hi....I've been on Atkins 4 weeks, lost 15 lbs, and am 50 lbs away from goal. I feel pretty content on Atkins, losing weight this way is mostly effortless, and I'm never hungry. But I'm pretty early in the game! I was going about my merry way when I get this low carb newsletter in my e-mail this a.m. ( fabulousfoods.com, if you care to read it) I clicked on a link called "Low Carb Special Report", and find that it is really an advertisement for a book (shame on them!). The book is by Gregory Ellis and he is a low carb believer, but thinks the Atkins plan is flawed. Heres some of what he says:
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For me, I was excited because I knew that I could help so many people who had mistakenly gone down the Atkins trail. (A correctly applied low-carbohydrate diet is one thing and the Atkins's Version of a low-carbohydrate diet is another thing.)
I began asking Atkins "survivors" for their height and weight to see if they ever reached a normal bodyweight. Most responded with empty rhetoric. Of those who did respond, only 10% ever reached a normal weight range. Most were still overweight and some were still obese! (This was true, also, for Atkins himself because if you ever looked at his picture or saw him on TV, you readily saw that he was overweight, and during the 30 years since his first publication he never achieved an ideal weight.)
For most people doing Atkins, their weight loss ceases before they reach their goal and they have no clue what to do about it.
In the Induction Phase of the Atkins's diet, carbohydrates are drastically reduced. The response of the human organism to carbohydrate restriction is to automatically reduce its food intake by about 10-50%.
Oh, and this, just hot off an email I received from Pat Schroeder, above. She gave me permission to use her email but wanted to tell me that maybe it wouldn't do me any good because she actually wasn't an Atkins's Failure. She then said that she did it for only one day and couldn't do it because it was too restrictive and she felt awful by the end of the day. Was she an Atkins's Failure? Of course she was. I just keep forgetting about this particular niche of Atkins's Failures, the ones who quit within the first seven days.
Here's what happens: enzymes in your tissues break food down so it can be used for energy. You have fat-burning enzymes and carb-burning enzymes. If you're eating carbs, the body makes those enzymes and takes away a lot of the fat-burning enzymes. Now, cut your carbs, and you've got to burn fat. BUT YOU CAN'T, YOU DON'T HAVE THE ENZYMES! It takes at least a week and up to 6 months for the body to make a full complement of the fat-burning enzymes. So, in Atkins's Induction Phase you can't burn the fat too well, your body has little fuel, and you just feel awful. Plus, this Phase messes up your mineral balance and is a big-time STRESS to your body. You get what I mean?
It's hard to pinpoint the weakest part of the Atkins's Plan and/or Phases because, first of all, the whole thing is based on a flawed premise.
The early weight loss (first few days - 3 weeks) is about 70% water at first, dropping to about 20% of the weight lost by the third week. The low-carbohydrate diet accentuates the amount of water loss and this, then, comprises more of the weight loss.
Fat loss accounts for an ever-increasing percent of the loss, ranging from about 25% in the first few days to about 80% by the third week.
Lean Body Mass losses range from 5% at first to 15% of the total by the third week.
"Fast Responders" decrease their food intake the most and "slow responders" do not automatically decrease it. They are the least likely to lose.
For thirty years Atkins promoted eating as much fat and protein as one wanted. People have differing responses to this as well. The combination of Atkins's false notions with different response rates accounts for the fact that people often GAIN weight in the Induction Phase.
If weight is lost, one's calorie needs decrease and then begin to match the amount of food that the person has automatically leveled off to. Here, weight loss stops dead in its tracks.
It is because Atkins disavowed the importance of calories as the overarching factor in bodyweight regulation that there is a plateau in weight loss.
The variations in weight loss arise because of the variations in the person's automatic reduction in food intake.
Because Atkins's Plan is heavily weighted in the reduction of carbohydrates, it is what I call a mono-factor plan.
With this severely limited design, there's little chance of succeeding with his plan because it never provides the necessary menu of strategies that are needed for the meticulous control of bodyweight.
Failures to lose, and failures to lose as much as they want, are now lost souls.
The only ones left banging the Atkins's drum are those who were "fast responders" to this one intervention. It's likely some of these reached their goal weight. They are few in number, but they do exist.
This group, however, must rely for the rest of their life on using carbohydrate restriction to maintain their losses, usually no more than 30 grams per day. And, if you haven't tried living on 30 or fewer grams per day, you've got a real shock coming your way when you discover how restrictive and difficult this goal will be to achieve. So, the bottom line is that most of this group cannot live under the duress of such a restrictive diet and lifestyle and eventually succumb to a more "normal" lifestyle and, subsequently, regain their lost weight solely because they were never taught all of the pieces of the puzzle that are involved in the process of bodyweight regulation.
If that had occurred, they would have a menu of strategies to use and a maximum level of flexibility to use either one, several, or many of these effective strategies throughout their program to achieve and maintain an ideal bodyweight.
That is exactly what I teach -- the whole ball of wax.
This I can tell you: the low-carbohydrate diet, if done correctly, helps in weight loss, but Atkins's Version is so profoundly flawed and limited in its scope that the majority of users fail on it.
******************************************************okay, this guy is REALLY FREAKING ME OUT!!!!! is this for real? Am I going to be able to reach my goal weight and keep it off? Is there anyone out there who has been able to maintain for a year or more???? I really want to know if I am setting myself up for failure....please help!

He's selling his own book. 'nuff said.

Okay, well, I can't resist picking it apart anyway:

>"I began asking Atkins "survivors"..." Anecdotes don't mean anything. Did he bother finding out the real reason people don't get to their goal, like allowing carb creep and not exercising, or the simple fact that this isn't meant to be rapid weight loss?

>"Plus, this Phase messes up your mineral balance and is a big-time STRESS to your body." Again, meaningless crap that isn't backed up with facts. Yes, it's stressful, but so is decades of consuming refined carbs!

>"...(water) dropping to about 20% of the weight lost by the third week." Yet again, meaningless. You only lose more water on a low carb plan than a higher carb plan because your body no longer needs to store carbs. (Storing carbs as glycogen requires water) Tell the people who've lost dozens of pounds or more that they just lost water!

>"Atkins's false notions with different response rates accounts for the fact that people often GAIN weight in the Induction Phase." Again, where are the numbers? Read the journals and newbies section here. How many people *gain* on induction? Practically zero.

>"...there's little chance of succeeding with his plan" Show me the numbers in a controlled, published study. Published studies show, in fact, that there's little chance of FAILING.

>"(re induction) you discover how restrictive and difficult this goal will be to achieve" Gimme a break - it's two weeks, for chrissakes!

>"(maintainers), however, must rely for the rest of their life on using carbohydrate restriction to maintain their losses, usually no more than 30 grams per day" 100% outright lie. Again, no proof, no numbers. I can easily handle 80 g of carbs per day or more - the average is less than 80 because there's simply no reason for me to have more. If I was working out, I'd have to deliberately start adding more. I have never *once* seen anyone trying to maintain at 30 g carbs per day.

Atkins can be hard to stick to initially because almost all of us are carb addicts and creatures of habit. AA is tough for alcoholics to stick to, also... is it better to try to "moderate"?

Don't believe anything you read unless it's backed up by facts and/or your own experience. If this guy was offering new information - information he got from hard research - I'd be all for it. I also think objective criticism of other plans to be fair game. But all he does is take anecdotal MISinformation and try to disguise it as facts.

you made some really good points. thank you. Atkins seems almost too good to be true, especially to me, who has struggled with weight ever since I was in college (10 years ago). The Diet Center is the only thing that has ever worked for me-fat melted off on that plan....but I was always hungry, NEVER made it to my goal weight, and just piled the pounds back on! The temptation to cheat on that plan was just too difficult to bear! Now that I've found something that seems to be working I'm scared to death some one is going to come along and burst my bubble, ya know? I hope that once and for all I can get rid of this stupid weight and keep it off forever! I feel like I've been on an "eternal" diet with all the different stuff I've tried over the years, and this WOE makes sense to me, it's based on sound science, and it is something I can live with and maintain (I hope!) so I get really freaked out when someone comes along and says the things this guy did....thanks so much for the reply!

Hey ya Mac! Just wanted to say hi and encourage you. It WILL work if you make it work. Im lost weight and havent been able to stop even though Im adding carbs back! Imagine that!! Im well past my goal. Many many others have done wonderful on a low carb plan too, the odds are NOT against us. You can do it.

hi there,

Ellis sent us an infomercial about his book last year ... there's a big long thread in our Low-Carb War Zone forum. He defended his theories on metabolism by telling readers to buy his book to find out the real answer. You might want to have a read through that thread .. it's very long, but there are some excellent, researched and reasoned arguments from informed members why his theories are not correct, and why Dr. Atkins was right on the money ... What If Both The Medical Establishment And Dr. Atkins Promoted Big Fat Lies?

hth,

Doreen

Mac1, I have been eating low carb for 2 1/2 years now. My life is not limited, my weight is very low, my life style includes splurges now and then, and I am very happy with the wide range of foods that I prepare and eat.(Both my teen daughter adn husband have been so impressed by my results that they too have jumped on the band wagon ) Low carbing DOES work. Low carbing is sustainable and maintainable. All "diets" fail when they don't teach a change in lifestyle. Low carbing is a WOL. If you learn to make the changes to make low carbing not a diet but a WOL then by all means Atkins works.

thanks for the encouragement guys....it really makes a difference!

>>"Ellis sent us an infomercial about his book last year ..."

I knew it sounded familiar. Guess I should have done a search. Ha - I even posted to that thread.

Hi Mac1, just wanted to add that I've been doing Atkins for over a year and it worked really well for me. I have done Atkins "by the book" all along, very little cheating until after I reached goal & started allowing myself more indulgences. I never found the plan difficult or felt deprived, and now I eat well over 30 net carbs a day -- sweet potatoes, corn, rice, whole grain bread are all part of my day-to-day eating.

Not every eating plan will work for every single person, but I have to say that Atkins has been a godsend for me. That guy sounds like he's just trying to get attention by attacking a famous author. Probably an effective way to sell books, but doesn't mean he has any facts. Give Atkins 3 months -- I bet by the end of that time you'll see for yourself how full of it that guy is.

Welcome to maintenance. No idea why you posted your question here. Isn’t there a media/skeptic forum?

Everything he said was true. I’ve been low carbing for almost 4 years and I now weigh 8 pounds some days, 620 pounds on others depending if I’m retaining water. I eat only celery.

Seriously. Aside from the usual ongoing age-related issues. I haven’t yet been in any type of distress. I won’t tear apart what he said, others can do that. I stopped reading your transcription it as soon as he started referencing Atkins “Failures” and “Survivors”. Sounds like a reality show.

Perhaps the people who attack this WOL are in denial about their own carb addiction? (hee hee)
After all, they go on and on about "How can anyone live without pasta?" and "People must have bread" and how much nutrients there are in potatoes. (Have you ever compared potatoes and broccoli? Or bread and romaine lettuce? It's a real eye-opener!)
It's a failure of the imagination to feel that you have to keep eating the way you keep eating.
I've been there and back and I'm here to say:

Sandwiches taste better without the bread.
Pizzas are better on Portabello caps.
Alfredo sauce tastes better over spinach than it does over spaghetti.

Would I have believed it if I hadn't tried it? Probably not. Was it openminded of me to try this "wacky" eating plan. I like to think so. Does it work? AND HOW!

And that is the everpopular bottom line. If it works, it works.

To answer your question LC Sponge, The reason I posted my question in this forum is because I wanted advice from the MAINTAINERS. People who have only been on Atkins for a short time and have not yet met goal are in no more position to answer the questions I asked than I am. It is the maintainers who's advice I sought, so this was the obvious place to ask the questions. The questions I asked, by the way, were at the end of my original post. since you said you didn't read the whole thing, you missed that part.....

Mac1 wrote: this guy is REALLY FREAKING ME OUT!!!!! is this for real? Am I going to be able to reach my goal weight and keep it off? Is there anyone out there who has been able to maintain for a year or more???? I really want to know if I am setting myself up for failure....please help!

Oh, I answered all of them.

Hi Mac,

Go check the journal articles listed on the Atkins site. In some instances randomised controlled trials have actually used the Atkins diet to test the diet's efficacy and safety. I have read the full reports of a number of these documents and I highly recommend that you do so if you are worried about this way of eating.

I have been trained in and also do excellent critical assessments of epidemiological reports. With that background and my own successful experience of doing Atkins I really don't think you have anything to worry about. I am sure you will find success with this way of eating.

Happy low carbing.

All I can say about this woe is that for the first time in my life I don't feel as though I have a weight problem. I was always battling the scale and my weight has never been this low. I am in the last phase of Atkins and will continue to eat this way because I love the results and it's easy. I eat about 60 to 80 grams of carbs a day as well, and when I experience carb creep I go back down to induction levels to correct it. I weigh myself daily to monitor myself and I find if I see the scale going up it's easy to catch in the beginning.