max, funny you should make this objection as Atkin's has essentially nothing in way of research to support his claims,, complete anecdotal nonsense) anyway, i'm not going to compile an extensive list of references for you. you will have to do your own homework. good luck with your hamburger, eggs and bacon diet but you are flying in the face of 30 yrs of nutritional research.. i'll stick to my nutrient dense/caloric restricted plant based diet. i wish you well.
"Anectdotal claims?" C'mon, Google is not available on your connection? here try these keywords "atkins duke studies" and don't even look at the self promo web sites like "lowcarb.com:" Here's one: http://dukemednews.duke.edu/news/medminute.php?id=5678 Or: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/living/columnists/karen_garloch/4599217.htm Or: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2002-12-09-life-cover_x.htm Nutritionists have been freaked out over Atkins for 30 years. Problem is that over the last 30 years not one study has proven their claims. New studies are beginning to prove that the nutrionists were wrong. The biggest beef (pun intended) is that "it's a failure" because "you gain the weight back." Well, that's the problem with any diet, but then how did one become a fat slob in the first place, it's not the fault of any diet plan per se. PS Don't confuse the All American high-fat/high-sugar diet with Atkins.
YW. Browse it first as you may regret buying it. The diet is, IMHO, nearly impossible to follow. However, the education you get is pretty good IMHO. nitro
For the benefit of those trying to sort this stuff out, note that the articles recently posted here by FPC are very misleading, and contain serious errors of fact: "The only low-carbohydrate sources of protein are meat and meat products. Plant sources of protein typically come packaged with complex carbohydrates. Animal sources of protein typically come packaged with fat, particularly saturated fat. Consequently, as one begins to eat greater amounts of dietary protein, the amount of dietary fat ingested is also increased. Because of these relationships between macronutrients, a low-carbohydrate diet is usually high in both protein and fat." Wrong! Low-carb diets typically contain plenty of vegetables, nuts, low-fat dairy products, and lean meats. Low-carb does not have to mean high-fat. Eating nothing but plants is accompanied by many more health problems than eating a low-carb diet! "Usually, people are so thrilled with the initial weight loss that they do not realize that they can't stay on the diet forever...why can't one remain on this diet forever? The main reason is monotony." Total BS. I eat a wider variety of foods and feel more satisfied on a low-carb diet. For example, bread, chocolate, ice cream, pizza, etc., are still in my diet...but in lower-carb versions. "it is clear that the rate of weight loss as well as the composition of the weight loss does not differ between a low-or high-carbohydrate diet" More BS. Studies have definitively shown that more fat vs. lean body mass is lost on a low-carb diet than a higher-carb diet. And his other article clearly describes the fact that the rate of weight loss is faster with low-carb diets. "Despite the seduction of the low carbohydrate diets for weight control, there is no evidence that it is effective as a long-term weight management technique." More BS. All the recent evidence on this issue has shown that people find it easier to stay on low-carb diets, and that, when allowed to eat however much they want, they CHOOSE to consume fewer calories on such diets when compared to those on higher-carb diets. "Taking GIs into account may be somewhat useful, particularly in planning meals for diabetics. But in general it appears that the best diet for preventing and treating obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease is one that: Is high in minimally processed whole-grain foods -- for example, brown rice, cooked whole-grain cereals, corn and whole-wheat pasta; Is high in fruits, vegetables and starchy foods such as beans, lentils, peas and potatoes; Includes nonfat dairy products in moderate quantities; and Includes, in small quantities, seafood and/or very lean poultry or meat." Low-carb doesn't mean low-fiber or low-complex-carbs! Low-carb diets emphasize consumption of whole grains and vegetables. Take out the corn, potatoes, and super-sized fruits from the above list, add more berries, meat, nuts, and cheese, and you've got a low-carb diet. It's not hard to do, you won't get bored, and it won't harm you, in spite of what FPC and a bunch of out-of-touch nutritionists and company spokesmen may be telling you. "The best advice is still the same that nutritionists and dieticians have been giving the public for years: 1) eat only when hungry, 2) eat lower fat foods, 3) and exercise as much as possible." 30 years of BS. Truth is: 1) higher-carb diets make you feel more hungry, 2) lower fat foods are often full of carbs, and 3) if you eat all those carbs then you're stuck doing a ridiculous amount of exercise to keep them from being converted to fat! I don't have time to fight with FPC (who does?), but will check out this thread again in a few days to see if I can be of any help...
Oh, I have plenty of time to fight with FPC . Just having trouble conjuring the compulsion or reason to. Very interesting link FPC. Spent awhile wrapping my head around this: I'm just shy of 5'11" and feel my best in the 180-185 range, which puts me at about a 33-34" waist. I'm a lot more buff in the 160 range (~31" waist) but I never feel like I have enough ass to back myself up, and my endurance is noticeably less. Have a hard time imagining going much below that. During the course of all this though, I decided one of the things I'm going to devote some focus toward is figuring out exactly where most of the medical and dietary studies pushed onto the American populace and making news headlines are funded from. I have an idea the results are surprising. We'd all like to think the NEJM determines all this stuff from a bottomless well of selfless government and private subsidies sponsoring millions of doctors with impeccable credentials laboriously conducting research for years and years. But looking at the overall state of food, drug, and medical industries in this country generally, I have a feeling something quite different is going on in many cases. For instance, I know if I owned a food company and my primary staple was artichokes, I'd be doing everything in my power to prove to the country artichokes were the best thing that ever happened to the world. This would naturally involve commissioning and funding studies, accessing and forming political lobbies who have leverage with the FDA, getting endorsements from doctors, contacting news agencies while feeding them every positive attribute of artichokes having been derived from the studies I paid for, getting inside support from the Artichoke Workers Union etc. etc. Especially when you consider how much food in this country is controlled by the tobacco industry (most people don't understand how increasing tobacco taxes ultimately result in overall higher food prices; traders could get this, but it passes most people by), it does tend to make you wonder at the mechanics behind why eggs are your death sentence one year and conveniently the best thing ever the next. Know what I mean?
One more thing I keep meaning to mention: Last week on GMA they had some doctor on there discussing various diet options (can't recall who he was). When asked about Atkins he was quick to point out the lack of clinical research, yet he did mention something interesting. He theorized the main reason Atkins works is because it has been proven that eating a hefty dose of protein first thing in the morning will make you less hungry for the rest of the day. Sounds like a little too much of a nutshell synopsis to me, but good to know nevertheless.