I am just wondering if you read any of the posts by people who are actually on Atkins? Many people have told you that they DO in fact eat carbohydrates in moderation- many of them are probably at more than the recommended 5+ servings of vegetables/day.
I am not on the Atkins diet and never have been- I chose a WOE that is high in protein AND ridiculously high in fiber, it allows a bit more than the occasional starchy carb. But I have seen Atkins work for people when it's done properly, so I know how it works in real life. So anyway, here goes:
1. 20g /day is only during induction, which has been cut down from a two week period to a couple days because of people like yourself who read the book and only remembered about the 20g. Many of them go weeks or even months on 20g of carbs. They are NOT following Atkins! These are people just cut out all of their carbs- which results in exactly what you described, and an incredibly bad time in the bathroom to boot.
2. Any way of eating can be abused, but that doesn't make that way of eating inherently flawed. People who abuse the diet would abuse anything that they ate. If it wasn't Atkins it would be the Hollywood Juice diet, or fasting, or heck, eating carrots because their eating disorder is mental. That does not negate the positive effects that Atkins any more than it makes carrots bad for you.
3. Atkins IS a lifestyle, not a diet. It's about eating in a way that makes you feel good. For many people, that doesn't involve starchy carbs. It most certainly is not for everyone, but that doesn't make it bad.
4. I don't believe this is a thread about exercise, it's about diet. I don't know where you got the idea that I or others on this board don't work out. I am a committed exerciser in the gym doing weights and cardio 3 days a week minimum despite my 50-60 hour work weeks. I didn't start to make real progress and gain muscle tone until I increased the amount of protein in my diet and cut down on starches. I did that and I had a six-pack within two months. When I started eating "normally" again, I lost muscle tone and had no energy for the gym anymore. I know plenty of Atkins exercisers, who make great muscle gains with the increase in proteinl.
I don't know why you would equate Atkins with anorexia- what is wrong with eating lean meat, vegetables and whole grains? Aside from protein shakes there are milk products, beans, nuts and ten million types of tofu/bean curd/soy/gluten meat. There are vegetarian Atkin's dieters who do quite well with it.
FYI, I am not angry at all. Annoyed by your unwillingness to be even the slightest bit open-minded, yes, but far from angry. I think it's silly to criticize something that you admittedly have little knowledge about and no experience with, especially when people who have done Atkins, like Cream and the others on this thread, are telling you what they have actually done. Think about what they said, and compare it to the mental picture you are holding to so tightly. You'll note the big discrepancies.
Hey if you don't believe me, ask lifesaver and Munchkin03! I don't recall any complaints about anyone smelling of meat when we all met up.
Quote:
Originally posted by krazy
Yeah, these people are OCD and have a serious problem. They are a stage away from anorexia. I feel sorry for them. I will leave it at that. I am sorry if I offended you. I read that dang Atkins book anyway for a sports nutrition class I took, and I do remember it outlawing all but 20g of carbs a day... I could be wrong, but that is what I recall. That equals like 1/4 of an apple. To me, that would be cutting them out.... If you normally only eat 1/4 of an apple, I guess you can consider that eating fruit.. Oh well. Al I am saying, is that EVEN IN THE BOOK it states that this diet was designed for those who had a great chance of being killed by their obesity. I am not saying you wont lose weight, only that it is not a lifestyle. I cannot think of anything more disgusting anyway. You smell like meat all the time and it is barbaric. Gross. It just reminds me of someone with a horrible eating disorder but whose actions are accepted b/c it is the current THING to do... Speak to this please... And don't get so darn mad, I am open to learning something new.. I just want to know why you would limit your diet to these things and not work out? If you really work out, you don't have to eat like this, so that argument about "part of a healthy active lifestyle" is crap...
I know this sounds like I am yelling, but I am your good friend krazy...
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