A deeper Love (part 2)

Okay…I have heard SOO many people scream about how bad the Atkins Diet is, so I figured I would go out on the internet and find out what kind of issues have been found with the diet.
The first thing I found was Atkins FAQ which after a long discussion, wound up with this conclusion:

In conclusion, ketogenic diets such as Atkins' program are no more successful than those weight loss programs recommended by the scientific/medical community. They are more dangerous than other fad weight regimens due to its high fat content. Persons who choose to follow ketogenic diets should check with their physician periodically as the diet can cause electrolyte depletion and increased blood lipids. They should have periodic blood tests to measure total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.

However, in an interview with Dr. Atkins talking about his plan (and in the book… for those who have read it) he says:

The major issue then seems to be the speculation that it would be bad for the heart. I hope you agree that it's not the cholesterol and fat in the diet that leads to heart disease, but rather the cholesterol and fat in the blood. If so, we can review the changes in the lipid profile on low carbohydrate diets. They fall into a common pattern. The total cholesterol usually drops a bit, and there is usually a tendency for the HDL to rise and the LDL to fall, much as a recent study out of Wilmington, Delaware, on a modified low carbohydrate diet shows.

as well as this : Atkin’s Article

The same naysayers who hoped I'd shut up a page ago before the ketoacidosis section, are now pointing a finger and saying that with all that fat in the diet we're going to have cholesterol levels shooting through the roof. Wrong! First of all, if foods are chosen wisely, the source of dietary fat is given due consideration, and the person using the ketogenic diet is also reducing calories and losing weight, I can almost 100% guarantee that cholesterol will drop or at the worst, remain the same. Triglycerides (another factor being given weight with respect to cardiovascular disease) will fall substantially. Good cholesterol may also go up, which is a positive factor for reducing cardiovascular disease risk. I hope I've kept this article somewhat readable so far and I'm not going to change course and go into the dozen or so studies which prove my point but they are readily available for anyone wanting to do some digging.

In fact, if you read the Diet plan, AND follow it as listed, you will actually end up eating LESS of the unhealthy fat that is in most American’s diets, because you CAN’T eat the carb-rich food that a lot of it is hidden in.

As far as worries about the poor poor kidneys or liver being overstressed, Dr. Atkins recommends that you drink at LEAST 64 oz of water a day, PLUS an extra 8 (or 16… I don’t have the book with me) for every 20 pounds you need to lose. This is more water than most of us get in a day, and thus your kidneys are CONSTANTLY flushing out any ketones that slide into your urine.

He also recommends multi-vitamins, to insure that you get all of the needed vitamins and minerals that your body needs. HOWEVER…any one on a low calorie diet is required to do the same, because they are not eating enough food to get the vitamins and minerals that they need either.

So…why in the world would any one take the risk of eating on a diet that soooo many people (both doctors and non-doctors) are saying is unhealthy, when you could just get on the good old fashioned low-fat, low-calorie diet that has been ‘working’ for so long? Three very simple reasons (at least for me) :
1) I know many people get on this diet, lose weight, and stay healthy. Old people, young people, lazy people, not so lazy people, black, white….any kinda person. And compared to the ‘normal’ diet, I have heard very few complaints.
2) You are NOT hungry. I hate being hungry. It makes me grumpy, it make s me very inefficient and it makes me want to eat…which means I’m going to fall off of the diet. Which means I’m not gonna lose weight. Which means going on the diet in the first place was a waste of time.
3) The last, and too me MOST important reason. I lose weight on this diet…and I DON’T lose weight on the others. I have seen myself lose weight on this diet. Not only do I lose weight, but I feel better. I have more energy. I sleep better. I FEEL better. ANDDDDD… as I am not starving my body by refusing to feed it…as I go into the maintenance stage of it I DON’T balloon back up. And to me.. I KNOW I am hurting my body by being this heavy…even if I keep ‘hurting’ my body by being on this diet.. and I am helping my body at the same time by losing weight…then I think it is worth the risk.


Thanks for reading….

Stay Jazzed.