Exercise and the Atkins Diet - Personal Trainer Community - Forum

[Dinah]

Has anyone had a client on the Atkins diet before? If so, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on what would be the best fuel for someone on this diet who is participating in an exercise program. I just read that people typically have lower energy because of the lack of carbs in the diet. They also recommend you adjust your workout program to go a bit lighter in intensity.

My client has been on it for about a month, but today was the first time she complained about being light-headed. She didn't eat anything before we worked out (but she wasn't eating before exercise before she started Atkins.) I know there could be a number of factors contributing to her feeling this way, but thought I would check in about this.

Thanks in advance.

Dinah

[Christina]

Hi Dinah,

I have had a few clients on the Atkins Diet. I tell them up front that I do not support it and that they're on their own if they decide to stay on it. In other words, don't ask me for dietary advice if it involves Atkins. (Of course, I say it with more tact when I am talking with them ) I explain to them that they need carbohydrates for fuel and they are going to feel tired during their workouts if they eliminate carbs from their diet. Also, I don't make the workouts any easier for them.

One of the things that I have learned over the last few years is that you can provide people with good information and it is their decision whether or not to listen and follow your advice. Unfortunately we cannot control what our clients do. You can guide them but the rest is up to them.

Christina

[Dinah]

Yeah, well, I certainly wouldn't condemn or condone anything like that given that that's not within out scope as CPTs.

When we first started out, I gave her some mypryramid handouts. I also suggested she keep a food log. She wasn't interested.

Not surprisingly, she wasn't very well versed on why carb elimination was the big hook of the Atkins diet. So she definitely wouldn't know why she was feeling sluggish and light-headed.

p.s. I posted this in the wrong section of the Forum. Sorry about that!

[Christina]

Yeah, well, I certainly wouldn't condemn or condone anything like that given that that's not within out scope as CPTs

Are you referring to the Atkins diet? I definitely believe it's our responsibility to guide clients nutritionally and if they are eating something or following a diet they shouldn't be then we need to provide them with information telling them why it's not a good idea. This is definitely within our scope of practice because we are giving them general nutritional guidance. Now if a doctor or dietitian put them on a particular diet for health reasons (cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol) then it would be out of our scope of practice to say anything.

I also suggested she keep a food log. She wasn't interested.

I have never had a client who wasn't interested in logging his/her food make a whole lot of progress. Just be prepared and don't blame yourself if you guys don't get anywhere.

Christina

[Fitness_Geek]

I also don't approve of the Atkins diet. There really is no fuel for someone who is on it. Sometimes trainers will put their clients on energy supplements but that isn't healthy either. It is well within your scope of practice to give your opinions about diets, you just can't specifically prescribe them anything. One of my client's doctors wanted to put her on a 800 calorie diet, regardless of the fact he knew she was always exercising close to 3 hours a day. Needless to say she started feeling tired all the time. I simply told her "I can't change anything for you since it's what your doctor told you, but I feel 800 calories is way too low for someone at your activity level." It's all you can do.

[Dinah]

Points taken. Thank you for the input.

I guess I didn't know enough about Atkins to condemn or condone. Certainly if someone was doing something that I thought was dangerous and unsafe I would speak up.

I'm also new at this and it's difficult to take a hard line with anything at this stage. You want to be seen as the expert, but you don't want to be too pushy about it.

[Penny1015]

Dinah,

Carbohydrates are needed at least 130 gms/day (RDA recommendation). This amount of CHO is needed for brain function and central nervous system. Not surprising your client was experiencing light headedness. For sedentary
individuals 45-65% CHO and for active individuals 58 to 68% CHO is recommended.

With the low CHO diet (Atkins-type) there are potential health hazards:
1) raises serum uric acid levels; 2) potential development of kidney stones; 3) alters electrolytes
4)causes acidosis; 5) aggavates kidney problems; 6) depletes glyogen reserves (contributes to fatigue);
7) decreases calcium balance and increased risk for bone loss; 8) causes dehydration; and 9)retards fetal
development during pregnancy from inadequate carbohydrate intake.
(from Exercise Physiology 7th Ed. McArdle, Katch, and Katch).

To find more information on Atkin's diet:

WebMD - Better information. Better health.
search: Atkins, low carbohydrate

Gatorade Sports Science Institute
(search the article: Highs and Lows of Carbohydrate Diets)

Book: Sports Nutrition Guidebook 4th Ed. Nancy Clark, MS,RD
Nancy does 2 day workshop with William Evans (exercise physiologist) ACSM CE approved.
http://www.nancyclarkrd.com

Hope this helps.

Penny S.
Registered/Licensed Dietitian
ACSM CPT

[jonblood]

I'm not registered yet but I've been in the came quite a while. I'd urge your client to have a high, fasting acting carb drink before their workout or something like like whey with oats and fruit. I've Atkin Dieted many times before and I'm confident in saying that the carb drink will actually benefit their fat loss efforts.

[Mitchel]

I've had a client during internship who was on Atkins Diet. The brain does need carbs as a source of energy and since Atkins is pretty much ketosis, they should be alright for a while because Ketones are the preferred energy for the heart. As with the use of any keto diet, the brain will get the bulk of its glucose needs from amino acids, and glycogen stores are expected to be low all the time. As for training, since ketones are used as primary fuel and glycogen is lowered, I made him do 1 strength training session once a week to maintain strength, and the majority of the other workouts were high aerobic based.

[tjt011]

My opinion is that it is the job of a personal trainer to inform their clients of potential helth risks. Leaving aside the Atkins Diet, expressing your opinion is very important. If they choose not to listen to you then so be it. Perhaps remind them again in the future, in case they have developed some doubt. This is what they want from you, fitness training. It might not be the most conventional means but a generally healthy body is necessary for any interpretation of fitness.