Here are three considerations for anyone attempting to lose weight using any imaginable approach including Atkins. First and foremost, choose good quality food. While there are cases where people are overweight simply because they eat too much and exercise too little, most people are eating foods (often manufactured foods) that don't support the chemical reactions that produce hormones of various sorts. Not enough of one element or too much of another can cause the body to make excessive fat, store it, and then turn on the appetite, thereby requesting more food despite the fact that excessive energy is locked up in the fat cells.
Second, choose an approach that fits your peculiar metabolism and chosen activity level. The low-carb approach does not work for some people. In fact, it can make them sick or kill them. Also, something bad is more likely to happen if the diet is deficient or unbalanced in vitamins, minerals, or in essential fats and proteins.
Third, learn about fat metabolism. Just as the body responds differently to different kinds of coarse or refined carbs, it responds to different kinds and mixtures of fats. For example, in an experiment reported in a book by Dirk Pearson and Sandy Shaw, rats fed corn oil gained weight while rats fed the same caloric intake of mediun chain triglycerides (found in butter and palm kernel oils) lost ten percent of their fat stores. For more info on this read Know Your Fats by Mary Enig, PhD or Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon.
Finally, while it's often true that calories count, food quality is what really counts. Taking time to research nutrition and experiment with food intake and then making permanent changes in your food habits is what will ultimately help you achieve your genetically ideal weight.
Dave Brown
Last edited on 13 May 2005 10:24 am by Dave Brown
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