Don't want to do Atkins way of eating any more!

lubalubies

I have come to the decision that I wont lose weight by eating the Atkins way. I have picked up a stone in weight the last month. I now have 50lbs to lose! I cannot stay on Atkins for more than a few days before I "cheat". I am now so confused and just want to lose the weight. I am so sick and tired of spending all this time on diet and never seeing any results. I think I have decided to cut my calories to 1200 as suggested by MFP but due to the length of time I have been on Atkins trying to lose weight, I have forgotten what's important in a normal diet.
I would really appreciate advice on how to eat.
thanks for listening

ManiacalLaugh

It's a good thing to learn from experience. Sustainability is key - and recognizing when a plan isn't for you is an important step for long-term success.

Depending on your height, it may not be necessary to go down to 1200. Do you mind posting your height and how many lbs/week you've set your MFP loss goal to?

WBB55

Links I recommend:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

jgnatca

Good news, former cheat foods are now in. I suggest switching to moderated portions of all things.

choosemyplate.gov/

MFP makes it easy to count calories. Just weigh and enter everything you eat.

queenliz99

The best kind of diet is the one you plan on doing the rest of your life. For me, eating low carb was too difficult to do and I had no energy to do anything. You need to eat the foods you love but eat less of them. Moderation is key. Best advice is get a food scale and start weighing everything you eat.

read this

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

You can do this!!

ndj1979

lubalubies wrote: »

I have come to the decision that I wont lose weight by eating the Atkins way. I have picked up a stone in weight the last month. I now have 50lbs to lose! I cannot stay on Atkins for more than a few days before I "cheat". I am now so confused and just want to lose the weight. I am so sick and tired of spending all this time on diet and never seeing any results. I think I have decided to cut my calories to 1200 as suggested by MFP but due to the length of time I have been on Atkins trying to lose weight, I have forgotten what's important in a normal diet.
I would really appreciate advice on how to eat.
thanks for listening

then don't do atkins and just eat in a calorie deficit.

set MFP for one pound a week loss and eat to that number.
get a food scale and weigh all solids
find a form of exercise you enjoy and do it, or don't as this is not necessary.
eat the foods you like, just make sure that you are hitting micronutrient requirements and maintaining your deficit.

dubird

If you don't want to, then don't. Atkins has no more benefit than any other 'diet plan' for weight loss. There are people that do well on it, but don't feel bad if you're not. There is no magic food or plan that will make weight go away and not come back. It takes time and effort, more than most people realize. But you don't have to cut out any foods you don't want to, just cut down on the amount of them you eat.

What I would suggest is getting a good food scale and weigh EVERYTHING you eat for a week or two. It WILL be a surprise how many calories you're actually consuming, but don't let that deter you! Doing this gives you a baseline to start from, and lets you identify patterns and habits you need to change. Then, start by changing one thing. First thing I did was swap out soda for lunch for unsweet tea with equal. That cut out 200-300 calories a day just with one change. Then, start lowering the AMOUNT of things you eat. Normally eat three cookies? Take two and walk away from the plate. You're still eating something you like, just less of it. If your diet now is primarily junk food (and by that, i mean high calorie/low nutritional foods), you'll find that swapping out a couple of things for something healthier, like veggies or something, you'll actually be able to eat more in terms of bulk, which can make you feel full longer. How you do it is up to you.

That's the thing, you have to develop an eating plan that works FOR YOU. You can try many things, but if it's not a diet you're willing to make into a permanent change, then it's not going to be effective in the long term. Take low-carb diets: some people do well on them and are happy with keeping it up for the rest of their lives. I could never do that! So a low-carb diet isn't for me. I simply took what I was eating, subbing out a few things that I liked for better choices that I also liked, and started cooking dinner for myself and HSpoon more often so I could control what I was eating.

This is not a fast process. It is slower than 'diets', but more effective long term. What you're doing isn't a 'diet', but you're retraining your brain and body to what a proper portion of food is, as well as learning better eating habits that will help you stay in your target range once you get there. Make that part of your goal, not just a number on the scale. The number on the scale means nothing if you don't learn the eating habits that will help it stay there.

As for what normal diet is? It's what you want to eat. You do need some carbs, protein, fiber and other nutrients, but I don't think anyone agrees on how much is appropriate for everyone. If you want advice on making dinner, what I do is prep the main dish which is a meat of some kind, include two sides: a veggie and something with carbs. Boom, balanced dinner! It's ok to stick with the same two or three veggies if you want, as well as the same carb if you like it.

PeachyCarol

I decided doing Atkins wasn't for me either. I got down to a certain weight with it and stayed stuck there and then gained weight.

Dieting comes down to a simple truth: our body weight is regulated by a complex interaction of how much energy it takes in vs. how much energy it burns. Though there can be factors involved in this which skew off the direct 1 pound = 3500 calories mantra, the basic premise of "eat less than you burn" works for losing weight.

As someone said upthread, depending on your height and age, you may not have to eat 1200 calories. Don't be in a rush to lose 2 pounds a week if you're going to feel deprived at that calorie level. A pound a week is a fine rate of loss.

I will second the recommendation to buy a food scale. Weight loss goes much more smoothly when your tracking is as on point as it can be. Take care to choose correct data base entries by independently verifying them.

As for what to eat? Nutrition is important, a wide variety of lean protein, vegetables, dairy, and whole grains should form the bulk of your diet. It's always nice to throw a few discretionary calories at a little treat here or there.

Eat foods you like. You've been eating Atkins meals, just start adding small portions of grains and starches back into your life and pull back a bit on the fat and protein. It will all balance out.

farfromthetree

Tried it, I couldn't do it. I would crave bread/pasta so bad. I used to be so carb phobic.
Now I make sure I have carbs throughout the day. I stick to whole grains and watch portion size. I no longer crave carbs because my body is getting some. When eating pasta or rice with a meal, I stick to half a cup cooked. If I want a roll, I skip the pasta and the roll is my carb. It just works for me.!

Unknown

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maidentl

I did Atkin for two, maybe three days before downing an entire loaf of French bread. It's just not for me. LOL Calorie cutting has worked great, though!

kshama2001

lubalubies wrote: »

I have come to the decision that I wont lose weight by eating the Atkins way. I have picked up a stone in weight the last month. I now have 50lbs to lose! I cannot stay on Atkins for more than a few days before I "cheat". I am now so confused and just want to lose the weight. I am so sick and tired of spending all this time on diet and never seeing any results. I think I have decided to cut my calories to 1200 as suggested by MFP but due to the length of time I have been on Atkins trying to lose weight, I have forgotten what's important in a normal diet.
I would really appreciate advice on how to eat.
thanks for listening

Sure, a plan where cheating feels inevitable is not a good plan for you.

Reducing baked goods and other added sugars has been beneficial for me, and saving treats for the end of the day after dinner helps keep me on track for the rest of the day. I eat more fruit now and am currently loving local apples.

Eating more protein in relationship to carbs has also been very helpful in keeping me fuller longer.

lubalubies

thanks for all the positive help. I am 5.6 and just turned 50. I have started to run again so hopefully that will help as well.
Today is day 2 of counting calories so here's to a great successful weight loss journey.

queenliz99

lubalubies wrote: »

thanks for all the positive help. I am 5.6 and just turned 50. I have started to run again so hopefully that will help as well.
Today is day 2 of counting calories so here's to a great successful weight loss journey.

Awesome and best wishes!!

cebreisch

Yeah - Atkins wasn't going to work for me either. I knew people who did it, and from watching what they did, I knew it wasn't for me. However, losing weight isn't rocket science like I thought it would be either.

I worked with a nutritionist for a while, and started making changes to what I was eating. I used to pick up McDonald's or some other fast food for breakfast most days. I started eating greek yogurt and a banana for breakfast, and then started drinking more water. Soon enough I found that the better quality of food I ate, the more of it I could have. That doesn't mean I was having bland baked chicken - I was having sesame chicken from PF Changs, and pulled chicken from the barbecue place. Only difference was - with the Sesame Chicken - I'd ask for the chicken not to be battered/deep fried, and with the pulled chicken, I'd ask them to put the bbq sauce on the side. Those worked well for bringing down the calorie count to amke those more "food journal friendly".

The other thing that helped a lot was getting a Fitbit One and syncing it with MFP. That way I could see how many calories I ate/day and how many I burned. As long as I burned more than I ate, I lost weight. I usually burn about 2000-2200/day, and I'll eat around 1700-1900/day - this way I usually lose between 0-2 pounds a week. If I eat less than that, I'll lose more, If I eat more - I'll lose less.

Also - focus on protein....then the fats/carbs will take care of themselves. I've found that to be relatively true....and it's helped immensely.

Good luck!!!

SLLRunner

Good advice regarding chucking what doesn't work, becaue that opens the door to find the right dietary plan for you. I couldn't do Atkins either because I have to have my carbs for energy. Otherwise I get tired and crabby and can't run or wieght lift, after which I get more tried and crabby. Yep, low carb would not work for me either....

I suggest just eating in moderation all the foods you love.

PinkPixiexox

It's very easy to get sucked in to all the available diet plans out there - there are literally loads. We have the atkins, Weight Watchers, Slimming world, Juicing, very low carb etc etc. The only reason for weight loss on ANY of these plans is because you are eating at a calorie deficit. There are so many differing and conflicting opinions on 'what you should eat' but really, it's that calorie deficit that matters. It doesn't matter how much MEAT you consume or whether or not you are only eating vegetables and carbs on certain days. These plans would not work REGARDLESS of types of food eaten unless that calorie deficit is in effect!

Try it the MFP way! Eat whatever you want ensuring you are not exceeding your calorie allowance per day. Remember to eat back a percentage of your exercise calories and you WILL lose weight! Good luck to you

aspdenbrae

I honestly hate anything with a title when it comes to nutrition, most aren't sustainable and the others are just bizarre. A lot of people are doing great on the "if it fits into your macros" bandwagon though. I have found it establishs the best healthy relationship with food and accurate portion sizes. When we can't have somethjng, then we MUST have it, it's the way of the world lol. You want a pop tart? Have it but adjust your calories/macronutrient intake accordingly.

lubalubies

Personal achievement for me yesterday. Went to Rugby and realised there was nothing diet friendly and I had not planned for that. We spent the whole day there so I had to eat.... I knew my breakfast was good -had eggs and courgette - the queues were so long for the food stalls so I went for a coffee instead. I picked up a lemon muffin with a latte. Took the calories as the highest on MFP. And later had the inside of a steak and kidney pie. By the time we got home it was quite late and I was really hungry so had a gluten free hot cross bun. Days calories were 1136. One point though, if I was on Atkins, I would have struggled so much more and would have had to break down again. Point for calorie counting