Atkins Phase 1 Week

Hello. My name is Missy and I have started the Atkins diet this past Monday. I am 5'3 and currently weigh 154. About 6 years ago I was weighing close to 200 around 198 and decided to start a diet and exercise routine. I tried Atkins for a month with some friends and lost 17 lbs. After that I started working out and trying special k and other healthy foods. I lost a total of 60 pounds in two years and was at a healthy weight of 135 in 2012. The last couple of years after getting married I've put on about 15-20 pounds and I've been wanting to get back to being fit and eating healthy. So this week I decided to kick start my weight loss with the Atkins low carb diet. It's been kind of tough the first few days. One night I ate a pot pie because I was bored of meat and veggies, meat and veggies!!! Then I resorted to chocolate to punish myself for the pot pie. This was on Tuesday night. Yesterday and today have been more successful. The only bad thing I had to eat yesterday were some saltines because I was nauseous and mineral water wasn't helping. I guess my body wants to kick into ketosis mode already and I'm feeling it. Anyone else on the Atkins diet and want to join me and friend up? I need to start an exercise plan and motivate myself to drink more water. Thanks for reading. If you have any comments please feel free to leave me some. Thanks.

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Increase your salt intake a couple of grams a day, don't drink too much water as you'll make the sodium depletion worse.
  • 88meli88
    88meli88 Posts: 238 Member
    I cannot imagine a least healthy diet than Atkins. Ok I can.. . It has been shown that elimination diets do not work in the long run, and may also not work i the short run b/c they create intense cravings for the eliminated food. In your case, pie and chocolate. If you stick to it of course you will lose weight bc there is only so much chicken cheese eggs and lettuce you can eat. But what will happen when you stop? You will not have learned any new healthy behaviors and will be back to the path that made you gain the 20 lbs. Since you are on MFP, why not eat at a calorie deficit without excluding any food groups.
  • size102b
    size102b Posts: 1,370 Member
    Do calorie counting get your macros right then you won't feel deprived it you'll end up like me 28 years yoyo weightloss
    Use healthyeater.com there's a flexible calorie & macros calculator your young the weight should fly off anyway don't spend years doing harsh plans or 20-30lbs to lose will turn into 100lbs believe me that's what yoyoing does find a plan for life
    All weightloss is , is calories in calories out Atkins & ketosis is all about water loss & glycion stores gone once you eat anything with carbs it will make the lbs fly back on as its water or glycion

    Stick to normal healthy eating then you won't yoyo
  • lisachuter
    lisachuter Posts: 6 Member
    Hi missycvt i was considering doing atkins phase 1 as ive been calorie counting (1200 daily) since 4th jan and lost 6lb in first 3 weeks then .......nothing just stayed the same! What can u eat in the first phase? What are the no no's? Has anyone else had a great loss on atkins? Need faith restored in my dieting x
  • simokat241
    simokat241 Posts: 3 Member
    I managed low carb for 2 weeks. It was difficult for me but I stuck with it 100% during that time and found it useful for stopping sugar and carbs short term. I was also in calorie deficit but lost only 2 pounds in two weeks. Plan each day's food carefully and plan snacks in. High fat items like cheese and nuts and nut butters on celery helped me. I satisfied my pizza craving by making pizza portobellos. I was so happy when the 2 weeks was done, but I still found it instructive and useful for a short period only. I found running really difficult for those 2 weeks so I would up the exercise as you finish the low carb phase. Good luck!
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    lisachuter wrote: »
    Hi missycvt i was considering doing atkins phase 1 as ive been calorie counting (1200 daily) since 4th jan and lost 6lb in first 3 weeks then .......nothing just stayed the same! What can u eat in the first phase? What are the no no's? Has anyone else had a great loss on atkins? Need faith restored in my dieting x

    atkins.com web site sets out their current thinking on eating plans.

    The no no items are basically sugars and starches, apart from the small amounts of sugars inherent in the vegetables that will make up most of your carb intake.
  • tinamonkpruiett
    tinamonkpruiett Posts: 17 Member
    I started the Atkins diet a week ago and feel great! My cravings for sugar are gone! If you do the research, you will find that a low carb diet is actually very healthy. Inflammation cannot survive in the body on a very low carb diet. Also cancer cells cannot survive! I've been reading all about it over this past month and that's why I decided to switch over from low calorie (which I always felt hungry) to low carb!! Good luck to you!!:):)
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
    Re: Atkins kills cancer.

    Sure didn't help my coworker's uncle who refused chemo in favor of organic foods, high meat, high veggie diet; no processed stuff like grains and breads; lots of essential oils and supplements. He had skin cancer. I say "had" not because he beat it but because he lost to it.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    Atkins is an unhealthy, unrecommended short term solution. There are much better ways....
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    I have even doing a ketogenic diet, which is basically phase 1 Atkins but without the full fat dairy restriction, for around 8 months. Once you get over the first day or two, I found it to be a great way to eat and very sustainable over the long term.

    When you first restrict carbs, electrolyte levels usually drop, along with the water weight lost, which can cause fatigue, headaches, moodiness, nausea and muscle aches. If you do not increase sodium up to 3000-5000mg per day, those symptoms could drag on for a few weeks. Drink bouillon soup, salt your food, try salt tablets, or add a teaspoon of salt to water. It sounds extreme but it really does help.

    If sodium gets too low potassium and magnesium will get low too. You may want to supplement those too.

    For variety, consider adding nuts, avocado and olives to your snacks. Pork rinds in a cheese or sour cream dip is tasty. Even consider some ketogenic fat bombs for a candy treat. Otherwise meats, eggs, and veggies will be the way to go. If you add in extra carb cheats, that isn't phase 1 (ketosis) and you probably won't experience the appetite suppressing effects unless you make it through a few days of very low carbs.

    Good luck!
  • lolivera27
    lolivera27 Posts: 1 Member
    Me! I'm on day 2!
  • SpaMaria8
    SpaMaria8 Posts: 15 Member
    I just weighed, 9 lbs in a month & I had 2 cheat days plus last night I had 1 bite of dessert at friends house to tastes it.
  • sallyadando1
    sallyadando1 Posts: 11 Member
    I've been on Atkin's for nine weeks with a loss of 16lb, stayed the same for past couple of weeks, so moving on from induction and going to start adding some more carbs. I really enjoy this way of eating, have had a few Indian takeaway curry's just don't bother with the rice, it tastes so much better. Still manage to have a little vodka at the weekends too, with diet mixer's.
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    Not Atkins, but I am following a VLCHF diet. I can't have wheat, so tend to follow a Paleo type diet, but am giving Keto a try as I was successful in the past with that type of diet.

    Be sure to stay hydrated and consider adding well salted broth to your daily allowance to ensure that your electrolytes stay balanced. If you feel like you are starting to experience "keto flu" up your sodium intake, that usually helps.