Wow, isn't this happening, like, 5 years after the fact?
It's been studied and reported in countless publications: low-carb diets are a bad idea.
I can't believe people still do the Atkins diet. I didn't like it when I first learned about it, and I certainly don't like it now.
The facts:
- Much of the weight you lose is water weight from the elimination of carbohydrates from your system.
- Some of the other weight is fat and muscle.
- The first two points would suggest that returning to a more balanced diet will necessarily lead to regaining weight.
- The diet overworks your kidneys due to an increased production of nitrogen from converting protein to glucose for energy.
- Carbohydrates are a prime source of glucose, the body's preferred energy source, especially the brain.
- Ketosis is the body's natural defense against starvation and is not something easily managed.
- A diet high in animal products and low in plant sources is a recipe for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, etc., and even certain cancers.
- I have yet to read, hear, or otherwise know about a credible medical professional, nutritionist, or dietitian who even says the Atkins diet (or low-carb diets for that matter) is even "okay." Most say it's either ineffective for long-term weight loss or it's dangerous.
- And from what I know, "no-carb" dieting isn't even the Atkins diet.
The most successful stories I've read about long-term weight loss and
stupendous body transformations have all included diets where carbs were eaten 5 or 6 times a day. The best way to lose weight, according to all these cases, is a highly nutritious balanced diet and intense exercise 4 to 5 days a week. And the funny thing is, many of these people will say that low-carb diets are bullshit...many of them have "tried everything" before
getting it. (If you seriously want to know what I'm talking about, I might be convinced to start a new thread on this.)
Most people I know who have been on Atkins had reported crankiness, fatigue, and failure.
Atkins is fad.
I thought it was dead.
(Warning, cliches ahead!) If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. If it seems easy, it probably isn't the real thing. Doing what's good for you is truly hard to do. But you have to make that choice. If you want something that seems hard to achieve, you have to work for it. If you want to burn several pounds of fat off your body, you have to convince it that you don't need it anymore. Drinking gravy isn't going to do it. Get over your fear of oatmeal; it's one of your best sources of fuel out there. Use it to burn your way to the body you want.