On Thu, 03 Jun 2004 13:43:35 -0400, Steve
wrote:

Any opinions about whether or not what this guy has to say as being true
as well as the whole story?

[cut]

2) A lot of the weight you drop while on a
low-carbohydrate diet is water weight. For every gram of
carbohydrate you ingest, about three to five grams of
water usually accompany it. By decreasing your
carbohydrate intake you naturally drop body water.
Although this may sound like a good idea, when you
resume eating carbohydrates you may find that your body
rebounds and retains excess water. The water retention
will dissipate after several days, but it wreaks havoc
on the dieter's mental state.


It's never wreaked havoc on mine.

3) During the 70s, clinicians began noticing that people
that followed the Atkins' diet regained their weight
very rapidly once they ceased the diet. In fact, they
found the longer a person had been on the
low-carbohydrate diet, the more carbohydrate sensitive
they became.
Further, when this diet was combined with exercise it
caused people to become even more carbohydrate
sensitive. This could be the devastating pitfall,
because once the low-carbohydrate diet has ended, and
the person tries to resume eating carbohydrates, his
body tends to horde and store the carbohydrates as
opposed to using them for energy.
The person notices a fast accumulation of body water
that's followed by an abnormally fast body fat gain.
Although the water weight will eventually drop off, the
person notices that he gains body fat very easily, but
loses it more slowly in the future.

Can't say this is or isn't true.


4) Carbohydrates provide a "protein sparing" effect.
Under normal circumstances protein serves a vital role
in the maintenance, repair, and growth of body tissues.
When carbohydrate reserves are reduced the body will
convert protein into glucose for energy.
This process is called gluconeogenesis. The price that's
paid is a reduction in the body's protein stores. In
other words muscle! All, in turn, causes the metabolic
rate to slow down as well.

This assumes you don't eat enough protein. If you eat enough protein gor
gluconeogenesis AND for the body, then you shouldn't have muscle loss.


5) There's another problem that eating too little
carbohydrate creates. Your muscle fullness depends to a
large extent on your carbohydrate intake. Low
carbohydrate levels tend to make muscles lose their
density and flatten out.
Carbohydrates are a great source of fuel, so not eating
enough can lower your energy level and make your muscles
feel softer.

My muscles don't "feel softer".


6) These diets focus on the relationship between
carbohydrates and insulin (a hormone that shuttles fuel
into fat). However, their suggestion that insulin exerts
negative effects is not only misleading, it's downright
flawed.
Insulin does play a role in fat storage, but it also
causes glucose to be shuttled into muscle cells as well.
Our diets should keep blood levels of insulin as stable
as possible, not try to suppress its release.

Isn't keeping blood levels of insulin as stable as possible what a low
carb diet does? Also, I think that after exercise, it's beneficial to
increase insulin in order to replenish carb stores.


7) On the flip side, you'd have to be totally
out-of-the-loop if you haven't heard that more fat
increases your risk of heart disease, cancer, and
obesity. Naturally, everyone wants to hear that they can
eat fats and lose weight. I guess if you want to look
good in your coffin, then it's okay with me.
I've always disagreed with the American Dietetic
Association and the idea that 30 percent fat is healthy.
I believe that a diet of 20 percent or less fat poses a
substantial health benefit as well as a reduced risk of
obesity.

I've seen a lot of data saying you're wrong -- high fat intake is good.
Moreover, I ate very low fat for a long time and developed insulin
resistance because of it. Additionally, eating my high fat diet has
raised my HDL, lowered my triglycerides, and improved my Total
Cholesterol/HDL ratio. I've also lost about 50 pounds.


It amazes me that this diet is back. Are people's
memories really that short that they can't remember the
reason that the Atkins' diet vanished the first time?
Consider what bodybuilders learned years ago. During the
70s and early 80s, every major bodybuilding competitor
dieted on a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet, yet most of
them ended up very smooth and not very well defined.
The bodybuilders of the late 80s and 90s have improved
dramatically. By having a diet high in protein, low fat,
and moderate in carbohydrates, some of the best
physiques ever have been produced.

Isn't a low carb diet "moderate" in carbohydrates once maintenance is
reached? I've certainly increased my carb consumption over time.



--
Bob in CT
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