[Closed] Atkins diet - Does it work?

My wife did it about 8 years ago and yes it does, she lost a stone.

Yes. Done it a couple of times and the weight does fall off.

Personally I think it's very hard to stick to long term though so inevitably the weight comes back, unless you hop onto another diet.

Does it work? Probably.

Is it sustainable? Debatable.

Is it a healthy way of losing weight? Probably not.

Yes but you can smell bread and other carbs from about a hundred metres away and would probably kill to obtain them.

the reason it works is because protein and fat makes you feel full quicker than carbs.

Eat a small portion of pasta - still feel hungry for about 15 mins after
Eat a similar size protien/fat meal - feel full almost after finishing.

so, you'll lose weight but probably increase your risk of coronary disease and stroke!

It works, but then pretty much any diet works if you stick to it.

It works insofar as you lose weight, yes. But it's not healthy or particularly sustainable.

Eat a similar size protien/fat meal - feel full almost after finishing.

This has not been my experience even with low GI eating, to be honest. The feeling of fullness comes from a fair few sources in your body, a full stomach is only one of them.

I just spent 20 mins ploughing through a big plate of chicken, semi-raw veg, salad and lots of beans. Full tummy but still hungry. It's a strange feeling.

Yes but your breath will smell like ass and nobody will want to be within a few feet of you when your talking!!

My boss did it the other year and his breath was like rotting s#$t!!

Yes, it works, and yes, there's lots of health benefits additional to losing weight from being in ketosis.

However, i think atkins got a bit bastardised by the popular media and conventional understanding of it (eat as much processed crap as you want, as long as its low carb) isn't very sensible.

Here's a couple of good starter resources that might be more useful than Googling Atkins:

http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/

http://www.ketotic.org/

I worked ona diabetes research project a few years ago and someone in the office tried it. the prof running the research said that although there was no long term data available, he felt that there could be serious long term effects if the diet was kept up for any longer than about 6 months
1 - no evidence to support that theory
2 - he is one of Europe's leading nutritionists and diabetologists (I might have made that second word up, but he is a top studier of diabetes) so is guess is probably well informed

He's read your responses and is shaking his head as I type this.
Apart from Finbar - he likes you.

oh, and:

It works, but then pretty much any diet works if you stick to it.

If done properly, is it not simply a low(er) carb diet?
ie, ignoring the media hype (20 sausages and a kilo of cheese per day), it sounds to me just like a healthy diet.
Which should mean its sustainable for life, right?

the reason it works is because protein and fat makes you feel full quicker than carbs.

Eat a small portion of pasta - still feel hungry for about 15 mins after
Eat a similar size protien/fat meal - feel full almost after finishing.

so, you'll lose weight but probably increase your risk of coronary disease and stroke!

Plus, based on my understanding, the ketosis plays a large part too. Your body is burning fat as it's primary source of energy.

If done properly, is it not simply a low(er) carb diet?
ie, ignoring the media hype (20 sausages and a kilo of cheese per day), it sounds to me just like a healthy diet.
Which should mean its sustainable for life, right?

Yes. Imagine iDave without the lentils, beans etc.

Perfectly easy to do it healthily i.e. plenty of fish, lean meat, salad, low carb veg etc but most people tend to go mad for bacon, eggs, cheese etc which you get surprisingly sick of eventually.

He's read your responses and is shaking his head as I type this.
Apart from Finbar - he likes you.

sounds like he has already made his mind up and won't be listening to anyone who doesn't agree with him.

Not much point continuing really, is there?

Dave

How much does it affect your energy levels? A body building mate tried it and gave up as lost a lot of strength - perhaps just because he couldn't train as hard?

Oh yes, breath stinks and followers become fanatical. Everyone I know who's tried it gave up and ended up no lighter.

When i'm really low carb I find my capacity to do moderate/high intensity cardio plummets, but it doesn't really impact any strength sessions i do.

I'm a runner and i stick to bodyweight exercises though, so i don't know the first thing about what a bodybuilding workout is like.

Plus, based on my understanding, the ketosis plays a large part too.

It's not something I've studied particularly, but isn't it the case that the much-lauded 'all protein and nothing else' Atkins diet is actually only the first part of the diet, to throw your body into ketosis, and then you're supposed to change to something less extreme? (Except, people see the initial fat loss and go "I'll keep doing this", hence the problem.)

How fat is the fatty in question?

It's not something I've studied particularly, but isn't it the case that the much-lauded 'all protein and nothing else' Atkins diet is actually only the first part of the diet, to throw your body into ketosis, and then you're supposed to change to something less extreme? (Except, people see the initial fat loss and go "I'll keep doing this", hence the problem.)

Induction phase with <20g of carbs per day. This lasts two weeks

Then you're supposed to add 10g of carbs per day per week until you get to a steady weight

is agreed, but Atkins works faster than the others. Right?

I think it depends on if your aim is to lose weight or to become a slimmer person. If it's the latter then nah, for 99%* of the population there's no quick fix, just lifestyle changes.

*Stat made up

I can't exercise for sh*t when my carb intake is too low. I struggle on iDave never mind Atkins. I've never been so properly fatigued in my legs in my life as when I kept on riding and didn't have enough carbs. An easily doable 18 mile commute felt like the last lap of a 24 hour solo by the end of the week.

Yes it undoubtedly works but found it hard to stick to as the "proper" Atkins diet is very rigid.

Now I just try to stick to reasonably healthy food with a carb content of less than 15% and the weight is coming off nicely.

I've never been so properly fatigued in my legs in my life as when I kept on riding and didn't have enough carbs.

Yep on my weekly club run if I don't take in lots of carbs my legs get sore before the end and stay sore for a day or so. Carbs are the best - taste good and keep you strong and healthy.

So now we need stories of athletes who are keen on this sort of diet.

Atkins, to me, means salad with meat/fish/eggs cheese etc. Perfectly healthy long term.

I can't cycle on low-carbs either, so not much use to me.

You wont find many endurance athletes who don't eat much in the way of carbs.

If you want to run a low carb diet and still have energy for riding, save carbs for breakfast, pre, during and post ride.

cycling on low carbs is a very good point. I will be cycling, he wont.

Ive already lost 5 & 1/2 stone in last 15 months, but have platued for last 4 or 5 so was thinking of Atkins (under colleagues relentless pressure) as a way to shift final 2 or 3 stone for my wedding next July.
I want to look amazing in that dress.

TBH, im ,more inclined to stick with whats worked for me (healthier diet & loads of CV work), and just re-double my efforts.

But then the lure of 20 rashers of bacon a day is a tug..

Depends on how/what you're cycling. A steady cruising pace is just fine. Hills and sprinting aren't.

If you want to run a low carb diet and still have energy for riding*, save carbs for breakfast, pre, during and post ride.

* (or running, or swimming)

...so basically, if - like me - you do one of these things pretty much every day, you should basically be eating carbs all the time then?

Is this why I nearly died of hypothermia** on Sunday by following iDave's silly diet for a week, while caught out cycling in the first sudden icy storm of the winter?

** no shit - my ghost would've haunted you idave 😕

It's not something I've studied particularly, but isn't it the case that the much-lauded 'all protein and nothing else' Atkins diet is actually only the first part of the diet, to throw your body into ketosis, and then you're supposed to change to something less extreme? (Except, people see the initial fat loss and go "I'll keep doing this", hence the problem.)

DING DING DING DING!!!

^This.

So many people misunderstand what Atkins is that it isn't even worth discussing it any more.

The extreme zero carb no fruit and veg bit is supposed to last for two weeks only, and yes the weight drops off. You are then supposed to phase back in fruits and veggies and stuff (still no processed carbs), and you what you end up with is something pretty normal but low carb.

People assume it is just the first bit, forever, and then talk a lot of ill-informed bollocks.

**My sleeping shadow would have kicked your ghosts ass

How would eating a diet which contains protein, fat and carbs contribute to hypothermia? Are you being silly and not eating enough, or trying to cut out all carbs?

You can have simple carbs during and after exercise. I never said otherwise.

Personally I have protein/fat breakfast before a long ride.

my target:

[img] [/img]

A steady cruising pace is just fine

Not for me it wasn't. I was only cruising to work.

I upped the carbs a bit around riding and it was pretty much ok. The more simple carbs I had the better I rode, and the weight still came off.

You're better off understanding the principles and listening to your own body and figuring out how it works than following a script.

@Stuey01
Thats kind of along the lines of what I was thinking.
Its almost as if Atkins isnt actually a diet, is what I guess I was getting at. Its just healthier lower carb eating.

But im a cyclist so I get to eat cake.

*spaff*

can I have a fools guide to simple carbs please

atkins is not healthy eating. Its a low card diet and relies on you feeling full / bloated from all that protein so reducing your calorie intake.

The main issue in my experience of this (again, my boss does it) is that is makes breath toxic, really, really bad. To the point where you can't be in the same room as him.

So yes, you may loose weight but you will also stink. And I'd rather be fat and smell nice than be thin and stink.

can I have a fools guide to simple carbs please

during and immediately (15 mins) after exercise

Its a low card diet

What about dust?

**My sleeping shadow would have kicked your ghosts ass

Ooohhh..

[img] [/img]

No, but seriously... from what I read of the elicit Googledoc, it seemed to be a diet consisting of beans, beans, beans, beans.. oh and no milk whatsoever. Milk is BAD. Followed by a day a week of eating like an absolute heffer.

I'm not quite sure why I tried this (as I'm not exactly I pie-eating heffer), but I got a bad cold recently and I think put on a few kg's, absolutely freaked out about it and thought I needed to get rid. Pronto. So out came the beans.

The results were interesting. Considering I'm doing about 1-2hrs high intensity exercise a day, I appeared to be running on glycogen stores quite happily for the first day or two, then by day 3 felt more and more sluggish. Went out for a 4 hr ride on Sunday and got caught out in this sudden wintery storm at 500m alt, soaked through with icy water and just had nothing in the tank whatsoever. Properly crapped me up. Maybe it's only because I was able to find a kindly soul to open their house to me that I am actually here writing this now.

The laughable thing is the way I was actually worrying about the teaspoons of sugar in the cups of warm tea my host was providing me with. 😆

Perhaps I should've gone back and read the iDave googledoc a bit more thoroughly, but I considered I'd got the vague gist of it and I was a bit jaded of reading about iDave's bean-filled morning, being that it consisted of calmly and self-satisfiedly chopping up chorizo while warming coffee. That and bored and weirded out by publically hearing about his son's six-pack.

My forum name is probably a bit of a hint in this though, nevertheless 😉

Try iDieting but cheat every third day... or Carb-Cycling as I've heard it called.

Read something interesting in Tri220 mag about ideal body weight yesterday... seems some of us might be physically better designed for aesthetics than winning races.

It's all aesthetics matey. I'm sure there's something weird going on on a societal, cultural level with food here. This sort of thing never used to be a problem for me, ever. We have one section of society obsessed with looking like lean ultra-athletes (for which our bodies were never really designed to be), while another section of society grows ever morbidly obese. 😕

I dunno.. just my opinion 😉

But yeah, every third day might be a safer option! I'll try that.. 🙂

Followed by a day a week of eating like an absolute heffer.

I call those days, days.

[i]No, but seriously... from what I read of the elicit Googledoc, it seemed to be a diet consisting of beans, beans, beans, beans.. oh and no milk whatsoever. Milk is BAD. Followed by a day a week of eating like an absolute heffer.[/i]

Delibrately trolling, me thinks.
Oh, and you're totally stooopidz.
😉
I laughed coz I'm staggered at just how many numpties there are on STW, who can't understand what they read.
iDave's stuff is simple to understand and get along with.
This childish fixation with the beans is quite amusing.
There is plenty of meat and veg in the iDiet, yet this seems to get overlooked.
People who rubbish the iDiet as flawed, haven't understood it.
😆

You're better off understanding the [i]basic[/i] principles and [i]then[/i] [s]listening[/s] [i]observing the results of your attempts to practice what you have learnt[/i] [s]to[/s] on your [s]own[/s] body and figuring out [s]how it[/s] [i]what[/i] works [i]best for you, rather[/i] than following a script.

Good stuff there.

FWIW, I'm in the none atkins camp.
Seems to me that you can save yourself the unpleasant side effects of bad air from both ends, etc, by avoiding the early stages.

Surely, its better just to reduce your carb intake and allow your excess body fat to slowly be consumed by your body ?.

I've been working like this for over a year, and it works.
Whats the rush ?, you've got the rest of your life.
No crash dieting, just change your diet ?.

(for which our bodies were never really designed to be),

Our bodies haven't been designed to be anything. They've evolved certain characteristics as a response to certain conditions. There's a lot of variability in those characteristics. Our bodies are also tremendously flexible in what they can eat.

So it's small wonder that there are so many different stories when it comes to food and weight.

Solo - the beans are massively important for me, at least. I can't prosper on meat and veg.

I eat a primal/paleo diet, have been strict since October. Very few cheats! Your body adapts, I consume a evil mix of protein shakes/bars and supplements to help with training based on the volume of weight training (kettlebells, clubs, sand bags) and riding. Also have been using Thermogenics, be careful and do the research, I stayed off any that included ingredients banned by WADA. Is it hard? yes! is the training miserable? can be!
Since October I've dropped 5-6" off my waist, weight has dropped over 2st, total fat loss is hard to tell as muscle growth is included in this weight drop.
Negatives, friends are concerned about the thermogenics, resulting in half the last can being confiscated 😕 I need to buy new clothes!
I googled the iDave diet, found a post on here from about a year ago, is that it? with a link to a study, [url= http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/finally-largest-ever-study-finds-formula-for-lasting-weight-loss-2143123.html ]here[/url]. Interesting article, but one glaring cockup, that makes me question this diet if idave missed it.

[i]High protein diets, such as the Atkins, are known to promote weight loss, because they delay emptying of the stomach and increase insulin production.[/i]

[url= http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ ]Marks Daily Apple[/url]
[url= http://thepaleodiet.com/ ]Paleo Diet[/url]
[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/Paleo-Diet-Athletes-L-Cordain/dp/1594860890 ]Paleo Diet for Athletes[/url]

[i]Solo - the beans are massively important for me, at least. I can't prosper on meat and veg[/i]

Yes you can.
Your ancestors didn't have a pot to soak or boil up their beans.
[b]They still survived !.[/b]
quite well actually, all things considered.
They did end up producing the dominant species on this planet, no ?.

[i]Our bodies are also tremendously flexible in what they can [s]eat[/s] [/i]tolerate.
As I've tried to point out before.
You eat something, you suffer no outwardly noticeable side efects.
Does this mean that what you have eaten is [i]good[/i] for you ?.
This is the weaker of the two tests.
[i]I eat this. I am still alive[/i].
Lets have the alternative test.
[i]Prove how and why this food item is actually good for me[/i].
I bet McD's would have tough time with that test.

The iDiet is fine, as a generic basis to set a person off on a journey of discovery for what they should consider eating for a lighter, leaner body.
To leave behind, poor dietary choices in favour of a more perhaps, enlightened choice.
[b]If[/b] they are committed to sorting out their diet.

I'd personally avoid the Atkins thing.
Infact, I do.
But each to their own.

[i]I consume a evil mix of protein shakes/bars and supplements to help with training[/i]
❓

lost 4 stone on the atkins, the bad breath thing is usually only for the 2 week induction as your carbs are very low and the body goes into ketosis, after that just keep increasing the carbs until such time as the weight loss stops, or increase carbs before a hard cardio session. The weight stayed off as well although I want to get down to the body fat content of a cadaver, so will be trying this newfangled beans and ting diet

i worked with somebody who did it for a year or so, he smelled like a burger van, i think he's fat again now.

Your ancestors didn't have a pot to soak or boil up their beans.
They still survived !.

That's poor logic. They survived, yes, but their circumstances were so completely different to mine that it's a pointless comparison. I seriously doubt they were living sedentary lifestyles with a huge choice of food and trying to shed the last few kg to make them competitive in bike races.

Please bear in mind Solo that your experiences on the iDiet are a sample size of ONE. It works fine as you describe for your body, for your riding style and volume, and for your personality. Not everyone is the same. I've chosen to modify it slightly based on my own experience.

I've chosen to modify it slightly based on my own experience.

Back on the muffins then, Molgrips? 😉

😳

Your ancestors didn't have a pot to soak or boil up their beans.

The thing that surprised me was... they claimed we'd lost the enzymes needed to process raw food. If you tried to eat purely uncooked food you'd die.*

*No idea if this is really true

I eat a primal/paleo diet, have been strict since October. Very few cheats! Your body adapts, I consume a evil mix of protein shakes/bars and supplements to help with training based on the volume of weight training (kettlebells, clubs, sand bags) and riding. Also have been using Thermogenics, be careful and do the research, I stayed off any that included ingredients banned by WADA. Is it hard? yes! is the training miserable? can be!
Since October I've dropped 5-6" off my waist, weight has dropped over 2st, total fat loss is hard to tell as muscle growth is included in this weight drop.
Negatives, friends are concerned about the thermogenics, resulting in half the last can being confiscated I need to buy new clothes!
I googled the iDave diet, found a post on here from about a year ago, is that it? with a link to a study, here. Interesting article, but one glaring cockup, that makes me question this diet if idave missed it.

High protein diets, such as the Atkins, are known to promote weight loss, because they delay emptying of the stomach and increase insulin production.
Actually a high carb diet increases insulin production, whilst a low carb diet decreases production. Protein also requires more 'calories' to consume.

Following this lifestyle myself, with IF of 16 hours per day thrown in for good measure. I'm a big big fan of this lifestyle, hard to see me ever going back to the way I was before.

IF 16 hours per day?

Intermittant Fasting, I think.

Why?

And why do people eat all the protein supplements instead of actual food. Did anyone see the body building couple on Food Hospital last night?

Helps me burn into the fat stores that little bit longer, I still get my 2500 or so calories per day, I just do it in an 8 hour window.

Strangely, all my PB's are set when fasted, I am more alert, think more clearly and generally have more engergy when fasted through the morning. If I was following the standard high carb diet I wouldn't be able to manage it, i'd be weak and dizzy and absolutely starving.

I used to be hungry ALL the time when I was feeding piles of pasta/rice etc into me, this lifestyle has totally reset my appetite and it's nice not to be a slave to it any more.

Also, just to note, bodyfat pre paleo/primal was 16.1, it's now 11.7%, muscle mass has not reduced.

Regarding supplements, I don't touch the stuff other than supplementing fish oil. I eat real food. My first meal of the day when breaking the fast is a thing of beauty, you appreciate it so much more.

Strangely, all my PB's are set when fasted

PBs in what?

this lifestyle has totally reset my appetite

That's happened to a point with me, but not all the way. I stuck to the diet pretty well and tried to get lots of carbs down me for about 8-10 weeks, but when I introduced more simple carbs throughout my day my performance and satisfaction with riding jumped up loads, and my weight, which had plateaued, started to fall again. Presumably because I was able to exercise harder.

what you down to at the moment molly? 🙂 are we ready for an after pic yet? 😀

Nah.. not really.. back up to 84.5kg after being 82 before - although they were on different scales. Haven't managed to get any decent exercise done lately 🙁

Oops, weight training, I do 4 days of it per week. The great thing about this is that I have been able to cut way back on the cardio and still cut the bodyfat, leaving me more time to enjoy the weight sessions.

I love that it has made me question what I am actually putting into my body. It's frightening when you check the ingredient lists of supposed healthy foods and find out just how much real food goes into them.

Don't get me wrong, i'm getting carbs in still, but it's through the fruit and veg I eat instead of processed grains etc.

It's definitely not for everybody, but it's worked well for me to date.
I'm in Thailand for the next 3 weeks so it'll be interested to see how I get on there!

You working at the moment Mol?

84 is my target... about 85-86 at the moment. once i hit 84 im going to aim to get to around 82ish but that can be a target to hit when i'm riding more again 🙂

how tall are you? sorry, feel free to tell me to mind my own business, when you put up the before pic we were exactly the same weight and i've been keeping an eye on your updates as its conforting knowing i'm not the only one working from that starting point 🙂

I'm supplementing just to have maximum impact, average day about 30+ pills, do they work who knows. Using Grenades as a thermogenic, trained today with a kettlebell using 'Jack3d' as pre workout hit. I drink protein mix to just get protein in a easy format, protein bars the same reason with a bar, getting about 40g of protein is simple. If I wasn't lifting weights daily and cycling I wouldn't be be supplementing to the extent I am currently, and would be on a very natural paleo diet, but to be honest the days I eat a chicken and/or a couple of steaks for a meal, I realise shakes are easier.
Some interesting stuff in the 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferris, especially on supplements, etc.
As for Ketosis with the paleo/primal diet I've never really had this issue, as I eat carbs in the form of fresh vegetables and fruits. Interesting read on ketosis [url= http://www.marksdailyapple.com/dear-mark-ketosis/ ]here[/url]
If you ever get the chance to see the film 'Every Second Counts' about the Crossfit games, the competitors mention diet, several are on primal/paleo diets. See [url= http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_14719513 ]here[/url] or [url= http://lmgtfy.com/?q=crossfit+paleo ]here[/url]
Ultimately, though is it's personal choice, is my diet for everyone? Probably not, one friend has tried the Grenades, I'm now teaching her kettlebell and gave her the 'Primal Blueprint'. She's fit, just wanted something new to try. Do the research, and read. Find your Kool Aid and drink it.

TandemJeremy - Member

atkins is not healthy eating. Its a low card diet and relies on you feeling full / bloated from all that protein so reducing your calorie intake.

This is bollocks (not singling you out teej as there is lots of other bollocks on here but yours is the succint-est example.)

1) As correctly pointed out above atkins is not meat/fat only. It is for two weeks then its essentially a no/low processed carb diet.
2) The assumption that a "balanced" diet should contain approx a 1/3rd carbs is a great example of the logical fallacy known as [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_to_moderation ]argument to moderation.[/url] If you look at evolution prior to the beginning of agriculture (8k years ago) we didnt have access to large amounts of carbs.
3) The pancreas comfortably produces enough insulin for about 40g of carbs a day. Whilst it can cope with 250 or 500 g of carbs a day, but this is akin to saying your liver can deal with 2 bottles of wine a day..
4) [b]MOST IMPORTANT FACT-you cannot fill your fat cells with fat - ie produce fat, without the presence of carbs in your system. [/b] This fact blows the idea that high fat diets make you fat out of the water. Its high carbs that make you fat.

If we have been eating food in the form that nature intended for 24 hours, agriculture (large scale access to carbohydrates) developed four minutes ago and sugar consumption has increased twenty fold in the last five seconds. I wonder which food is more likely to be responsible for obesity, diabetes, or indeed any modern disease

You working at the moment Mol?

Yes, whoring myself out at IBM.

As for Ketosis with the paleo/primal diet I've never really had this issue, as I eat carbs in the form of fresh vegetables and fruits.

I did have that issue the first few weeks of iDave. Loads of ketones in my urine at the time I was feeling utterly wrecked. I'm making an assumption here that the two are linked. However, at the time I was riding a long way to work, which I think was actually too much riding for optimal training.

sugar consumption has increased twenty fold in the last five seconds. I wonder which food is more likely to be responsible for obesity, diabetes, or indeed any modern disease

That's some good science right there..!

Phil - I didn't know you were on the same weight as me. In that case, I am slightly ahead, but I am going to the USA for two weeks at Christmas.. I can't see that going well to be honest!

how tall are you?

No, no! How tall are YOU!

[i]That's poor logic. They survived, yes, but their circumstances were so completely different to mine that it's a pointless comparison.[/i]
Beg to differ on that.
My point is that we still have the same body as our ancestors, the same digestive system and all the other systems that go to run our bodies.
This is [i]the[/i] message people appear to be overlooking.
Yes, this is the modern world, yes we are up to our eyes in food, lakes of wine, mountains of butter.
But we've pretty much got the physiology of someone who didn't exist in times of such abundance.
This, surely, is where the issue lies ?.

[i]Please bear in mind Solo that your experiences on the iDiet are a sample size of ONE. It works fine as you describe for your body, for your riding style and volume, and for your personality. Not everyone is the same. I've chosen to modify it slightly based on my own experience.[/i]
Well that told me !, sort of...
🙂
There will be slight differences between how yours and my body deal with food, but not so much as to make any significant difference, imo.
Which is why the iDiet is universally effective in the first place.
[b]provided your follow the rules[/b]
Yes, rules. Not very fashionable perhaps, but your body has rules.
Understand them, then turn them to your will.
Blamming room service messing up your dinner order, as for why you eat chips isn't [i]on message[/i].
I too am chained to a desk, 13 hours a day.
I gym 2-3 times a week, I cycle once on a Sunday morning, with additional short trips into town over a Sat and Sun.
I too have had chips delivered even after I've asked room service to specifically omitt the chips from my meal.
They stay on the plate when its taken away, cos this is the rules.
This is not an issue of absorption and the differences between our metabolisms, specifically.
Its an issue of discipline, which is, imo, one very important facet of changing your diet.

However, where we do certainly differ, is that I do not feel the need to set the world on fire, starting with the contact patch of my Bontrager Mud Xs.
Its Man's desire to race, which seems to lead to issues.
Some races are very long and as a consequence of racing itself, very fast.
I do not believe that we evolved to undertake such stressful endeavours.
But this doesn't mean that the body can't be pushed to do this.
Only question then is, if you do [i]push it[/i] do you hurt yourself ?.

I am free, mostly, of this feeling to compete to win.
So thereofore, I enjoy my particular sport, cycling, for what it is, not because I have to [i]win[/i].
But each to their own.
😀

[i]IF 16 hours per day?[/i]
Yes, sounds crazy, but I have experimented with it and its actually not so bad.
Kinda deserves another title as the word [i]Fasting[/i] sounds extreme.
And, of those 16 hours, you're asleep for 6-8 of them.
Hence the word [i]Breakfast[/i], which is as old as the hills.

I seem to share similar experiences to Staralfur. reading those posts it would seem I'm not a unique case.

[i]And why do people eat all the protein supplements instead of actual food. Did anyone see the body building couple on Food Hospital last night?[/i]
Yeah, I was channel hoping and found that program.
For that couple, their bodies are their hobbies.
What a huge amount of food they were consuming.
Not my scene.

As for the protien/body building supps, I'm at a loss as for why people take them.
I have read a bit on LeanGains and all that supp stuff isn't for me.

However, I do occasionally pop a fish oil/omega 3, but only when I remember to........
😀

Solo's keyboard earlier:

[img] [/img]

[url= http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/12/why-sugar-makes-us-sleepy-and-protein-wakes-us-up/ ]More fuel to the fire[/url] 😀 *

*not really

Jamie.

Very sorry, but that is a permanent feature/button, I'm affraid.

As you know, I'm using emoticons in places where what I have written might otherwise be read as me being grumpy / nasty.
Which is not my intention.
I know I have a [i]certain[/i] writing style, and I try to mitigate this with smilies.
Sorry.

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I prefer the previous keyboard
🙂 😀 😯 8) 😆 😉

I wouldn't advocate eating protein supplements to eating proper meals, I use them as an additional source of protein, most of my protein comes from meat, fish, eggs. I normal eat two bags of salad a day. But, when weight sessions range from HIIT to 2hrs+ of lifting, I need to supplement to ensure I can promote growth as I want. Well that's my theory and so far the results are proving this.
As for the supplements, amino acids, creatine, magnesium, zinc, assorted vitamins, useful for development. Thermogenics, kick start the metabolism for fat burn, I'm on the last few days of these. Products like Jack3d are great for intense workouts, but aren't that necessary, I don't use it that often.
As for sugar consumption has shot up in the last few seconds of evolution, sadly this is compounded by the cheap form of sugar now used, High Fructose Corn Syrup. It's cheap and comes from Corn, so effectively you're body gets something very sweet from grain, which gives you a massive insulin spike, your cells, suck all the energy in and wow! obesity! You only have to look at the baskets of food of fat people in the supermarket, my basket, is fruit, veg, meat and fish. Their's a bunch of processed junk, based on massive carb intake, tasted up with lots of corn syrup. But whilst the govt. promote convential wisdom regarding diet, because let's face it agriculture groups lobby well, and people don't want to face up to the true financial cost of eating healthy, they'll get fat. They, like to blame someone else, big pharma will cure my gut, and they are too thick to get off the lard butts and think is this synthetic junk what my body really needs. But, I'll tell you what really gets me about the primal/paleo diet; and that is the blinkered view of medical professionals, especially when you have fat nurses smoking, telling you that a diet made up of non processed food with high meat consumption isn't really healthy because you'll have high chloesterol. Like they are a role model of health!

[i]You only have to look at the baskets of food of fat people in the supermarket[/i]

Yes, I have found myself looking at the trollies which prop up the driver as they haul their load of spuds, pasta, bread and an assortment of snacks along with ping meals and low fat foods.
To the check out.
I try not to stare...

I once spotted a young couple, mid 20s. Staring at the ping meal section in Sainsbury's.
I passed by only to return some 10 mins later, heading to another part of the store.
They were still there, trying to decide what to take home, remove the lid and microwave.
At the time I thought that if they stood there for much longer, then the time taken to choose their ping meal could have been spent making a meal at home, using real food.

Its a funny Ole world.
😉

At the time I thought that if they stood there for much longer, then the time taken to choose their ping meal could have been spent making a meal at home, using real food.

Brilliant.

Please keep amusing things like that for your shorter posts.