Colette's Blog
Recent Posts
Yet Another Reason to Avoid Sugar
Last night CBS show “60 Minutes”, did an good job at starting the national conversation asking the question, “Is Sugar toxic”. Sanjay Gupta reported on research showing that beyond weight gain, sugar can take a serious toll on your health, worsening conditions ranging from heart disease to cancer. Atkins followers are well-versed in the dangers
Read MoreLow-Carb Diet = Depression??? Not So Fast!
I’ve noticed a few blogs on the internet recently and posts within our Community from people asking about the effects of Atkins on their sleep or whether doing Atkins would increase their risk of depression. I’ve addressed this topic before, but I thought it would be a great time to revisit it. One study that
Read MoreHigh Blood Pressure. Get it Under Control with Atkins
High blood pressure is a serious health problem, one that you need to get under control as quickly as possible. If your blood pressure is in the high normal to Stage 1 hypertension range (131 to 159 over 85 to 99), weight loss and some other important lifestyle changes may well be enough to bring
Read MoreTo Track or Not. It’s Up To You
As you probably know, the main premise of Atkins is lowering your net carb intake enough to unlock the gate that keeps you from primarily burning fat for energy. The initial amount that works for just about everyone is 20 grams of net carbs a day. So for at least the first two weeks, your
Read MoreWho’s Counting? Net Carbs vs. Total Carbs
There has been a flurry of activity lately on the Forums concerning whether to count net carbs or total carbs. Every practitioner will have their own take on things and it will vary depending on the situation. For example, Dr. Westman uses total carbs in his practice because he is following the old version of
Read MoreReady for OWL?
You got through the Induction phase of Atkins. Now you’re ready for your second step: Ongoing Weight Loss. When you start Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL), besides moving towards your goal weight, you will also find your individual tolerance for carbohydrates. This is the phase where you fine-tune your program, gradually adding small portions of appropriate
Read MoreWeight Loss Expectations for the First Two Weeks of Induction
The first piece of advice we can offer you, paradoxically, is to have no set expectations. Just because your best friend or spouse lost 7 pounds on Atkins the first week of Phase 1, Induction, don’t assume it will be the same for you. If you’ve been eating lots of poor-quality carbohydrates, this way of
Read MoreMore Good News for Atkins and Your Kidneys
It’s always encouraging when new scientific evidence comes out that continues to support the fact that low-carb diets like Atkins are safe and effective. We already know it to be true, but when the conversation takes place in the scientific community, I feel like progress is being made. I also know this kind of published
Read MoreDon’t Let Misleading Media Coverage of the ‘Science’ Control the Conversation
Just when I say I feel like progress is being made within the scientific community in terms of demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of Atkins, a Swedish study falsely blames the popularity of low-carb diets in Sweden to a surge in saturated fat intake in 2004, with a spike in cholesterol three years later. Yet,
Read MoreDiabesity: The Epidemic of Obesity and Diabetes
One of the most disturbing trends in an age of growing waistlines is the increasing onset of diabetes in the U.S. According to the American Diabetes Association, there are over 25.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 8.3% of the population, who have diabetes. The Center for Disease Control has reported that
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