After six months of a low-carb (NOT no-carb!) diet I've lost
four stone and eight inches off my waistband.
I have also been able to get back into cycling after a ten+
year absence and last night, for example, enjoyed a very
nice 15 miles round the hills where I live, on the edge of
the Peak park.
Over the last six months I have heard a lot of opinions re
low carb diets and Atkins in particular. Most opiners have
never read the Atkins book, and the very worst slaggings I
got was from fit people who thought the very idea of a
fattie being able to gorge at McD's and be like Lance after
six months was ridiculous. Which of course it is....
complete bollocks. I have also endured sniggers and snipes
from fit, active types about how much you need carbs to fuel
your body. Which of course you do, if you are a fit, active
type. BUT: I wasn't fit or active. I tried cutting fat out,
no sugar, etc etc but simply ended up hungry all the time
and depressed that it just didn't work. For people that sit
at a desk all day and are 115kg like I was, carbs are sommat
to be avoided. At least until you are a more realistic
weight. Cycling Weekly had a positive article recently about
LC diets, the scientific community is coming round to the
truth too - for myself, I am utterly delighted. But please
don't think it's all about huge steaks and throwing away the
bun off your burger. There is a LOT more to it than that, in
fact the whole program is supposed to be about increasing
carb intake every week until you hit a maintainable level of
weight, excersise and diet. Which of course, means a proper,
varied and balanced diet together with more excersise. But
to try and dump 30kg by eating low-fat low-cal, it's just
torture, believe me.
Remeber, reducing diets are for fat people - not sports
people! Oh, and Atkins is FOR LIFE because by the time you
have lost weight and worked up through the program, you end
up an a regulation "good balanced diet" anyway. The trick to
keeping it off is a lifestyle change, there ARE NO MAGIC
BULLETS! Everyone knows that, as a fat bloke it keeps one
from even trying to get back from the brink as it just seems
impossible. Atkins is a way of getting going in the right
direction, with results and most importantly without huge
hunger pangs, gorging and subsequent guilt...
Of course, it would be difficult to do a LC veggie diet but
then how many 18 stone veggies do you know?
Finally (!) all this talk about long term health, can anyone
explain how I'm worse off being on Aktins as opposed to how
I was: sedentary, 115kg and heading for big trouble?
bfn,
Tony B
