I created this response on the alt.suport.diet.low-carb newsgroup. And when I type this much, I’d rather it not be lost to antiquity, you know? Plus, my ISP seems to have been losing posts to newsgroups lately. So I’m archiving it on my blog. A guy who calls himself “Peter” has this to say:
I’ve read the Atkins book and I’m on the fourth day of induction, feeling pretty awful and feeling especially sick at even the thought of another [expletive] egg! But the ‘Ketostix’ are showing deep purple (highest level on the scale) so I’m doing something right.
I’m eating as much as before; arguably even more, because nothing seems to satisfy my craving for carbohydrate of some kind. The result is that I’m raiding the fridge hourly in an effort to find something, anything that might make me feel better. Consequently, my food intake has gone through the roof.
Perhaps I haven’t understood the principles of the Atkins diet but I’m puzzled about something.Where does all that dietary fat (and protein) go. Does it just get excreted? If it doesn’t get excreted then it presumably gets burnt for energy? But if that happens doesn’t it mean that every gram of dietary fat I eat is one less gram of body fat that gets burnt? So I lose weight less quickly? And so, conversely (if my logic is right so far) if I eat more fat than my body can burn then won’t I just put weight on?
And if all that’s true then isn’t it the case that the Atkins Diet cliche that “you can eat as much non carb food as you like” just garbage? The cynic in me might even say that the reason most people loose weight on Atkins is down to the fact that the ‘allowed foods’ are so awful that they eat less anyway? So in my case I would have to cut down on my protein/fat intake if Atkins is to succeed? And if I do that then what’s the advantage of Atkins over any other calorie restrictive diet?
Obviously there’s a flaw in my logic……………..but what it it?
Peter
My Response:
Here are some answers, Peter. Realize I’m just a low-carber that’s read a lot, and I could be totally wrong on a thing or two, but I *think* I’m right.
- “… the ‘Ketostix’ are showing deep purple”
The Ketostix showing “purple” means you’re processing dietary (and probably body) fat for energy. Good. However, the really deep color is far more an indication that you aren’t drinking enough water than that you’re “deeply in ketosis”. As long as the sticks are any color other than their original neutral beige, you can be sure you’re in ketosis/lipolysis. Drink more water to lighten them up.
- “I’m eating as much as before; arguably even more, because nothing seems to satisfy my craving for carbohydrate of some kind. The result is that I’m raiding the fridge hourly in an effort to find something, anything that might make me feel better. Consequently, my food intake has gone through the roof.”
What are you eating? Have you tried following the Atkins induction menu strictly for a week? Normally, after 3-5 days, most people lose the carb cravings, and within the two weeks, encounter far less hunger as well as a substantial energy boost. You may want to double-check what you’re eating to make sure that everything is on the “induction” list.
I felt like I was eating more than before when I went on induction. After a week, I discovered Fitday and started tracking, then realized that I actually wasn’t eating nearly enough. Just a few days of tracking your usual eating habits is often enough to give you a clue of how much you should be eating to satisfy dietary requirements.
- “Where does all that dietary fat (and protein) go. Does it just get excreted?”
Yep. Ketones that show up in your urine are similar to carbs — they sport 4 calories per gram. If you’re eating your daily requirement of calories to (normally) not lose any weight, and you are on a low-carb diet, you’ll still lose weight roughly equal (over time), at 3500kcals/pound, to what you’re pissing into your toilet.
Your body dumps those ketones into your urine because they are acidic, and it’s trying to maintain the pH level of your bloodstream. Yet it needs more energy, so your fat cells and the fat you digest are creating more ketones. It’s kind of like a nuclear reactor, in a way — reactors have to dump some hot water *somewhere* in order to keep temperatures equalized. Often this is to a massive pond where the environment can cool it off before it’s re-used. Your body is doing a similar thing, but it’s trying to maintain acid/base balance, rather than heat.
- “every gram of dietary fat I eat is one less gram of body fat that gets burnt?”
If you don’t eat enough calories to satisfy your Basal Metabolic Rate, eventually your body slows your metabolism to compensate. It’s a survival mechanism. So you need to make sure to eat enough food to be satisfied, yet not enough to be stuffed silly.
- “if I eat more fat than my body can burn then won’t I just put weight on?”
Yes and no. If you’re in ketosis/lipolysis, you have some “burn-off” of calories through your urine, so you can eat a bit more calories than you normally could and still maintain weight. However, pronounced evidence of this effect is generally short-lived for the first few weeks or months on a low-carb diet, and by the time you move from Ongoing Weight Loss to Pre-Maintenance, it’s virtually nonexistent. For most people, they will lose visible evidence of ketones somewhere between 40-60 grams of carbs per day. You’re not eating like Induction forever, you know. But the metabolic advantage that sticks with you is that a higher protein diet metabolizes in the liver at only 58% percent efficiency versus carbohydrates, and you’ll tend to feel more satiated when low-carbing vs. low-fatting.
- “…Atkins Diet cliche that “you can eat as much non carb food as you like””
Sounds like you didn’t really read the book. That’s a fallacy. You can eat as much as you need to be satisfied — but not stuffed. This also varies according to height. Short people often find they need to reduce portion sizes and accomodate their bodies to less food, even on Atkins. I’ve found that, even at six feet tall, I need to occasionally monitor my calories per day to make sure I’m meeting my Basal Metabolic Rate (to avoid the “famine mode” of metabolism), and to gauge how well I’m meeting my body’s requirements as I continue to drop weight. It’s a bit of a science project, really.
The relevant Atkins philosophy is “if you are hungry, eat.” But, when eating, avoid the carbohydrate foods, and track the carbs of what you eat according to your current phase of the eating plan. This philosophy is not quite the same as “eat as much non carb food as you like”. If you’re not hungry, even if you’d “like” more, don’t eat. There’s still self-discipline involved on Atkins — it’s just considerably easier to maintain this way of eating than most low-fat or traditional calorie-restricted plans.
- “The cynic in me might even say that the reason most people loose weight on Atkins is down to the fact that the ‘allowed foods’ are so awful that they eat less anyway?”
I have no idea what you’re talking about. I just enjoyed a fantastic salad. Two cups of lettuce. Three tablespoons of pine nuts (I just like pine nuts — you may like other nuts). A handful of real bacon bits. And it was all topped with sauteed chicken breast that I made myself. A few nights ago I went to Carl’s Junior and ordered a Western Bacon Double Cheeseburger without the bun. It was excellent, and presented in an appealing way on a platter. I had to eat it with a fork and knife, but no worries. Last night I had an Atkins Endulge ice cream bar. I’ve been off the carbs long enough that that is “sweet enough” for me, though some people don’t like them.
The food I get to eat, particularly now that I’m past Induction, are just awesome. Hamburgers (hold the bun). Low-cab pancakes, if I wish to make them. Cauliflower salad that I like better than potato salad. Creamy cheesecakes. Taco salads (sans the chips). Fantastically creamy, flavorful homemade soups. Alaskan King Crab, and other shellfish. Shrimp stir-fry. There’s a whole world of cooking I’m exploring now, after three years as a partial vegetarian (one year ovo-lacto, two years ovo-lacto, fish and fowl). It’s some great stuff.
- “… So in my case I would have to cut down on my protein/fat intake if Atkins is to succeed? And if I do that then what’s the advantage of Atkins over any other calorie restrictive diet? “
A low-carbohydrate, low-protein diet is a recipe for a heart attack, as your body pillages your body’s muscles (eventually, including heart muscle) to sustain your life. A low-carbohydrate, low-fat diet is very difficult to maintain, since you’ll feel both carbohydrate deprived, and starved for any satisfying foods. Some people are more weight-loss intolerant than others, and it’s important to make sure you’re following the plan exactly (including prohibited foods), as well as, in some cases, monitoring your caloric intake and making sure you’re receiving sufficient nutrition through supplements, vegetables, and the fats & proteins in your diet throughout the Induction phase.
The carb cravings normally go away after a few days on Induction. If they don’t, you are almost certainly eating something off-plan. Try following the strict Induction menu provided in Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution for at least one week. Re-read Chapter 11 (I think it is) to remember the Rules of Induction.
And remember that Induction lasts somewhere between two weeks and several months — how long beyond two weeks, if you choose, is up to you, keeping in mind that one of the most common causes of “stalls” in weight loss while on Atkins is staying below 20 carbs a day. People tend to lose more weight, and keep it off, if they transition from Induction, to Ongoing Weight Loss, to Pre-Maintenance, to Maintenance, than to Induct as long as they possibly can. If you stay on Induction much beyond six months (if you have a lot to lose), your body begins hoarding all the calories and fat it can in an effort to keep you alive with such a long-sustained low-carb regimen. You MUST increase your number of carbs (if you are of sufficient height that 20 carbs is too little for you) in order to be “doing Atkins”. It’s controlled-carb, not “no-carb”. I expect I’ll be eating somewhere around 100 carbs a day by the time I arrive at maintenance, which is only 1/3 of the U.S. RDA.
The goal of Induction is to break your carbohydrate cravings and binging tendencies, plus set a baseline carbohydrate level for you at which you can prove to yourself the diet works; it sure sounds like you need it. It’s not a lifetime sentence on how to eat. I’m up to 35 carbs per day now, and still dropping weight rapidly (six-footer, 30 years old, nightly treadmill, exercise videos, or resistance training for 30-45 minutes). In the Ongoing Weight Loss Phase, you get to start experimenting with new foods, a little at a time, and it’s much more exciting.
As far as for the benefit versus a reduced-calorie diet: in the long term, the advantages as I see them are:
- Atkins makes people feel more satisfied with what they eat than low-fat plans. It’s an easy plan to stick to once you’ve broken your cravings, and the negative effect many people feel when they “over-carb” helps keep them on-plan when they do slip off. I don’t know what the statistics are like for people sticking to Atkins, but I’m finding it extraordinarily easy to make common-sense choices to keep my carb count down.
Contrary to what some people think, eating low-carb cannot “make you diabetic”. It makes you more sensitive to the aftereffects when you over-carb, because it adjusts to a lower-carb regimen, but you’ll secrete insulin to handle it all the same. It’s just that eating excessive carbs with a high glycemic index will eventually make you feel kind of bloated, gassy, and tired. - It stabilizes blood sugar for Type II diabetics and pre-diabetics much better than low-fat. Most morbidly obese people are pre-diabetic, many of the obese, and some of the overweight.
- Atkins offers more food choices. The only “forbidden” foods (post-Induction) are starchy or refined carbs like bread, potatoes, and white rice. This accounts for way, way too much grocery store shelf space, but on Atkins I eat much more healthy food. Wholesome grains, vegetables, meats, butter, dark turkey meat… “real food” rather than “low fat” stuff.
In the short-term (less than a year), those on a low-carbohydrate regimen drop fat weight much faster than those on low-fat, given equal calories, and maintain their existing lean muscle mass better.
It’s up to you — if you hate doing Atkins after the first two weeks, try something else. Some people like or need it, some don’t. That’s my lengthy two cents.
—
Matthew
Started Atkins@240lbs, Nov 1 2003
255/227/180 6’0″
Jean size:
40/36 (loose now!)/32