Low carb fad.....so lame....

[Rockford35]

I'm going to rant a bit about this low carb diet fad that's going around.

Anyone on this? If you are, we have to talk.

I had a low carb beer today, and i feel as though i'm still missing something. Like i lose my wallet or forgot to pick up my dry cleaning.

HELLO? TASTE? WHERE ARE YOU?

Anyone else have any thoughts?


Sickening.

R35

 

[Rockford35]

This is what i had. The name just says it all.

"Clear"

 

[Bravo]

About 7-8 years ago - I ran into a high school classmate in town. I told him that I had a heck of a time controlling my weight.

This guy is an Internist who practices medicine about 200 miles away.

At the time - he asked me what I ate. I told him I tried to watch my weight and ate bagels, yogurt etc.

He then said, "That is why you are so fat. You will never lose weight eating bagels and yogurt. They are extremely fattening". I am thinking, "these foods have almost no fat - but I am getting fat!"

He then recommended the Atkins book (which at the time had been published about 15 years before - but it was not on the Best Sellers list). I had never heard of it and had to get a bookstore to order it for me.

He also told me to not eat a high fat diet but try a modified form of the diet where I eat quite a bit of vegetables.

So I go and buy the book. At the time, I was 5' 11" and weighted 225. I also traveled extensively and was in hotels frequently.

I bought the book, and followed the Reduction phase of the diet to the letter. Ate omelets for breakfast, steaks and salads for dinner. No bread, no yogurt etc. Yep in this phase I DID eat a lot of fat but not for long.....

I lost 20 pounds in three weeks traveling on the road - eating like a horse.

I have kept the weight off and have modified my eating habits since that time.

In the meantime - about four years ago the Atkins Diet got revived (from its original publishing in the 70's/80's) and is now the big craze. The reason it has staying power is bc it works.

I do Not eat a high fat diet but have learned from the book that a Moderate Carbo diet is the way to go. One of my doctors (a female) told me that the carbohydrates in a single bagel provide enough energy for a 130 lb individual for a 24 hour day. Therefore if that person ate one other food item in addition to that bagel - they would be in the "weight gain zone" for that day.

I also learned through experience that you should eat about 40% of your carbs in the morning when you first get up. This gives you the energy boost you need to get going. So I have breakfast cereal. This has little/no fat and moderate calories.

I grill out quite a bit and we usually have chicken. We DO have red meat but maybe about 5 times per month. Last night, we had Steaks, a tomato and cucumber salad (with Feta cheese) and (yes) some potatoes. Tonight its grilled chicken, wild rice and salad. Yes this is (mostly) Atkins diet and I enjoy the food. I DO eat some bread but only about 3-4 times per week. I may have potatoes 2x a month.

I learned that there are some foods that are doubly bad. These include French Fries and potato chips, which in addition to being high carbo are also high fat (BC they are fried). So if you can eliminate these - it helps greatly. Ice cream is very very bad. I do NOT eat it at all. No chips No Fries.

The great news is YOU Can Eat Like a Horse. Just stay away from excessive carbo's, eat low to moderate fat content.

Although my blood has not been tested in awhile - it has always been OK in terms of Tryglycerides, CHolesterol, etc.

And importantly, my doctor's have said the diet works and is fine with them as long as I do not eat excessive fats.

Sorry about the length of the post - but I believe there is much misinformation about low carbo diets and it has worked for me for 7-8 years.

 

[Rockford35]

How often during the week do you exercise for more than 20 minutes?

Now that you've lost the weight, can you keep it off eating "healthy"?

Just curious. I'm not an advocate for diets, and never will be. A healthy lifestyle is the best way to keep weight down.

When you see pictures of people 75 yeas ago, those with weight problems were those that ate poorly and got ZERO exercise. Those who worked to survive and ate healthy were in better shape than many of us could hope to be.

It's not in what you eat, or how much. It's how you live your life. If you expect to lose weight by remaining lathargic, you won't.

Just my 2 bits.

R35

 

[Bravo]

How often during the week do you exercise for more than 20 minutes?

Now that you've lost the weight, can you keep it off eating "healthy"?

Just curious. I'm not an advocate for diets, and never will be. A healthy lifestyle is the best way to keep weight down.

When you see pictures of people 75 yeas ago, those with weight problems were those that ate poorly and got ZERO exercise. Those who worked to survive and ate healthy were in better shape than many of us could hope to be.

It's not in what you eat, or how much. It's how you live your life. If you expect to lose weight by remaining lathargic, you won't.

Just my 2 bits.

R35

I am not a regular exerciser. Of that I will admit. I just don't like it. I also know I would be better off if I exercised regularly.

The main point of my post is that you can *maintain* your weight with some of the truisms of the Atkins Diet - which means understanding A) The role of Carbo's in your body's function and B) which foods are high in carbo's.

It is often quite surprising to many - which foods are high in carbohydrate.

 

[Rockford35]

It is often quite surprising to many - which foods are high in carbohydrate.

This is very true.

R35