Atkins diet

[Petunia]

Hi BlackHawk

You are so right....I definitely agree with your views...
I have never been one to advocate these Fad Diets....
as they all work for the time u r on them, very few manage to maintain them after ....
I am certainly not a lover of the Atkins Diet , never have been
have seen what it has done to some friends of mine.
One lost loads of weight and then ended up in hospital with severe stomach cramps. She claimed it wasnt the diet , I am sure it was.

As mentioned b4, healthy lifestyle, eating whatever as long as its in moderation should be more than adequate.
There are instances where people have to diet or eat special diets for health reasons. They maybe diabetic or have heart problems etc and are advised by the doctors to do so. Usually these people are advised to see a nutritionist and advised to eat sensibly etc.

[Joan]

I am goint to post this once and not again.....
If you eat a healthy balanced diet (unlike the Atkins.......) in which you do not need to take supplements, and your energy expenditure equals at least your energy intake ... you will not gain weight.
Toktokkie and I have tried for many moons to convince all that a balanced diet combined with sufficient energy output, will keep weight down.....

Those who need to loose weight, eat less and excerise more.....

Just walk, do gardening, clean the house, whatever , but keep your body active.........



I am not pointing fingers as I do not know whom to point them at, but I do recall all the negative flack I had from the previous website concerning different "bodily functions" blah, blah, blah...

Stop stuffing your face

Follow a slim person for a few days, I am not talking of the anorexic model types, just a normal slim person, and notice what they eat, how much they eat and how active they are.......

[Petunia]

Hi Joan,

Thats exactly what I have been trying to get across myself here
but got carried away with trying to explain it in too much detail.... lol (thats me.... I get carried away..lol) It does just boil down to the blatantly straight and simple thing. Healthy eating(such as a balanced diet), lifestyle(such as being relatively active) and eating in moderation is all that is really required. I got carried away with being too technical, what I was saying does boil down to just that - healthy/balanced diet,
moderation and exercise.

Petunia(aka Blommetjie- the other site one)

[Bushbaby]

Originally posted by Joan
I am goint to post this once and not again.....
If you eat a healthy balanced diet (unlike the Atkins.......) in which you do not need to take supplements, and your energy expenditure equals at least your energy intake ... you will not gain weight.
Toktokkie and I have tried for many moons to convince all that a balanced diet combined with sufficient energy output, will keep weight down.....

Those who need to loose weight, eat less and excerise more.....

Just walk, do gardening, clean the house, whatever , but keep your body active.........

I am not pointing fingers as I do not know whom to point them at, but I do recall all the negative flack I had from the previous website concerning different "bodily functions" blah, blah, blah...

Stop stuffing your face

Follow a slim person for a few days, I am not talking of the anorexic model types, just a normal slim person, and notice what they eat, how much they eat and how active they are.......

Stop stuffing your face? Excuse me! Follow a thin person for a few days? So you mean to say, having a big portion of lasagne for lunch, then off to the pub for chicken pasta with a white wine sauce and three pints of cider and a fag, snacking the rest of the time on the chocolates and chips in the office, and then going swimming twice a week as exercise is ok (based on a 'thin' colleague of mine) but eating responsibly (as some of us 'fat' people do) is not? So, to lose weight, I need to indulge, smoke and drink, and to stay fat I need to do as I have done, eat my healthy meals?

I am sorry Joan, you have wondered why people jumped down your throat on these issues - here is why - you have a completely callous understanding for the multitude of reasons why people are overweight. Overeating is only one of the reasons, and does not apply to everyone.

Come visit us, see how my thin sister lives - crisps, chocolates, pastas, etc, vs how I live, trying to follow a balanced diet, minimal snacking and quite a bit of exercise through weight training, walking and swimming, and then draw your conclusions from that.

[Joan]

Originally posted by Bushbaby
Stop stuffing your face? Excuse me! Follow a thin person for a few days? So you mean to say, having a big portion of lasagne for lunch, then off to the pub for chicken pasta with a white wine sauce and three pints of cider and a fag, snacking the rest of the time on the chocolates and chips in the office, and then going swimming twice a week as exercise is ok (based on a 'thin' colleague of mine) but eating responsibly (as some of us 'fat' people do) is not? So, to lose weight, I need to indulge, smoke and drink, and to stay fat I need to do as I have done, eat my healthy meals?

I am sorry Joan, you have wondered why people jumped down your throat on these issues - here is why - you have a completely callous understanding for the multitude of reasons why people are overweight. Overeating is only one of the reasons, and does not apply to everyone.

Come visit us, see how my thin sister lives - crisps, chocolates, pastas, etc, vs how I live, trying to follow a balanced diet, minimal snacking and quite a bit of exercise through weight training, walking and swimming, and then draw your conclusions from that.

Bushbaby.............Overeating just one of the factors?
How many other factors except for the

very rare endocrine disorder(s) cause obesity?
I do not have a callous understanding of this issue bushbaby....
I did not say people jumped down my throat, I said some became quite annoyed....If input does not equal output of energy????

[Pampered]

Originally posted by Joan
Bushbaby.............Overeating just one of the factors?
How many other factors except for the

very rare endocrine disorder(s) cause obesity?
I do not have a callous understanding of this issue bushbaby....
I did not say people jumped down my throat, I said some became quite annoyed....If input does not equal output of energy????

Joan, I am hardly a medical expert, but surely there are more medical reasons why a person may be overweight? Polycystic Ovary Syndrome being one, and surely thyroid problems (i.e underactive) can also be attributing medical factors?

I fully understand and agree that the majority of overweight people (myslef included) just eat unbalanced meals, and do not get enough exercise. But there are some who have hormonal issues, and it is not from "stuffing their faces".

Please do not put everyone in the same class.

[Bushbaby]

Originally posted by Joan
Bushbaby.............Overeating just one of the factors?
How many other factors except for the

very rare endocrine disorder(s) cause obesity?
I do not have a callous understanding of this issue bushbaby....
I did not say people jumped down my throat, I said some became quite annoyed....If input does not equal output of energy????

Underactive Thyroid gland, overactive thyroid gland, low metabolic rate, food allergies (especially to dairy) are just a few of the things that can cause weight gain or prevent weightloss. There are others. I went through my whole childhood having people point fingers at me and call me fattie or potjierol because I was overweight. I ate no more than any other child in my family, and because we had limited finances, I can assure you that sweets and chips were but infrequent treats in our household. Yet I was the one that was fat, my dad was skinny, so was my sister. I ran around, I played as other kids do, loved rugby, went swimming, did all that stuff, yet the weight did not shift. Funnily enough, my aunt is the same - played hockey throughout school, yet was always overweight. My mom has it too. With her we know it is the thyroid gland messing around, for my aunt and me we are still figuring it out - though I have a growing list of foodstuffs I cannot eat because I react badly to them - heart palpitations, sweats, etc. Your view is overly simplistic. Yes, in theory, if energy output exceeds energy input, then weightloss results, but the body is not a mechanical device, there are other factors that cand and do affect this process.

[Mgv]

My mother dieted with various diets throughout her life - she eventually settled on weigh-less for most of the rest of her life, slowly dropping her portion size due to lack of results, until she ate like a fly - no snacking whatsoever. And she did the housework, cooked all the meals, and looked after three active children. and yet she was overweight.

She didn't have any of the usual recognisable medical problems that could cause her overweightiness, except a very slow metabolism.

I have a slowish metabolism, but my main problem is that I am hypoglycaemic. Apparently ones body stores fat rather than metabolising it in the presence of too much insulin - which is why the diabetics who have to inject themselves with insulin end up being a little podgy too.

I do know what Joan is saying though, too many overweight people use every conceivable excuse to justify their size, but everytime you see them, they are drinking full -fat coke, eating crisps and chocolates, lounging infort of the telly, and you find they take the bus or car everywhere instead of walking - now those types need a fat slap and a dose of cold reality.

[Bushbaby]

Originally posted by Mgv
My mother dieted with various diets throughout her life - she eventually settled on weigh-less for most of the rest of her life, slowly dropping her portion size due to lack of results, until she ate like a fly - no snacking whatsoever. And she did the housework, cooked all the meals, and looked after three active children. and yet she was overweight.

She didn't have any of the usual recognisable medical problems that could cause her overweightiness, except a very slow metabolism.

I have a slowish metabolism, but my main problem is that I am hypoglycaemic. Apparently ones body stores fat rather than metabolising it in the presence of too much insulin - which is why the diabetics who have to inject themselves with insulin end up being a little podgy too.

Hypoglycaemia is a tough one to deal with. It has always struck me that diabetics who are insulin dependent seem to have to practise this very delicate balancing act between what they can eat and what they want to eat. The diabetics that I do know seem to either be overweight, or bordering on underweight.

[Heather.T]

Originally posted by Bushbaby
I am the exact opposite to Birdie - I loved my time on the Atkins diet. I did not lose much after my first month, but kept off what I had lost, and had so much energy, and generally felt so much better in myself. The cost was what got me eventually, with meat costing so much more than veggies, I found it difficult to sustain after a while (basically once I got too lazy to bargain hunt...). I took up swimming during my time on the Atkins diet, something that I have stuck with.

The Atkins diet is not a crash diet, and for people considering doing it, I suggest you read the ENTIRE book before starting out. Too many people only follow the bits that appeal to them, and that is where you start messing with your health.

I agree with you.. I went on the diet and lost 1 and a half stone and the losses started within the first week. I did put back a bit - but that was really bad eating (and drinking....) and have now started it again.

But Bushbaby is correct - you have to read the whole book...