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

[Figment22]

Originally posted by 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.

You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but I have to take exception to putting Weight Watchers into the "fad" category. WW has been helping people lose weight for well over 40 years by teaching them how to eat properly in all situations of life. People laugh at WW meetings, but what is learned at meetings is behavior modification which is all important when trying to keep the weight off. Most people can find a way to lose weight, maintaining your target weight is what it's all about. WW teaches you how to follow a plan when eating out at a restaurant, special occasion, how to deal with a pushy aunt saying "Eat, eat", etc. It's all about balance, but it's patently unrealistic to think that you'll never eat another piece of cheesecake, for example. That's the kind of thinking that gets "dieters" in trouble.

For the record, I am sick of seeing all the "No carb", "low carb" stuff too. Plus, I've been surrounded lately by Atkins dieters who keep trumpeting how they're eating healthy while still drinking way too much alcohol. Hey, that's plenty caloric and not exactly great for your overall health. Nor is overeating protein.

Here's an interesting opinion piece from last week's Newsday:

http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion...4,0,556449.story?coll=ny-viewpoints-headlines

I'll keep my bread and pasta, in moderation, thank you. Enough with the "No carb" stuff.

 

[rhanditresmom]

I appreciate Atkins only because it has provided my son with so many options. He is a child with diabetes and since Atkins has become so popular, more manufacturers are using Splenda in their products. This is good for him. Before we had such a time finding fun treats for him, now he can have a Hershey's bar or a Reese's cup...ice cream options are more numerous now. Soft drinks have more variety. He doesn't eat many of these things, but the fact that he does have a choice now makes it more "fun" when he does want a treat.

 

[Hillbeans]

I've been LC for about 2 years...I used to do WW but it didn't work for me. LC has enabled me to balance carbs/proteins and learn how to eat healthy.

Anyone who thinks Atkins is just a no bread diet hasn't read the book.

I eat breads (whole wheat) in moderation but i've been LC for awhile. I do occasionally eat a snack or treat, but again, moderation.

I also agree that seeing LC on everything is nuts...how can Manhattan Bagel say they have a low carb bagel when it has 20 carbs??

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Originally posted by Figment22
You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but I have to take exception to putting Weight Watchers into the "fad" category. WW has been helping people lose weight for well over 40 years by teaching them how to eat properly in all situations of life.

I can respect your opinion.... but I have seen way too many people spend years on WW and not get results, or yo-yo up and down over and over. Apparently they are not learning what is being taught.

Personally, I just refuse to PAY someone so I can lose weight. I won't buy their meals, go to meetings, etc. Maybe fad is the wrong word, but in my mind they fit in the same category.

As has been said, the best philosophy is to find what works for you and stick with it.

 

[Winka]

I hate picking up a box of crackers or bread or Oreos, bringing it home only to discover it's the low-salt/no-salt/low-fat/fat-free/low-carb/sugar-free version...yuck.

But some of the "low-carb" tags at the market are referring to whole-wheat based products which is kind of nice, I think. But low-carb Oreos...please!

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

Originally posted by Hillbeans

I also agree that seeing LC on everything is nuts...how can Manhattan Bagel say they have a low carb bagel when it has 20 carbs??

lol that bagel had 40+ carbs before. So, it's low carb compared to what it used to be.

 

[sha_lyn]

It really drives me nust when people continue to spread the lies about how Dr Atkins died. He died from complication from head trauma. Yes his heart was damaged, but it was not from being over weight or from his diet. It was from a virus. Yes his autopsy weigh was over 200, but that from retaining fluid as his organs shut down during his coma. Before anyone says it doesn't happen... oh yes it does. I watched my grandmother gain a lot of weight (about 20-25lbs I believe) in the 36 hrs between her massive stroke and her death.


Please don't attack the diet unless you have read the book. Dr Atkins stressed eating healthy, and suggested only 2 (I think) servings or artifical ingredients a day. He stressed eating nitrate/nitrite free etc. Just because someone says they are "doing Atkins" does not mean that they are. I have a friend who's idea of Atkins is 1lb bacon and 4 eggs for breakfast, 8oz cheese and a jar of planters peanuts for lunch and 20 hot wings and a beer for dinner. That is not atkins, it is what I call "Atkins by rumor"

But low-carb Oreos...please!

I've never seen LC oreos. do they really make them?

 

[Figment22]

Originally posted by CJMickeyMouse
Personally, I just refuse to PAY someone so I can lose weight. I won't buy their meals, go to meetings, etc.

This definitely falls into the "Do whatever works for you" category, but it was actually the fact that I had to pay a weekly fee that kept me trying to meet my goal. I really felt that if I fell off the Weight Watchers wagon, I was wasting my money and that became a secondary incentive. And to me, the meetings were what made the difference between success and "just another diet." It certainly didn't hurt that the counselor at the meetings I attended was excellent. You can certainly get a facilitator that does nothing for you.

 

[Winka]

Originally posted by sha_lyn


I've never seen LC oreos. do they really make them?

I might've just made that up for dramatic effect as it pertained to the rest of my post/rant.

If I see them though, I will post about it.

 

[my3kids]

If someone else asks me if I want a low carb breakfast bowl or a low carb burger at lunch, I'm gonna scream. Give me my biscuit and my bun. If I don't want carbs, I'd order it low carb. Good heavens! I even saw an oil change place using the slogan!

Will it fade out in a year like the pet rocks and mood rings??

 

[Lisa F]

Originally posted by my3kids
Will it fade out in a year like the pet rocks and mood rings??

Wait, are you trying to say pet rocks and mood rings are now OUT?

 

[MScott1851]

FIRST OF ALL... Who cut and pasted an entire paragraph that wasn't mine into my post?!?!?

SECOND OF ALL... I am NOT able to eat anything I want, I am a size 14. If and when I decide to go on a diet, I will do it sensibly and not jump on the grapefruit and monkeybread diet just because God and everyone else is doing it.

THIRDLY...Miss LisaF... I wasn't implying that my lifestyle was healthy, nor did I EVER say that Atkins was UNHEALTHY. I could care less how anyone other than myself chooses to eat, exercise, lose weight, etc. I was making a joke about how I am the only one on my crew at work that isn't doing the low carb and how they all miss normal food when I eat it.


You know, low blood sugar can make you cranky.

 

[Alice28]

Originally posted by MScott1851
FIRST OF ALL... Who cut and pasted an entire paragraph that wasn't mine into my post?!?!?

SECOND OF ALL... I am NOT able to eat anything I want, I am a size 14. If and when I decide to go on a diet, I will do it sensibly and not jump on the grapefruit and monkeybread diet just because God and everyone else is doing it.

THIRDLY...Miss LisaF... I wasn't implying that my lifestyle was healthy, nor did I EVER say that Atkins was UNHEALTHY. I could care less how anyone other than myself chooses to eat, exercise, lose weight, etc. I was making a joke about how I am the only one on my crew at work that isn't doing the low carb and how they all miss normal food when I eat it.


You know, low blood sugar can make you c ranky.

Wooo-Hooooooooo! You tell it girl! Isn't it amazing how things get misconstrued around here sometimes!?

 

[CamColt]

After just reading this thread, in the past 5 minutes there have been 2 commercials for different low carb vitamins on the tv. Nope, no overkill here.

 

[my3kids]

Originally posted by Lisa F
Wait, are you trying to say pet rocks and mood rings are now OUT?

Sorry Lisa F, It is time to put the rock back in your garden.

 

[gshoemate]

Originally posted by MScott1851


You know, low blood sugar can make you cranky. [/B]

Another misconception about Atkins, it doesn't cause low blood sugar, it stabilizes your blood sugar. Many people experience low blood sugar when their sugar crashes due to a high intake of carbs.....but anyways. I eat low-carb for more reasons then weight loss. I have hypoglycemia and by limiting my carbs, I don't suffer from blood sugar drops. I have at times started Atkins Induction to jumpstart my weight loss. But for the most part, I do not eat bread, potatoes or rice. I allow myself the occasional junk food treat, but limit the portion. When I eat to many carbs, it makes me very cranky.

But I am also tired of all the low-carb marketing. There was a flyer in yesterday's paper for Quizno's, they have a low-carb flat bread sandwich, but they left out the amount of net carbs, which is the important part. So that would lead me to assume that there is alot of carbs in it. Then you have the products that have low or no carbs to begin with (mayo for example) and have now put that on their label to sell more. And the cost is crazy. Most of the low-carb items cost way more then the regular items. A loaf of low-carb Atkins bread is $4.99 in my neck of the woods.

Again, it's all about what works for you. I have lost 16 pounds since January eating low-carb, but I allow myself an occasional treat and still drink my diet pepsi.

 

[Lisa F]

Originally posted by MScott1851
FIRST OF ALL... Who cut and pasted an entire paragraph that wasn't mine into my post?!?!?

SECOND OF ALL... I am NOT able to eat anything I want, I am a size 14. If and when I decide to go on a diet, I will do it sensibly and not jump on the grapefruit and monkeybread diet just because God and everyone else is doing it.

THIRDLY...Miss LisaF... I wasn't implying that my lifestyle was healthy, nor did I EVER say that Atkins was UNHEALTHY. I could care less how anyone other than myself chooses to eat, exercise, lose weight, etc. I was making a joke about how I am the only one on my crew at work that isn't doing the low carb and how they all miss normal food when I eat it.


You know, low blood sugar can make you cranky. [/B]

I did not quote your post at all . My response was to the OP who said:

Not to mention that this is an absolutely unhealthy diet whose creator died of diesese caused by being overweight.

I just used your example as some of the things that low carbers cut out of their diet and doing so is NOT unhealthy. Neither is cutting out highly processed and high glycemic carbs and replacing them with whole grains and lots of veggies.

If that's you in your pic, you're a gorgeous size 14! You must be very tall or something because you don't look like you need to lose weight. Even assuming you do need to lose weight, no one is telling you that you have to jump on the bandwagon of any particular way of eating. One thing I've learned in all of my years of battling with my weight is that one size does NOT fit all when it comes to diet programs.

If simply cutting calories works for you, bravo. I tried that for a whole year, along with regular exercise, and got zero results until my doctor suggested that what I eat might be more important than how much I eat. Eating low carb allows me to naturally eat what my body needs without overdoing it because I don't have crazy insulin swings that make my body think it's hungry when it shouldn't be.

So to summarize, as I said in my first post, yes... I find all of the low carb highly processed stuff to be pretty annoying too. I believe all of the highly processed low fat crap is part of what has fueled the obesity problem in the US. I fear that the same will happen with the low carb processed crap as people look to it as an easy solution of having their cake and being able to eat it too... ie to be able to eat whatever they want, whenever they want and still maintain good health.

What I take issue with is the notion that low carb is unhealthy... it's about as unhealthy as anything else is when you just pick and choose the rules that you wish to follow and don't follow the entire program.

Sounds like someone needs to go to Wendy's for some fries and a frosty Good thing they are open late.

 

[DawnCt1]

I have relied on a low carb life style, Atkins in particular for 25 years to loose and maintain my weight. I for one am glad that there are a lot of options; its nice to be able to buy a jar of pasta sauce instead of having to make your own or to have a low carb barbecue sause that isn't loaded with sugar. I particularly like the new Special K and the Carb Count down milk. Its another option for breakfast. Because the carb count is low, I don't feel hungry two hours after breakfast. Now and then I like ice cream but I don't care to consume that much sugar. Breyers mint chocolate chip with 4 gm of net carbs per half cut is fine with me. I usually have just a couple of bites. I prefer to have these options than none at all.

 

[sha_lyn]

It just seems like there's so many food types missing.

Only one food type is missing from Atkins ....high carb low nutrient foods like white rice, white potatoes, white bread, sugar etc
These high calorie low nutrient foods do nothing but raise you blood sugar and then insulin levels which does nothing for you but make you hungrier

 

[DawnCt1]

Originally posted by sha_lyn
It really drives me nust when people continue to spread the lies about how Dr Atkins died......


Please don't attack the diet unless you have read the book. Dr Atkins stressed eating healthy, and suggested only 2 (I think) servings or artifical ingredients a day. He stressed eating nitrate/nitrite free etc. Just because someone says they are "doing Atkins" does not mean that they are. I have a friend who's idea of Atkins is 1lb bacon and 4 eggs for breakfast, 8oz cheese and a jar of planters peanuts for lunch and 20 hot wings and a beer for dinner. That is not atkins, it is what I call "Atkins by rumor"

You are exactly right. I love all the Atkin's critics who are sure we are all going to die because we gave up the Wonder bread. I am sure they are so much better off with their bag of chips and 2 liters of Coke.