Atkins with leaky valve?

[Karlynn]

Right up my alley

Right up my alley

I've been low carbing for 3 years. I lost 20 pounds doing it and have done a pretty good job of maintaining, minus the extra 5 usually gained during the holidays. Which I then lose after getting back on track.

While I wasn't extremely overweight, I was heading there. Carbs were my enemy. I could make a pan a brownies and literally eat the whole thing by the end of the day. My body was craving those sweet carbs. With the heart disease and adult onset diabetes in my family, it's quite evident that insulin resistance is a genetic factor.

The problem with low-fat diets, is that many people tend to fill themselves with bread, pasta and other starchy products. If carbohydrates are not burned quickly (exercise) then they turn to fat. This is why people can get fat eating low-fat diets and why their cholesterol does not lower.

So why don't Italians get fat eating pasta? Portion size in the US is something like 3 x's what it is in Europe. But there are fat people in Europe - just not as many as in the US.

I am a low-carber with the okay of my cardiologist. I take a statin drug to keep my cholesterol down. It was 220, on statin it dropped to 190, with the LDL still being too high, with the statin and low-carbing it is 154, with my LDL in acceptable range.

If anyone is really interested in the science behind this way of eating (and there is solid, reputable science behind it)- read "How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet And Lost 40 Pounds" by Dana Carpender or get "Protein Power" by the Drs. Eades. Both also give the history behind low-carbing.

Also, never try to low-carb and low-fat at the same time. That is very bad for your body. But don't think that low-carbing means you can eat a stick of butter and a pound of bacon a day either. You have to be sensible.

The key is to be sensible. Vegetables are good, fruit (most of it) is good. Have an orange, not a glass of orange juice. If I have a glass of orange juice I'm clawing the cupboards all day looking for a box of brownies to bake!!!! Stay away from refined carbohydrates - sugar, white flour etc.

I didn't start on Adkins. It works for some, but personal opinion, it's a hard start for your body.

Adult Onset Diabetes (type 2) largest increase is in CHILDREN now. Dr.s are blaming the fast food life style - fast food is packed with carbohydrates, as well as fats.

I heard that Dr. Adkins had cardiomyopathy after a viral infection.

Lastly - drink LOTS of water (unless you have CHF). 90% of us go around constantly dehydrated because we don't drink enough water. You'll be surprised how good you feel if you are drinking your 8+ glasses of water a day.

 

[kevin21]

I've posted another thread on Atkins over on another board and it gets mixed reviews as it does here.

I have been on it 3 days and have not eaten that much red meat or that much fat (except cheese).

Last night we had grilled fish, with a little butter (not margarine), lemon juice, dill and other spices. I also had spaghetti squash with a small bit of butter and Mrs. Dash seasoning.

If you've never had spaghetti squash you're missing out!! It's nothing like regular squash!! You scoop out the seeds and stuff, like a pumpkin then bake it on 350 for 45 minutes then scoop it out with a fork. It will flake into little strands that look like spaghetti noodles!!! Way better for you than white rice or mashed potatoes and you can top them just the same!!

They cost about 2 bucks and 1/2 is more than enough than for 2 people! Good substitute for rice a roni...

 

[Nancy]

Hi Bethanne-

Once you heart has diminished capacity it starts to cause variations in other body systems. So my comments were directed specifically to people in that condition.

People with certain heart conditions have to be very, very careful of their diets. While normal people can do most anything for a short time and not have any bad problems, those with compromised hearts can get into serious trouble. Those with CHF are particularly vulnerable, as are thse with kidney problems and liver problems. Many heart patients have problems in all of these areas. If you don't have these problems, that's terrific and I hope you never do.

If your heart function is compromised, any out of the ordinary diet should be discussed with the doctor that knows your condition the best.

My comments were not directed to EVERYBODY, just those with heart conditions that have complications.

Unfortunately, this site sees people with some pretty serious heart problems. Safe is the way to go. Just check things out and get the OK from your doctor.

 

[Karlynn]

Nancy is very correct. Anyone with a heart issue should consult their physician first. I did. Unfortunately, there are many physicians that really don't keep up on diets and will dismiss them out-of-hand without learning anything about them.

One thing is for certain - our country has gotten fatter since Low-Fat diets became the medical standard. Is it because you don't need to watch your fat intake? No, it's how people then begin to appease their tastes to make up for the missing fat . Fat does add texture and taste to our foods. Quite often sugar is added to low-fat products to make up for the taste.

When I say I am a low-carb eater, what I really mean is I am an adequate carb eater. People consume way more carbohydrates than they need, and then those unused carbs get stored as fat.

I'm somewhat bothered by the fact that Low Carbing is getting to the fad stage. Which means that people will jump into it without really researching it or understanding how to apply it. Even products marked "low carb" don't mean you can have 4 dozen of them and still be on your diet. Just like cookies that are "low fat" were a good excuse to eat 10 of them. (remember- check the carbs on products labeled as "low fat") It's better to eat low-carb the natural way, consuming those foods that are naturally lower in carbohydrates. My local grocery store now has low-carb peanut butter. So I checked the label. It only has 1 less usable carb than regular peanut butter. I'm sure someone will buy the low carb version - have a half a cup and think they're okay because it's "low carb". The low-fat peanut butter has quite a bit more carbs because they've had to add more sugar to make the taste more pallitable. Label reading is very important.

I had a friend that lost 25 pounds recently by just eliminating white bread/rolls, cereal and pasta from her family's diet. I had another friend who was battling a persistant yeast infection for more than 4 months. Her doctor finally recommended to her that she take a look at her carb consumption and cut back on it.

It's really worth reading a book that explains the science behind watching carb intake, so that you know why the body does what it does and how it reacts to fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

 

[The Bionic Duo]

I too don't get the low carb fad--but then I have an irritable bowel and carbs such as pasta and rice, which are high in soluable fiber are essential for me.

I have lost a little over 20 lbs this last year by simply eating less. Watching my portion size has really worked. Ever since Bob had his surgery I have been very careful about salt intake and I think that has helped a LOT. I also discovered that foods labeled low fat upped the salt and surgar content to make up for the flavor--it really pay to read labels.

One of the other things I started to do more of is eat home cooked food. Because I work kinda strange hours (1- 10PM) I got into the habit of going out for a good meal for my lunch break, and I think that was not only fueling my irritable bowel problems, but was contributing to my weight gains.

The one thing I need to add to my routine now is more excercise--I was not doing enough due a really bad knee and now that I've had it replaced I have run out of excuses not to do more excercise. (Actually we bought a new excercise bike and we're both using it more than the old fossil we had hanging around in the garage.)

Every thing in moderation, including moderation (Julia Child I believe).

Joan

 

[tommy]

Way to go Joan!

One of the other things I started to do more of is eat home cooked food.

It's darn hard to eat healthy in any restaurant - fast or sit-down alike.

 

[Abbanabba]

In Italy people eat lots of pasta and compared with Americans Italians are slim

...And buggered if I know how they manage this... I spent some time living over there and their way of eating certainly didn't do my waistline any favours!! It did amaze me though how petite so many of them are - until they hit old age, and POW, doesn't it catch up with them then!! The only differences I really noticed were that they don't drink as much beer and softdrink (..red wine all the way..), and eat their meals over quite a long time-frame (..and let me tell you, they can certainly "chow down some groceries"..). Must be something in the gene-pool!

Anna : )

 

[tommy]

Must be the red wine.
Metobolism sure slows down after 40 and again close to 50.
My parents are in their 80's. For dessert, they share 1 cookie.

 

[Karlynn]

For dessert, they share 1 cookie.

Now that is just down right depressing!

My joke with my sister (who also low carbs) is that if I'm going to consume carbs, they better be the chocolate kind.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

I've been following a Weight Watchers type diet. Actually it is Weight Watchers, but I don't attend the meetings. I also tend to splurge a little on weekends because we've been traveling so much lately and eating in restaurants. I've lost about 13-14 pounds in about 4 weeks. I'm drinking lots of water, eating healthy, and watching portions.

I'm not sure I agree with what y'all are saying about watch your water intake if you are in CHF. When I was in CHF my doctor recommended I drink 8 glasses of water a day because it is a natural diuretic. Fluid in = more fluid out. I know that it worked for me, but I wasn't in chronic CHF, mainly just when I was sick or run down.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

Also, I've been getting some recipes from a website called 3fatchicks.com. I know that the recipes have WW points, and I think that they have Atkins info as well.

 

[Karlynn]

Lisa,
So glad your eating program is going well. Weekends are hard. I don't go wild on them, but I do allow myself a little more "cheating" than I do during the week. The key is not letting the weekend slide into the week!

I don't think 8 glasses of water is too much for most people. I drink way more than 8 - sometimes up to a gallon a day, which is what my caution was related to.

The other key is getting into your mind that you are not dieting, but changing your way of eating. I had to tell myself (and continue to do so) that if I don't keep my way of eating on track, I will constantly be battling weight, high cholesterol and Type 2 Diabetes.