Atkins diet kills two people

[wolfsoul]

On the news yesterday they put out a warning to those on the Atkins diet. Two people have died and their deaths have been linked to the diet. A number of other people on the diet have died, but their deaths weren't known to be related to the diet or to their health problems. Also there has been a number of cases of heart disease, osteoarthritis (or perosus, can't remember). It apparently damages your kidneys and makes your blood too acidic. Something to do with too much protien?

[moosmom]

I know a couple of people on that diet. I'm SO glad I like Weight Watchers!! I could never eat just meat. At least WW teaches you to eat a well balanced diet.

[catland]

What I don't get about Atkins is that people go on it knowing that if they go off the diet they'll gain their weight back.

I prefer the "eat less, exercise more" plan.

(btw - for those of you with an Applebee's in your neighborhood - they now have an official "Weight-Watcher's" menu)

[popcornbird]

I don't like the Atkins idea. I think its WAY WAY WAAAAAAAAAAY to low in carbs. I mean.......one small bowl of cereal is more carbs than you're allowed to eat with Atkins in a whole day. I don't like organized diets. I like to lose weight by exercising, and eating healthy..........and lower calories/carbs/sugar. I've found that it works, and I'm not *stuck* on eating protein 99% of the time.

I heard the South Beach diet is better........and everyone recommends Weight Watchers. I'm happy doing it on my own though. No Atkins for me!

[mahayana]

I heard a reference to Atkins on NPR while driving home from work today.

Apparently there was a meeting of bread manufacturers in Providence, RI today, and they were concerned that Americans ate about 10 lbs less flour-based products last year, per capita, due to cutting back on carbohydrates.

They booed when someone held up a copy of "The Atkins Diet."

The question about excess protein making the blood acidic is an interesting one. Most Americans eat way more protein than they can digest and excrete it in the form of nitrates and nitrites. Could it be that excess amounts of amino acids (digested protein food) in the blood can cause damage?

I looked up "proteins" in a 1990 medical book, it recommended the "well-balanced" pyramid type diet.

"Unlike fat, protein cannot be stored in appreciable quantities...it is not economical to feed relatively expensive high-protein foods in large quantities...Worldwide, protein deficiency and protein malnutrition are common."

They discussed lots of bad things that happen with too little protien, but nothing about too much.

[Tonya]

I lost alot of weight on the Atkins and I never put it back on. I wasn't as strict on it, though. I just mainly watch my carbs after noon.

[Amber]

We were talking about this in Health Class today...Its a bad diet!
and you NEED your Carbs!!

[NoahsMommy]

I've always been against the Atkins diet. Its just an illogical approach to a healthy lifestyle.

For most people, that much protien is liable to make them sick. Hope people realize that soon. Its not good for your organs at all!

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by Amber
you NEED your Carbs!!

That's true. I always wonder why people do the "no carb" diets. Think about it. I mean, usually when you're on a diet, you're usually exersising too. Well you need your carbs for energy to exersise. So why not give yourself energy?

[mahayana]

There must be some carbohydrates in this diet. Can someone give a short description of what they eat?

Of course meat has lots of fat, and that is convertible to sugars.

And the eskimos survive without much besides meat and fish...

[Twisterdog]

Its just an illogical approach to a healthy lifestyle.

I agree.

Humans are omnivores, just like dogs are.

It has been proven that feeding a dog a diet that is too high in protein causes health problems, such as kidney failure.

The same is true of humans, and any omnivore.

There are few true carnivores in the world. Humans are not one.

[Tonya]

The first week or two (called induction) is strictly meat and veggies. No veggies with carbs such as potatos or carrots. No lettuce, use romaine lettuce instead. Induction is intended to break all sugar addictions and bad eating habits. For the first few days, you feel lousy. After your body gets used to it, if you do it right, you feel great. The most important thing is that you are supposed to take lots of vitamins. Dr. Atkins really stresses that because you are depriving your body of alot of necessary vitamins otherwise. After induction, you slowly but surely add carbs back into your life. Without the carb addictions, you continue to eat much better and continue to lose weight.

People are hurting themselves because they aren't going by the book. If they followed the diet correctly, they wouldn't be depriving themselves.

I get plenty of carbs in my diet. I just don't insist on having pasta and bread with every meal now. There was a time where I had to have carbs all day long. It has actually helped with my insomnia quite a bit too.

[Miss Meow]

Too much of anything is bad for you, be it protein or carbs. I read one of the Atkins books recently, and while the first two weeks is very low carb, it seems quite sensible once you're on the maintenance plan. Your body doesn't need plates of pasta, bread rolls, processed cereals, or refined sugar at every single meal, especially before bedtime. I don't remember the book advising people to eat more protein than they need, either.

I didn't try it because I don't eat meat, and don't have the time and/or motivation to make it work without animal protein. But it certainly gave me a new perspective on how many carbs I DON'T need to get through the day.

Thousands of people die annually from the effects of obesity, so one or two dying as a result of Atkins shouldn't be too much cause for alarm.

Mahayana, atkins.com is the offical Atkins web site

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by wolfsoul
That's true. I always wonder why people do the "no carb" diets. Think about it. I mean, usually when you're on a diet, you're usually exersising too. Well you need your carbs for energy to exersise. So why not give yourself energy?

I don't agree *at all* with *no* carb diets. No carbs at all is unhealthy. You can't live on all Proteins! The reason people eat low carbs when trying to lose weight is because........our body's main energy sources are carbs and fat. If you take the carbs away, then your body will use the stored fat for energy, burning it and assisting in losing weight. I'm all for *temporary* low carb diets..........in which you eat carbs...........just eat less. I do this once in a while..........eat less carbs for a few days to assist in losing weight. Its only temporary though and nothing like Atkins. It just helps speed things up....and I make sure I'm getting proper nutrition at the same time. I count my calories though........all the time, and make sure I'm not going over my *set* limit. Carbs....some days I'll eat a decent amount, some days I'll eat less..........but the calories are the main thing I keep watch on. Calories..........and sugar....and of course carbs too, up to a certain extent. I don't watch my fat intake much because our diet barely consists of much fat anyway.

[babolaypo65]

A friend of mine passed away recently from a coronary thrombosis. She had just lost 30 pounds on the Atkins diet.