Doug Freyburger wrote:
> Patricia Aquino wrote:
>
>>Yes, Spamfree, you can count me in as someone who is tired of hearing
>>the words "low carb" or more irritating just the word "carbs".
>>
>>... I would love to see what her cholesterol level
>>really is not to mention her blood pressure!
>
>
> Atkins reduces blood pressure in more people than it reduces weight
> and it improves cholesterol in 80%, but don't let the facts hit you
> on the head when you bash your way though the door leading out. I
> know - It's not your fault the doctor dropped you on your head when
> you were born.
>
>
>>This is also a person who believes if you watch a work-out
>>video it's as if you have done the full work out.
>
>
> Chuckle. You aren't able to put in any mental work with tough
> stuff like facts and your friend isn't able to put in any
> physical work with tough stuff like weights. At least the two
> of you add up to a whole person.
>
>
>>To sum it up...I've got your "carbs" riighttt here!
>
>
> Fortunately the carb count for a troll is zero.


I'm not sure where to step in here...

I think the Adkin's craze is idiotic -- at least the way I see most
people following it, where a Wendy's triple with cheese is considered
"heathy" if you don't eat the bun. And I'm getting tired of hearing
"LOW CARB" all the time. But...

My brother has lost close to 100 pounds by severely limiting carbohydrates.

My mother (a Registered Nurse) is doing Adkins and has lost a little
weight; her total cholesterol hasn't really moved much, but now it is
almost totally HDL. [I think this is weird]

So there is *something* to the diet, even if it is only for a temporary
measure to get an extremely obese person's weight down to where they can
start a more balanced diet and exercise program. And I suspect that the
high protein level in the diet helps preserve lean muscle mass when the
body is drawing on it's stores.

All the food companies and restaurants jumping the low-carb bandwagon is
a Godsend for diabetics, making it much easier for them to control their
glucose levels by diet and maybe not even needing insulin shots. I
suspect some of the diet's success comes from controlling hunger by
stabilizing glucose and insulin levels.

I was on a high-protein diet back in the 70's for a little while. The
mild ketosis it put's you in does supress your appetite. I lost weight,
but the diet was not maintainable. That was a long time ago, and I was
young, so I don't remember a lot of details.

I think the real nugget of goodness that I see in the low-carbohydrate
diet is that the USA diet gets most of its calories from carbohydrates
-- so that's the largest opportunity for calorie reduction. If you only
eat, say, 200 calories worth of carbohydrates in a day, it is difficult
to eat 2000 calories worth of protein and fat even though fat is over
twice as energy-dense as carbs. You can eliminate several hundreds of
calories of carbohydrate from your diet every day and not miss it.

Best regards,
Bob