Lifestyle maintainence question

themedalist

What you're describing is yo-yo dieting (diet / relapse / diet / relapse) and what the thread is gently trying to tell you is to change your focus and your habits and you are less likely to bounce back.

A restrictive, time-based diet like Atkins may help you lose weight quickly, but it doesn't change your eating habits or fitness. And if the first thing you do when going off Atkins is to put the weight back on by dropping into bad habits, then you're going to be going up and down in weight for a long, long time.

A maintained calorie deficit through portion control, accountability and exercise has better long-term effect than Atkins because it changes the way that you think, exercise and eat. When you get to goal weight, it's easier to transition into an ongoing / maintenance mode because you're already doing it.

I don't know how you'll deal with guilt, it's part of the accountability journey.

^ Very elegant explanation

+1 And another vote for ditching the diet mentality and focusing on developing sustainable eating habits for life.

themedalist

If you're going to do Atkins, why not actually do Atkins?

Like most, you're assuming the two week induction period is the diet. It's not. Atkins is not a no carb eating plan. You're suppose to slowly introduce carbs back in as time, and weight loss, ware on until you reach a point of control that does not send you rebounding.

Also, keep in mind, it's not the best plan for everyone. Me personally I loved the way I felt, and looked, on it. Even though I allow any food into my diet now, and keep a deficit from IFing, still a good 70% or more of my diet is comprised of lower carb foods because I just love eating that way as a base. If it wasn't for my enjoyment of desserts I would be fine going the rest of my life without higher carb foods like bread, pizza, and pasta. Those foods I eat only on occasion, but not because I "can't:" have them, but because I don't crave them often. Lower carb is wonderful for my natural inclinations. But it's a HORRIBLE way of eating for people who are huge carb lovers who spend their entire time dreaming off pasta, bread, pizza, and whatever. If your plan is to not actually eat at least somewhat lower carb for the rest of your life, and you're not low carbing for health reasons like diabetes, it's probably best you skip LCing and go straight into a plan that resembles better how you plan on eating in the long run.

Well said.

Kelly_Runs_NC

This sounds really complicated. Why not just scrap the Atkins nonsense and eat right from the beginning?

This right here

loulamb7

Though I agree with the advise you are getting, it seems you have made up your mind regarding Atkins. I also did Atkins in my mid-thirties and loss the weight I wanted. The pounds flew off. However, long term I couldn't maintain such a low carb lifestyle and the weight crept back on. If this is truly the route you decide to take, I suggest you search the "groups" section for "atkins" or "low carb". You will at least find like-minded people there with experience. Best wishes.

Adc7225

Why not get off MFP and find an Atkins website that you can join that can answer your questions. Not trying to be flippant but MFP is not the place for "______ Diet" advice.

Sharonks

I look at my calorie intake more as a weekly event rather than daily. If you eat at 100 calorie deficit per day for 6 days you are down 600 cals. On day 7 you binge and eat 600 extra cals you have now re-eaten what you lost. If you have a 6 day deficit of 1200 cals and a 1 day binge of an additional 600 cals then you have reduced by 600 cals.

I am forced to eat moderate carb due to diabetes. At one time I tried to stick to induction level 20 grams. I felt like crap for 3 months before upping my carbs to 60 and getting more drugs. Now I run between 75 and 125 on average with periodic splurges. I personally would not be able to maintain very low carb for long but it did help me feel more comfortable where I'm at. I still dream of bread and rice but only eat it once in a while since I sort of like my feet and would like to keep them for the rest of my life.

If you really like the diet then really follow it which means do your 2 weeks of induction then start adding on. Find the level of carbs you are comfortable at and finish your diet like that. Then when you go to maintenance you just add a little more cals but eat the same proportion of carbs. Part of the diet is that you need to stick to the super low carb level for a while so your body learns to burn fat rather than carbs for energy. If you have a high carb day every week it would disrupt that.

I will also say that I never really lost weight on Atkins. For me, it was all about my blood glucose levels. In fact, I seem to have a much harder time losing weight than most people despite the fact that I still eat less carbs than many.

Tumblehome22

Hi Kawyki,

I have found that if you diet properly for 6 days, then have even one "uncontrolled meal" on the 7th day, you can easily cancel out most, if not all, of the good you did during that week. So instead of your diet being done right for 6 days, you will have cancelled your benefit down to maybe 2 days of that week or even less, and maybe even end up with a net weight gain for the week. All it takes is one "uncontrolled meal" where you are not paying attention. I would suggest you eat whatever you like (ie. Turkish wraps, etc) but measure out the allowed portions according to how many calories you have left that day on MFP. If you need more available calories, exercise more that day to get them. I used this method last night with a great Greek souvlaki dinner, complete with horiatiki, tzatziki, pita bread and a bit of Ouzo 12, and made it fit into my remaining allowed daily calories on MFP. It was a very enjoyable meal and I did not feel deprived. I am still right on track, and this morning my weight was down .4 of one pound from yesterday. So as you can see, if you let MFP completely control your allowed calorie intake every day, without exception, you will reach your goal satisfied, and with out the deadly yo-yo weight fluctuations that cause failure.

canadjineh

Keep your fat poor meals separate from your carb poor meals to discourage insulin from linking the two and just storing it. Get adaquate protein, not ODing on protein and you will help retrain your body to listen to the insulin messages from your pancreas. Insulin resistance is the problem with most overweight persons. Metabolic syndrome. Activity is always better than non-activity... even though you don't lose with just exercise alone, it will help with emotions, energy levels, etc.