Difference in Atkins, South Beach, and Just Winging Low Carb?
Question by RN_and_mommy: difference in atkins, south beach, and just winging low carb?
I am on a low carb diet. Not Atkins or South Beach per se, but just not eating any more than 20 carbs total (minus dietary fiber) daily. A friend and I were dicussing this (she is an avid Atkinser). She insists you lose more weight on Atkins than if you just cut out carbs. Anyone have personal experiences to compare?
Best answer:
Answer by cyn_texas
There are reasons for the recommendations of the diet. I don’t know how you define “winging” it or how that differs from the 2 programs but I’ve seen various “winging” it programs here on Y!Answers & they ultimately are not only disasters but people claim they’ve done Atkins & it didn’t work & they didn’t do Atkins, they did “made up something” & called it Atkins – like the starving on egg whites diet or the 20 grams of chocolate diet or the low fat/low carb/vegetarian diet.
If you are fairly normal weight & prefer fish, poultry and beans the South Beach Diet is probably best for you. If you are more than 30# overweight, have blood sugar issues, insulin resistance or carb addiction issues, then I highly recommend Atkins. It allows beef and pork but restricts beans and other higher carb items to limited amounts especially the first few months. Carb allowances grow 5grams per day higher every week til you reach your personal carb level.
I strongly stand beside Dr.Atkins regarding the health promoting effects of saturated fats (especially in the absence of carbs). Butter, animal fats (especially from animals fed a natural diet & not a carb filled diet) coconut oil are all beneficial to human health. Dr.Atkins has been crucified for his convictions for the past 40 years even though all the current studies do nothing but strengthen his case. It wouldn’t be so important if the health of American society hasn’t severely degraded with the low fat recommendations instituted 35 years ago. American’s now eat 11% less animal fats than they did 35 years ago but their health has declined at epidemic proportions.
Dr.Agatston (creator of South Beach Diet) is not willing to take a stand against saturated fat & recommends a diet although high in fat (which all low carb diets have to be) higher in monounsaturates & polyunsaturates (which I personally find dangerous) than saturated fats.
There is no reason to ever go off a low carb way of eating, you slowly re introduce carbs to your way of eating and as long as you don’t exceed 9grams of carbs an hour (144 carbs a day) you will never trigger insulin (the fat storage hormone) no matter the calories. I still cheat with sugar occasionally. It’s just not a regular part of my life (as it was preAtkins, nearly 6 years ago, when I felt it controlled me & I had no control)
The rungs to reintroduction of carbs in 5 gram units – all available to very active people in as little as 11 weeks. Make sure you do them in order & you can skip a rung if you do not intend to include it in your permanent way of eating, such as the alcohol rung.:
* (minimum week 3 – maximum 25grams day) Acceptable vegetables, larger quantities
* (minimum week 4 – maximum 30grams day) Add 5grams Fresh cheese
* (minimum week 5 – maximum 35grams day) Add 5grams Nuts and seeds
* (minimum week 6 – maximum 40grams day) Add 5grams Berries
* (minimum week 7 – maximum 45grams day) Alcohol can be added if desired
* (minimum week 8 – maximum 50grams day) Add 5grams Legumes
* (minimum week 9 – maximum 55grams day) Add 5grams Other fruits
* (minimum week10 – maximum 60grams day) Add 5grams Starchy vegetables
* (minimum week11 – maximum 65grams day) Add 5grams Whole grains
If you are continuing to lose or maintain (whichever is goal) in week 12 and beyond, you continue to add 5grams a day per week til you reach your personal carb level.
Many people gain weight on high carb, then switch to low carb to lose weight & then are shocked when they return to high carb that they gain weight. (Isn’t insanity defined as doing the exact same thing, in the exact same way and expecting different results??) Many people can return to moderate carb levels but very few can really eat all they want of sugar and maintain weight or health.
You will lose more body fat eating protein and fat (don’t eat protein alone) than not eating AT ALL. To lose weight fast eat all you want but nothing but meat, eggs, healthy oils, mayo, butter and half an avocado a day (you’ll need added potassium). Keep the calories high and the fat percentage high, at least 65% of calories. Adding in green vegetables & some cheese will continue weight loss but at a slower pace.
Your body won’t release fat stores if you lower calories below what it needs. It will slow your metabolism to compensate and store every spare ounce as fat. If you continue lowering your calories, it will continue lowering that set point, til you can survive off nothing and store fat on anything. The body will only release it’s fat stores if it knows there is plenty of food.
Eating carbs while trying to lose body fat is terribly inefficient. When in glycolysis (burning glucose as fuel) you have to lower your calories (which slows your metabolism) and exercise heavily to deplete your glycogen stores before burning body fat.
The core of the Atkins program is converting your body from glycolysis (burning glucose as fuel) to ketosis (burning fat as fuel). You need to
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