Lou Stazzio was a good illustration of that. This 40-yearold New York policeman had gained 50 pounds over the previous twenty years and had, in the process, acquired a roof beam-raising blood pressure of 180 / 110. He was on medication and was constantly fatigued. Doing Weight Watchers only introduced him to the pleasure of starvation.
One day, he read an article about how overweight teenage children lost weight more easily on a controlled carbohydrate plan than on a low-fat diet. Well, why not him? He decided to give Atkins a try. In eight months on the plan, Lou lost 60 pounds, was taken off his blood pressure medication and now has an unmedicated blood pressure of 118 / 74-a first-class advertisement for cardiovascular health.
You should also ask your doctor about your thyroid function. A sluggish thyroid is often responsible for obesity. If you have an underactive thyroid, getting the correct treatment may help solve your weight problem. For a detailed discussion of thyroid problems, turn to Chapter 20.
Before and After Tests
After you have been doing Atkins for six weeks or so, have your blood work redone; you may be surprised at the dramatic improvements. A whole body of published literature suggests that you ought to be terrified of eating liberal amounts of eggs, fat and meat. In fact, the most common question I’ m asked when I tell a patient what I expect him to eat is“ But won’ t my cholesterol go up?” I have no hesitation in answering,“ It will probably go down.” And in cases where your total cholesterol goes up, what you will almost invariably find is that your HDL( good) cholesterol goes up more than your LDL( bad) cholesterol does, thus improving the allimportant HDULDL ratio.
Typically, triglycerides plummet within the first month on Atkins, then HDL begins to rise. In some cases, LDL will rise. If it does, ask your doctor to test for the subtypes of LDL to determine whether it is the low-risk type of LDL or the high-risk type that has risen. Low-risk LDL, large fluffy lipo-protein A, is so designated because it doesn’ t cause plaque to form in the arteries. Research has shown that high-fat diets will raise the beneficial low-risk LDL.
Your kidney and liver functions should also be excellent. In fact, in my clinical experience, some individuals who have previously had elevated liver levels due to fatty deposits in the liver have shown improvement after doing Atkins. Your uric acid levels should test normal. If you have elevated uric acid prior to going on the program, you must be sure to keep your water intake up and monitor your uric acid level. An elevated uric acid level can lead to gout; if you suffer from gout I recommend you consult Dr. Atkins’ Vita-Nutrient Solution, since certain vitanutrients can help you control your uric acid levels. You can also ask your physician about the drug allopurinol, which consistently lowers uric acid levels. =====================================================================
The Blood-Sugar Test
Let ' s talk about the laboratory test most relevant to people starting Atkins-the five-hour glucose-tolerance test( GTT). If, after reading the last few chapters, you suspect you may have a blood-sugar or insulin imbalance that is contributing to your weight problems, discuss it with your doctor and request a five-hour GTT with insulin levels. Since the onset of diabetes is
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