Little Update... Saw my doctor Monday and she is impressed with my health. She agrees the Atkins diet is foolish unless you are diabetic. A well balanced low fat diet is the only way to loose weight. Plus my working out on a treadmill or trainer first thing in the morning get my metabolism up and running. What ever I do I have to get your heart rate up to a point where the workout is doing good for me it is 135 but I go for 150 - 153. I bought a heart rate wrist and chest device and found out my workout was lazy. In 6 weeks I am down from 195 to 173 and still have about 12 pounds more I want to loose. waist is down from 36 to 33 and feeling good.
My meals have to include Carbs so I get the insulin running to repair the muscles and I try to eat less 2500 low fat calories a day. Morning oatmeal or whole wheat pancakes with fat free / sugar free Smuckers breakfast syrup and Promise oleo. I added no oil to the mixture and I use egg beater instead of an egg.
Mid morning snack is canalop or honey dew melon. I drink only water and I do sweeten it with Sweet and low or dixie crystals substitute thus no calories and the water is not too bad.
Lunch, I typically will consume a sandwich made from Holsum Light Wheat only 40 calorie a slice half the calories of normal bread and a fat free lunch meat like chicken or turkey. Plus a baby spinach salad with mushrooms, carrots, tomatoe and cucumber with hidden valley fat free ranch. I do change the sandwich to various left overs like tipilia fish or tuna or whatever but fat free or low fat.
Snack apple (fuji or gala and/or banana)
Dinner. I have a Roman Heart salad with mushrooms, brocoli, calliflower and tomato with Hidden Valley fat free dressing. I try to have fish or chicken with white rice because brown has fat in it, and steamed fresh vegetables and a smoothie of 5 strawberries, 1 kiwi, 1.4 cup lots of pulp orange juice and crushed ice.
Just before bed I eat fruit or celery with the hidden valley fat free ranch. dropping weight very well and healthy. Doctor drew blood Monday as a base line ... I am starting 6 herb supplements today ... 1 - heart, 1 - vascular, 1 - Joints, 1- cell antioxidant, 1- Calcium supplement, & 1 - multivitamin.
I work out 3 times a week on 25 different routines and I use low weight and high reps. Like the abdominal crunch machine I do 75 @ 100 pounds. Most everything else is at 70 pounds and I do 3 sets of 15 - 20 reps.
Carbs are required to build up the muscle thus I need insulin. Since I started this low fat diet and watch what I eat my wife is shocked how I look at 51 in the last 6 weeks. She on the other hand is not successful because she snacks on fried junk and her dressing is like 130 calories a tablespoon where Hidden Valley ranch is only 30. SHe will figure it out soon enough.
Oh and if I get a sweet toothe I eat a couple of fat free devils food cookies (snackwell).
Everyone is different but I have a data base on all foods sorted by fat content and I eat as much fat free or low fat as possible and in doing so I avoid high carb and high calorie foods ... but again I want the carbs for the insulin to repair muscles.
Good luck but the diet and the heart rate at working out is the key I have found out which is why eating a balanced diet is critical. I know two people on atkins at the gym and I must say I do not want to look the way they do ... they look sickly and they flat out look unhealthy.
Even the gym wants to know what I am doing. I was a mess 6 weeks ago ... 14.5" arms and 33 waist and 173 pounds and lastly feeling strong and great.
Just a matter of changing your eating habits.
good luck everyone ... FInd what works for you and consult your doctor on the diet before doing something that may cause you harm. Swapping weight loss for bad health is not very wise.
