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#112871 - 09/08/03 02:46 PM
Lo-carb diets
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Diamond Poster
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 1,339
TX
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OK, I'll bite and take MB's suggestion from the "antacids" thread. How about your experience on lo-carb dieting? Long-term are you keeping the weight off? Any fast-food lo-carb secrets? Indigestion a thing of the past?
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Opinions are mine not my employer's, and should not be taken as legal advice.
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#112872 - 09/08/03 03:07 PM
Re: Lo-carb diets
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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I'd be interested in any diet that someone has found successful in the long run. Let me know. Thanks.
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#112873 - 09/08/03 04:02 PM
Re: Lo-carb diets
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Gold Star
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 345
New England
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Try the Zone. I haven't had incredible success (because I am very noncommittal) but it gives me a little more latitude than Atkins. I tried the Zone based on a dr's recommendation, it is a healthful way of living for people who have histories of high blood pressure and diabetes in their families. It really isn't a weight loss plan, more of a lifestyle. Per the book, you may lose 1 1/2 pounds a week. Halle Berry (I hope I have her name right, from Monsters Ball?) lives on the zone, she's real thin.
I did very well for two weeks. I felt great. Then, I went on vacation and fell off the wagon very hard. But, I enjoyed myself....
In addition, fast food recommendations....the Zone book I have recommends getting a chicken breast (grilled) sandwich and a garden salad. Toss half the roll away, throw the chicken and bits on roll (like croutons) in the salad. Not very fast, if you ask me. Also, it recommends Chicken Tacos from Taco Bell. Not sure why.
Good Luck.
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#112874 - 09/08/03 04:23 PM
Re: Lo-carb diets
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Diamond Poster
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 1,339
TX
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As for lo-carb fast food - - McDonalds has an Atkins friendly grilled chicken caesar salad that's only $4. Wendy's southwestern grilled chicken salad is mighty good, too. I like string cheese or cheese cubes for a good Atkins snack to keep at my desk.
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Opinions are mine not my employer's, and should not be taken as legal advice.
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#112875 - 09/08/03 04:24 PM
Re: Lo-carb diets
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Platinum Poster
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 598
Flushing, NY
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I've done pretty good on Weight Watchers. I lost 40 lbs over a 10 month span, and have kept it off for more than a year now. Once you get the "point" thing down its rather easy to follow. I like the fact that you eat whatever you want, the trick is in the portions and point-count. I found myself really thinking about what I eat and, actually for the first time, deciding if I really like it or just eat it because it is routine. I only eat what I really like now (I decide if it is "point-worthy" a la Seinfeld) and have been trying different foods I never would have even thought about before because I was so routine driven. I think the trick to any "diet" is if you can make it a way of life instead of a "quick fix" and then back to the old way.
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#112876 - 09/08/03 05:38 PM
Re: Lo-carb diets
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100 Club
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 220
North
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I tried the "Body for Life" diet which was the easiest diet to follow. Six meals a day with a serving of protein and a serving of carbs and veggies at least twice a day. The kicker was that you got one free day a week where you could eat anything you wanted, as much as you wanted. Pizza, McDonalds, chocolate, anything.
The diet doesn't work as fast as Atkins or the Zone but after 3 months I lost 30 lbs and have still kept the weight off.
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#112878 - 09/08/03 06:44 PM
Re: Lo-carb diets
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10K Club
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 13,994
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I started out on the Atkins diet and now I don’t consider it a diet. It’s a pretty easy way to eat. Plenty of protien and little carbs. It wasn’t hard giving up soda and most sweets. The biggest carb food I eat regularly is fruit.
As far as fast food. Eat all the hamburgers you want (just throw away the bun). No breaded chicken either.
R Russell has a good point. One day a week to cheat. For some (like me) it’s hard to completely give up eating bad foods. So, Sunday I eat what I want, hot ham and rolls, chips, ice cream from the local stand. I admit, I do cheat a bit if going out on Friday or Saturday for dinner.
Then Monday through Saturday, it’s back to protien. Protien shakes after workouts is also a plus.
I keep nuts, cheese and beef jerky in my office at work for a snack (and sometimes grapes).
This works for me. I think it works great with a regular exercise routine.
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#112882 - 09/08/03 09:14 PM
Re: Lo-carb diets
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Power Poster
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 3,760
Running and riding everywhere ...
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It really does work. Every time I dedicate myself I loose 5 pounds in week. My problem is that I don't like fish, eggs or cheese. That narrows the variety down a great deal.
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I don't need any more negativity in my life...be positive and helpful people or I will kick you in the shins!!!
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#112884 - 09/08/03 09:54 PM
Re: Lo-carb diets
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Gold Star
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 434
New Jersey
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I am down 42 lbs so far this year on a low carb diet, and am still slowly taking off weight. Phasing in carbs like Atkins recommends didn't work for me, so I for the most part live on the induction (strict) diet. I immediately began feeling better, gaining energy and losing indigestion, nagging aches and pains, etc.
I find that if the weight loss stops it is helpful to go off the diet for a weekend - indulge all the cravings and put on a few pounds - and then go back on and within a few days the few pounds plus a few more are gone. As a meat lover I find it pretty easy to eat steaks, chops, ribs and chicken for dinner, and egg salad or tuna fish for lunch with a small salad or few pieces of cheese. I never did eat breakfast much, but on the weekends some eggs, bacon and sausage hits the spot. For a treat, all summer I have been downing snow cones like crazy - shaved ice with some Atkins syrup - 0 carbs, 0 sugars, 0 calories and as an added benefit I get the water all of the diets recommend.
I swear by the diet and intend at this point to make it a lifestyle, in order to keep the weight off. The hardest part is fast food, but the above choices do work. However, the diet is expensive to maintain - good meats are expensive, and all the Atkins products and other low carb diet foods also cost an arm and a leg.
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#112885 - 09/09/03 04:49 PM
Re: Lo-carb diets
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Platinum Poster
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 862
Mexifornia
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I have been at 170lbs (5'11") for the last 12 years - How? Never skip breakfast, lunch of salads and white meat, dinner at 6pm of baked fish, white meat and vegitables - No soda, 8 bottles of water a day, walk 3 miles 3 times a week, no snacking in between meals and above all - moderation - stomach = two part food, 1 part water and 1 part empty. Or, have a glass of water and a banana 20 minutes before dinner time - there you go, free diet plan.
PS. On this plan you will never need an Antacid!!
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#112886 - 09/09/03 05:12 PM
Re: Lo-carb diets
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Platinum Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 921
Down South, USA
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I have no doubt that Atkins works for some people, but I worry about the side effects, even in the short term.
I guess that most people are not aware that the brain cannot operate without a carbohydrate derivative, and if it doesn't get it it goes looking for protein. The body cannot store more than a few hours worth of carbohydrates, or any protein, and so the only alternative when the carbs run out is to break down proteins in the body. This means that there is a strong liklihood that any weight loss on the Atkins diet will include the loss of some muscle, which is that last thing that you should be losing as muscles burn calories.
I would not vote for the Atkins diet. I try to stick to moderation, avoid snacks between meals, and it mostly seems to serve me well.
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This is my opinion; it is not legal advice, nor the view of my employer, and it may change tomorrow.
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#112887 - 09/09/03 05:35 PM
Re: Lo-carb diets
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Diamond Poster
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 1,339
TX
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It's a lo-carb, not a no-carb diet. Atkins still provides for some carbs (20-40 grams per day) even in the induction phase. The principle is to get the body attuned to burning fat. 20-40 grams of carbs daily should be plenty to maintain good health under the program.
_________________________
Opinions are mine not my employer's, and should not be taken as legal advice.
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#112893 - 09/10/03 12:02 AM
Re: Lo-carb diets
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100 Club
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 220
North
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Yes, the chocolate bars are good. In fact, I'm eating one right now! The shakes aren't too bad either but the icecream is definitely NOT one of my favorite things.
I tried the Atkins diet for two months and did not have results that good. I only lost 12 pounds, and 8 of those was in the first two weeks.
I found that limiting carbs and moderate exercise was the best program for myself.
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#112895 - 09/10/03 12:51 PM
Re: Lo-carb diets
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Please use sound judgement when considering a diet or weight loss program.
The American Heart Association in the journal Circulation [St. Jeor et al. 104 (15): 1869] warned against popular high-protein diets:
Abstract— High-protein diets have recently been proposed as a "new" strategy for successful weight loss. However, variations of these diets have been popular since the 1960s. High-protein diets typically offer wide latitude in protein food choices, are restrictive in other food choices (mainly carbohydrates), and provide structured eating plans. They also often promote misconceptions about carbohydrates, insulin resistance, ketosis, and fat burning as mechanisms of action for weight loss. Although these diets may not be harmful for most healthy people for a short period of time, there are no long-term scientific studies to support their overall efficacy and safety. These diets are generally associated with higher intakes of total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol because the protein is provided mainly by animal sources. In high-protein diets, weight loss is initially high due to fluid loss related to reduced carbohydrate intake, overall caloric restriction, and ketosis-induced appetite suppression. Beneficial effects on blood lipids and insulin resistance are due to the weight loss, not to the change in caloric composition. Promoters of high-protein diets promise successful results by encouraging high-protein food choices that are usually restricted in other diets, thus providing initial palatability, an attractive alternative to other weight-reduction diets that have not worked for a variety of reasons for most individuals. High-protein diets are not recommended because they restrict healthful foods that provide essential nutrients and do not provide the variety of foods needed to adequately meet nutritional needs. Individuals who follow these diets are therefore at risk for compromised vitamin and mineral intake, as well as potential cardiac, renal, bone, and liver abnormalities overall.
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