HarmlessRabbit

<b>Sun Tzu</b>

I believe you're taking me wrong. I was not calling the posters names. I was talking about the article about kidney damage that Meaty Urologist linked to. The "uninformed" comment was to people who think Atkins is a "lose weight and get off it" diet like typical fad diets.

I said:

The "official" atkins answer is this:
http://atkins.com/helpatkins/faqs/faqmyths.html

If you have studies that show kidney damage from a low-carb diet in healthy adults, I'd love to see your links.

As to the AHA comment, I believe you read me wrong there too. The AHA Step One diet appears to be a healthy weight loss diet. However, in two trials it has been shown to be either not as good or just as good as atkins in terms of weight loss, and worse than atkins in terms of heart health.

The first study showed that people following the Atkins diet had much better success than people following the Step One diet, both in weight and in heart numbers.

http://atkins.com/Archive/2002/8/27-699825.html

The second study was a double blind study using the AHA step one and the Atkins diet. In this one, no one was given any coaching or assistance. Over six months, both sets only lost a modest amount of weight, but the atkins dieters had statistically significant improvements in heart numbers. One thing to take away from this study is that most people don't follow diets, no matter what diet it is.

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/...ct/348/21/2082



If you have evidence about problems with Atkins, I would love to discuss your findings. Post away. My problem was with people just googling for any old web site and posting their search results. Properly followed, I don't believe that atkins is dangerous or unhealthy. Quite the opposite.

purpleperson

I'll add my two cents.

1. ketosis is not really different from ketoacidosis. All the acidosis implies is that the ketosis is severe enough to significantly shift the pH of the blood.

2. it's not really clear that shifting the pH of the blood itself is a bad thing. Pretty much every study which looks at aiming to correct the pH of the blood comes up empty handed. So mostly it's not done anymore except when you need a hail mary - so to speak.

3. The atkins diet does not adversely affect the cholesterol. Reasons for this are not clear.

4. At this point, the medical community mostly believes that the atkins diet works, but for reasons that are different from what Dr. Atkins proposed. There is some concern for long term effects mainly because it has not been studied thoroughly.

5. I remember well being in biochem in med school and being told that the atkins diet wouldn't work. I went home and looked at it and looked at it and came to the conclusion that it seemed like it should work. Dumbass biochem phd.

Meaty Urologist

I shall immediately perform seppuku!

HarmlessRabbit

PICS!!!!

Sun Tzu

HarmlessRabbit I did misread what you said; so I apologize if I sounded like an ass. I’m no longer in the medical field, but my last job within the community was working as nutritionist at an anti-aging clinic (or clinical age-management as they call it now) I did personal training on the side, but after 2 years I got fed up with people not following the routines they paid me to design for them. The things going on inside the clinic were always fascinating, but that’s a different area and discussion.

The Atkins diet works. I’ve done it myself; I actually did a more hardcore version of it with a technique known as extended carb loading. M-F I would intake only 14grams of complex carbs per day the rest was about 2500 calories of protein and fat. On Saturday and Sunday I would load on carbs every two hours (literally every two hours) www.bodybuild.com/ans/otsad.htm

Without drugs I was completely shredded at 7.9% body fat from 13.2 in 9 weeks this on top of gaining 15 lbs of lean mass. I was irritable, and I didn’t do any renal damage. It was a good thing I had access the most sophisticated lab in the world http://www.kronoscompany.com/services.aspx is one of the things I miss about working there. That area of medicine is definitely for the wealthy elite, and unfortunately I’m still climbing my ladder. My blood work looked OK except high LDL and HDL levels.

That was to be expected and should be by anyone on this or an Atkins diet, its going to happen. I took Niacin with an aspirin to counter the flush nightly. I titrated up to 1500 mgs and that brought my levels down with 10 days. I expected my urinary uric and calcium levels to be elevated, but holy shit they were through the roof. Back then I really didn’t care because I have; admit tingly used a few enhancers here and there. Not to mention I was get growth hormone through the clinic so my mentality was a little “tilted”. What I’ve come to realize that just because it works and doesn’t kill you in 6 months, doesn’t mean it’s something a person should do for the rest of their life. If it’s done to knock off the initial pounds; what about when they’re done?

From what I’ve seen in myself and in many others: in physical results, lab work, and mental attitude the zone direction has yielded the greatest results.

5 meals throughout the day broken up evenly with caloric intake appropriate for whatever goals are being targeted in a ratio of: 40% protein, 30% complex carbs, 30% FFs (mono, polyunsaturated, etc) with the 6 meal being straight protein (the last one usually around bedtime for nitrogen retention, and IGF-1 stimulation)

This keeps the insulin level regulated and even which will yield obvious great results (most overlook the anabolic properties of insulin-far greater than even testosterone)

It keeps the brain fed well on the fuel that keeps it going (glucose)

Keeps muscles fed with glycogen: there’s ways to force the body to utilize fat for fuel during workouts to optimize time spent in the gym- a common concern.

It’s an eating regime that someone can do for the rest of their life.

These are just a few.


I also see allot of people talking about losing pounds. I can understand if were talking 200-300 lbs over weight, but I think if more attention was spent monitoring the fat percentage/ lean mass ration vs. going by the scale alone they could better gauge where they are truly at.

I fully understand the science behind the anabolic diet I was on, but around my 11th week I could see my body was starting to go into a catabolic state.


This was a little of my own personal feedback, I’ll post the studies I wanted you to take a look at, as well as some of the research criteria that is used in Atkins studies on my next post.

I check the Atkins site from time to time because its update when they finish each study. I did find the NEJM article interesting, the first line of the abstract says allot though.


Now I understand about the urologist thing.

Hey MU are you an MD?

__________________
To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.- Stephen Hawking

Janie

This makes me laugh! You felt like shit when you started your diet. Why didn't you listen to your body then? Obviously your body was telling you it didn't like the plan and something wasn't right.

__________________
cheers to the motherland

HarmlessRabbit

For most people, the discomfort comes from quitting caffeine cold-turkey, something which atkins actually doesn't recommend. He recommends a slow wind-down of your caffeine intake so that you can avoid the headaches.

Also, sugar is surprisingly addictive and your body complains about not getting it those first few days. It's hard, but the rewards of kicking sugar addiction is worth it for most people.

Hedgehog

Geez, if I listened to my body, I'd never exercise and I'd eat 24 hours a day and not get up in the morning. Bad Philosophy! If the body was smart enough to know what it needs, it wouldn't need a brain!

__________________
Wait a minute! Where am I, and why am I in this handbasket?

ChaoticLimbs

I have kind of stalled on Atkins after two weeks. I am not sneaking anything and I lost about eight pounds in the first ten days and now.....stable at 187 lbs. I am only 5'10". damn this belly!

TiggerBB

Slim Fast???? Sorry - look at the ingredients - it does NOT have a lot of good stuff in it, added vitamins maybe but you can get that from fruit and vegies (which is even more filling). Slim Fast is SUGAR (A candybar if you will) with Vitamins added. So eat a snickers, (it has protein too) with a glass of OJ and vitamins.

WeAre138

Don't listen to this guy, he is obviously misinformed. Slim-fast has only 12 grams of sugar which is less then a single serving of raisen bran (20 grams). There is also a nice amount of vitamins in it as well as the new kind has soy. The only downfall is that it isn't very filling especially if you are a moderately active person. It is a great way to reduce your daily calorie intake. Tons of ways to get healthy and lose weight, you just have to choose which works best for you

HarmlessRabbit

i don't know what product you're looking at, WeAre138, but the first slim-fast shake I clicked on had 35 grams of sugar.

http://www.slim-fast.com/products/pr...product_id=366

the second one I looked at had 39 grams of sugar:

http://www.slim-fast.com/products/pr...product_id=346

On the atkins diet, that's a lot of sugar. In addition, that's pure sugar, probably high-fructose corn syrup, and your body doesn't need that. A 40 gram sugar bomb is just going to spike your blood sugar then leave you feeling listless.

I like the atkins brand shakes, but you can also get cheap flavored soy-protein mix in most stores. The best diet shakes for atkins are ones with lots of protein and lots of fiber. It fills you up well without the sugar.

Also, plain water is pretty darned filling too, make sure you get 8 glasses a day and drink a glass 20 minutes before eating a big meal.

yoshi

I totally agree--now that I've gotten over the first couple of days, I feel great and it has motivated me to keep working hard and change my eating habits completely.

nine

Well I started this thread some weeks ago now, and aside from a brief lapse when I was working away form home I'm still doing Atkins

Am losing weight still, feeling healthy and have a lot more energy. Totally over the sugar craving now. Still drink coffee in the morning though.

Have worked out that roughly 100 carbs a day is my limit at the moment. Any more and I feel "full" the next morning.

Have moved from dring beer to wine. Other food I love to eat now is Strawberries - eat them almost everyday!

Don't crave any of the high carb foods now. But basically I'm just being sensible, if I eat something high in carbs (eg, rice when I go out for a curry) which is rare, then I'm just careful the next couple of days.

Would recommend this diet to anyone who needs to shed the pounds, but more importantly change their habits so the pounds don't come back again

WeAre138

Ahh, yes I was talking about the slim-fast (with soy) powder that you buy in bulk to mix with water ---> http://www.slim-fast.com/products/pr...roduct_id=361. Here is a list of the powders I am speaking of , and I recommend using these as opposed to the ready-to-drink slimfast snack drinks (which do contain quite a bit more sugar).

hulkster

The atkin diets in my opinion is too extreme and you can get better results with other ketogenic diet such as a CKD or TKD, bodyopus etc. research for other types because atkins isnt the only one out there. Heres a link www.c-k-d.com and i also have a book in pdf format explaining everything about ketogenic diets by lyle mcdonald (sp?). If anyone can host it ill be glad to send it to their e-mail addy so then can post a link and everyone can download it.

Hedgehog

I finally started Atkins again. I've been weight training and I wanted to add some muscle mass before going back on it again.

(Background: Five years ago, I lost 60 lbs on Atkins while I was on crutches from a broken leg. Kept it off for 2 years, then had acute tonsillitis, which caused sleep disorder which caused me to gain it all back. Got rid of the tonsils last year.)

I'm happy to say, it's been 3 weeks, and I'm down 15 lbs. This is the way I remember it last time! I'm still lifting (high-protein diet is good for this) and taking creatine, so the weight loss is better than expected at this point. I'm on my way down from 310 lbs and currently am at 295. My goal is 250 to begin with, then I'll decide whether or not to keep going to 220 right away or take a break.

__________________
Wait a minute! Where am I, and why am I in this handbasket?

maestro

i've never tried the atkin's diet or any of that so i can't attest for anything, but i found the above post unusually inspirational. thanks so much for that

Skettios

I just started the Atkins diet. At first I was skeptical, but then I read his book, and he seemed to know what he was talking about. I really believe that I was eating way too much sugar in the form of processed foods like cola, bread, candy, and other junk foods. I was also taking in a lot of carbs eating chinese food and basically all forms of fast food. Also I was always hungry.

Now that I'm on Atkins, I have bacon and eggs for breakfast. Then for lunch it's a large salad with various meats and vegetables. For dinner we do another salad, and then our choice of a decent entree. So far we've done filet mignon twice, fajitas without the tortilla, chicken wings, shrimp, scallops, and it's all within the diet.

The benefits have been this,

I'm never hungry anymore.
My mood has stabilized.
I've kicked my caffeine and cigarette habits.
I've lost 10 pounds.

I could seriously live like this for quite awhile.

I know a lot of people try to do this diet by eating meat only, but Atkins doesn't tell you to do this. Eat a salad, eat non starch vegetables, they'll make you feel good, and your body will notice that you're not trying to suffocate it in junk anymore.

Say what you want about the diet, giving up junk food, and eating fresh unprocessed foods seems like a good idea for anyone.

__________________
Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.

Frederich Nietzsche

ratbastid

Funny!

Sometime around the end of my second set of ANY lift, my body is downright stupid. "Aw, we can quit now. We've done enough. This is starting to hurt....."

I'm just about to start Atkins. I'm excited about it. I'm 6'1", currently 235 lbs or so, and I'm targeting 195.

A good friend lost 40 lbs and 4 inches in 6 months on Atkins, he's my inspiration. He still has a ways to go, but he's loving it. Watching him cheerfully pass up carrot cake with cream cheese frosting at a party last week was the last straw, I said, "Dammit! I'm doing the fucking diet!"

JohnnyRock

I follow a low carb diet that is meant more for athletes, etc. I eat fairly low carbs [20 g a day] with the exception of one cheat meal on the weekend where I carb up for the week of training. I also keep my protein high [about 1 gram per pound of bodyweight] and fat moderate 45-60 grams and try to keep that on the healthier side.
Been doing it about a month. My weight hasn't changed much but my max lifts in the gym are the highest they've ever been, I'm running a strong 5 miles a few times a week and my pants are fitting a little better...I tried the traditional Atkins a while ago and couldn't keep up with the training and the day at work...this one seems to work pretty well for me. But again, everyone is different...trial and error is the rule...good luck to everyone out there working hard to get healthy!

__________________
Not only do I not know the answer...I don't even know what the question is!!!

preluder

Last month i read in the wall street journal an artical about Atkins Spouse Syndrome, they were saying how spouses or SOs of people on the atkins diet tended to eat the same foods, but with the carbs, causing higher blood pressure and other negative effects. Just something to think about if you live with an atkins dieter.

Plan9Senior

I am not sure why people cannot just follow a healthy diet coupled with exercise at least 5 days a week /boggle. Atkins seems to be a good thing for people severely overweight as a way to start shedding the LBS, however, this diet is horrible for anybody expecting to have enough energy to exercise. Good luck having stamina on this diet . Sure it makes you lose weight, but is it something that you will be doing for life? Hell no! Diet is a lifestyle change, not a science project geared towards shedding X-LBS in X-Amount of days.

Fuck Dr. Atkins and his lazy-man's diet
/em braces for the assault from the Atkin's fanboys

Mael

based on anecdotal evidence, you're wrong. supposidly there's actual scientific research on the atkins diet, but that seems to be more along the safety side of it. and i'm kinda curious as to who's run those studies... there could be bias there...

anyways, i agree with the why not just follow a healthy diet statement. i think it's because people who resort to the atkins diet (warning: major generalization ahead!!!), especially those who have "tried everything and nothing worked!", are really just weak willed people when it comes to controlling themselves around food. my guess would be that like 1% of all people who can't lose weight doing the other diets actually arent' doing them right. (1% statistic pulled out of a rear oriface). i think a lot of them don't realize how many calories and of what type are in various foods, especially the heaviily processed ones. so why would this one work? because they don't have to worry about portioning. calorie counting. just eat as much as you want, just make sure it's on this here list. that's a lot easier than having to say to yourself "well, this piece of cake is too big. i shoudl cut myself a smaller one. and only a tiny scoop of ice cream to go with it."

with that said... i've stalled on my weight loss doing it the old fashioned way and might actually try this atkins thing. i think i'm gonna cry.

Plan9Senior

Mael, I think what it boils down to is willpower. I am 100% confident that there is not a person out there that I could not transform into a new person in a few months if they have the drive to do so. It isn't easy to make such a life change which is why we have so many fat people in this country, hell, even I find it tough to stay motivated some days and I am as dedicated as they come. I guess Atkins, South Beach, (Fill in diet of the month here) is better then not doing anything at all. I don't mean to downplay peoples drive to get in shape, I just question the ways in which they choose to do so. I cannot stress enough how important the idea of a diet being a life change is instead of a few month avoidance of certain foods to meet your weight quota.

I have ranted enough on this topic, good luck to all that choose this route.

FastShark85

I've been on Atkins since July 28 and I've lost 34 pounds.

My brother, a board-certified gastroenterologist is supportive of the diet.

Those that are negative toward the diet invariably don't know enough about it.

It's not a "high fat" diet. It's a way of eating that minimizes carbohydrate intake.

Since starting it, people around me have noticed and are now on the Atkins way-of-eating (WOE) too, including my mom, my in-laws, my secretary, the guy in the office next to me and several others who I know only through other internet message boards. All of them are doing well and agree that the Atkins WOE works.

The first week is hard because your body is literally suffering symptoms of withdrawal from its addiction to high blood sugar.

I used to get frequent heartburn and headaches before Atkins. I never get either anymore. Pepperoni used to trigger nasty heartburn. I eat pepperoni now as a snack without any negative effect.

I sleep better and have more energy. I'm rarely hungry and often have to remind myself it's time for a meal.

Atkins does not require people to give up foods with carbohydrates forever. The first phase of the WOE does, but as you near your weight goal, you add carbs back into your diet gradually so that you can determine your own body's ability to maintain weight....a carbohydrate equilibrium.

Atkins is NOT a diet that excludes exercise. Quite the opposite. Atkins' book requires regular exercise. During the first phase (called induction) vitamin supplements are also required....but you won't need the vitamins as you gradually move up the "ladder" of foods, adding things back into your diet in moderation.

The ultimate goal of Atkins is obviously weight loss and good health. To achieve the goal, you've got to break your body's addictions to excessive carbs.

People can argue that Atkins is crap or whatever. I know it works. The world isn't flat either.

Sun Tzu

It most surely works, I wasnt disputing that. My question is it the optimal way to go or safest when there are other options. Is it something someone should or could do for a lifetime, and what type of substrate does the brain use for nutrients?

__________________
To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.- Stephen Hawking

FastShark85

It certainly is something people can do for a lifetime. The first phase ("induction") is supposed to last a minimum of two weeks. That's the stage when people are limiting carbs to 20g per day.

Once the goal weight is reached, a more "normal" menu is available, including fruit, veggies, etc. It's the induction phase that gets all the press coverage.

crewsor

Been on Atkins since Feb. Have lost 35lbs. and never felt better.
I have been monitoring my heart health indicators.. cholesterol ,triglicerides, blood pressure regularly and all have shown significant improvement especially my B.P.
My doctor says whatever I have been doing to keep doing it.
I am into the maintainance phase and my diet is probably not much different than most peoples with the exception of sugars and white flours. I eat most all vegetables, some whole wheat breads, and quite a bit of fruits.
If you understand the concept of the diet you would realize that after the initial phase there is nothing so radical about this diet as to be a grave health concern, quite the contrary. It is a healthy way of living and eating. I can't see where limiting your intake of sugars and junk carbs could possibly be a bad thing.
As for the bad breath , once you increase your levels of carbs to the point where you are no longer in Ketosis it disappears.
I have no doubt that this way of eating along with the recommended amount of excercise would be a more healthy alternative to the vast majority of people.
By the way, I was not obese but had put on about 30 lbs. gradually over the last few years. I initially planned on just going on this diet to lose that weight, but once on it felt so much better about my overall health, I decided to keep eating low carb.

__________________
We all have wings, some of us just don't know why.

Skifter2

I have changed my diet so i corresponds with the ideas of Atkins.

I have lost almost 40 lbs in less than 3 months, from 212 lbs to 173. The diet definately works.

The reason why the book is a good investment, is primarily that it is chock full of info. The info is on all levels, from practical advice, to biochemistry.

There have been lots of attacks on the Atkins diet. This summer there has been warnings from different sources about the diet. Every single issue, that i have seen raised, has been dealt with in the book. Often the criticism is based on a mistaken and faulty perception of what the diet is all about.

Recently the Atkins diet was called dangerous and unhealthy and based on pseudoscience. This is utter BS, the claim that it is dangerous and unhealthy was not sufficiently documented, thereby making the claim Pseudoscience itself.

Atkins himself, and people around him, have often claimed that the big corporations like Unilever and Nestle was atacking hiim through all available means. You do not need to be a conspiracy nut to find evidence that that claim is true.

BTW.. i maintain induction right now, and i plan on staying in induction till christmas

ratbastid

I've been on induction 9 days, and I've lost 10 pounds. Well, strictly, I'd lost some of it in the week leading up to beginning, when I was sort of "conscious" of carbs, and deliberately giving some stuff up... Still, 10 lbs in say a week and a half... Not bad..

Those who say that's too fast--relax. Atkins himself says that the first week's weight loss is largely water. Part of why he requires eight-eights hydration.

It really is true, reading this thread. Every single thing ANYONE has said against the diet, Atkins has already covered in the book.

If you're against it, or think it's unhealthy or a bad idea, you are under-informed. Go buy the book--whether you want to do the diet or not--because under-informed, you're spreading misinformation.

Sun Tzu

www.atkinsdietalert.org/consumer.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2859733.stm

Before changing careers a couple years ago, I worked as a nutritionist at an anti-aging clinic.

http://www.kronoscompany.com/science_laboratory.aspx
I had access to having my labwork done with what I consider the most sophisiticated lab in the world (nothing very "psuedo" about it). There was a point I was doing a diet similiar to the atkins (with minor variations, but the premise is the same) www.anabolicsolution.com/ after the second week my uric acid spiked off the chart. Theres no doubt in my mind that anyone on the Atkins diet is in the same scenerio. You might do yourself a favor and research what extended periods can do to you.

First of all, the rapid weight loss people see is water being removed at the cellular level. The cell dehydration occurs when carbohydrates are replaced by fat. When people begin to increase their carb intake, the water that was lost comes back and it looks as though people are blowing up again. They blame it on the carbs they ate and stop again. This causes a yo-yo effect and that's extremely hard on the body.

Carbohydrates are needed for all metabolic functions in the body. The brain and nervous system survive only on glucose which comes from carbohydrate breakdown. When carb intake in decreased, extra fat needs to be added to the diet for an energy source. Since there is no glucose for the body to use as energy, it turns to the fat stored and literally eats itself. This breakdown causes the release of ketones. Ketones can be extremely hard on the internal organs if accumulated. They are toxic and need to be eliminated through urination. This makes the kidneys work overtime. The high amount of dietary fat consumed is very taxing on the vital organs, particularly the kidneys, and can cause real damage.

To make what could turn into too long of a post short here's points I have seen, experienced, and gathered as fact vs possible theory:

1) Everyone is built genetically different; while certain general results can be found in any type of intake people are going to react differently to different things.

2) A diet thats been designed according to the proper caloric intake to what a persons goals are, and consuming 5 smaller meals with 40% protein- 30% COMPLEX carbs (not simple), and 30% FRIENDLY fats (not saturated) through the day with a 6th right before bed consisting of only protein (to keep nitrogen retention elevated through the night) with promote a condition of the body being anabolic vs catabolic. In other words it contributes to lowering the fat percentage without compromising muscle tissue. There are some that dont understand that muscle helps burn fat and when you raise cortisol levels and promote an extremely high amount of free radicals, the body may lose weight, but not be lowering its fat percentage; guess what that means. *Hint use a caliper with the scale, dont just rely on the scale alone; it doesnt tell the whole story. Due to the fact people are picking there own foods out and the body is getting the complete spectrum of its nutritional needs as well as keeping the insulin level consistent throughout the day theres no question about the safety, effectiveness, and just plain enjoyabilty of eating as such.

3) My general take on the current scientific and medical safeness of the Atkins diet is there is just as much evidence out there that it has potential harmful effects as it not having them. (Cardiovascular, diegestive systems) Hormonal levels havent been tested enough to provide anything in either direction, but educated guesses are easy to make- what substrate does the brain run on. . .

4) It is not recommended for people with kidney issues, or other renal complications. Can that be a good thing?

Im not downing anyone because Im truly interested to know where the members are getting the info they are considering psuedo-science, and what that word means to them.

Here is a piece of pseudo-science: a prediction/theory- Its a fact the the human brain gets a majority of is nutrients and fuel to run properly from carbs. A lifetime if reducing such may promote or even accelrate (if predispostioned to) organic brain disease, such as alzheimers or dementia. There's no current research to support that statement (but then again the tests have only begun to initate for that area).

The bottom line is this my hat is off to those who are chosing to live on the Atkins diet; for it is through you and time; the quesitons so many scientists-doctors-and nutrition professionals continue to deabte will finally be put to rest whether or not it does long term damage, so in essence thank you for volunteering. (There is a registry at the Atkins site for people to chart how things are going) I encourage you to participate its valuable information for the entire population.

__________________
To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.- Stephen Hawking

Skifter2

Sun Tzu ,

Regarding the "pseudo science"; I have seen statements claiming that the Atkins diet is based on pseudo science. In the same statement it was claimed that doing Atkins will make you fat, heighten your cholesterol levels and might eventually kill you. There was not a shred of documentation for this, not even a link to some. ..that makes the above claims pseudo science.

My uric acid levels has gone up a bit to, while doing the diet. I consulted the book when i discovered this and got a referral to another book by Atkins about nutritional supplements. Nutritional supplements are an important part of the diet.

A large daily intake of water, makes a big difference in general well being. At least that is what i have found

Sun Tzu

Skifter2 my bad, I misread your post; sorry about that. Your statement is what I found as well, I thought you were stating that opposite. Its a good thing your monitoring your body chemsitry. If your open to it you may considering participating in this http://www.atkinsdietalert.org/registry.html

it will help further data on either side of the issue.

__________________
To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.- Stephen Hawking

crewsor

I went to that survey, it looks as though they are conducting a witch hunt. They are definately not looking for positive responses.
Also the references to legal issues may be a indication that their minds are made up.

__________________
We all have wings, some of us just don't know why.

Sun Tzu

The survey was a bad post on my part, I should have looked deeper into who was sponsering it. It one of those posts if we still had the ability to delete like last TFP I would have; so sorry about that. I think it brings up the point something as such is needed though,

__________________
To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.- Stephen Hawking

Liquor Dealer

There is nothing at all wrong with Atkins - I've lost 30 pounds and am keeping it off - perhaps a lot of this was simply quitting drinking Coke by the gallon - I've actually grown to like Diet Dr. Pepper. If Atkins gets old switch over to the South Beach diet - It basically adds a few of the right carbs and cuts some of the fats out of Atkins - Some really neat recipes in South Beach.

__________________
Life isn't always a bowl of cherries, sometimes it's more like a jar of Jalapenos --- what you say or do today might burn your ass tomorrow!!!

Mael

while i like diet dr. pepper, why not just drink diet coke? both have aspartame and caffiene. just curious.

Liquor Dealer

Because Diet DP tastes like DP - Diet anything else doesn't taste much like anything you'd want to drink.

__________________
Life isn't always a bowl of cherries, sometimes it's more like a jar of Jalapenos --- what you say or do today might burn your ass tomorrow!!!

nightshade000

Ok, there are quite a few of you with experience and some that sound more knowledgable than the average joe on this subject. I'm 6'1 and 245lb. I've -always- been a bit fat. Even as a kid, when I played sports year around (Soccer, baseball, basketball and indoor soccer) I was a bit on the fat side, and we ran a mile or 2 at every soccer practice. Exercise helps up a to a point, then seems to level off and stop helping (cardio 45min/day, weight training 2-3 days a week) -- I've thought about atkins because my diet has ALWAYS been pretty high in carbs. Pasta's, breads, potatoes, rice, etc. A lot of other diets have failed for me, and like I said, even running all the time in sports never really slimmed me down (you can actualy see a the lines of a six pack in my cooler, you just also see a lot of cooler too :P ) --will something like the atkins diet actualy work for me? Or am I just in that small percentage that is just kind of stuck with it? It doesn't really effect my luck with the ladies, that hasn't been much of a problem, and I 'wear the weight well' --it's distributed so I look more like a football player than a couch potatoe. Just kinda --thick. Any suggestions?