dr atkins diet

lizzys

just wondering, if any one else is doing dr atkins diet. and what they think of it.

red01angel

You'll lose a lot of weight quickly, but it'll come back just as quickly the minute you come off of the diet.

wiseg2

Its not really a diet but a lifestyle change. In the end there is no such thing as a quick fix. The Atkins diet has been revised a lot over the years. Now you eat a lot of lean proteins (such as fish) and you get your carbs from whole grains and vegetables. Later you can add in fruits. I believe for the first couple weeks you're supposed to limit yourself to 20-30 carbs a day to "jumpstart" your weighloss and after that you slowly add back in more carbs until you're losing a steady 1-2 lbs per week.

Please correct me if I'm wrong since its been years since I was on the Atkins diet. I did really well and lost 60 lbs in a year. Then I slacked off and gained it all back. So yes it has to be a lifetime commitment just like any other "diet".

I've also heard that everyone responds differently to different diets so perhaps you could consult a dietician on what would be best for you?

mooz

I'm on a similar plan through a bariatric doctor and I love it. But as someone else said it really IS a lifestyle change. As with any effort to lose weight, if you go back to old habits you will gain the weight back. Any low carb plan should never be seen as a temporary fix. You have to commit to it. And for some of us, we have to commit to it for life.

I know for me this is a permanent change. And to be honest, I feel so great that the thought if going back to eating carb-rich foods is unappealing to me.

If you are considering Atkins I'd strongly recommednd reading his books dated 2002 or earlier. Anything after 2002 was put out by the Atkins Corporation and they've changed the plan...a lot.

Barneystinson

You can pack weight on once you stop eating or living healthfully. It doesn't matter if you follow Atkins, clean eating, etc. If you stop your positive lifestyle, you gain weight.

That is that.

As far as Atkins goes, I'd recommend picking up a copy of the 2001/2002 edition of 'the NEW Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution' - NOT the new book, but rather the older version that was actually authored by Dr. Atkins himself.

Essentially, you start in induction phase, which is:
20 net carbs or less per day
3 cups vegetables from an approved list - think leafy greens, cruciferous veg, etc.
No starches - no potatoes, starchy vegetables, tubers
No grains
No legumes
Liberal amounts of good fats - olive oil, butter, ghee to name a few
4 ounces per day (max) of cheese (cottage cheese,milk, and yogurt are not allowed due to higher sugar content)
No fruit, no nuts

Induction is recommended for 2 weeks, but some do extend this phase to continue fat loss.

Beyond induction you move into ongoing weight loss (OWL) where you begin to gradually increase carbohydrate - by 5g increments to essentially determine the level of daily carbohydrate content you need to continue losing weight and not stall. This is really key. I tried to increase my carb levels too much and didn't stay in induction more than 5 days to keep up with a (too) rigorous workout schedule and ended up stalling my loss. So I'm back at induction and I'm going to do it the full 2 weeks.

The amount of carbohydrate you eat over time is unique to you. It's based on your own "carb tolerance." That determines the amount of fruits, breads, legumes, nuts, etc. that you can insert back into your diet.

Atkins works wonders to bust sugar cravings, but hear me out on this - induction SUCKS at first. You'll feel sluggish for a few days as your body adjusts to ketosis. You may get some headaches. You may have some crazy carb cravings. But stick with it and you'll bust through it.

Exercise is also non-negotiable at any phase of Atkins. However, with one caveat - it's difficult to do activities such as distance running or intense interval training (max heart rate) on a daily or very regular basis when you're in a ketogenic diet. At least that's been my experience. Resistance training, hiking, walking, biking, moderate cardio are more recommended. At least by me, anyway.

mooz

I wanted to add to the above post....

Veronica Atkins is Dr. Atkins' wife and she has her own website [Google her name] and you can get all the ORIGINAL Atkins info there too.