How safe and effective is the Atkins diet?
I`ve been on the Atkins low carb diet now for 4 days. I`ve lost 8lbs already (I`m on the induction phase) I understand that the initial weight loss will mostly be due to water loss but how can I be sure that my continued weight loss will be fat and not water. Atkins has been around for so many years and although I feel a bit nauseous from all the fat and protein consumption its basically the only diet I don’t feel hungry on.
I’ve been on a diet that my doctor prescribed to me. It’s very similar to Atkins only stricter. I’ve been on it for a month. It’s the only diet I’ve actually been able to stick to. I’ve lost 6 pounds this month and should continue at this pace, and I’m losing fat as well because I’m dropping dress sizes and getting a smaller stomach.
You will lose weight on this diet (I forgot to check if youre male or female–Im referring to men because its very unhealthy diet for women.)
However.
The water loss will stop–you always fluctuate in water weight
The only thing I would worry about on this diet is the overall risk youre taking with the intake of all the fats from cheeses and meats etc Long term. This can clog your arteries and all that jazz.
But if you choose to continue along you wont really know initially whats water weight and what isnt but you can more effectively see your weight loss when you keep track of how many inches around different parts of your body are and how many youre losing over time. Really measuring your body is the best way because you can lose fat and gain muscle mass and end up weighing exactly the same but your measurements/size will change.
There is no better way to bring the body to the state of optimal health than with a low carb way of eating. Low carb doesn’t cause high blood pressure, high blood sugar or high cholesterol, it cures it. It is actually dangerous to take meds that lower these levels and do low carb at the same time because the levels will become dangerously low. Carbohydrates trigger insulin. High insulin levels unbalance other hormones. Anything less that 9 grams of carbs per hour controls insulin and is considered low carb (up to 144 grams per day).
U.S. government guidelines were changed 35 years ago to suggest we lower our fat intake & increase our carb intake. American society followed these recommendations & lowered their fat intake by 11% & increased their carb consumption. In this same time frame obesity, diabetes, heart disease are all at epidemic levels. Through their direct effects on insulin & blood sugar, refined carbohydrates are the dietary cause of coronary heart disease & diabetes.
A low carbohydrate diet is a high fat diet. The protein should only be a little higher than adequate. Although it is completely possible to live on a fat/protein only diet for long term (as proven by research done in a hospital setting) it becomes boring fairly quickly. Luckily many vegetables & some fruits, nuts & seeds are low in carbs & greatly expand the diet. Most long term low carbers eat as many, if not more non starchy vegetables than vegetarians.
Glucose is the bodies preferred fuel (if you want to get technical, it actually burns alcohol most efficiently, but that doesn’t make it any healthier for the body than carbs), the body can convert 100% of carbs, 58% of protein & 10% of dietary fat into glucose. The body can also be fueled by fat (dietary fat & fat cells) but only in the absence of carbs. The brain actually prefers* to be fueled by ketones (part of the fat burning process), it does require glucose also, but glucose can be easily converted from excess protein if needed or dietary fat. Fatty acids are the preferred substrate for the heart muscle.
Plaque build up in the arteries is more attributable to carb consumption than dietary fats, which seems to be the conclusion of the following study. Carb consumption raises triglycerides & VLDL (bad cholesterol). Fats raise the HDL (good cholesterol). High triglyceride levels & low HDL levels are an indicator of plaque & glycation – the precursors to a heart attack & heart disease.
http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/after-eating-effects-carbohydrates-vs.html
study from the Oxford group examining the postprandial (after-eating) effects of a low-fat vs. low-carbohydrate diet. (Roberts R et al, 2008)
Postprandial lipoproteins, you’d think, would be plentiful after ingesting a large quantity of fat, since fat must be absorbed via chylomicrons into the bloodstream. But it’s carbohydrates that figure most prominently in determining the pattern and magnitude of postprandial triglycerides and lipoproteins. Much of this effect develops by way of de novo lipogenesis, the generation of new lipoproteins like VLDL after carbohydrate ingestion.
Gary Taubes who wrote “Good Calories, Bad Calories” spent 7 years going through all the studies over the last century & dividing up the real science from the faulty science & concluded that low carb was the best way to control insulin levels which balances out other hormones & allows the body to function properly.
His main points are:
1. Dietary fat, whether saturated or not, is not a cause of obesity, heart disease or any other chronic disease.
2. The problem is refined carbs in diet, their effect on insulin secretion & the hormonal regulation of homeostasis.
3. Sugars – sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup specifically – are particularly harmful, the combination of fructose & glucose simultaneously elevates insulin levels & overload liver with carbs.
4. Through their direct effects on insulin & blood sugar, refined carbs, starches, sugars are the dietary cause of coronary heart disease & diabetes. They are likely dietary causes of cancer, Alzheimer’s & other diseases.
5. Obesity is a disorder of excess fat accumulation, not overeating.
6. Consuming excess calories does not cause us to grow fatter.
7. Fattening & obesity are caused by an imbalance in the hormonal regulation of adipose tissue & fat metabolism. Fat synthesis & storage exceed the mobilization of fat from adipose tissue & its subsequent oxidation.
8. Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage. When insulin levels fall, we release fat from fat tissue.
9. By stimulating insulin secretion, carbs make us fat.
10. By driving fat accumulation, carbs also increase hunger & decrease the amount of energy we expend in metabolism & physical activity.
I’m not sure it’s very healthy. There’s nothing wrong with being a bit hungry – it makes you feel you are getting somewhere. I personally think counting calories is best – and some extra exercise to use up more than usual. But eating sensibly is always the best option. Obviously if you drink a litre of water and then weigh yourself, you are going to weigh a litre of water weight extra, but that’s not fat. I believe that mashed potato (obviously without lots of butter) feels three times more filling than the equivalent calorie value of white bread – that seems a sensible diet option to me.