Atkins not work for anyone else?

curleekate

Hello all!

I've been trying Atkins for the past 6 weeks, and in that time I have had ONE cheat--one bite of my cousin's napoleon desert at a baby shower. Other than that I have not touched a single flour/potato/rice based item. Somehow though, I've not lost but in fact gained half a pound. I'm switching over to lower calorie intake and quasi-low carb, but not sticking to low carb alone.

I just wanted to know if there was anyone else that gave low carb a shot and found that they couldn't lose weight on it?

Thoughts?

qb63

I'll beat everyone to it. If you consume more calories than you burn you will gain. Consume less and you'll lose. The same amount=you'll stay the same. There's more to it than that of course, nutrition is important, but that's it in a nutshell.

vivmom2014

I didn't try anything as severe as Atkins, but I did low-to-moderate carb many years ago. I lost weight - but I couldn't sustain the diet. It was torture.

I'm so happy to know that I can eat all of my favorite foods and lose weight. I'm a lot older now and the weight has come off and stayed off.

mwood1234

You can look at my food diary. I am doing calorie deficit, losing about .5 to 1 lb a week. Slow and steady.

cross2bear

Seriously, one bite of anything is not going to do any irreversible damage, so dont worry about that. But with the Atkins plan, its virtually a license to eat unlimited amounts of fat and protein, and that approach can easily take you over the caloric magic number that facilitates you as an individual to lose weight (caloric deficit). I did Atkins a few years ago, and it worked in that I lost weight - lots of it. But ultimately, I missed having fruit and veg, and so it was an eating plan that I could not stick with for the rest of my life. Now I am here, eating everything I want as long as it fits into my caloric limits, and I am much happier and believe I can sustain the weight loss I have experienced to date.

Dont you ever want to have a potato again? Or popcorn? Or asparagus? Carrots even?

WholeFoods4Lyfe

There are plenty of low carb diets that aren't as extreme as Atkins. I follow a low-ish carb Paleo diet focusing on fat, then protein, and then carbs. I eat fruits and vegetables, even rice and potatoes, and still manage to keep my daily carbs to between 50-75g. I wouldn't want to follow a diet that isn't sustainable long term. I do still track my food intake because at the end of the day, I still want to more sure that I'm at a calorie deficit, because that is how you lose the weight. I eat the way I do because I enjoy it and I feel good.

Francl27

qb63 wrote: »

I'll beat everyone to it. If you consume more calories than you burn you will gain. Consume less and you'll lose. The same amount=you'll stay the same. There's more to it than that of course, nutrition is important, but that's it in a nutshell.

This. You don't need any fancy diet. Just need to eat less than what you burn.

brrrycicle

You can eat all of the low-carb and no-carb food you want, but if it's not at a calorie deficit, it's impossible to lose weight. I suggest you use the tools on this site (plug in your height, weight and how much you want to lose a week) and follow that caloric goal.

Get a digital scale and weight and track everything you eat and you should see results within a two-to-three weeks. From my personal experience and weight loss journey (nearly 30lbs lost) you don't have to eat a restrictive diet, barring any medical conditions/allergies. I eat everything I like, just smaller portions and move more. Hope this helps, and best of luck!

FabianRodriguez94

The reason low-carb diets will work for some people is because this means the food will most times be low-calorie as well. So when they go on these diets, they do not realize that they are losing weight due to having a smaller calorie intake than usual and are now in a caloric deficit, which is the only way to truly lose weight. You could eat a diet of pure carbs, and as long as you are under your caloric goal- you will lose weight.

Yi5hedr3

If done properly - it works every time.

skrlec70

yes me also, im eating to much, no you cant eat as much as you want on atkins, mind you I didn't gain, so im back on here to count, itll come off It needs to come off GET OFF NOW lol ,

alittlelife14

cross2bear wrote: »

Seriously, one bite of anything is not going to do any irreversible damage, so dont worry about that. But with the Atkins plan, its virtually a license to eat unlimited amounts of fat and protein, and that approach can easily take you over the caloric magic number that facilitates you as an individual to lose weight (caloric deficit). I did Atkins a few years ago, and it worked in that I lost weight - lots of it. But ultimately, I missed having fruit and veg, and so it was an eating plan that I could not stick with for the rest of my life. Now I am here, eating everything I want as long as it fits into my caloric limits, and I am much happier and believe I can sustain the weight loss I have experienced to date.

Dont you ever want to have a potato again? Or popcorn? Or asparagus? Carrots even?

Totally agree.

vikinglander

I was on Atkins about 10 years ago, and lost about 40 or 50 lbs. After the induction phase, which restricts you to < 30 grams of carbs per day (or 25, don't remember) for the first two weeks, you can adjust that level based on your own body's needs, and eat more carbs daily once you find the level that will keep you in ketosis. The maintenance phase is actually a fairly normal, reasonable diet. So don't let anyone tell you that you can't eat fruits or vegetables, or never eat a potato again. If you really want to follow the Atkin's diet, buy the original book and read the whole thing. OR...

Or, read the book "Always Hungry?" by Dr. David Ludwig. It is a similar plan in that you restrict carbs in the beginning to induce ketosis, then adjust your carb level to keep you there while you lose weight, and adjust again to maintain. Dr. Ludwig has essentially validated Dr. Atkins plan, with some adjustments. He gives a deep scientific explanation of the way our bodies use carbs, fats and proteins.

I have been following a Paleo protocol, using the principles from Always Hungry?, and tracking everything in MFP. If you want to see my diary, just ask and I'll add you. I've lost 17 lbs. in 11 weeks using what is essentially a modified Atkins approach. Let me know if you want my help.

ElizabethOakes2

The thing to remember about Atkins is that it was never designed for people with just twenty or thirty pounds to lose. It was designed for people who are critically obese, and need drastic measures to reduce weight quickly without depriving their body of the fats and proteins that it's used to consuming.
I tried it as part of research for my book, and didn't last three weeks. I just felt sick and kept getting sicker.

BelleCakes2018

Most people feel extremely full on Atkins diet, and those lucky people will tell you they can eat all the bacon and cream they want and still lose loads of weight - which for them is probably true..because they don't want that much of them.. but there are the others "myself included" that although feel very satisfied, can still easily overdo things and have to track our calories to make sure we stay in a deficit.
If you weren't feeling anymore satisfied on Atkins than you do on other eating plans, then I wouldn't worry about staying on it. You only really need to limit the food groups if you feel they cause you to have cravings and overeat. If you can manage a calorie deficit without cutting out food groups, then why bother!