What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?

The New York Times Magazine ^ | 07/07/2002 | GARY TAUBES

[Arioch7]

I sort of agree. Processed flour and processed sugar are a big no-no.

Potatoes, while extremely high on the glycemic index, are a very nutrient rich food and can be mixed with other foods to prevent the effects that you wish to avoid.

[Republican Wildcat]

Your post appears to be in response to nothing the Senator said.

[Senator Pardek]

Sorry but you are just flat assed wrong.

No, I'm right, and my flat ass proves it. Where did I say one should not eat fat? Where did I say one should only eat carbs?

And to all - find me one pro athlete who uses the Atkins Diet.

[Senator Pardek]

Thank you!

[DarlinLaurie]

I started eating the low-carb way within the last few months. I have lost 30 pounds. My mood swings are gone; my addiction is almost gone; I'm no longer taking antidepresants; I am not hungry and "craving" another snack after eating dinner only 2 hours prior; I have more energy; I enjoy what I eat and can manage my meals with CONTROL. The list is endless when you talk to just 10 people on this diet.

Like many others that are actually on this WOE (way of eating) I for one, can already tell that this is the healthiest way for anyone to eat. If you think about it, once we hit an era where refined sugars, flour, and man-made carbohydrates were introduced into society we saw an immediate rise within 5 years when it came to heart conditions.

Why wouldn't the food industry and the surgeon general want to discredit this way of living? They are the only ones that stand to lose anything... the only thing we stand to lose is fat, heart problems, and in general - our health.

I say that if someone wants to knock getting their carbs from veggies instead of twinkies and spaghetti then so be it. It's your family who will be deprived of your presence when you have a heart attack.

:)

[slowhandluke]

Aitkins worked for me.

I've a bad back, and other problems that limit the amount of exercise I can do. Yet, with a slightly modified Aitkins diet I've lost and kept off about 20 lbs for the last 18 months. This is after about 20 years of being about 20-30 lbs overweight.

I used to need to eat something every two hours, but now can skip lunch without noticing it when work gets busy.

I've gone through a complete physical lately and no flags like a jump in cholesterol were noted.

Now, I also didn't see where there was any line in the Aitkins method that suggested shoving fat down your throat. It did say that when hungry, fat was a 'free' food, not subject to any limits. If someone has reached the point where they can't eat any more, but are still stuffing their mouth, maybe a diet change isn't all that is needed and a shrink should be called.

[Senator Pardek]

If you train HARD and restrict your carb intake, you will feel like crap.

Right on target.

If one wants to go from being fat and flabby to thin and flabby, go the Atkins route.

If one wants to be lean and healthy, exercise and lower fat intake.

[mo]

Follow the greenbacks...the food pyramid originates NOT from NIH but the Dept.of Agriculture...essentially owned and run by a variety of large agricultural conglomerates...ADM comes to mind. the buy, sell and trade the bulk of the grain products on the CBOT.

[ikka]

THANK YOU for posting this. I have read the Atkins book and been on the diet for a little bit. I must have had too much veggies because I barely lost any weight - however, I felt wonderful and had a lot of energy.

[Dana113]

Potatoes are high on the glycemic scale and as such are converted to simple sugar the same as a candy bar. They are very high in sugar. The body does not recognize the difference. Potatoes are also probably the least nutritious vegetables because they cede most of their antioxidant capacity to sugar. They are extrememly high in carbs and low in nutrition. Whether you eat a potato or a candy bar, it is still sugar to the body. They also prevent people from losing weight.

Granted, a potato is certainly not BAD for a person who doesn't have a weight or insulin management problems, but there are many vegetables that are much more nutritious.

[Procyon]

May I suggest another link: To Michael Fumento's website at: http://www.fumento.com/fatlist.html? An exerpt from "Busting the Low-Fat Dieting Myth". What's so pernicious is the food industry promoting "Low Fat this or Non-Fat that" and we end up ignoring all the extra calories we are pumping into our bods.

[The Electrician]

What your post seems to be ignoring is the carbohydrate-insulin-stores-fat link and the mechanisms leading to insulin resistance. When you eat high-glycemic-index carbohydrates, you can burn off the calories by exercising, but you can not "burn off" the excess insulin that your body produces, and so the insulin can do its damage. See "The Schwarzbein Principle: The Truth About Weight Loss, Health and Aging"
by Diana Schwarzbein for more about this (she is an endocrinologist)

[Stentor]

If you take away the high carbohydrate diet abomination, that subset of those who are genetically incapable of becoming overweight and are also insufferable prigs will not have anyone to whom they can condescend.

[Arioch7]

Thanks, I agree with your posts as well.

When I was in the military, they had a program in boot camp called the "Fat boys club" All they would eat is fruit and vegetables and maybe a little milk. This is a fasting type diet that I would never use but it ALWAYS worked.

Funny how this is not allowed in the Atkins diet. Also, not to rain on all the pro-atkins peoples parade but I have NEVER met ANYONE that I considered very fit on that type of diet. I have met people that lost weight(Like my post about calorie restriction, its the long one that I know you have read.), but I would hardly call them powerful members of the species.

For the rest of you, form follows function. Endurance athletes need a lot of carbs. Strength athletes need carbs to but mnore protein. HAve any of you SEEN long-distance runners? They are a walking contradiction to your beliefs.

[Skip Ripley]

Bullsh*t! If you want to build any kind of muscle mass you need protein AND fat. you need at leats 2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight or you'll look like a frigging Biafran.

There is such a thing as GOOD fat. Omega 3 is really good for you! I've seen people get ripped to the bone taking in upwards of 150 grams a day of Flax oil alone, not to mention the fat they get from red meats, milk and eggs Check out the work of Udo Erasmus for more information on the benfits of dietary fat

I'm 275lbs and I've been known to leg press 20 plates (45's) for sets of 10 and bench 390 for sets of 10. (hope that answers any questions about MY qualifications...)

[Artist]

Very interesting....Thanks very much for posting it.

[Senator Pardek]

Also, not to rain on all the pro-atkins peoples parade but I have NEVER met ANYONE that I considered very fit on that type of diet. I have met people that lost weight(Like my post about calorie restriction, its the long one that I know you have read.), but I would hardly call them powerful members of the species.

Needs to be repeated.

Everyone wants a quick fix - "I can eat a pound of bacon for breakfast, as long as I don't eat a slice of bread? Cool!" The Atkins diet is for sluggards who are more concerned about their appearance than their health.

[Senator Pardek]

LOL - you people kill me. Where did I say one should restrict protein intake? One should increase it!

I'm 275lbs and I've been known to leg press 20 plates (45's) for sets of 10 and bench 390 for sets of 10. (hope that answers any questions about MY qualifications...)

You could never do that on the Atkins Diet...

[Doc On The Bay]

Some of us "UN-PC" Country Docs have LONG been telling our Patients to Exercise & eat "What their Bodies Tell them to Eat!"

The Human organism has survived for MANY Millenia!--there Has To Be a "Built-in" homeopathic Mechanism that tells us What We Need to Eat!!

ALL of our "Nutritional Science" is STILL in "Catch-up-Mode" when dealing with Human Physiology!

Doc

[Dana113]

If you train HARD and restrict your carb intake, you will feel like crap. Trust me, I know. I have not gotten enough carbs and felt drained... literally. Fat, Carbs, and protein are the three macro-nutrients and they have been scientifically analyzed and the mystery is gone people.

Nonsense. I am a weight trainer, among many, who is on a low carb diet. If you believe that you run out of energy when you run out of carbs, what do you do when you run out of glycogen after twenty minutes? Just stop? Go gorge down another potato?? Of course you don't. The difference between a low carber and a high carber is that the low carber moves right into fat stores immediately, whereas the high carber moves into thier fat stores when thier glycogen is used up after 20 minutes.

Further, carbs give you an inefficient source of energy in that they cause blood sugar spikes and crashes. When you carb up, you actually have LESS energy to work out because your blood sugar crashes later. Whereas a low carber is depending on a steady source of fuel [fat and protein] that does not cause this spike and crash phenomenom.

What is VERY important that most people never even mention, is PROTEIN! [this silly obsession with carbs is mystifying!] If you are exercising, it is very important that you have an adequate protein intake. This helps with the muscle repair and regeneration and also helps with the energy level. You are much better off focusing on protein than carbs.