Dax Moy Personal Training, the UK's Premier Personal Trainer and his elite team in Islington, London
Atkins Controversy
By Joslyn Thompson
BSc, DipPTST
Of all the diets I have come across in my career, the Atkins it seems
has been the most controversial. It has gained great publicity from the
stars, Jennifer Aniston, Geri Halliwell, et al have all become
wonderfully emaciated on this fab diet and they look gorgeous so we'd
like a piece of the pie too!!
In his book Atkin's talks about how big
Americans have become on a diet of refined carbohydrates (white
bread/pasta/rice) and sugars, now this is nothing new, most of us know
such a diet is not a healthy option, point taken, thank you Atkins but
it doesn't mean we should cut out carbs all together. Carbohydrates
vary in the levels at which glucose is released into the bloodstream
those known as High Glycaemic Index (GI) carbs are quick releasing
(including some fruits) and those with a medium to low GI have a slower
rate of absorption into the bloodstream. Yes the influx of glucose into
the bloodstream in excess of what is converted to glycogen
(carbohydrates stored for energy/fuel) does turn into fat, but that is
particularly relevant to those refined carbs and sugars. But hang on
aren't fruits good for you? Yes they are and looking at the American
diet it would seem fruits are not the primary culprits for fat gain,
like refined carbs. So when Atkins speaks of stabilising blood sugar
levels we don't need to cut out carbs all together, we just need to
make a move towards more unrefined carbs (wholemeal bread, fresh veg,
etc) and cut down on the sugary stuff.
So, to the diet. Well you're allowed to
"liberally" eat as much protein and fat as you like, yes that includes
saturated fat the very demon we have been warned against by the medical
profession to cut down on due to it's conclusive link to CHD. Now this
is the point at which I just go, hang on a minute here everyone, you
lot are about to go on a diet that let's you eat as much fat as you
want! Even if it gives you coronary heart disease?! Oh no hang on, I
forgot, Jennifer Aniston says it's OK so never mind what Dr's have been
saying to you for years, what do they know anyway! In fact I'm thinking
about giving 'ol Jen a call to sort out my back troubles she really
seems to know her stuff!! So yes my frustrations all start here. We
have had it drummed into us for years saturated fat is bad for you,
then along comes someone telling you it's the new thing to get you
skinny, and out goes your rationality left in the dust of the bandwagon
you've leaped on with gay abandon to shed that fat!
God this diet sounds great doesn't it, no
restrictions of calories and still lose weight, but despite the 'eat as
much as you like' claim, calories are reduced massively on the diet.
Take steak for example, although higher in fat than most carb foods
(but that's OK as we don't mind putting ourselves at risk to CHD) it is
also more water dense thus lower in calories. This goes for many other
protein-rich foods so by being on the Atkins diet you are cutting out a
huge amount of calories.
But if this diet is so low in calories how
come there have been wonder claims of not having any sugar cravings and
feeling peckish? After all that's the very reason people hate dieting
isn't it? This sense of reduced appetite and sugar cravings is the
result of two separate mechanisms. By reducing carbs you are
eliminating erratic sugar intake thus stabilizing blood sugar levels,
reducing sugar induced cravings. And by eating so much fat along with
stimulating amino acids (protein buildinG blocks) to cross the blood
brain barrier (discussed later) in larger quantities you develop a
greater sense of satiety.
Let's take a closer look at protein. Proteins
are made up of building blocks known as amino acids. We need protein
for the growth and repair of our bodies. Recommended daily amounts for
an average male and female are 63 grams and 50 grams per day
respectively. For active individuals e.g. athletes, weight lifters etc
values are higher due to more required by the body. We get protein from
our diet and it is also produced internally. Approximately 75% is
stored in the muscles and 25% in the liver as a back up system for the
brain where stored protein is converted into glucose (brain fuel)
should glucose levels in the bloodstream become low. Most healthy
eating plans will encourage you to have carbs as approx 60% of your
daily intake. This makes sense as it's the body's preferred energy
source with the brain alone requiring 576 calories or 144g (bearing in
mind Atkins urges you to have just 20grams a day in the induction
phase) a day as it's regular energy supply, and the remainder giving us
energy to go about our daily tasks. So if we cut out this energy supply
where else can we get it from? Well luckily our bodies are complex
beyond comprehension and have many back up systems to keep us going
should we starve it of it's main energy source! This is the part where
Atkins claims we start tapping into our fat stores. But both fat and
protein can be converted into energy. So bearing in mind how efficient
the human body is, if it needs to tap into a back up energy system,
which one is it going to tap into first? Protein stored readily in the
liver and muscles or the fat that has been sitting there quite
comfortably for some time. It's a bit like limescale in a bath tub that
just won't budge without some real hard elbow grease, hint hint! So
yes, on Atkin's measily 20grams of carbs a day we'll tap into the
brains backup system, the liver. But we've got a whole load of brain
fuelling to do to make up those remaining grams as well as fuel the
rest of the body. The rest is obtained from muscle tissue. Quite ironic
really, we're gaining energy whilst becoming weaker by eating into our
muscle tissue. So that lightheadedness most Atkins dieters feel in the
initial stages is the brain screaming for it's fuel, and the body
rushing to convert those amino acids into glucose to feed it.
So we've now cut out all our carbs and are
not really bothered whether or not that's good for us, whilst at the
same time loading up on protein, surely too much of that can't be good
for you? Once we have utilised the protein we need, 75% into muscles
and 25% into liver what happens to the excess? Thereafter excess has to
be broken down and disposed of, the amino acids have to be split before
disposal. One half turns to ammonia which is toxic within the body and
has to be removed. If too much of this waste passes through the urinary
system, it can put a lot of stress on the kidneys. The other half is
very acidic increasing pH levels in the blood stream. The body
neutralizes these increased levels by absorbing calcium from bones into
the bloodstream making our bones weaker and leading to osteoperosis in
the long term.
Now this next part is another bit that really
gets me as a personal trainer. Atkins uses the trusty scales to see the
weight loss, but what exactly is being measured. OK so you've cut out
your carbs, now each gram of glycogen (stored carbohydrate in the body)
attracts 2.4grams of water, so not only have you cut out all those
carbs but look at all of that water you've lost too well done! What
else do the scales measure? Let's see: glycogen, (well we've cut that
right out so that's a few more notches off the scale); muscle, (well
we're eating into that to give us energy); bones, (we're reducing the
density of those as we're reabsorbing calcium into the blood stream,
later disposed of as waste); connective tissue (phew haven't managed to
steal any of that); oh yeah and fat, (well maybe a smidge of that has
budged for good measure.) All forms of weight loss apart from fat loss
are detrimental to health, and using scales to measure fat loss when so
many other variables count is useless. If you're serious about losing
fat, a better guide is to have your body composition assessed measuring
actual fat. Whilst there is a small degree of inaccuracy, it is much
more indicative of fat composition than the scales. Most personal
trainers will assess your body composition if you wish to have it done,
leaving Atkins, Slimmers World et al raving deliriously about how much
water and muscle you've lost in the background, well done!!
The weight loss industry has to be the most
successful industry in the world with approximately $36 billion being
spent in the US, it's the only industry where despite a product not
working time and time again people just keep on buying it. Are there
any bells ringing yet?! There's been a little old theory that has sat
quietly in the background for a while now - a healthy sensible diet
with preferably resistance exercise, oh yeah you've heard that before,
how boring! Have you tried it though, with as much dedication as
applied to Atkins or all those other diets? I would urge you to do that
first. Effective weight management, which I'm sure is what you're all
trying to achieve comes first with the acceptance that this change will
not happen over night, and if it does it's certainly not fat that's
tipping the scales in your favour. Weight loss beyond 1-2lb / 0.5kg per
week is sure to be muscle and water loss, not fat. By losing muscle
tissue you slow down the metabolism burning less calories when inactive
and piling those pounds back on when you stop dieting again because
let's face it, how many lifetime dieters do you know? When you stop
dieting, having lost muscle tissue, requiring less calories, all the
under utilised calories are converted into fat. Many overweight people
suffer from a slow metabolism. A 1.4kg increase in muscle increases
metabolism by 7%, so add a few gym workouts to your fat loss plan. Also
try to eat little and often of unrefined carbs in particular
stabilizing blood sugar levels and reducing cravings. Woohoo, this
looks like the long term road to weight loss!! So I hope you'll press
the bell to let you off the bandwagon at the next stop, or dispose of
that wool that has been firmly wrapped around your eyes. Our bodies
can't be tricked into quick fat loss solutions there's one way that
works so why not give it a bash and see how you get on Good Luck !!
References:
'Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution' - Dr Robert C Atkins
'Protein Metabolism and Physical Activity' - Carla B Sottovia
'Low Carb Diets Revisited: The Atkins Controversy' - Phil Kaplan
'Addressing the New Protein Diets Head On!' - Phil Kaplan