Atkins

robynnatasha

I've decided to give Atkins a try after a friend has had a positive weight loss doing it! I feel like its something i am more likely to stick too! Any tips or recommendations i should keep in mind? I work in an office with only a microwave & don't have a lot of time to do breakfast at home, so any good ideas of easy/uncomplicated meals to go? I'm excited to give some of the recipes a whirl at home as well. Any advice will be appreciated!

Jones4177

I've heard a lot of stories of where after they lose weight and start eating "normal" they gain a lot back. But I've never tried it.

deathstarclock

I have a recommendation: don't do atkins.

UponThisRock

Most of the initial weight loss will be water, which will come back when you reintroduce carbs.

Dustinryan24

i will say my dad did it, and lost like 50 pounds... he gained like 20 back now, and he eats healthy all the time.. whats with that??
i wouldnt do atkins if i was you. you need to eat carbs.. if you want to make a change to your eating habits, why not try something you can stick to for the rest of your life. Best of luck to you!

Moonbyebye

Fad diets are just a bad idea. Once the person transitions out of the diet, and eats "normal" again, they gain the weight back. I'm not sure of what exactly this diet is, but isn't it low carbs? I personally could never survive on low carbs; but that's just me!

fatguyweightloss

Atkins is soooo 2001, now it is all about the paleo diet Basically the same idea but you focus on quality nutrient rich food which naturally makes foods like bread and pasta fall off. I have lost a considerable amount of weight on atkins/paleo style diet. Feel great and am not hungry and weight keeps coming off.

fatguyweightloss

i wouldnt do atkins if i was you. you need to eat carbs..

I would agree you need some carbs, but not at the level the standard american diet (SAD) is getting. Once you exceed 100-150 calories (depending on the person) will result in insulin spikes causing inflamation throughout your body leading to fun diseases and if you are really lucky weight gain.

I normally consume 50-100 carbs a day and plan on bumping them up until I stop losing weight once I hit my goal weight,

Motivationrequired

I started a topic on this and got exactly the same response and have decided it's not for me, although I'd already bought the book!!

KristyJoy123

The Atkins diet is terrible for your health and the only reason you lose weight on it is because you aren't eating as many calories. Calories in vs. Calories out is the way to lose weight. Too much protein and fat is terrible for your body, and it's not maintainable. Once you start eating normally again (which you will eventually need to do so you don't develop heart disease), you will gain all the weight back.

Here's a suggestion, instead of trying a potentially dangerous diet, just change your lifestyle. Eat mostly vegetables and lean proteins and monitor your calories in and calories out.

KristyJoy123

i wouldnt do atkins if i was you. you need to eat carbs..

I would agree you need some carbs, but not at the level the standard american diet (SAD) is getting. Once you exceed 100-150 calories (depending on the person) will result in insulin spikes causing inflamation throughout your body leading to fun diseases and if you are really lucky weight gain.

I normally consume 50-100 carbs a day and plan on bumping them up until I stop losing weight once I hit my goal weight,

The problem isn't with complex carbs (vegetables), it's with simple carbs that have been stripped of their nutritional content. Not only is the SAD too (simple) carb heavy, it's also too (animal) protein heavy and too fiber deficient. All we need to do is start eating more plants and everyone will be healthier. Problem solved.

yesthistime

If you are looking for real Atkins or low-carb tips, there a plenty of MFPers who are following those plans. Go to "Search" and put in Atkins or low-carb and find support and information that way. It's hard to get answers you are looking for when you ask a general question and people have such strong negative opinions about what you should do with YOUR body. Hope this helps

sarahmaryfearnley

I've never done Atkins but a few years ago I did the South Beach Diet. I did loose 12lbs in 2 wks but everyone is right, it's not sustainable. I think the worst part is you don't learn how to make good choices for the rest of your life. If I had been able to follow all three phases into regular lifestyle, maybe it would have worked but I really think it's the small day to day changes that add up to a big change over time.

I do still have the book and I do use some of the recipies from time to time but good nutrition is really the key. It's really skrewed up to think 1lb of bacon is better than an apple or a banana. What really discourages me is the vilification of the potato. Poor, poor potatoes. They are full of nutrients, way more than a bowl of lettuce. Yes they are full of carbs and high in calories compared to other veg but a small-med potato IMO is not the same thing as a giant plate of mashed potatoes with the secret ingredient - mmmmm, butter. Potatoes are what sustained western society through the little ice age for goodness sakes! They are not an evil food.

sweetxsour35

I did Atkins and lost about 40 lbs in 3 months, but I hated it. I love carbs and it was hard for me to stay away from them. Once I started eating normally again, I gained about 20 lbs back. I dropped a pants size in the process, but what I don't understand is when I gained the weight back, all my "thin" clothes still fit the same if not better. Personally, I think it's a waste of time. I see more results counting calories.

VICKYORTIZ

I am doing adkins now. I am never hungry and don't have as many cravings. I too worry about the weight gain once I start incorporating more carbs. I chose to do adkins because I needed rapid results for health reasons and I also felt that eating less carbs was a better choice than the way I was eating.

fatguyweightloss

The Atkins diet is terrible for your health and the only reason you lose weight on it is because you aren't eating as many calories. Calories in vs. Calories out is the way to lose weight. Too much protein and fat is terrible for your body, and it's not maintainable. Once you start eating normally again (which you will eventually need to do so you don't develop heart disease), you will gain all the weight back.

Here's a suggestion, instead of trying a potentially dangerous diet, just change your lifestyle. Eat mostly vegetables and lean proteins and monitor your calories in and calories out.

Unfortunately they science does not back up these claims. Even though I consume a large amount of meat and eggs per day my cholestero levels have dropped dramatically and risk for cardivascular disease is about as low as possible. Sure this can be looked at an N=1 but you take a few thousand of the same N=1 experiences and you start to see some correlations there.

I completely agree that vegetables are great for you but pulling out the starches and simple sugar carbohydrates is key to reduce/eliminate inflamation in your artery linings which is what causes heart disease. I would be happy to get my calories from vegetables but it would take litterally 100 cups of spinach a day to maintain my weight and filling in calories with nutrient lacking carbohydrates doesn't seem like a better option.

fatguyweightloss

i wouldnt do atkins if i was you. you need to eat carbs..

I would agree you need some carbs, but not at the level the standard american diet (SAD) is getting. Once you exceed 100-150 calories (depending on the person) will result in insulin spikes causing inflamation throughout your body leading to fun diseases and if you are really lucky weight gain.

I normally consume 50-100 carbs a day and plan on bumping them up until I stop losing weight once I hit my goal weight,

The problem isn't with complex carbs (vegetables), it's with simple carbs that have been stripped of their nutritional content. Not only is the SAD too (simple) carb heavy, it's also too (animal) protein heavy and too fiber deficient. All we need to do is start eating more plants and everyone will be healthier. Problem solved.

I agree with what you are saying about nutrient sparse carbohydrates, though I personally feel that our recommended protein levels are way to low...sure it has nothing to do with USDA wanting to sell us wheat

fatguyweightloss

I've never done Atkins but a few years ago I did the South Beach Diet. I did loose 12lbs in 2 wks but everyone is right, it's not sustainable. I think the worst part is you don't learn how to make good choices for the rest of your life. If I had been able to follow all three phases into regular lifestyle, maybe it would have worked but I really think it's the small day to day changes that add up to a big change over time.

I do still have the book and I do use some of the recipies from time to time but good nutrition is really the key. It's really skrewed up to think 1lb of bacon is better than an apple or a banana. What really discourages me is the vilification of the potato. Poor, poor potatoes. They are full of nutrients, way more than a bowl of lettuce. Yes they are full of carbs and high in calories compared to other veg but a small-med potato IMO is not the same thing as a giant plate of mashed potatoes with the secret ingredient - mmmmm, butter. Potatoes are what sustained western society through the little ice age for goodness sakes! They are not an evil food.

Might want to check out the Paleo diet, potatoes and sweet potatoes are free. Doesn't really matter what you call it eat food with non-enriched micronutrient contents and you will be healthy. Eating processed foods with fillers and artifical nutrients added and you probably will not feel as well.

sarahmaryfearnley

Might want to check out the Paleo diet, potatoes and sweet potatoes are free. Doesn't really matter what you call it eat food with non-enriched micronutrient contents and you will be healthy. Eating processed foods with fillers and artifical nutrients added and you probably will not feel as well.

I am interested in this. I have google'ed it but the websites seem high on "buy my book to loose weight" type information and low on "what this is really about" info.

Can you recommend a link or a book that is worth the money to learn more? Thanks.

fatguyweightloss

Might want to check out the Paleo diet, potatoes and sweet potatoes are free. Doesn't really matter what you call it eat food with non-enriched micronutrient contents and you will be healthy. Eating processed foods with fillers and artifical nutrients added and you probably will not feel as well.

I am interested in this. I have google'ed it but the websites seem high on "buy my book to loose weight" type information and low on "what this is really about" info.

Can you recommend a link or a book that is worth the money to learn more? Thanks.

Yeah everyone wants to make a buck and given there are no special shakes, powders, or packaged food to sell books is about the only way they can off this diet. I would recommend checking your local library and get one of the books, read a few and message is about the same. Here is a page I came up with that gives a pretty quick overview:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-guide-to-the-primal-eating-plan/

Also recommend other articles on thsi site as well as RobbWolf.com. Both of which have some pretty good introductory materials if you subscribe to their newletter, which of course you can unsubscribe if you do not want to get the emails after you get the intro info.

DrkDancr

I am one of those who lost weight on the Atkins plan but found it difficult to keep it off in real life. I have tweaked my low carb plan to be a "smart carb" plan. Take a look at Jorge Cruise "Flat Belly" book. I think you may find that more doable given your schedule...