Dr. Atkins, My New Hero

For those of you who don't already know, the dieting world suffered a great loss on April 10th.

Dr. Atkins, the nutritionist who created the "High-Protein, Low-Carb" diet, was 72 years old, when he died on Thursday.

In 1963, Dr. Atkins saw a picture of himself, that showed he had gained 30lbs. in the years he was in medical school. It was then that he started dieting. After many failed attempts, he attempted a Low-carb solution that worked very well. 9 years later, after subsequent research and extensive investigation, Dr. Atkins published "Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution."

At that time, it went against many Nutritional Experts opinion. Deemed unhealthy and likely to cause heart damage, His theories have been debunked and reproven in the 30+ years since publishing date.

Now, you may ask "Why is this man my Hero?" Is it because he went against mainstream opinion, and stood up for something he believed in? Believed enough that he would establish a foundation to support research and Education on how limiting Carb intake can help treat and prevent a wide range of illnesses.

No, he's my hero because he spent 40 years formulating and following a diet and eating plan to live a healthy life, and he died because he slipped on a patch of ice and hit his head.

Just goes to show that because you diet, watch your weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle, you're not necessarily going to live a long time. You never know when that patch of ice, or that idiot driver, or that speeding meteor, or that fawlty tower is going to kill you.

I'm off to Burger King for a King Size Double whopper with a Coke now!

AO

All those health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

Besides, did you know that Jim Fixx, first man to break a recorded four-minute mile, died of a heart attack during his morning jog?

Well, I can deal with dying of some stupid accident I couldn't prevent. I can't accept dying of something I could have prevented - and also suffering poor quality of life because of something I could have prevented.

I was also under the impression that Roger Bannister was the first man to break the four minute mile.

Originally posted by vat_man
Well, I can deal with dying of some stupid accident I couldn't prevent. I can't accept dying of something I could have prevented - and also suffering poor quality of life because of something I could have prevented.

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Ditto. I've had way too many relatives die early because they didn't eat right or treat their body right, and like vat_man, I'd hate myself if I died prematurely just because I gorged a bit more than I should've - One doesn't have to avoid every bad food and eat tiny little meals to stay fit, but rather, just eat in moderation.

For example, I rarely drink soda, not because I purposely avoid it, but because water is a lot more refreshing, and I won't puke it back up while running, and how many health benefits are there to drinking water? Food - I eat my fair share of chocolate and fatty foods (I just finished off a chocolate chip cookie, and I'm going to eat some M&M's in a sec), but I don't constantly eat the stuff, and I try to balance it out with fruits (which taste great!). I have Krispy Kreme donuts, I have those sugar-laden Cadbury eggs, I eat ice cream... I don't eat that stuff on a regular basis.


Why not have a sandwhich for lunch instead of a hamburger? How about a banana instead of chips? A bottle of water instead of a soda? Some chicken instead of steak? How about some rice instead of that bread with butter on it? A glass of milk instead of that beer? Ever tried frozen yogurt or frozen coconut milk instead of ice cream? How about low fat yogurt and milk instead of the whole versions? A slice of cheese instead of that mayo? A Rice Krispies treat instead of that cookie/cake? A bowl of chopped fruit and some wheat toast instead of that pastry? An orange instead of orange juice?


There are so many little things that you can do to cut calories and sugar, without putting a considerable dent in taste.

The consensus with the Atkins Diet is that it's wonderful, if you need to lose weight temporarily, or if you have hundreds of pounds to lose.

One problem with the diet is that you can harm your kidneys and liver (or so I've heard?) by ingesting large quantites of protein on a continous basis.

I tried the Atkins Diet for week with Kathy, just to see what the fuss was all about. I was tired and irritable; maybe it was the lack of sugar and carbohydrates that my body had been used to for over 27 years. I was a lot thirstier, too. One week was enough, I think I lost 2 pounds, though (although I'm at a normal weight for my my height and age).

The other problem is the lack of food choices: about 95% of my favorite foods had to get the axe for a week. Not worth it...life is short, and it's not like I'm eating fast food more than once or twice amonth.

You have to drink a lot of water through the initiation part of the diet - people don't drink enough water anyway - as it helps the kidneys process the waste product from burning.

Sugar is a major issue, and for mine the main focus of the Atkins Diet. Atkins basically focuses on the elimination of carbs derived from sugar and white flour, as the diet progresses you are allowed some from fruit, nuts and so on.

Originally posted by vat_man
You have to drink a lot of water through the initiation part of the diet - people don't drink enough water anyway - as it helps the kidneys process the waste product from burning.

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I'd been drinking somewhere between 50-70 ounces of water a day for 5 years, and was still quite parched after 10 minutes!

As they say, consult a doctor (a good one, at least) before changing your dietary habits.

Fair point - my partner had her doctor recommend it to her - apparently they're seeing good results with it.

I have a set of fat analyser scales - I dropped 3 1/2 kilo in a month on it, and it was pretty well all fat.

I think it's about reasonable care. About not (and this used to be a major weakness of mine) eating food because it was there. About leaving the last little bit on the plate, because frankly you've had enough. It's about not having the 3am kebab even though every cell in your body is screaming "I'm hungry".

Full respect to those who can do Atkins and keep it up. I looked into it, and it involved giving up too much, and I would rather be a stone overweight than live a life of denial.

We're doing the Hay (food combining) diet. It's working for us at the moment, and hasn't resulted in too much of a lifestyle change.