Fads stick around.

And fads involving weight loss that make the ailing 'animal protein industries' a sh*tload of money will stick around as long as they can make it last....

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Where would you want to swim ?

yes, I understand this...but I also thought that drs would avoid tips that are potentially life-threatening on the long term...specially with so many lawsuits here.

BTW, is anyone still on the 40-30-30 diet? Balance bars and all that shit? :-)

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"Yeah, no one likes a smartass, but we all like stars" - Thom Yorke


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com

If it's too good to be true, it probably is.

The American psyche wants a quick fix and a fad to attempt to "cure" just about anything. In this case, it's obesity.

They don't want to go do the work of eating sensibly or exercising to lose weight. In this plight they'll find anyone with "credentials" to justify the science behind the plan.

I have discussed this with several people from fitness directors to a friend who teaches Med here in San Diego - Avoid the low carb diet - even if you are not putting in the time like alot of us do for training it is just not good for you - you are right in the kidney damage -- There is also an increased risk of colon cancer due to the lack of fiber

I heard a study on PBS that low carb dieters lost weight faster but had the same overall weight loss after a year as a more zone like diet (40/30/30). If it was for a challenge maybe they were looking for that initial drop?

I just dialed 40-30-30-D.I.E.T and that number is not a valid one.
;-)

Low Carb Diets are my personal pet peeve. I have people come through my Spinning class all the time who tell me they are trying to slim down and are on a low carb diet. They then wonder why their energy levels are so low while trying to work out. So what happens? They stop working out.

The truly scary part is, this has become a sub-economy. I was in line at Subway a few days ago behind a woman ordering the turkey bacon wrap with extra meat. Somehow in her mind the double bacon was healthy because it wasn't on bread. And now, this is becoming part of student curriculum in some school districts because school funding is too low to buy material and the Atkins people are handing it out to elementary schools for free disguised as nutritional education. ACK!

I'm convinced that most people aren't consulting with their doctors, and they really have no idea what to do for diet.

by the end of the decade americans are going to be fatter and fatter--just like at the end of the 90's after the "low fat" and "fat free" food craze.

it's all a damn shame. 5% of diets are successful. and by the end of the decade, I'm sure heart disease will be skyrocketted from this garbage of low carb/high fat and protein dieting. it's a tragedy, and you know there's something wrong with the world when someone looks at an apple and is convinced that it's going to make them fat.

(heavy sigh) kittycat

"There is also an increased risk of colon cancer due to the lack of fiber"

I'm not advocating the diet, but because I have read the Atkins book (I was interested) I feel I need to respond to this statement. That particular low-carb diet certainly does not advocate reducing fiber intake. Quite the opposite.

(The following is a general statement and is not directed at tricat or any other poster in this thread) For some reason the diet debate is just like politics, abortion, and Iraq. Each side loves to misrepresent the other, rather than making a case for themselves. Second hand information sucks. How many from the "Atkins-is-the-devil" group actually read his book? Listening to someone make a case and thinking about it for yourself does not amount to agreeing with the case being made.

and, you know what else is strange Pooks, is that people are actually trying the diet without having read the book...hence you have people looking at apples as bad, etc. they really have no idea what the real principles behind the diet are, but yet attempt it.

Ok, a couple of comments:

- I think the reason it's still around is because it really works for some people; my sister (40+ lbs), mother (15+) and father (25+) have lost a ton of weight each on the South Beach Diet; they are not big exercisers (they walk and ride their bike, but not very serious), so this is possibly why it has helped them.

- I think it works best in moderation and with proper education. Atkins (in my opinion) goes way too far. South Beach is a little better. It would be better if people learned why something is good or bad for you rather than just stamping all carbs as bad. For example, all bread isn't bad, but learning the correct choices to make is important.

- I don't see how anyone who trains regularly could perform their best on any of these kinds of diets.

- Once someone tells me I can't have something, I instantly crave it. None of this would work for me.

D.

Second hand information sucks. How many from the "Atkins-is-the-devil" group actually read his book?

I have no intention of reading the book. For all I know, the claims everyone makes about it are incorrect.

On the other hand, I know several people who say they have read the book and are following the Atkins plan, and they eat disasterously. I can't say whether or not they're actually following the regimine laid out in the book, but I can say that, at the very least, their understanding of the diet is not doing them any good.

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"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

LOL! Couldn't agree more! One advantage of Ironman training is that by peak training time, you are simply a garbage disposal. As long as you're eating well 90% of the time, it's easy to have a few of life's pleasures (like Dairy Queen Oreo Blizzards!!)

"and, you know what else is strange Pooks, is that people are actually trying the diet without having read the book"

Ha ha! Very good, and very true. After taking the time to read the book, I was suprised how I found the diet to be yet another "eat a balanced diet" and "avoid processed foods" recommendation with the obvious exception of the controversial introductory ketosis phase. (Though admittedly the diet is lighter on carbs than most)

For folks who don't do the research and try one of these diets, all I can think of is the Budweiser "Real Men of Genius" ad about the "Over-the-top Carb Counter" who's target carb intake was zero.

Granted, reading the book and being informed does not necessarily make this diet a good idea. I just think that folks (especially the "Atkins-is-evil crowd) will find that the books are far less radical than they are made out to be.

"- Once someone tells me I can't have something, I instantly crave it. "

It is this odd phenomenon that moved me at one point in my life to tell every beautiful woman I came across that she couldn't have me. Oddly enough, it rarely produced the desired effect.

Not directed at you, but I needed to respond to something.....

Exactly what "low-carb" diets are everybody talking about....Because there IS a difference.

I'm not a big believer of the Atkins approach, mainly because I have a pretty good gut feeling that your body just isn't meant to have all that "saturated" fat. Now, for another option, the South Beach diet, well, It's not really low carb and/or high fat. It's more about eating the right foods. The premise is to get your body off the sugar binge (all the bad type carbs/sugars we americans love)...Then supply your body with the proper mix of carbs / protien / and essential good fats. Is is a secret that Oreos and DQ Blizzards aren't all that good for you? Is is news that lean poulty and fish is good for you? How about oatmeal, high fiber veggies and fruits?

I personally lost 18 lbs. by cutting out the crap carbs I was eating (yes - including real beer) and have never felt better nearly a year later...My training and racing has never been better including running.

i actually did the 'diet'. i went from 173lbs/12% to 138 lbs/3%. i have since steadied out at 150lbs/6-10%, depending on time of year. theres good and bad, but more bad, in my opinion. in some respects it did teach me i was eating too many carbs....when i say carbs, im being slightly facetious. the problem is the media has incorporated all carbs to be bad. no one will ever convince me an apple is as bad as a candy bar. nor will anyone ever convince me that eating a stick of pepperoni and a block of cheese for breakfast is healthy. ( i saw my boss do this). the real bad is that i not only lost fat but about 17 lbs of lean body mass. i also will say that i believe this way of eating does something really bad to the kidneys. i didnt have any particular problem, but felt dehydrated all the time, regardless of how much water i drank.

since doing the low carb thing ive found that when you eat a healthy diet (and we all know what that means) and cut out the junk food that you can lose weight just as effectively. im glad i went low carb but i dont beleive its the correct, or only way to go. the reality is that if you want to lose weight safely and effectively it means giving up the junk and soda and alcohol, etc....and showing some hardcore discipline. (its a very difficult thing to do)

now, if you excuse me, theres a donut calling my name...

In the area I live there are two aterial stent companies. A friend of mine works for one and says (with a wink/wink) they love to see the growth of their future customer base. Eventually all those cholesterol clogged arteries will need to be reopened and stented. Invest in pharms and medical device companies and in a few years you can retire early! Of course we will all pay for this one way or another.

Mike

This whole low-carb crap is total BS. Think about it...the #1 and #2 killers in the US are cardiovascular disease and cancer. Most of us know someone dealing with one of these concerns and what type of diet does every single practitioner recommend? LOW FAT, especially saturated fat with an emphasis on whole grain foods as well as fruits and vegetables.

So Atkins and South Beach totally contradicts the diet practitioners have recommended for the number #1 & #2 killers.

Dave from VA

Francois,

Everyone who claims to be a doctor in an infomercial or whatever is not nessecarily a PHYSICIAN ;^)

High protein diets are bad for you in so many ways. They are even worse for athletes, who REQUIRE high carb diets for maximum performance. Most of the weight loss from Atkins et al (at least initially) is water weight you lose as you run down your glycogen stores.

As someone pointed out, it is a fad, but the problem is now that there is a subculture built around it. Amen, brother. Forget the book, can anyone honestly tell me that eating one of those processed garbage Atkin's Bars is any good for you at all? Have you ever looked at the ingredients? Criminy. This company is making millions off of nonsense, and that is what it is all about now, money. It amazes me that people look at a loaf of bread or a bowl of fruit and make the conscious decison that "this package of bacon/slab of cheese is better for me."

The reverence with which people discuss the Atkins "theories" never ceases to amaze me. What is so hard about the balanced diet?

There are several doctors in my family, and STILL I have sisters on the Atkins Plan instructing us on all we don't know about diet. Unfortunately, none of us are cardiologists. They will need one.

rant mode off,

Phil

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Dr. Philip Skiba
Scientific Training for Endurance Athletes now available on Amazon!

http://www.scarysquirrel.org/...s/foamy/fatkins.html

Bring back my Twinkies!!!!

I did the high protein thing about 5 yrs ago - lots of meat, protein shakes, very few carbs...result? I lost a bunch of weight, put on about 5kgs of muscle (lots and lots of weight training)....and had some awful toilet experiences, as well as feeling thirsty the whole time.

I gave up after a year because I thought my bowels would burst, one day. And I figured anything that made my body work that hard couldn't be good for you.

Balanced diet is such an obvious, simple way to go...

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kiwipat

per ardua ad astra

This is an instating topic, my wife and I have been on the “Zone” plan for 6 years now, it’s the 40,30,30 plan. At the inception I was 185/190 lbs and who knows the body fat %, but was and still am a competitive cyclist, now I’m at 160/165 lbs and 7 to 8% body fat now and I’m 6’1”. With all of these high protein diet’s going around, I feel the Zone has be over looked! But the Zone is a science book and you have to read it to understand what you are doing. It explains what’s going on with what you eat, and what the carb’s, protein, and fat are doing in your system, and yes you have to read the book to under stand what you are doing!! No free lunches here. But it works and quite well for us. The Zone was written by Dr Berry sears is a cancer researcher who had most of his male family member die of heart problems. So being a researcher he set out to find a better way of eating, and the jest of the book and the plane is that food is a drug good and bad and you have to treat it that way. And ya you can eat the bad proteins and bad carbs and the bad fats and still be with in 40,30,30 plane but it’s not going to get you to were you want to be.

So I guess what I want to say is a “lower” carb diet works but you still have to pick what your eating from the fresh side of the store!

Bikedude…