JACKIE EBERSTEIN DEBUNKS THE CURRENT CROP OF ATKINS MYTHS

This from Jimmy Moore and The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show:

The Atkins diet enjoys a rather odd position in the world of health and nutrition–you either love it or you hate it! There are very few people who kinda like it or kinda dislike it. And I suppose this has a lot to do with the misconceptions and myths that pervade about it in our culture. But the fact is most of these perceptions about the Atkins low-carb lifestyle are easily combatted with the facts that have been borne out by the experience of real life low-carbers and the science that backs them up. Today’s podcast interview guest is arguably the most knowledgeable expert on the Atkins diet today after working directly with the late, great Dr. Robert C. Atkins for nearly three decades.

 In Episode 389 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we welcome back to the show registered nurse Jackie Eberstein from Controlled Carbohydrate Nutrition and co-author (with Dr. Mary C. Vernon) of Atkins’ Diabetes Revolution. It’s been a couple of years since we’ve had Jackie with us on the podcast (listen to my June 2008 interview with her–listen to Part 1 and Part 2) and she’s been a regular keynote speaker on The Annual Low-Carb Cruise the past few years. But I wanted to bring her back on the podcast to address many of the lingering myths about the Atkins low-carb diet that still pervade in our culture. Listen to Jackie share what she thinks Dr. Atkins would say about The New Atkins For A New You, her attempts to correct the ongoing Atkins myths over the years, her typical low-carb menus, why she has to personally stay very low-carb, why reactive hypoglycemia is not caused by low-carb eating, the impact of sweeteners on hypoglycemia, whether you should count calories on the Atkins diet, why “calories in, calories out” is totally bogus, why Atkins won’t raise your lipids to unhealthy levels, why high triglycerides are not caused by fat but by insulin (stoked by carbohydrate consumption), which is more important–LDL particle number or particle size, why red meat is not the great harm it is purported to be in studies, why pigs are better animal studies than rats and worms, why there are no kidney damage concerns for people eating the Atkins diet (because it’s NOT a high-protein diet, it’s a moderate protein diet), why getting adequate protein is so vital to your health, her reaction to what the 2010 Dietary Guidelines will include and whether low-carb will even be considered, whether the Paleolithic diet jives with the Atkins diet, why free-range, organic meats are best, her response to the “one golden shot” theory that you can only lose weight on Atkins low-carb once, why there is a lot we don’t understand fully about fat cells, why cutting fat while consuming a low-carb diet is not wise, why the scale is not an accurate measuring stick for your weight loss progress, why regular exercise is an important companion tool with low-carb living, why some people are continually tired on the Atkins diet and what they can do to overcome it, the research links she provides on her web site, why Atkins does not lead to osteoporosis, why low-carb is not lacking in nutrition because you need to take supplements while on it, how consuming carbohydrates actually depletes nutrition from your body, and what she wishes more people would understand about the Atkins diet. For anyone who thinks low-carb is harmful to some aspect of their health, then this interview with Jackie Eberstein is one you don’t want to miss!

To listen to the interview, right click here.

MY INTERVIEW WITH JIMMY MOORE ON THE LIVIN' LA VIDA LOW-CARB SHOW

In Episode 404 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we hear from Atkins weight loss success story Rebecca Latham who was featured on pages 114-115 of the bestselling The New Atkins For A New You book. She shares all about her journey these days at her “My Low-Carb Road To Better Health” blog with all the ups, downs, and in-betweens that have happened to her over the years. Hear Rebecca talk about how she has always felt fat even when she was at a normal weight, the various diets she has been on over the years, how she found the Atkins diet for the first time in 2000, how her husband was positively impacted by following Atkins until he stopped doing the plan, her fateful encounter with Colette Heimowitz from Atkins Nutritionals, the hormonal challenges she faces that makes building muscle and burning body fat difficult, the various setbacks she has experienced in her low-carb lifestyle, the heavy influence of Mark Sisson’s work (The Primal Blueprint is “like Atkins on steroids”), the necessary tweaks she needed to make to make her low-carb plan work for her, why the scale is not a reliable indicator of your low-carb progress, her frustration with finding the right body composition, her recommendation for people wanting to eat a more clean low-carb diet, the health issues her husband has been dealing with which have required him to get back on Atkins again, the change in body perception she has experienced since losing weight, the supplements she takes on her Atkins lifestyle, the genetic predisposition for ALS and how her supplements are helping her with this, her foray into intermittent fasting, her sample low-carb menus, her use of thyroid medication and how it has helped her, her “My Body Is Not A Piggy Bank: Do Calories Matter?” thread on the Atkins forum, and the ramifications of eating too much fat. You’ll quickly realize how and why Rebecca is such an ardent defender of the low-carb lifestyle and has become quite knowledgable of how it works over the past decade.

Listen to the interview by right clicking here.  There are two interviews on the podcast, and this one starts at 19:47 on the counter, so you can fast forward to that number if you like.

JULY 19, 2009 - WEEK 18 RESULTS

Beginning weight - 150 / BMI 26.57 / Body Fat 37.9%
Current weight - 140.4 / BMI 24.87 / Body Fat 33.2%
Goal weight - 125
Goal date, based on average since starting - February 19, 2010
(Since starting, I have lost an average of 1/2 pound per week.)
Goal date, based on average in the last 4 weeks - October 2, 2010
(In the last 4 weeks, I have lost an average of 1/4 pound per week.)

Here is an average of my daily food intake for this past week:

1550 Calories
115.3g Fat (66.9%)
101.2g Protein
27g Carbs
11.6g Fiber
15.5g net carbs, of which 11.2g came from veggies

I weigh on a body composition scale, so I can tell how much fat, muscle and water I have gained or lost.

Scale weight lost this week - 0.6 pounds
Fat lost this week - 1.1 pounds
Muscle gained this week - 0.4 pounds
Water gained this week - 0.1 pounds
Total scale weight lost since starting - 9.6 pounds

Since starting, I have lost 6.4% of my total body weight. I need to lose another 10.3%. I have lost 38.4% of the 25 pounds I need to lose.

According to my doctor, I needed to lose 35 pounds of fat, and gain 10 pounds of muscle. So far, I have lost 8.7 pounds of fat, and gained 0.9 pounds of muscle/water.

I've also been keeping track of my measurements on fitday. I measure every Sunday.

Neck 13.75 - 13.00 = 3/4 inch down
Bicep 11.75 - 11.5 = 1/4 inch down
Forearm 9.00 - 9.00 = same
Bust 38.25 - 36.00 = 2-1/4 inch down
Midriff 32.25 - 30.00 = 2-1/4 inches down
Waist 31.50 - 29.00 = 2-1/2 inches down
Navel 38.25 - 33.50 = 4-3/4 inches down (the heart health zone, so this is great!)
Hips 42.00 - 38.50 = 3-1/2 inches down
Thigh 24.50 - 22.00 = 2-1/2 inches down
Calf 14.50 - 14.25 = 1/4 inch down

Total lost this week - 2-3/4 inches
Total lost since starting - 22 inches

In the past week, I started increasing my calories again, and this time I have continued to lose! I'm not sure whether to attribute it to PaceBook exercising or a healing metabolism, but whichever it is, I'll take it!

I am taking my supplements, including Acetyl L-carnitine, and drinking 92 oz. of water each day.

I am doing the Pacebook recommendations for modified cardio on the treadmill, and I do the weight lifting machines at the gym.

I also do a 1-hour Hatha Yoga class twice per week.

JULY 15, 2009 - I'M LOSING WEIGHT! WHAT AM I DOING RIGHT?

For those that don't know me, I am 53 years old, 5'3" tall, had a highest weight of 158 in February 2009, starved 8 pounds off using The Zone, and started Atkins on March 15, 2009. My goal is 125 pounds. I am the typical "I can't lose weight no matter what I do" woman!

For the first 7 weeks, I lost nothing, but lately, I have been losing weight, and I am now down to my lowest Atkins weight of 140.8.

The mystery is - What am I doing right? Why am I losing weight? What have I changed in my life since February?

1. Eating high fat, moderate protein, low carb (Atkins)

2. Exercising and weight resistance

3. Drinking 84 oz. of water a day

4. Taking nutritional supplements (lots!), including Acetyl L-carnitine

5. Replacing my progesterone and testosterone naturally with bio-identical hormones.

6. Getting 9 hours of sleep per night in the dark

7. Taking a yoga class twice a week

8. Visiting this Forum often (too often, according to my husband!) and staying motivated and helping others.

I'm glad to be losing weight, but it would be interesting to know which of these changes made the most difference. Not that I would give any of them up if I knew they were low on the list!

I think I feel better now than I have since I was in my twenties!

So, thank you Dr. Atkins, thank you Suzanne Somers, and thank you everyone on the Forum who has helped me through this difficult transition. I think I am ready to give away my fat clothes now, because I am becoming convinced that I will stick with this for the rest of my life!

JULY 12, 2009 - WEEK 17 RESULTS

Beginning weight - 150 / BMI 26.57 / Body Fat 37.9%
Current weight - 141 / BMI 24.98 / Body Fat 33.8%
Goal weight - 125
Goal date, based on average since starting - February 7, 2010
Goal date, based on average in the last 30 days - November 30, 2009

Here is an average of my daily food intake for this past week:

1554 Calories

116g Fat (67.2%)

100.7g Protein

26.6g Carbs

10.5g Fiber

16.1g net carbs, of which 12.3g came from veggies

I weigh on a body composition scale, so I can tell how much fat, muscle and water I have gained or lost.

Scale weight lost this week - 2.4 pounds
Fat lost this week - 1.5 pounds
Muscle lost this week - 0.8 pounds
Water lost this week - 0.1 pounds
Total scale weight lost since starting - 9 pounds

Since starting, I have lost 6% of my total body weight. I need to lose another 10.7%. I have lost 36% of the 25 pounds I need to lose.

According to my doctor, I needed to lose 35 pounds of fat, and gain 10 pounds of muscle. So far, I have lost 7.7 pounds of fat, and lost 1.3 pounds of muscle/water.

I've also been keeping track of my measurements on fitday. I measure every Sunday.

Neck 13.75 - 13.00 = 3/4 inch down
Bicep 11.75 - 11.5 = 1/4 inch down
Forearm 9.00 - 9.00 = same
Bust 38.25 - 37.00 = 1-1/4 inch down
Midriff 33.00 - 30.75 = 2-1/4 inches down
Waist 31.50 - 29.00 = 2-1/2 inches down
Navel 39.25 - 34.50 = 4-3/4 inches down (the heart health zone, so this is great!)
Hips 42.00 - 39.25 = 2-3/4 inches down
Thigh 24.50 - 22.50 = 2 inches down
Calf 14.50 - 14.25 = 1/4 inch down

Total lost this week - 1 inch
Total lost since starting - 19-1/4 inches

At Colette's advice, I dropped my calories down to the lowest end of minimum, and, as soon as I did that, I immediately started losing. In the last couple of weeks, I did start trying to increase my calories, but started gaining again. Again, Colette advised me to decrease them again, and I started losing the next day. I guess I may have to stay here for awhile...

I am taking my supplements, including Acetyl L-carnitine, and drinking 84 oz. of water each day.

I started the Pacebook recommendations for exercise.

I also do a 1-hour Hatha Yoga class twice per week.

JUNE 28, 2009 - WEEK 15 RESULTS

Beginning weight - 150 / BMI 26.57 / Body Fat 42.9%
Current weight - 141.6 / BMI 25.08 / Body Fat 38.7%

Here is an average of my daily food intake for this past week:

1452 Calories

105.1g Fat (65.2%)

89.3g Protein

37.1g Carbs

20.1g Fiber

17g net carbs, of which 13.3g came from veggies

Goal weight - 125
Goal date, based on average since starting - January 20, 2010
Goal date, based on average in the last 30 days - December 1, 2009

I weigh on a body composition scale, so I can tell how much fat, muscle and water I have gained or lost.

Scale weight lost this week - 0.2 pounds
Fat lost this week - 0.5 pounds
Muscle gained this week - 0.1 pounds
Water gained this week - 0.2 pounds
Total scale weight lost since starting - 8.4 pounds

Since starting, I have lost 5.6% of my total body weight. I need to lose another 11.1%. I have lost 33.6% of the 25 pounds I need to lose.

According to my doctor, I needed to lose 35 pounds of fat, and gain 10 pounds of muscle. So far, I have lost 9.6 pounds of fat, and gained 1.2 pounds of muscle/water. The testosterone and weight lifting must be starting to work!

I've also been keeping track of my measurements on fitday. I measure every Sunday.

Neck 13.75 - 12.75 = 1 inch down
Bicep 11.75 - 11.5 = 1/4 inch down
Forearm 9.00 - 9.00 = same
Bust 38.25 - 37.00 = 1-1/4 inch down
Midriff 33.00 - 30.50 = 2-1/2 inches down
Waist 31.50 - 29.25 = 2-1/4 inches down
Navel 39.25 - 35.00 = 4-1/4 inches down (the heart health zone, so this is great!)
Hips 42.00 - 39.25 = 2-3/4 inches down
Thigh 24.50 - 22.50 = 2 inches down
Calf 14.50 - 14.25 = 1/4 inch down

Total lost this week - 3-1/4 inches
Total lost since starting - 19 inches

Slow weight loss is better than no weight loss! Slow losers, take heart!

At Colette's advice, I dropped my calories down to the lowest end of minimum, and, as soon as I did that, I immediately started losing. In the last couple of weeks, I did start trying to increase my calories, but started gaining again. Again, Colette advised me to decrease them again, and I started losing the next day. I guess I may have to stay here for awhile...

I am taking my supplements, including Acetyl L-carnitine, drinking 84 oz. of water each day.

I started a new routine at the gym. I work my arms/back twice per week, and my legs/abdomen twice per week. I follow these by 20 minutes on the treadmill at 2.7-4.2 mph (5 minutes at the slower pace, then 1 minute at the higher pace), then 5 minutes of cool down, followed by stretching. Once per week, I do interval speeds (5 minutes at 2.7 mph and 1 minute at 4.2 mph) on the treadmill for 24 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of cool down, followed by stretching. I do a 1-hour Hatha Yoga class twice per week.

JUNE 21, 2009 - WEEK 14 RESULTS

Beginning weight - 150 / BMI 26.57 / Body Fat 42.9%
Current weight - 141.8 / BMI 25.12 / Body Fat 39%
Goal weight - 125
Goal date, based on average since starting - January 20, 2010
Goal date, based on average in the last 30 days - December 25, 2009

Here is an average of my daily food intake for this past week:

1453 Calories

105g Fat (65%)

90g Protein

37g Carbs

20g Fiber

17g net carbs, of which 13g came from veggies

I weigh on a body composition scale, so I can tell how much fat, muscle and water I have gained or lost.

Scale weight lost this week - 0.8 pounds
Fat lost this week - 0.6 pounds
Muscle lost this week - 0.1 pounds
Water lost this week - 0.1 pounds
Total scale weight lost since starting - 8.2 pounds

Since starting, I have lost 5.5% of my total body weight. I need to lose another 11.2%. I have lost 32.8% of the 25 pounds I need to lose.

According to my doctor, I needed to lose 35 pounds of fat, and gain 10 pounds of muscle. So far, I have lost 9.1 pounds of fat, and gained 0.9 pounds of muscle/water. The testosterone and weight lifting must be starting to work!

I've also been keeping track of my measurements on fitday. I measure every Sunday.

Neck 13.75 - 12.75 = 1 inch down
Bicep 11.75 - 12.00 = 1/4 inch up
Forearm 9.00 - 9.00 = same
Chest 38.25 - 37.00 = 1-1/4 inch down
Midriff 33.00 - 31.50 = 1-1/2 inches down
Waist 31.50 - 29.50 = 2 inches down
Navel 39.25 - 36.00 = 3-1/4 inches down (the heart health zone, so this is great!)
Hips 42.00 - 39.75 = 2-1/4 inches down
Thigh 24.50 - 22.50 = 2 inches down
Calf 14.50 - 14.00 = 1/2 inch down

Total gained this week - 3/4 inch
Total lost since starting - 15-3/4 inches

Slow weight loss is better than no weight loss! Slow losers, take heart!

At Colette's advice, I dropped my calories down to the lowest end of minimum, and, as soon as I did that, I immediately started losing. In the last couple of weeks, I did start trying to increase my calories, but started gaining again. Again, Colette advised me to decrease them again, and I started losing the next day. I guess I may have to stay here for awhile...

I am taking my supplements, including Acetyl L-carnitine, drinking 84 oz. of water each day.

I started a new routine at the gym. I work my arms/back twice per week, and my legs/abdomen twice per week. I follow these by 10 minutes on the treadmill at 3.5 mph, then 5 minutes of cool down, followed by stretching. Once per week, I do interval speeds (1 minute at 2 mph and 1 minute at 4 mph) on the treadmill for 25 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of cool down, followed by stretching. I do a 1-hour Hatha Yoga class twice per week.