Get On A Diet

September 29, 2007

What Types of Diet are Best Cholesterol Lowering Diets

Filed under: 3253 — Tags: , , — chatyak @ 1:37 pm
Dr John Anne asked:


Cholesterol refers waxy and fatty like substance that is formed in the body. Our liver is primarily responsible for developing cholesterol in our body system. It is an important substance that supports various vital functions in our body such as maintaining healthy cellular walls, building hormones and vitamin D.

Also, it helps in building bile acids in our body that gives support to the digestion of fat in particular. However, there is a saying that “too much of anything is good for noting” and it is also true in this case. Sometimes, our body produces cholesterol more than actually required. High level of cholesterol in our blood stream always puts us in high risk by increasing the possibility of heart diseases and strokes.

Diet plays a significant role in the management of cholesterol in our body system. The level of cholesterol in our body increases if we eat excessive amount of saturated fat in our diet. The saturated fat is common in animal based foods like meat and dairy products. So it is always recommended that you should maintain a healthy diet in order to have a good control on your level of cholesterol. Let us discuss few guidelines for cholesterol lowering diets:

Diet low in saturated fat

In general, the food we take in our regular diet is a combination of saturated and unsaturated fat. Saturated fat actually increases the cholesterol level in our blood. It is primarily found from animal products such as meat, dairy products, and lard as well as also from few vegetable oils like coconut oil and palm oil.

So it is always advisable that you should stay away from all these substances if you have a high cholesterol level or even if you have a family history of the same. You can always alter your diet from these apparently harmful substances to cholesterol lowering diets full of green vegetables and fruits – they are really beneficial for your health.

Diet low in total fat

It is always recommended that you should have a minimum level of fat in your regular diet. It is because the food high in total fat has a high level of saturated fat. It is always better that you must substitute your fat food with unsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat for saturated one. If you like to include unsaturated fat in your diet, you may depend on having olive oil or canola oil in your cholesterol lowering diet, whereas, for polyunsaturated diet, safflower oil, sunflower oil or corn flower oil can be a good choice for you.

Diet low in cholesterol

Dietary cholesterol increases the level of cholesterol in your blood. So it is always advisable that you select your diet low in cholesterol. Generally, animal products are high in dietary cholesterol, so refrain from it in your cholesterol lowering diet as much as possible even if you have a family history of high cholesterol level.

Diet high in starch and fiber

It is highly recommended that you must add starch and fiber in your regular diet to make it a cholesterol lowering diet. It is available in green vegetables, fruits, breads, grains, corns, dry beans, peas and cereals. It offers a low calorie diet compared to high fat food. Not only that, it also aids in deriving a good amount of vitamins and minerals.

If you are able to switch your diet from saturated to the diet full of starch and fiber, certainly it will enhance your health condition. Of course, it will help you lowering the level of cholesterol in your blood. The bright colored fruits also help in preventing cholesterol from being chemically altered due to its antioxidant property.

Following a low fat diet always increases the possibility to have a healthy system. It will help you reducing calories, extra fat and weight from your body. Obesity is truly threatening for developing heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. Overweight definitely increases the risk high blood cholesterol level. To fight with obesity, you must maintain a healthy cholesterol lowering diet along with regular exercise.



Ana

September 28, 2007

What are the best diet pills that actually work for weight loss?

Filed under: Other - Health — Tags: , , — chatyak @ 6:19 am
diet
robin asked:


I would also like to know about diet pills that are healthy, I mean kind to the body but actually work. Has anyone got any tried and tested diet pills that they can recommend? Thks!

September 27, 2007

10 Reasons Diets Fail

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: , , — chatyak @ 3:40 am
Pat Barone asked:


For every 100 dieters, one will maintain their weight loss after 5 years, which is the marker determining permanent weight loss to the medical community. Research indicates diets actually add pounds in the long run.

Why are diets so destructive to our weight and health? Here are some of the reasons.

1. Severe food restriction causes real hunger.

It’s a fact that most diets last less than 72 hours. Hunger is a basic human urge. Man continues to survive (and has for thousands of years) because of the ability to cope with famine and scarcity of food. Hunger has been the powerful motivator for that survival.

2. A diet is an artificial plan which is different from your lifestyle.

Your new diet book has pages and pages of special recipes but you don’t like to cook. Your diet says you must prepare all your food, but your job requires you to entertain clients. Only you can set the boundaries around eating and make them work within your lifestyle.

3. A diet is a temporary solution to a permanent problem.

The diet industry makes billions (yes! over $42 billion a year) by convincing people to follow a diet for a few weeks or months to solve lifelong problems of emotional eating, eating for the wrong reasons or eating food that is nutrition-less. Once a diet ends, the weight comes back because the problems and behaviors are still there. Maybe you squeezed yourself into the bridesmaid’s dress in time for the wedding, but you still have the rest of your life ahead of you.

A first step toward success is to accept that there is no free ride. If you lose weight on a strict diet, you will always pay for it later.

4. A diet doesn’t take into account your likes and dislikes.

If your diet prescribes cabbage soup and you don’t like cabbage, you are in real trouble. Or perhaps it limits you to high protein foods but your body doesn’t digest protein easily. Should you really eat in an artificial way that causes you pain and suffering?

No.

Look at the big picture and make the choices that support your goals. Following someone else’s rules can also put you at risk for new health problems that you don’t need.

5. A one-size-fits-all diet cannot possibly be useful to everyone.

You are unique. Different people need different amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fat to feel and perform at their best. No diet can guarantee that you will feel good while following it; no dietician or nutritionist can figure out what makes you feel energetic and balanced. Only you can determine what pattern of food intake keeps you feeling great.

6. Cravings are real.

The body produces cravings for a reason. There are real, productive cravings for things your body needs (like water), and there are self-defeating cravings that come from psychological causes. It’s not hard to train yourself to recognize the differences and act accordingly. A little moderation goes a long way.

7. Diets set up feelings of deprivation and punishment.

The psychological aspects of dieting can be devastating. Diets are often used as self-torture, to “validate” deep-rooted negative feelings or chip away at your sense of worth. Remember, it’s the diet that fails, not you.

8. Dieting puts the emphasis only on food.

A 1995 Baylor University study followed three groups of participants who wanted to lose weight over a two-year period: (1) the Diet Only group; (2) the Diet/Exercise group; and (3) the Exercise Only group. After 3 months, the Diet Only and Diet/Exercise groups had lost more than the Exercise Only group. The Exercise Only group showed a smaller loss of 4-8 pounds.

At the 12-month mark, the Diet Alone and Diet/Exercise groups again had lost more total weight than the Exercise Only group BUT they had gained back some weight from their 3-month mark. (In simple terms, they lost all the weight they were going to lose very quickly, in 3 months, and were now regaining the lost weight weight.)

At the 2-year mark, the Diet Only and Diet/Exercise groups were back at their original weight or MORE. The Exercise Only group was still losing weight. It’s a variation on the Tortoise and the Hare. A good question might be, “Where do I want to be in two years?”

Putting the emphasis on food allows us to believe food is the issue and that, if we change food, we’ll achieve permanent weight loss. This simply isn’t true. Changing our behaviors with food is the key.

9. Dieting promotes weight loss, not fat loss.

The number on your scale may be going down with a severely restricted eating plan, but it is only a temporary change of the non-fat elements of your body (water, muscle, interstitial and organ tissue, and even blood volume). The real issue: Do you want lower the number on the scale or permanently burn fat?

Long-term health lies in fat loss, which can only occur at 1/2 to 2 pounds per week. This is why quick weight loss is always followed by quick weight gain.

10. Dieting leads to new problems or compounds old ones.

If you are concerned with your weight and health, you don’t need new problems. Many popular diets cause fatigue, low energy, loss of sleep, depression, stress and erratic mood swings. Who needs that, especially when the dieting effort doesn’t solve the weight issue in a permanent way?

Your best indicator that you are eating well is how you feel. Your best approach to weight loss is an individual one that takes your preferences, lifestyle, needs and attitudes into consideration.

Be kind to your body. It’s the only one you’ll ever have. Give it the fuel and exercise it needs on a consistent basis — and it will stabilize at a comfortable, reasonable weight.



Ella

September 24, 2007

What type of diet do they put a person on when they need to lose weight to inlist in the army?

Filed under: Diet & Fitness — Tags: , , — chatyak @ 9:09 pm
diet
Sweetness33 asked:


I know to be in the army, navy, etc.. You have to meet a certain weight requirement.. And i notice the ppl that are over weight, they put them on special diet lose weight quickly.. Does anyone know what they do?

September 21, 2007

What is a healthy diet for people who have binge eating disorder and has a back ground in anerxia?

Filed under: Diet & Fitness — Tags: , , — chatyak @ 5:27 am
diet
liveurlife167 asked:


I have been struggling with eating disorders for a while i first had anerxia then about a couple years later i now constantly binge eat (emothional eating) and i want to know what is the best diet that i should go on so i dont get to obsessed with losing weight and food but i lose about 10 punds and stop binge eating?

September 19, 2007

What kind of doctor specializes in prescribing diet medication?

Filed under: Diet & Fitness — Tags: , , — chatyak @ 4:13 am
diet
yp_joe_arlington_887 asked:


Would this be a nutritionalist? I called several bariactric doctors and they said they don’t prescribe diet pills. I’m looking for a doctor guided diet medication program. Please spare me your lectures and personal opinions on diet pills.

September 17, 2007

Choosing a Ferret Diet: is a Natural Diet Right for Your Ferret?

Filed under: Pets — Tags: , , — chatyak @ 2:37 am
Kristen Onasch asked:


Until the last 40 years, ferrets were fed what we refer to as a “natural diet,” which was similar to the diet of the domestic ferret’s wild ancestors. In recent years as ferrets have become more popular, they have been fed commercially prepared ferret, cat, and kitten diets. While this is convenient for us as owners, is it what our ferrets were meant to eat? What exactly is a natural diet, and what are the benefits and concerns associated with it?

FERRETS ARE CARNIVORES

Ferrets are obligate carnivores, which means that they get their nutrients from a diet high in animal protein and fat. Their diet must be a meat diet, because they are unable to digest vegetable protein. They need food that is very low in carbohydrates, and they get their energy from animal fat. This is why proponents of a natural diet argue that ferrets’ bodies are actually designed for a whole prey or raw meat diet.

Ferrets have a short GI tract populated with simple organisms, and they don’t absorb nutrients as well as other animals can. They are intended to eat food that provides them with a highly concentrated fat content (calories for energy) and highly digestible meat proteins for maximum nutrition.

While there are a number of high quality ferret kibbles available today, many of them contain a high number of grains, corn, and other sources of filler material in addition to vegetable protein. Ferrets who eat diets with excessive vegetable protein can suffer from poor skin and coat quality, decreased growth rates, bladder stones and other conditions.

Insulinoma is also a concern, as a high level of carbohydrates in a ferret’s diet puts too much stress on the pancreas. While there is no definitive proof that a diet high in carbohydrates causes insulinoma, it just is not healthy for the beta cells in the pancreas to be overworked. When beta cells work too hard, they become overactive (hypertrophied) and either burn out (stop working altogether) or go to neoplasia (cancer).

MYTHS ASSOCIATED WITH A NATURAL DIET

Before I explore what feeding a natural diet entails, there are a few widespread misconceptions associated with feeding whole prey or raw meat that need to be addressed.

First and most importantly, your ferret will not turn into an aggressive wild animal if you feed a raw diet! Kim Schilling, author of Ferrets for Dummies, draws a great parallel. She points out that cats are great hunters and, at times, vicious hunters, playing with their prey before killing it. They kill countless mice, birds, rabbits, and other wildlife throughout their lives, yet they still remain sweet and cuddly companion animals that are perfectly happy to sit in your lap, purring and allowing themselves to be petted. It is not going to be any different with ferrets. Eating raw meat isn’t going to transform your sweet little girl into a vicious killer.

Many ferret owners point out that diseases could be passed from the prey animal to the ferret. If you are feeding your ferret the dead mouse from your mousetrap, the spread of disease is very likely. However, there are a number of reputable sources for humanely killed, frozen prey animals, and as long as you stick to getting prey from those sources, your ferret should be fine.

Another misconception is that to feed a natural diet, you must feed live prey. This is not true, nor is it even recommended. While some ferrets may be able to catch and kill their prey, the majority are going to take time to adjust to a natural diet, let alone be able to hunt for their own food. Ferrets are fully domesticated after all! Also, if you were to feed live animals, you also risk your ferret being bitten by the prey animal. The point of feeding whole prey is not to allow your ferret to hunt live animals, it is to provide a nutritious diet.

TYPES OF NATURAL DIETS

I will discuss two types of natural diets in this article – a whole prey diet and a raw carnivore diet. Bones and meat are the staples of a natural diet, regardless of which type you choose to feed.

Whole Prey Diet

A whole prey diet is the most balanced natural diet, and it refers to feeding ferrets pre-killed, frozen prey such as mice, rats and ******. Ferrets have teeth that are designed for cutting meat and bone, so whole prey provides them with the necessary exercise for teeth and jaws and cleans their teeth and gums. Whole prey also gives your ferret the chance to experience a variety of tastes and textures, so it’s enriching as well.

Raw Carnivore Diet

Another natural diet option is a raw carnivore diet, which is a good alternative for ferret owners who are hesitant to feed prey animals to their ferrets. Raw carnivore diets can include commercially prepared diets that contain meat, organs, and bones. They can also include raw or cooked meat like chicken wings, raw liver or hearts, and other similar foods. If you are trying to find a raw carnivore diet, look for one that contains all parts of the animal (meat, bone, cartilage, organs) and meat suitable for human consumption. It must be high in fat and protein.

One thing a natural diet is not is just raw or cooked meat. If you feed your ferret only chicken, she will not get the nutrients that she needs. Bones, organs and other parts contain amino acids, calcium, fatty acids, iron and other essential vitamins and minerals that your ferret needs for a balanced, nutritious diet.

PROS & CONS OF NATURAL DIETS

As with any practice, there are both pros and cons associated with feeding ferrets a natural diet. If you are contemplating a natural diet, you should consider this list closely, and speak with your veterinarian about any concerns you may have.

Benefits of a natural diet include:

Automatically well balanced diet.

Closest diet possible to what your ferret would eat in the wild.

High in moisture (unlike kibble).

Fewer incidents of hairballs and obstructions because of the variation in food consistencies.

Protein and fat sources are high quality.

Because you design your ferret’s diet, you have more control over what your ferret eats.

Owners who feed a natural diet report that their ferrets have more energy, plusher coats, better overall dental health, and smaller stools with less of an odor.

Ferrets in countries that feed a natural diet have significantly lower incidences of insulinomas.

Concerns associated with a natural diet include:

Must be done correctly or the ferret will become malnourished.

Can be difficult to switch your ferret over to a natural diet.

Slight possibility of choking on bones or internal injury from bones.

Bacteria or parasites could be present if the whole prey isn’t from a reputable source.

Food must be handled carefully or you risk salmonella or e. coli contamination.

Can be expensive and inconvenient.

FEEDING A NATURAL DIET

Before you do anything, it is very important to speak with your veterinarian. Your veterinarian will determine what your ferret’s nutritional needs are and how healthy your ferret is. Switching foods, especially from a commercial dry kibble diet to a natural diet, can be stressful on a ferret, and you need to make sure your ferret is up to the change. You may need to limit his access to kibble for short periods of time to get him to try the prey or meat, so you will need to make sure that your ferret is not insulinomic and his blood glucose levels are stable. Finally, it’s important to keep your veterinarian abreast of any changes in your ferret’s care, as it can affect how he or she will treat your ferret.

As with any diet change, switching to a natural diet should be done gradually. There may be a point where you have to completely remove your ferret’s kibble, effectively forcing him to try the new food, but this should not be done right away. Start out by giving your ferret meat and meat gravy or broth baby food, if you aren’t already, to get him used to eating meat. Once your ferret will eat baby food, you can try giving him some chicken. Move from that to chicken wings, either cooked or raw. Remember, any meat you give your ferret must be free of spices and sauces. Your ferret needs nutrients, not zesty barbecue flavor! Whether or not you feed the meat raw depends on your comfort levels. Once your ferret is comfortable with meat, you can continue to give that to him or you can try whole prey. (If you decide to feed your ferret whole prey, make sure it is fully defrosted.)

If your ferret is refusing to try the meat, here are a few things you can try:

Drizzle FerreTone on the meat, chicken wing, whole prey, or whatever else you’re trying to feed him.

Be creative with the meat you give him – if he won’t eat straight meat, try mixing cut up pieces of it with kibble.

Use the juices that come from the meat and pour it over their kibble to get them used to the new taste.

You will find that some ferrets are much more easily converted to a natural diet than others. Younger ferrets generally have a quicker transition because they aren’t quite as imprinted on their food as older ferrets are. However, whether you’re trying to switch over your six month old ferret or your six year old ferret, be patient and remember that different ferrets will like different things.

There is a difference of opinion as to whether all ferrets can be switched to a natural diet. There are some owners who advise removing all kibbles, forcing the ferret to eat the meat, because they believe that all ferrets can be switched over. There are others who will only try until it’s obvious that the ferret would rather starve than eat the meat. How you go about switching your ferret and how hard you are willing to push is something that you will need to decide for yourself after discussing it thoroughly with your veterinarian.

If you are able to successfully switch your ferret over, be sure to give him a variety of different animals, meats, or other dietary components. The key to doing a natural diet properly is feeding a combination of different foods. Ferrets wouldn’t eat only mice in the wild – they would eat anything they could catch – so they shouldn’t just eat mice at your house either. You may also want to continue feeding kibble if you are feeding a raw carnivore diet.

A NOTE ABOUT NATURAL VS. COMMERCIAL DIETS

The point of this article is not to prove that the ferret food industry is evil. While there are ferret diets out there that are not as good as they could be, there are also manufacturers who strive to provide healthy, nutritious diets for our ferrets and work on developing great new foods. Likewise, if you choose to feed a kibble diet, you are not a bad ferret parent. You just need to be aware of the ingredients in the food and what the protein and fat sources are.

It is important you understand that there is no hard evidence a natural diet is better than a kibble diet or vice versa. Much of the information available as to how either diet affects our ferrets is anecdotal, based entirely on ferret owners’ personal experiences. Every ferret owner needs to decide what diet will be best for his or her ferret after doing research and discussing the options with an experienced ferret veterinarian.



Megan

September 14, 2007

What kind of diet do you need to follow to get strong, flat abs?

Filed under: Diet & Fitness — Tags: , — chatyak @ 7:44 am
diet
HBK’s Lady asked:


Besides working out, is there a certain diet that needs to be followed to get better, flatter abs?

September 13, 2007

Top 10 Most Unrealistic Diet Expectations of All Time

Filed under: 3222 — Tags: , , — chatyak @ 6:04 am
Luke Johnstone asked:


What is the one thing you find the hardest to grasp with dieting?

Is it the type of food you eat, the amount of food you eat, the amount of exercise or is it the lack of freedom of food choices.

After overcoming my weight problem after spending 7 and a half years of my life yo-yo dieting, I thought it would be fun to write down on paper the things I struggled with most. These 10 factors are the ones that more likely than not, caused me to ruin my diet.

1. EATING SMALLER MEALS

This was extremely difficult for me. I like to feel content and full after a meal. I found I could only do this if I was really busy. However, if I had nothing else to do after finishing my diet meal, I would get irresistible cravings to splurge…and more often than not I did…in a big way!

2. EATING DISGUSTING FOOD

I found this the most difficult. Not only did I have to give up my favourite foods, I had to eat the most blend and tasteless food imaginable. Even if a diet did sound good to start with (the high fat diet) the lack of variety soon made me **** those foods. I still cringe thinking about how I used to force myself to eat tuna in spring water and egg whites. After a while I was dry reaching every time I put them in my mouth! To solve this problem, I would take a mouthful of tuna, then take a mouthful of water and drink it down! Yuck! After having this meal for lunch at work, I would get home and eat half a box of Nutri-Grain cereal…with nearly a litre of milk!

3. CUTTING CARBOHYDRATES

This drove me crazy! Whenever I did this I felt so drained and weak. I was always tired. I found it hard to string more than a few days of consistent dieting together without pigging out on cereal, pasta, juice and sandwiches. What I realize now is that whatever I wasn’t allowed to have, that’s what I craved.

4. CONSUMING LESS FOOD AT NIGHT

I don’t like to admit it, but one of my favourite things is to eat a large, almost challenging-to-finish meal for dinner that will leave me stuffed. I don’t know why but I love the feeling. Maybe I like the challenge and almost like to show off how much food I can eat. Also, night time is when I’m unwinding and I would like to have a snack or two while relaxing and watching T.V before going to bed. Many diets actually want you to eat very little from 5pm onwards and not eat for 3 hours before going to bed…I obviously struggled with this one. My most common time for pigging out and ruining my diet was (and still is) at night time.

5. EATING A TON OF PROTEIN

I found this the hardest in my day to day activities. Some diets won’t let you even have an apple without having a piece of protein with it. I couldn’t stand to eat so much meat…blend meat at that because it had to be lean. Do you know hard it is to get a lean piece of meat when you are out and about? I would have to carry tins of tuna with me because this was the only portable meat. I couldn’t always leave the house because I had to eat protein every 2-3 hours! (I know that’s a bit extreme but I felt like that some times!) This is where supplement companies must be loving it, because the most portable source of protein is…protein powder… which leads me to my next point…

6. EXPENSIVE SUPPLEMENTS

I personally found that the most restricting diets were the ones that recommended that you use supplements to make the diet easier. Maybe they made the diet so hard that you had no choice but to buy their supplements? I don’t know. All I know is many of those supplements (predominantly Meal Replacement Powders) were disgusting and extremely expensive. I would fork out over a $100 for a few weeks supply. What I find amusing is that they also say that you should follow their diet for life (I wonder why?!…$$) Besides how can a powdered mix be more healthy than natural from the ground real food?

7. DIETS THAT CUT OUT AN ENTIRE FOOD GROUP

These diets were the hardest ones to follow. Whether it was a no fat diet, a no protein diet (all fruit, or soup diets) or a no carbohydrate diet I couldn’t stand the lack of freedom. I personally found the no carb diet the hardest, I felt like a zombie and I was talking as slow as Rocky Balboa! Any diet that cuts out a whole macronutrient (whether be protein, carbs or fat) was just way to demanding for me.

8. EATING LOW FAT

Many of the high protein diets also recommend that you keep your fat intake to a minimum (some allow us to have a tablespoon of flaxseed oil a day…Hooray!) This is what made high protein diets unbearable for me. Not only did we have to eat a ton of it, it had to be as lean as possible. Only the egg white, grilled chicken, no fat, nothing on it, or tuna in spring water…drained…Yuck! If I was lucky some diets would even grant me the luxury of no fat, watery skim milk!

No fat = no taste = no chance for me to stick to it

9. NO FREEDOM OR FLEXIBILITY

This drove me crazy. Most…wait actually all diets had an authorised food list. If a food you wanted to eat wasn’t on the list, you simply couldn’t eat it. Problem was the authorised list normally contained no more than 10-20 foods…that was it! Typically it was: chicken, tuna, egg whites, fish, protein powder and oatmeal, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta and some allowed whole-wheat bread sparingly, along with plenty of vegetables.

What if I was away from my house for more than 2 hours, where was I going to cook this food? Why can’t I just have a chicken burger at McDonalds? Can’t I just have a bottle of Orange Juice at the petrol station? No, No, No if it’s not on the authorised list you can’t eat it!

These damn authorised lists also stopped me from dining out altogether…so my girlfriend suffered. At first I tried to dine out and stick to the authorised list, but I would spend half an hour explaining to the waiter what I wanted. Not only this hassle but the temptation of delicious food all around me made me to simply give up dining full stop.

This drove me crazy because I love dining out. Taking people you care about out for a special night and delicious food. Depriving myself of this right was probably one of the hardest things to cope with.

This lack of flexibility with the diet caused me to pig out on so much junk food (I don’t even want to think about how much money I have given to ol’ Colonel Sanders) I think subconsciously I might also pig out because I am a bit head strong and rebellious. (I’ll show you for not allowing me to eat my favourite foods!)

And last, but definitely not least…

10. NOT BEING ALLOWED TO “OVER-INDULGE” OCCASIONALLY

I have a ridiculously large appetite. I love to eat until I’m stuffed and feel completely satisfied. I almost show off with how much I can eat sometimes (I know that sounds bad but I am proud of how much I can put away!)

All diets were a huge culture shock to me because of how little I was allowed to eat. I probably could have stuck to them if they just let me let my hair down occasionally and “indulge” a little. Many didn’t allow any leeway though. So the pressure of depriving myself of overeating just kept building up and building up until it became unbearable. Then guess what happened. That’s right I OVER ATE and in a big way. At first I felt good about it, but then felt really depressed because I had done the wrong thing by the diet I was following.

I honestly didn’t and to this day still don’t see the harm in “pigging out” every now and then. If you stick to your diet and train hard, a large pizza to yourself or a visit to an all you can eat buffet once or twice a week will definitely not hurt your progress… in actual fact I believe it helps you. I believe it actually speeds up weight loss (I’ll go more in-depth in another article) but more importantly it helps keep you sane, and keeps cravings down, which enables you to be more consistent for a longer period of time.



Tom

September 12, 2007

Advantages of the Atkins Diet

Filed under: Nutrition — Tags: , , — chatyak @ 4:41 am
Jeff Behar asked:


Dr.Robert Atkins addressed his own weight condition from a diet he read in the Journal of the American Medical Association.  Realizing the benefits of the diet he  followed Atkins later popularized the idea as The Atkins Diet in a series of books, starting with Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution in 1972. The Atkins Diet or just ‘Atkins’ is a well known low carbohydrate diet.

How Atkins Diet Works

The Atkins Diet states we can change our metabolism and lose weight easily simply by eating foods high in protein and fat and limiting foods high in carbohydrate. Consuming a high level of carbohydrates causes overproduction of insulin, leading to increased hunger and weight gain. The diet encourages the consumption of foods rich in protein.

The Four Stages of the Atkins Diet

Induction

The Induction phase is the first, and most restrictive, phase of the Atkins Nutritional Approach. It is intended to cause the body to quickly enter a state of ketosis. Carbohydrate intake is limited to 20 net grams per day.

Ongoing Weight Loss

The Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL) phase of Atkins consists of an increase in carbohydrate intake, but remaining at levels where weight loss occurs. The target daily carbohydrate intake increases each week by 5 net grams.

Pre-Maintenance

Carbohydrate intake is increased again this time by 10 net carbs a week from the ladder groupings, and the key goal in this phase is to find the “Critical Carbohydrate Level for Maintenance”, this is the maximum number of carbohydrates you can eat each day without gaining weight.

Lifetime Maintenance

This phase is intended to carry on the habits acquired in the previous phases, and avoid the common end-of-diet mindset that can return people to their previous habits and previous weight. Whole, unprocessed food choices are emphasized, with the option to drop back to an earlier phase if you begin to gain weight.

Each stage becomes progressively less restrictive and gradually increases carbohydrates allowed.

What Food is Allowed in Atkins Diet

The allowed foods include a liberal amount of all meats, fish, shellfish, fowl, and eggs; up to 4 ounces (113 g) of soft or semi-soft cheese; salad vegetables; other low carbohydrate vegetables; and butter and vegetable oils.

Sample Menu Plan from the Atkins Diet

Breakfast:

Italian sausage frittata

Cup of Herbal Tea

Lunch

Tuna salad with mixed leafy greens topped with bacon bits

Dinner:

Bacon cheeseburger with broccoli and cauliflower

Fresh fruit kebobs

Snacks:

High-protein, low-sugar snack bar

What Food is Not Allowed in Atkins Diet

No bread, alcohol, or carbonated beverages, not even diet soda. Beverages are limited to water, and consumption of caffeine is not allowed. It May be difficult to eliminate breads and cereals, especially in families with children who love these types of foods.

Misconceptions about the Atkins Diet

Many people incorrectly believe that the Atkins Diet promotes eating unlimited amounts of fatty meats and cheeses. This is a key point of clarification that Dr. Atkins addressed in the more recent revisions of his book. Although the Atkins Diet does not impose limits on certain foods, or caloric restriction in general, Dr. Atkins points out in his book that this plan is “not a license to gorge.

Another common misconception arises from confusion between the Induction Phase and rest of the diet. The first two weeks of the Atkins Diet are strict, with only 20g of carbohydrates permitted per day. Atkins states that a dieter can safely stay at the Induction Phase for several months if the person has a lot of weight to lose. Once the weight-loss goal is reached, carbohydrate levels are raised gradually, though still significantly below USDA norms, and still within or slightly above the definition of ketosis.

Known Health Benefits of the Atkins Diet

There are over 50 studies that highlight the positive weight loss results and other health benefits associated with following the Atkins Diet. These benefits include weight loss, improvement in risk factors for heart disease, hypertension and diabetes, inflammation, benefits in treating epilepsy and decreasing obesity in children and adolescents.

Study out of University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and Washington University School of Medicine randomly assigned participants to a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diet or a low-calorie, high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet.  The low-carbohydrate diet produced a greater weight loss and was associated with a greater improvement in some risk factors for coronary heart disease.

Study out of Stanford University Medical School compared four weight-loss diets representing a spectrum of low to high carbohydrate intake for effects on weight loss and related metabolic variables. Participants assigned to follow the Atkins diet, which had the lowest carbohydrate intake, lost more than twice the weight and experienced favorable overall metabolic effects at 12 months than those assigned to follow the Zone, Ornish, or LEARN diets.

Additional Suggested Health Benefits of the Atkins Diet

Many people like being able to eat as much protein and fat as they wish, because these foods are often restricted in more traditional diet plans.

For people who have tried a low-fat, high-carbohydrate weight loss plan without success, increasing protein in their diet often results in decreased food cravings and more rapid weight loss.

The diet is relatively easy to follow; there are no complicated meal plans.

Potential Risks of the Atkins Diet

Eating unlimited amounts of fat, especially saturated fat found in meat products, can lead to increased risk of heart disease. Extensive research on healthy populations tells us to eat more fruits,vegetables and whole grains. Restricting these foods in the name of weight loss may lead to long-term health problems.

Additionally any diet that limits carbohydrate causes the body to rely on fat or muscle for energy. When our body breaks down stored fat to supply energy, a byproduct called ketones is formed. Ketones suppress appetite, but they also cause fatigue, nausea, and a potentially dangerous fluid loss. Anyone with diabetes, heart, or kidney problems should check with their physician before following a low-carb diet.

Unpleasant side effects include constipation (caused by the low-fiber diet) and bad breath.

Impact of the Atkins Diet on Diet Culture

Since the Atkins Diet made headlines n the late ’90s, there has been an explosion of low carbohydrate versions of traditionally high carbohydrate products, such as bread, pasta and even candy. Thiewed as the “grand daddy” and cause of the explosion of low carrb diets popularity in the nineties to early 2000.

What the Experts are Saying about the  Atkins Diet

Atkins Diet supporters claim it offers faster weight loss and a relatively user-friendly eating plan. Sceptics, including dietitians and nutritionists, maintain that Atkins Diet weight loss is both short-term and possibly a health risk, even though the weight loss itself may have the beneficial effect of lowering cholesterol.

Dr. Foster, one of the researchers involved in studying the Atkins Diet, acknowledged the possible health dangers of the Atkins diet and stated a longer five-year study was planned:

“This larger study of 360 participants will help us more fully assess the benefits and risks of low-carbohydrate diets on bone mass, kidney function, arterial function and exercise tolerance,” he said. “I’m very, very concerned that people will get the message from these studies that the Atkins diet is safe and effective, but I don’t believe we know that yet.”

Brigid McKevith, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), said:

“We welcome the fact that the Atkins diet is being studied scientifically and that randomised controlled studies have been carried out, because it’s very popular with the public. [however] There are several potential problems with the Atkins diet. These include long term bone health, as with a very high protein intake the excretions of calcium increase, so there could be implications for the health of bones,” she explained.

“There could be difficulties for people who have an underlying problem with their kidneys or liver, because it would be putting more strain on those organs, and problems in terms of heart disease too, as it’s a diet very low in fruits and vegetables. Also, it’s very low in fiber, so in terms of digestive health, it’s not in keeping with our fibre and complex carbohydrate recommendations.”

Belinda Linden, head of medical information at the British Heart Foundation, holds similar views.

“The new studies do not indicate a dramatic weight loss for excessively obese people,” she said. “Previous studies have shown that weight loss from the Atkins Diet may involve muscle loss rather than body fat. Another potential problem is that it is so far unclear from studies whether weight loss is sustained over a longer period than six months. One of the studies shows no significant difference at 12 months.” She added that: “With minimal fruit and vegetables included in the diet, it holds serious implications for coronary heart disease and cancer. Diets need to be varied to protect against these conditions – and this one isn’t. This diet requires further long term and larger studies before its effectiveness can be confirmed.”

Volumetrics author Barbara Rolls, PhD, who holds the Guthrie Chair in Nutrition at Penn State University, offers a very simple explanation as to why people lose weight on Atkins diet:

“They’re cutting calories, even if they don’t realize it. No one has shown, in any studies, that anything magical is going on with Atkins other than calorie restriction. The diet is very prescriptive, very restrictive, and limits half of the foods we normally eat. In the end it’s not fat, it’s not protein, it’s not carbs – it’s calories. You can lose weight on anything that helps you to eat less, but that doesn’t mean it’s good for you.”

Neal Barnard, MD, president of the Physicians Commission for Responsible Medicine, a non-profit research group based in Washington, says:

“Low-carb diets have been linked to increased frequency of colon cancer, formation of kidney stones, kidney disease, and even osteoporosis… The reason for the health worries is in large part due to red meat. People who eat meat every day have three times greater risk of developing colon cancer. And then there is the problem of the kidneys. They aren’t designed to work on an oil slick of fat.”

Susan Barr, registered dietitian in New York City, says:

“There have been reports in the medical literature that say that this low-carb diet may not be as bad as we thought. That makes people interested again in this diet, but until there is more research on what stresses the diet places on the body, there is no way to know what it might be doing besides providing short-term weight loss.”

The Bottom Line

The Atkins Diet is an optimally balanced lifetime eating plan with the flexibility to meet each individual’s unique physical condition addressing factors such as age, gender, level of physical activity, and metabolic rate.

This diet may seem like the tastiest way to lose weight, but don’t be misled by claims of effortless weight loss and unlimited amounts of food. Nothing is that simple!



Erik
Older Posts »

piw | cml | idwi | hhd4y