The Atkins Diet

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 9:02 am

So....is anyone here on this diet? My girlfriend's brother-in-law dropped about fifty pounds on it and now even Steve Earle is apparently rail thin and bragging about how it allows him to chomp away on all the BBQ he likes. This is beginning to feel like the last stand in open country for the cinnamon bun softness that is my ass.

so lacklustre · Post by **so lacklustre** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 9:09 am

Regimented diets are long term bad.
It's relatively easy to lose weight (when you are overweight) but not so easy to keep it off.
Go with the flow, have another donut.

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 9:44 am

Atkins will help you shed pounds, but it's terribly unhealthy in the long run. An irresponsible diet. The only responsible diet is to eat healthily, with smaller portions, and to exercize at least three times a week. Evrything else is a short term solution (at best) or a recipe for bad health.

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 10:08 am

do South Beach instead. less saturated fat, more complex carbs.

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 10:15 am

I feel like all these people that are bragging about losing weight now are going to have serious kidney problems down the line.

My mother started writing down everything she ate, and lost 8 pounds in a couple of months. And it's not like she's overweight, either; she's probably a size 6.

taz · Post by **taz** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 10:23 am

I used to be big-time fat (6'5"/350+)...I dropped over 100 lbs in about 8 months after finding out I was diabetic (thus being forced to eat 'right'). Everybody was constantly asking me 'how'd you do it?' Of course after answering 'ummm, worked out more and ate less' all I got was crestfallen responses of 'ohhh...'

Not only are there potential health concerns for these popular 'quick weight loss plans' there is almost a 95% chance you are gonna gain the weight back once you start eating bread again (if not actually go above what you were before).

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 10:57 am

some South Beach info
http://www.prevention.com/cda/feature20 ... 45,00.html

weight training helps. and a willingness to change old habits. when I had my last child, I weighed 185. (!!) now, I hover around 130. breastfeeding that baby helped me, but I guess it's not an option for you. altho I have read it is at least theoretically possible.

Post by **BlueChair** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 11:01 am

My metabolism is starting to slow down, so at the very least I should start excercising more often.

Post by **spooky girlfriend** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 11:03 am

I also dropped about 60 pounds four years ago, but not from any certain diet. DrS was writing his dissertation so we were extremely busy at the time, but I just started eating smaller portions. I never quit eating "real" food, but just cut back on condiments (like butter and salad dressings) and portions. It helps to not eat too late at night, although I still cheat and do that occasionally. There are many hidden fat grams and calories in snacks also.

It's been very difficult to keep it off since then, but I've managed to do it. We've had deaths in the family, a move, extra family moved in with us, etc., so the fact that I've managed to keep it off is a really big deal for me.

cosmos · Post by **cosmos** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 12:21 pm

miss buenos aires wrote:I feel like all these people that are bragging about losing weight now are going to have serious kidney problems down the line.

My mother started writing down everything she ate, and lost 8 pounds in a couple of months. And it's not like she's overweight, either; she's probably a size 6.

I started to write down everything that I eat (and calories) about a month ago. I'm much more disciplined about eating now. People don't think about it until they see on paper how it all adds up.

Jackson Monk · Post by **Jackson Monk** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 12:37 pm

The best discovery I ever made was running. I carried on eating what i wanted (although i generally eat quite healthily, I LOVE curry and Chinese food).

Although I put on some weight this year after a football injury, I find that 3-4 20 minute runs per week keeps the pounds down - feels great too when you've finished your hot shower and chillin out with that bottle of bud!!

I could never really diet in the traditional sense....food is too bloody great!

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 1:44 pm

I remember a few months ago telling my girlfriend's brother-in-law the very same thing Noise & MBA are saying in this thread. He agreed with me in theory but then stated "Yeah, exercise more and eat less has to be the least popular diet in history!"

SoLikeCandy · Post by **SoLikeCandy** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 3:01 pm

Both sides of my family have rather rubenesque women, while the men are usually slender--my dad is 6'2 and 175, my mom is 5'6" and 190-ish (thank God she doesn't read this--she'd kick my ass!). Soul food isn't the healthiest stuff in the world, but I love it--so I've learned to make my favorite foods with less junk (deep frying bacon in lard is NOT healthy, by the way).

I've always had a really high metabolism, but I've noticed that staying away from a lot of salty food and red meat helps. I still love a steak every now and again, but I eat chicken and fish most days of the week, along with lots of veggies and fruits as snacks--I still love junk, I just don't eat it every day. And, I walk a lot--2 or 3 miles each way a day from home to work and school--exercise really sucks, but I have to do something. I'm 5'9" and about 130, but I know that if I let myself go and had a pint of Ben and Jerry's every night, my ass would blow up like someone pulling a cord on an inflatable raft.

It's all about moderation, people...

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 7:01 pm

To completely cut out all the veg and bread in your diet has got to be so crap to do...who wants to eat just cheese and meat. I could no way do that! Plus, it's supposed to be dangerously unhealthy...linked to heart attacks and such...

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 10:56 pm

I just wrote a really long post and lost it (I see you all weeping out there), but here's the short version.

Bobster a complete blob pre-22, starts exercising, still likes to eat -- a lot -- struggles, gets harder, etc. Still looks nothing like Brad Pitt, even if he bought those hair plugs.

Bobster notices that El Vez describes his ass a lot, and with increasing floridness.

Bobster inclined to agree that a balanced diet is the way to go, but has read some interesting stuff about Atkins (and is forced to note that it does, in fact, allow people on it to eat lots of low-carb veggies, to balance out the pork rinds). Bobster also has friend from Memphis (with poor health habits) who lost about 30 pounds on Atkins. Bobster notes that men like meat and for a diet to work, you can't hate being on it. Bobster nevertheless remains highly suspicions of any diet which can be presented in a KFC commercial.

Bobster also promises never to refer to himself in the third person again.

Tim(e) · Post by **Tim(e)** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 11:02 pm

bobster wrote:Bobster also has friend from Memphis (with poor health habits) who lost about 30 pounds on Atkins.

In England at the time was he/she?

Post by **BlueChair** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 11:16 pm

I gained something like 15-20 lbs during my 9 month stay in England. I'm not sure if it was because of all the beer or what, but it seems like I eat a hell of a lot more at home than I did in England, so I don't get it

RedShoes · Post by **RedShoes** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 11:25 pm

Yeah and I've gained a fair amount since coming back from England....then again now I'm subjected to unhealthy dorm food and take the bus to class a lot, and when I was there I cooked pretty healthy meals and I walked a ton.

...and didn't drink nearly as much beer as Blue did

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 4:51 pm

http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/diet.fit ... index.html

apparently you don't have to wait years for the damage.

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 10:38 pm

While I remain incredibly skeptical of any diet which wildly skews towards one kind of food or another, I think this group which is said to advocate a strict vegetarian diet might have a bit of an ax to grind (though I'd bet large money that vegetarians will live longer than Atkins people -- or maybe, as the old joke says, it'll just seem that way).

Here's a quote: "The skinniest people on the planet are vegetarians and Asians." Personally, I'd rather be Asian.

pip_52 · Post by **pip_52** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 12:57 am

Ive always had great success with a steady diet of turkey sandwiches and M&Ms. And lots of water.

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 9:38 am

I'm a vegetarian, and I'm not skinny. Haven't we gone over this before? So many delicious, high-caloric vegetarian foods...

I was reading an article in the NY Times Styles section about people who eat 1200 calories a day, because they think it'll make them live to 140. After reading what they eat on an average day, I must say, Milo Minderbinder comes to mind. (Sorry, Elfslut, wherever you are--does Catch-22 count as big, important, pretentious novel?)

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/23/fashion/23DIET.html

cosmos · Post by **cosmos** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 11:24 am

What should a normal caloric intake be per day?

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 12:16 pm

cosmos, I think it hovers around 2000 calories for an adult, depending on how big you are, physical exercise, etc. 1200 calories...some of the people on this diet were described as looking like cancer patients or Holocaust survivors when they first started doing it.

cosmos · Post by **cosmos** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 6:29 pm

Thanks mba....I can stand to lose a few pounds, and I was shooting for an intake of 1600 calories a day, plus exercise. I appreciate the info