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Low-Carb and Low-Fat Diets Face Off - Major Study Ranks Low-Carb Diets Above the Rest

It was with interest that I saw an article on news about the findings of a 2 yr study into diets - yes you guessed it LOW CARB is the winner!  Was there any comment on this NO! Were there follow ups in the newspapers NO! It would appear the Heart Foundation and others prefers the Low Fat Diet.

"A low-carb diet, by giving up pasta, and bread, and potatoes, lowers insulin levels in the body," Dr. Eric Westman of Duke University said. "And when there's less insulin, the body produces less harmful cholesterol."

"The low-carb diet makes you feel fuller and it's more satiating, so you're not as hungry," Stampfer said. "That means it's easier to stick to that diet long term."

Are others finally beginning to recognise what we have known for years that LOW CARB is the way to go!

Low Carb v Low Fat for Diabetes

There's no denying low fat does work for some people, just as Low Carb doesn't for some, so I think there's a place for low fat but it's certainly not the only or best show in town. I really do not think low fat, high carb is a good diet for diabetics and the medical establishment need to accept that Low Carb is a viable, healthy way of life. The fact that so many low fat products replace the fat with sugar and salt should be enough to raise alarm bells with diabetes specialists, but strangely they seem to have a huge blind spot when it comes to the effects of carbs on blood sugar. 

Will the latest study in New England Medical Journal be taken into consideration by whole low fat industry (there's a huge and no doubt extremely profitable industry built around low fat), the Heart Foundation, the Diabetes Society - I have my doubts – so to all you low carbers out there take heart you are on the right track......

Low-carbohydrate way of eating provides a wealth of benefits...... weight loss, blood-sugar stability, increased energy, 
improved triglyceride and cholesterol profiles - all positive effects of the lowcarb diet. 
Low-carbing provides the health that we need to achieve what we most desire in life - happiness.

PROTEIN is a natural appetite suppressant 

'The cause of overweight is a metabolic disturbance,
resulting from the body's inability to deal with carbohydrates'

'PROTEINS AND FATS SATISFY HUNGER PANGS'
'CARBOHYDRATES STIMULATE HUNGER, AND MAKE YOU EAT MORE'

The biggest effect on me was seeing what it did for my father. He was a marathon runner. He once ran 3 marathons over a 3 year period. His weight at that time was around 280 lbs (at 6' 2"). He came to me 6 months after low carbing and he was 70 lbs lighter and no longer on insulin. He was a completely changed person that at first I didn't recognize. Seeing that was a more impacting experience than seeing changes in yourself. In the past he was running as much as 100 miles a month and still the weight did not come off; still he wasn't healthy. He was a trauma nurse for 30 years, knew a lot of conventional wisdom about nutrition, and tried many things doctors told him to try. Nothing worked. Seeing him become healthy with low carb was amazing. 
I have been eating low carb since 1995. I have had no, I repeat, no, trouble eating this way all these years, even though for much of that time there were no low carb menus in restaurants, nor low carb specialty foods in the stores. I have kept 40 pounds off, and I am healthy-healthy-healthy, not to mention super-energetic. I never have to go hungry, and can completely trust my appetite. Dana
It is Never too Late to Do the Right Thing — 

Being obese cost me years of my life. Between the accompanying depression and ill health, my quality of life was rather low. As a single parent, I felt guilty because my limitations affected my children's lives as well. 

I couldn't be the parent I wanted to be and participate in their activities to the degree I would have liked. In addition, the damage to my body from all those years of obesity will never fully be resolved outside of surgery. Even with surgery, there will be scars. At nearly 40 years old, I could have easily said, "why bother?" I had missed my "peak" in terms of physical attractiveness, and I'd never get those years back with my kids. 

I had to forgive myself for the damage I did to my body and how it affected my life and the lives of those I cared about. Clearly, there wasn't much I could do about the past. But, the future, however much there is left of it, is always worth the effort involved to make positive changes. 
Please, please, stop looking for a way to have lots of sweets without consequences. Stop trying to make your low carb diet look like your old diet. There's nothing "normal" or "natural" about eating a lot of sweet stuff; the typical intake of sweets, especially sweetened beverages, is nothing short of pathological, and changing sweeteners doesn't make it any more normal, historically speaking. We need to get back to the notion of a "treat" being something that we have on special occasions, not something we have every day.
Some of we "more enlightened" people with diabetes know how successful low carb is compared to a low fat food plan, but trying to convince the 99.9% of Diabetes Dietitians who push the low-fat-and-carbs-are-O.K. is nigh on impossible! Still, with a little luck, a few more might start to question what they have been preaching for so long??
According to Sugar Busters "sugar is toxic" and significant quantities of sugar are derived in our digestive system from carbohydrates. 
Sugar has NO nutritional value
LOW CARB - The bottom line is that you must change the way you eat forever. I'm not talking about a diet but a way of life. I have discovered a way of eating which is truly liberating.
I thought I would let you know that I started a low carb diet on the 4th of June and am finding it sensational. I love the food, am experiencing a whole range of new taste experiences.
I have also lost 13 kilos to date and still dropping. I may be lucky that the whole system suits great.
It has been a real life changing decision.  Allan  dated 22 Aug.
LOW CARB IS MUCH MORE THAN......................

Yep...I have decided that if I NEVER lose another pound by Low Carbing, I still will continue this WOL*. I am no longer fatigued, no more headaches, no more acid reflux, the stuffed feeling is gone, no more dizziness, no more irritability.    I'm LC'bing for life!
A low carb diet will allow us to eat enough calories so that we can feel satisfied and comfortable, and still lose weight. There is no research I am aware of indicating that we can eat unlimited calories and still lose weight.
Many people have found that your low carbohydrate lifestyle has been instrumental in getting your blood sugar (and cholesterol, and triglycerides) under control. 
Our interest in Low Carb is trying to keep our blood sugars as much as it is possible in normal range so that we can slow down or prevent the complications of diabetes. 

We do appreciate that removing quick acting carbohydrate from the diets of a large section of the population would be hugely preventive for health outcomes and therefore save the tax payer a lot of money! For example my sons and I have reduced our daily insulin by between 30 and 40%. Quite a considerable saving if that was across the whole of the Diabetic population.
The pilgrims, who ate ham and turkey, rather than pasta and doughnuts..................
....But any way my mother and one of my friends gave me a very hard time about my WOE - constant digs and put downs. The friend has joined me on a LC eating plan (losing 5 kg) and my mother after doing Jenny Craig for 7 months and losing 7kg and heaps of money just started LC and has lost 3 kg in two weeks. Mother, my worst critic is now so supportive - wants to borrow books, wants me to plan menus for her etc. So funny aye!!! Oh well, I'm glad I hung in there and did what I feel was best for me. My body certainly is better off without the Carb and sugars that's for sure!!! Deb
..... I now know to be a metabolic problem. A number of years ago I put on weight and went on ww's to lose it. I lost a few kgs and then despite my perseverance with the program the weight loss stalled completely. I tried eating less/exercising more and even went to see a doctor about my inability to lose weight. I recall that he just didn't believe me when I told him what I was consuming. He assumed I must be eating junk food on the side. This was so frustrating. The low fat low calorie diets just didn't work for me and nobody was able to advise me on how to lose weight - someone even said that I should just accept being overweight.

I then came across the Atkins book. It took me a while to follow the program because I was afraid it would be another failure. I was just so miserable with my weight and the yoyo dieting had led to the kilos piling on even more. Finally I did Atkins and the weight began to fall off. I am now half way to my goal weight and intend to continue for life. I am so relieved that I have found a solution and that losing weight is not impossible. I also feel much more energetic and my mood swings have disappeared. I used to also suffer from bloating and stomach pains but these have decreased significantly.

Atkins has its detractors and I get frustrated when dieticians criticise the program. The truth is that some people find it impossible to lose weight with the traditional food pyramid and low fat low calorie diets. I wish they'd get clued up......... Daphane
I am convinced that the reason many people feel much better & are healthier on low carb diets is because the may have undiagnosed Celiac's disease or an allergy the gluten to wheat, barley, & rye (& perhaps oats). People with Celiac's disease often have many health problems especially with digestion & assimilation of nutrients. With the elimination of these foods, the intestinal tract begins to heal & they can absorb nutrients again. 

I also think that the Aitkin's diet is helpful because it eliminates high fructose corn syrup & many sources of trans fatty acids (hydrogenated oils). Recent studies suggests that the body cannot process these well & they can lead to obesity. 

I personally try to get my carbs mostly from fruits & vegetables & yogurt. I rarely eat cereals, bread etc & have no problems maintaining my weight.  Pat
Staying away from sugar and flour in all it's variations will do the world of good in controlling hunger.
I think that the most important aspect is to understands the low carb process and what is good and what is not. Make sure you have an Atkins book to guide you. Once you understand that really well you can just about eat anywhere.
I have had diabetes since 1998. Started on medication and tried to lose weight. Never lost a pound. Always heard diabetics could not do low carb diets. Until I read Dr. Bernstein's book in 2001, I never thought of going low carb. But he is living proof it won't kill me. So I started cold turkey, cut out carbohydrates similar to Dr. Atkins suggestions. Never had any trouble dropping the carbs, especially after I started dropping the pounds. When I started dieting I also started a walking program. When blood sugar started falling to normal levels, I threw my diabetic pills away. 

I lost 65 pounds. I take no medications now. I lowered my cholesterol and related blood fat levels. My endocrinologist says my diabetes is "in remission." My body will not know I have diabetes until blood sugar go over 126. I maintain a level between 98 - 115 with diet and exercise. I am 66 years old. I still cannot get other to do low carb dieting even though they are overweight. I think the diabetes was my incentive to follow this through. I have been on low carb maintenance way of life for almost two year now, with no weight gain.
Low Carbers have a world of delicious foods that other dieters only dream of... 
My wife, myself and our two teenage daughters started on the Aitkin's Diet 2 years ago, we all needed to lose weight, our 16 year old has lost 17kg, our 13 year, 10kg, my wife, 10kg and myself 6kg, (I like having a beer). 

There is always a worry when you try diets especially when children are involved, we played it very low key, but they did catch on that our eating habits had changed. 
We are kiwi's living in Brisbane. 
The transformation our family has gone through is amazing. We all played sport, and the only change is, we play more now, I ran a half marathon last year, my wife ran in several 10km runs, and our children are more active in sport than ever. 

We really enjoy LOW CARB food, it takes a while to get used to, but you would never get us eating to many carbs again. In all honesty there are a lot of knockers out there, but they are still fat and have a chicken leg in one hand and a bag of mixed lollies in the other. I cannot say enough about low carb diets, they have changed our life forever and I would challenge anybody that says differently.
....the Atkins diet is rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fibre, and is successful in controlling weight. The reason why so many attempts to follow the regime fail almost certainly because our society is so wedded to sugar and carbohydrates it is extraordinarily difficult to find meals that aren't swilling in 99 per cent fat-free starch and sugar.

Walk into any cafe, deli, restaurant, or supermarket and try for yourself.

I have had type 1 diabetes for 48 years and since starting to eat low-carb (only a few months, admittedly), have achieved constant "excellent" blood glucose readings, even through a bout of Shingles and an abscess (from a needle site, not poor health), my readings have remained in the "acceptable" zone. I have far more energy, feel heaps better about myself, have lost weight and now feel, for the 1st time in my life, that I am on the right track. Diabetes dietitians promote plenty of CHO. of the low glycemic variety, but even that raises my blood glucose to an unacceptable level. Hopefully, in time, they will be a bit more flexible, at present, most don't want to know. - Gail
I would like to say that since beginning this WOE my symptoms of irritable bowel have been pretty much non exisent, it is so good to not go to bed crying because of the pain, especially when Doctors don't seem to know much on the subject or anything for relief. I have proved that low carb is definitely the answer for me. Alesha
The members of the office are always discussing diets, I try and stay out of it as much as I can!   So I listen and laugh and bite my tongue and wait for the inevitable crash & burn.

Sad thing is, one girl has endo & PCOS and wheat allergies and would benefit no end from a LC way of life. But she'll have to work that out for herself, I can't push it on her.........

:-)
My friend and I started "diets" at the same time.
2 years later I have lost almost all I wanted to lose (18kgs) and maintained for well over a year now, I live the vida low carb....my friend is back pretty much to where she started

The difference? 
Me= Low carb
my friend=WW

but like you say....people just have to figure it out for themselves.....we are still good friends :-)
For a diet to work it must be able to become a lifestyle, and it must address some of the critical health issues we experience today: -
· Rapidly reduce body fat; 
· Eliminate hunger and cravings for sugar, sweet and carbohydrate-based foods; 
· Maintain or increase mental alertness and stamina; 
· Increase overall feeling of health and well-being; 
· Reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol; 
· Be easy to follow and maintain; 
· Be able to be integrated into very busy life styles and work schedules. 
I was an over-weight middle-aged woman diagnosed with type2 diabetes. I duly went to the classes that told me how to manage this dreadful condition, that would cause me to have a stroke or a heart attack or end up loosing my feet or legs. At the class we (a group 80% of who were over weight) were told how to stick to a reduced calorie low fat high carb diet. 

This did not make any sense to me, and someone close to me suggested I read the Atkins Diet book. That day I started the new way of eating. (I don't think I noticed the effects in the first few days as I was used to feeling very bad all the time for the last year). 

Now I have been a low carber for 4 months and feel great. I have lost about 12 kilos and my blood sugars have remained stable in the normal non-diabetic range. I have another 10 kilos to loose but that will happen without effort as I am so well and have no wish to go back to feeling the tiredness and depression I was feeling before. 

My wish is that the NZ Diabetic Society that is so well intentioned would perhaps do a trial with voluntary clients to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach. After all in diabetes the carbs are the baddies, it seems logical to at least minimise them?? 

For all type 2 diabetics once the weight reduces the insulin resistance reduces. Give it a try for health's sake. - Lyn NZ

L o w    f a t    d i e t s    d o n ' t    w o r k !      W h y ? 
1) Too much sugar 
2) Too many carbs.

This is the first "diet" that I find easy to maintain for life. I guess one of the problems with losing weight is that we always think we'll just loss this weight and then go back to normal, but for me anyway that just wont work anymore.

I have always been on the big side, not extremely overweight, just large. At 17 I went to weight watchers and lost about 15 kgs over a few months.....then gained it back within a year, probably even sooner I think. I was ALWAYS hungry, and just though I had useless will power, even though I was very motivated in other ways....I was a large, pretty fit woman.

I started this at 93-94 kgs, now on 75-77 kgs about 18 months ago, got to 75-77 about 6 months ago... the biggest thing is that I am still low  carbing and probably will do for life....I just know that for me this is the healthiest I have ever felt and a love eating again, rather than feeling guilty about whatever I eat. - Gwenda

DR Atkins appeared of 48 hours in January 2002 in US - someone wrote this

As I sat eating my very, very high fat and low carb delicious bowl of whipped cream cheese with cocoa, equal and heavy whipping cream and enjoying it very much, I watch 48 hours.

As the man on Atkins talked about how he had had a heart attack and this was the last chance to save his life, I cried like a baby. I thought of how for over 20 years I had eaten like the doctors and the ADA told me to eat. And, how I had gotten fatter and fatter and sicker and sicker. I thought of how until Atkins, they had given me a couple of more years to live. I thought of all the people that suffer and have died, because their doctors wont even investigate what the diet can do.

I thought of how people had put me down for eating this way, including many doctors. I also thought of how much better I was. Of how my legs don't hurt, how my cholesterol is almost normal, my heart is normal (after a heart attack), my blood sugar is the best it has ever been. How I weigh 178, instead of 265.

I cried more and more. My family kept looking at me like I was crazy.
Anyway enough about me and my emotionalism. I thought it was the best I have seen. Could have been better, but they did show that 30 million people are on Atkins and how they are losing weight and lowering cholesterol.

I was surprise that they didn't mention the study going on at Duke, but it may not be over yet. They did have a study at some college, saying it worked and more people were able to stay on it than other diets.

I don't think we could have gotten much better. The AMA and the AHA will be really pissed when they see it. There was a lot more to the show that I really enjoyed and if anyone wants a blow by blow I will be glad to tell them about.

Eating high fat foods such as eggs, cheese and a couple of pieces of bacon is fine only in the absence of refined carbs in your diet.
"The person interviewing Dr. Atkins' actually asked him, "Do you know something the U.S. Government doesn't?" Dr. A answered, "Doesn't everybody?"
Acne
As soon as I started the Atkins diet the adult acne I had been suffering since my first pregnancy disappeared. It had been making my life miserable and I had been taking a very strong contraceptive pill to fight it which had awful side effects including debilitating migraines and weight gain, also aching limbs and numbness to the fingers in bed at night.

As soon as I came off the pill and started the diet to lose weight my acne disappeared. I also maintain the figure I had many years ago as a teenager...fantastic. 

I wish doctors would recommend this diet to teenagers with acne and let them just try it. I feel sure that I can't be the only person that can be helped by the Atkins.
Am 24 years old and have Auto Immune Hepatitis of the liver, which 18 months ago almost cost me a liver transplant and a weight gain of 25kg in 2 years. I lack protein and up until now have been taking a truck load of hospital protein drinks and not to mention all my medications.

I have lost 20kg with only 5 more to go!  I am happy fit well and working full time and have my life back on track and my health is better than it has been in 3 years. My protein levels are up again and my specialist is most impressed with my health!
It's difficult for me from the start because I love the white rice or noodles and now  I do not miss them. Just eating the meat and Chinese green stir fried/blanch vegetables.  Susie
"I don't have the acid reflux problem I used to have". Me either, nor all the ulcer meds. 

This time I lost eight pounds in the first three days....not any more in about seven.  I am not worried and this time I am not so addicted to my scale. I plan to do this as well as I can for the rest of my life. I will tell you what I gain even if I stay at this weight forever.

  • I gain emotional control that I never have at other times.
  • My skin is clear...I am 40 something and have ALWAYS had a blemish here or there, but now, not only are they gone, but the redness is less and my skin looks HEALTHY!
  • I have PCOS*, TOM* comes whenever it dang well pleases...or not...Low carb fixed that.
  • I have energy!
  • I can enjoy my food, not measuring and avoiding and feeling guilty.
  • Heartburn that was constant and painful is GONE.
  • "Arthritis" type symptoms gone.
  • Dry skin gone.

It's amazing....it's hard to describe....it's worth it!
I no longer get heartburn unless I go off low carb.
Cancer cells thrive in this high sugar/low oxygen environment but cannot exist in the opposite condition of the high oxygen/low sugar mode of healthy cells.
.......Thank God you believe. I spend hours nicely trying to tell the diabetics on my diabetics lists about Atkins. I get responses from people, like I know people who were on this and had to go to the hospital etc. Or I would rather take insulin and eat what I want then do this horrible diet.
It is so frustrating. I did luck out and find a doctor and an endo who support Atkins after looking for over 5 years.
I was almost dead and I am so much better after a 40 pound weight loss on Atkins. My tryglicerides went from 3000 to 250  But, how many people have to die, until the medical community gets the message. Sorry to vent, it is just such a frustrating situation.
I hope and pray that the show is good. Atkins has been research at Duke for over two years now on diabetic patients that have had heart attacks.

Phyllis

.......oh Phyllis, you are SO right!! I have Lupus and FMS the first time I tried low carbing I couldn't even walk anymore because of the pain. I would have to crawl on my hands and knees crying the whole way just to get to the Bathroom. 
Well I thought I'd give it a try......2 weeks. 
Within the two weeks I went from not being able to walk at all, to going with my family to the State Fair......we got there at 10am and didn't leave till midnight that night and I rode everything!!!! I hadn't had so much fun since I was a kid. 
My Dr was amazed. Of course he didn't attribute it to low carbing, he said I was in remission.......but WHY was I in remission???
For those of us who have diabetes, hypoglycemia, insulin resistance, or a similar disorder, the stabilizing effect of lowcarb is like striking lifelong metal chains from our bodies.
Even though I don't lose weight on this WOL*, I wouldn't stop it for the world. I have no reflux, I
have no hiatus hernia, my legs don't ache, I have no asthma, I have no menopausal problems.

My weight loss will happen as I work through each layer of emotion, and I learn to love myself. May I just say, this is one of the hardest things to do.  Dale Hoffman (Australia)
The first 3-5 days will be the roughest.  You may experience fatigue and headache.  The best advice I can give you is drink lots of water, take something for the headache and hang in there!  After you get into ketosis you'll experience a surge of energy and feel like a new person.
Eat as much as you want, don't go hungry!  Eat protein! Once you get into ketosis you'll experience a lack of appetite. If anyone would have told me that I'd forget to eat I'd have thought them nuts, but it's true.  The diet is a natural appetite suppressant.  I can honestly tell you that this is the best woe I've ever been on in my life and I've done every diet known to mankind.  Try it for the 2 weeks, if after that you don't like it, at least you'll know.  You can do anything for 2 weeks right?  I was also a huge carb fan.  I don't miss any of it anymore.  Another amazing fact!  Also, be sure to take supplements. They're very important.  Good luck to you!
My husband has Irritable Bowl Syndrome and he finds that as long as we are low carbing he is perfectly fine and all symptoms on IBS completely disappear. If we slip up, it comes back with a vengeance. I think it may be the high vegetables and no pasta, bread..., but whatever it is, it certainly keeps his world much happier

  • I feel great and my energy level has increased. I don't feel sluggish anymore. 

  • No more mood swings, brain fog, confusion, or depression.

  • I feel healthier, more energy (can keep up with the kids, yeah!) and smarter.

  • I have a much higher energy level as well as a much more pleasant disposition.

  • I have lots of energy and a lot more self esteem.

  • I am sleeping like a teenager, and I had sleep apnea before starting the diet.

  • I sleep better and I have more energy than my 16 year old daughter

  • I'm so infused with energy that I climb the stairs at work without huffing and puffing.

  • My energy had increased! Muscle tone had improved even though I wasn't going to the gym.

  • When I am eating according to program I feel so much better, sleep better and have more energy

  • After the first 3 days the increase in energy was unbelievable, the mental fog and Monday morning blues were gone.

  • I have more energy, not so tired anymore, and feel like I'm in control of my appetite.

  • I have had a sense of inner peace that I simply can't explain.

  • My mood swings have lifted and I'm a much happier person overall.

  • I felt better, had more energy, no more brain-fog and I did not feel tired  and worn out at the end of the day
To all of those who are starting and are still in 'induction.   STICK WITH IT!   IT IS WORTH IT! 
This is your life and regardless of what people think or say, ultimately you make the decision. Bust out of the chains that have bound you to the wrong foods or diets. Power walk the mall or the outer aisle at your local department store. Pull a friends old treadmill out of their closet and start using it. 
This is my first time on Atkins and it was not planned at all.  I had been shopping at Sam's Club and looking at cookbooks and NOT the low carb ones.  I saw a two pack of books with the Atkins Diet and the Atkins Cookbook, it also included the little carb counter.  I decided to buy it knowing nothing about Atkins except that my niece had been on a low carb diet (Protein Power) and lost a lot of weight.  I didn't even open it at first because I wasn't sure I wanted to keep it.  

I showed my husband and he said well let's read it.  I started the diet the next day!  My husband finished eating the carbs in the house and now he is full fledged low carb too.  We are even giving up aspartame.  Once we got to that chapter we stopped making Jell-O too.  We stopped with that not so much because of the diet but because we read aspartame is just all around bad for you.

I think the kids find it a bit hard when all their friends are eating 'crap' food, and we all know it tastes good, but it is getting them to step outside the square and dare to be different. My son was given a $5 McDonald's voucher the other day, and he gave it away, saying that he doesn't eat that stuff now.........I thought that was very brave and amazing (he is 12!). 

The kids do have to admit though, that they feel better at school and not as hungry, they can get thru to lunchtime ok whereas prior to low carbing they were ravenous by morning tea (needing another fix I suppose) and of course I had given them a low fat fruit bar, high in sugar and carbs of course, which would fix them till lunch time, when they would have their sandwiches, and when they came home after school they ate anything and everything they could get their hands on. Now they come home and have a slice of quiche and/or a couple of slices of cheese and a glass of water. 
What I have found, that many low carbers do adapt their own low carb programs as they go along.. they don't strictly stick with one program.....
Nearly all of us have been eating a diet designed for disaster. We have been eating too many "bad" foods that set the stage for disease and not enough of the "good" foods that protect us. As a result, our health is being squeezed in the middle.
I finally made a doctor visit - about six months late!  I had become so healthy that it seemed unnecessary to waste my time and resources, so the months slipped by.  Anyway, the doctor was amazed.  He kept smiling and looking at me.  At check-in, the nurse thought there was a mistake on the charts.  She wondered if I had a gastric bypass without telling them.  The Doc asked me what the inspiration was.  I said that I had decided that I would not be one of the millions of obese, diabetic Americans that choose to proceed to insulin rather than attack the problem.  And the results prove that I made the right choice!  No diabetic symptoms in over six months!

Still, there are scoffers and would-be saboteurs.  There is jealousy.  There are "eating buddies" that feel abandoned.  I am always hearing remarks like "Well, it's easy for a man to loose weight" or, "He is probably ruining his health."  Certainly, the critic's rudeness is matched by the apparent gross ignorance.  In response,  I think it is unfair to say how much easier it is for a "man" to loose weight.  And ruining my health?  Geeez!  The Jumbo-Size clothes salesperson, and the pharmacy that used to sell me my blood pressure meds, are the parties that are suffering.  Of course, they still have the abundant patronage of poor souls that remain aloof to the Low Carb alternative!
LoCarb profile without even knowing it. 

I have a co-worker - actually my supervisor - that fits the LoCarb profile without even knowing it. 

She is in her 40's and has a figure (and energy level) that many nineteen year olds would envy. Periodically, I hear comments like "She must have the metabolism of a hummingbird," or "Must be nice not to have to worry about gaining weight." Well, those comments are unfair to her and just not correct. 

What's hummingbird-like is her work ethic. As for never having a weight problem, I wouldn't know. What I am reasonably aware of is her dietary choices. As I also rent the bottom level of her three-story vintage Cape Cod house, I have had a few opportunities to view the inside of her refrigerator (if she is reading this, it's when I've cooked dinner for one of her friends)

So, what did I find? Almost identical contents to my "LoCarb Fridge," which has seen me through an initial 130 lbs. reduction. I saw salad greens, assorted condiments, frozen broccoli, and chicken breasts. Not much else. She might have eaten all the pastries and ice cream the previous night, but I really doubt it!
Somewhere in her past, she learned the correct way to eat. In addition to good eating habits, she maintains four active canines (I believe two of them outweigh her), two horses, a cat, five acres of land, plays racquetball, water-skis, and has a job at work that could be more fairly handled by three people rather than just one. 

So, what we have is a combination of intelligent diet and high output. I suspect that other "perennially fit" individuals have similar habits and work ethics. If anyone is envious of her fitness, let them follow her around for a week. It would be a great education for anyone that survive that long.

Hidden Advantages of Atkins
  1. I don't concern myself what I cant have, but what I can. Like all you can eat Steak night!!
  2. When I shop it is fast and easy because all The Food I need is in one section Meat which is next to Dairy (cheese, eggs) which is next to my green vegs (Salad, onion, green peppers) so once around the out side up to the counter. :} 
  3. No more counting Calories, measuring food, being confused between Low Fat & Low calories etc. etc. Simple what I am about to eat did it have a heart beat ? Yah ok in it go. ( I hope that was not to rough for some of you but it is survival of the fittest. HA.. get it Fittest) 
  4. I get more sleep. Because I am not up at night looking for that midnight snack
  5. No more catchy jingles about food ads in my head any more. Although the food I eat are not in a flash box with the words New and Improved, better tasting, 25% more for the same price. Hmm.......... I am beginning to wonder why did they have to improve it in the first place if it was so great in the begging ? LOL the only way to improve most of my meals is to lower the price. And I can make it new and approve when I get home. 
  6. Lastly the Soda pops question!  Never again would I have to ask a waiter for a Coke and have him/her reply to me we don't carry Coke but will Pepsi do instead?  Hey I am paying the bill give me what I ask for ( that's what I wish I could say ) instead I just say Water! I guess when everyone catch on that the Drink is 20% of the bill and stop asking for pop, juice, wine etc. I guess the new saying from the waiter would be. we don't have water would you just like ICE instead ..LOL 

    Atkins For LIFE !!
I have just begun the low-carb journey - started it in June for about four weeks, then went on a five week holiday where I failed miserably to keep it up - first thing I noticed was that my indigestion came back - directly relative to the amount of bread I had eaten!  I am what could only be called a "bread-aholic", and am beginning to recognise that perhaps it is the craving peaks that made me so.  Now I am back on the low-carb and don't have the bread fixation - Gillian
Subject: Another way of looking at it. . .

I found a different, new-for-me, model of thinking about the way we eat. It's regarding an issue that seems to trouble newbies to this WOE and oldies not at all--because it usually turns out to be a non-issue. But I still find it helpful, and thought you might enjoy my  sharing this (unless you were so traumatized by middle-school algebra that any reminders set you flailing.) 

I realized that my approach to being the one primarily responsible for buying and cooking food in a High Carb household while staying on my plan resembles a Venn diagram--remember the overlapping circles for 
mapping sets? It's like that. There are two circles--My Food and Their Food, and the circles overlap, and therein lies Our Food. A few items are things that only I consume--even though I would happily share my horseradish and red peppers, only no one else wants them. Other things, like LC treat foods, some of my supplements, etc., belong in my crescent--I would not share so willingly. 

Over there are things that only they eat--you know the kinds of things. 

And then in the center are the foods that we all eat together. And I realized, when I thought about it like that, that most of the foods we eat are in the center.

For example, dinner tonight was steak, green beans, macaroni and cheese. My meal came out of the center of the Venn, and they had the stodge over in their crescent of the circle. 

This morning I made pancakes with blueberries and whipped cream for my family. I made the latter two items with Splenda, and after serving my crew their breakfast, mixed together the cream and berries and stuck them in the freezer for a later treat for me. (Dog got the last pancake.) Thus, even that meal had items in the intersecting center. 

I guess the reason that I like it is because it makes me see how much I have instead of what I've given up, and normalizes my way of  eating within the context of eating with my family, instead of feeling like we're in opposite camps. 

Don't know if this works for anyone else, but thought I'd share it in the event that it did. It's also the first useful application of Venn diagrams that I've found, and for that alone, is noteworthy.

Kathleen
Blood Test Results......................

On Nov 29, 2002 I had my doctor run a set of blood tests to see how I was fairing. On Dec 3, the office called and said they need to see me ASAP. I went immediately. When I got there, they told me my blood sugar level was at 360, Highest end of normal is 109. They also said my triglycerides were at 730, 150 is the high end of normal for them. They wrote a prescription for Advicor, a drug to treat this condition. They also said, I needed to be on a Low Fat, diet ASAP too. 

When I went out to read about the drug on the net, I decided it was not for me. I searched for diabetic and high triglycerides and found Atkins web site. I started my new way of eating on DEC 6, 2002. Atkins said "This diet will reduce triglycerides by 75% in two weeks. I tried to stay as close to the diet as possible. I eat out almost every meal, so a couple of times restaurants slipped in foods with sugar. One bite and I did not continue, but there was that one bite here and there. Anyway, on DEC 23, 2002, I went in and had a repeat blood test. My triglycerides dropped from 730 to 260 in 18 days...... The Nasty drug they wanted me on with all it's side effects states that it would reduce triglycerides by 44% over 28 weeks....
I Love Dr Atkins.... Thanks Dr.

Curt L               (these are US reading -but you get the idea of dramatic effect of low carb!)

Comments to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

The Weston A. Price Foundation makes the following recommendations:

  • Abandon the current Food Pyramid concept;

  • Return the Dietary Guidelines to a plan that stresses high quality foods from four basic groups;

  • Urge avoidance of processed foods containing refined and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils as well as highly sugared food, especially those foods containing high fructose corn syrup;

  • Encourage use of beneficial unprocessed, unrefined saturated and monounsaturated fats and oils;

  • Limit added sugars to no more than 10 percent of daily caloric intake.

Recommended Guidelines: 

Everyday, eat high quality, unprocessed foods from each of the following four groups:

  • Animal foods: meat, poultry, fish, eggs and whole milk products

  • Grains and legumes: whole grain baked goods, breakfast porridges, beans

  • Fruits and Vegetables: preferably fresh or frozen

  • Fats and Oils: unrefined saturated and monounsaturated fats including butter and other animal fats, palm oil and coconut oil, olive oil and peanut oil.

  • Eat sparingly: sweets, white flour products, soft drinks, processed foods, polyunsaturated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and fried foods

To read the full report http://www.westonaprice.org/federalupdate/fdacomments05.pdf 

*WOL   -  Way of Life
*WOE  -  Way of Eating
*TOM   -  Time of Month
*PCOS -  Polycystine Ovarian Syndrome

 

If you have any you would like to add please email me

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