Yesterday in court I was noticing that I had to tighten my belt to an absurd degree to keep my 36-inch-waist slacks from slipping. This morning I got out a pair of 34-inch Levis and they fit quite comfortably.
This diet really is remarkable. I have only been running about a mile a day, and that sporadically. Daily 30-minute walks with the dog have been my only other exercise. It is the diet, combined with calorie consumption running at about 1300 per day more or less, that has done this.
Remember what started me just a couple weeks ago was not fitting into those size-36 slacks.
I have no idea how much I weigh or my body fat percentage, but the wife is starting the same diet and we’re gonna pick out an electronic diagnostic scale today for the bathroom.
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Something else you might be interested in – a video explaining how sugar / fructose is toxic (only metabolized in the liver, and causing problems along the way), and why Adkins works (in part):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
I’ve got enough of a science background that I can follow most of the biochem, and it looks like he’s right. It’s evil stuff.
Yeah, you’ll get results with Atkins. Initially, you’ll lose some weight, but it’s what happens afterward that ought to give you some pause. First of all, with an all-protein diet (or nearly so), you are putting HUGE stress on your kidneys, protein being the hardest thing to digest (which is why Atkins works at all). You are at significantly greater risk for kidney disease if you stay with the diet for more than a couple of months, before re-introducing carbs back into your diet.
Second, you trick your pancreas into thinking it doesn’t have to provide much insulin (to metabolize carbs), so it gets lazy. When it gets lazy enough, you are diabetic, then you have to limit carbs forever or use insulin you inject. I’m one of those guys with a “lazy” pancreas, so I have to limit carbs, but when I go heavy on the protein, my kidneys protesteth muchly, and I am at risk of kidney failure if I ignore THAT. I can eat 150 grams (6 ounces) of meat protein once a day, any more than that and I’m in trouble with the kidneys. I can eat lesser amounts more than once a day.
Want to do a test on yourself? Eat a pound of steamed shrimp. It has mostly all protein and not much fat. It’s about 90 calories per 100 grams. If you can manage 400 grams and not stress your kidneys (you’ll feel it when you do), your kidneys are probably still in good shape. Watch your urine color. If it turns dark with a large protein intake, you could be in trouble even without the painful kidneys whioch are MY indicators.
Take good care of yourself when you are young (and into middle age), and you will survive into your old age with few problems. Ignore your food intake while young like I did, and you will spend a lot of time chasing and worrying about the far-fewer choices you have for food intake in your later life.
It’s never really about the waistline, unless you are an actor acting in tight pants. It’s about your gut, your kidneys, and your pancreas. Take care of them by eating a balanced diet, and the weight control follows. Ignore them, and there will be too much surgery in your life, as there has been in mine, and far fewer food choices.
Humans are omnivores, like pigs or bears. We can eat just about anything, but our omnivorous systems go off track if we don’t have balance in our diets.
To put it mildly: what Rivrdog said does *not* comport with the science.
I highly recommend The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living. It is written by Phd’s, one of whom is also an MD, who have studied this area for quite a while and have extensive reference to publish papers in the book.
Carbohydrates are *not* “necessary” at all and people have varying ability to tolerate them — what works for one person might cause the next guy quite a bit of trouble.
RD, having gone through kidney failure once, I have no intention of experiencing it again. My urine’s been nice and light even with high protein intake. What in my experience will darken it is not hydrating myself. I’m drinking plenty of water nowadays, and that seems to be doing the trick.
We’re also not conforming to strict Atkins rules — the wife and I do like our nightly nightcap, and weekends we seem to be going off the reservation a bit what with snacks and such. But we’re generally eating a lot less than we used to, while increasing our exercise.
Bob, thanks for the book, will check it out!