The low carb fad and how it can impact us



Originally posted by adamholck
I understand HellonWheels concern and bitterness. The Atkins fad has had an effect on commerce and other things. Anyone who knows the stock market can see how significant changes have occured in "carbo" industries and the protein industries. That's how things work in our society, though. There are points in our lives when these realities become unusually annoying. Anyway, the Atkins diet is idiotic. It may cause weight loss but it is a cardiovascular nightmare. A diet based on super saturated animal fats and protein? .................. Insane, Suicidal Vanity.
HellonWheels should begin shopping at whole food markets. There are alternatives....You will survive!
>>

Thank you, and I agree completely. You summed up a major part of my concern!. Apart from my own personal concerns with IBS, it disturbs me that an unproven diet which as you said, will be a cardiovascular nightmare, can dictate society to the extent it has.
 
Originally posted by HellonWheels
>>

Thank you, and I agree completely. You summed up a major part of my concern!. Apart from my own personal concerns with IBS, it disturbs me that an unproven diet which as you said, will be a cardiovascular nightmare, can dictate society to the extent it has.
actialy it is becoming proven. but the low fat diet was never proven it was just followed because we always thought fat was bad. we are learnign that fats are nto as bad as they were thought. overeating grains are just if not worse for your health. they turn into fat they rot your teeth and they are empty calories. low fat has been in fad quite awhile and wee see more problems becuse of fat then ever.
 
Originally posted by stevek
actialy it is becoming proven. but the low fat diet was never proven it was just followed because we always thought fat was bad. we are learnign that fats are nto as bad as they were thought. overeating grains are just if not worse for your health. they turn into fat they rot your teeth and they are empty calories. low fat has been in fad quite awhile and wee see more problems becuse of fat then ever.
>>

Hmm, well, I dunno. Being on a low fat diet and daily exercise has made me lose 130 lbs so far, and have kept it off for almost 2 years. It also cured my IBS. Can't be all that bad, eh?
 
Originally posted by HellonWheels
>>

Hmm, well, I dunno. Being on a low fat diet and daily exercise has made me lose 130 lbs so far, and have kept it off for almost 2 years. It also cured my IBS. Can't be all that bad, eh?
Iam not saying it is bad but are you getting enough nutrition? if you fill up on grains there is no room for the veggies and fruit. thats the most important part of our diet that and protien.
the problem with low fat foods is they add sugar and other ****. just like low carb goods will be full of ****.
furits veggies meats or other protiens nuts legumes are about all we need.
 
Originally posted by stevek
Iam not saying it is bad but are you getting enough nutrition? if you fill up on grains there is no room for the veggies and fruit. thats the most important part of our diet that and protien.
the problem with low fat foods is they add sugar and other ****. just like low carb goods will be full of ****.
furits veggies meats or other protiens nuts legumes are about all we need.
>>>

Dont worry about me, I'm getting plenty of nutrition. I eat mostly organic whole foods, lots of fruit and veggies, as for meat, its primarily poultry (grilled and skinless) and fish. I was actually raised on a very healthy diet by my "health nut" mother, so I never developed a taste for red meat. I have never even tasted white bread! :) For the most part I got away from the way she raised me over the yrs but have gone back to it.

Fresh veggies, lean piultry, tuna, etc is lowfat yet has no sugar.
 
For those of you that are posting here claiming that the Atkins diet is a high fat diet, you are completely miss informed. A low carb diet does not = high fat diet. It simply means low carbs period. What you choose to substitute for the carbs is totally up to the individual.

If resteraunts are removing low fat diet choices and subbing in high fat choices then they too are completely miss informed. You can blame the media for this, and to a large extent the doctors and public which have so grossly miss represented what an Atkins diet is (that means you yourself).

I challenge any of you to go to the Atkins web site and find where they claim that high concentrations of fat (saturated animal fat as one poster put it) is good for you or even part of an Atkins diet.

Originally posted by HellonWheels
Fresh veggies, lean piultry, tuna, etc is lowfat yet has no sugar.

This IS an Atkins diet.
 
Originally posted by davidbod
For those of you that are posting here claiming that the Atkins diet is a high fat diet, you are completely miss informed. A low carb diet does not = high fat diet. It simply means low carbs period. What you choose to substitute for the carbs is totally up to the individual.

If resteraunts are removing low fat diet choices and subbing in high fat choices then they too are completely miss informed. You can blame the media for this, and to a large extent the doctors and public which have so grossly miss represented what an Atkins diet is (that means you yourself).

I challenge any of you to go to the Atkins web site and find where they claim that high concentrations of fat (saturated animal fat as one poster put it) is good for you or even part of an Atkins diet.



This IS an Atkins diet.
you do need mroe fat as energy but it does not have to be bad fat. hell there are vegan versions of it.
but myself I needef ruit for energy or iwas always tired.
 
Originally posted by stevek
you do need mroe fat as energy but it does not have to be bad fat. hell there are vegan versions of it.
but myself I needef ruit for energy or iwas always tired.
>>>

For those, like me, who have IBS, ALL fats are bad, except in small amounts. I can eat a high fat food if I eat a small portion of it. For example, lets say something is 14 grams of fat per serving. Too high for me normally. But if I cut it in half, or thirds, and eat just that much, its low fat. I do this a lot. Besides I find high fat foods dont need to be eaten in large amts, sometimes just a taste is enough to satisfy the craving. I'velearned thru eating this way to adjust to smaller portions of food overall, too.

As for the person who said Atkins does not advocate highfat, maybe not. But I know a lot of Atkins devotees and they eat a lot of highfat meats and cheeses. I have a friend who runs an Atkins class for ppl, and she stayed here for a few days. She brought all that food with her and it made me sick just watching what she ate. She left some of it when she went home, and I threw it out so my kids wouldnt get hooked on the fatty stuff (I'm trying to raise them healthy.)
 
Originally posted by stevek
you do need mroe fat as energy but it does not have to be bad fat. hell there are vegan versions of it.
but myself I needef ruit for energy or iwas always tired.

While its true most people on Atkins do substitute with more fat during the induction phase its not an absolute requirement. For myself the fats I added mostly come from more eggs and cheese, but then I cut milk completely so in the end it may be a wash. Since protien is a bigger part of my diet I actually have found that I now get a wider range of good lean protien than I did before, turkey breast, chicken and particulary lots more fish. The point is to burn the fat stored on your body, not load in heaps more fat in your diet.

Where Atkins is far out in front in regards to research and the understanding of fats is his distinction of which fats are beneficial and which are to be avoided, unlike the low fat diet which simply groups all fats together and blindly labels them all bad. As for those who have stated here that Atkins = cardiac suicide you should go read the research. Several studies have shown that people burning fat for fuel while consuming 'good fat', rather than glucose from carbs on a low fat diet have a better overal cholesterol profile.
 
Originally posted by davidbod
Where Atkins is far out in front in regards to research and the understanding of fats is his distinction of which fats are beneficial and which are to be avoided, unlike the low fat diet which simply groups all fats together and blindly labels them all bad. As for those who have stated here that Atkins = cardiac suicide you should go read the research. Several studies have shown that people burning fat for fuel while consuming 'good fat', rather than glucose from carbs on a low fat diet have a better overal cholesterol profile.
he does push veggies too. something that gets forgotten. I found I could not get enough energy on fat alone. right now with 20 miles a day on my bike I eat 6 pieces of fruit and some beans.
 
Originally posted by adamholck
I understand HellonWheels concern and bitterness. The Atkins fad has had an effect on commerce and other things. Anyone who knows the stock market can see how significant changes have occured in "carbo" industries and the protein industries. That's how things work in our society, though. There are points in our lives when these realities become unusually annoying. Anyway, the Atkins diet is idiotic. It may cause weight loss but it is a cardiovascular nightmare. A diet based on super saturated animal fats and protein? .................. Insane, Suicidal Vanity.
HellonWheels should begin shopping at whole food markets. There are alternatives....You will survive!

"Anyway, the Atkins diet is idiotic. It may cause weight loss but it is a cardiovascular nightmare. A diet based on super saturated animal fats and protein? .................. Insane, Suicidal Vanity."

Here we have yet another Atkins critic who has apparently not studied Atkins book and demonstrates no actual knowledge of his diet regime. It is not based on "super saturated animal fats." To the extent that HDL, LDL, total cholesterol, triglycerides
and blood chemistry profiles indicate c-v health, it often improves it. Where low-fat diet, high exercise levels, and drugs did not work for me over a ten-year period, Atkins did within three months.
 
Where Atkins is far out in front in regards to research and the understanding of fats is his distinction of which fats are beneficial and which are to be avoided, unlike the low fat diet which simply groups all fats together and blindly labels them all bad.>>

This may be true of those lowfat dieters who are dieting for weight loss, but I'm not doing it for weight loss, I'm doing it for my health. And I DO distinguish between bad fats and good ones. The thing is, for me with IBS, even the good fats are not good if taken in larger quantities.
 
Originally posted by HellonWheels
For those, like me, who have IBS, ALL fats are bad, except in small amounts.

Actually that is not quite accurate. It is great that you have found a diet that stopped your problems with IBS but others don't have such luck. For some, high fibre diets can make it worse. For others, certain fruits or nuts seem to increase symptoms. IBS can take on many different patterns which is why it is such a hard condition to treat.
 
The bread industry has taken note since its sales are suffering and it's looking into marketing strategies. So... it's a reasonably big deal.

However, I think there are too many pasta lovers out there for that little market to die. It's going to make it more challenging for folks who don't want hidden fattiness, but there are significant numbers of us who aren't going Atkins.
 
Originally posted by Geonz
The bread industry has taken note since its sales are suffering and it's looking into marketing strategies. So... it's a reasonably big deal.

However, I think there are too many pasta lovers out there for that little market to die. It's going to make it more challenging for folks who don't want hidden fattiness, but there are significant numbers of us who aren't going Atkins.

I've heard that frozen bread rolls have taken about a 25% hit in lost sales in the US. This is mostly white bread trash anyway though. My favorite 'Natures Own' brand of wheat bread now has a low carb version that's higher in fiber with less net carbs (less sugar).

A favorite family resteraunt that I like recently added some low carb options to their menu. I would usually order a burger or chicken sandwich and ask them to serve it without a bun and then have to pay extra to sub in a side salad instead of french fries or onion rings. Now they offer the burger or chicken fillet served bunless with a side salad included.

Frankly so far all I have seen are positive more healthy choices in response to those choosing low carbs. As for pasta I hope we see some movement towards more choices for whole wheat pastas.
 
Originally posted by davidbod
I've heard that frozen bread rolls have taken about a 25% hit in lost sales in the US. This is mostly white bread trash anyway though. My favorite 'Natures Own' brand of wheat bread now has a low carb version that's higher in fiber with less net carbs (less sugar).

A favorite family resteraunt that I like recently added some low carb options to their menu. I would usually order a burger or chicken sandwich and ask them to serve it without a bun and then have to pay extra to sub in a side salad instead of french fries or onion rings. Now they offer the burger or chicken fillet served bunless with a side salad included.

Frankly so far all I have seen are positive more healthy choices in response to those choosing low carbs. As for pasta I hope we see some movement towards more choices for whole wheat pastas.
>>>>

The major problem for ppl like me (with IBS) is that we need to eat low fat and HIGH carb. So if a place removes their lowfat/high carb menu (as some places near me have done), and replaces with highfat/low carb, we're screwed. There is often so little on many menus that I can eat now, I usually stuck with the lowfat menus sections. But in some places I can't even do that.

Thank God there is still SUBWAY. Although Pizza Hut now has come out with a "Fit and Healthy" pizza....reduced cheese, healthier toppings (veggies and chicken), and a thinner crust.
 
Well, I've lost 7 pounds over the las tweek and a half... Thats amazing. Is it too much, too fast? I'm trying to eat oatmeal and rice and cut out sugar altogether except what's in my power bars... And I'm working my *** off on climbing. I am determined to be the best climber in my group by this time next year. Is therea certain % body fat that you are not supposed to go below? And how much protien should I be eating every day to not lose muscle mass with my decreased caloric intake? I am eating no more calories per day than my heart rate monitor shows that I burned. And on days that I don't ride, I only eat 1000 calories, and hopefully enough protien.
 
Originally posted by Xeys
Well, I've lost 7 pounds over the las tweek and a half... Thats amazing. Is it too much, too fast? I'm trying to eat oatmeal and rice and cut out sugar altogether except what's in my power bars... And I'm working my *** off on climbing. I am determined to be the best climber in my group by this time next year. Is therea certain % body fat that you are not supposed to go below? And how much protien should I be eating every day to not lose muscle mass with my decreased caloric intake? I am eating no more calories per day than my heart rate monitor shows that I burned. And on days that I don't ride, I only eat 1000 calories, and hopefully enough protien.

Your HR monitor cannot possibly know how many calories you've expended during exercise. more information is required, none of which comes from a HR monitor. In other words it's just a very very rough estimate.

to know how much energy you expended you either need to have some form of calorimetery done, such as collecting expired respiratory gases (done in a lab) or to have a power meter to get a good ball park figure.

If your body fat % goes too low, your fitness will decrease, and eventually you'll die. Very elite TdF males, are ~ 6% body fat, which can only be sustained for short periods of time (e.g. < ~ 8 weeks).

Protein recommendations are ~ 1.2 to 1.8 g per kg body mass per day for heavy exercise (e.g. up to several hours training a day). For intense, very heavy workloads (e.g. TdF) the recommendation is an upper limit of 2.0 g per kg body mass per day

Ric
 
Originally posted by Xeys
Well, I've lost 7 pounds over the las tweek and a half... Thats amazing. Is it too much, too fast? I'm trying to eat oatmeal and rice and cut out sugar altogether except what's in my power bars... And I'm working my *** off on climbing. I am determined to be the best climber in my group by this time next year. Is therea certain % body fat that you are not supposed to go below? And how much protien should I be eating every day to not lose muscle mass with my decreased caloric intake? I am eating no more calories per day than my heart rate monitor shows that I burned. And on days that I don't ride, I only eat 1000 calories, and hopefully enough protien.

That seven lbs is not fat! your gly stores are empty and
your probly dehydrated! you have to eat more fuel if
your burning more fuel, you will be a stronger rider if you
eat more! riding on not enough fuel you will start using
your musle mass and become weak. follow this link
has all the good foods to eat for athletes.


http://www.health.arizona.edu/Healt...Nutrition and Eating Issues/sportsnutmenu.htm
 
For most of his/her history modern man/woman has gotten by on what is by modern standards a high protein diet. Many cyclists make the mistake of deciding that they need heaps of carbs to fuel for training/racing. This often leads to a neglect of protein as a valuable and necessary fuel source.
In a few studies cyclists have been shown to require more protein per kg of body weight than American Footballers (most of it is padding anyway - wusses!).
This is not to say that you should neglect carbs either, but it should not form the main constituent of your meals.

The problem with these fad diets is that they do not lead to safe weight maintenance because they cut out many things which we enjoy eating, making a binge on cake etc more likely.
The Atkins diet also has a habit of playing havoc with your digestive tract (based on experiences of friends).

To get sustained safe weight loss, you need to get back to what people were eating in the 1950s and simply tweak the diet carefully (start by reducing sugar intake except in fruit) and the volume of exercise (the most neglected part of any diet).
But ensure that you still take on carbs during and after training so that you don't feel run down.