I don’t have any actual cites, but a year ago I weighed 250-something (I think I was about 256/257 to be precise). I had tried other diets, lost weight, and always gained it back. Last April, I read the Atkins book, thought it made sense, and with the blessing of my neurologist (who wanted me to eliminate sugar from my diet because of my severe migraines), I started on Atkins. I did not eat any of the recent “Lo-Carb” franken-foods, but instead ate mainly whole, fresh foods, starting walking and riding an exercise bike. Today I weigh 184, and am still losing weight.
No, I certainly don’t think he’s Christ, but it worked for me. I am not a Diet Nazi, and I don’t go around talking about other’s food choices - I think that’s rude. I usually don’t even tell people how I lost weight; I just vaguely say, “Oh, diet and exercise…” because of the strange and horrified looks I get when I say I’m “doing” Atkins. I just know people think I’m about to keel over from all the bacon and red meat they just “know” I must be eating. And they’re wrong… I eat lots of chicken and fish, and lots of green veggies.
After reading Ilsa’s post, I realize that I probably mis-stated the reason vegetables are carbs; however, it appears that, regardless of the simplistic execution of my own argument, they most certainly are. If you have evidence to the contrary, by all means please provide it. So far you’re just spouting.
Congratulations on your success! Like I said before, I think parts of the Atkins diet are really good because anything that encourages an increased consumption of healthy vegetables is great. I’m just sick of the Subway and Friday’s commercials - eat this fat-laden low-carb bacon wrap and you’re sure to lose weight. But I’m glad it worked for you - I know it works for many people but I think the Atkins food police have mad a very bad name for the diet.
I had tried the South Beach diet, and not only was I exhausted most of the time, but when I mentioned it to my neurologist, he asked me to go off it because it might make me metabolize my epillepsy medication differently, and my fiance and I are thinking of trying for children sometime soon. Seizures aren’t the best thing for fetuses. But everything’s different for every individual. I’m glad that you found something that worked for you.
Sexcuse me? You didn’t know what carbs are until I informed you. Yes, plants are made up mostly of carbohydrates, but “made from plants” isn’t the definition of carbohydrate. Vegetables are composed from carbs, they are not identical to carbs, as you said. Building blocks are not buildings.
Sexcuse me? You didn’t know what carbs are until I informed you. Yes, plants are made up mostly of carbohydrates, but “made from plants” isn’t the definition of carbohydrate. Vegetables are composed from carbs, they are not identical to carbs, as you said.
Bingo. If you tell people that you cut out processed foods and sugars they won’t bat an eyelash. If you tell them you that you’re on the Atkins diet, you’re suddenly a zero-carb crazed bacon eating machine that can’t touch fruit or veggies. We have the media to thank for that.
Look, I clearly stated that my definition was overly simplistic. And I am admitting that my original statement wasn’t clear. But please don’t tell me that I didn’t know what carbs were until you informed me. I feel that is an extremely arrogant statement, and also you didn’t inform me about what carbs were. Ilsa provided an excellent definition of carbs and a great diagram of the structure of a complex carbohydrate.
You’re the carb-knowledge king. Congrats. I shall get thee a crown of bread and spinach.
The three nutrients that food is made from are carbohydrates, fat, and protein. Most foods, including most vegetables, have all three. If vegetables “are carbs,” where does corn oil come from?
Most vegetables contain more calories of digestible carbohydrates than fat or protein, but the absolute quantities of all three are low, because the bulk of most vegetables is indigestible fiber. Atkins dieters reduce (not eliminate) the number of grams of carbohydrates in their diet. Most vegetables are great Atkins food because you don’t eat very many grams of carbohydrate when you eat them. (Of course, the same applies to gravel - maybe I can start a diet craze, too!)
Saying that any food “is” a carb is probably inaccurate (maybe table sugar, I suppose). Foods “contain” carbs. Bread contains a lot; broccoli not so much. Either is edible by an Atkins dieter (past induction), depending on the quantity.
ENugent, a gravel diet sounds excellent - lots of, um, roughage (sp?). Although I’m not sure it’s the kind of roughage that would necessarily be good for the colon, but I could be wrong. I’ll try anything once, though. Maybe I’ll start by sprinkling some gravel on my salad. I think I’d have to ease into that one, so I’ll start by using it as a spice.
First, I am sincerely happy for you in your success. But this is kind of my beef (pardon the pun) with Atkins: that stuff is all merely common-sense. It is exactly the same thing that the ADA recommends: whole fresh foods, lots of vegetables and exercise. The carb-counting seems erroneous. And while you have done the diet correctly, I think a lot of people are sidetracked by this unwarranted fixation on carbs, which really isn’t the point.
You need to count carbs in the Atkins diet because it is a ketogenic diet, which forces your body into ketosis. If you followed the ADA food pyramid you would be eating 6-11 servings of grains a day which would not allow your body to enter ketosis.
Well, not only do I dread going to work and hearing the latest count on how “bad” my coworkers have been and just exactly how many carbs they’ve eaten today, I loathe the word “carb.” Loathe it. It ranks up there with “lite” and “lo-cal” in my lexicon of stupid words that must be eliminated. Say what you fucking mean, and quit trying to cutesify driving your body into ketosis.
What I hate even more, though, is constantly having to hear somebody else’s food diary. If I wanted to know how much carbohydrate you’d eaten, I’d fucking ask, all right? Since I’ve never asked, and never followed up on you telling me about it in excruciating detail, let’s just take that to mean that I don’t give a rat’s ass, hmmkay? No, really, I don’t give a flying fuck how many carbs were in your lunch. No, I don’t agree that it’s the end of the ever-fucking world that you had a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter to satisfy a craving. What do you want me to do, pull out a cat’o’ninetails and beat you so you never do it again? No, I don’t know how many carbohydrates are in my dinner, or what you’re making for dinner tomorrow, or that piece of candy you’re being bad and eating. What’s more, I don’t care. Do any diet you want, but don’t make me listen to your constant obsession with food. I just don’t want to fucking hear it.
This has already been refuted, so I won’t repeat it.
Gee, ya think? No, I didn’t know that, because, you see, I am from the planet Mars.:rolleyes:
I don’t know what this is supposed to be. It’s like you didn’t read my post at all, and are just talking past me. If you want to say “green vegetables are carbs”, knock yourself out. I think it’s ridiculous to do so. Your sidetrack about bread and fruit has nothing to do with it.
I haven’t read his book, but my understanding was that Dr. Atkins was the person who said green vegetables are carbs. The person I had the argument with was quoting out of some Atkins-clone book. I think you have it exactly backwards here. YOU are arguing the Atkins dogma, and I am telling you you’re wrong.
I’m sorry, are you disputing that a 2 1/2" biscuit has 26.76 grams of carbohydrates, while a leaf of lettuce has 0.35 grams? What exactly is your point? Who’s blowing the hot air here?
Or perhaps you didn’t comprehend either BiblioCat’s post or Anonymous Coward’s. Atkins “done well” is still not the same as the food pyramid, because the food pyramid wants you to eat 6-11 servings per day of grains, and Atkins wants you to eat far less. The fact that they both permit and encourage certain foods (lean meats and veggies) does not make them the same thing.
Which parts do you think I didn’t comprehend? She didn’t come close to following the ADA recommendations like you suggested. If she followed the Atkins diet like she says she did, she didn’t eat the 6-11 servings of grains a day like the ADA recommends.
I don’t mind being wrong - it happens, and I admit to my fallacies; quite often I make statements in the heat of the moment without accurate supporting information or make statements that are way too simplistic and pay for it later. As I have already on this thread. However, I really dislike people who seem to feel the need to either
A. Ignore me when I admit that I was wrong so they can continue to tell me how wrong I was for their own edification; or
B. Continue to argue something that has been done to death.
So, did you actually read the rest of this thread? Ya know, the part where I admitted I was wrong? I’ve already agreed that I misstated my argument, so please either read the rest of the thread and stop rubbing my face in the fact that I was wrong or come up with some new information. We’ve been over what is a carb and what isn’t for almost a page now. You’re right, okay? Enjoy your correctness and GET OVER YOURSELF.
“The more variety in the vegetables you eat, the better. And most vegetables are low on the AGR, so eathing your fill has very little impact on your blood sugar.” — Atkins for Life, Robert C. Atkins, MD, p. 39, St Martin’s Press
