Atkins and Athletes

Well I did switch to Diet Rite, which has Splenda. I drink a lot of water and just need something different and I love diet soda. Always have. I only have one a day, though, if any. I think you have something there about getting hooked on it. My brother, a diabetic, drinks close to seven diet cokes a day. I don't know how he can stand it. One is enough. I have always heard that aspartame makes you crave carbs, which in that case the blood sugar theory makes sense. I also think that some people can process carbs, and others can't. Everybody's different! --thanks for your input

There have been a series of commercials for this drug to deal with high cholesterol. I don't endorse the drug (have no idea about it), but the message is fairly interesting. It shows successful people, healthy on the outside, who have terrible blood chemisty that puts them at risk of heart attack. Weight loss should not the only factor to consider when chosing what to put in your diet. All carbs are not created equal. (Think vegetables vs. white sugar.) Any protein beyond what your body needs will be turned into fat, just like excess carbs.

Originally posted by Mag Bowen Hey thanks to all of you who've replied. avoiding protein like the plague, eating fat free stuff, and feeling generally lousy. --mag Ugh! I can relate to that, all too closely. That's one of the things that lead me into pretty severe overtraining and malnutrition about 7-8 years ago. Avoiding protein cause it might contain some hidden fats. Talk about going into extreme. I learned a lot since then. Our bodies need little bit of everything (carbs, fats and protein). Best diet for me has been ... balanced nutrition (adjusted for my activity levels). If I want to lose some weight, I just reduce the caloric intake some. When I pay clsoe attention to my diet, it generally resembles the Zone diet. I don't get as particular with what specific food should go with what other, or what precise time of the day to eat it. I try to stay in the range 40%protein,40% carbs, 20% fat. I don't believe in Atkins as a long term diet. Although if one is eating unbalanced junk, and they switch to Atkins or any other little more regimented diet, and stick with it for a while, they are likely to lose some weight. Also, for most people, when they are starting a dietthey seldom know what their caloric intake used to be, vs. what it is on the new diet. I'm willing to bet that most regimented diets will cause a reduction in caloric intake. The way i see it, this no carbs, or very low carbs is a fad. Just don't overdo what you're eating, and you'll be fine. Another thing, learn to be consistently aware of what you're eating how much carbs, fat and protein it contains. Protein, and carbs both can contain hidden fats that will make your caloric intake skyrocket. Very simplified, we need carbs for energy, protein for strength, and a little bit of fat so our bodies can digest it all and a calorie intake proportionate to ou activity level. 90% of the dieting boils down to that. Little finesse of combibing certain foods a certain way may make tyour diet a tiny bit more efficient, and instead of taking a week to burn 2 pounds, it may take you a week minus 3 hours to burn 2 pounds. As long as you're getting proper nutrition, and you're not preparing for a body building competition, the minute details are hardly worth the effort.

on atkins eating fish is also a large part and as ive mentioned in other posts the body needs something i think the experts call omega 3 oils,fish has these,also i agree that low carb is better than no carb..remember that the atkins diet goes into the maintenance part shortly after getting to ideal weight which is when you eat more healthy carbs and less unhealthy ones ..its got to be a winner if followed strictly(ive been on and off it for about a year now,sometimes really coming off it and having loads of carbs.beer etc...)im still less weight than this time a year ago and swim 3 times per week about 3000 metres each time,my times and stamina have also improved.

Go buy a lottery ticket - The Bug and I agree! All the posts except for The Bug's make no mention of doctor's care. If you want to know if Atkins will work for you, go see your doctor, unless you are a doctor. Any new exercis or diet regimen should be run by your doctor. Don't take the word of people on this forum or any forum. I have seem ample evidence of Atkins working, and working very well. I live with one prime example, incidentally.

Your body needs carbs if you're seriously training. No question Atkins is effective for losing weight, however.

I cannot see how Atkins could be anything other than bad for anyone training for sport. You need the carbs to supply Glycogen to fuel the muscles. There is an excellent book: " The complete guide to sports nutrition" by Anita Bean, ISBN 0-7136-6741-9. This covers all you need to know. In fact i would think that being on Atkins, would not allow you to exercise as much or as well. So you would lose weight faster and keep it off, if you are excercising regularly, and eating a balanced diet. Most masters swimmers are pretty trim, and if you are doing enough training you actually need to increase your calorie intake to keep up with your bodies needs. Good, fresh food well prepared; covering ALL of the food groups, is the best diet.

Let me also give a thumbs down to Atkins. If you have the motivation and discipline to follow the Atkins diet (athlete or not), then you might as well just apply the same skill and energy to eating a sensible, nutritionally balanced, calorie controlled diet. It will achieve your weight loss objective without the risks associated with taking low-carb extremes. Also, athletes must have carbs in order to perform to their potential. Without carbs, your body will not burn fats cleanly (search under the word "ketosis"). Think of it in automobile terms as an engine that throws off a lot of putrid smoke: it not a finely tuned machine.

I just did a search in the site www.quackwatch.org, where the Atkins diet was listed as the Worst Diet for 2003. I quote: "The diet's popularity stems from the rapid weight loss that comes from water depletion of the cells and a breakdown of lean body mass. The body produces ketones from fat in an effort to fuel activity and slow the breakdown of lean tissue. Since Atkins' diet is deficient in many nutrients, he recommends an extensive list of vitamin and mineral supplements which he just happens to sell." This does not sound like something I would recommend to a fellow swimmer. You, of course, as free to judge the validity of this assessment for yourself.

Do what feels right for you! I lost a great deal of weight on Atkins, have kept it off, didn't experience any of the 'side effects' the critics warn against, have had no long term effects, continue to eat a VERY LOW carb diet while swimming 3,000 m a day, 5 days aweek. I feel great and have plenty of energy. Don't blindly follow the sheep who tout a 'balance' diet that was developed by politians and then accepted by dietians, if that diet isn't right for you. That 'balanced' diet was what got me to the point of needing Atkins in the first place. 'Balanced' for me equals weight gain even now. My doctor wasn't crazy about the fact that I did Atkins (I went to him and did it under his supervision because of all the negative hype at the time) nor is he crazy about the fact that I eat such a low carb diet now, BUT he couldn't find any ill effects while I was on Atkins and can't find anything wrong with me now. Elaine PS: I have experienced ketosis first hand, its not as 'nasty' as people would have you believe. The worse part is the first three or four days of induction, thats when you experienced an extreme drop in energy. Then when the body switched from carb burning to fat burning energy will pick back up.