RE: FITNESS: Diet and Exercise

From: gts (gts_2000@yahoo.com)
Date: Fri Apr 25 2003 - 07:07:23 MDT

  • Next message: gts: "RE: evolution and diet"

    Damien Sullivan wrote:

    > On Mon, Apr 21, 2003 at 04:32:13PM -0400, gts wrote:
    >
    >> I wonder if people here realize that carbs are not even essential to
    >> the human diet.
    >
    > Hmm. The Atkins diet has basically no carbs and you lose weight.
    > Does that weight loss magically stop at some point or are you supposed
    > to include carbs again to stop?

    The late Dr. Atkins, who passed away just about week ago, recommended that
    people on the "maintenance" version of his diet eat some carb, approx 50-100
    grams per day, enough to stay just at or slightly above the level of
    ketosis.

    I don't recall anything in Atkins' theory that addresses the question of
    when weight loss should stop. I think his theory allows for differences in
    metabolism between individuals, and suggests that one should add a little
    more carb if weight drops too low. However I can relate my own experience:
    as I mentioned early in this thread I followed Atkins' recommendations for
    nearly two years. In my case the weight loss seemed to stop or slow
    dramatically, but only after I had lost an unreasonable amount of weight. I
    was at least 15-25 lbs below my ideal weight when I decided finally to
    switch to a paleodiet more rich in carbs from fruits and vegetables.

    One of the side-effects of ketosis is loss of appetite. This, I think, is
    one of the primary reasons that some people including me can lose so much
    weight on ketogenic Atkins-style diets. I know that in my case my appetite
    diminished dramatically.

    The Atkins diet turns into a good approximation of the paleodiet when one
    eliminates the fatty dairy products and adds plenty of healthy paleolithic
    fruits and vegetables. The fruits seems like candy to me at the time.

    I no longer believe the Atkins' diet is optimal. I believe in fact that it
    is unhealthy. On the other hand I do believe that for many people it is a
    step in the right direction vs the typical high-fat, high-carb American
    diet.

    -gts



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