[UPDATE] OT: Atkins Diet, 9 Months Later

[Ksyrup]

As many of you know, I, like a few of our folks around here, have been on the Atkins diet (or 'have switched to the Atkins lifestyle,' whichever you prefer). I began consciously restricting my intake of carbs in mid-November of last year (with the occasional break, as permitted). From time to time, this forum has gotten into discussions/debates about whether this "lifestyle" is healthy, and I recall mentioning way back when that I would post my cholesterol information - good or bad - when I next went to the Dr. and had bloodwork taken.

Well, that occurred last week. I hadn't been to the Dr. since I broke my ankle in July of 2002, and I guess my HMO wants everyone to get a "wellness" checkup at least once every 12 months, so I went last week and got my results this afternoon.

I offer this for what it's worth. Admittedly, I do not have any specific results to compare to in a "before and after" manner, as the last time I had bloodwork taken was approximately 4 years ago and I don't know what my specific numbers were then. All I know is that they were within the acceptable range. So, it is entirely possible that my current results might show better results, worse results, or the same results, if I was able to compare them to either my October 2002 condition (had I had tests done at that point) or my results from 1999.

Anyway, here they are:

Total Cholesterol Level: 175 (Desirable is less than 200)
LDL Cholesterol Level: 115 (Near Optimal/Above Optimal is 100-129)
HDL Cholesterol Level: 46 (Average for male is 40-50)
Cholesterol Ratio: 3.8:1 (Optimum is 3.5:1; goal is keep below 5:1)
Triglyceride Level: 70 (Normal is less than 150)

Again, I don't offer this as proof that Atkins is safe or healthy, I only know that in my case, I had a full examination and bloodwork taken, and I appear to be in fine shape (well, my "shape" ain't that great, but that’s another story...). My Dr. thinks that the theory behind the low carb diet is sound - that our real problem is not eating too much fat, but too many carbs. He is concerned with high intake of meats, but in my case, he said that whatever I’m doing must be OK.

So...there you have it.

[sabotai]

Would any of the tests you took have shown if there is a problem with your kidneys?

I ask because there have been several studies that showed if you had healthy kidneys, the Atkins diet didn't do anything to them. But if you had any kidn of kidney problem, then it basically made it worse.

[damnMikeBrown]

Hurrah for you Ksyrup! Now go get a bike!

As it so happens, I'm in an Atkin's quandry. My background is as follows. I'm doing the diet to support my mother, who is overweight. I've been following the diet for just over 6 weeks or so. Traditionally, I'm an endurance athlete. Almost exclusively cycling, but I've also done a marathon. I've done extremely little endurance activity this year though, as I've been lifting.

Atkin's has gone alright with the lifting. I'm 6'2", and had peaked at 204(again, had been lifting a good deal). I'm down to 193-194 now, and I think that's fine. I don't have a 6 pack yet, but I've got maybe a 2 pack and another 2 on the verge of poping out. Probably down to 12% body fat give or take a %. Strenght gains tapered off with Atkins, but they are still there & I'm leaner.

I'm really getting the itch to start doing endurance work again, and this is my lifestyle hitch. I think it'd be extremely difficult to perform at a high level of endurance training without fully catabalising the hard fought muscle I've put on.

I've been looking for refrences on line, but haven't really found anything regarding athletes & atkins. Some bodybuilding stuff, but that's it.

I'm loathe to begin again, because I want to keep my lifting gains. Similarly, I'll still be lifting, putting an even greater strain an the energy pathways. I just don't see how it will be possible to train upwards of 20hrs a week, and even try to live with these eating habbits.

Remember, when your body can't burn carbs & fat during exercise, it'll turn to your muscles & break them down for the carbs(catabalisation).

[Ksyrup]

Originally posted by sabotai
Would any of the tests you took have shown if there is a problem with your kidneys?

I ask because there have been several studies that showed if you had healthy kidneys, the Atkins diet didn't do anything to them. But if you had any kidn of kidney problem, then it basically made it worse.

I don't know. I'm fairly confident that I have had no kidney problems in the past, but I don't know if that's something that can be determined without specific tests, or whether something in a typical blood test would alert as to any problems.

[GrantDawg]

Atkins own book suggests higher levels of carbs if you are doing heavy endurance exercise. You should take in about 100 grams of carbs a day if your biking or running long distances.

[Radii]

I'll go ahead and throw in my own update since I've been into this, Atkins has continued to work wonders for me. I have cheated once in the 7 weeks I've switched to the Atkins lifestyle, but unlike normal low fat diets, I found it was not difficult to "get back on the wagon".

My major problem which led me to try atkins was hypoglycemia, and just getting rid of that problem and its symptoms has been a godsend.

I am struggling a lot to get good, consistant exercise. Its just something I have not done well for years and am trying very hard to get into a routine walking every day, etc, but it's a struggle.

The difference, is that Atkins has allowed me to control my eating habits. I have not done everything perfectly, but I ahve still managed to make drastic improvements in my lifestyle and have dropped from 315 to 288 in my first 7 weeks (I'm 6'3").

As I've said since the day I started, I feel absolutely wonderful because I don't feel like I'm struggling with my diet on a daly basis. I don't have the standard doubts about dieting, and I feel like I'm getting back a lot of control over myself that I felt I'd lost by being so overweight.

[MikeVic]

Er.. what is this Atkins diet plan? I'm around 5'7", 170lbs... I would like to trim down by about 20 lbs., and playing basketball all summer hasn;t done much except build some endurance..

[MizzouRah]

I just bought the Dr. Atkins "NEW" Diet revolution. By no means do I need to lose weight, but my cholesterol is high and lately I haven't had much energy to work out.

I was 196 two years removed from the Marine Corps, so I went on a low-fat diet for two months and dropped 25 lbs. I've managed to maintain my weight by eating lower in fat foods for 6 years now, but my cholesterol is still high for my age. My dad has been on high blood pressure pills and cholesterol lowering pills, as well as being overweight at 200+ lbs. He's been on the Atkins now for 2 years and weighs only 171 (the same as I) and is off ALL medication. His doctor just scratches his head when my dad tells him it's all Atkins.

I think I'm going to try this out and see how I feel. I eat too much sugar and carbs and that could be my problem.


Todd

[ice4277]

When I was in college a couple years ago, I peaked at a high weight of 235. My eating habits improved a bit after leaving school, and as of last November I was at 228, at which point I decided it was time to get in better shape. I took a serious look at my diet and decided to cut all the extra stuff out: pop, candy, chips. That got my weight down to 208 by Christmas, at which point I plateaued for a couple months due to holidays/working shitty hours and eating worse. The last two weeks I have gotten back on track, started working out for the first time in a long time, going to the gym every day for an hour to an hour and a half, and am currently doing the Slim-Fast plan, where I eat one of their products for breakfast, one for lunch, and have a decent dinner. After two weeks of that I am now down to a little over 201 and can tell a massive difference in appearance. The first couple days of the Slim-Fast were hard but after that you get used to it, if I get hungry between meals (which is rare) I will eat a piece of fruit or something like that, and it is fine for me. Oh, and drinking a TON of water helps too. I hope that I will not plateau, I'm kind of making this up as it goes and for the time being at least it seems to work. I hope to be down to 190 by the time I go on vacation in early April, and eventually want to be down to the 175 range.

I guess my point is, find something that works for you. Not every diet will work for every person. I would not be able to follow Atkins faithfully, so I would never lose weight on that. The 'common sense' approach is always an option, take it from me

[ice4277]

dola

Ksyrup, how much weight have you lost?

[Samdari]

Also, a single 'reading' of cholesterol levels is pretty meaningless. To see how the diet has affected you, you would need before/after readings.

[MacroGuru]

Alright, for those who aren't into the Atkins thing (Sorry guys, I need my Pasta and bread, blame it on the Italian in me, and then tell him to stop!! LOL)

Anyways, I found one called the Testosterone Advantage Plan, that promotes a healthy well balanced meal. I actually keep my calorie intake to around 2000 to 2000 calories a day. I drink no soda (Which is a major thing, you will lose 15 to 20 pounds if you drink pop consistantly, by just moving to water.) and keep my protein, carbs, and fats quite well rounded based on the TAP. I also work out 3 times a week. It's an overall deadly workout I do, that builds lean muscle, increases speed, and takes inches off.

I started the workout 2 weeks ago, the diet over a month.

I have lost 30 pounds in just over a month, since starting the workout, I have already lost 2 inches on the waste, the love handles are gone!!

Anyone interested in the workout, feel free to PM, it's a brute, but it rocks.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by indoorsoccersim

I drink no soda (Which is a major thing, you will lose 15 to 20 pounds if you drink pop consistantly, by just moving to water.)

still waiting for this to happen to me - quit drinking my beloved Dr Pepper 3 weeks ago, and I haven't lost an ounce. I wouldn't mind hearing a bit more about the TAP thing - is it hard to keep track of?

My general inclination on the Atkins is that its healthy, but it's not for me. I love meat, but I can't give up my carbs (I'm munching a saltine as I type this).

my wife did pretty well with it, but gained it back the second she stopped and hasn't been able to lose any again the 2nd time around. my sister is down 35 lbs or so.

[MizzouRah]

I would guess the Atkins is NOT for Italians.

If you read the new book, studies are now much more informational about this diet (it's not really a diet but a meal plan for life) and it has proven to promote healthy bp, cholesterol levels, and many other health benefits. The 20/30 diet worked for me as well, but I grew tired of fat-free milk, turkey burgers, and bran flakes. It was just to get my weight down to normal. I want to eat bacon, burgers, etc... again, I'm not preaching, but I've done research on the Atkins for quite some time and if you follow the plan (forget eating 7 whopper patties), you should see results without counting calories.

Ksyrup, are you still plugging along?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by sabotai

Would any of the tests you took have shown if there is a problem with your kidneys?

I ask because there have been several studies that showed if you had healthy kidneys, the Atkins diet didn't do anything to them. But if you had any kidn of kidney problem, then it basically made it worse.

None of the tests listed on this page would reveal Kidney problems. A basic chemistry (aka a Chem 7 aka a basic metabolic panel) will reveal Kidney problems via the BUN and Creatine levels. A standard well check should have included a basic metabolic panel.

[Ksyrup]

Yep, I'm still doing it. I caved in a bit during the holidays, but I've been maintaining between 178 and 185 for the past 9 months. Eventually, I want to get down to around 175, and even though I haven't gone "cold turkey" for an extended period of time to lose weight, it's been easy enough to stay where I am. Which is something.

[Ksyrup]

Dola.

The cholesterol tests I had done were part of a basic wellness checkup I had last August. Everything came back in the normal/acceptable range, so whatever else I had tested was fine.

[ice4277]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

still waiting for this to happen to me - quit drinking my beloved Dr Pepper 3 weeks ago, and I haven't lost an ounce.

DD,

One thing to make sure of is that you switched to drinking water and, occasionally, tea. If you switched to juices, you are still getting a ton of sugar, which may be the problem.

Other than that, I got nothin

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by ice4277

DD,

One thing to make sure of is that you switched to drinking water and, occasionally, tea. If you switched to juices, you are still getting a ton of sugar, which may be the problem.

Other than that, I got nothin

switched to water, 100%.

I still will drink milk, juice, or koolaid on occasion, but I've been very concious that every soda I cut out was replaced with water.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Yep, I'm still doing it. I caved in a bit during the holidays, but I've been maintaining between 178 and 185 for the past 9 months. Eventually, I want to get down to around 175, and even though I haven't gone "cold turkey" for an extended period of time to lose weight, it's been easy enough to stay where I am. Which is something.

Great to hear!!


Todd

[MizzouRah]

Update:

I've lost 12lbs in 10 days on Atkins, it's time to add some carbs and get back up to 160 (currently at 156). I haven't been in the 150's since boot camp back in 1990.


Todd

[Ksyrup]

What?! You haven't keeled over yet?

[RebelMan]

Hmmm Im 5'7'' and 190 lbs ....gained 20lbs in 4 months .....well looks like its time to get on atkins .

[HerRealName]

Thanks to Radii's dynasty, I've lost about 13 pounds since last Thursday. I'm down to 240 and I would like to get to 220-225 (I'm 6'5"). Thanks all for not only the inspiration but also the knowledge on how to make this change.

[Ksyrup]

I posted about this in the weight loss dynasty thread, but figured that in the interest of providing the complete picture (albeit 3.5 years later), I would update this thread about my current cholesterol level.

As some of you may know, I've lost about 60 pounds in the last 4 months. As some you also may know, I did the same thing about 4 years ago using the Atkins Diet (or a diet loosely based on Atkins). This time, I essentially stuck to the typical Jenny Craig/WW-type diet.

In August of 2003, I had a physical that produced the cholesterol levels I posted in my initial post in this thread. I thought I would update that information based on the physical I had last week. The results probably aren't that surprising, but here they are anyway, with the 8/03 results in parentheses:

Total cholesterol level: 113 (175)
LDL cholesterol level: 59 (115)
HDL cholesterol level: 44 (46)
Triglyceride level: 49 (70)

I can't say I'm either for or against either diet style - I lost weight on both. And I certainly wasn't unhealthy on Atkins. But by comparison - and having added in exercise this time around - I'm certainly healthier now than then.