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What's wrong with Atkins?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I got the book today, so far it looks v.good but some people are against this method of dieting. I was just hoping to find out why exactly so I could weigh the positive and negative aspects before committing to it.

Simple as that really, as many opinions as possible would be grand but please don't turn it into an argument.:)

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't really know anything about it, but I think there was a thread in Health about it recently. You might wanna search for that for a few more opinions :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Faith
    I don't really know anything about it, but I think there was a thread in Health about it recently. You might wanna search for that for a few more opinions :)

    I had a peek and the only thing on the health forum was about what to drink when on it, not anything really useful to me at the mo :)

    I know this should be in health but not many of you probably go in there and I'd like the largest number of contributions quickly, no harm intended
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Dr Katz
    I had a peek and the only thing on the health forum was about what to drink when on it, not anything really useful to me at the mo :)

    ah ok, sorry just knew i remembered seeing something about it!

    My mum did it a while back and I know she found it quite hard after a while cos she was getting bored of not being able to eat pasta, rice, potatoes etc....
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Mmmm pasta. Dammit! :banghead:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The atkins diet... what can i say. No pasta, potatoes, bread, fruit (in induction), alcohol, sugar, aspartime etc etc etc... The list goes on and on. However saying all that i hav been on the diet for nearly a month now i think. Haven't been very good coz i've been to loads of weddings and out with my mates but am sticking to it now!!

    Its not too bad really. I know loads of people who hav lost heaps of weight on it. Try www.low-carber.org or something along those lines. Its a site about atkins and has forums etc
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i was on the diet for a while and i lost a stone in 2 weeks but i soon got fed up. i understand the science behind it and it works well, but it's impossible to keep. it was for me anyway! i soon got bored and its not easy to just grab something to eat when your out shopping, what ever.

    i had really bad pains in my kidneys after a few weeks and my skin looked awful.

    i'm not saying it can't work for you, because it more than likely will, in weight loss terms but as for all the other health problems that come with it, it's just not worth it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I managed to keep on it for almost two months when I needed to loose a few extra pounds a couple of years ago. But I found it boring, and think I lost most weight by simply not being arsed to prepare food and therefore going hungry. The weight did come off though, and quickly.
    Personally I'd prefer to stick to a low calorie balanced diet (which can include a little bit of chocolate as a treat, which I missed soooo much on the Atkins diet).

    Mr_Wobble ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The latest thing I`ve heard against it is that it can lead to osteoporosis due to the lack of calcium, so be careful about taking supplements.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Have a look at Diet Trials on the BBC website. They did a proper large scale test of four weight loss plans, and it didn't come out very well. Crash weight loss and reduction in fruit and veg intake are not good for you. Much of the weight lost is lean tissue, rather than fat, again not a good sign.


    http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/diettrials/
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    My friend's on this diet.

    She's slimmed down considerably, but can a diet that cuts out foods such as bread and pasta, (only to allow you still to eat other high-calorie stuff) be good for you?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm not too sure about this but i think some of the problems with the atkins diet are:

    Too much protein can affect the kidney and liver.
    Too much fat can raise cholesterol and cause heart problems.
    Too little fibre causes constipation.
    Too little carbohydrate can cause loss of energy.
    The weight loss tends to be loss of water and muscle and not always a high % of fat.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ask someone with type 1 Diabetes...they can tell you what is wrong with Atkins...tell them about Ketosis....
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by hotphoenix

    Try www.low-carber.org or something along those lines. Its a site about atkins and has forums etc

    www.lowcarber.org
    :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    byny you are so right. i am a type 1 diabetic and i know what u are talking about.
    ATKINS IS REALLY BAD FOR YOU. IT CAN CAUSE KIDNEY DAMAGE AND IT MAKES URE BREATH SMELL(im sure potential bf/gf will love that)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    EXACTLY - I bought the book and read it, then spoke to a good friend of mine who has type 1 diabetes..told her all about it and she was aghast that people would actually want to force their body to react as a type 1 diabetes' body would react.

    Perhaps it works (As far as weight loss goes) but the health problems it creates in the long term are just not worth it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    some people sare by it for weight loss....

    i dont see how ANY diet where u deny urself certain nutrients and food groups can be good for you... you may lose weight (some people put on weight) but is it really worth it if youre just going to cause yourself health probs?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by lil_minx
    some people sare by it for weight loss....

    i dont see how ANY diet where u deny urself certain nutrients and food groups can be good for you... you may lose weight (some people put on weight) but is it really worth it if youre just going to cause yourself health probs?

    not saying its ok, but didnt the human body evolve only eating meats etc and not starchy things like bread and pasta. so shouldnt it be better for your body not not digest these food groups?

    and eating processed foods with all the additives and stabilisers can hardly be good for you...:no:

    i think the only effective way to loose weight is to consume less (about 15-20% less) calories that your body burns per day.
    your basal metabolic rate tells you how much energy your body needs to run, not including any activity, so if you consume slightly less than this, your body starts using other sources other than carbs (what you eat) ie. fats therefore you begin to burn fat.

    well thats what ive been led to believe anyway...:)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by clara
    not saying its ok, but didnt the human body evolve only eating meats etc and not starchy things like bread and pasta. so shouldnt it be better for your body not not digest these food groups?

    yeah, but, ive been led to believe that eating meats began the evolution but once we established a more varied diet (vegitation, nuts and such like) we became a healthier and brainier species...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by lil_minx
    yeah, but, ive been led to believe that eating meats began the evolution but once we established a more varied diet (vegitation, nuts and such like) we became a healthier and brainier species...

    you could have a point there, but until recently (last 1000 years or so) processed foods like bread and pasta were diffucult to make, so yeah vegitation has been consumed but not the processed type. ... i dont really know what point i am trying to make really...!

    i think its better for you to eat, say a potato than the equal amount of pasta or bread.



    :confused: im confussing myself:confused::)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by clara
    you could have a point there, but until recently (last 1000 years or so) processed foods like bread and pasta were diffucult to make, so yeah vegitation has been consumed but not the processed type. ... i dont really know what point i am trying to make really...!

    i think its better for you to eat, say a potato than the equal amount of pasta or bread.



    :confused: im confussing myself:confused::)

    no i get ya... i agree :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I tried cutting out carbs and it was bloody difficult .. epsacially since in our household most dishes are rice based

    I was shocked to see carbs in Ribena and stuff like that ..

    in the end got fed up with eating nothing but meat and fat, missed bread, rice, pasta and all the other stuff that adds bulk to diet.

    I think regular excercise its the true key to losing weight .. now I try and go nigtclubbing twice a week to keep in shape .. once I get on the dance floor I'm there for a good 2 to 3 hours!!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by DiamondGeezer

    I was shocked to see carbs in Ribena and stuff like that ..

    sugar is a component of ribena and sugar (glucose) is a form of carbohydrate:)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by DiamondGeezer
    now I try and go nigtclubbing twice a week to keep in shape .. once I get on the dance floor I'm there for a good 2 to 3 hours!!

    Bloody good idea!!:D


    Personally I am so tempted to try the atkins diet but as i do no actual cooking in my house and would have to explain to my 'rents, I'm not gonna try. I think it seems like a good fast way to lose a couple of pounds but i don't want smelly breath-whats the point of looking good and trying to pull and having revolting breath. You also can't have chewing gum apparently that is banned on the plan

    The thing about the calcium is that the diet causes your body to become more acidic so it takes calcium already in your bones to neutralise the pH back to normal. Or something like that! God i sound like a blinkin scientist!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by DiamondGeezer
    I think regular excercise its the true key to losing weight .. now I try and go nigtclubbing twice a week to keep in shape .. once I get on the dance floor I'm there for a good 2 to 3 hours!!

    thats the way to do it!....

    i go raving every week or so.. 6 hours solid dancing :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by lil_minx
    thats the way to do it!....

    i go raving every week or so.. 6 hours solid dancing :p

    my god. I like my dancing when i go out but if i tried 6 hours solid dancing i'd need to go out in my slippers my feet would be killing me :lol:
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