ATKINS DIET

24

Replies

  • florenciagysbertha
    florenciagysbertha Posts: 30 Member
    sounds like the OP is hangry....

    lol no .. I just don't find rudeness necessary :)
    I'm seriously looking for help and advise.. that's why I've decided to join these forums
    So it's kind of upsetting if people are judging me for no reason and don't take their time to actually support me and point me to the right direction
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    Could not thing of many things less appealing without being silly.
  • cassanova792
    cassanova792 Posts: 16
    Dieting is hard enough, so why make it harder on yourself by following diets that restrict what you can eat? These diets are nothing more than extreme food guidelines that put you in a caloric deficit. If you're on the ATKINS or any Keto diet the basic principle of losing weight and thermodynamics still applies! You need to be at a caloric deficit. Giving up the majority of a large food group is unnecessary for weight loss, but hey do what you think will help you succeed. Meanwhile, I will keep eating my ice-cream, pancakes, rice, pastas, drinking my alcohol while still getting lean as ever.
  • gmstarr1
    gmstarr1 Posts: 66 Member
    Dieting is hard enough, so why make it harder on yourself by following diets that restrict what you can eat? These diets are nothing more than extreme food guidelines that put you in a caloric deficit. If you're on the ATKINS or any Keto diet the basic principle of losing weight and thermodynamics still applies! You need to be at a caloric deficit. Giving up the majority of a large food group is unnecessary for weight loss, but hey do what you think will help you succeed. Meanwhile, I will keep eating my ice-cream, pancakes, rice, pastas, drinking my alcohol while still getting lean as ever.

    I don't like rice at all, and pasta is not high on my list of favorite foods either. Wine is low carb...and I like that better than any of the other alcohols anyway. Breyer's Smart Carbs ice cream is pretty good...usually make some kind of milk shake out of them if I just have to have ice cream, actually don't do that very often. I make really good vegan banana pancakes that are at 14 grams a serving with Ihop or Maple Groves sugar free syrup and coconut butter (I'd suggest finding the Maple Groves syrup...it's better than Ihop's sugar free.)

    So I don't think I'm missing anything. And if I do, occasionally I raise my carbs a bit. Tonight we're going to McAlister's Deli to celebrate something so I'm going to go up to 80 carbs for today instead of my usual 45....a glass of sweet tea, half of a French Dip, and half size garden salad. 80 carbs is still fairly low carb.

    So I'm good with this...
  • florenciagysbertha
    florenciagysbertha Posts: 30 Member
    Dieting is hard enough, so why make it harder on yourself by following diets that restrict what you can eat? These diets are nothing more than extreme food guidelines that put you in a caloric deficit. If you're on the ATKINS or any Keto diet the basic principle of losing weight and thermodynamics still applies! You need to be at a caloric deficit. Giving up the majority of a large food group is unnecessary for weight loss, but hey do what you think will help you succeed. Meanwhile, I will keep eating my ice-cream, pancakes, rice, pastas, drinking my alcohol while still getting lean as ever.

    I probably don't feel like I will be missing out on much since I dont eat ice cream at all, last time i had pancakes were 5 years ago and I'm not really a fan of pasta and I dont drink alcohol. I love rice but I would normally not have more than 2 cups per day
  • cassanova792
    cassanova792 Posts: 16
    Dieting is hard enough, so why make it harder on yourself by following diets that restrict what you can eat? These diets are nothing more than extreme food guidelines that put you in a caloric deficit. If you're on the ATKINS or any Keto diet the basic principle of losing weight and thermodynamics still applies! You need to be at a caloric deficit. Giving up the majority of a large food group is unnecessary for weight loss, but hey do what you think will help you succeed. Meanwhile, I will keep eating my ice-cream, pancakes, rice, pastas, drinking my alcohol while still getting lean as ever.

    I probably don't feel like I will be missing out on much since I dont eat ice cream at all, last time i had pancakes were 5 years ago and I'm not really a fan of pasta and I dont drink alcohol. I love rice but I would normally not have more than 2 cups per day

    As long as you can see yourself eating low carb as a lifestyle (but why?) then do it. My whole point is that there is no reason why carbs should be treated as the enemy - they're good for you. And limiting your intake will not change the fact that you will still need to hit a caloric deficit to see weight loss. If you're hitting the same calories and losing weight as you are now with carbs, you will lose the same amount of weight at the same rate, if you were on Atkins. The only downfall now is that you are far more restricted and have to be far more conscious on your food choices.
  • auntiesocial78
    auntiesocial78 Posts: 11 Member
    I started on Atkins in June of 2006, lost 50 pounds, and pretty much stayed on some form of low carb til 2011, when my life fell apart and I drank ALL the beer and ate ALL the Taco Bell. So I've gained some (but not all of it) weight back --- beer and Taco Bell will do that to you. :)

    Anyway, it's NOT for everyone, but it works best for me. I tried last year (unsuccessfully) to do Weight Watchers, but I was hungry literally ALL the time. I'm not hungry on low-carb, although your food choices are much more limited than on Weight Watchers. Personally, I find low carb easier because I know exactly what to eat, whereas with Weight Watchers I was constantly calculating in addition to being hungry.

    I'm doing LCHF now (not Atkins, although LCHF is similar in some ways to Atkins Induction with regards to how many carbs you can eat).

    I have PCOS and metabolic syndrome, and low carb is the easiest and most effective way for me to lose weight. If you have no insulin resistance, PCOS, metabolic syndrome, etc., it may not work as well for you and you may not enjoy the limitations of your food choices.
  • florenciagysbertha
    florenciagysbertha Posts: 30 Member

    As long as you can see yourself eating low carb as a lifestyle (but why?) then do it. My whole point is that there is no reason why carbs should be treated as the enemy - they're good for you. And limiting your intake will not change the fact that you will still need to hit a caloric deficit to see weight loss. If you're hitting the same calories and losing weight as you are now with carbs, you will lose the same amount of weight at the same rate, if you were on Atkins. The only downfall now is that you are far more restricted and have to be far more conscious on your food choices.

    Oke fair enough , thats a good point. I've got an appointment with my doctor tomorrow anyway so i will look into it properly and hopefully i will find something that works for me
  • auntiesocial78
    auntiesocial78 Posts: 11 Member
    Oh, and also, if you "do Atkins," stay away from the junky processed Atkins products. They may be low in carbs, but they are NOT healthy, and tend to stall my weight loss. :)
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    Atkins will cause weight loss because it mostly eliminate carbs for the first two weeks then gradually add a little every week until you have reached your weight goal. However, your contniued success is highly dependent on you buying their products long term. The downside of programs like that is it doesn't teach you the science behind healthy weight loss and maintenance. This is the reason when many people stop the program the weight come back with a vengence.

    Have you calculated your BMR and TDEE and tracked all of your activities?

    This is good reading:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • auntiesocial78
    auntiesocial78 Posts: 11 Member
    Eh, false. You don't HAVE to buy the products to do Atkins. Seriously. It's not written anywhere in the books that you have to buy them. It's better if you don't, actually.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
    I'm not hungry on low-carb, although your food choices are much more limited than on Weight Watchers.

    That sums it up nicely. People love to come screaming "BUT it's restrictive and not IIFYM!" but this ignores the benefits of an Atkins-style diet. While it's more restrictive, it's commonly thought of as more satiating as well. I could probably count on one hand the number of times someone has told me they're going hungry while eating a low carb diet, yet I see people posting they're hungry following MFP's recommendations on a regular basis. That's not to say it's a great idea for everyone, because it most certainly is more restrictive in what you can eat; rather, I'm just saying there are benefits to such a diet that can potentially offset the cons for some people.

    Edit to add: If you're going to spend money on this diet, buy his book rather than the pre-packaged meals and snacks.
  • kuzmacombat
    kuzmacombat Posts: 4 Member
    Simple answer is this, Which has more calories, a 500cal piece of cake or a 500cal piece of steak. It doesn't matter where they come from, if they're not burned, they're stored as fat. Simple biology 101. The micro nutrients, are you're body's energy source. Most people believe ketosis comes from lack of carbs, but it doesn't. It comes from too much protein. Both carbs and fat are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Protein adds a fourth atom, nitrogen. Your livers job is to remove the nitrogen atom from the protein so your body can absorb it. Too much protein causes your liver to release ketones, thus requiring more liquid to keep the liver functioning properly. This is why you see a quick weight loss with carb restricted diets, because it basically starts to pull water from the muscles to reduce the damage to the liver. Over time, you can actually cause liver damage. Basically eating too much protein does the same damage to the liver as too much alcohol. It looks like you need to actually increase your calorie intake since you're just eating the bare minimum and exercising almost everyday. You're body has reached homeostasis and doesn't want to give up any more fat.
  • auntiesocial78
    auntiesocial78 Posts: 11 Member
    YES. Please don't buy the junky Atkins "products!"

    Also, for me, I did low carb for five years. I went from being pre-diabetic to NOT, and I went from having high triglycerides to NOT. Most people who are against "low carb" are people who have read and still buy into old and disproven nutritional information. :)
  • cassanova792
    cassanova792 Posts: 16
    I'm not hungry on low-carb, although your food choices are much more limited than on Weight Watchers.

    That sums it up nicely. People love to come screaming "BUT it's restrictive and not IIFYM!" but this ignores the benefits of an Atkins-style diet. While it's more restrictive, it's commonly thought of as more satiating as well. I could probably count on one hand the number of times someone has told me they're going hungry while eating a low carb diet, yet I see people posting they're hungry following MFP's recommendations on a regular basis. That's not to say it's a great idea for everyone, because it most certainly is more restrictive in what you can eat; rather, I'm just saying there are benefits to such a diet that can potentially offset the cons for some people.

    Edit to add: If you're going to spend money on this diet, buy his book rather than the pre-packaged meals and snacks.

    You bring up a good point and I was going to mention this as a pro to doing these types of diets. Fats and proteins are highly satiating and really the only benefit of switching to a low carb diet.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    Eh, false. You don't HAVE to buy the products to do Atkins. Seriously. It's not written anywhere in the books that you have to buy them. It's better if you don't, actually.

    I didn't state that at all. No, you don't have to buy the product but they still bank on the fact that people will buy their products which are very restrictive. Otherwise, why would they have their products in all of their advertisements? They sure aren't pushing for people to learn the science behind healthy weight loss and maintenace in my opinion.
  • Sizethree4Ever
    Sizethree4Ever Posts: 120 Member
    I cut my daily carb intake in half, usually around 70-day. This way I can still eat some rice and pasta, just not as often, and a smaller portion. The weight will come off, you already lost 7-kg that`s a lot of weight in a short period of time. You just need to be patience, you din`t put on all your extra weight in two weeks, it can`t just melt off of you in a couple of weeks. Best of luck in your journey.
  • cassanova792
    cassanova792 Posts: 16
    YES. Please don't buy the junky Atkins "products!"

    Also, for me, I did low carb for five years. I went from being pre-diabetic to NOT, and I went from having high triglycerides to NOT. Most people who are against "low carb" are people who have read and still buy into old and disproven nutritional information. :)

    Think about how you stopped being pre-diabetic. . So was that the result being on a low carb diet or just a byproduct of making better and healthier choices with the food you ate because you had to? You were essentially making more conscious choices in your food in an effort to stick to the diet plan.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I wouldn't want to die of heart disease like Robert Atkins did.

    I'm not a low carb type but that kind of comment is scare mongering. There is no link between consuming saturated fats (ie meat) and heart disease.

    http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/03March/Pages/Saturated-fats-and-heart-disease-link-unproven.aspx

    http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/274166.php

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/saturated-fat-alone-doesn-t-predict-heart-disease-risk-1.2576252

    To the OP, I haven't done Atkins myself (I love meat but I also love carbs). It's helped a lot of people lose weight (I suspect high protein diets have somewhat higher compliance rates due to satiety) but like any "diet" needs to be approached with sustainability in mind. Some people react adversely to going low carb (headaches, mood swings etc) other handle it very well.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator

    Yeah, but it IS working. You are losing. Giving up is not going to help either. So, you know what to do, according to what you just wrote. That's great.

    Then why are you asking about Atkins? See, THAT's where the question lies.

    Gah!

    I'm asking about Atkins because I've heard it gives great results. And I was wondering what people's opinion about it was.

    GAH!

    There are a couple things you have to understand. First, atkins like every other diet works off the premise of calories in vs out. It's the laws of thermodynamics. Switching from a program that is working (what you are doing now) to a program like atkins, will not improve results. If you find yourself hungry more often than not, then it's time to evaluate your macronutrient composition (ie - more fats and proteins vs carbs). If you maintain caloires (what you are doing now vs Atkins), there will be ZERO benefit in terms of weight loss. If you find the food or program more palatable, then you should do it. But fat loss occurs when you create a deficit. How you create that deficit, is up to you.

    My wife has to go low carb due to a medical issue, so it's not a choice. But when I go low carb, (less than 200g a day) then my workouts struggle. So instead of doing atkins, why not change your macros to around 20% carbs, 30% protein and 50% fats and try it for a month. Please understand and try not to get too excited, but the large losses upfront. When you drop carbs, your body will store less glycogen and water. This is why it's very common for Aktins style diets to advertise 5lbs+ losses in the first few weeks. They realize post induction it will level out.

    BTW, do you have a food scale?
  • danagisana
    danagisana Posts: 43 Member
    I think it's good for a kick start. You will lose water weight quickly and it will probably make you feel great at first. Also, eliminating carbs really does curb cravings.
    I've tried it and I had success, and I do it sporadically when I need to curb cravings which is an issue I struggle with.
    However I don't find it something I can do for more than a week or two at most. I also don't think it's a healthy way to live.
  • Ysmir
    Ysmir Posts: 828 Member
    it isn't sustainable long term because it is quite restrictive.
    ^^

    I lost 83 pounds on the Atkins diet (and I mean I followed it rigorously) in a very short time frame, but then continuing to eat that way forever made me sad. I'm sure there are those who can stick to it, but if you're the kind of person who ... oh, say...gets fed up with things, then you are probably not going to stay on this diet.

    I would say pick something that doesn't make you feel like you're dieting, then you can stick to it easier.
  • auntiesocial78
    auntiesocial78 Posts: 11 Member
    Actually, I'm pretty sure it was the low carb. But thanks for playing. :)
  • auntiesocial78
    auntiesocial78 Posts: 11 Member
    YES. Please don't buy the junky Atkins "products!"

    Also, for me, I did low carb for five years. I went from being pre-diabetic to NOT, and I went from having high triglycerides to NOT. Most people who are against "low carb" are people who have read and still buy into old and disproven nutritional information. :)

    Think about how you stopped being pre-diabetic. . So was that the result being on a low carb diet or just a byproduct of making better and healthier choices with the food you ate because you had to? You were essentially making more conscious choices in your food in an effort to stick to the diet plan.

    Pretty sure it was the low carb, as I was no stranger to diets before that. Also, pretty much ANY diet that restricts your refined sugars is, by definition, low carb.... and that's pretty much every diet.

    Also, my periods came back (they were once every 3 months at best before). Sorry, but low carb IS the way to go for some people. Maybe not you. But definitely me.
  • auntiesocial78
    auntiesocial78 Posts: 11 Member
    I really wish I could convince everyone to read Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes, but I fear it'd be over most people's heads here. :)
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
    I really wish I could convince everyone to read Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes, but I fear it'd be over most people's heads here. :)
    I keep forgetting it is April Fools Day
  • Noogynoogs
    Noogynoogs Posts: 1,028 Member
    Did this in 2000 lost a lot of weight quickly. Doing calorie controlled now because I am veggie. Worked for me when I tried it. Would recommend has short term diet.
  • rrsuthy
    rrsuthy Posts: 236 Member
    Do a search for Keto groups on here. you'll get the support you want/need from others who enjoy a LCHF lifestyle.
  • Bakkasan
    Bakkasan Posts: 1,027 Member
    Low carb thread checklist:
    Anti LC NUTS? CHECK!
    Lies about your individual response to LC? CHECK!
    LC is "harder" than other diets? CHECK!
    The LOL ATKINS HERT ATTERK bs? CHECK!
    Ignore any studies that support LC? FILE NOT FOUND


    There is a lot of recent news on the subject. If you can find it. Don't you DARE CHALLENGE THE FOOD PYRAMID BRO! See DEM ABS BRO? CARBS ALL THE WAY! bro.



    OP, make sure its for you, then try it. It has a TON of evidence that it is not harmful and it is easier to stick to. Possibly, well likely because you aren't cramming pasta and rice causing an insulin spike/hunger cycle.

    Also make your own food. The packaged stuff is all crap designed to fleece your pockets while feeding you candy bars.
  • MistressPi
    MistressPi Posts: 514 Member
    Here is an e-book that gives more information about why low carbohydrate diets (like the Atkins diet) is a sensible, healthy way of eating, and a good lifestyle.

    "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living"

    http://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-Low-Carbohydrate-Living-ebook/dp/B005CVV2AE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1396382416&sr=1-1&keywords=the+art+and+science+of+low+carbohydrate+living

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