# Low Carb Questions



## Kgal (Sep 18, 2006)

Ok - so I had luck with low carb dieting before (nothing super extreme).  Is it worth it to do that for a time to get the weight off and then gradually reintroduce carbs that I love in moderation?  OR am I just setting myself up for regaining what I lose?


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## Glitziegal (Sep 25, 2006)

Hi,
I lost 4 stone on the Atkins over a year.  I have gained about 1/2 a stone since changing to Weightwatchers.  As I have/had such a lot to lose Atkins was fine, and once I got used to it I coped OK.  That's not to say that it is easy.  I really missed fruit, and although I had lots of energy I didn't feel healthy.

I am staying on Weightwatchers until the end of the year to see how it goes...but may well switch back to Atkins in the new year to shift the last 3 stones.  *fingers crossed*


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## DaizyDeath (Sep 25, 2006)

i use to work for a health food store as a nutritional councelor and everone i worked with all would tell you the same thing DONT DO ATKINS!

Of course during the summer more people come in and want to loose weight for bikini season and all these people are rageing about atkins well shure you can loose a ton of weight off it but your going to gain 2 times as much back once you stop doing the diet. [and ive seen it happen many times]

First off when you deprive your body of anything and just eat one of another thing of course your going to loose weight beacuse your body is lacking what it needs for example lets say you just ate pizza everyday and barely anything else well guess what youd loose weight beacuse your body needs other things not just pizza well atkins is the same principal. 

Nobody can stay on any diet for their whole life you need to make lifestyle changes eat balanced meals, have a fruit or salad before every meal no sugary drinks and drink alot of water!


CARBS ARE GOOD! they give you energy but remember to get whole grains. Meat is bad hahah well not all meat but alot of meat the only meats that are considered to be "good" for you are fish and chicken you shouldnt touch beef with a 20 foot stick it has soo much fat and very little vitamins in it so stay away from it. 

Also eat healthy snacks imbetween meals it will help you for when you have bigger means so that you dont over eat beacuse youve been starving all day long.


& dont starve yourself that actually slows down your motabolism beacuse your body goes into survival mode to where you basically go into hybernation and your body trys to keep all your fat so that basically you can survive longer.


Heres a really intresting fact that i found out in one of my meetings anorexic and bullimac people have 2x as much of a fat percentage then a normal person. Beacuse their body is actually loosing muscle and not fat 


Whoa i hope that wasnt to much info haha i tend to rant when it comes to nutrition since i worked in the field for soo long.


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## jess98765 (Sep 27, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *DaizyDeath* 
_Meat is bad hahah well not all meat but alot of meat the only meats that are considered to be "good" for you are fish and chicken you shouldnt touch beef with a 20 foot stick it has soo much fat and very little vitamins in it so stay away from it._

 
I stongly disagree about this comment.  Beef is good and i encourage all to eat it if possible. Beef is a great source of iron and protein, and though it may not supply you with a lot of vitamins, its not vitamins alone that keep you alive and healthy.  The fact that most of us here are girls reading this, i believe it is more important than ever to eat red meat at least 3 times a week as getting your period means you lose a bit of blood, and it is the iron that helps ya.  To say that beef is bad and fatty is ridiculous!!! you can't get half as much iron and protein in green leafy vegetables as you can in red meat! It's also important to ensure you don't get anemia too...
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




So i say eat red meat/ beef!!! only in moderation of course.....


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## DaizyDeath (Sep 27, 2006)

actually id really have to strongly disagree with that although i did type that whole thing really fast so i didnt have enough time to explain many things very well. 

If you were to go to any nutritionist or doctor anywhere they were almost all tell you the same thing I said
Almost 90% of all beef raised is injected with numerous ammounts of hormones the most out of all farm raised animals.

second it is the highest in cholesterol out of all the animals you can eat.

Beef is one of the most comonly infected foods with numerous sicknesses that you cant tell of beacuse the #1 form of beef is ground beef which you also cant tell how old it is. It was also estimated by the FDA that one out of every 4 cows that enters the slaughter house is infected with E coli.
Another USDA study discovered a second bacteria clostridium perfringens which causes cramps and diarrhea in 53 percent of the tested beef

Red meat is the worst kind of meat you can eat for your heart esp in the case of men

for the kind of "good" results your talking about you are talking about only eating less then a half of a palm full of beef which rarely anybody ever does 

with any other meat you can eat 2 times as much with less cholesterol and more essiential fat in it not saturated fat 

alot of times people say "in moderation" well although its true you could eat candy and chips in moderation but when im telling people about their diet i usually dont include such things beacuse i know most people dont have that much self controll or else why would they be talking to me in the first place? hahaha

plus your wrong about vitamins you can get all the same vitamins from plants as you could from meat! you just have to know what your eating and not just eat tofu and salad everyday. thats a common misconception... the only vegitarians and vegans that get annemia are the ones that dont know wtf their doing and dont do any reading of books or study before they make the decision to live a meat free lifestyle.

Ive been vegan for 4 years and vegitarian almost my whole life and ive never had any problems due to a healthy balanced diet.

You can get iron from supplements you can get all your essiental fatty oils from supplements and primarily meat eaters need to take vitamins more then non meat eaters. 

Having red meat 3 times a week is not healthy for you at all


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## Shimmer (Sep 27, 2006)

I don't care if it's "healthy" or not.
I like my steak medium rare with a dash of the rub husband puts on it and some worchestershire sauce.


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## Ayustar (Sep 27, 2006)

I think I might be able to shed a bit of light on this situation. 

I have done low carb and even no carb since like 2001. I have lost more than 60 pounds and kept it off with no effort. I have no need for carbs, as they make me feel like garbage and plus they make me gain weight. If I eat them I go on a binge that is almost unstoppable. I cannot control my hunger or cravings. 

I eat a lot of meat, eggs and fats. I have gotten my blood work done to make sure I wasn't killing myself. My doctor said: Whatever you are doing, KEEP doing it, because your numbers are immaculate. 

Yeah...I mean, maybe it isn't for everyone, but this is my experience. It was life changing, I have a different view on myself, my life, everything. I lost the weight and gained a whole different perspective on life. I couldn't be more happier. By changing what I ate, I lost weight with little effort. I only walked, nothing strenuous. I feel great, better than I ever have in my life. I can still eat high fat foods, high taste, enjoyable foods that are a no no to some people and lose weight. It is fantastic. 

Everytime I go to into a health food store and they find out I am on low carb or Atkins, they freak out. They seem to freak out if you use the word Atkins...that really sets them off, and it makes me laugh so hard. If I say I don't eat sugar or refined garbage...that is fine. I don't get it. They know NOTHING about the Atkins Diet. It isn't about all the meat you can eat and then some...no...there are TONS of vegetables, cheeses, fruit, meat and eggs, diary, nuts, everything. They have no idea. They think it is bacon and cheese *sounds good to me?* LOL. Honestly, if they were slightly educated then they would know that is not the truth at all.  It just makes me shake my head. 

I remember having an argument with someone at the GNC about it. His argument was that was bad for you. I asked him why...he couldn't answer me, other than it is in nutrional books......WHAT? What kind of proof is that?! It is bad for you because a book says so....wow. I will say low fat - high carb is bad for you because ...I say so? No...I think I would want to back that claim up a bit better. *rolls eyes* I have life experience saying low carb is the way to go, for me. I don't know. People aren't worth arguing with that is for sure. Especially when arguing with the ignorant.

Also...you say when you 'stop' the diet? What the hell is that? Atkins is a lifestyle change. Carbs and sugar made you fat in the first place, so you are going to go back to eating the same way again? What the hell do you think is going to happen to you then...your going to gain it back, with a vengence! You don't go off of it...that makes no sense. People need to realize they are changing their lives with this. It's not a temporary fix...that makes NO sense. Of course, introduce some carbs in, like nuts or whole wheat things, if you can handle it. I can't. Other people might be able to move past Induction, I can't. Those people are lucky. Honestly though, why welcome back the stuff that made you sick, fat and miserable back with open arms....that makes no sense.


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## jess98765 (Sep 28, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *DaizyDeath* 
_actually id really have to strongly disagree with that although i did type that whole thing really fast so i didnt have enough time to explain many things very well. 

If you were to go to any nutritionist or doctor anywhere they were almost all tell you the same thing I said
Almost 90% of all beef raised is injected with numerous ammounts of hormones the most out of all farm raised animals.

second it is the highest in cholesterol out of all the animals you can eat.

Beef is one of the most comonly infected foods with numerous sicknesses that you cant tell of beacuse the #1 form of beef is ground beef which you also cant tell how old it is. It was also estimated by the FDA that one out of every 4 cows that enters the slaughter house is infected with E coli.
Another USDA study discovered a second bacteria clostridium perfringens which causes cramps and diarrhea in 53 percent of the tested beef

Red meat is the worst kind of meat you can eat for your heart esp in the case of men

for the kind of "good" results your talking about you are talking about only eating less then a half of a palm full of beef which rarely anybody ever does 

with any other meat you can eat 2 times as much with less cholesterol and more essiential fat in it not saturated fat 

alot of times people say "in moderation" well although its true you could eat candy and chips in moderation but when im telling people about their diet i usually dont include such things beacuse i know most people dont have that much self controll or else why would they be talking to me in the first place? hahaha

plus your wrong about vitamins you can get all the same vitamins from plants as you could from meat! you just have to know what your eating and not just eat tofu and salad everyday. thats a common misconception... the only vegitarians and vegans that get annemia are the ones that dont know wtf their doing and dont do any reading of books or study before they make the decision to live a meat free lifestyle.

Ive been vegan for 4 years and vegitarian almost my whole life and ive never had any problems due to a healthy balanced diet.

You can get iron from supplements you can get all your essiental fatty oils from supplements and primarily meat eaters need to take vitamins more then non meat eaters. 

Having red meat 3 times a week is not healthy for you at all_

 
Ok yea, whatever... i don't really care. it's just i don't think you should be authorising and telling people what and what not to eat like that... enough said about this


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## Blood_Roses (Oct 1, 2006)

Atkins has a maintenance program. You're not setting yourself up for failure, introducing carbs back in is part of the program. But it will have to be in smaller amounts for sure, and very little or no white flour or sugar. Of course you will gain it all back if you quit the diet, this is true of any diet. The trick is to move through the phases in the book and see what works for you.

People's cholesterol levels improve on this diet. Don't let anyone tell you it's bad for you, they are simple misinformed and need to do some research.

It's not because you cut out a food group that you lose weight. Many people increase their calorie intake and yet lose weight. Starches/sugars are readily stored as fat rather than protein or fat itself. I am eating more than I ever did and am 20 lbs lighter.

It's really about getting carbs (note, you never "cut them out") from lots of veggies, some low sugar fruits and small amounts of fibrous whole grains if you choose. Healthy fats and adequate protein. This diet improved my health (all my medical tests back this up) and cleared my skin. I have more energy now. Like Ayustar, my health improved.

I agree...no one should tell people what they should eat. People need to do what works for them. Clearly, it works for some people's bodies. This is a great link:

www.lowcarb.ca


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## DaizyDeath (Oct 1, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *jess98765* 

 
_Ok yea, whatever... i don't really care. it's just i don't think you should be authorising and telling people what and what not to eat like that... enough said about this_

 
im not telling anybody that they cannot eat beef or meat  its their choice im just simply stateing the facts that i have learned while being a nutritionist. 

take it whatever way you want.


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## thestarsfall (Oct 19, 2006)

The Atkin's diet is a load of bull.  Sure, you will lose weight...but your body NEEDS carbohydrates.  If you do not consume carbs, your body converts the proteins and fats into carbohydrates.  Yes, this causes you to lose fat, so that could be seen as good...but once you have lost your fat stores you start converting your proteins into carbs (a process called _deamination_-basically removal of the amine group).  You need a lot of energy (which normally comes from carbs) to do daily functioning, so, to get this (as it is usually not supplied by protein intake alone) your body then breaks down your muscle for protein to make into carbs.  

Anyone who has taken basic biochemistry, or basic nutrition classes should know that Atkins is not a healthy lifestyle.  North American culture has us eating around the right amount of proteins already.  The problem isnt carbs, its just excess of carbs and fats and sugar (which are carbs).  

The most healthiest way to lose weight is through a moderate, varied diet (diet as in what you eat, not as in a way to lose weight marketed by some dead guy) which has lots of grains and veggies and fruits and some meat and some dairy and limited others.  And to suppliment that with at least 30 mins of cardio exercise a day and at least 30 mins of strength training 3 times a week.

There's a problem in society when we have to come up with complex ways to lose weight, when its really simple.


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## Miss World (Jan 24, 2007)

I'm very pro-atkins because it worked for me.. this doesn't mean that its good for everybody, nor that its bad for everybody. I guess people who are totaly against it don't really know much about it.. please read the book before you judge it. 

I believe that it worked for me because my body deals awfuly with carbs! a tiny bit of carbs would get my body in an endless rollercoaster-carb-binging-ride that would just make me feel like crap eventually. but when I'm low-carbing, I have more energy, I feel better, and yes, I do lose the weight.  I know someone who was totaly against atkins and would preach everyone about how bad it is untill she read the book and DID IT.. guess what, she lost the whole weight she needed to rid off, and she still has it off because she's maintaining the results..


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## missy29 (Jan 24, 2007)

I tried eating low carb, and I lost 10 kg in 4 weeks, but then once I started eating normally again, I put it all back on. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I find if i limit the amount of starchy carbs I eat (i.e. potato, rice, pasta), I still lose weight and don't have that awful bloated feeling they give you. If I do eat those carbs, I have a small portion (not an entire plate like I used to), and it doesn't make me feel all bloated.


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## kymmilee (Jan 24, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *jess98765* 

 
_I stongly disagree about this comment.  Beef is good and i encourage all to eat it if possible. Beef is a great source of iron and protein, and though it may not supply you with a lot of vitamins, its not vitamins alone that keep you alive and healthy.  The fact that most of us here are girls reading this, i believe it is more important than ever to eat red meat at least 3 times a week as getting your period means you lose a bit of blood, and it is the iron that helps ya.  To say that beef is bad and fatty is ridiculous!!! you can't get half as much iron and protein in green leafy vegetables as you can in red meat! It's also important to ensure you don't get anemia too...
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



So i say eat red meat/ beef!!! only in moderation of course.....
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 
i haven't eaten beef in years. i get all of my iron from two bowls of smart start every day and my protein from various vegetarian sources. i may not be skiiiiiny, but i am healthy. so i guess it's just one opinion, but i don't think you had to be rude to her. after all, she was a nutritionist. :[


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## Katja (Jan 24, 2007)

*I <333 Carbs.  I could never give them up, but I could definitely limit them in my diet.  I love the starchy carbs the most especially the night before a long run.*


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