Sick and Tired of Hearing About This Adkins/No-Carb Craze

[stevenpensacola]

all it takes to lose weight. don't need the abdomonizer, tony little, the thighmaster and all the other gimics offered for sale.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I have to say I am tired of seeing low-carb products. Especially when the product had been already low-carb and the companies went out and just did a relabeling job and bumped up the price.

Processed foods are BAD not matter if they say low carb, low fat or low calorie. Whole foods are the way to go. I won't sit here and say I never have any procesed foods, but I have cut down on them greatly, especially since DH and I made the decision to cut all trans fats from our diets.

We try to eat balanced diets (proteins, carbs, etc.). And I go to the gym 4 to 5 days a week. Also, I am not trying to lose weight, I am now just maintaining what weight I lost in the past. And that weight I lost through changing my eating habits and exercising. I am a firm believer in not jumping on the latest craze and that is what this low-carb thing is turning into.

 

[Nancy]

That was the point I was trying to make...people need to do what works best for them. If eating less carbs works, then go for it. Low carb is not for me because I don't eat a lot of meat items, I'm more pasta, rice, potatoes. I work in a grocery store and I see all these low carb items coming out and people are snapping them up....yet they are all processed foods, lots of stuff added to them. I remember when low fat was the rage and everyone was buying items because they said low or no fat....but they had tons of sugar. You have to read labels, read portion sizes and calories. I've seen low carb work for many people, I've seen WW work for many people...you have to follow whatever you find works best for you.

 

[Nancy]

Originally posted by Miss Jasmine
I have to say I am tired of seeing low-carb products. Especially when the product had been already low-carb and the companies went out and just did a relabeling job and bumped up the price.

They did the same thing with fat free. I bought some items that said fat free on the label, but they were the same products I always bought. DH said "I'm not eating that stuff, buy the regular stuff" I tried to explain to him that it was the same, just the label changed to jump on the fat free craze. Now I see it with low carb. I always bought the light wheat bread now they have a label stuck right on top saying 7 net carbs per serving.

 

[Talking Hands]

Low carb is not a bad thing when not done to the extent that Adkins pushes. Lower carbohydrates are a very good thing for type 2 diabetics as carbs tend to increase blood sugar quickly. Weight Watchers is a bit higher in carbohydrates than I can tolerate and keep my bllod sugars in line so I do a modified Weight Watchers/Low Carb diet. I try to limit my carbs to 15 to 30gms of carb per meal. Works for me and my doctor

 

[septbride2002]

Josh,
While I can appreciate your honesty on the subject I think you may be a little misinformed.

I am very happy for your Mom's success! That is awesome and I'm glad that she found a program that works for her. I however worked the WW program for a year faithfully and lost only 5 lbs when I needed to lose about 25 lbs. I exercised faithfully at an aerobics center 3 to 4 times a week and drank all my water. Being fed up with spending lots of mone for WW and getting no where I quit. And then I found the Protein Power book. It is similar to Atkins in alot of ways but not exactly Atkins.

The truth is that there are a lot of misinformed people that take Atkins/Low carb to the extreme. But there are those of us that have actually read the books, and looked up information on line that are not living healthier and happier lives. I have lost 15 lbs, I'm never hungry, and I feel that I have tons of options food wise.

My typical menu looks like this:
B: 3 egg omelet with cheddar cheese, green peppers, and mushrooms. Water, and my daily supplement

L: Grilled Chicken Breast/Grilled Fish/Hamburger Patty/ with a green veggie - typically broccoli or greenbeans, water, and some Sugar Free jello for a snack.

D: Usually a prepared item from my cookbook which typically has a lean meat/steak/chicken with 2 different types of vegetables including asparagus/broccoli/greenbeans/cauliflower/green and red peppers/ and occasionally a higher carb vegetable of carrots or corn.

As you can see my menus are made of whole foods, that are considered extrememly healthy. Notice that there is no bacon in my menu. Do some people take Atkins to far - yes. But a lot of people take "low fat" and "no fat" to far as well.

I think what you are trying to say is that you are tired of the marketing being done by produce companies - and on that I have to agree with you. It also makes me worry that people rely on "low carb" bars instead of eating whole and nutricious foods.

I hope that I have shed some light to you on your very brash statement of Atkins being "an unhealthy diet". And again I wish your Mom lots of success with her diet.

~Amanda

 

[Lynn CC]

I think it's great that your parents are doing well on Weight Watchers! My MIL does WW too and is having great success!
I've been on a vegetarian low carb Atkins for a long time now and that works for me!
I think it's one of those things different things for different folks.
Whatever works for them, the main goal is to keep fat off and to have a healthy BP and Chloresterol!
We will soon be a very healthy World with all these different diets to choose from

 

[onecoolmama]

Hey I am right there with you! DH came home yesterday with low carb coke. I could care less, I am pregnant and it had a really funny aftertaste!


Leave my ice cream, soda, cookies, ..ect..alone! They are perfect the way they are carbful!!!

 

[palmtreegirl]

 

[Indyman]

I have no problem with the low/no carb foods in most cases. The only exception is with Donato's Pizza, whose slogan is "Respect the Pizza", then they offer a crustless pizza. How can creating a pizza without crust be respecting the pizza?

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

I am one of those people that can't (and won't) do any of the fad diets. I put WW, Atkins, etc. all in the "fad" category.

I love fast food, chocolate, Diet Coke, etc. I eat what I want, when I want. When I know I have gone overboard, I exercise more and try to make an attempt to eat more fruits and vegetables. I know that if I had to sit and measure servings and count carbs or calories.... I would go crazy.

Everyone has to find what works for them.... and it's different for everyone. I am not overweight, very healthy, and not following any strict "plan". That said, I am very tired of the marketing of low carb stuff. Fine, have it for the people that want it. But don't shove it down everyone's throat.

Oh, and bring back my supersize fries and drink at McD's!!!

 

[Alice28]

I'm tired of it only because it seems to have gone WAY over the top. If you can make it work for you, great, but it seems alarmingly trendy right now and I am waiting for the other shoe to drop---you know some study to show that it's super unhealthy. Personally I could not take part in any diet that completely excluded a major food group. I joined Weight Watchers in mid May and so far have lost 7+ pounds, and I can still enjoy an occasional candy bar or order of fries. My parents lost 50 & 70 pounds on it two years ago. They have gained a little back, but not a lot. My urologist asked me (when I was haivng kidney stone problems a month or so ago) if I did the low-carb diet. I said, "Noooo....I firmly believe in a balanced diet, and am trying to do that (I'm about 35 pounds overweight)." He said, "Thank God....you would not BELIEVE what that diet does to a lot of people's kidneys and urinary tract....I have seen some of the worst cases of my life due to people stressing out their kidneys with high protein diets; to the point where they are looking to need a transplant"

I know there are some very faithful Atkins followers on these boards, and I love ya, but be careful, okay?

 

[piglet too]

I agree with the OP that the market is getting flooded with the low-carb labels. They are not always "true" either, just like low-fat, you need to know how to read the lables and really understand what they are saying, or trying to say.

However, I don't feel that the Atkins/low-carb diet is a bad thing. My Dh has lost over 30 lbs and my mother has lost just around 25. I don't know about my Mom, but I do know that my husband is healthier now than he has been in years. We did all the blood work and all, and his numbers are now better than they were before he started on a low-carb diet. Our doctor is all for it, and is just glad to see his weight down and his blood-work numbers all at "good" levels.

 

[Blondie]

I think I'm one of the only people I know that ISN'T doing some form of low carb diet, either Atkins or South Beach.

I think low carb diets are so popular because the people doing it do lose a lot of weight and often very quickly, but I've also found that the more weight you have to lose, the better the results from the low carb diets.

For people who just want to lost 10-25 pounds (like myself) WW is the better way to go IMHO because you lose it slower and it stays off longer, and you can basically eat what you want, in moderation ofcourse.

I work with several people who, when they went off of Atkins gained their 45 pounds back plus an addition 7-10 pounds.

I say do whatever makes you happy. As long as you are on a healthy weight loss/exercise plan combination, the weight will come off, if you are true to yourself and don't cheat. (not an easy thing to do, I know!)

 

[Margie J]

I'd give the craze another year and it's over. We've been through this before; low cal, low fat, low carb. The big difference now is the number of products with endorsements, like those are suppose to be better. It's all a money game IMO.

Once people start to gain weight on this "low carb" frenzy it will slow down. Remember how people pigged out on Snackwell cookies because they were low fat. A few days ago I saw these small cheesecakes labeled "no guilt". I took a quick look at the label and it was 230 calories per serving, mostly fat but .... low carbs. Of course, a serving was about 1/4 cup and the package held two servings. Tell me the average person wouldn't eat that whole container. No guilt? Sorry, I'm not that stupid.

 

[Beastlover]

The problem people face with "diets" is they are trying to lose "x" amount of pounds for "x" occasion. Once the occasion is done, they feel they can go back to their origional lifestyle. It is that lifestyle that made you overweight in the first place! Why would you lose weight eating a certain way, and then stop? Then blame the plan? It drives me nuts when people stereotype the plan as "eating all the bacon and cheese you want". I am not preaching the plan to anyone, but I am tired of people bashing it without knowing the facts of how it works. MY facts: I started Atkins 6/12/03, I lost 55 pounds, maintaining that loss since 1/18/04 (OMG! Using my low-carb lifestyle) I lost 25 inches in my body, not to mention my cholesterol went down and my energy stays high all day long. If that is preaching, they so be it--YAY ME!!
My sis tried Atkins and it didn't work for her, and now she is on WW. I support her 100%. Its all about what works for your body type.
I agree with some of the others: find something that works, that you can live with. BUT....stick with it!! And HOORAY any of you that can eat whatever you want, unfortunately for some of us, we need a more structured plan to stay slim.

 

[grinningghost]

I'm sick of it, but DH did lose alot of weight on Atkins. He hasn't been on it for awhile now and has gained some of the weight again. So, it does work, but it really limits what you can eat. Makes going out for dinner kinda boring.

 

[septbride2002]

Beastlover - I love it when people say that they went "off" the diet and gained all their weight back - well of course you did! I did it too! What one has to realize is that you cannot go back to eating junk food, fast food, and other stuff and expect to maintain your weightloss. That is true for Atkins, WW, and any other type of diet.

I've lost a total of 15 lbs following a low-carb plan - I now eat more carbs then I did when I was on the diet but I am also trying to maintain my weight. I still subsitute lots of veggie and exercise if I feel I am starting to go up in weight.

~Amanda

 

[CookieGVB]

Yup - getting sick of the manufacturers jumping on the "low carb" bandwagon. That big red A has a way of increasing the price on groceries, doesn't it?

 

[Robinrs]

I totally agree it has gone way too far...

My take on it is the government will soon put out the guidelines they MUST meet and they're trying to get on the proverbial gravy train NOW.

The motive: MONEY. It sells and it sells well. Why else would they do this?

Krispy Kreme has lost money for the first time since they went public.

Bread companies are now holding conventions on how they can get back on track.

Bagel stores are virtually abandoned.

The low carb fad has become a phenomena! Anything that gets that thrown down someone's throat is bound to annoy the masses.

I believe once the FDA sets the guidelines lots of these LOW carb things will be outed. Most of them are making it up as they go along.

My son and I have greatly benefited from low carb living. It is actually harder now with all of the products. I try to make all of my own food and concentrate on the basics. It IS nice that we have certain options when we are out eating, though, but you must be an educated consumer.

Weight Watchers has been successful for decades because it DOES work. I was a lifetime member of WW and think they are awesome. Low carb is an option especially for those who have a hard time resisting the carbs. Once you no longer eat them you no longer CRAVE them. If I eat a little I want a LOT, so WW doesn't help me.

With anything it's what works for YOU. I fought low carb like a boxer for years (EVERYONE around me was on it BUT me) until I noticed the change in my aunt and uncle. She is diabetic and has cancer. In a few months I saw her not only lose weight and look younger, she is off nearly ALL of her medications! My uncle lost his huge stomach and his pressure and sugar has gone down. Why? She just cut out the carbs in her cooking. It was then I realized maybe I should read the book.

I did and I'm GLAD.

Since then I've gotten at least 20 more people in my life to follow my lead. If you do anything correctly, people will ask and want to see what you've done.

Like I said before, whatever works for you.