And you thought smoking was bad for you...

[JJ]

Boycott Hydrogenation!
Summary
If there is only one thing you do for your health -- and your weight -- it should be this: Give up partially hydrogenated oils, and boycott any products that contain them -- not only for yourself, but for the positive impact it will have on everyone's health and weight problems.

by Eric Armstrong

Why Should I Boycott Partially Hydrogenated Oils?
Partially hyrdrogenated oils may well be the number one cause of obesity and degenerative disease in society today, due to the high levels of bio-destructive trans fats they contain. Listen to what the experts say:

"Research has shown that transfatty acids contribute to impaired cellular function, clogged arteries, and degenerative disease....they are believed to interfere with the body's ability to efficiently process good fats....Unfortunately, hydrogenated fats contain the harmful transfatty acids associated with accelerated aging and degenerative diseases like heart disease and cancer."
--Ann Louise Gittleman, Eat Fat, Lose Weight, pg. 9

"The best solution is to decrease saturated fats and avoid transfats."
--Dr. Frank Hu, Harvard School of Public Health,
New England Journal Of Medicine, November 1997 (emphasis added)
The science is clear, and has been known for more than a decade now. But, like the tobacco companies, many of the large commercial food producers will give you short term satisfaction, as long as you're willing to pay, regardless of the long term consequences. By eliminating partially hydrogenated oils from your diet, you will not only make dramatic improvements in your health profile, you will also be sending a clear economic message to the food producers in this country (the only message they seem to care about).

What Are Partially Hydrogenated Oils?
In the hydrogenation process, hydrogen gas is bubbled through vegetable oils at very high temperatures. The result is a semi-solid fat with the texture and consistency of butter, only much cheaper, which accounts for its popularity in industries that are more concerned with profit than with the health of the consumer. Partially hydrogenated oils are used in many bakery products, including bread and cookies. It is also used in many dairy substitutes and some candies. They can sneak in anywhere flavor and texture are desired, including some soups and other products where you would least expect it.

What Makes Partially Hydrogenated Oils So Bad?
The hydrogenation process produces "trans fats" which are, quite literally, metabolic posions. The trans fats interfere with cellular function, and prevent our bodies from acquiring the essential fatty acids that are so critical for health.

Here's what happens:
The chemically active part of fatty acid molecules are warped by the high heat processing. It's the chemically active end of the molecule that transports oxygen and nutrients through the cell walls. They are also responsible for nerve system impulses, hormone activity, and brain function. But the chemically inactive portion is unchanged -- and that is the part that is attached to the cell wall. In nature, fats occur only in very specific configurations. Millions of years of evolution have left the body unprepared to recognize and eliminate trans fats, because they never existed in any significant quantity, until now. Trans fats, like a low-level cyanide, act as metabolic poisons, becoming part of, and interfering with, natural bodily functions.

Here is a partial list of the diseases and degenerative conditions that trans fats are likely to be implicated in: allergies, asthma, arthritis, atherosclerosis, cancer, candida, chronic fatigue, diabetes, eczema, heart attacks, multiple sclerosis, obesity, Parkinson's disease, psoriasis, ulcers....

[twrayinma]

yeah, but it tastes GOOOOOOOOOD!

[benVFR]

But Atkins says it's OK to eat that stuff. The other doctors are just in a big conspiracy to make everyone else eat carrots.

[bemused]

Originally posted by benSV
But Atkins says it's OK to eat that stuff. The other doctors are just in a big conspiracy to make everyone else eat carrots.

...

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!

wrong answer... shoulda gone w/ "call a friend"

Atkins sez, "animal fats GOOD, partially hydrogenated vegetable lipids BAD"

all our departing contestants recieve lovely parting gifts, you may collect yours as you exit...

[Nikon]

nice avatar

[JJ]

Atkins is just as bad as the rest of this crap.....now you have me started.....(Cool avatar as well Nikon). Just a interesting fact...a 80-90 pound anorexic has 40 to 50% body fact. Believe it or not (read on).

The Atkins Cancer Revolution
High protein diets, often marketed as low carb or low carbohydrate diets, are in vogue today and are heavily promoted. Unfortunately, they are also high in fat and dangerous. The popularity of the Atkins diet plan and other high protein diet books is evidence that people are looking for a quick, effortless way to lose weight without having to curtail their dangerous love affair with rich, unhealthful foods.

People are desperate to lose weight and these high protein diet books preach what people want to hear: you can eat lots of cholesterol and saturated fat and still lose weight. This romance can lead to tragic consequences, with some people literally dying to lose weight.

High protein diet gurus usually claim they know the truth and that all other doctors and scientists are wrong. They promote the idea that their recommended diet is healthy. They would have their devotees believe there is a worldwide conspiracy, including more than 3,500 scientific studies, involving more than 15,000 research scientists, reporting a relationship between the consumption of meats, poultry, eggs and dairy products, with heart disease, cancer, kidney failure, constipation, gallstones, diverticulosis, and hemorrhoids, just to name a few.

The Atkins diet, as well as other authors advocating high protein diet plans, recommend programs with significantly more animal products than is typically consumed by the average American. Already, Americans eat approximately 40% of calories from animal products 1 and as a result of such nutritional consumption patterns, we have seen a tragic skyrocketing in cancer rates and heart disease rates in the last 50 years.

As we track animal product consumption around the world in every population, we note that as animal product intake increases, so does both cancer and heart disease. Atkins recommends that you eat primarily high fat, high protein, fiber-less, animal foods and attempt to eliminate carbohydrates from your diet on his low carb diet plan. Analyses of the proposed menus show animal products to comprise more than 90% of calories in the diet.

You can lose some weight on the Atkins diet plan, but you will damage your health at the same time.

Hundreds of scientific studies have documented the link between animal products and various cancers. While it would be wrong to say that animal foods are the sole cause of cancer, it is now clear that increased consumption of animal products combined with the decreased consumption of fresh produce have the most powerful effect on increasing one's risk for various kinds of cancer. Atkins convinces his followers that he knows better than leading nutritional research scientists who proclaim that, “meat consumption is an important factor in the etiology of human cancer.”2

Following Atkins’ recommendations could more than double your risk of certain cancers, especially of meat-sensitive cancers3, such as epithelial cancers of the respiratory tract.4 For example, in the last study previously referenced, conducted by the National Cancer Institute, researchers looked at lung cancer in non-smoking women, so that smoking would not be a major variable. They found that the relative risk of lung cancer was greater by six-fold in women in the highest fifth of saturated fat consumption, compared to the lowest fifth. Of note is that the high level of saturated fat shown to dramatically increase cancer in this study was still much less than the saturated fat than found on the typical Atkins' menu.

Yet another study, recently published in the February 2003 Archives of Internal Medicine, tracked the dietary habits of more than 76,000 women and again linked meat to colon cancer.

It is not only that the Atkins diet plan is incredibly high in saturated fat -- it is that his menus prohibit and restrict the foods known to offer powerful protection against cancer. Even his more permissive menus, supposedly for maintenance, are dangerously low in these anti-cancer foods. His new book, as well as the older ones, has this same dangerous dietary pattern. Atkins devotees adopt a dietary pattern completely opposite what is recommended by the leading research scientists studying the link between diet and cancer in the world today.5
Specifically, fruit exclusion alone is a significant cancer marker. Stomach and esophageal cancer, are linked to populations that do not consume sufficient fruit.6 Scientific studies show a clear and strong dose-response relationship between cancers of the digestive tract, bladder and prostate with low fruit consumption.7 To the surprise of many investigators, fruit consumption shows a powerful dose response association with reduction in mortality from heart disease, cancer and all causes of death.8 There is also a striking consistency in multiple scientific investigations that show a reduction in incidence of colorectal and stomach cancer with the intake of whole grains.9 Colon cancer is strongly associated with the consumption of animal products.10 And these researchers concluded that the varying level of colon cancer in the low incidence population compared to the high incidence population could not be explained by “protective” factors such as fiber, vitamins and minerals; rather it was influenced almost totally by the consumption of animal products and fat.


Fruit Saturated Fat Cancer Risk
Less More Higher
More Less Lower

Cancer Risk
Atkins diet plan menus average 60-75% of calories from fat, and even his more permissive diets contains an insignificant quantity of fruit. There are numerous ways to lose weight. However "effective" they may be, some are just not safe. We wouldn't advocate smoking cigarettes or snorting cocaine simply because they can be effective in promoting weight loss. Advocating a weight-loss program based on severe carbohydrate restriction is irresponsible. You may pay a substantial price—your life.


The Atkins Heart Disease Revolution

On the Atkins diet plan, after significantly increasing your risk of developing cancer in years to come, there other potential Atkins side effects.

The Westman Study, funded by the Atkins Center (with a long-term funding arrangement) and interpreted to the media by Atkins and his spokespeople, is another example of how money buys influence at the expense of the unsuspecting public. This short-term study showed a moderate degree of weight loss for about 80% of the initial participants and an average of 10 mg/dl (or 5%) decrease in LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.11 It was heralded to the media as proof that the Atkins diet is safe for the heart.

It is well established that blood fat levels fall as body fat decreases. With any method of weight loss, we will see drop in cholesterol levels. But, in spite of taking fish oils and other supplements known to reduce cholesterol, this study showed an unusual resistance to the expected fall in lipids we see with other methods of weight loss. Television networks repeated aired interviews with Atkins his representatives to interpret a study paid for by the Atkins Institute.

In contrast, an independent, peer-reviewed, extremely comprehensive study on the effects of individuals following an Atkins diet plan studied heart function with before and after blood flow evaluations with sophisticated medical tools including myocardial perfusion imaging, echocardiography and serial blood work. The study showed the blood flow to the heart diminished by an average of 40% after one year on such a high saturated fat, high protein diet, and increased inflammatory markers that predict heart attacks.12 In contrast, a low saturated fat diet given to the control group improved blood flow to the heart by more than 40%. This study clearly illustrated a high protein diet is too dangerous for anyone to consider, even for a short time. Of course this study was ignored by the media, as it wasn't promoted by a high profile publicity department.

There are Atkins diet side effects. It has been found that ketogenic diets can cause dilatation of the heart muscle and cardiomyopathy that is reversible if the diet is stopped in time.13 Many readers may remember Dr. Atkins himself had a heart attack about a year ago caused by a cardiomyopathy. Of course, it was announced that this had nothing to do with his diet and that it was due to a virus.

How Atkins Works

On a high protein diet, when we restrict carbohydrates so markedly, the body thinks we are caloric deprived and ketosis results. The body begins to lose fat, even if we are consuming plenty of high-fat foods, as Atkins recommends. Once you stop the diet, you'll gain it all back and more; if you stay on the diet, you risk a premature death. Take your pick. Once you start consuming carbohydrate-containing fruits, vegetables or beans, the ketosis ends and the meat and fat become fattening again. Meat consumption leads to weight gain, unless you have caused a carbohydrate-deficiency ketosis.

These high-protein diets strongly forbid refined carbohydrates, junk food, and the nutritionally depleted white pasta, white rice, and bread that most Americans consume in large quantities. That is the good part. They also frequently recommend the dieter consume hundreds of dollars of nutritional supplements each month. Sure the supplements are better than nothing on such an unbalanced diet, but they do not make the high protein diet plans safe.

The reality is that no matter how many supplements are taken and how much psyllium fiber prescribed, it is simply impossible to make up for so many important substances that are lacking in the diet. There are too many essential nutrients that have never met the inside of a vitamin jar and no supplemental gymnastics can ever offset the destructive effects of so much animal products and so little fibrous produce. Plus, on an Atkins type diet plan, if you consume even a moderate amount of the healthy carbohydrate foods such as fruits and starchy vegetables, you stop ketosis and regain your weight.

High fat diets are unquestionably associated with obesity, 14 and meat eating actually correlates with weight gain, not weight loss, unless you radically cut carbohydrates out of your diet to maintain a chronic ketosis. Researchers from the American Cancer Society followed 79,236 individuals over 10 years and found that those who ate meat more than three times per week were much more likely to gain weight as the years went by, compared to those who tended to avoid meat. 15 The more vegetables the participants ate, the more resistant they were to weight gain.

Ketogenic diets, like the Atkins plan, have been used to treat children with seizure disorders when unresponsive to medication alone. Medical studies reveal these high protein diets can result in serious health consequences. Investigators report a greater potential for adverse events than had ever been anticipated. The dangers of these high protein diets include hemolytic anemia, abnormal liver function, renal tubular acidosis, spontaneous bone fractures (despite calcium supplementation), and many more. 16 Kidney stones formation is another risk of high protein diets. 17 These studies point out that there are many subtle adverse outcomes not being attributed to this dangerous way of eating
Your Ideal Weight Forever
These Atkins side effects and dangers and those of other high protein diets have to be considered, within the context of the results obtainable with my Eat To Live program, an approach designed to reverse heart disease as one dramatically loses weight.

Like Atkins, I also recognize that refined carbohydrates are dangerous; however, rather than replacing refined carbohydrates with an unlimited license to eat more saturated-fat-rich animal products, they are replaced with high phytochemical-rich vegetables, beans and fruit.

Eat To Live offers more dramatic weight loss, substantial cholesterol-lowering, is safe and designed around the most powerful anti-cancer and anti-heart disease foods on the planet. When we look at medical research studies performed on the Eat To Live, vegetable-based approach, we see an average lowering of the LDL (bad) cholesterol of 33%, 18 which is more impressive than the most powerful cholesterol-lowering prescription drugs. In fact, this reduction exceeded what could be achieved by subjects eating a Mediterranean diet or the modern low-fat diet recommended by the American Heart Association.

Atkin's
(from his book) Eat To Live
(Typical menu)

Total Calories 2550 1600
Protein 188 gm 60 gm
Fat 167 gm 19 gm
Carbohydrate 67 gm 314 gm
Saturated fat 60 gm 2 gm
Sodium 5920 mg 592 mg
B carotene 212 mcg 8260 mcg
Vitamin C 30 mg 625 mg
Calcium 543 mg 877 mg
Magnesium 187 mg 593 mg
Iron 18 mg 22 mg
Manganese 1.5 mg 8.1 mg
Vitamin E 10 IU 22 IU
Fiber 5.4 gm 77 gm
Chromium 0.034 mg 0.168 mg

Nutrient Comparison
The typical Atkins diet plan menu above averages 60 percent of calories from fat. The Eat to Live menu has fewer calories, almost no saturated fat, and is much higher in fiber and other anti-cancer, plant-derived nutrients.

Remember, the grams of fiber consumed, when acquired from natural foods, marks the level of other phytochemicals. These differences may make the difference between a long life and a premature death. It is difficult to imagine a physician, in practice as a nutritional expert, selling millions of books while recommending 60 grams of disease-promoting saturated fat a day.19

Telling people what they want to hear sells books, products, and services. Atkins has continued to make irresponsible statements in support of his dangerous advice. Take, for example, statements from his Winter, 2001 Health Revelations Special Report (an advertisement brochure for his newsletter):
Reverse heart disease with filet mignon!
Stop strokes with cheese!
Prevent breast cancer with butter!

Most people do not have a comprehensive knowledge of the world's nutritional literature and research and are therefore not in a position to evaluate fraudulent claims. Atkins can make these claims because the government only actively monitors statements made on products. Can you imagine if the butter manufacturers placed the statement prevent breast cancer with butter on the side of a stick of butter, especially in light of thousands of studies showing the relationship between saturated fat and cancer?

Never forget my recurrent motto: do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Nutritional mediocrity might just cause your death. Only a cholesterol level below 150 and an LDL below 100 are satisfactory. Atkins diet plan devotees never reach these desirable levels, on a regular diet of beef, cheese, and butter. Those following my recommendations routinely achieve these recommended levels.

Make no doubt about it -- weight control and healthy eating are a lifetime commitment. No quick fix or dangerous weight loss scheme will result in permanent weight reduction and good health. For superior health and your ideal weight there is: Eat To Live.
REFERENCES
1 World Health Organization, Food Balance Sheets, Year 1996; http://www.fao.org/es/ESS/list.htm
2 Tavani A, La Vecchia C, Gallus S, et al. Red meat and cancer risk: a study in Italy. Int J Cancer 2000;86(3):425-428.
3 De Stefani E, Fierro L, Mendilaharsu M, et al. Meat intake, “mate” drinking and renal cell cancer in Uruguay: a case-control study. Br J Cancer 1998;78(9):1239-1243.
Risch HA, Jain M, Marrett LD, Howe GR. Dietary fat intake and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 1994;86(18):1409-1415.
4 Pillow PC, Hursting SD, Duphorne CM, et al. Case-control assessment of diet and lung cancer risk in African Americans and Mexican Americans. Nutr Cancer 1997;29(2):169-173.
Alavanja MC, Brown CC, Swanson C. Brownson RC. Saturated fat intake and lung cancer risk among nonsmoking women in Missouri. J Natl Cancer Inst 1993;85(23):1906-1916.
5 Kuller LH. Dietary fat and chronic disease: epidemiologic overview. J Am Diet Assoc 1997;97(7 Suppl):S9-S15.
Willet WC. Nutrition and cancer. Salud Publica Mex 1997;39(4):298-309.
La Vecchia C. Cancer associated with high-fat diets. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr 1992;12:79-85.
Steinmetz KA, Potter JD. Vegetables, fruit, and cancer prevention: a review. J Am Diet Assoc. 1996;96(10):1027-1039.
6 Brown LM, Swanson CA, Gridley G et al. Dietary factors and the risk of squamous cell esophageal cancer among black and white men in the United States. Cancer Causes Control 1998;9(5):467-474.
Cheng KK, Day NE. Nutrition and esophageal cancer. Cancer Causes Control 1996;7(1):33-40.
Hirohata T, Kono S. Diet/nutrition and stomach cancer in Japan. Int J Cancer 1997;Suppl 10:34-36.
Kono S, Hirohata T. Nutrition and stomach cancer. Cancer Causes Control 1996;7(1):41-45.
Terry P, Nyren O, Yuen J. Protective effect of fruits and vegetables on stomach cancer in a cohort of Swedish twins. Int J Cancer 1998;76(1):35-37.
7 Willet WC, Trichopoulos D (eds). Nutrition and cancer: a summary of the evidence. Cancer Causes Control. 1996;7:178-180.
La Vecchia C, Tavani A. Fruit and vegetables, and human cancer. Eur J Cancer Prev 1998;7(1):3-8.
Tavani A, La Vecchia C. Fruit and vegetable consumption and cancer risk in a Mediterranean population. Am J Clin Nutr 1995;61(6):1374S-1377S.
8 Key TJA, Thorogood M, Appleby PN, Burr ML. Dietary habits and mortality in 11,000 vegetarians and health conscious people: results of a year follow up. British Medical Journal 1996;313:775-779.
9 Jacobs DR, Slavin J, Marquart L. Whole grain intake and cancer: a review of the literature. Nutrition and Cancer 1995;24:221-229.
10 O’Keefe SJ, Kidd M, Espitalier-Noel G, Owira P. Rarity of colon cancer in Africans is associated with low animal product consumption, not fiber. Am J Gastroenterol 1999;94(5):1373-1380.
11 Westman EC, Yancy WS, Edman JS, et al. Effect of 6-month adherence to a very low carbohydrate diet program. Am J Med 2002;113(1):30-36.
12 Fleming RM. The effect of high-protein diets on coronary blood flow. Angiology 2000;51(10):817-826.
13 Best TH, Franz DN, Gilbert DL, et al. Cardiac complications in pediatric patients on the ketogenic diet. Neurology 2000;54(12):2328-30
14 Sherwood NE, Jeffery RW, French SA, et al. Predictors of weight gain in the Pound of Prevention study. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2000;24(4):395-403.
Astrup A. Macronutreint balances and obesity: the role of diet and physical activity. Public Health Nutr 1999;2(3A):341-347.
15 Kahn HS, Tatham LM, Rodriguez C, et al. Stable behaviors associated with adults’ 10-year change in body mass index and likelihood of gain at the waist. Am J Public Health 1997;87(5):747-757.
16 Bankhead C. Ketogenic diet can cause serious adverse effects, data suggests. Medical Tribune 1998;39(17)23.
17 Licata AA, Bow E, Bartler FC, et al. Effect of dietary protein on urinary calcium in normal subjects and in patients with nephrolithiasis. Metabolism 1979;28:895.
Robertson WG, Heyburn PJ, Peacock M et al. The effect of high animal protein intake on the risk of calcium stone formation in the urinary tract. Clin Sci 1979;57;285.
Brokis JG, Levitt AS, Cruthers SM. The effects of vegetable and animal protein diets on calcium, urate and oxalate excretion. Br J Urol 1982;54:590.
Robertaon WG, Peacock M, Heyburn PJ, et al. The risk of calcium stone formation in relation to affluence and dietary animal protein. In: 34 Brokis JG, Finlayson B, eds. Urinary calculus, International Urinary Stone Conference. Littleton Col PSG Publishing, 1981:3.
18 Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Popovich, et al. Effects of a very-high-fiber vegetable fruit and nut diet on serum lipids and colonic function. Metabolism 2001:50(4);494-503.
19 Alavanja MC, Brown CC, Swanson C, Brownson RC. Saturated fat intake and lung cancer risk among nonsmoking women in Missouri. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1993;85(23):1906.
Lichtenstein AH, Kennedy E, Barrier P, et al. Dietary fat consumption and health. Nutr Rev 1998;56(5)pt2;S3-S28.
Kromhout D, Bloemberg B, Feskens E,et al. Saturated fat, vitamin C and smoking predict long-term population all-cause mortality rates in the Seven Countries Study. Int J Epidemiol 2000;29(2):260-265.
Staessen L, De Bacquer D, De Henauw S, et al. Relation between fat intake and mortality: an ecological analysis in Belgium. Eur J Cancer Prev 1997;6(4):374-381.

[bigred875]

Originally posted by bemused
...

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!

wrong answer... shoulda gone w/ "call a friend"

Atkins sez, "animal fats GOOD, partially hydrogenated vegetable lipids BAD"

all our departing contestants recieve lovely parting gifts, you may collect yours as you exit...

dunno about all that. I definately fell asleep trying to read it. You find just as many *scientific* studies rebuting what you just posted but I won't bore everbody.

I started that Atkins diet last January and since then I have lost 40lbs and lowered my cholestrol 100pts. I have never felt better in my life. My cardiologist put me on a lower carb diet, not as strict as Atkins but he was concerned about my cholestrol and because I was over weight I was in risk of type 2 diabeties. Now I have lowered my risks of type 2 diabeties, and all the other diseases you say I will get from this diet. I do not have to take Lipitor any more either which my previous doctor had me taking.

The problem is that all of the studies focus on the first phase(Induction). Sure if you stay on this phase your whole and you don't taken the fiber suppliments he tells you to take or the vitamin supplements I'm sure you may have a problem. But Atkins is a 4 phase diet which gradually adds in all kinds of foods. You only have to stay away from is sugar and enriched white flour, just about all other carbs are good for and are added in through ot the 4 phases.

Besides all that you can stay in that induction phase as long as you are losing weight as long as you take his recommended vitamins and fiber suppliments.

The problem with all these reports is you have to see who funds them or lobbyed for them to be put out. Because this diet pokes holes in every other diet out there. Which is a billion dollar industry. Which is why Atkins has gotten so much crap. He came up with this diet in the 50's and published his first book in the 70's ...this is not new...not a fad. Why do you think everyone is jumping on the band wagon...slimfast..fast food..just about al the chains. Atkins himself lived to into his 70's and has walk to work just about everyday for over 25yrs. He was walking that morning when he slipped on the ice and hit his head. He was very healthy. There is a bogus story going around about his heart. He had an infection that had absolutely nothing to do with the diet.

[MissTwisties]

OK BIGRED. You HAVE TO send me the menu for your diet!!! You lost 40 pounds since January? Holy sh**....I need that diet. NOW.

PM it to me, please oh pretty pleaseeeeee......lol

[JJ]

Originally posted by bigred875
dunno about all that. I definately fell asleep trying to read it. You find just as many *scientific* studies rebuting what you just posted but I won't bore everbody.

I started that Atkins diet last January and since then I have lost 40lbs and lowered my cholestrol 100pts. I have never felt better in my life. My cardiologist put me on a lower carb diet, not as strict as Atkins but he was concerned about my cholestrol and because I was over weight I was in risk of type 2 diabeties. Now I have lowered my risks of type 2 diabeties, and all the other diseases you say I will get from this diet. I do not have to take Lipitor any more either which my previous doctor had me taking.

The problem is that all of the studies focus on the first phase(Induction). Sure if you stay on this phase your whole and you don't taken the fiber suppliments he tells you to take or the vitamin supplements I'm sure you may have a problem. But Atkins is a 4 phase diet which gradually adds in all kinds of foods. You only have to stay away from is sugar and enriched white flour, just about all other carbs are good for and are added in through ot the 4 phases.

Besides all that you can stay in that induction phase as long as you are losing weight as long as you take his recommended vitamins and fiber suppliments.

The problem with all these reports is you have to see who funds them or lobbyed for them to be put out. Because this diet pokes holes in every other diet out there. Which is a billion dollar industry. Which is why Atkins has gotten so much crap. He came up with this diet in the 50's and published his first book in the 70's ...this is not new...not a fad. Why do you think everyone is jumping on the band wagon...slimfast..fast food..just about al the chains. Atkins himself lived to into his 70's and has walk to work just about everyday for over 25yrs. He was walking that morning when he slipped on the ice and hit his head. He was very healthy. There is a bogus story going around about his heart. He had an infection that had absolutely nothing to do with the diet.

Ok then, how did Mr Atkins die? Why was he overweight when he died? You lose alot of weight quick becuase your losing lean muscle tissue, bone tissue, and a little bit of fat tissue (remember muscle weighs more than fat). When you don't get the proper nutrients for enegry (carbs) you start to burn all of the above more or less in that order. The best diet out there if your going to do one is the South Beach diet (starts off like Atkins but switches back in a week or two). That is the one that intorduces the foods you need back into your diet, not Atkins. If you really think about it, it makes alot of sense. Any "mircle" weight lose/gain whatever is not good for you. Proper diet and excersise is the only way to go.

[bemused]

Originally posted by JJ
Ok then, how did Mr Atkins die? Why was he overweight when he died? You lose alot of weight quick becuase your losing lean muscle tissue, bone tissue, and a little bit of fat tissue (remember muscle weighs more than fat). When you don't get the proper nutrients for enegry (carbs) you start to burn all of the above more or less in that order. The best diet out there if your going to do one is the South Beach diet (starts off like Atkins but switches back in a week or two). That is the one that intorduces the foods you need back into your diet, not Atkins. If you really think about it, it makes alot of sense. Any "mircle" weight lose/gain whatever is not good for you. Proper diet and excersise is the only way to go.

um-m-m... have you actually read the Atkins diet? my wife was on it for awhile... actually bought the book, rather than just go w/ popular belief. as bigred stated, it IS a phased plan, just like you say the South Beach diet is. after a coupla weeks, you DO begin reintroducing other foods. even in the first phase, all you're really eliminating-- temporarily-- are sugars.

fwiw, Atkins died of a blow to the head from slipping on an icy sidewalk. his death certificate DOES list heart problems, but they are claimed to be unrelated to the his diet... which could certainly be true, most heart problems are not caused by excess cholesterol. since an autopsy was never performed, there's no way of knowing for sure. and... obese? according to his medical records, he was 195 lb. when he was admitted to the hospital after the spill he took... not too heavy for a six-foot tall, 72 yr. old guy. the 60 lb. he put on between then, and when he died, are attributed to fluid retention while in a coma.

so there's some real question about these allegations, especially since the obese & heart attack claims were put forward by groups hostile to Atkins (vegans & animal-rights types), and the rebuttal by his wife & his doctor.

wanna learn more? snopes.com... follow the link to The Smoking Gun, as well.

[bigred875]

Originally posted by JJ
Ok then, how did Mr Atkins die? Why was he overweight when he died? You lose alot of weight quick becuase your losing lean muscle tissue, bone tissue, and a little bit of fat tissue (remember muscle weighs more than fat). When you don't get the proper nutrients for enegry (carbs) you start to burn all of the above more or less in that order. The best diet out there if your going to do one is the South Beach diet (starts off like Atkins but switches back in a week or two). That is the one that intorduces the foods you need back into your diet, not Atkins. If you really think about it, it makes alot of sense. Any "mircle" weight lose/gain whatever is not good for you. Proper diet and excersise is the only way to go.

First off if you have not read his book you cannot speak on it.

"That is the one that intorduces the foods you need back into your diet, "

The reason you lose so much weight in the first phase is but you starve your body of carb, which turn into glucose which then turns into insulin which your body burns for fuel. The problem with this is that just about all other diets flood your system with too much carbs and your body does not burn them all up and they get stored directy as fat. In doing this your insulin level never stablizes which is why it is harder to loose weight along with the perk of adding to your risk of diabeties and heart disease.

When you start Atkins within the first 3-4 days of limited carb intake you body transforms from glucosis(what i explained above) to ketosis(NOT ketoacidosis) which converts your system to burn stored body FAT. And once you get down to a certain goal wight you gradually go through the other phases and get back to a more normal diet. I still have about 30lbs I want to lose and they lbs. are slowly coming of now..but it will not happen over night.

He does this in the other 4 phases.

As far as me losing muscle that is crap. Along with the diet, as well with any diet I started going to the gym and I have certainly not lost any muscle, in fact I gained 80lbs to my bench press. I have never been stronger in my life. ...plus all of the protein you are eating in this time...the muscle is not going anywhere.

Atkins may have been slightyly over weight but he was by no means fat. And he died because he slammed his head against a New York side way on his way to work in the morning and never recovered from those injuries.

http://atkins.com/
http://www.janegalt.net/blog/archives/001349.html
http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/04/17/obit.atkins/

This has just recently sufaced again because of some wacko group funded by PETA decided to tarnish a dead man's reputation. They are pissed because we are eating they're precious animals. They went to the medical examiner and got information from them illegally without Dr. Atkins widow's permission. BUt it was all done in vain because they have been shot down.

Sounds like you need to do a little more research sir..this time don't look at one side. I looked at both sides before I started then I took my Dr.s(cardioligist) recommendation.

[bigred875]

Hey bemused FWIW I believe an autopsy was done but the the files were not released to the public and that is what that group(I forgot their name) got a hold of...or something like that. Maybe it was that an autopsy was done illegally..or both not sure of the details but I think that was the problem a couple of months ago.

Dr. Atkins was used to groups such as these. They have been going after him his whole career...just now these spinless blood suckers wait until he can't defend himself.

[JJ]

My information didn't come from any tree hugger or animal rights activist. Think about it.....60 pounds in one week....maybe if you tied a 50lb plate to your ass. That really makes no sense at all. Has anybody had their body fat calculated? Not with the weight height bs, I mean from a machine. I can calculate one and come out with a 17% and do another formula and get 26%. The formulas don't work for this. Just like smoking is good for you but they never covered that up did they, that was just the envirnomentalist bitching about the air quality, right??

[bigred875]

Originally posted by JJ
My information didn't come from any tree hugger or animal rights activist. Think about it.....60 pounds in one week....maybe if you tied a 50lb plate to your ass. That really makes no sense at all. Has anybody had their body fat calculated? Not with the weight height bs, I mean from a machine. I can calculate one and come out with a 17% and do another formula and get 26%. The formulas don't work for this. Just like smoking is good for you but they never covered that up did they, that was just the envirnomentalist bitching about the air quality, right??

Who said 60 lbs in 1 week. If I said that then I made a mistake. I lost 10lbs in a week...mostly water weight..but still.

And I have been monitoring my body fat the hole way.


Keep trying though...those reports do not only come from the tree huggers they come from everywhere. The gov't included....how ever they are changing their veiws and modifying the supposed *balance* diet to eliminate a lot of carbs. They hasn't been done in a very long time and it is about time.

[Matt K]

I remember reading maybe consumer reports, where they said that the big 3 popular diets (atkins, south beach, and I forget the other one) were all equally successful. The other major correlation they saw was that the success of each diet was directly linked to how closely you followed it. This would lead me to believe that while the specifics of the diet may certainly have an affect on the outcome, what is far more important is just getting people to pay attention to what they eat. Picking the diet that will be easiest for you to follow, and reading up enough that you won't be hurting yourself from some deficiency seems the best route to go. FWIW, I'm roughly 12% body fat according to the electronic measuring things (at least 2 different brands), but according to the heaght/weight formula thing on webmd, I'm verging on overweight (5'8, 165lbs), so I wouldn't put too much stock in the formulas.

[bigred875]

Originally posted by Matt K
I remember reading maybe consumer reports, where they said that the big 3 popular diets (atkins, south beach, and I forget the other one) were all equally successful. The other major correlation they saw was that the success of each diet was directly linked to how closely you followed it. This would lead me to believe that while the specifics of the diet may certainly have an affect on the outcome, what is far more important is just getting people to pay attention to what they eat. Picking the diet that will be easiest for you to follow, and reading up enough that you won't be hurting yourself from some deficiency seems the best route to go. FWIW, I'm roughly 12% body fat according to the electronic measuring things (at least 2 different brands), but according to the heaght/weight formula thing on webmd, I'm verging on overweight (5'8, 165lbs), so I wouldn't put too much stock in the formulas.

That is one of the biggest problems with people trying to do Atkins, they never read the book and they relay on what they hear is the right thing to do..they fail then bad mouth the diet. I am 6' 230 and my body fat is right now is around 22% which is "fair"...I would like to get down to 200 and according to the formulas at 200 I would still be 20lbs over weight. When I started my body fat was pushing 30%

[benVFR]

I was kidding with my Atkins comment.... didn't expect to see this turn into a discussion.

I've read the Atkins book, the diet is nowhere near appropriate IMO for anyone unless you are at a very high % Body Fat and very sedentary. You could use it for a while and then get off it and start increasing your exercise as you lose the fat. And the fact that the book plugs Atkins-branded food products on almost every page should be a red flag to anyone reading it. It's about money, just like Weight Watchers, Lean Cuisine, Slim fast, etc..

I challenge anyone to do some serious exercise, say 5 hours a week of intense exercise, and not lose weight with just minimal discipline in your eating, and eliminating junk food and moderating your alcohol intake. 5 hours a week is very moderate. I'm sure everyone here could take 5 hours out of their TV viewing time to exercise.

Gotta do some real, intense exercise though. If you're weight lifting you should pound heavy weights and move from set to set quickly without much rest. Eliptical trainer or walking on the treadmill or a yoga class doesn't count for cardio. Go out and jog, or hike up and down the biggest hill you can find, or ride a bike as fast as you can. If you're huffing and puffing and dripping sweat that is a good start, if you can't huff and puff and sweat for an hour then you have a lot of work to do. (Ideally do serious cardio & weight lifting)

If you get your exercise you can greatly reduce the amount of time you spend worrying about what you eat, as long as you don't eat too much of it. It's not rocket science to figure out that ice cream, cookies, candy, potato chips, etc.. are bad for you and apples, oranges, whole grains, quality meat, etc.. are good for you.

It's not magic.... it's very simple. The thing is almost no one is doing any real exercise anymore. If you don't do any exercise your calorie needs are so low that it's going to be very hard to keep your weight and body fat under control.

(I am truly scared at what health care is going to cost as everyone gets fatter and fatter.)

Ben

(Now I am off to see if I can invest in Atkins as obviously no one cares about exercise)

[JJ]

I put 5 to 7 hours a week in the gym doing alot of weights, spin bikes, and eliptical. And once summer comes I will be doing even more (outside activities). That was very well put benSV but if you see results quick, the dangers slip into the back of your mind. There is now easy way out other than eating right and excersize. I'm 5'10" 185 and have done alot of research from trainers (nutrition classes) which led to more research online as well. It all makes sense and what the Atkins says makes sense as well just not in a healthy way. The biggest thing is we all eat like crap and the food companies aren't making it any better for us, they just care about there money and that's it. Just like tabacco, hydrogenated foods, crazy diets that don't have long term affects, etc...... Do what you like I guess, .

[bigred875]

BenSV, I totally agree with you on a lot of what you say..esp. the Atkins brand stuff. I fell for that in the begining but it is not needed...and he says this in his book alomst as much as he plugs his own stuff.

As for it being for everyone, 100% correct because everyone is different. His theory is detect which food your body can process and which foods you can't i.e. food allergies. That is the main cause of weight gain...your body doesn't know how to process a certain food and it willl just metabolize(sp?) into fat. And in some people this could be a food that is supposed to be good for you.

People that weight 300, 400+ lbs do not eat 2 or 3 times as everyone else does...there bodies just metolize the food differently.

But as SV says exercise is the key, however a lot of people smarter then me have differntly theories as to the best exercise is to lose weight. I have stopped lifting for a while and I swim for 30min. a day atleast 4 times a week now. This seems to be working out pretty well for me.

[zx7rou812]

Aw shit...Is there going to be a test on this?





Good stuff !

[gonzo6]

Originally posted by zx7rou812
Aw shit...Is there going to be a test on this?





Good stuff !

Got the notes right here...hope its open book

[zx7rou812]

[bigred875]

Funny link... http://www.illwillpress.com/fatkins.html