I have heard it from friends and family saying how I will DIE if I do Atkins, you know the usual grief I am sure we all get it.

Well I can handle this form of grief. I felt confident after reading the Atkins book that this was a safe way to loose weight and feel as a 33 year old mom of 2, that I was old enough and sensible enough to make decisions all by myself!!!!!!!!!!!!

So whats the problem then?

Well I had to go to the doctors the other day for routine stuff and the nurse said I needed to loose some weight......suprise of the century...........well i said no problem I'm on the Atkins, i have never felt better and I am loosing weight. I then get told that I will have high cholestrol levels to which I replied, oh no your cholestorol levels drop on this diet to which she say no way they will shoot through the roof. She then told me she had a man in who had been on the Atkins on and off for a few months and now had problems with to much fat on one of his internal organs (can't remember which one) and then tells me I would become high risk for bowel cancer!!!!!!!!

Help me out here, am I right to start panicking or am I being taken in by a nurse who doesn't know the facts and using scare tactics? I am loosing weight and inches by the bucket load and feel great

I felt really confident about Atkins until she said all this and wondered if anyone else had had a similar experience. I just want a bit of reassurance I think.

Going on and off - eating high fat and then cheating and eating sugar repeatedly would probably give you this type of result. She's not completely wrong, but she is trying to scare you and she doesn't know her stuff. It wasn't Atkins that caused the problem, it was the cheating that did (if it was even that, who knows what his innards were like before ?)

If there were studies out there that proved that this WOL was dangerous then people like that nurse would have them photocopied and ready to hand out at the drop of a hat. They dont, because they do not exist!

FYI, since starting LC over 2 years ago my cholesterol hasn't changed much worth mentioning. My Blood Pressure has gone down to normal however and my thyroid has returned to normal. Other than that all I can say is I haven't felt this good ....... ever.

-Nat

Breathe, Jaqui... breathe!

And then learn to recognise NHS hysteria mongering when you see it. Or at least the key words "had been on the Atkins on and off for a few months"...

Therein lies your key. And frankly, what a pillock he was for messing his metabolism about like that...

As for bowel cancer (oh she really was scraping the barrel to scare you wasn't she?!), so long as you a) avoid too much constipation, b) do so without developing an addiction to senekot or the like, and c) drink lashings of water...

Well put it this way, who's word do you trust more? That of a total stranger whose word utterly contradicts all medical research to date and whose job security relies upon you being ill and generally messing your body up, or the word of your body which you've lived with all your life?

I know which I'd go with...

I'm afraid I'm really short on time or I'd research more to utterly set your mind at rest. But for now... listen to your body; its way wiser than all the NHS put together!

PS... Well put Natruska!

The Gypsy is right, Jaqui. Being on atkins doesn't mean you automatically become constipated! I'm eating 30g of carbs a day and hitting the WC every single morning.

Mainstream just doesn't understand the amount of fresh veggies that LC involves. Keep your fiber, your water and your fat intake up and you'll have no problems with constipation!


-Nat

p.s. UrbanGypsy ...

Well I knew you would all convince me and you have. How true, I should listen to my own body and not some nurse who probably knows nothing about the diet in the first place. Thank you everyone, I knew deep down I was worrying for no reason but just needed that bit of reassurance. Thanks again everyone I now off to have my low carb pancakes with chocolate sauce and double cream!!!!!!!!!!!!

As has been stated... imagine what would happen to your body if you added or increased all of the "Free" foods on Atkins without reducing the carbs? You would get fatter, your cholesteral would go through the roof, so would your blood pressure, etc. It is the COMBINATION of high fat and low carbs that makes this work, one without the other is a disaster.
I have a sister who drove me crazy on this recently. She would eat eggs and bacon for breakfast, steak for lunch and dinner, cheese in between, then reward herself at night for doing so good during the day with a slice of chocolate cake or a margarita! No, No, No! When after a week she had gained weight, she thought that the diet didn't work!
Look you are 31 female and I am a 41 year old male. I have high cholestoral and High BP which I am taking medications for, I smoke and I drink. Plus, I am fat! My doctor is all for me doing this diet, and has been on Sugar Busters himself. So, if you see me quit posting on here and find out I died of a heart attack, then you might start to worry. Until then, as long as you see me posting, you know you are safe! madmike

Cheers madmike, I can see what you are all saying now it is a mix of the two that doesn't work and after your posting and 11 0% convinced this is the diet for me. I have a wheat allergy and this way of eating has made me feel better than I have for years as I was not aware before of how much food contained wheat. Therefore, I feel great weight is falling off therefore, no problem.

You lot are good at this, I knew I could count on you all making me feel better

thanksJaqui

Hi Jaqui: You have the right attitude! Also, when I went to the doctor the other day my blood pressure was lower than it had been in years... it was actually "normal." And, I have only lost 15 pounds! Additionally, I was on prescription medication for daily indigestion and I have been able to give it up completely with no indigestion. Its amazing! mad

jaqui,being a diabetic i get blood fats checked quite often and everything is fine.i,m better than i,ve been in years, don,t worry,just enjoy your diet.my bp is also lowere than a few years ago.in may it was 105/60.not bad for a 45 year old diabetic smoker.

My husband and I are both doing Atkins, with the blessings of our Doctor. I have high cholesterol (on medication) he has high blood pressure (on medication) We are both checked routinely by the Doctor, note I didn't say the nurse) My cholesterol is coming down as is his blood pressure. Consider this, if the staff where you are going is so inconsiderate and unprofessional they would use scare tactics with you, maybe you need to seek another Doctor.

Jaqui

I think you are doing the right thing, if it is not right for you, you will know soon enough. Can I just say that after years of feeling unwell, I have high blood pressure which came after having severe pre-eclampsia with having my two children, high cholesterol and poly cystic ovaries which makes it extremely difficult for me to lose weight. Around March my doctor prescribed me with Xenical to help me lose weight and after taking it for three months, guess what, not a pound!!!! I suffered for it and he suggested I try the Atkins diet. I was really surprised and thought, no chance, but after seeing one of my best friends losing 2½ stone on it, I thought that must be for me. I am still in the early stages but after 1 month, I have lost 10 lbs (I did go a wee bit off for a week when my husband strayed off the plan, but I'm truly back now).

Stick to it and ignore your nurse (maybe she needs to lose a few pounds and is jealous!!!!).


Joyce

Just to add to whats already been said.

In general the medical profession have not kept up to date with the reality of low-carb diets. They have snap shots of what been said, and as a result of their lack of understand take what they consider a safe position of recommending against it. I don't believe this is deliberately trashing Atkins et al, but a natural conservative approach GP's in general need to take with advising a pateint.

I am a Brit in Japan, but visit a UK doc here when I first started. His immediate reaction was to say he recommended I didn't do it as it could be dangerous and he mentioned ketoacidosis. I explanined in detail and his response was that I seemed to have research this and made up my mind and let the blood work decide.

3 months later did a blood test. His first comment was that I looked great, and the blood work was excellent as well.

Just keep doing what your doing was the only comment he had. He did want to learn more and asked for references which I provided.

Stick with what you're doing.....it works, its safe, its natural, and it I will never eat any other way.

Oh Jaqui! Everyone else is right - the 'on and off' part is the key. You cannot DO on and off, you have to be either or, not both.

Next time you go in to see the nurse and she starts, tell her very nicely to quit scaring you and to go read the book. I mean, you have a damned WHEAT allergy and she's trying to get you to eat CARBS??? What is she, a sadist??