!

Perhaps the basic elements which allow for good humor are found in carbs?

Your feeling would be in error. After about a decade of weight gain, about 6 years ago I went from 165 to 145 in about 12 weeks, and reduced further to 135-145, using precisely the method that I described.

What the Atkins diet tries to do (although I have never seen it put this way, but it is fairly obvious) is to satisfy the body’s craving for fats–which have very high energy density. And also to allow one to consume as much protein as one wants. But that’s somewhat artificial, and it ignores a lot of nutrients provided by other kinds of foods–primarily fruits and vegetables–that are necessary. Getting used to eating a wide variety of foods in small portions 5-6 time a day to keep the blood sugar on an even keel is far better than eating a diet relatively high in fats and proteins like the Atkins diet.

My dietician gave me the basic advice of thinking about what you are putting into your body and asking if it adds anything positive. You eliminate the worst stuff this way – french fries, white bread, etc.

Also – besides hair loss, guys, Atkins makes your breath reek. Isn’t too much protein also pretty hard on your kidneys?

http://www.dragondoor.com/b23.html

On the sick side of things, I have a reason not to diet. What do the first three letters of the word ‘diet’ spell? I rest my case.

Well, it just isn’t my experience. More than a few other people have had problems on fad diets. And Atkins is a fad diet.

If you want to follow Atkins, feel free to do so. If it has worked for you, nice. The fact is, however, that, for more than a few people, fad diets don’t work. They diet to get down to a weight that they believe to be desirable, then they go off the diet and gain weight back. Then, they go onto the diet again, to try to lose weight again. They cycle–which is worse than not going onto the diet at all. Dieting improperly–particularly without resistance training–causes not only the loss of fat, but also the loss of muscle mass, which is undesirable.

Come back in five to ten years and tell us what your experience with the Atkins diet was. For most people, being forbidden from some foods that they find enjoyable is anathema. The issue is usually portion control, not being forbidden from eating foods that they like to eat.

I have friends who have lost a LOT of weight with atkins. Some are/seem healthy. Others put themselves in the emergency room.

While they probably exist, I don’t know any runners who improve performance by eliminating carbs.

No diet that requires starvation will work. None.

A reasonable rate of weight loss is 1 1/2 to 2 lbs per week. The problem is that people who are on diets often demand a larger amount of weight loss. It doesn’t work like that.

If what I’ve seen of people running in the Boston Marathon–they run through our town–weight and physique has nothing whatsoever to do with running at the amateur level.

BTW, regarding my bona fides, I am 5′ 6 1/2, 135-140 and 6-8% body fat. At almost 54 years old. (I know, that is far too low to be healthy at my age, but, regardless….) In my experience, the best way to reduce weight (which I had do to several years ago) is to reduce caloric intake and increase physical activity. That is what the Atkins studies really showed. Limiting one’s food intake to certain kinds of foods is a recipe for disaster.

i) If you believe you are hungry, drink water. Oftentimes hunger pangs are really a sign of dehydration.

ii) One’s absolute weight is less important than one’s body fat percentage. For most people BF percentage can be substituted for one’s body mass index. (There are various BMI calculators on the net, do a google search.) A BMI of 20-25 is good, anything over 30 is usually (unless you are a competitive body builder) a sign of obesity.

iii) It is generally better to eat 5-6 small meals a day (I call it grazing) than to eat 2-3 large meals a day. It keeps the blood sugar on an even keel, which also helps reduce hunger pangs.