Thu, Feb-15-07, 08:32
|
|
Senior Member
Posts: 10,147
|
|
Plan: LC--Atkins
Stats: 195/162/150
BF:
Progress: 73%
Location: Kansas City, MO
|
|
The bottom line on maintenance
In a previous thread, I spoke of revisiting several editions of Dr. Atkins. It appears that many caveats, complications, and even certain myths have grown up around the "original diet revolution" explained by Dr. A in 1972. Some of it is good (the concept of subtracting fiber from total carbs) and some not so good (sugar alcohols and the "all you can eat/calories don't count" impression).
Here are my three big takeaways from the earliest edition:
1--"....when it comes to changing your eating habits...it's vital to realize with crystal clearness the role that you and your values play....No diet can make you lose weight."
2--"A moderate reduction of carbohydrate intake doesn't mean much...A lowish carbohydrate count doesn't change your chemistry....What do I mean by 'drastically reduced?' I mean an intake of well below forty grams of carbohydrates per day. And that's the upper limit. That's where most of you will end your diet and start maintenance." [bold face mine]
3--"...my experience with thousands of...patients...is that the majority find their Critical Carbohydrate Level to be 40 grams daily. When they take in more than that, they get hungry--and then gain.
Well, now. Forty grams? That's not a lot, is it? The majority of us? That would probably include me. I'm probably not done reconciling my brain to the fact that I'll have to be a low-carb nazi for the rest of my life, as far as my own nutritional choices. But it does help to know that low-carb works very well for me as a livable weight management tool. Nothing else like it.
So...thanks, Dr. Atkins, for describing a new pathway. Even though it really isn't as easy as the hype would have us believe.
|