[Haggis]

typo's suck!

[S4B]

I like them they make me smile

[Bonanzoid]

typo's suck!

So does the lack of knowledge on the appropriate use of apostrophes.

[foot-loose]

typo's suck!

So does the lack of knowledge on the appropriate use of apostrophes.

Haha

The smilie makes it even more cutting.

[Haggis]

I didnt realise this was a grammar insititute? Thought it was a forum?

[Bonanzoid]

Oh it's both.

[MK Chris]

I didnt realise this was a grammar insititute? Thought it was a forum?

It's probably one of the most pedantic forums you'll ever come across.

Not that I've got anything to do with that, of course.

[foot-loose]

I didnt realise this was a grammar insititute? Thought it was a forum?

It's probably one of the most pedantic forums you'll ever come across.

Not that I've got anything to do with that, of course.

Topher is the King of the Pedantics.

Watch as he now corrects this post...

[MK Chris]

I'm not, Console takes that crown, surely.

[S4B]

I didnt realise this was a grammar insititute? Thought it was a forum?

It's probably one of the most pedantic forums you'll ever come across.

Not that I've got anything to do with that, of course.

Topher is the King of the Pedantics.

Watch as he now corrects this post...

Of the pedants surely?

[foot-loose]

I think you mean 'pedantapee'.

[S4B]

I love it here!!!!

[Yudster]

Haggis, where do you stand on Atkins type diets? Mr Yudster always has trouble with his weight, even though he walks several miles quickly every day, goes to the gym three times a week, plays squash to county level regularly and doesn't have a crap diet.

He has tried to diet to lose weight many times, but the accepted low fat/complex carb (complex crab?) regime simply doesn't work for him. The only approach that has worked for him was an ultra low carb diet with unlimited proteins and fats. Not only did he lose weight, he gained muscle, had tons of energy and felt amazing. Now, I did the diet with him and although I lost a little weight, it didn't have anything like the radical effect on me that it did on him.

We also had our cholesterol measured during this time, and although the overall level stayed the same (we were both in normal range anyway), the ratio of good/bad cholesterol tipped very heavily in favour of the good for both of us.

Unfortunately it's too expensive to do long term, or I think we would, certainly for him anyway. Do you not think it's a bit simplistic to say "this way of eating is healthy, this way is not"? Surely, as we found, people should be looking for what works for them individually rather that just following the latest government-led thinking on diet?

[Haggis]

The Atkins eating plan is a great way to lose bodyfat, but you really need to know the science behind it to appreciate why it works. The reason we get fat is because our glucose/fatty acid cycle is faulty, almost always caused by too much non-fiber carbohydrates. Each and every one of us has different insulin responses to carbohydrates, your husband will have a higher insulin response than most when eating carbs, so it takes longer for his insulin levels to return to resting levels. We can ONLY use fat as a source of energy when insulin is not influencing our energy metabolism. And since insulin can take hours to return to resting values, we cant access the stored fat for energy at any point. Coupled with the fact that even before our insulin levels drop, we have probably has ANOTHER carb snack or carb meal by then! then another! So insluin is always elevated up and up, and this forces our body to metabolise glucose preferentially and store fat preferentially.

Low carb eating allows our insulin levels to drop and over time our body's homeostasis returns and we lose the fat because the body is trying to get you back to your usual weight. Not only that but blood pressure will drop as insulin also forces the kidneys to retain sodium and therefore water to maintain a concentration that wont kill us. (it does all sorts of bad stuff to us actually!)

Exercise also lowers insulin and thats the ONLY reason it effects fatloss, nothing to do with calories burned....(try burning 1,000 calories three days per week in a gym, keep it up for a month and see how your weight goes :p)

The problem is that once people lose the fat they return to their old way of eating....lots of beer, white breads, pastas, rice, chocolate, cakes, bicuits, crisps....and the cycle starts all over again!

The reasoning behing the government reccommendations for high complex carb/low fat stems way back to the 1950's and descisions made by american diplomats, but thats a whole different story!

[Yudster]

The high carb/low fat approach is far too simplistic, and scratch the surface of the science and it all falls apart. I do have a background in medical haematology and biochemistry, and when I was reading about the Atkins plan the science he presented to back it up made sense to me, far more than the biochemical processes for carbohydrate metabolism in weight loss programmes ever did - but I'm a cynic and I always assumed that Dr Atkin's motivation was less the health of the world and more the health of his bank balance. So you have to ask questions.

[Boboff]

I tried Atkins, it worked really well, I lost about 2 stone in about 7 weeks, trouble was it made me feel awful, really lacking in energy, listless and fed up. I used the wee sticks to make sure it was working, and drank lime and soda............ ah, there you go, question answered !

[Yudster]

Mr Yudster and I went through a few days of feeling a bit crap, but to be honest, it was no worse than being on an ordinary weight loss diet (they always make me feel rubbish), and it only lasted a few days - after that, as long as we snacked a lot (and honestly, we were eating far more than we ever did normally), we had tons of energy and felt great. And we both lost weght, Mr Y more spectacularly than me, but he had more to lose.

I think we'll do it again in the new year, and stick with it long term if we can afford it. It certainly means I don't have the thing which is the worst for me personally - sugar.

[Boboff]

Well, I probably was doing it wrong then, I didn't snack very much at all ( you look odd sat at your desk sucking on a steak) If you could let me have your plan I would appreciate it.

[foot-loose]

The Atkins works so long as you do it properly. The problem is that a lot of people only hear that they can eat stuff like cheese and burgers etc as long as they avoid bread.

If you read it properly then after the two week induction thingy (can't remember what its called) it becomes like just about every other decent diet out there.

And as I think Haggis said, once you stop doing it, the weight goes back on. You need to see it as a lifestyle change not a diet.

[Andy B]

I've not really read this thread much, but surely if you want to lose weight the answer is available in my easy to use new diet plan "El Presidente - says lose weight now" available from all good retailers 2008, it's a secret handed down in my family for generations which is why we're all skinny bastards who can eat what we like and our weight hardly ever changes - seriously, I stuff my face with BigMac's and biscuits all day long, I eat about 2 proper meals a week and have done for 3 years now and I weigh 10.5 Stone the exact same I weighed when I was 16.

So the secret then of how to lose weight then...eat less. That's it. If the number of calories you use in a day is more than you consume you will lose weight. Look at anorexics and super-models the world over, they exist on half an apple and a small glass of water a day - ok it's an extreme example which I wouldn't reccomend but you have to admit, they know how to lose weight so the principle is sound.

I shall be selling this revolutionary diet secheme for £24.99, who wants to get the first order in before demand makes the price skyrocket?

[foot-loose]

So the secret then of how to lose weight then...eat less.

Ahh, this is based on the Billy Connolly diet. "To lose weight, it's simple. Move more, eat less. And don't eat ANYTHING that is served to you in a 'bucket'!"

There is a lot of logic to that.

[MK Chris]

The key syllable in "diet" is the first one.

I think I'm very lucky with my metabolism, but it's starting to slow slightly, so I am having to be a bit careful; but then I'm reasonably active anyway.

[Yudster]

Well, I probably was doing it wrong then, I didn't snack very much at all ( you look odd sat at your desk sucking on a steak) If you could let me have your plan I would appreciate it.

Buy vast quantities of Mini-Baby-Bel cheese, and always have a big dish of cooked chicken drumsticks in the fridge - snacking problem solved.

The other thing people don't like about Atkins is that it basically tells you not to eat fruit. I can see how this will be an issue for a lot of people. Personally I kept the vitamin levels up by eating things like broccoli and cabbage, and cut out fruit and root vegetables (lots of starch). After the first stage I reintroduced things like peas and green beans in limited amounts.

[foot-loose]

No, it tells you not to eat fruit for the first two weeks then it tells you to be careful of the fruit you eat.

[MK Chris]

Well, I probably was doing it wrong then, I didn't snack very much at all ( you look odd sat at your desk sucking on a steak) If you could let me have your plan I would appreciate it.

Buy vast quantities of Mini-Baby-Bel cheese, and always have a big dish of cooked chicken drumsticks in the fridge - snacking problem solved.

As long as it's the purple Baby-Bel (which is cheddar and very nice at that.) The normal red edam is a bit minging.