Eat you veggies!

[brent]

It looks like I'm not as crazy as I thought. The way I've always aspired to eat, might be the best way to stay trim according to this article. Take that you Atkins following animal killers!

It took a four nation study to come up with that? I think any good bodybuilder could have told them that. It's nice that it's been scientificly stated, but it's kind of like the study that watched people all over the streets of NYC trying to determine in what types of places people would sit. The study finally determined that people sit where there are places to sit.

[brent]

Originally Posted by LeatherGryphon

It took a four nation study to come up with that?
...

Well, cynicism aside, many people are still clinging to the Atkins idea of eating as much fat as possible, and it will magically take the fat off. The only result I've seen from friends that have been on Atkins is impaired memory, and G I tract issues.

[glammaman2000]

{not a bad thing}in general,i just eat what i want.but i LIKE healthy food!i don't like salt,a little sweet goes a long way&i love green vegetables!TRY FINDING THEM IN A POOR NEIGHBORHOOD!every dish is a heart attack on a plate!we finally got a grocery store with a deli section that stocked a few salads.i was there almost every day.recently,they stopped.I WAS THE ONLY ONE EATING THEM!they had to throw the rest away!this may explain all the heiffers waddling along with a butt the size of a volkswagon!(that,&3 pregnancies before you finish high school)if it wasn't for the chinese&the koreans,i'd be dead now!(no joke!)

Originally Posted by glammaman2000

... heiffers waddling along with a butt the size of a volkswagon...

Hmm... I wonder why they call it a disease. Oh yeah, I guess if I deliberately stuffed poison and way too much food in my mouth for years and ignored what it was doing to me I'd be pretty sick too. No use trying to save them though, better to just encourage them to accelerate their bad behavior, have their heart attacks, liver failure, diabetes and whatever to get them out of the system quickly. I don't want my taxes to pay for their stupidity for any longer than necessary. Now if we could just get them to stop breeding.

[brent]

Glamma, are you telling me that there are no supermarkets, green grocers, or large discounters with a produce department in your area, or within a short rail-ride away? I realize that being from the West Coast gives me no background, but it seems to me that their must be some way to get to cheap, healthy, convenient food. It is sad that many people in lower socioeconomic groups tend to kill themselves, and their families with bad diet. I hope you can find a good source of natural food soon.

[xXx]

Well, cynicism aside, many people are still clinging to the Atkins idea of eating as much fat as possible, and it will magically take the fat off. The only result I've seen from friends that have been on Atkins is impaired memory, and G I tract issues.

I've been Atkins-esque since September of this year, and in the past 2 1/2 months I've lost about 12kg in total (that's about 25lbs for you Imperialists). I know I've lost more than 12kg in fat, though, because with all the extra protein I'm taking in (practically inhaling it), I'm quite a bit bulkier (muscle-wise) than I was before...

...as far as visible indications of weightloss, I trust my electronic bathroom scales and the fact that I had to seriously clothes-shop for the first time in about three years last weekend, since everything else in my wardrobe was just too big - even my belts! Going from a 40 inch to 34 inch waist, and XXL to M or L in shirts, it's pretty clear that something's working... and the only difference I've made is adding Atkins to the already hybrid Body-For-Life / Syndrome X / Montingac eating plan (which effectively overrides these) I'd been following previously. I'd probably drop another size if I got back to doing Pilates... like I keep planning to... it had a great effect on my waist the last time I seriously trained with it.

Anyway, back to my point. There was a pretty severe weight-loss plateau a few weeks back, re-evaluating my eating plan and actually adding fat turned out to be the solution. Disturbing for the first few days, of course - it's completely counter-everything I've ever read on fat-loss, but it works. What I can piece together from my own experiences, plus the accounts I find online, in addition to information from family, friends and colleagues who are following what I'm doing (and seeing great results of their own, might I add) gives me reason to believe that Atkins is akin to homeopathy of the diet, regardless of all the biojargon thrown around. Just my gut instinct... I could be wrong, but treating it as such seems to give fairly sustainable results - not like these VLC diets which might drop your bodyweight by huge amounts, but leave you ready to rebound in the most horrible way.

So go easy on the Atkins-bashing, because it's working for about ten people I know - myself included. OK?

I can't believe it took a borderline-blanket-ignorant comment to delurk me.

[Buffling]

Originally Posted by xXx

the only difference I've made is adding Atkins to the already hybrid Body-For-Life / Syndrome X / Montingac eating plan
...snip...
There was a pretty severe weight-loss plateau a few weeks back, re-evaluating my eating plan and actually adding fat turned out to be the solution. Disturbing for the first few days, of course - it's completely counter-everything I've ever read on fat-loss, but it works.

When you talk about "adding" fat intake to a program that looks like Body For Life / Syndrome X, are you REALLY talking about following Atkins, which advocates limiting carbs drastically/completely? I'm skeptical, and besides -- you're not on a true Atkins diet. You called it "Atkins-esque", which is not "Atkins".

I had a terrible time losing weight on a low-fat diet until I did some serious calorie-logging (THANK YOU to my handheld PC, Pocket Diet Tracker, and MySport Training) and discovered that my pursuit of "low-fat" was resulting in a diet that obtained 80-90% of calories from CARBS. I was working so hard at avoiding fat and Being Good that I was neglecting BALANCE -- no wonder I stopped losing weight!

Since I have "added" fat and protein to my diet, I have noticed a huge difference in my ability to lose weight, preserve lean mass, and regulate my energy levels. I want to be careful about using the word "added", because what I REALLY mean is that I've adjusted proportions: I limit fat to 20-25% of daily calories, and I keep protein up at about 30-35% of daily calories. Thanks, again, to my logging software, I have hard evidence of the changes I've made, and the impact of those changes. The engineer in me will accept hard data over anyone's perceptions of how a diet is affecting their health.

Of course, we can't forget the most basic, fundamental aspect of weight loss: caloric deficit. Most diet fads these days say you can eat as much as you want as long as you follow the "rules", and that's just hogwash.

I'm writing all of this to say that, on one hand, I believe "limiting fat" religiously can be very detrimental... and on the other hand, bro, you're not on Atkins.

Originally Posted by xXx

So go easy on the Atkins-bashing, because it's working for about ten people I know - myself included. OK?

I can't count the number of people I know who have had miraculous success with Atkins... all of which disappears within two years or, in most cases, much less. The long-term test of any "diet" is the ability to maintain its results. It's tempting to join the club when you see people dropping 3-4 pounds a week eating bacon and ground beef, but that temptation disappears when you see those same people gain it all back slowly because they are unable to maintain a low-to-no-carb lifestlye in the face of North American culture and the nature of our food supply. Do you REALLY think you can order a hamburger-with-no-bun forever? I thought not. Our bodies AND our society are just not wired that way.

What works for ALL people is exercise and a balanced diet that contains all kinds of food, in moderation.

[brent]

Originally Posted by Buffling

...
What works for ALL people is exercise and a balanced diet that contains all kinds of food, in moderation.

The first really intelligent thing in this thread (including some of my comments...) I do tend to blanket-bash Atkins, because I know a LOT of people that have seriously harmed themselves long term by following this radical approach to eating. The typical North American gets way too may SIMPLE carbs, but I am a fierce believer in carbs. That's how I can work faster, longer and harder than anyone at my work, and go to the gym regularly: I eat lots of carbs, and carbs are energy. Then I burn them. While the white bread & grease we have been sold in large quantities here in the US makes for a bad diet plan, so does the total elimination of any one nutrient, and carbs are a nutrient. You need carbs, your brain needs carbs, just get healthy ones from fruits & veges. I like to eat a piece of fruit, and drink a glass of water before any meal, then you have more healthy food, and less unhealthy. That works for me.

As for XXX's comments, it's hard for me to take a lurker with one post, no location, and no personal information seriously. So I won't.

[glammaman2000]

back to veggies.of course,if i was to make an effort that would be considered normal in most parts of the country(cook,shop)i could always get vegetables.but in terms of what is READILY available(prepared salads,restaurant food)in my neighborhood,people's idea of a vegetable is a potato(chip,usually nacho cheese).as to the heiffer problem;no one wants to try my genuinely INNOVATIVE suggestions!i.e.;birth control in the school lunches;free t-shirts that say:"If He Doesn't Want to Marry You Before the Pregnancy,He Won't Want to Marry You After the Pregnancy!"or:"BIRTH CONTROL!...it costs less than KIDS!!"sigh.no one appreciates an original thinker...

[brent]

Glamma, I love all your suggestions. You are a hero to me! As someone that's volunteered for Naral for a while, I believe in free abortions, on demand, in the schools.

I'm glad to hear that you can get good food in NYC: I was hearing enough to make me think it was utopia (good transit, people that walk like they have a purpose in their pathetic lives, etc.), so I was scared to hear you couldn't get veges... My mom says that Dr. Phill says that the healthiest food is food you have to work at. The harder it is to get, prepare, and eat, the healthier it usually is. I find him to be sort of ridiculous, so I won't quote him directly, but that sounds like good advice. Apples, and bananas seem like the best easy options. Right now I'm reading Fast-food Nation, and I'm trying to think about a healthy option while preserving everything that has made the major chains successful. Subway is close, but they are slow & expensive.