Hey People: Abandon Atkins, Not Carbs!

“The Atkins diet worked for a while, but then I regained the weight...”

As a Nutritionist , I am listening to an endless stream of confusion regarding what to eat, how to lose weight, what foods to avoid, which carbs are good, which carbs are bad. I find myself repeatedly begging -active people to eat carbs (if they want to enjoy optimal performance, that is) and reminding them excess calories are fattening, not carbohydrates. But more than any other time in my career, I’m having a hard time convincing people to include carbs as the foundation of each meal so they can enjoy high energy, stamina and endurance. I remind them: 1) only carbs get stored in the muscles as glycogen and 2) depleted muscle glycogen stores are associated with fatigue. Thanks to the Atkins Revolution, an extraordinary number of today's dieters are experiencing needless fatigue. They are running out of energy half an hour into the workout. Consistent exercisers are training with consistent fatigue before they complain how tired they feel and then cannot continue the workout.

Q. If carbs are so good, then why is the food industry creating so many low carb products? “ The food industry is frantically jumping on the consumers' bandwagon. With an estimate 59 million people avoiding carbohydrate-type foods, the bread, bagel, cereal and pasta industries are feeling the pinch. The food industry's scramble to produce low carb products reflects a drastic need to generate income. Case in point, Burger King has resorted to selling a bunless burger! With too many dieters (including athletes) avoiding sandwiches like the plague, bread companies have chosen to create a low carb bread. This means slicing the bread thinner so it has half the carbs, half the calories. Or, they add fiber. Bread with 8 grams of fiber can be wholesome and hearty, yet can have fewer carbs than the standard fare. (Carbs from fiber don't count.) Add some soy flour (with a higher protein content)–voila! The bread industry’s answer to the anti-carb crusade.” Nancy Clark, Sports Nutritionist.

Q. Can I really eat as much protein as I want and lose weight? Of course not! I'm seeing countless new clients who come to me complaining the Atkins Diet isn’t working for them any more. Why not? They have been eating plenty of calories of cheese omelets, fried chicken and crustless quiche. They fail to understand that the Atkins Diet doesn’t work; rather, the dieter works to eat fewer calories. With no calorie deficit, there's no weight loss apart from an initial water-weight loss that occurs with carbohydrate restriction.(With the depletion of each one ounce of carb stored as glycogen in the body, you lose about three ounces of water.) Low carb does not mean low calorie. That low carb crustless cheesecake loaded with cream cheese, eggs, sour cream, saturated fat and cholesterol is also loaded with calories. As is the "Atkin's Friendly" meal (steak with butter sauce, salad with blue cheese dressing). No diet foods there! Today's dieters need reminders: carb free does not equate to calorie free. You will not lose fat if you eat too many calories of steak and cheese. Calories do count!

Carb avoiders, please use your common sense. You cannot eat copious calories of protein and fat and expect to get leaner. You should also think twice about eliminating orange juice, bananas and carrots. Does that really sound like a healthful thing to do? Of course not! Fruits and vegetables offer abundant nutrients that protect against cancer, hypertension and heart disease. Losing weight should be about gaining health, not just losing fat.

Q. What is the best way to lose weight? Not with the Atkins Diet––or any diet, for that matter. Research suggests when dieters eat equal calories of a well balanced sports diet with 55 to 60% of the calories from carbs (110-120 grams carb) vs a low carb, high protein diet (20 grams carb), fat loss is similar.

There is little metabolic advantage to manipulating the ratio of protein to carbs. The disadvantage is denial and deprivation of favorite foods. That is, do you really want to never eat a bagel again? And do you want to endure workouts that are harder and less enjoyable because your body is carb-depleted? Granted, including some protein in each meal does offer weight loss help. Protein lingers in the stomach, providing a pleasant "full" feeling. But you need not eat only protein, no carbs. If you are currently on the Atkins Diet, please add in oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes, multi-grain breads, fresh fruits and colorful vegetables ... the wholesome, nourishing foods that once filled cupboards before the onslaught of soda pop, Frosted Flakes and Twinkies. The obesity epidemic is fueled with highly processed foods that are easier to overconsume than whole foods (and, in the general public, too rarely exercised off).

By eating fruits, vegetables and unrefined grains, you are likely to feel satiated from their fiber and be better able to lose weight by simply consuming a few hundred fewer calories at the end of the day– no extra beer, four fewer Oreos, only three small spoonfuls of ice cream. Weight loss comes not via a "diet," but with mindful eating (the opposite of mindless eating).

Wake up, America. Do you really think you'll win the battle of the bulge with bacon, cheese omelets and cream? Wheaties is the better choice for not only champions but also diligent dieters.