Lol. RTFB first. 
Right on, chinadoll. It seems like everybody at work here is Atkinsing themselves into an early grave. NONE of them exercise. I think it’s a bloody shame.
P.S. Why do you have to live all the way over in HAWAII??? Damn, you’re fine.
First off, I’ll repeat what I said: Atkins is not a bodybuilding diet.
Atkins is a weight loss and weight maintenance diet. It is not a fad diet. A “fad” is something that is taken with great enthusiasm for only a brief period of time. The first book was released in the early 70s and has been constantly updated as new research became available. Something that has been followed for roughly more than 30 years is not a fad.
The diet has a powerful diuretic effect, it does not deny that. It even says that the initial weight loss during the first two weeks will consist of a lot of water, which is why a lot of fluids must be taken in.
The cells won’t be “missing out on adequate nutrition and all the healthy chemicals in whole food carbos that science still doesn’t know about.” Simply because the diet IS NOT JUST ABOUT MEAT. Even in the Induction phase (1st phase), which lasts only 2 weeks, the diet, when examined by nutrition software, still met and exceeded many nutrients (vitamins and minerals). Why is that? Because vegetables and other whole foods that contain carbs are allowed. Also, it advoctates taking a vitamin and mineral supplement for added protection.
As for weight bearing exercise, weightlifting is even advocated by the late Atkins himself in the book. The man was even playing tennis at his age, which can be considered weight bearing. Heck, he makes a chapter about exercise called “Exercise: It’s non negotiable.” So for the idiots “doing Atkins” they are doing it wrong because exercise is part of the Atkins approach.
The muscle loss that occurs is unavoidable in most weight loss diets, except in certain special cases. But remember, even the Atkins people themselves say that their approach is not for everyone. There are people who gain weight on the diet, if it is fat or muscle, it doesn’t say but obviously the weight loss part does not work for everyone. But it has been proven to work for a lot of people and is backed by scientific research.
I won’t even take the time to respond to the other statements because when I saw “laying on my couch eating slabs of red meat and cheese while simultaneously flipping the TV remote…” I knew you have no idea what the you’re talking about. Read about the freaking Atkins diet first, from the website itself before you criticize it. That way, you can come up with something better.
CHINADOLL: You`re not better. Your arguments seem as polarized as the rest of the establishment.
FYI, there`s something called the middle ground. The gray zone. Balance.
Yes, you lose a ton of weight very quickly, but a lot of it is water weight, as there is an osmolar pull of water out of the cells, and so you are in a chronically dehydrated state which is so bad for your muscles, organs, brain and whole body over time.
From what I recall, when burning fat, for every molecule of fat you oxydize, you produce 2 molecules of water. So that water comes from fat. So theres still fat lost. You cant lose anything but water on a diet.
And, for people with allergies, losing 5 pounds of water is not uncommon upon removing the allergen-holding foods. People do not tolerate carbs equally. You should know that.
Another thing. It`s not a NO carb diet. It a very low carb in the induction phase THEN you up them gradually until equilibrium (eating carbs without gaining weight).
Have you read Lama`s post AND the book or do you just recite what everybody parables?
I also guess you did not read the Atkins book, because your view of the Euro-healthy thing is skewed. Atkins points out that excess carbs is the real killer, via a study that was done in a population who was more hunter-gatherer-diet and then saw a corresponding it`s death and disease profile progressively jumping to the American profile with the introduction of… processed carbs.
Yes, exercise your butt all you want, but its still GIGO: Garbage In, Garbage Out -- IF youre taking more carbs than you need.
And what about the classic: Advanced glycation end-products ? If I were a diabetic, I`d be scared shitless of these.
But if you feel tempted to throw me a superb one liner like Exercise more (and carbs wont be a problem, youll burn them off) , Ill save you the time and give you my answer back Take less (useless carbs) in`.
hehee…yeah fibre is a real GOOD thing as I found out (in spades) when I made my first attempt at the Fast Fat program.
I agree with most of you though that “Atkins” has become an umbrella for all sorts of low-carb abuse. Atkins syrup?!
Hey Chinadoll, do you like Atkins by any chance?
That was the most intense rant I’ve ever seen on this diet! I don’t necessarily agree with everything you said (but we can still go out, right?:), largely because no one will be on it long enough to experience the problems you mentioned.
I like the heightened state of awareness it has given people about nutrition, but the ridiculous surge in popularity certainly makes it a fad (regradless of how long it’s been around). Like the pet rock, boy bands, and computers, its pervasiveness will be relatively short lived.
I don’t follow the Atkins diet per se, but do live pretty much with a low carb diet each day, so I’m happy to see low carb alternatives proliferating at restaurants and convience stores. My carb intake varies between 30-75g/dy and if you’re smart you can get lots of nutrients via fiberous, green veggies within this. In fact I would venture to say that I eat more veggies on a low carb diet than the average person on a “normal” diet. A low carb diet approach is absolutely a healthy alternative way of living if you pay attention to quality protein, fat and fiberous vegetable sources. While I enjoy starches and sugars, I feel like crap when I eat them and they really don’t assist my performance and body composition goals.
To those who critize low carb dieting as unhealthy, I think there is a fair bit of current research that is proving this old way of thinking wrong. To those who critize a low carb diet as a poor choice for attaining physique goals, I would guess you have’nt utilized one properly, adapted or stuck to it.
Low carb diets are’nt for everyone (ie. ectomorphs) but for those of us who can gain and maintain muscle and strength quite easily yet have difficulty shedding excess bodyfat, they are a great tool.
I’m with Magnus on this one. I’ve always had the easiest time losing bodyfat while preserving muscle mass on a lower-carb diet (I use the Anabolic Diet–it suits me better than T-Dawg or DiPasquale’s newer Metabolic Diet). During the week, I try to keep my effective carb intake (i.e., carbs minus grams of fiber) under 70 grams on training days and under 35 grams on non-training days. On the weekends, I carb up. The Atkins craze is very useful for me because it gives me more options when I dine out during the week (I’m not turning down lunch with the client because of my diet) and it makes people more likely to bring in things I can eat when we have pot lucks at work. It also gives me a useful (if not 100% accurate) explanation to give waiters and waitresses when I request a burger without the bun or steamed veggies on the side instead of fries.
As others have noted, many of the Atkins detractors are clearly unfamiliar with what Atkins dieting entails. Unfortunately, so are many Atkins followers. The diet calls for veggies in addition to the meat, eggs, and cheeses, Atkins stresses the need for exercise, and he recommends a high fiber intake. He also recommends gradually increasing the carbs once you’ve reached your weight loss goals. Followed intelligently, the Atkins diet becomes a traditionally balanced diet in the maintenance phase.
You’ve also got to consider the positives Atkins offers over the traditional diets out there: someone following Atkins is much likelier to get his or her EFAs than someone on a low-fat diet, Atkins makes a point of recommending high-protein foods, there is no starvation on an Atkins diet, and someone who follows the Atkins diet as laid out in the books, supplementing as need be, is likely to take in more essential vitamins and minerals than the typical dieter or even the typical bodybuilder.
SEE WHAT I MEAN ABOUT CULT? Say anything critical about the Atkins diet and it’s like you’ve committed BLASPHEMY!!! Anyway, I apologize, my intention wasn’t to disrespect anyone’s opinions, we all are entitled to our opinions, and my opinion will likewise remain unchanged. But I think a lot of people are getting sick of the unsolicited Atkins preachers, much like how people get irritated with Jehovah’s Witnesses knocking at your door and not wanting to go away when you’ve just sat down to a meal. At work, the Atkinsers have posted all kinds of magazine articles on the wall in front of the staff toilet…my toilet time is my own time, thank you very much. I’m off to eat my breakfast of egg white omelette and brown rice now…
Not trying to be a jerk about Mr. Atkins untimely death. Just trying to make a point about the climate that causes all the hubub in our society to begin with: you can get all freaked out on these fad/nutritional diets and lifestyles and still find yourself exiting stage left before its curtain time.
The general public gets fed shovels full of “guru” information, some of it good some of it bad. But instead of actually researching it, seeing if it is something they can actually do and stick with, they just jump in, with many of them failing and in the end gaining even more weight back.
We see this over and over again in our media: mad cow, bottled water, eggs are good, eggs are bad, use antibarterial this, get the flu shot, don’t get the flu shot, don’t fly, stay at home.
I HAD a business acquaintance that used to follow the beat of whichever news and fitness drum was beating loudest at that time. Swearing by things that made no sense to me and freaking out over little things: geez, how many carbs in that 2 oz. dessert I just had??? He freaked out over carbs and fats and water and safety in planes and even shaking hands for fear of germs. And he followed all this stuff to the letter as if his life was going to be extended by all these precautions. He wasn’t an obsessive compulsive, just followed the ‘herd’ too much.
Well, he was killed a few years back while driving home from work. A truck going the opposite direction on the highway blew a tire and hit a support pole of the overhead exit sign. It broke free, toppled over into his lane of traffic, cutting his car in half and killing him instantly. A freakish accident to say the least.
Point: Enjoy life, don’t follow the herd, find the things that work for you, don’t sweat the small things, and learn to live a little outside the box, cause you just don’t know when your number is going to get called.
Sorry for upsetting anyone earlier and hijacking the thread.
“Point: Enjoy life, don’t follow the herd, find the things that work for you, don’t sweat the small things, and learn to live a little outside the box, cause you just don’t know when your number is going to get called.”
Very nice…
You can never hear enough about Atkins.
Atkins! Atkins Atkins! Woo hoo!
I have no problem with an average person doing Atkins. If they follow the diet, it works.
Many people do mess it up, usually by consuming carbs. Of course, most people never read the book, and don’t know exactly what they are doing.
I think it’s funny when I’m doing a CKD, and people say “Oh, you’re on Atkins.” And they give me the deer in the headlights stare when I say, “Uh … no”
Jeff-
That’s where the phrase “I’m doing something similar” comes in handy. You don’t get the deer in the headlights look, and people are generally interested in how what you do differs from Atkins. It’s a pretty good teachable moment.
Chinadoll-
Nobody jumped on you for criticizing Atkins; they jumped on you for criticizing things that Atkins didn’t say as though they were his ideas. It’s the rough equivalent of the reaction I’d expect to get if I criticized Al Gore for saying he invented the Internet. He never said it (he actually said that he took the lead in the Senate for legislation that helped make the Internet in its present form possible, which is true), but his critics love to claim that he did. By and large, if you want to criticize someone’s ideas, it’s best if you’ve read what the person has to say, not some synopsis by a third party. Just my friendly half-nickel.
Even if you don’t follow Atkins, it’s nice to go into a restaurant and not have to cut everything, swap side orders, etc… So in that regard, it’s all good. I just hate seeing people taken in by low carb beers and junk like that.
When the buffet style restaurants put up roadside banners stating “Your Headquarters For Low Carb Diet” you know that something is REALLy wrong.
Chris-
Thanks for your response.
Anyone in these forums is probably very familiar with the positive effects of low carb diets, especially in terms of cutting and fat loss. Don’t get me wrong, I myself moderate my diet in a similar manner, in conjunction with bodybuilding cycles. And I have used diets to lean-down after a building cycle long before Atkins was ever popularized. It is also truly nice that we can go to a restaurant and it’s getting easier to order BB-friendly meals now.
But I can only speak for myself when I say what’s irritating is people trying to push Atkins upon me wherever I go…For example, when I’m eating something, my Atkinser coworkers try to preach to me about the diet, but they doesn’t exercise at all; or other coworkers try to convert everyone by hanging fliers and magazine clippings about the diet in the staff lounge where everyone eats, in the staff bathroom on the wall in front of the toilets…then they take it very personally and with offense when we say we are not interested, and they will not respect anyone else’s opinions. It’s as though you are not politically correct if you are not an Atkinser, and that is not the case, to each his own.
Yes, Atkins-type diets have been around in many forms before this frenzy, and I myself have used similar diets in conjuction with BB cycles, and more power to you if you are on the diet…but please don’t try to push it on others, especially in such an offensive manner. I never try to push the BB lifestyle on anyone, but if they ask for my help, I’m more than happy to give them all the information they want and even start them on a training program. The reason my approach is not the same is because I don’t want to turn people off to our wonderful BB lifestyle much like an overly-zealous, overly-persistent door-to-door salesman would about buying his or her vacuum cleaners.
Anyway, this issue has been beat like a dead horse…lets move on already for gawd’s sake. Anyone read the post about people curling in the squat rack?