I did the fat fast once and only ate cream cheese and macadamia nuts for three days. Took me forever to touch them again.

Dh was told by a co-worker "SO many people have died doing Atkins." so he brought that up to me. I told him that THOSE people probably weren't doing it right, or weren't healthy to begin with. That done right, it's no more dangerous than other "diets". He totally agreed!!!

Hi everyone! I'm new here but man oh man do I feel your rage! I think the next time someone says to me, "you just can't live without any carbs" I'll scream! People just love to chime in with their two cents worth of "health advice" when they obviously know nothing about my WOE.

Here's one such example...tell me you wouldn't have been ticked off...lol

I work in front line sales in real estate. We are a huge company and have about 90 employees at my site. Well...one of our managers has been doing weight watchers for a while now and has lost 60 pounds. RAH RAH, way to go Sharon! I'm all there for her, BUT she has decided to be a 'leader' (I don't know much about their meetings) and announced the start of a new "diet support" club at work. She never mentioned that this was a WW support group and you had to "join" to participate, which I found very distasteful, but anyway...when a few of the folks approached me I told them I wasn't interested in WW because I followed Atkins and man I thought they would burn me at the stake! What a week! I hear nothing but how I was doing to die a long and painful death from heart disease and so on...a little animated there but you can just imagine. I'm JUST SO TIRED of people throwing in their opinions about MY WOE when they have no clue what it pertains to. It is NOT a no carb diet, actually with my pre-diabetes it is a very very healthy WOL. And yes I do eat carbs, just the right healthy kind of carbs for me. Sheesh! Anyhooo...

**falls off her soap box and shuts up now**

thank you, lol *blushes*

So many people? I think I've only heard of ONE person who died doing Atkins. From what I understand she was a teenager, and she probably wasn't taking any supplements and her electrolytes got too off balance. The very early stages of Atkins do cause a loss of potassium, because you pee more than normal. He actually advises taking some potassium, especially if you have leg cramps. So knowing what you are doing and doing it right is important. That involves reading the book, and understanding the basis for the diet, understanding what is happening within your body.

It shouldn't have happened even once, that someone died from doing a diet. I can certainly see where that would be a cause for alarm. But like you said if it is done right, by following the book it is a very healthy way of eating.

People die from other diets like "anorexia". I will have to also say that though I have a supportive work group where many people have eaten atkins (I do PP which is so similar I feel like an atkins person) But the Dr.s Eadies talk about the aboriginies where they did not have vegies and fruit and did not have wheat and carbos. they munched on some plands but in the desert where do you get plants, there are plenty of animals though. and how did the eskimos grow wheat?? last I knew they have all that imported. I did not know their growing season had changed?/ they are fish whale seal and bear. I do not see any other food source untill the dawn of the american revolution. Gosh they lived very well and had NO heart disease.

Welcome MsSmiley glad you and your passion can join us. HHHMMMM If it takes a headed fight to eat how you want then to get you out of your shell and stop lurking then we should do it more often!!

I loved the way the Protein Power book was written. So much history and information. I liked what they said about the Egyptians. Fascinating stuff.

Too I watched a show about a tribe of Native Americans in Arizona. So many of them had diabetes, it was almost an epidemic. But when you saw the show, I couldn't help but notice all the westernized junk food they were eating. No wonder! Certainly that isn't their "native" diet! No it isn't healthy for any of us.

I have a friend who has diabetes, and watching her health decline (she is in her 80s) makes me know I never want to go there. She doesn't eat low carb, either, but probably should. She was a nurse too, so it is too bad she doesn't know any better. There is only so much you can say to people though.

I think THAT is the truest statement! They either understand and support or they don't. Most of the people around me (family mostly) don't support the way I eat. Even though my mom "does Atkins" (I say it like that because her idea of eating the Atkins way is to do the program during the week and then binge on junk on the weekends. ARGH!). But my sisters can't understand my choice. I figure I've got to do what works for me and what makes ME healthy. So I just don't bother explaining/arguing my choices anymore. I just say "works for me" and leave it at that

My brother who is a type 1 diabetic was just put on a version of atkins.
Because his kidneys were failing. All the carb foods he has been eating has wore out his pancreas. So I think atkins is safe if you use it for the right reasons. ie lower blood sugar, cut out the addicting carbs that can kill you.

P.s. I am alos thinking about it.

Cara Mia welcome t this group. and I know many people who has done PP and atkins for years and has done great. I did PP for 2 years (Untill I went back to work and junk food was too easy)and was in the best health I ever was. You need to read the book. I really reccomend PPLP Protien Power Life Plan it really is very good information and well it gets very technical like talking about HDL's with little globs and big globs and some of it is way to tech even for me but it gives such great into you can not help but feel really good about the woe.

When I first started and people asked me how I was losing I'd tell them Atkins and 9 out of 10 times I'd get a lecture about how 'bad' it was, how it will ruin the liver, etc, etc, etc. I just took it with a grain of salt. Now those same people who were giving me crap about it have been asking me EXACTLY how to follow it. teehee

I'm interested in your comment about being cold. I am cold ALL THE TIME. I thought it was because I had lost some of my insulation and that was why, I've never heard that deep ketosis can cause this....I'll have to google around and see what I can find on the subject

Lacey

Ok....if deep ketosis makes a person cold I must be about to lose a TON of weight! Last night I just could not get warm worth nothing! I put a fleece blanket UNDER me and another OVER me (along with the usual 2 quilts!)!!!! Interesting!!

A few years ago when Atkins really starting getting big, I was doing a regular 1300 calorie a day diet, using slimfast for 2 meals a day. And all my friends, and co-workers were like NOOO you should do Atkins, its so much faster, its better then slimfast..slimfast is dangerous! blah blah..God I got so much crap for it..
But I wouldnt cave, at the time I was a vegetarian and Atkins just didnt sound easy for me..
I was a vegetarian for moral reasons, not health reasons..
I was one of them junk food vegetarians

I did eventually become vegan and did manage to loose alot of weight,

then I lost my job and became a stay at home mom again

NO one was here to see me eat that dairy ..and eventually cheetos and cupcakes again

So finally here I am twice as big as ever and already eatting meat again and fairly ok with it
And I decide to do Atkins

THE SAME PPL WHO TRIED TO SHOVE ATKINS AT ME, are now all saying..oh no ..no no..you cant do Atkins..its dangerous..its unhealthy...

You should do *South Beach* or Sonoma or something..

Or just eat whatever and watch your porportions ( which is fancy speak for calories )

WHICH IS WHAT i WAS DOING WHEN THEY SAID NOOOO DO ATKINS..LOL
and now its nooooooooooooooo dont do atkins..do the dangerous thing we told you not to do before..lol

*ahhh*

but I am doing Atkins , I read the book , I understand it and in my few first days here I feel pretty good..

Oh and I meant to add to the fasting topic, when I was heavy into Yoga and Buddhism, I used to do occasional water fasts, I would never go more then a weekend though, although in my study group some ppl went up to 14 days. It wasnt so much about health for us as a spiritual decision, but I can tell you I think there are some health benefits from it, I really do, but like most things if its not done in moderation for short amounts of time, and with doctors opinions and supervision in some cases, it could be very dangerous!
Case point, when I was a teenager, I was a wanna be ana really, I wasnt really anxeroic because I would binge after a few days, but I used to pull off 2-3 days starving pretty easily, comparing that to a spiritual fast by choice..they are nothing alike..spiritual fasting is not starvation..its actually a common practice , espically here in the west and in northern california, many buddhists, pagans, hindus, even christians do it, and if you go to any yoga retreat they almost always offer fasting weekends..
I think it scares people because its new and people dont understand it. But like I said , there is a difference between starving to loose weight and fasting for religoius/spiritual reasons. HUGE DIFFERENCE..

I didnt mean fasting was *new* I meant it might scare someone who hasnt been around people who fast ..but if your around certian communities of people you realize it is actually pretty common practice and its not that scarey if dont right.

Just out of curiousity what do you see as the difference? I have never fasted for religious reasons, but I actually liked it as a weight loss method. Mainly because after the first day, you really aren't hungry. I suppose it is a lot like Atkins in that way, because once you are in ketosis, most of your real hunger disappears. They say with a fast that you don't really need to start eating again until you feel hungry. The Bible says that when Jesus fasted, after 40 days he "felt hungry". You'd think you would feel hungry long before then, but people I've known, and books I've read on the subject indicate that you don't begin to actually "starve" until you do feel hungry and don't eat.

Again I'm not advocating it. I think it is an interesting subject, and I never fasted long enough to "feel hungry", so I don't know from experience. I just remember that not being hungry thing. It was kind of weird.

One thing I did notice about fasting is that I didn't need as much sleep. I would only sleep a very few hours at night and didn't need any more. I've noticed the same with Atkins. I'm usually a very sound sleeper who can sleep as long as I want, but while on Atkins I often find myself waking up in the middle of the night and feel that I've slept enough. That I could get up and not go back to bed and not be any worse for it. Last night that happened at 3:30 in the morning. I did finally go back to sleep, but not for an hour or two.

Fasting is like that too. But tell me WHAT do you see as the difference between "religious" fasting and otherwise? I mean other than your purpose? How would one be any different than the other physically?