Should we watch our carbs?..

As you know I am an advocate for healthy eating, which to me means many things that the Atkins diet also means. I believe in eating Less of the following when trying to slim down and improve health: Sugar, White carbs, Starch and More of the following: healthy Fats, Fiber, Fruits/Veggies. So- where is the big discrepancy? I feel its due to Atkins lackadaisical attitude about Fat, and possibly Protein. It is questionable and debatable... how much saturated fat we are supposed to eat, in combination with or excluded from lots of carbs, etc. Maybe he was vague on purpose- for simplicities sake. That could be why the diet is (in some aspects) easy to follow. Many who follow Paleo/Neatherthal diets feel as long as the carbs stay low, the saturated fat doesnt matter. Many of the paleo dieters that i know are really healthy, and at ideal weights. However, many on the other end say fat contains toxins from animals, it clogs arteries (Im not so sure if that is true). Personally, I have done great on low carbing, and I think i eat less fat on Atkins then if im not on Atkins, b/c i have very little control once i start eating snacky bad foods (which are modified to hook and keep us addicted combining the brain stimulating fats, sugars, salts etc). Then again, i have vegetarin friends who are also pretty healthy looking- so whose to say? Just as I have frieds on nutrisystem that appear healthy (even though they are eating pre-packaged crap...loaded w/ additives which would give me a headache).

So back to the point- many people do well on Atkins for the mere reason that it gets rid of many bad foods in our diets. Its debatable if what we replace them with are really that bad because somehow magically our bodies respond by shedding excess weight. Not an all around bad thing.
People can bash Atkins all day and night, but people dont realize that he paved the way for many people to finally see what being thin feels like. I know he did for me. I admit going on and off the wagon, and feel a lot is due to media, monster fast food chains etc. Its all in our heads and our taste buds.... speaking of taste buds.......

I do know that since going organic, even when i go off low carbing, and still maintin the organic lifestyle, I dont get the cravings like i did eating fast food. I just watched FAST FOOD NATION (dont waste your time on the movie-the book is much better), but it does show that not only is there quite literally $hit in the meat (yes gross, but im actually more concerned about mad cow/diseased prions... but i digress), there is unhealthy, unnatural flavorings in test tubes that get our senses going. Were all a bunch of addicted rats to them wearing with the words "FEED ME" smacked on our foreheads.

A better watch is SUPERSIZE ME. That was great and if you get the DVD, you have to watch the extra footage with interview w/ the Author of FF Nation. That is better than FF Nation the movie.

So, while ATKINS remains controversial, it does work, and for that reason, I dont see it going anywhere. It is proven in the long term to not only work, but to reverse many of the bodies problems.

The main issues seem to be that Atkins is extrememly low low carb, high high unlimited saturated fats, unlimited calories, and no fiber. Well, while some people (ie: paleo dieters possibly) actually do well on this kind of diet (Eskimos), if it makes you feel better, change the rules so that they fit you. Thats what worked for me! OK- so your not comfortable eating all the saturated fat in the world- opt instead for a healthy cut of wild Salmon, vs a juicy steak (preferably grass fed hehe..), or if your concerned with fiber, sprinkle some of that powder on your food, or like me, eat a high fiber cereal for breakfast (try your local health food store. i get over 10 g's fiber each morning from my cereal, and it does have some carbs, i generally burn them off for the remainder of the day so as long as Im under appx 60-70 carbs/day, I tend to lose consistently). Try Stevia in your tea/coffee/recipes instead of sugar(substitutes)... (youll thank me when you dont grow a 3rd arm one day)..I like Sweatleaf brand, and it has fiber and health benefits also.

Eat more nuts/seeds (there are so many yummy kinds to try), and try to eat allot of fresh green veggies (especially in the beginning transition). Occasional organic cheeses on a cracker (WASA or other low carb cracker).

Eat lots of clear broth soups (i buy different organic kinds and thin then w/ organic chicken stock- there are some soups (veggie, chicken etc) that are OK on the carbs (<10g/serving) Snack on celery w/ P.butter or a nut butter, and when you are having a craving or for us ladies when its that time of the month- DARK CHOCOLATE to the rescue!! Yes, there is sugar, but (depending on the brand- READ Your LABELS) some brands are super low after netting the fiber, 1-2 squares will only add 3-4 carbs to your daily total, and satisfy that sweat tooth (better yet, smear some P.Butter or nut butter on the chocolate for a really satisfying treat). YUM.

OK, so while many say Low carb is a FAD- Im not convinced.

Lastly, to all those people who say Atkins dieters suffer from Bad breath, eat way too much fat, etc etc- You dont know dilly!! I saw there "expert nutritionists" today on the news- and they were basically name calling all us low carbers. I personally have never had worse breath in all my life then when i was eating out at fast food places, sugar, yeast etc. So- if it takes alittle bad breath to bring on some weight loss and healthy weight- i really dont care.

AND most importantly- low carbing is SUPPOSED TO BE A WAY OF LIFE!! NO ONE SEEMS TO GET THAT. THERE IS MORE THAN JUST PHASE I STUPID PEOPLE!!! (this is to all the idiots on the news who claim L/C is really really low/no carb). Its not no carb!! Its low in the beginning and you work your way back up to a comfortable level for maintenance. MANY people including myself for 4 years were able to EASILY and comfortably do this.

And according to a great book "Life without Bread" the key nubmer is 70 carbs or less/day.

A final note- You might wonder why after 6 years of low carb lifestyle did i switch off and end up gaining? Well, like a complete idiot, I turned to Weight Watchers - b/c i "missed" eating all teh crap again. Well, i made the switch, ate the CRAP, lost alittle weight, went off WW, still ate the crap, and well- you can guess how the cycle played itself out. I feel that was my own fault for falling for the Scam of the WW diet. While it has SOME good parts/benefits, i dont like the pricetag, or how they condone eating nasty food full of chemicals that are going to kill me.

All natural, organic and lowish carb. Thats what works for me. Bring it on media!!