Active Low-Carber Forums
Atkins diet and low carb discussion provided free for information only, not as medical advice.
Home Plans Tips Recipes Tools Stories Studies Products
Active Low-Carber Forums
A sugar-free zone


Welcome to the Active Low-Carber Forums.
Support for Atkins diet, Protein Power, Neanderthin (Paleo Diet), CAD/CALP, Dr. Bernstein Diabetes Solution and any other healthy low-carb diet or plan, all are welcome in our lowcarb community. Forget starvation and fad diets -- join the healthy eating crowd! You may register by clicking here, it's free!

Go Back   Active Low-Carber Forums > Main Low-Carb Diets Forums & Support > New Members & Low-Carbers > Introduce Yourself
User Name
Password
FAQ Members Calendar Mark Forums Read Search Gallery My P.L.A.N. Survey


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1   ^
Old Sat, Dec-12-09, 10:33
KMD's Avatar
KMD KMD is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 135
 
Plan: Low-Carb Mediterranean Di
Stats: 173/168/160 Male 71 inches
BF:
Progress: 38%
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona USA
Default Howdy From One of the Rare Physicians Who's Not Anti-Low-Carb!

Hey, guys! Pleased to meet you.

In 2009 I spent 80 hours reviewing the scientific literature supporting the reigning medical establishment's position that dietary fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol are detrimental to cardiovascular health.

I found the evidence weak or nonexistent.

This was the key to opening up the low-carb world to me.

Sure, I had seen plenty of people, including some of my patients, lose lots of weight and keep it off eating low-carb. But I always worried about low-carb diets promoting hardening of the arteries, which could lead to premature heart attacks and strokes, even death.

I don't worry about that anymore.

I believe there are several types of underlying physiology that lead to overweight and obesity. So the best therapeutic approach to overweight varies from person to person. For example, some do best with a balanced but calorie-restricted diet, others do better with pure carbohydrate restriction. "One size fits all" doesn't apply.

My particular interests at this point are:

-----how to overcome the high drop-out rate seen with low-carb eating
-----low-carb recipes
-----application of low-carb eating to people with type 2 diabetes, overweight or not

Starting September 1, 2009, I've been eating very low-carb - 20 to 30 grams a day - and lost 15 pounds (6.8 kg). Granted, I didn't have much to lose in the first place. I'm in the midst of figuring out whether to add back some fruits, vegetables, legumes, or whole grains - and how much.

"Thank you" to the owners and administrators of this website and forum. I'm sure I'll gain valuable knowledge here that I would not be able to access otherwise.

-Steve Parker, M.D.
Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
  #2   ^
Old Sat, Dec-12-09, 12:50
Symphonyod's Avatar
Symphonyod Symphonyod is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,182
 
Plan: LC/IF and such
Stats: -/-/- Female 60 inches
BF:2 spare tires
Progress: 33%
Location: SC
Default

Welcome to the boards!!

Your point about the drop out rate.. I think it's like that with anything. YOu want to have a resolve to work out.. a resolve to quit smoking.. a resolve to ___insert goal___.

It's a mental battle. It stinks!

However, I believe it can be overcome. The answer for each person is different. I hope you find yours!

This board has a wealth of information!
Reply With Quote
  #3   ^
Old Sat, Dec-12-09, 13:08
Seejay's Avatar
Seejay Seejay is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 3,025
 
Plan: Optimal Diet
Stats: 00/00/00 Female 62 inches
BF:
Progress: 8%
Default

Welcome Mr. Parker! So great to have you here. Thank you for introducing yourself.

Dropout rate - Some people will be more physiologically hooked into palatable foods than others, and what to do about that? , I'd be impressed if you were educated about the biochemistry of palatable foods, and the interactions of seratonin and neurochemicals. Another look at antidepressants as a co-factor with crummy food in other words.

If you were my doctor I'd want you paired up with a good endo for learning all you can about thyroid too. I'd need you to help fix metabolic problems. Check out Lisa's most excellent posts on reverse t3 and long term low carb in a thyroid thread.
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...t=403439&page=1
Reply With Quote
  #4   ^
Old Sat, Dec-12-09, 16:18
Kristine's Avatar
Kristine Kristine is offline
Forum Moderator
Posts: 25,581
 
Plan: Primal/P:E
Stats: 171/146/150 Female 5'7"
BF:
Progress: 119%
Location: Southern Ontario, Canada
Default

Greetings, Doc. Nothing warms my heart like a health professional and/or academic who dares to question the Party Line on dietary advice. The continued preaching of the low-fat/high-carb theory long after it's been demonstrated as dubious makes me sick to my stomach. People are dying because of pharmaceutical and processed food industry interests.

You're correct to say that "one size does not fit all." There are many factors to take into account when it comes to trying to convince someone to change his/her lifestyle: religious beliefs, time and budget constraints, the resolve as Symphonyod mentioned... ultimately, the only plan that will work is the one the patient will stick with and be happy with. High drop out rate? Yes. There's nothing wrong with doing it in stages. If a doctor would have told me from day 1 that I'd need to go paleo, I probably never would have bothered. But the Protein Power (Drs Eades) "hedonist" plan was a little more up my alley.

It's a learning curve.

Welcome aboard.

Last edited by Kristine : Sat, Dec-12-09 at 16:25.
Reply With Quote
  #5   ^
Old Sat, Dec-12-09, 17:03
Judynyc's Avatar
Judynyc Judynyc is offline
Attitude is a Choice
Posts: 30,111
 
Plan: No sugar, flour, wheat
Stats: 228.4/209.0/170 Female 5'6"
BF:stl/too/mch
Progress: 33%
Location: NYC
Default

Welcome Doc!!

Good to have a medical professional join us.
Reply With Quote
  #6   ^
Old Sat, Dec-12-09, 17:49
AirsoftGal AirsoftGal is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 95
 
Plan: My own LC
Stats: 184.4/169.4/140 Female 5' 4"
BF:
Progress: 34%
Location: Northern Cal.
Default

Hi Steve and welcome! It's interesting that you're looking for the low-carb diet drop-out rate as I myself have been looking for the Weight Watchers' drop-out rate. It's of personal interest; so far, no luck but I'll keep trying.

I recalled reading a statistic in Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories that said something along the lines of 1 in 2 will have success with restricted carb dieting in comparison to the 1 in 50 who will have success with low-cal dieting. I've been able to find the comment on p. 339-40 in the context of the experience of Bistrian & Blackburn [who are in Pagli ('85)]. B&B saw more success with patients on a restricted carb diet of fat and protein with calories restricted to 650-800 than when those same patients were given an extra 400 calories for carbohydrate. The oddest thing was, the low-carb 800 calories folk did not experience the hunger that the 1200 calories "balanced diet" folk did.

There are more citations leading up to this particular little passage. Starting on 337, a few are Hanssen ('36), B. Sjovill ('57), T. Silverstone ('63), L. Pena ('79), and R. Kemp ('63 & '73). GCBC contains 40+ pages of citations and a 50+ page bibliography; there's also chapters devoted to diabetes.

Taubes' credentials are degrees and advanced degrees in physics, engineering, and journalism from two Ivys and that lowly hillbilly place in Palo Alto (lol, I'm sure you know the story of how Leland Stanford Jr. University came into existence).

Good luck with your research!
Reply With Quote
  #7   ^
Old Sat, Dec-12-09, 19:20
GlendaRC's Avatar
GlendaRC GlendaRC is offline
Posts: 8,787
 
Plan: Atkins maintenance
Stats: 170/120/130 Female 65 inches & shrinking
BF:
Progress: 125%
Location: Victoria, BC Canada
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by KMD
Hey, guys! Pleased to meet you.

My particular interests at this point are:

-----how to overcome the high drop-out rate seen with low-carb eating
-----low-carb recipes
-----application of low-carb eating to people with type 2 diabetes, overweight or not

-Steve Parker, M.D.

Welcome Doc Steve .... it's wonderful to have an enlightened physician join us! You're not alone but there still aren't enough of you.

-- re the drop-out rate -- I'm convinced that comes from lack of planning and feelings of deprivation. For example, we have to plan what we'll have for lunches instead of sandwiches which is a major shift for a lot of people even though it's not difficult to brown-bag a tuna salad in place of a tuna sandwich.

-- low-carb recipes. Just scroll down to the "kitchen forum" area - TONS of recipes for every meal and occasion!

-- people with type 2 diabetes. Again scroll down to the health forum - there's a diabetes and Dr Bernstein plan area.

All that aside, I'm working on educating my primary care physician -- he's not totally unreceptive although I'm not sure he's accepting either! Oh well ... baby steps!
Reply With Quote
  #8   ^
Old Sat, Dec-12-09, 22:47
black57 black57 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 11,822
 
Plan: atkins/intermit. fasting
Stats: 166/136/135 Female 5'3''
BF:
Progress: 97%
Location: Orange, California
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by KMD
Hey, guys! Pleased to meet you.

In 2009 I spent 80 hours reviewing the scientific literature supporting the reigning medical establishment's position that dietary fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol are detrimental to cardiovascular health.

I found the evidence weak or nonexistent.

This was the key to opening up the low-carb world to me.

Sure, I had seen plenty of people, including some of my patients, lose lots of weight and keep it off eating low-carb. But I always worried about low-carb diets promoting hardening of the arteries, which could lead to premature heart attacks and strokes, even death.

I don't worry about that anymore.

I believe there are several types of underlying physiology that lead to overweight and obesity. So the best therapeutic approach to overweight varies from person to person. For example, some do best with a balanced but calorie-restricted diet, others do better with pure carbohydrate restriction. "One size fits all" doesn't apply.

My particular interests at this point are:

-----how to overcome the high drop-out rate seen with low-carb eating
-----low-carb recipes
-----application of low-carb eating to people with type 2 diabetes, overweight or not

Starting September 1, 2009, I've been eating very low-carb - 20 to 30 grams a day - and lost 15 pounds (6.8 kg). Granted, I didn't have much to lose in the first place. I'm in the midst of figuring out whether to add back some fruits, vegetables, legumes, or whole grains - and how much.

"Thank you" to the owners and administrators of this website and forum. I'm sure I'll gain valuable knowledge here that I would not be able to access otherwise.

-Steve Parker, M.D.


We are so glad that you are here, Doctor Parker. There are other doctors in our community that we can link to you. We want more of you who take the time to learn what matters to our health and low fat just ain't cutting it. I for one, willbe starting a support group at the local WHole Foods Market in Ja uary. I have been low carbing for a tad over 7 years. I now combine low carbing with intermittent fasting, which I added 2 1/2 years ago.

I avoid wheat ,rice, potatoes etc but I do consume flax ( often defined as the low carb grain ).There are so many low carb vegetables and fruits in existance there really is no need to restrict these.

One way to avoid dropping out is learning to enjoy condemned foods such as a T bone steak topped with bleu cheese, with a side of shrimp and asparagus. People try too hard to make this a diet and not a lifestyle. They are afraid to eat butter or cream. The think of the low carb diet as a diet absent of vegetables and fruit. People don't really appreciate the fact that sugar is a poison and should look at it in such a manner. Heck, we have been brainwashed to believe that fat kills. Now it's time to learn that sugar kills. Doctor Parker, I recommend the book "The Brain Trust Program" by Dr. Larry Mcleary. The reason I recommend this book is because if you follow his guidelines to achieve optimal brain health, you will be living a low carb lifestyle. He also addresses perimenopause/menopause symptoms and why they benefit from low carb/ketogenic diets. Thanks for joining us Doc.
Reply With Quote
  #9   ^
Old Sat, Dec-12-09, 22:49
NoBREAD NoBREAD is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,042
 
Plan: Keto/Low Carb
Stats: 170/120/100 Female 5ft.0in.
BF:
Progress: 71%
Location: WV Mountains
Default

Welcome Dr Parker.
It's nice to have a physician on board to this way of eating. I have had a heart attack and triple bypass surgery this year while not eating low carb. I think low fat and wheat are way more dangerous for heart health than eating low carb.

Look forward to hearing your opinions.
Reply With Quote
  #10   ^
Old Sat, Dec-12-09, 23:49
Fauve Fauve is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,274
 
Plan: Carnivore
Stats: 167/135/127 Female 63
BF:
Progress: 80%
Location: Victoria, BC
Default

Welcome Doc!
I'll be very interested to read your input.
Reply With Quote
  #11   ^
Old Sun, Dec-13-09, 05:53
KMD's Avatar
KMD KMD is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 135
 
Plan: Low-Carb Mediterranean Di
Stats: 173/168/160 Male 71 inches
BF:
Progress: 38%
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona USA
Default

Thanks for all the comments thus far!

Regarding the drop-out rate from low-carb eating, my personal nemesis is sweets. After 3.5 months of very low-carb eating, the only thing that would lure me away is sweets, like cinnamon rolls, cookies, and pie.

I don't miss potatoes, corn chips, high-carb veggies, legumes, potatoe chips, pizza, or even bread all that much.

They say that after a certain amount of time eating low-carb, you lose your desire for sweets. I don't think that will ever happen for me.

So I'll head over to the recipe section for sweet things first, which I assume will involve artificial sweeteners. Thus far, I even get excited about eating a Metamucil fiber wafer which is artificially flavored.

-Steve
Reply With Quote
  #12   ^
Old Sun, Dec-13-09, 09:14
daedreamer's Avatar
daedreamer daedreamer is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 271
 
Plan: Atkins: Induction
Stats: 365/228/150 Female 5 foot 6 inches
BF:
Progress: 64%
Location: Boiling Springs,SC
Default

Welcome aboard Doc! Happy to have you here with us!
Reply With Quote
  #13   ^
Old Sun, Dec-13-09, 11:18
Judynyc's Avatar
Judynyc Judynyc is offline
Attitude is a Choice
Posts: 30,111
 
Plan: No sugar, flour, wheat
Stats: 228.4/209.0/170 Female 5'6"
BF:stl/too/mch
Progress: 33%
Location: NYC
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by KMD
Thanks for all the comments thus far!

Regarding the drop-out rate from low-carb eating, my personal nemesis is sweets. After 3.5 months of very low-carb eating, the only thing that would lure me away is sweets, like cinnamon rolls, cookies, and pie.

FYI- its not only sugar if you are missing rolls, cookies and pie as these take in white flour also.
Have you tired any dark 85% chocolate yet?
There are recipes for making your own sweets in the kitchen

Quote:
I don't miss potatoes, corn chips, high-carb veggies, legumes, potatoe chips, pizza, or even bread all that much.

These were my drug of choice. I'll have a bite once in a while.


Quote:
They say that after a certain amount of time eating low-carb, you lose your desire for sweets. I don't think that will ever happen for me.

IMO, it doesn't have to happen...it just needs to be modified and kept low sugar.

Quote:
So I'll head over to the recipe section for sweet things first, which I assume will involve artificial sweeteners. Thus far, I even get excited about eating a Metamucil fiber wafer which is artificially flavored.

-Steve

If AS don't effect you, good! Many here have issues using them, I don't.
We each need to find what works best for our individual bodies. It truly is a YMMV kind of thing. There are sweetners like Stevia, which come from a plant. I don't like it as I find it way too sweet.

Have fun in the kitchen!!
Reply With Quote
  #14   ^
Old Sun, Dec-13-09, 21:38
ProfGumby's Avatar
ProfGumby ProfGumby is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,927
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 361/285.0/240.0 Male 5'11"
BF:Shake Hands w/Beef
Progress: 63%
Location: In Da U.P. eh? Menominee
Default

What's up Doc?


Glad to have you here! I am always eager to hear from and talk with folks from the medical profession that do have an open mind when it comes to Low Carbing!

Reply With Quote
  #15   ^
Old Mon, Dec-14-09, 13:03
Gypsybyrd's Avatar
Gypsybyrd Gypsybyrd is offline
Posts: 7,035
 
Plan: Keto IMO Atkins 72 Induct
Stats: 283/229/180 Female 5'3"
BF:mini goal 250, 225
Progress: 52%
Location: St. Pete, Florida
Default

Welcome to the forum Dr. Parker! You don't happen to have a network of doctors that are not anti-low-carb, do you? Specifically, do you know of one in St. Pete, FL? It's worth an ask ...

As for the drop out rate, I don't know what makes people drop out. I think the reason vaires with each person. It's definitely a more time-consuming way of eating. I myself haven't exactly stuck with it over the past two to three years but I've managed to maintain a status quo. I keep trying and it's not for lack of resolve (unless maybe it's a subconscious/indirect self-esteem issues; i.e., dont' stick with it because don't believe self is worth it?), feelings of deprivation, lack of planning, or the palatability of foods. *shrugs* Figuring out why we drop out or back off low-carb would probably require a mental health professional to dig deep or a lot of self-awareness on the individual's part.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:27.


Copyright © 2000-2024 Active Low-Carber Forums @ forum.lowcarber.org
Powered by: vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.