Conference rocks::weight_control

    I've always had a great deal of success on low carb diets, I know
    some people don't, especially when combined with a good exercise
    program. I'm currently on one and have lost 25 pounds so far. I
    usually get down to about this weight and quit, but this time I'm
    determined to go all the way.
    
    The basic low carb diet restricts your intake of carbohydrates
    to 60 grams or less per day. Anything less than 40 can be really
    bad for your health, I consider any diet that recommends less than
    40 to be in the 'fad' category and should be avoided.
    
    This is how I run my diet:
    
    	Breakfast: This is a real gimme! Any egg & [blank] breakfast
    	will have zero carbs if you just don't eat the toast. My current
    	favorite is left over quiche, good either cold or microwaved.
    
    	Lunch: Fast food. Yes I said fast food. Now that every place
   	in the world has chicken nuggets, it's easy to get a quick
    	low carb lunch. (I know I should eat better at lunch but in
    	this business that's hard to do) I try to keep lunch at 10
    	carbs or less.
    
    	Dinner: By not eating any carbs for breakfast and keeping the
    	lunch total low I can eat a fairly normal dinner without going
    	over the daily limit. I just avoid eating bread and known high
    	carb foods like corn and potatoes.
    
    	Snacks: I have several favorites. The big surprise is macadamia
    	nuts, believe it or not these caloric dynamos have only 1 gram
    	of carbohydrate per 6-8 nuts. I keep a big can near the frig
    	to head off any temptation. I also like pickled eggs (an acquired
    	taste best learned in taverns) and lots of cheese (all kinds
    	are zero carbs).
    
    As with all diets that give you quick results, a low carb diet
    works by disturbing you bodies normal metabolism. This does tend
    to cause some side effects (it always hits me hardest when I go
    to the bath room). For this reason it is important to supplement
    your diet with some vitamins and minerals, I also include a fiber
    supplement to replace all the bread and grains I'm missing.
    
    I always set short term goals, no more than 10 or 15 pounds at
    a time, and once I reach them I go off the diet for the same amount
    of time I was on it. This lets my body adjust to the new weight
    and keeps me from gaining it all right back. During these off periods
    I try to stay in the dieting mood and not pig out, but I do reward
    myself with some of my favorite foods.
    
    Well that's more than enough for now.
    
    Think thin,
    Paul. (3 more pounds and I'm going to bake myself some banana bread!)

    I've been using the Atkins diet for the past week since I was craving
    protein incessantly.  It keeps you from getting hungry.
    
    I've been splurging on cheese omelets for breakfast, chicken and
    turkey from the cold cut line along with a small salad with oil
    and vinegar for lunch, and misc. protein at night.  I love being able
    to have cream in my coffee.
    
    The best thing about the Atkins diet is that you can buy "ketostix"
    at the drugstore.  You test your urine with them, and depending
    on the darkness of the shade of purple the test stick turns, you
    know how efficiently your body is burning fat.  I love having an
    objective way to test how well I am doing.
    
    I turned "moderate" purple last night, and hope to be "dark" tonight.
    It's a great motivation not to cheat because cheating will set you
    two days back to no purple--everything makes a difference and shows
    right up.
    
    I can't do this diet for more than a month or two, though.  

I personally cannot recommend the low-carb diet(s) e.g. Atkins. I lost
the weight alright but then I woke up with a stabbing pain on the side.
This turned out to be a kidney stone, which I never had before or since.
I told the doctor that I was teh Atkins diet. He told me to get off 
immediately as it probably brough on this condition. Low-carb diets
tend to allow one too much fat - e.g. Cream in coffee instead of milk.
Chocolate mousse, oil, butter etc. I also seem to have a persistant
bad breath. One cannot stay on this diet for long and once you go
off, the weigth comes right back on very quickly since you are eating
more carbohydrates. These diets are considered dangerous by AMA etc.

    Hi!  I am a true Atkins believer.  I have never found a diet so
    easy to stick to!  It works, I feel good when I'm on it, I have
    lots of energy, and I lose weight happily!  If you are creative
    with the foods you can eat, it does not get boring, and yes, Atkins
    diet is initially a 0 carbohydrate diet, but if you sit and read
    the book, and you progress in you weight loss, you start adding
    carbohydrates back in until you find you tolerance, therefore, it
    is not 0 consistantly, and like weight watchers, it has a maintenance
    program, and recipes to keep things interesting.  For people like
    myself who have a metabolism that is screwed up in the first place
    a deliberatly unbalanced diet works best.  Oh, and my doctor
    recommended it!   I tried the 60 carbs a day, but found when I wasn't
    limited to 0 to start with, I just kept wanting more, until eventually,
    I was no longer under my 60 a day any longer.  I think I require
    the regiment of what foods I can and can't eat, then I don't even
    think about it after awhile.  Well, that's enough for now, but I
    wish you luck with yours, and as long as it works for you I think
    it's great!
    
    Kim

    
    
    Well here I am, back on Atkins again.  Why?  Because it gives me
    the boost I need in my never ending quest for weight loss.
    
    10 years ago I lost 40 lbs on  Atkins and I progressed the diet
    the way its supposed to be done.  I added the carbos until I was
    on maintenance and managed to keep the weight off for quite a few
    years.  Last year I was tipping the scales 30+ pounds overweight
    and lost 20 of it since last February by cutting calories and 
    exercise.  These last 10-15 just would not come off and I was
    practically starving myself.  I'm back on modified Atkins (not
    zero level, but very low carbo intake) and noticed weightloss
    and inch loss (I'm still exercising regularly) and I feel so
    much better.  I know I can't stay on this forever, but I hope
    to get rid of these extra 10 and then progress slowly to a 
    "normal" carbo level.  We'll see how it goes, but when nothing
    else works for me, Atkins does.  And you will gain the weight
    right back if you don't accelerate carbo intake SLOWLY.  
    

    That's what I'm doing, too.  It's the best jumpstart I know of!
    
    Holly

    
    
    	At the risk of sounding naive, what foods are high in carbs??
    	What is the reasoning behind the Atkin's diet? 
    

    As a result of my reading, whilst getting into bodybuilding, here
    are some tidbits of info on low carb diets.
    
    Carbs tend to bind water in our bodies.  This is natural and
    healthy - it's their job.  One of the "features" of low-carb
    diets is that all the water gets drained out.  You lose a LOT
    of weight.  It all comes back when you start eating normally.
    
    Carbs are what you use for energy to your muscles.  If you don't
    have carbs, you will start eating up your muscles for energy.
    You can't use fat for the same thing - though you *will* use fat
    for energy you will still lose muscle on a low carb diet.
    
    Carbs are found in all grains, fruits and vegetables.  There are
    several varieties of carbs - the main two are sugars and starches.
    Sugars give you quick energy.  Starches are slower and steadier
    burners and give you longer term energy.  Without carbs, you'll
    get to feeling draggy pretty quickly.
    
    Carbohydrates and proteins have the same amount of calories per
    gram.  Fats have about two times that amount of calories per
    gram.  I think it's 4/gm for the protein and carb and 9/gm for
    fat, but don't quote me.

    Most Americans overeat protein and fat, and undereat carbohydrates.
    This is one of the leading causes of heart disease etc.  In cultures
    where the balance is pushed toward eating more carbs, there is less
    problem with cholesterol and other diseases.  Also, carbs and fiber
    tend to be found in the same foods, and fiber is very important
    in a healthy diet.
    
    In general, a low fat diet is best for long term.  If you try a
    low carb diet, don't stay on it for long.  You aren't eating in
    the most healthy manner, and you can't learn good eating habits
    on a low carb diet.
    
    --Louise

    I know this note is a year old, but.... 
    
    I was wondering if any of you dieter's out there were on a low
    carbohydrate diet right now or have been on one recently.  How did
    you feel when you were on it?  How much did you lose?  What types
    of food did you or didn't you eat, etc..?
    
    Thanks for any info you can give me!
    
    -Beth

    	I have tried it in the past and hated it.  I did loose weight,
    but have found it much better to simply change my eating habbits
    so that when I am reducing, I am eating foods of all the food groups.
    Carbo's are everything from bread and pasta to apples.
    I ate a lot of vegitables, and meats.  
    
    Personally I would not recomend this method, not only is it a
    depravation form of dieting, it is one of the typical YOYO diets.
    
    Remember it is much better to change your eating habbits then deprive
    your self.
    
    
    						Paul 

    Beth,
    
    I have done Atkins wich is 0 carbohydrates, and I have lost, but
    I find I do best at under 30 carbs a day.  This is what I am doing
    now, this way, I do not feel deprived, it's a matter of give and
    take....If I absolutely have to have a candy bar, than Peanut Butter
    Twix has 13 carb's, and I stick to just meat and veggies the rest
    of the day, or a sandwich is fine with light bread, but don't have
    it the same day as the Twix.  I don't feel deprived on this diet,
    as with any worthwile diet, you can eat anything in moderation.
    I just posted my progress for week 1, and I lost ten pounds, if
    your still considering a low carb diet, I'll be posting my progress
    weekly. Or you can write to me off-line if you like.
    
    Kim

    I just got evaluated positively for SAD (Seasonal AFfective Disorder)
    and was amazed to find that for women there is a positive correlation
    between SAD, PMS, underactive thyroid, and carbohydrate cravings.
    In early March I got back on my high protein, low carb, no sugar
    diet, and a lot of mood swings have stopped.  My productivity at
    work is way up, and not as erratic.  My PMS symptoms (cramps,
    weight gain, depression) are almost non-existent this month.
    
    Plus, due to SAD, I have always gained weight in the fall and lost
    it in the spring.  I have always lost all of it in the spring, though,
    and it crept up on me.  I gained 35 pounds last fall, and have gotten
    17 of it off on the no sugar/low carb plan. 
    
    I just started attending some OA meetings, and have really been
    interested in the number of people there who define themselves as
    carb and sugar sensitive -- for them it's a drug.  I think I'm one
    of them.  
    
    I think some people are general overeaters and others are very
    carb/sugar sensitive.  It's real important to find out which you
    are.
    
    Holly

	There was a great article in Scientific American on SAD.
    
    	I had copies of it awhile back ... if you check your
    local library, and lokk back about 5 issues, you'll find
    it ... something like Carbohydrate Craving Obesity was in
    the title.
    
    -mike z

    It was the January '89 issue.