Atkins diet - your views
Replies
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I've found the same. My brother lost a lot of weight on the Atkins diet but regained it back once he went off it. I agree with making a lifestyle change rather than finding a quick weight loss diet.0
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I've found the same. My brother lost a lot of weight on the Atkins diet but regained it back once he went off it. I agree with making a lifestyle change rather than finding a quick weight loss diet.
The issue with saying things like this, is that you'll regain weight off any diet if you go back to eating like "normal" -- because normal got you overweight in the first place. There's no reason Atkins (or other VLC/Ketogenic diets) can't be lifestyle changes, just like any other diet. And you can eventually change your lifestyle in the future, again.
Eating a VLC diet doesn't change the way your body processes extra calories when you stop eating a VLC diet.0 -
How many of us know someone who regained their lost weight? Isn't the stat a staggaring 95% of dieters? I don't think it's the carbs that did it, it was returning to old eating habits (surplus) which can happen no matter which side of this fence you're on.0
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I lost 90 pounds using the Atkins diet. However when I went back to eating carbs....I gained a belly. I didn't gain any weight...but my body composition changed slightly. I kept the same amount of calories.
I just knew that for me, I couldn't continue on the Atkins diet. I don't really like protein enough to eat that way for life.
I'm back to eating 30pro/30 fat/40 carb. I like it! I still stay away from refined (90% of the time) processed breads, etc. But I eat fruits, veggies, cereal...etc.
I haven't lost anymore...but I haven't gained.0 -
I lost 90 pounds using the Atkins diet. However when I went back to eating carbs....I gained a belly. I didn't gain any weight...but my body composition changed slightly. I kept the same amount of calories.
I just knew that for me, I couldn't continue on the Atkins diet. I don't really like protein enough to eat that way for life.
I'm back to eating 30pro/30 fat/40 carb. I like it! I still stay away from refined (90% of the time) processed breads, etc. But I eat fruits, veggies, cereal...etc.
I haven't lost anymore...but I haven't gained.
I'm not sure that Atkins calls for a specific protein amount as a percent of overall intake (I've never read the books), but I can't imagine it's much higher than the 30% you're currently eating.0 -
I've steered clear of it because an acquaintance of mine has been on and off Atkins for 10 years, losing and gaining about 60 lb over and over while experiencing terrible halitosis and other "fun" health issues that her doctor claims can be traced to the extremes of Atkins.
No thanks!0 -
I lost 90 pounds using the Atkins diet. However when I went back to eating carbs....I gained a belly. I didn't gain any weight...but my body composition changed slightly. I kept the same amount of calories.
I just knew that for me, I couldn't continue on the Atkins diet. I don't really like protein enough to eat that way for life.
I'm back to eating 30pro/30 fat/40 carb. I like it! I still stay away from refined (90% of the time) processed breads, etc. But I eat fruits, veggies, cereal...etc.
I haven't lost anymore...but I haven't gained.
I'm not sure that Atkins calls for a specific protein amount as a percent of overall intake (I've never read the books), but I can't imagine it's much higher than the 30% you're currently eating.
Funny you should mention that! When I did Atkins I ate TONS of protein. Way more than 30%. But when I decided to go off it...I happened to go back to their site and read that they advocate about 30% protein. People think that Atkins is high protein...but it really isn't. I started reading MFP message boards and went with what most people who were successful were doing.0 -
The body needs protein to heal and repair so in that regard, Atkins is fantastic. People also need (gasp!) saturated fat (read up on this at www.westonaprice.org). The problem with Atkins is that it also has processed food, which is bad for people (e.g., their protein bars & shakes). Whole food is the best food. Also, people don't need as many carbs as they think - and it's very easy to get them through fruit and vegetables (reference books: "Life Without Bread" & "The Schwarzbein Principle").0
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I did it for over 6 months last yr and lost well. The part I loved the most is that my sugar cravings were gone. If I got even a small craving I could eat some strawberries and I was fine.
But after a cruise and the holidays, I gained 18lbs back. So now I'm here. I am watching my carbs but not totally restricting them. I can't eat potatoes or pasta without feeling icky so I don't eat them.
You have to do what is best for your body!0 -
The whole point about mainiting weight loss is to eat healthily and unless youre insulin resistant or the doctor has recommended no carbs or low carbs then everyone else ought to be eating from all the food groups. People quote cavemen as eating Paleo diets but they probably only lived to around 20 max before they died of malnutrition, disease or got eaten by a sabre toothed tiger. Slow release carbs like wholemeal bread are packed full of protein and fortified with vitamins & iron. They do not cause a blood sugar spike on the glycaemic index and provide variety. I just think it must be next to impossible and boring to prepare a dinner without potatos pasta or rice. No winter stews, no cottage pies, no hotpots, no roast dinners, no spaghetti bolognaise, no chilli con carne, no curries, well you could have them all but they would need to be modified from what they originally contained. Altogether pointless and not much fun over a lifetime.0
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The body needs protein to heal and repair so in that regard, Atkins is fantastic. People also need (gasp!) saturated fat (read up on this at www.westonaprice.org). The problem with Atkins is that it also has processed food, which is bad for people (e.g., their protein bars & shakes). Whole food is the best food. Also, people don't need as many carbs as they think - and it's very easy to get them through fruit and vegetables (reference books: "Life Without Bread" & "The Schwarzbein Principle").
Actually you DON'T have to eat processed foods on Atkins. I hardly ever ate any. No where does it TELL you to eat their bars or drink the shakes. They are there if you need them.0 -
I just think it must be next to impossible and boring to prepare a dinner without potatos pasta or rice. No winter stews, no cottage pies, no hotpots, no roast dinners, no spaghetti bolognaise, no chilli con carne, no curries, well you could have them all but they would need to be modified from what they originally contained. Altogether pointless and not much fun over a lifetime.
These things are all your opinion. Plenty of people find it perfectly acceptable over a lifetime. The potatoes normally found in stew don't make the stew -- they're filler and easily removed. I don't know what cottage pies or hotpots are. As for roast dinners, I eat plenty of roasted meats, gravies, roasted vegetables, etc. Skipping the yorkshire pudding isn't the end of the world. I eat plenty of curries -- it's actually one of my favorite foods - as is chili con carne (or, as it should be called, just "chili").
We all make decisions that we can live with. I can sit down and eat a 16oz ribeye steak and not think twice about it, nor have to then log it and determine what else I can eat to reach other macros, or whether I'm going over on stuff, or if I have to restrict calories for dinner now, etc., etc. It's an adequate tradeoff.0 -
I just think it must be next to impossible and boring to prepare a dinner without potatos pasta or rice. No winter stews, no cottage pies, no hotpots, no roast dinners, no spaghetti bolognaise, no chilli con carne, no curries, well you could have them all but they would need to be modified from what they originally contained. Altogether pointless and not much fun over a lifetime.
These things are all your opinion. Plenty of people find it perfectly acceptable over a lifetime. The potatoes normally found in stew don't make the stew -- they're filler and easily removed. I don't know what cottage pies or hotpots are. As for roast dinners, I eat plenty of roasted meats, gravies, roasted vegetables, etc. Skipping the yorkshire pudding isn't the end of the world. I eat plenty of curries -- it's actually one of my favorite foods - as is chili con carne (or, as it should be called, just "chili").
We all make decisions that we can live with. I can sit down and eat a 16oz ribeye steak and not think twice about it, nor have to then log it and determine what else I can eat to reach other macros, or whether I'm going over on stuff, or if I have to restrict calories for dinner now, etc., etc. It's an adequate tradeoff.
Just as is plenty of people find it acceptable over a lifetime is your opinion, as you havent interviewed plenty of people you are referring to yourself and the rest is anecdotal
stews arent a stew without potato, the potato thickens the stew and hence why in the irish potato famine so many people died as they couldnt make their stews, you cant have a traditional lancashire hotpot without potato
Im mystified how you can eat a curry without rice or chilli con carne without rice, youre version should be renamed chilli con cant so we will have to agree to differ on this one
but yes, it still looks like an incredibly boring restricted pointless and unecessary modification to make 0 -
I love it!!0
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LOL @ people dying because they couldn't put potatoes in stew.0
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I did Atkins for almost 9 months, and had great success with it. However, once I got to where I wanted to be I moved over to maintenance, but I gained all the weight back plus some!
Atkins is really meant for people that cannot process any type of carbs or for diabetics. But once you do it, you will have to do it forever. IMHO, it is best to make a lifestyle change that you will be able to manage forever, and unless you are medically restricted, eliminating a type of food is just not realistic.0 -
I did Atkins for almost 9 months, and had great success with it. However, once I got to where I wanted to be I moved over to maintenance, but I gained all the weight back plus some!
Atkins is really meant for people that cannot process any type of carbs or for diabetics. But once you do it, you will have to do it forever. IMHO, it is best to make a lifestyle change that you will be able to manage forever, and unless you are medically restricted, eliminating a type of food is just not realistic.
I don't think you were in maintenance then lol0 -
Did Atkins for over a year and dropped 176 lbs. I am a Protein type eating personality so it was easy for me. I am 62 and a retired Army Paratrooper and have had 3 Knee surgeries and just last winter ankle surgery. I lived on 20 carbs or less for over 2 years. I am also a diabetic. All of my vitals and blood levels have all improved to the point my bad cholesterol is 124. The nutritionist said i needed to eat more carbs and I am now on insulin because even at the 20 carbs or less blood sugar was always over 350 (A1C 12).0
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I have never tried Atkins, but I did do South Beach. It worked, but I don't think it was the lack of carbs themselves. It was the fact that I was paying attention to what I was eating and the fact that many carbs are higher in calories for a single serving (and servings are quite smaller). So, when you replaced potatoes with a salad or roasted vegetables you would be able to eat more quantity for less calories.
When I went to maintain, I didn't pay attention to the addition of CALORIES back into my diet. Instead of a 60 calories spinach salad I was having a 150 calorie potato with butter and sour cream. Those calories add up fast!
I have thought about going back to phase 2 South Beach while counting calories. I did feel amazing during that time. But we will see.0 -
I'm an Atkins follower, have been for 14 months. Most people don't follow the plan correctly and many are under the assumption it's a keto diet, which it's not. It's meant for people with insulin resistance and it's structured to start out with minimal carbs and gradually add back in forms and amounts of carbs to a level your body can handle. You don't nor should you stay at 20 grams of carbs unless there is an extreme problem.
I eat small amounts of bread, oatmeal, pasta, pizza, gelato - not in the same day though. I do fine with 150ish carbs a day if I maintain exercise.
Edited to add: sorry, actually the weight loss portion of the plan is ketogenic, pre-maintenance and maintenance are not.0 -
LOL @ people dying because they couldn't put potatoes in stew.
Wikipaedia the irish potato famine, the irish population lived on potatos and the chief dish was Irish stew, whats to lol about?
For anyone interested here is the recipe for traditional Irish stew
Ballymaloe Irish Stew (Traditional)
Ingredients:
2 lbs. lamb (necks, chops, shoulder, etc.),
cut into 2-inch chunks where possible. Substitute beef only as a last resort.
1 tbsp. butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large onion, sliced
2 peeled carrots,
cut into large chunks
3 peeled and quartered potatoes
4 cups water
I cup chopped leeks
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley as garnish (optional)
Preparation:In a large stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Add lamb and cook until browned evenly. Add salt and pepper for seasoning. Add onion and carrots to the meat; cook gently for 5-10 minutes. Add the water, cover and bring to a boil; then simmer gently (don’t boil) for at least 1 hour, until the meat turns meltingly-tender. Add potatoes and simmer another 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender. Before serving, remove any bones. Serve steaming hot, garnished with parsley.0 -
LOL @ people dying because they couldn't put potatoes in stew.
Wikipaedia the irish potato famine, the irish population lived on potatos and the chief dish was stew, whats to lol about?
They died of famine, not because they couldn't put potatoes in their stew. When you depend on potatoes as your sole source of nutrition and then you can't have any, you die. If you have meat to make stew and you can't put potatoes in it, you don't die.0 -
LOL @ people dying because they couldn't put potatoes in stew.
Wikipaedia the irish potato famine, the irish population lived on potatos and the chief dish was stew, whats to lol about?
They died of famine, not because they couldn't put potatoes in their stew. When you depend on potatoes as your sole source of nutrition and then you can't have any, you die. If you have meat to make stew and you can't put potatoes in it, you don't die.
Well Irish stew has potatos in it, if it doesnt have potatos its not irish stew, the irish ate potatos , the chief dish of which was irish stew and they died when the potato crop failed, so Im guessing their stews were more potato than meat , as for your "stews" of course you wont die from eating cooked meat without potato but then its not an irish stew go and google irish stew.
Edited to add there are many international stew recipes which dont contain potatos, but my original comment was about Irish stew which does indeed contain potatos and the potato famine led to the deaths of many irish people who were existing on a irish stew which would be traditionally left simmering all day in a pot whilst they worked in the fields.0 -
LOL @ people dying because they couldn't put potatoes in stew.
Wikipaedia the irish potato famine, the irish population lived on potatos and the chief dish was stew, whats to lol about?
They died of famine, not because they couldn't put potatoes in their stew. When you depend on potatoes as your sole source of nutrition and then you can't have any, you die. If you have meat to make stew and you can't put potatoes in it, you don't die.
Well Irish stew has potatos in it, if it doesnt have potatos its not irish stew, the irish ate potatos , the chief dish of which was irish stew and they died when the potato crop failed, so Im guessing their stews were more potato than meat , as for your "stews" of course you wont die from eating cooked meat without potato but then its not an irish stew go and google irish stew.
Oh honey, you should Google a lot more than stew. Hugs.0 -
is that your best response? really? pathetic...LOL @ people dying because they couldn't put potatoes in stew.
Wikipaedia the irish potato famine, the irish population lived on potatos and the chief dish was stew, whats to lol about?
They died of famine, not because they couldn't put potatoes in their stew. When you depend on potatoes as your sole source of nutrition and then you can't have any, you die. If you have meat to make stew and you can't put potatoes in it, you don't die.
Well Irish stew has potatos in it, if it doesnt have potatos its not irish stew, the irish ate potatos , the chief dish of which was irish stew and they died when the potato crop failed, so Im guessing their stews were more potato than meat , as for your "stews" of course you wont die from eating cooked meat without potato but then its not an irish stew go and google irish stew.
Oh honey, you should Google a lot more than stew. Hugs.0 -
I think you're setting yourself up for failure with Adkins. I believe in well balanced diets. Adkins is too restrictive. Most people who do it, gain whatever losses back and then some.0
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I think you're setting yourself up for failure with Adkins. I believe in well balanced diets. Adkins is too restrictive. Most people who do it, gain whatever losses back and then some.
It's temporarily restrictive. This is the Atkins plan, pasted from
http://www.atkins.com/Science/Articles---Library/Atkins-Lifestyle-(1)/Reach-Your-Goal-by-Climbing-the-Carb-Ladder.aspx
Phase 1, Induction:
Rung 1: Foundation vegetables: leafy greens and other low-carb vegetables
Rung 2: Dairy foods high in fat and low in carbs: cream, sour cream, and most hard cheeses
Phase 2, Ongoing Weight Loss:
Rung 3: Nuts and seeds (but not chestnuts)
Rung 4: Berries, cherries, and melon (but not watermelon)
Rung 5: Whole milk yogurt and fresh cheeses, such as cottage cheese and ricotta
Rung 6: Legumes, including chickpeas, lentils, and the like.
Rung 7: Tomato and vegetable juice “cocktail” (plus more lemon and lime juice)
Phases 3 and 4, Pre-Maintenance and Lifetime Maintenance:
Rung 8: Other fruits (but not fruit juices or dried fruits)
Rung 9: Higher-carb vegetables, such as winter squash, carrots, and peas
Rung 10: Whole grains0 -
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I agree with you but its that early phase where most people fail.
It's temporarily restrictive. This is the Atkins plan, pasted from
http://www.atkins.com/Science/Articles---Library/Atkins-Lifestyle-(1)/Reach-Your-Goal-by-Climbing-the-Carb-Ladder.aspx
Phase 1, Induction:
Rung 1: Foundation vegetables: leafy greens and other low-carb vegetables
Rung 2: Dairy foods high in fat and low in carbs: cream, sour cream, and most hard cheeses
Phase 2, Ongoing Weight Loss:
Rung 3: Nuts and seeds (but not chestnuts)
Rung 4: Berries, cherries, and melon (but not watermelon)
Rung 5: Whole milk yogurt and fresh cheeses, such as cottage cheese and ricotta
Rung 6: Legumes, including chickpeas, lentils, and the like.
Rung 7: Tomato and vegetable juice “cocktail” (plus more lemon and lime juice)
Phases 3 and 4, Pre-Maintenance and Lifetime Maintenance:
Rung 8: Other fruits (but not fruit juices or dried fruits)
Rung 9: Higher-carb vegetables, such as winter squash, carrots, and peas
Rung 10: Whole grains0
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