Okay, so someone I know has always been obsessed with fad diets.

It's to the extent that she's made herself sick in the past from going on SlimFast diets and other wacky diet plans advertised on TV ("well, it worked for Joyce DeWitt!" ). Now she's obsessed with the Atkins Diet. I think it's a bunch of hooey and that she's back on the road to screwing with her body, but she's convinced she's found The Big Answer.

Is this Atkins thing truly legit, or is it a faded craze with queasy credibility?

Is there a more sensible diet plan I could promote? (i know - weird question coming from a vegetarian - but I realize the real world is wider than my world view)

I've thought about getting her a copy of that "French Women Don't Get Fat" book, because it's more about the philosophy of eating and living sensibly, without trying to justify some extreme diet with scientific babble. But is the author another fad diet weirdo? This is so not my world, but I don't believe in the whole carb scare and this is a person who's put her body through hell as it is. I wanna offer some kind of positive alternative, maybe as a Christmas gift.

Any thoughts?

people STILL remember and diet with that atkins hooey? i thought that joint went out with those electrified pads you strapped around yer waist and supposedly it'd work out your abs or something.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

hell if i know. i thought it was all about the south beach diet now. i have no clue. like i said, i'm a veg, so i have enough to worry about.
[Edited 12/18/06 11:04am]

I've done the same as you friend...fad diets, galore (including Atkins) and I think the best thing to give her would be something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/...64-2781202

Instead of another diet book.

Anx said:

the only reason i'm familiar with it is because a couple people at my job went on the atkins diet when it first started up. they've since given up on it.

Atkins is good 4 a quick weight-loss fix, but once U re-introduce carbs it's game over. South Beach is very similiar to Atkins, but really the best way to go is the old fashioned way (low cal, avoid sugar and refined flour and exercise regularly). It doesn't work as quickly as Atkins, but the results r more lasting, especially if she sticks with it.

No diets work. My doctor told me to stop dieting, eat smaller portions, walk every day and guess what.....after 6 months of NOT dieting I've lost 40lbs lol

IrresistibleB1tch said:

It teaches you how to eat nutritiously and balanced. That's all it is.

I wish I could knock some sense into one of my close friends, a 25-year-old guy, who is obsessed with fad diets. He was on Atkins on-and-off for about 2 or 3 years, did the slim fast thing, and now he's on some self-induced plan where he eats no bread or carbs, but tons of white meat and spinach. And he's afraid to eat nuts because of "the high fat content."

I tell him that he can't just simply block carbs out of his diet because it's unhealthy. But I think his mind is so skewed towards "carbs = fat" that he obsesses with it. He has been overweight most of his life, so I think his paranoia comes with how he grew up and his image of self. He's scared to revert back.

EverSoulicious said:

See, this is what I think it's all about. Creating your own diet and realizing that you have to set limits for yourself, and learning to enjoy yourself within those limits. Good for you!

Anx said:

thanks I found that if I have 3 small meals and 2 snacks I don't binge on something. I still have my favorite treat once in a while but not all the time like before. PLus I stopped drinking ALL soda. I read a medical study that said if a person drinks diet soda then they crave more sugar. So if I need a real sugar fix I eat some fruit . We as americans have such a distorted view of portions it's crazy and someone mentioned Weight Watchers.... That is a great plan, they even tell you that it's NOT a diet and it's learning how to eat right in smaller portions. It's common sence and of course the diet companies are reaping the rewards by keeping people fat.

Atkins is bad news. Puts a lot of stress on the kidneys, and if the carb restriction is extreme, a person will lose lean muscle mass rather than fat. When the weight comes back on (which it will, because nobody can eat like that forever), it'll likely come back on as fat. So, you end up weighing the same, but with a higher percentage of body fat. Ew.

Long-term results on Atkins are very poor.

Weight Watchers is indeed the best "diet" out there, and it's basically about portion control.

I think the best advice is to focus on eating/being healthy and let the rest be what it is.

HereToRockYourWorld said:

I agree. I've done Atkins and yes it works, but its very stressful on the kidneys and no one can eat like that forever. Its very extreme in its near complete prohibition of carbs.

I'm actually very fond of the South Beach diet, as its based on lean meats, fish , legumes, whole wheat grains, veggies and fruits. It restricts white sugar and white flour intake but you can consume raw and natural sugars in moderation at a later time. I like the fiber and veggie recipes, and for pastas I just switched from regular to wheat or soy pasta. Of course theres always that first two week phase you cleanse your system by taking out all sugar and flour and consume only lean meats,fish, veggies,salads,10 glasses water daily, non-caffeinated beverages, flavored yogurt (sugarfree) & reduced fat condiments. The first few days are annoying. But then gradually your engery flourishes, your number 1's & 2's get nice and healthy in the toity, and with regular excercise the weight will come off quite satisfactorily. If she's a sourdough bread kinda lover then this isn't for her; but if she likes whole wheat and dark breads, cous cous, quinoa, brown rice, soy, nuts (the kind of food items you would buy at a place like Whole Foods Market), it might be a better choice than Atkins. They also encourage bean intake as well, so anything she would like to eat like black bean soup, or Italian white bean salad, or Indian muligatawny soup, or Hummus, these are some of the basic dishes you learn to prepare on SBD, and they're really easy.

The best diet on my opinion is The Makers Diet. Its more a life style than a diet.

Anx, I don't give a shit what any experts say: I will never consider a plate of bacon to be more wholesome than a small bowl of rice. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are all necessary to the body and loading up on one while eliminating the other is not good news. Though high-carbs aren't any healthier than high-protein diets, no one should feel proud after clogging their arteries with fat.

Whatever happened to making rational, intelligent decisions? Why are so many grown adults porking out on fried nasties and running from the grains and rice? Sorry, but fuck.

Exercise, don't pig out on a regular basis, and stop sending money to these grease-soaked morons. Oh, and my voice is legit--I'm over halfway through to losing over a hundred pounds. Unless you're some genetic freak or have a rare disease, hard work is the only way to get there. It's unfortunate, and plateaus DO exist, but there's no easy way other than surgery.

INSATIABLE said:

Surgery for me. I'll never diet for any bastard, least of all myself. Let them hoist my roof off by helicopter like a tin of mackrel to operate with their knives and good intentions. I want to exist in four rooms at the once time like any man should. As long as my genitals are in the bathroom and head's in the fridge, who cares? Be happy.

i prefer the chocolate diet.

Number23 said:

That's nice. I'll tell you one thing. There's nothing happy about collapsing after climbing two flights of stairs, or not being able to skydive, or being absolutely invisible save for mockery and shame. And yes, I know you were Danieling. My fucktwit "doctor" ordered me to get surgery and I switched heathcare providers.

INSATIABLE said:

Atkins makes you constipated too

I'm with you, I like rice. I'll leave out the parboiled and the Jasmine, but I can eat brown and basmati rice like nobody's business. Plus I live in Germany now and dark breads here are the STAFF of life. So many different kinds, and they have all these cool ones w stuff oats or like sunflower seeds, soooo good! With SBD, I started getting into legumes a lot, too. Chickpeas, lentils...you can dive into all that yummy mediterranean food with those. Hell, I'm sorry but I need variety, and 20 slices of bacon for lunch just ain't doin' it for me. I need real food that tastes good and you don't have to buy a whole bunch of silly goolamagaw products to make it work. Just have a freakin' quiche or veggie juice or ginger salmon & spinach and call it a day, damn it!

But yes, most importantly, is that excercise is a MUST. At least four times a week for 45mins-1hr and a person will see results. Anything from bike riding to cardio class to jump roping to a belly dancing tape. Add a daily 10 min ab excerise to that, and PUH-LEEZE, you'll be in the mirror trying to do all the cute dances, thinkin you're Janet Jackson

INSATIABLE said:

Number23 said:

True. Additionally,

Above all people, avoid this:



It's the worse scam I ever heard and I know people that got in major health problems because of this. It's a rip-off!

MikeMatronik said:

Isn't that one of those pyramid scheme products?

Anx said:

Seriosly??? Are you serious? Atkins diet is not healthy. In ALL honesty, not even being an asshole at all. I would tell someone to starve themselves for a couple weeks before telling them to do Atkins.

Dude, tell your friend to just eat salad all the time. Nothing but. And not like a loaded ass salad with cheese, meat, ranch dressing and croutons. Salad with greens and a lite vinagrette. Eat that and only that.

WTF?

Why is losing weight rocket science?

Anx said:

People have stripped a lot of weight off quickly w/Atkins, but they tend to plateau and it's a difficult diet to maintain (not that you'd want to; studies have shown it encourages heart disease).

Best way to lose weight is still what your mother told you: everything in moderation and exercise.

StepfordWive said:

Not really a balanced diet, wouldn't ya say?

StepfordWive said:

well, i went ahead and got her the 'french women aren't fat' book because i know it's all the rage right now, and that seems to hold a certain value for her...if the author's been on oprah, then all the better, i guess. but it simply tells readers to eat smaller portions but to eat GOOD food and really SAVOR it, and to live a well-maintained, balanced life. it's really all i want for this person...to quit looking for immediate results and quick fixes and actually spend time and effort taking care of herself, and maybe - just maybe - she'll end up being the glamor goddess she wants to be.

Ace said:

Thats all I've been eating for like ever and I'm fine.

I mean I have other stuff here and there, but I usually just eat salad.