Getting the lowdown on low-carb bars

Dayton Daily News ^ | 9.02.03 | Kevin Lamb

[BlueAngel]

Congratulations! You are doing great.

I figure that when I start maintenance, I will stay away from sugar, white flour and rice. I should be able to maintain. I will follow more the sugarbusters diet for maintenance. You can have an occasional sweet potato and brown rice.

[kylaka]

Thanks for the tips. Last year I hit 250 and decided I need to do something. I have never dieted in my life, but took off 30 pounds on a standard low fat diet.... then it was like hitting a wall. It seemed like every calorie counted double. I put it all back on plus 10 in ten months. I've heard thousands of people complain about the same thing, that is, the difficulty in keeping the weight off. I did some investigating and found that that is the body's natural reaction to standard diets, in most people. I decided never to do the same thing again, and started looking into Atkins. Do you know of any good resources on Atkins, either in print or on the web?

[SamAdams76]

Like you, I was a big bread eater before I went on this thing. Especially bagels. I would buy bagels by the dozen and eat three or four at at time (and think they were good for me).

I have only had bread two or three times since April and then, only a small piece rubbed in olive oil at dinner. My bread cravings are gone and it was almost instantaneous. I used to have eggs and bacon in the morning but now I have eggs and yogurt. I still make bacon occasionally for salad toppings or to wrap around scallops (delicious).

If you absolutely must have toast, try whole wheat or that brand of bread recommended earlier in this thread. Beware of supermarket "wheat" breads however. Many of them are little different than white bread.

[BlueAngel]

I know one place you can go for great info and support.

www.lowcarbfriends.com

[SamAdams76]

Congrats on finding a job. Now you can take care of your health again. You are right, it is more expensive to eat right. My grocery bill has been higher. But since I don't go to restaurants as much as I used to (or order in pizza), it's a wash.

[CARDINALRULES]

Atkins Diet Bulletin Board

Low Carb Luxury

Active Low-Carber Forums

[SamAdams76]

I have never dieted in my life, but took off 30 pounds on a standard low fat diet.... then it was like hitting a wall. It seemed like every calorie counted double. I put it all back on plus 10 in ten months.

This is the classic example of why low-fat diets are disastrous for many people. When your body does not get the calories and fat that it needs, it begins to "slow down" so as to conserve it's energy. Any carbs you take in are immediately converted to fat for later use. Your body is essentially in "starvation mode." Your metabolism slows down and as you say, every calorie you take in seems to count double! Now when you give up on the diet and go back to your regular way of eating, you put all the weight back on and then some, because remember, your metabolism is now running slower. This is why so many people end up even heavier than they were before they started.

BTW, the human body does this as a defense mechanism against famine, something that human beings dealt with on a regular basis up until recent times. It is never a good idea to starve yourself on one of those low-fat diets.

What makes low-carb diets (such as Atkins) so successful is that you are not going hungry. Your body is satisfied and has no reason to panic and slow its metabolism down. If exercise is combined with the diet, your metabolism actually increases and you burn off fat even faster.

[Republican Wildcat]

Low-carb fruits? Which ones?

[STARWISE]

Is sucralose/Splenda a sugar alcohol? I decided to try the lowcarb shakes and got a 6-pack of chocolate CarboRite Shakes. It tasted pretty good and was quite sweet, but within about 25 mins., I started feeling VERY uncomfortable .. sped up and a funny feeling in my chest. I didn't touch another drop and returned it. I will not knowingly get anything with sucralose again.. made me very uncomfortable. I also got what I thought initially was a huge very red allergic hive .. now I'm not sure if it was a couple of really toxic mosquito bites all clumbed together, but it was very painful and very itchy, and it's lasted over a week. It was pretty coincidental to drinking the shake.

Sucralose is in a lot of stuff, and after reading the articles about it, I wouldn't recommend anyone touch it. It's really still untested over long term use and has some pretty toxic byproducts and potential risk. Here's some info:

Sucralose Toxicity Center

Sucralose Product List

[SamAdams76]

Berries. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.

[Amelia]

"I don't have a problem with using it in the short-term," said Sally Kattau, a longtime licensed dietitian with the Diabetes Association of the Dayton Area. But long-range, she said, it's both difficult to maintain and potentially dangerous, especially for diabetics. "It's not a nutritionally sound diet."

It appears to me that most of the "nutritionists" who comment on the Atkins diet haven't fully studied the program, and have the impression that people stay on "induction" forever.

[not_apathetic_anymore]

Like you, I was a big bread eater before I went on this thing. Especially bagels. I would buy bagels by the dozen and eat three or four at at time (and think they were good for me).

Me too... that darn food pyramid with tons-o-servings of breads, grains and cereals. When I bought into that is when the weight started accumulating.

[kylaka]

Thanks for the great tips and links everybody. Thanks for the post Sam... if it goes well, I'll keep you posted. If not, the Doc says I should spend my spare time volunteering at my local hospital emergency room, just to increase my odds a bit. He's such a cut-up.

[tubebender]

We have 6 blueberry bushes and my wife freezes the berries on a cookie sheet and then puts some of them in a bowl in the kitchen freezer to snack on. The one thing I miss the most is potatoes...

[FlyVet]

you might try a bread found in some markets called "Ezekial 4:9".

They sell that where I live. I'm not on any kind of diet, but I buy it once in awhile just because it tastes good!

[R. Scott]

I book marked the site and will read it later.
I have learned to cut down on carbohydrates which helps, but I still find it hard to stop at just one slice of Pizza Hut Meat Lovers Stuffed Crust Pizza. It takes three slices and a few beers to do it.
Being a poor boy I only indulge every few months, but even with that carb load the blood sugar doesn’t rise above my 180 max if I work out an additional ten minuets before eating and about ten or fifteen minuets after.
I found that resistance exercise burns up a lot of sugar – far more and quicker than walking or aerobics.
There’s another benefit too. I have better muscle tone and strength than I did ten years ago, nearly as much as before I had to retire. I’m 57 years old, and I don’t want to become one of those scrawny old men barely able to lift a cane – particularly in this neighborhood.

[185JHP]

I'm "unashamedly unafraid of fat." I'm rationally exuberant about it. For many people it's like PT: "Good for you - good for me."

[SwinneySwitch]

Go for a 30 - 45 min. walk, Sunnyvale. It helps with both stress and depression, plus burns up calories! Good luck on the new job!

[Queen Jadis]

due to a lack of money (good food isn't cheap but a cup of ramen noodles is $.34) and due to the stress of looming bankruptcy, unemployment, a failing business, and the associated depression that seems to follow. I did finally get a good job that starts this week and I will go back to the Atkins as soon as I get a paycheck. I put on over 50 lbs since January. (D'oh)

I lost my job and delt with depression and an ensuing weight gain of 301bs so I know what you mean. Trader Joes has some good cheap food..do you have one near your location?