Atkins Diet

Agnus · Nov 30, 2002

Glad you mentioned the Splenda. I was wondering about it. I had read the aspertame was a problem on the diet but I also wondered about splenda since it is made from sugar even though you cannot digest it. I wondered if that would be even a bigger problem. Its just too knew for it to be mentioned in the book.

baseline · Nov 30, 2002

There is a really good web site for the atkins diet....but this is waht they say about splenda :

What kind of sweeteners do you reccomend?

A main goal of the Atkins Nutritional ApproachTM is to stabilize blood sugar (glucose) and insulin levels through the restriction of carbohydrates. Sugar is a carbohydrate, so it is strictly limited. Controlling carbs naturally curbs sugar cravings. However, if you still crave sweets, we suggest you use a sugar substitute. The prudent, moderate use of artificial sweeteners is usually acceptable. But be aware that not all sugar substitutes are created equal. We recommend specific sweeteners that are safe and will not interfere with weight loss. Some people experience negative reactions to certain sweeteners, and the risk increases with the amount used. With all artificial sweeteners, the less used, the better.

Our preference is sucralose, marketed under the name Splenda®. Derived from sugar, it is non-caloric, contains less than 1 gram of carbs and doesn't raise blood sugar. It has been used in Canada since 1991 and has been thoroughly tested for safety and efficacy. In 1998, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved sucralose for sale in the United States after reviewing more than 100 studies conducted during the past 20 years.

2banurse · Nov 30, 2002

I'm surprised that no one mentioned the Sugar Busters Diet. Although it has some similarities to the Atkins, it is safer and more varied with allowances for vegetables and fruits. The cardiologist I worked with would advise his patients to read the book and try it. It met with good results.

Kris

tshores · Dec 1, 2002

Many low carbers do stay on the diet as their "way of life" eating plan. And they DO eat sweets baked with various artificial sweeteners using nut flours and such for flour. Some of the recipes for brownies, cookies, muffins, etc. you would not be able to tell from the ones with flour and sugar. (I've also tried some nasty-tasting recipes, but those are not the ones I keep) And they DO eat ice cream, usually homemade, rich and delicious. There's a lot of variety in a low carb diet if you study it--it's not just bacon and eggs for breakfast. They do eat carbs in vegetables and some fruits--most eat more vegetables after they start low carbing than they did before.

Read Atkins, but read Protein Power by the Eades and other low carb books. And, yes, you should exercise. Check out some of the low carb sites like Livin' La Vida Low Carb and Truly Low Carb or TLC.com. Most low carbers start out with one plan (like Atkins) but end up doing a combination of plans or just make up their own plan as they go along. I never cut out caffeine and lost weight anyway--sweetened it with Splenda and lightened it with half and half. I eat fruit, too.

And, yes, you gain it back if you stay off of it long enough...like anything else. But you can live with this diet forever if you want because you DO add carbs back in and it is the easiest for most people to stick to. You can eat your own homemade cookies instead of doughnuts at work.

It does NOT mess your kidneys, liver, or brain up. We have nephrologists and cardiologists ordering this diet for patients in the hospital now. And, yes, there are still doctors and dietitians parroting what they learned about low fat diets in school. Low fat diets work for some people--the ones who like to starve and eat plastic cheese. :-) But I don't have hypoglycemic episodes like I used to. Been doing this for almost 2 years, and as long as I can find time to make my sweets (has to taste good, too!) and buy whole wheat bread for 7 counted carbs per slice, I will stay with it. Easiest "diet" ever. Not new, though--my mom used to tell me when I was little to cut back on starches and sugars if I wanted to lose weight--before Atkins ever came out.

Do a lot of research reading and follow the people who stay on it--their labwork, how they look and feel-- then you can judge it. It may not be what you think it is.

tshores · Dec 1, 2002

Oh, I forgot! We eat chocolate, too! We bake with it (just regular unsweetened baking chocolate), buy or make sugarfree bars. Some of the Beligian ones are delicious! Can even buy sugarfree chocolate chips now! Oh, yeah, we're really suffering here!

Agnus · Dec 1, 2002

It definately is not what I thought. I used to (in my mind only) make fun of folks on this diet because they were so misguided thinking they were cutting out all carbs but ate salads. Poor things didn't know salad was carb.

I am a good candidate for DM and feel I am actually on the verge. Even when I was running 5 miles a day and weighed 130 # (5'7") my cholesterol was up. My LDL was up along with my triglycerides.

Since menopause my metabolism has changed. I did weight watcher to loose 30# it worked. But I could not stick with it. I starved even though I ate low calorie bulky foods and even used some fat to get satiation. My losses were sloooww. Much slower than I ever experienced.

I took comfort in knowing that a quick loss was a loss of water and muscle. I wish I'd understood the Atkins better and took that route. But I probably would not have believed it was healthy. I kept saying that they way you loose was as important to health as loosing it self. I agree and it appears Atkins is healthy.

Oh all those years I gave up my momma's gormet French fat laden dishes for naught. Well momma's gone and now I'm learning better.

There was a time, whether I was running or not, when weight loss was easy. I was beginning to think there was a conspriacy that the foods I'd always eaten some how had more calories now and somehow had less satisfaction.

I have a killer NY style cheese cake resipe that Atkins would love. I make it as my hubby's birthday cake once a year. He claims I am trying to kill him with with but now we will get to enjoy it without guilt. yippeee. It is soooo rich in pure fat that I did not dare make it more than once a year.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Dec 1, 2002

I wonder if by avoiding carbs, people are avoiding transfatty acids, which are found in breads, crackers, cookies, chips and processed foods, etc? And is this why the labs are looking good?

I still scratch my head when I hear saturated fats are no longer bad for you. But then again, I remember when margarine was so much better for you than butter.

I'm still waiting for the day, like in that Woody Allen movie that cake and steak are health foods!

bagladyrn, RN · Dec 1, 2002

Agnus - I'd love to have your cheesecake recipe! I made chocolate meringue cookies the other day with Splenda that turned out really well. (trying to come up with some goodies for the holiday season)

Agnus · Dec 1, 2002

Hmm. Splenda. Oh yea I forgot the recipe has sugar. Quite a lot if I now recall. Hmm. God I hate the thought of altering this recipe. I resisted using low fat products in it now you just reminded me IT HAS SUGAR darn. What will I do what will I do (holding head in hands)

well i can get it to you but I don't know if you can do it with splenda. You know sometimes certain ingredients in recipies have a chemical reaction in a recipe that is essential to the final product. I have no experience using splenda and have had someone tell me they got an after taste from it. Don't have time right now but I will get it to you if you still want it.

Flo1216 · Dec 1, 2002

A friend of mine was on that diet and although he lost weight, he developed kidney stones as well. Also, a lot of what you are losing is water weight since increased protein intake has a diuretic effect. So when you start to eat normally again, you will gain a lot of the weight back. Some people swear by it. I don't know, though...how healthy can it be?

smag16 · Dec 1, 2002

My DH and I have been eating Lo Carb since june of 2001. It wasn't to lose weight, but to eat healthier. As a happy consequence we both lost wieght.

We don't have the cravings for carbs anymore...we don't have acid reflux anymore ( no more antiacids or Prevacid) ...we don't have joint pain...I was able to come off thyroid meds. ... atrial fibs went away... DH's CVD symptoms cleared up .

Did 2 years of research 14-16 hours a day..found out it's not the lipid panel numbers at all, it's if the lipids are oxidized or not!!

SHOCK!!! Diabetes and CVD are heavily linked as you know... it's the carbs that are causing all the problems ....the weight gain is associated. Very strong antioxidants are the key to this entire problem. The weight loss is the added benefit.... they are all tied together.

We judge all foods by the glycemic index... that influences the BS rise...hence the insulin rise...insulin irritates the arteries...oxidized fatty acids (which become very sticky) stick to the irritated areas..PLAC! The rise in the insulin creates insulin resistance...see type2 diabetes! Carbs are stored as fat...it takes protien to build protien...our bodies were designed to burn fat not carbs. The VERY SHORT STORY!

If you wish to know more about all this I will be happy to reply.

baseline · Dec 1, 2002

Yes, the American Diabetes Association is now teaching Carb Counting ! Really Flo, there has been alot of "backing up" going on in the medical circles about lo carb eating. I will SCREAM this from the roof tops...........READ THE BOOK READ THE BOOK READ THE BOOK!!!!! People get into trouble because they enter into this diet uninformed, thinking they can only eat meat and cheese, and they lose weight. But they don't understand why. And they don't drink the water, and they don't add the carbs to diet. And Dr. Atkins gets blamed for peoples unwillingness to educate themselves.

Ok. Hopping off the soap box now.........

I followed the low fat diet and gained weight, and I followed it religiously.....excercise and all.

I think any diet that you can live with along with excercise is the diet you should choose, but please, make it an informed choice.