ATKINS DIET

auntiesocial78

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Actually, I'm pretty sure it was the low carb. But thanks for playing.

auntiesocial78

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

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

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

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

Do a search for Keto groups on here. you'll get the support you want/need from others who enjoy a LCHF lifestyle.

Bakkasan

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

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