I keep hearing the claim that Atkins is a low calorie diet, and everybody protesting it. Why ?? For decades Drs have been prescribing, dangerous drugs as "appetite supressors" so people would consume fewer calories. Ketosis is an appetite supressor.
If you consume a 500 calorie high carb breakfast you will be hungry at 10 or 11 A.M. Eat a 500 calorie "Atkins" breakfast and you might forget to eat lunch. Net result.. fewer calories. What the heck is wrong with that ?? Isn't that the Atkins principle that carbs produce insulin and (too much) insulin produces hunger. Cut insulin and you won't get hungry as soon..

Skamito,
5000 calories a day, if all fat, won't make you fat. Fat cannot be stored without insulin. I found this in "Adiposity 101"



It makes a great read at
http://www.omen.com/adipos.html

danny

Danny, it is wrong to think of this is a reduced calorie diet. Granted, most have reduced their calories...but, that is not why this diet works. This diet works because, (as you quoted) without insulin the body cannot store fat.

The danger is that everyone will think that the calories are all that count. Then, when someone wants that HC treat...she'll go for it because she can still keep under 1500 calories...But, she will be thrown out of ketosis, regain her addictions, gain a bunch of weight back, and may even quit the diet. Letting people believe calories are all that count is an opne door to cheating.

I'm at goal and I eat like a pig!!
 

I'm in great shape...the best I've ever been in. I still eat like a pig...my wife complains that I eat too much to be in such good shape! One of the reasons she doesn't "believe' in the "diet." Go figure. So, this WOE being low calorie can be true for some people, but not for others. I am a compulsive overeater and have not changed my "bad" habit of eating a lot of food...it makes me feel good, temporarily, and so what? I'm not going to start worrying, again, like I used to as to why I overeat and then, feel all guilty and be miserable because I'm such a "terrible" person. Yeah, I probably have some deep-seated psychological reason for doing it, but I don't have the time...or the money...to waste trying to figure it out. Instead, I go hiking in my mountains, work all of my co-workers under the table trying to keep up with me, ride my bike, exercise like a mad man (because I now love to), and eat when I'm hungry and eat a lot. I LOVE this WOE!!!

I guess the 84 pounds i've lost and kept off for 2 yrs is water weight. D*mn i was hoping it was fat i lost. Oh well i guess i'm going to have to go on a low fat diet to lose real weight. ;)


Jon

You want to talk about water loses...you should look at a LF diet. When I did a LF diet several years ago...I lost 22 pounds...and got my BMI into the normal range (< 25). But, I didn't lose even one pant size. I never could figure out how I could go from Obese (my BMI was just over 30) to Normal (just under 25) without losing even a single pants size. It obviously wasn't fat or I would have lost inches too.

On top of that, LF dieting zapped my energy...and made me generally miserable.

I think I once knew...
 

Hey, CC48510...I think I once knew what BMI was but, now I have forgotten...could you clue me in? You had a similar experience that I had when i was in Weight Watchers and lost 117 pounds...my body dimensions didn't change the way they have on this WOE...not even close and I have lost less weight, this time...

Re: I think I once knew...
 

BMI = Body Mass Index. BMI is used to form the weight/height charts used by doctors:

Under 15.0 -- Emaciated
15.0 - 17.5 -- Anorexic
17.5 - 20.0 -- Underweight
20.0 - 25.0 -- Healthy Weight
25.0 - 30.0 -- Overweight
30.0 - 40.0 -- Obese
Over 40 -- Morbidly Obese

Weight is in kilos (pounds / 2.2). Height is in meters (inches / 39.37).

For Americans (pounds, inches) --

BMI = (weight / 2.2) / ((height / 39.37)^2)

For Europeans (kilos, meters) --

BMI = weight / (height^2)

For example, someone who weighs 220 pounds (100 kilos) and is 6' 7" (2 meters)...his BMI would be 100/(2^2) or 25.

Thanks!
 

Thanks, cc48510!

I am presently at 25.58 BMI, according to what you have given me, here. I am just overweight by .58! Of course, that will put me in the very top range of the "Healthy" category. That also shows me that I should not go below 155 lbs. I sure feel healthy, right now! In fact, I've NEVER felt healthier! I will be suprised if I feel any better if I get my weight any lower! Now, I'm even less motivated to lose much more. Of course, as we know, Charts can be very deceptive!

I didn't follow the formula, I used a web site but at 5"8" and 197 your BMI is 30, which is the boundary of overweight and obese. At 155 your BMI would be 23.6 which is considered healthy. Perhaps a good target weight based on BMI. You would need to get down to 131 to have a BMI below 20, which is considered underweight.

I used http://www.halls.md/body-mass-index/av.htm

My BMI is 23.7 right now and I know if I hit 155, a BMI of 22.2, friends would become very concerned about me being too underweight. At 140 my BMI would 20.1 which, for me, would likely appear anorexic but BMI indicates is still healthy.

Re: Thanks!
 

Are your stats correct. 197 pounds ~ 5'8" (68") ???

(197 pounds / 2.2) = 89.54 kilos
(68 inches / 39.37) = 1.7272 meters
1.7272^2 = 2.98
89.54 kilos / 2.98 = 30 BMI

25.58 BMI * 2.98 = 76.2284 kilos
76.2284 kilos * 2.2 = 168 pounds

I think I made a mistake but....
 

I just did it according to the way you showed me, here, again...I also realised I am 69" tall...that changes my height to 1.75 * 2=3.5, right? In other words, 69"/39.37=1.75 * 2 = 3.5.
Therefore, 197 / 2.2 = 89.55 / 3.5 = 25.58, right? I think I may still be missing something...I have always had a mental block with numbers...I was told I had a math learning disability when I was in school...Somehow, I managed to get a Master's Degree and almost a PhD (dropped out during the dissertation because my wife divorced me and I went bankrupt)...But, I'm a high school teacher and the students make me really look bad, sometimes when it comes to figuring numbers.

I keep getting the same results...
 

cc4851...No matter what I do...figuring backwards like you did, etc., I still come up the the same numbers...It's hard to believe that one inch in height can make THAT big of a difference in BMI. And, Groggy60, I went to that site and did it according to their figuring and came up with a BMI of 29.1...Does that mean I'm way into the overweight category? I know I have muscles where I didn't have them before...my arms are amazing me, every day...I still can't believe I'm the guy staring back at me in the mirror. Under all of my overhanging flab that still exists on my stomach, is a washboard abdomen...I know, I can feel it!! My legs are as hard as rocks and I can literally bound up 40 flights of stairs (two at a time) and begin breaking a sweat at the 20th floor...I do it every other day. So, I'm wondering if I have gained muscle while losing fat and if that is making my BMI look like I'm really into the overweight category, when maybe, I'm not. People say that I look "just right" and most people tell me not to lose any more weight...but, I never beleive other people, one way or the other, about my wieght...I guess that's a problem.

Extra (or low) muscle mass is the chronic flaw of BMI. BMI's core bad assumption is that everyone has roughly the same muscle mass, so that extra amounts (higher numbers) of BMI are fat.

Obviously, this is ridiculous.

There has been talk of reducing the good BMIs for Asians to reflect their smaller frames.

capt, ^ is used somewhat in computers to represent "to the power of". I.E. X^Y means X to the power of Y.

197 / 2.2 = 89.54
69 / 39.37 = 1.75
1.75^2 = 1.75 * 1.75 = 3.0625
89.54 / 3.0625 = 29.24

25 BMI * 3.0625 = 76.5 kg
76.5 kg * 2.2 = 168.3 lbs

wt / 2.2
------------------------------------ = BMI
(height / 39.37) * (height / 39.37)

As gotbeer explained...muscle is heavier than fat. So, if that extra weight is muscle...you're fine. BMI assumes that extra weight is all fat. Body fat percentage would probably be a better estimate of health. But, don't use the online calculators because they aren't very accurate. I'm not sure what a healthy BF% is, though.

Well...DUH!!!
 

Like I said...I'm a dunce with math...That makes all the difference! Thank you for your patience, all of you! I used to feel all inadequate about this stuff, but now, I just accept that math is one of those things I just don't have an aptitude for...I have other "gifts." I must seek out people like yourselves to make my world make some sense, sometimes. Wow! I'm still considered "almost" Obese. Hmmmmmm. I don't see an obese person in the mirror. Is it my mistaken body image, or what? Now, there I go, questioning myself again! I lke the "new me" and I'm very phsycially comfortable with me, so why do I do this to myself?