The Low Carb Craze: Fad Diet or Obesity Aid?
The constant images of thin and perfect bodies on television, in magazines, and in advertisements cause people to want to lose lots of weight and to lose it fast. Due to this, there are many different types of diets that cause people to shed pounds quickly. These diets may seem to work instantly, but they fall into the category of fad diets. Diets that sound too good to be true and are too good to be true are fad diets.
The important word to remember in fad diets is ‘fad’ (Pagano 5). A fad is something that becomes popular, all of a sudden, but when something newer, better, and more improved comes along, the popularity of the fad eventually fades away. Some diets are extreme, such as eating nothing but rice for a month, while some are more desirable to one’s taste buds. Recently one fad diet that has become extremely popular is the Atkins diet, which was created by Dr. Robert C. Atkins in 1972 (“Atkins Diet”). In this diet, carbohydrates and sugar are restricted but larger amounts of protein and fat are required. Dr. Atkins’ claim to fame was that while following his diet, you could eat your favorite cheeseburger while still losing weight! (Atkins, Dr. Atkins’ 236). When Dr. Atkins first made his claim, it was seen as outrageous because it was so different from traditional low calorie and low fat diets.
Popularity occurred because outrageous claims sell more than traditional facts. The diet is recommended for people that are severely overweight because it has been proven that it causes substantial weight loss very rapidly, yet young and hot celebrities claim to follow the Atkins diet as well. The Atkins diet has been proven to be very effective within a short amount of time, but some critics disagree with Dr. Atkins theories. The Atkins diet came into the public eye in 1972, but has only recently become a popular craze among people of all ages due to the rising level of obesity in America.
Dr. Robert C. Atkins took a chance when he introduced his new diet book, Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, a diet vastly different from most others. Traditional diets consist of low fat and low calorie intakes complete with regular exercise. When the Atkins diet was introduced to the public, people were shocked at what Dr. Atkins had to say because it was almost a paradox with what the ideas of traditional diets were. The Atkins diet consists of four distinct stages. The first stage is called “Induction” (Atkins, Dr. Atkins’ 121). The first stage lasts for about two weeks and is the most crucial time of the diet.
This is when your body goes through the most changes because your metabolism has to switch from a sugar metabolism to a fat metabolism. Because of this switch, usually fatigue and weakness occur. These side effects only last for a short time, about one-two weeks, but many times people get discouraged right away and don’t follow through with the diet. In the “induction” stage, the carb intake is highly restricted to about fifteen to twenty grams per day. Fat and protein are allowed in sufficient amounts but carbohydrates and sugar are reduced drastically.
This is also the time when weight is lost in a large amount very rapidly (139). The second stage of the diet is called “ongoing weight loss” (“Atkins Diet”). In this stage, the dieter can increase the number of carbohydrates they consume per day to usually about fifteen to forty. When the dieter has successfully lost weight, and is closer to his/her goal, he/she can begin stage three: the “pre-maintenance” phase (“The Atkins Diet Debate”). During this stage, the dieter adds one to three servings of carbohydrates per week, such as an apple or a slice of whole wheat bread. When the dieter reaches their goal weight, the last stage of the diet begins.
This stage is called the “lifetime maintenance” stage (Atkins, Dr. Atkins’ 205). This is for lifetime maintenance of weight and consists of consuming forty to sixty carb grams per day. It was always said that eating healthy and exercising often is the only solution for weight loss. But when a claim is made saying that it is possible to eat all fat and protein and still lose weight without an extreme workout schedule, what would the public’s reaction be? Who wouldn’t try this new form of diet to see if it works or not? What would you have to lose but weight?
Why has the Atkins diet only recently become more popular if it has been around for more then thirty years? This is due to the drastically rising levels of obesity. What exactly is considered “obese”? To calculate obesity, one measures their body mass index (BMI). This is done by multiplying weight in pounds by 704.5, then dividing the result by height in inches, and dividing that result again by height in inches. A number between 20 and 22 is “normal”. Any number greater than or equal to 30 is considered obese (Rashad 104). In 1950-1962, a national health examination survey showed that in people ages eighteen and older 12.73% were obese. In another national health and nutrition examination survey done in 1999-2000 for people ages eighteen and older, 29.57% were obese (104).
This drastic increase in obesity causes people to become obsessive with diets. Dr. Atkins book, Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, has been reprinted twenty-eight times and has sold more than ten million copies world wide (“The Atkins Diet Debate”). Many diets are only fads that work for a short time, but some diets are more successful and can be argued to work better in the long run. The American Heart Association (AHA) did a study on low-carb and high protein diets and suggested that for weight loss, they do not suggest this type of diet unless the individual is obese. This is because the cardiovascular risks of a high protein diet are worth taking to reduce the risks that come with severe obesity (“Atkins Diet Review”).
There have been tremendous success stories from people on the Atkins diet that have lost even 100-200 pounds! One story is from a 38 year old man who lost sixty pounds and reduced his cholesterol drastically. He decided he needed to change after he woke up in the emergency room one morning because he had gained thirty pounds in only four months and his body was retaining tremendous amounts of water. His blood pressure and cholesterol were off the charts, his hands and arms were numb, and he had severe trouble breathing. After finding out he had hypothyroidism (a slow thyroid), he decided to follow a low-protein/high-carbohydrate diet that consisted mostly of lettuce and other vegetables.
Later, while following this strict diet, he noticed that his health was not improving. When he decided to try something new and different, the Atkins nutritional approach, he was skeptical at first about it. But after seeing drastic results in just two weeks not only with his weight but also with his cholesterol and blood sugar, he changed his mind about the diet and decided to change his lifestyle to become healthier and to stay healthy (Atkins, Homepage).
Although the AHA does not recommend the Atkins diet unless one is obese, more and more attractive, young, and popular celebrities are heard to be following the diet. Brad Pitt, for example, has been named “The Sexiest Man Alive” (Bowen), yet while he was in training for his role in Troy, he was devotedly on a low carb/high protein diet (“Brad Pitt Used Low-Carb To Train For Troy”). Another example is the young woman with the nickname, “The Queen of Pop Music”, singer Britney Spears. She was having “weight troubles” and her personal trainer suggested she try the Atkins diet. She did not hesitate to try out the diet after she ordered that her latest tour promo photos be edited to cut out her “growing bulge” (“Britney Spears Having A Hard Time With Carbs”).
Britney Spears has held the title of ‘the girl who every man wanted to be with and every girl wanted to be’. Why are celebrities who are famous in part of their great looks turn to a diet suggested for obese people when they are clearly not obese? What Britney Spears considers being “weight troubles” is very different from what kinds of actual weight troubles that obese people have. Because these celebrities are so popular, the Atkins diet receives a kind of publicity at no charge. When people hear of their favorite celebrities trying different things, such as the Atkins diet, people assume that it must be the right thing to do because Brad Pitt or Britney Spears is doing it too.
Celebrities who need to drop a few quick pounds turn to a diet that is meant to improve the health of obese individuals for dramatic weight loss. Because so many celebrities are now turning to Atkins, this causes the diet to become more popular among people of all ages and sizes, not only obese people. But if there are so many other success stories just like this one, then why are there so many people that would swear against the Atkins diet?
Because of the rising level of obesity in America, “obesity can be looked at as an epidemic” (Astrup 897). This obesity epidemic caused the Atkins diet to become increasingly popular, but despite the successes due to the diet, there are still critics. Many critics and even doctors suggest that when you eat no carbohydrates, your body is forced to burn protein as fuel. This results in a large amount of urea, a waste product, which is created. Some doctors say that an excessive amount of urea in the body causes a strain on the kidneys and the liver.
They are strictly against the diet because when a person consumes carbohydrates, the carbs burn clean while one consuming only protein has a body filled with excess urea (Cinque). One of Dr. Cinque’s main points is that he wonders, “have people forgotten that fats are still fattening?” (Cinque). Foods that are higher in carbohydrates have only four calories per gram and are much higher in water and fiber that contain no calories at all, while foods that are higher in fat contain nine calories per gram (Cinque). The AHA stated other reasons why many people are against the Atkins diet:
Initial weight loss may be quite fast, but is not always sustainable, many food high in animal protein may also be high in saturated fat, your saturated fat intake may be too high for comfort, and giving up or severely restricting potatoes, corn, bread, fruits, and vegetables and much more for as long as it takes to lose the weight, is not a user-friendly diet plan (“Atkins Diet Review”).
Doctors are also worried that some of the foods that are restricted on this diet, such as fruits, are really healthful to the consumer and provide necessary nutritional elements. They are worried that the dieter will not be receiving appropriate vitamin and mineral intake as well as more potential health risks (“Atkins Diet Review”). People that only need to drop a few pounds fast are attracted to the Atkins diet for the reason that it does seem to work magically, instantly. But it is important to remember that once the desired weight is achieved, one cannot just go back to the previous way of eating or else the weight that was lost will be gained right back.
There are many myths but also facts that surround the Atkins diet and this is why some people are very skeptical and critical towards it. Most critics of the Atkins diet specify that it is only effective for short amounts of time, such as 4-6 months, but is not a healthy way to lose weight over longer periods of time. Generally, “if a diet sounds too good to be true, it usually is” (Wardlaw 382). Studies have been shown that the Atkins diet is very successful in the short run compared to other traditional low calorie/low fat diets, but after a term of about six to eight months, the results are too similar for one to be proven more effective. If a person had been told over and over the only way to lose weight is to eat low amounts of fat and restrict one’s calorie intake, then would a brand new book stating these same facts sell more than one contradicting everyone’s knowledge of dieting but still promising successful weight loss? Making outrageous claims like Dr. Atkins did, sells more books than writing “eat less fat and walk more” (Wardlaw 379). One myth surrounding the diet is that people who go on the diet generally feel a lack of energy due to the restriction of carbohydrates. While this might be true in the first few days, it is due to the switch of metabolic pathways inside your body. So unless you do not follow the rules of the Atkins diet properly, then within 3-5 days, you should actually feel an increase in energy due to the re balance of their nutrition and the stability of their blood sugar (Atkins, Homepage).
Scientific studies have shown that the increase of obesity during the last 50 years is extremely drastic. The Atkins diet can be successful to an “obese” person in the long run if a healthy change in one’s diet is made. For “normal” people it is hard to tell whether this diet can be successful in the long run, but this hasn’t stopped people of all different sizes, and also ages, from trying the Atkins diet. But even though it is proven to be suggested for obese individuals, more and more people who are considered “normal” are heard of following the diet. This even includes talented, young, attractive, movie stars and rock stars. The celebrity use of the Atkins diet has acted almost as free advertisement for the diet and has also caused the popularity of the diet to increase. Although doctors suggest the Atkins diet for people that are severely obese, scientific studies have also shown that the Atkins diet can lead to specific health problems in the long run.
Some of these health problems are vitamin and mineral deficiencies, exceeding amounts of urea in the body, and strains on the liver and kidneys. On the other hand, it has also been proven to be very effective. The increase in fast foods and the improvements of technology have also caused obesity to increase causing many people to become obsessive with their diet and look for a quick and easy solution. Now that the Atkins diet is widely known for substantial, rapid weight loss, dieters have turned to this diet in search of a cure to not only their obesity, but also just to drop a few pounds fast. Not only does the Atkins diet aid in the cure of obesity, but also lowers cholesterol and stabilizes blood sugar. Blood sugar and cholesterol can be potential health hazards for someone who is considered obese and a healthy change in one’s lifestyle can contribute to achieving the desired and necessary results that an obese person can attain.
