Our Memorial to Doctor Atkins

5/24/03 | chicagolady

[chicagolady]

Well, Some of us Freepers are going to give the Atkins Diet the good ole college try! Now that several articles have been posted on the Atkins diet.. a truly good proven way to lose weight we invite all you folks who are serious to come and join in our comments and suggestions. Since staying positive adds to the joy on the journey, I invite you to stay POSITIVE. Let us know what works for you and what doesn't. I would like to suggest that we "freep mail" each other through out the week for support. Also Let's comment on the different low-carb products on the market, so some of us do not waste our money on stuff that tastes funkie!

[chicagolady]

I always heard there are 2 kinds of people in this world

1)people with guns
2)moving targets!

[CathyRyan]

Thank you! It sounds wonderful.

[tubebender]

Please add me to the ping list. I have question about Diet Rite Cola which I started drinking a couple of weeks ago in place of Diet Pepsi. I seem to have developed the munchies hunger and I'm nodding off again. I know that Sucra is derived from sugar so I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts on this.

[RJayneJ]

It is to die for... I love it. Let it sit in the frig about an hour before you taste it. (The Vidilia onions on in season.) I am making some tomorrow. When we entertained I would put it on the bar with some cracker. I had a party once and my friend said her husband wanted her to make it so she wanted the recipe. They started tasting and thought it was too bland and not the same thing he ate the night before and they started doctoring and of course ruined it. It is one of the few things my husband specifically asks me to make. For some reason men love it too.

[chicagolady]

Absolutely! I also get Very hungry after I drink a diet soda. It does not matter which! Some folks do not have that reaction. I am better off sticking with water. I have an occassional soda but I know I am better off with out it!
I get TERRIBLE gas after eating product with Splenda..others do not. I become a human fart machine! It is funny ..But then again it isn't!
You have to listen to your body!

[chicagolady]

All in all it has been a great low carb day. I must say having all you buddies has given me more motavation. I went grocery shopping and bike riding! I now it is so important to me to have food to bring to work.. otherwise I leave myself open for disaster!

Hope all of you are doing well! Hang in there!

[Lil'freeper]

I know that Sucra is derived from sugar so I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts on this.

I don't have my sources handy but there has been some recent research into the biochemistry of sugar 'addiction'. One study with rats showed that given a choice they preferred sugared foods in dramatically increasing quantities. And when the sugared foods were withheld they exhibited withdrawal symptoms- shaking, disturbed sleep, and measurable changes in body and brain chemistry. So by extension, the 'sugar is addictive' argument has at least some merit.

Another study (I can't remember if it was rats or humans) measured changes in brain chemistry in individuals with the tendency toward sugar addiction. When given sugar substitutes their brains responded as though it was real sugar- and it sparked cravings for sugar. So while the calorie-free, sugar-free substitutes may have little to no effect on insulin and blood sugar, there is a brain component to sweet things in some individuals. My personal experience as a first-class sugar addict is that the cravings diminish over time such that I can handle a little sweet now and again without setting the craving cycle off all over again. This is also a function of infrequency and portion control. :)

When I get to work on Tuesday, I'll try to find the citations for those studies.

[WaterDragon]

I think Diet Rite Cola has no caffeine, which would leave you nodding off if you're use to a caffeine-fix.

[.38sw]

I fell off the regimine the last couple of days while ill. I tried eating low carb, high protein, but my stomach couldn't take it. I ended up eating some oatmeal, and toast and poached eggs. I ate so little for the last couple of days, I needed to get something in me that didn't make my stomach cramp and the rest of my system rebel. Oh well. I'm not beating myself up over it. I'm much better today. Hubby and I were working HARD in our yard today, so I burned up a whole lotta calories. We bought this house last summer, and the yard is a disaster, so we have much to do. Just with the work we did today, it looks better already! I also had a turkey sandwich for lunch. Yes, I know. I used Orowheat Light bread, with 11 net grams of carbs for two slices. I still can't bear to look at a salad and too much meat yet, so I'm compromising. The light bread isn't too bad with the 11 net carbs, and 80 calories for the two slices. Probably by tomorrow my gastric system will be back to normal.

I hope everyone else is having a good Memorial Day weekend, and keeping up the good work with the Atkins.

[Lil'freeper]

Was that Rosenfeld (sp?)? I've never cared for either him or his advice. He, like most doctors, is too quick to perscribe a pill and ignore the underlying dietary sources of the condition.

When I first read the Atkins book I was very curious at his poorly supported statement to not 'worry about saturated fat'. When I began to research it, I discovered that the nutrition research community is not at all agreed that saturated fat will clog up all your arteries, give you cancer, diabetes, three-headed children and so on. Indeed I found that many truly essential fatty acids and fat-soluable vitamins (such as A, D, K) are found only in saturated fats from animal sources. Saturated fats are the precursors to hormones and prostaglandins. They are required to maintain the rigidity of cell membranes. I read a suggestion that the plaque buildups are the body's attempt to strengthen weak arterial cells. High levels of cholesterol, similarly, are the body's response to disease, not the cause. The nutrition underground makes some compelling arguments- arguments that are at least as well supported as Rosenfeld's 'advice'.

In my reading, a few names kept popping up: Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD (the cholesterol guy), Mary Enig, PhD (the 'fat' lady), Sally Fallon the Weston A. Price Foundation and others. Their work is phenomenal, their critics can only muster ad hominen attacks. I've not read Ravnskov's books, only letters and short essays on the web. But I do own Enig's "Know Your Fats". It delves into the biochemistry of fats, but she takes care to explain things well. It is very even-handed, she avoids the herd-mentality bias against saturated fats, indeed she highlights some virtues. I highly recommend it. Many of her shorter essays are at the Weston A. Price Foundation's website. Atkins was right, Enig and sidekick Sally Fallon explain why. Their cookbook "Nourishing Traditions" is the core of our maintainence diet.

[.38sw]

Yes, that's right. Rosenfeld. I haven't researched any of the information on fats mysefl, so thanks for the sources. One thing I'm confused about that Dr. Atkins talked about in his book is a "yeast overgrowth", specifically Candida. What in the world is that? And where is it growing? He didn't explain it very well. My husband is an MD, internal medicine, and he has no idea what Dr. Atkins was talking about. I guess I need to do some research on that.

[Lil'freeper]

LOL, we've had the best of luck with Splenda, but oh those sugar 'alcohols' (maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol and such)- they're what I call biochemical warefare!

[Lil'freeper]

Re the candida. I've read that it's legitimate and I've read it's quackery. The human intestines are full of helpful bacteria that assist in digestion. Certain foods are beneficial to the herd, others (like sugar and refined carbs) suppress it and allow useless strains (Candida) to flourish.

We started taking a probiotic everyday as a supplement. It has several strains of the better bacteria and has improved digestion significantly. Foods such as broccoli don't seem to have the same, ahem, impact. Now that we're in maintainence, active culture plain yogurt is part of our regmine. Whether 'yeast overgrowth' is real or not we've been pleased with the results.

[El Sordo]

There are 10 kinds of people in this world.

Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

[onyx]

Wonderful day on Atkins. My son marinated yellowtail in a Caesar dressing, then baked it in butter. Delicious!

[chicagolady]

Sounds good to me!

[onyx]

Are you up early, or staying up late?

Did you bike ride? If yes, how far? I really must do my treadmill tomorrow. I procrastinate.....

[chicagolady]

I am at work believe it or not. I have to work midnights for 2 more weeks.
Thankfully I rode the bike yesterday and today. Yesterday 1 mile and boy can I tell I am out of shape! And today about a mile and a half.

[onyx]

Good for you! I'll force myself to walk 2 miles tomorrow --- 20 minute miles.

[chicagolady]

It's a deal!