Is a Calorie a Calorie: On Diets such as Atkins

I discovered something wonderful: DVDs on science facts from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Maryland can be obtained free. Just go to their Web site and order!

I ordered some on genes, a favorite topic of mine, and fat and sexuality. On the topic of fat, part of the DVD dealt with student questions to a physician and scientists. A interesting question was on the effect on weight loss of the Atkins Diet. I tried this diet more than one time years ago. It works, partly by suppressing insulin levels which decreases sugar, as opposed to fat, being used for fuel. My intuition told me that it is not healthy to be on this diet for more than two weeks at a time, and I have since read expert advice along these lines. The reason for this is that you do not want to have too much fat in your system continuously. You may lose weight, a large part of it being water, while at the same time leaving yourself susceptible to artherosceloris.

The doctor and one scientist agreed that it is not a diet to be on for a long time. They said something interesting: A calorie is a calorie. If you take in too many calories relative to physical exercise on any diet, including the Atkins diet, you will gain weight most likely.

Again the key is to get in touch with yourself through mediation, working out, yoga or whatever you need and use both your intuition and trying different diets and exercise out to see what works for you. Balance again is key: You do to need to go through strict organic or vegetarian or low-carbohydrate or the Atkins diet to be healthy and/or to lose weight.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on http://www.authorhouse.com and http://www.amazon.com. If you look up my name on those Web sites, you will find my other books The Boy in a Wheelchair and Life, Work and Play: Poems and Short Stories. These two books are on my Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com.