Weight Loss help

2LAP

Have you ever looked at the research surrounding Atkins? Again, Atkins is also a comercial organisation. Why are you Americans so affraid of fat and now obsesed with cutting out carbohydrates (don't you realise that advertising is just that, advertising)? Surely a healthy amount of both (i.e. a balanced diet with health food choices is the way to go). 'What we evolved eating' is such a daft statement, given that the Atkins diet doesn't replicate this, we don't know for sure what was eaten, it was different in diffrent parts of the world and meat (being dificult to get hold of) wasn't a big part of prehistoric man's diet!

Being 60 pounds over weight you should see a nutritionalist not following a 'one size fits all' diet! This is also a forum for people that want to exercise, suggesting that people don't need carbs to exercise and won't get the knock is factualy wrong.

2LAP

It doesn't sound like Atkins so what are you recomending , and what you describe sounds like a normal diet low in processed foods (why were you eating so many processed foods anyway?). The raw food thing is a bit dodgy and you would put yourself at risk of food poisoning a lot. Futhermore some foods/nutrients are absorbed better when warm or cold but cooked. Looks like you made yourself ill, and on that basis would you really recomend this 'extreme' diet to people? Why couldn't you get enough protein, as a vegetarian I have no problems ?

You suggest that people use their brains and I suggest that anyone on an 'extreme diet' unless specificaly advised by medics or nutritionalists are not using their brains! If you were advised by a medic or nutritionalist you shouldn't advise it for other people.

less'go

My oh my, you are very passionate about this subject, Mr. 2-Lap!

Sara

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2LAP

I work in the health proffesion and I'm really concerned about the reams of bad advice floating around. It seems that many American are confused about what to believe about nutrition. I am very concerned that the UK is going the same way (blindly following America which is daft given that they have more health, exercise and overweight problems than we do in the UK).

The truth is that every post has a little truth in it; simple carbs are bad, high fat is bad, too many/little kcals are bad. But people seem to focus on a single point and make up an extreme diet. If only people would go and read some of the basic nutrition texts then they would realise that the 'normal', 'balanced' diet that is promoted by health professionals makes a lot more sense than any of the 'fad' or 'extreme' diets that they are on.

Its good that people can post what has worked for them, but some people are advising others to do things that are potentialy dangerous (e.g. all carbs are bad or drink one ounce of water for every pound you want to lose - I would be very thirsty and dead in a week!). There needs to be a little quality in what is posted on the site, for the simple reason that some people may follow the advice on it without questioning its credability.

stevek

I had a problem with eating raw in thaqt it made my teeth all go bad (G) well not really it just made all of the problems show up because eating that way really scrubs your teeth. Plus I am lazy about eating and I got to the point iwas eating so little it was becoming a problem. it's a lot of work to eat enough calories when you eat raw.
but I learned what my body felt like when I ate grains. it put me to sleep (G) I would get so tired afterwards.

2LAP

So you wouldn't recomend this approach then and looks like you lost the weight by cutting calories rather than changing the composition of the food you eat.

Tiredness is a common complaint of high carbohydrate meals like sandwiches; there is no need to avoid the carbohydrate in the meal completly, just reduce its glyceamic index by eating other foods at the same time (e.g. a side salad), eating less of the carbohydrate source (1 slice of bread instead of 2) or eating low glyceamic sources of carbs (e.g. whole grain bread). Also regular exercise avoids this problem.

I was just in the canteen and heard an American (not overweight) girl saying she missed the 'sweets' at breakfast and had lost weight as she only had cereals for breakfast in the UK. Again I think this is due to a reduction in calories, but she said that normaly she has syrup, pancakes, french toast, cakes, muffins, etc. for breakfast. Please don't tell me thats the normal American breakfast; if it is now I know why your all afraid of sugar! (But still its hardly a diet that is representative of healthy or balanced!).

2LAP

So you wouldn't recomend this approach then and looks like you lost the weight by cutting calories rather than changing the composition of the food you eat.

Tiredness is a common complaint of high carbohydrate meals like sandwiches; there is no need to avoid the carbohydrate in the meal completly, just reduce its glyceamic index by eating other foods at the same time (e.g. a side salad), eating less of the carbohydrate source (1 slice of bread instead of 2) or eating low glyceamic sources of carbs (e.g. whole grain bread). Also regular exercise avoids this problem.

I was just in the canteen and heard an American (not overweight) girl saying she missed the 'sweets' at breakfast and had lost weight as she only had cereals for breakfast in the UK. Again I think this is due to a reduction in calories, but she said that normaly she has syrup, pancakes, french toast, cakes, muffins, etc. for breakfast. Please don't tell me thats the normal American breakfast; if it is now I know why your all afraid of sugar! (But still its hardly a diet that is representative of healthy or balanced!).

2LAP

So you wouldn't recomend this approach then and looks like you lost the weight by cutting calories rather than changing the composition of the food you eat.

Tiredness is a common complaint of high carbohydrate meals like sandwiches; there is no need to avoid the carbohydrate in the meal completly, just reduce its glyceamic index by eating other foods at the same time (e.g. a side salad), eating less of the carbohydrate source (1 slice of bread instead of 2) or eating low glyceamic sources of carbs (e.g. whole grain bread). Also regular exercise avoids this problem.

I was just in the canteen and heard an American (not overweight) girl saying she missed the 'sweets' at breakfast and had lost weight as she only had cereals for breakfast in the UK. Again I think this is due to a reduction in calories, but she said that normaly she has syrup, pancakes, french toast, cakes, muffins, etc. for breakfast. Please don't tell me thats the normal American breakfast; if it is now I know why your all afraid of sugar! (But still its hardly a diet that is representative of healthy or balanced!).

JAPANic

deja vu

deja vu

deja vu

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stevek

Eating raw made me feel fantastic. I had so much energy the first couple of nights I had trouble sleeping. I got over an illness that was taking me 2 to 4 weeks atleast to get over in 2 days. And since then I have not gotten sick. Or if I start to I can get past it without ever getting fully sick. But in this day and age it’s hard to eat that way. A mix of raw and cooked is a great way to live.
But the problem with grains if nothing else they cause tooth decay. People on Adkins report far better checkups. People that eat raw report no teeth problems at all.
But grains are not very nutritious. They are grown for their processed qualities not for their nutrition. It’s hard enough to get enough nutrition in regular foods.
Now I am thinking I am becoming allergic to atleast wheat and corn. If I eat it three or 4 times in a week I will get a cold or atleast start too. Once I can get away with or sometimes I sneeze after I eat it. I miss bread and popcorn but even before I got sick eating it I felt better when I did not eat them.
Eating raw was fantastic and the easiest way to loose weight as you can pretty much eat as much as you want and still loose weight. I never knew how good I could feel till I ate that way.

less'go

hehehehehehee

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The six-pack will be mine...

2LAP

They do?

Point taken JAPANic and Less'go. This is officialy my last post on the topic.

less'go

You're so cute when you're humble...

Look381i

Your final two sentences are probably quite correct. Nonethless, "eating less" is not so easy, and eating "healthy" (as defined in recent years) doesn't always lead to the benefits desired.
Despite riding and racing for years (at average 9-10,000 ks/year) without being able to shed extra pounds, I realized that my basic problem was that my appetite always remained commensurate with my level of exercise. Varous attempts to reduce caloric intake generally, avoid fats and red meat, eat good grains, fruits and veggies, etc. (most of which I have done for years anyway) either left me hungry and craving more food or not losing weight. Believe me, my wife and I have been vigilant about "healthy foods" for years.

In addition to a few extra pounds, I had a long-term, high-triglyceride, low HDL problem, never correctable by diet and exercise. Only medication has had a small effect.

After fifteen years of frustration, I took the example of several friends who had had remarkable success with Atkins. I read the book and started Atkins just over five weeks ago. In that time, i have kept to the strict regimen, with only a couple of minor lapses. I have eaten large servings of eggs, bacon, fish, steak, cheese, etc. (things I ate in very small quantities inthe past) and only one salad and green veggie per day. I have lost 7 kilos of my 10 kilo goal (I started at 82.5). I have maintained my usual cycling routines of about 200+ ks per week, feeling only slightly weak for the first few weeks.

The probable explanation, dictated by the chemistry and physics of the body, is that even though I have eaten densely caloric foods, I have actually consumed fewer calories overall, and fewer than I have expended. The genius in Atkins, in my view, derives from two things: (1) bright line rules: there is no grey area that allows for inadvertent "cheating"; and (2) appetite satisfaction: except at normal meal times I never feel hungry or have cravings. (Atkins' insulin explanation might be the basis. )

Next week, after six full weeks of Atkins, I will have another blood profile done and compare it with the one done just before I started Atkins. If my HDL improves and my triglycerides fall, I might then become a fanatic. Right now, I am just an acolyte.

I believe in science, probably more than most (my wife is an academic and research scientist), but I also believe that science has yet to arrive at a unified theory of nutrition. Because of the volume of anecdotal information developing, Atkins is forcing more research. In the meantime, I am an amateur guinea pig.

I heard as a young student that engineers, applying established scientific theory, had proved that bees cannot fly. In a similar way, science seems to have proved that Atkins cannot work. The problem is that it does for many people.