Pro-Atkins to Anti-Atkins

Almost two years ago now, I was the poster child for the Atkins diet.  I was several pounds overweight (even though people referred to me as “skinny” I knew I had let the extra weight pack on over the years).  So, I went on the Atkins diet.

I have always been a meat lover, so the Atkins diet was for me.  I ate all the meat, cheese and Atkins products I could find.  And it worked.  I lost 30 pounds over three months and my cholesterol went down – dramatically on one measure.  It was great.

Then I took up cycling.

As I studied cycling, I found out about the importance of my arch-enemy – carbohydrates.  Yikes!  Was it true that the forbidden fruit held the energy I needed to ride better.  Alas, it was.

So now I eat the opposite of the Atkins diet.  I eat pasta, bread (whole wheat), oatmeal, and on and on.  I drink drinks (like Gatorade) just for the carbs.  And I have the energy I need to bike.

My weight?  It’s stayed down even though I’ve changed eating patterns.  I guess that’s what riding 25 miles four times a week will do for ya, huh?

Comments

[Roger]

I think diets like Atkins go a bit too far. To me, the secret seems to be that people should reduce the amount of processed grains and processed sugars. As a person who could stand to lose a few pounds, I decided that was a good Lenten goal. It's helped, so I'm going to extend the Lenten goal into rest of the year.