Low Carb Craze

The Atkins diet and gastric bypass surgery seem to be the flavors of the month for weight loss. I personally consider both to be dangerous. We NEED carbs! (good carbs as most of you have already mentioned). We also need protein.

The gastric bypass surgery craze is even more alarming to me. Most of the people I know who have had this surgery look like the walking dead now. They can't enjoy eating anything now. My sister in law had the surgery before the big craze going on now. She gained back ALL of her weight and then some. The irony is that to keep their huge weight losses off, they must now exercise. Most didn't try exercising and portion control with a balanced diet BEFORE the surgery. The surgeons performing this surgery are making big bucks too. :( I'm sure that in very EXTREME cases, gastric bypass works for some people, but I've seen people who weigh over 400 lbs. lose the weight by sensible eating and EXERCISE. There is no magic bullet to weight loss. It's HARD work and discipline. Most people want an overnight miracle tho. We live in an age of instant gratification. Me? I eat the Body For Life way most of the time (6 small, well balanced meals per day). I look and FEEL healthy, even tho I still need to lose about 25 more lbs. I workout regularly. I don't expect overnight miracles either. :)

Off my soap box now! :)
 
PUPSWIFE, this morning I saw the commercial that starts "When is a diet pill worth $127.00 a bottle", or some such thing and I thought, "Never!" There are just too many wonderful examples of having a large amount of weight to lose and doing it the old fashioned way, right here at Cathe.com! I just want to smack that lovely young woman and tell her to stick it! No extreme measures or amounts of money are required! Just good sense, dedication and patience! When there's any daunting task in front of me, I can draw inspiration from the phenomenal women I have met here. The miracle is the gift it is to walk on this earth and to do it in the skin you are in, striving to make it the best it can be one small step at a time!
http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/coollook.gif Bobbi
 
Kathryn, isn't is great that there's a place we can share our musings at length and not have to look at someone who's eyes have glazed over with that look of disinterest which comes over a face you start in on a subject near and dear to your heart but in which they have no interest? It's heavenly! I know that anyone who has no interest can skim right over the post but I can share and I'll always find people who care!

Alexis, asked who cares in that pragmatic way of hers and I had to chuckle. I do! I love this stuff! And I have picked up a wealth of information from your musings and I happen to be one of those people who believe the longer the better so keep them coming!

My family chides me about the time I spend here but they don't realize that I have a channel that saves them from having to hear all my thoughts on nutrition and fitness. And I am even happy to feign interest and offer encouragement when say, my husband tells me all about his remote control planes and the ingenious ways he fixes them after crashing one as he does so often. I know I'll get some computer time to share my interests with people who are as facinated by muscle building, diet and cardio-vasular health as I am!
http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/coollook.gif Bobbi
 
Balanced diet...

I think that balanced nutrition is so easy to talk about and in reality quite hard to do. Balanced to you might be unbalanced to me (he says sitting at his desk in work eating a pizza, only 500 calories though, so must be good for me! and balanced! lol)

I think the high protein/ high fat diet did serve some good. Back in the early 90s it was low fat this low fat that and everybody got scared off of fat. Eat all the angel cake and low fat cookies you like as long as its low fat! Yea right! Now we know that essential fat is healthy for us and can even help us lose weight (www.udoerasmus.com). Though carbs are a good source of fuel for body and mind there are in fact no essential carbs, but there are essential protein (amino acids) and essential fats. That in itself says something. I believe that we ALL probably eat too many carbs. Example...for breakfast you might eat cereal (cabs - sugar) with milk (sugar - or lactose), juice (fructose) and perhaps some sugar in your coffee. Thats four different carbohydrate sources flooding your system fast. Its kinda like use straw to heat your open fire with. Sure it will burn, but burn real fast and then you will be left cold (or tired). And the number one compliant doctors hear most...fatigue!I think that all green food is good food (vegetables) and fruits are good too (some better than others perhaps?) and that all processed man made food should be limited (he says after finishing his pizza with extra cheese! And drinking his diet coke!).

Diet is such a loaded word. And what makes me laugh…look at what the first three letters of diet spell? DIE! That should say plenty…

Bobbi … I so agree with you about this site. Speaking about stuff we love without boring everyone else silly (like I sometimes do) is a great way of:

1. Maintaining friends who might otherwise trade you in for someone less boring
2. Talk to like minded people about our fitness/diet lifestyle
3. Get different perspectives on different matters
4. Make new friends
5. Support Cathe and her site

Wayne
x
 
Heather I think you hit the nail on the head. Most people want the quick fix, lose-10-pounds-in-one-day way! Of course WE all know that's nonsense. WE know it takes hard work, determination, committment, and exercise, as well as making healthy food choices. I believe the estimated percentage of people in this country who regularly participate in vigorous exercise is somewhere between 3 and 5 percent of the entire population? Think about that for a minute ... there are, what? About 260 million of us in the country now? Approximate, I believe? If I've done the math right, that means the approximated amount of people in this country who regularly exercise is somewhere between 8 million and 13 million, roughly. That's like combining the populations of NYC, LA, and perhaps Chicago, and saying out of the entire country, and all the cities and towns and villages in it, only the populations of those three cities regularly workout. It's staggering if you think about it. Was it on this thread someone was making fun of walking through Wal Mart and seeing how obese everyone was? Well, you don't even have to go into Wal Mart. Go anywhere and take a good look around. And the very worst part is, they're teaching their children these behaviors. Walk into any middle or high school these days and look at the kids. Most of them are already obese. We see validation that it's all right to be obese and out of shape on TV - tbe great Gospel Truth for most Americans. We're seeing it in magazines, the other great Gospel Truth. Well, I guess one thing is certain. We're keeping the kids of the cardiologists in the best private schools in the country. I know .. not really funny, but if I don't laugh, I'll cry. I work in a cardiac care unit as an RN, and the people with significant heart disease from their LIFESTYLE, not heredity or any other underlying disease, are getting younger and younger, and they are women too. Our estrogen is no longer protecting us. It's scary out there.

Okay ... now I'M off my soapbox ... LOL!!

Carol
:)
 
> The gastric bypass surgery craze is even more alarming to me.
> Most of the people I know who have had this surgery look like
>the walking dead now.

It is alarming! It may be the last resort for the morbidly obese, but it's definitely being used more than necessary. The ultimate "quick fix," but one that makes you unable to eat more than two tablespoons of food at once, and makes it necessary to drink special nutritional supplements to make up for the lack of vitamins and minerals. And I'm sure there's not much fiber in the diet of these people (do they poop?--sorry!).

Even more alarming than gastric bypass itself is that there is a minium weight you have to be at in order to qualify, and some people who are obese but not "obese enough" are gaining weight to qualify for the surgery (I either read that in some magazine or saw it on some new show).
 
RE: Balanced diet...

Wayne, I hope you are holding the diet Coke in one hand and the piza in the other...that would make it a balanced diet. ;-)
 
I have a slightly different perspective. I am currently following a low carb lifestyle for a couple of reasons...weight loss not being one of them (anymore). I have to say that I do have tons of energy and so far haven't noticed any difference in ability to do my workouts, except that I find it harder (not impossible, just harder) to do an intense workout first thing in the morning (I'm talking 4-5 a.m.) after having not eaten all night. My diet consists of an adequate amount of protein from a variety of meats and other sources and lots of vegetables and some fruits.

My thoughts on the original poster's question is that I think the current "craze" is doing the same thing to low carb that the low fat craze did to low fat. Instead of people changing the way they eat, they are simply finding substitutes for the processed foods they are used to eating now and the manufacturers are happy to indulge. Processed foods whether low fat or low carb are still basically unhealthy. That's not to say I don't indulge in an occasional piece of sugar free chocolate from time to time, but the majority of foods in my day are good whole foods. I do have to say that I am glad that when I do get the occassional craving for something sweet, there are sugar free choices I can make.
 
RE: Balanced diet...

>I think that balanced nutrition is so easy to talk about and
>in reality quite hard to do.

Hi Wayne,

I agree! Not only does it take time to educate yourself, but it also takes more time to prepare a balanced meal. I know there have been many times when I've come home from a busy day and the last thing I want to do is wash and cut up vegetables for a salad, cook a batch of brown rice and prepare a chicken breast that has some flavor! Instead I've been known to throw a pan of Hamburger Helper together and dinner's served. Shame on me!

What I've noticed, is that the latest diet fads, whether low-fat or low-carb, always seem to come in some sort of pre-packaged form which is supposed to make losing weight easier. The reality is, as so many on this forum have stated, losing weight and maintaining a weight loss is hard work. The answer is simple (balanced nutrition & exercise) but that answer doesn't sell a lot of books.

Margie
 
Kathryn,
Excellent post! (by excellent post, I mean I agree with everthing you say. So sue me-- I like validation!)
Also, it is always important to remember that protein is present in many vegetables and grains (i.e, carbs). We get protein from a variety of sources-- not just animal sources, tofu, and beans. Americans get more protein than they need-- not surprising, as we get more claories than we need!
 
The only problem with sugar free is that it isn't carb free. If you look at the labels on the back you will notice that teh carbs are the same in "Sugar free" candy as in the regular candy. There might be a 2 gram difference if anything. In the world of diabetics where you ahve to "count" carbs the 2 grams isn't much of a difference at all. The only thing that I see as being a little bit better about sugar free is maybe, and this is maybe, the carbs aren't digested as fast as in a regular peice of candy.
I am all for the good carbs and bad carbs. If any one knows a thing or two about carbs it's the mother of a diabetic. But I don't always use the best judgement myself. I will say this much, when my son was diagnosed, I lost 10 pounds without even trying because I did't keep candy in the house anymore, or sugared soda. So, yes a lower carb diet will help you lose weight. But do not cut out all carbs. You are all right your body needs them for energy. My son droped down to 19 pounds at the age of 2 1/2 because his little pancreas stoped working so he could no longer digest carbs. His body then turned to his fat stores, and then his muscle stores. He was a very sick child by the time I got him in. I now make sure that he gets carbs and insulin to cover those carbs everday. If the whole ATkins thing was correct then they found the cure for diabetes, but it isn't a great thing, because like I said your body needs carbs to survive, and grow. In otherwords, without carbs you could die. My son is now a healthy wieght and height, and I am glad that I know what I know about carbs. There are most definately carbs that are more refined that will raise your blood sugar faster than others. Those you should avoid. The other "good carbs", ie, whole weat bread, brown rice, etc.. takes time to digest and takes time to raise your blood sugar. Plus another thing that I ahve learned that the Zone diet reflects on si that if you eat fat and protein with these refined carbs your body takes more time to digest as well.
I don't know if I helped anyone, or just confused more people. It took my 5 dyas in teh hospital talking with doctors and nutritionists to figure this out and a lot of regular doctor visits from there as well. I'm not attacking anyone who chooses the low carb life style, but please don't do it for a prolonged period time, it really could kill you. I'm sorry to have to have gooten into this, but I felt that I could help a little bit.
Have a great day.

Kathy
 
One thing many people do not realize is that there is carbs in the Atkins diet. Up to as much as 100 grams a day. While that may or may not be the diet many people choose to follow, it is not technically a carb "free" diet. They do get healthy carbs in their diet daily.

As far as the "best diet", I'd say that is the diet or ratios that specifically works for us individuals. While your ratios may work for you wonderfully, they may or may not work as well for me, or my sister or neighbor, etc. I know many healthy people on various types of diets/ratios/plans, etc.

Colleen

PS And no I don't low carb myself :)
 
Guess I'm the only Cathe fan brave enough to jump in here and admit I'm an Atkid.}( :eek: I've been on the Atkins diet for almost 5 years. April will be my 5 year anniversary and July will be my 5 year anniversary for weightloss maintenance. I initially lost 30 pounds but I've lost an additional 10 in the past 3 years thanks to my "Cathe" discovery.:D Atkins + Cathe = Me in the best shape and the healthiest in my entire life. Buh bye!
 
I ditto Malissa's post, it's the same for me too plus when it's that TOM for me I crave carbs more ...I just watch my portions and don't go crazy overdoing it.
 
Don't apologize, Kathy, you make many great points! Carbs have been villifed and they are essential. The problem as I see it is the over-processing of carbs. Take a kernal of wheat and strip it and then add back some of the nutrients minus the fiberand trouble's brewing. The glycemic index is a helpful tool but there are other factors as well. I was just reading that fat, fiber, protein and acids like lemon juice and vinegar all help regulate a sugar spikes. I tried to share the information about acids with a friend, who is the first one to try any fad diet, one evening when we went out to dinner, and she snapped my head off and said don't try to tell me vinegar is some sort of miracle food. No, it isn't but but knowing how it and other foods regulate blood sugar is important and there's a wealth of material available for anyone who wants the optimum diet. She hates exercise and therein lies her problem but I just smiled and changed the subject because I knew my words would fall on deaf ears!

When we eat potatoes, which I consider a starch, not a vegetable, I usually have beans and a salad with the meal to help keep the blood sugar level and there's always a lean source of protein and green, leafy vegetables there too. I certainly wouldn't eat them daily but we did as kids in the sixites with my mom cooking for a brood,but we didn't eat many of the highly processed foods so abudant now. I think that potatoes, white pasta and white rice are part of a healthy diet as long as there are plenty of legumes, whole grains, fiber, fat and protein to keep the meal balanced. I love food. I love eating a squeaky clean diet too. But when I want to indulge, I reach for carbs whether it's the rather naughty kind so abundant during the holidays (like the cream cheese cookies my teen made in food and nutrition class. Wow!) or the less wicked white pasta at my favorite Italian resturant. I am happy to do a little extra cardio and strength work or to be extra "good" about my next meal because no carb or low carb, no way! And I'm not giving up fat either!:)
http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/coollook.gif Bobbi
 
Mandy, get your butt back here! Do you eat lean sources of protein or do you eat the high fat Atkins? I have found that most low carb, high protein Catheites do modifications to the kind of diet the Average Joe chooses. The average Joe's my husband works with eat crap and don't exercise. What's your saturated fat intake like? We are certainly proponents of high carbs but tht doesn't mean we want to slam someone who's found something that works for them! What's your carb intake. You have to play the Devil's advocate here! Tell us about your diet!
http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/coollook.gif Bobbi
 
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