I would like ADVICE on ATKINS??? :) ***GOOD?**NAY?***

Hbenson99

Well i have done Atkins many times so i will not say anything bad about it but you have to decide this is a full life change. If you do not believe you can stick with it then dont do it. Atkins effects everyone in your life because you have to eat and prepare to eat according to plan. A lot of calories so just be sure. Good luck in your decision. I have a lot of experience with Atkins and have lost and regain a significant amout of weight on it, so if you need specific info on the diet please send me a message and i will tell you all about it.

Kat5343

You are going to hear a lot of bad reviews on Atkins but I LOVE IT!! I lost 62 pounds so far on this and I modified the diet to fit my lifestyle. Everyone complains about gaining back but of course you will gain back if you go back to eating the unhealthy crap you were eating before. White flour foods are really of no benefit to you. Just get your carbs through vegetables and you will do fine. I cheated over the holidays. I stalled in my weightloss but did not gain a single pound back! So, I say go right ahead and do Atkins. I have lost my craving for bread all together! Don't miss it a bit. I won't lie, that first couple of weeks sucked but the craving is gone! Good luck!

rinzainab

Too low of a carb level is not good for your thyroid, this is a published fact.

I had to go on thyroid meds after doing atkins, after taking meds for 3 years and no longer extremely cutting carbs, no more meds needed. I do not think this is a coincidence.

lainglesita

I did the Atkins some years back and although I did lose some weight I never felt it was healthy. I wouldn't recommend it but if you want to give it a go, why not?

mrsjenfrank

If you have issues with your body digesting carbs, or have a medical illness that requires you cut your carbs, I think it's a wonderful diet to go on. That being said, it is extremely hard. I'm on a doctors required low carb diet. I see a nutritionist every 2 weeks. It does work, not gonna lie. But it is very hard because carbs are in EVERYTHING and unless you understand what good and bad carbs are, you're going to have some issues.

If you decide to do Atkins or South Beach or any of the other low carb plans out there... keep this in mind. Phase 1... the phase where you have no carbs at all, is the worst. SO restrictive! And you'll crave anything and everything carb. Because your body is detoxing from all of the bad carbs through that first phase. Once you start Phase 2 and start reintroducing the good carbs, you'll find the lifestyle becomes a little easier. Although you'll still have to be wary of hidden carbs in foods. It's tough, but it is do-able.

And I do agree with someone who said once you've been doing the diet and go off and start eating all of the different carbs again, you bet you're gonna gain back! And quick!

So the jist of what I'm saying... it can be good for you, but you need to decide if you want to do it for the rest of your life or not. If not, stick with low cal/low fat.

Good luck with your decision!

drvvork

I did Atkins a while back - found it to be a good fondation for my eating - training ... it gave me a basis to learn what worked, satisfied and intensified my well-being. I'm still rather low-carb but not as restrictive as Atkins but once again it just gave me some guidelines to start out with to find out what worked. We are all so individual that it is a continual learning process and as we age our body changes and so do the needs. Live and learn.

H_Factor

I did Atkins in 2005 because I wanted to lose weight and I wanted to lose it quickly. I knew a few folks who had done Atkins and lost weight so I got the book, read it, and essentially followed very close to the induction rules for 7 months. I lost 50 pounds during that time (17 pounds in the first month). I then got complacent, and began cheating some. Eventually, I cheated more. Ultimately, I wasn't doing Atkins or anything low carb anymore. I didn't have a transition plan in place (to a nutrition plan I had a better chance of sustaining) and over a few years, I gained all of the weight back plus some. Anyway, while I was doing Atkins, it worked and my blood work was amazing by the time I stopped doing it religiously.

I've learned some things on my current journey through reflection...and some of those things had to do with my failed Atkins experiment:

1. if your motivation is solely weight loss and not to become healthier, then you are thinking more short term and not long term. With a pure "lose weight as quickly as possible approach", I was willing to do any diet plan that would lead to fast results...because that almighty scale meant a ton to my motivation. This time around, although I obviously wanted to lose weight, I chose a more long term goal of living a healthier life on a nutrition/exercise plan I believed I could personally sustain.

2. although Atkins provided me with a quick pop in the weight loss department (17 pounds in the first month), a lot of that was water weight and weight loss slowed significantly after that. This time around, even though I didn't lose 17 pounds in the first month, I lost the first 50 as quickly as I did when I was doing Atkins. The weight loss was slower at the beginning, but steadier over the course of my journey.

3. If you follow a nutrition plan, try to pick a plan that you believe you will be comfortable following for the long term. For me, Atkins was only going to work as long as I maintained some ridiculous will power because I personally like fruit, pasta, bread, pizza, etc. On my current journey, I can eat all of that as long as I do so in moderation...which, for the most part, I have. During my current journey, I don't ever feel like I have to go without something. Even though I have chosen to greatly limit certain foods, I still eat most foods I like from time to time. For example, I really try to stay away from fast food and fried food. However, this past Saturday, I enjoyed a Five Guys burger and fries. I had accounted for the calories in advance and was fine. That would have effed me up on Atkins.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

To carb or not to carb, that is the question.

I tried atkins a few years ago and it caused me headaches, mood swings, and hindered my clarity of thought. Did I lose a ton of inches in a short time? Yes. Was I still soft in all the wrong places? Yes. Did I gain the weight back? Yes, and then some. I also had crazy dreams. I would dream about being in a bakery, or eating donuts and cakes and what not, when those things really aren't even my weakness.

Other people have better reactions to a low carb diet than I do. The only really good thing that came out of adkins for me was that it verified what my allergist had been telling me, I'm allergic to wheat. So I did have some really positive things come out of the experience.

What it boils down to is that you can find a healthy way to lose weight in such a fashion that it is a lifestyle change, not a temporary diet. If you're just looking for a quick fix when you revert back to your sustainable lifestyle you will lose all the short term benefits (like weightloss). If low carbing is a sustainable, healthy lifestyle that gives you the results you want and can live a life time doing, go for it.

CashierCantin

I was on Atkins for 8 years. The first two weeks are definintely NOT no carbs. You get your carbs mostly from veggies. I ate way more veggies on Atkins than I even do now on low calorie LOL

I say read the book, learn it, then do it. It's very healthy (if you do it by the book and not the way people actually think it is).

The major point has to be that you gotta find something you can live with. I LOVED how I ate for 8 years. I then let life get in the way and I failed the plan, it didn't fail me. I decided to do the calorie thing to get things going again but I think eventually I will go back to Atkins because I believe in it and I am not left wondering what next. I know what happens on Atkins. I don't eat bread/flour/real sugar and I can keep the weight off.

BTW I lost 90 pounds and kept them off for close to 8 years. I only gained 40 back when I let life get in the way (quit smokings, moved, work stress etc. )

HawaiianStitchLuver

I did it several years ago and it worked really well. Because I made sure to follow things exact I did feel healthy; however, the draw back is that eating this way becomes boring and soon pieces of bread start popping up in dreams. I lasted about 6 months, and had decent weight loss. It's not something I could have done for much longer though.

sailorsiren13

My daughter still shudders when you mention me and Atkins in the same sentence so would say Nay...says she needs Therapy after that one week. lol It was pretty bad apparently that part about giving up caffeine made me pretty hard to live with!

jagar07

don't do it! it is just a fad, and not a very healthy one either. My mom and I did it, we lost weight, yeah, but when we just couldn't do it anymore, we BOTH gained back all the weight and then some. Find a plan that works for you and can be sustainable

gdortiz

atkins is like caffeine ... it works, but you are better off getting a good night sleep and figuring out a way to get to bed early.

atkins works, but it is a shortcut/band aid.

I lost 30 lbs in a month doing it and I did keep some good habits from my experience, but it was to unrealistic to keep up and again, just a quick fix.

erin023

Fad diets work while you're on them but most people gain back the weight and sometimes extra as soon as you come off of it. I'd skip the diet & just make a lifestyle change to eat better and exercise. If you're looking for a short and effective exercise regimen try the 30 day shred.

bcattoes

My suggestion would be to read the book or study the kit (not familiar with the kit) fully and then decide whether this is a diet that you can follow long term. If you don't plan to continue with the plan once you get to your goal weight, then what is the point of following it for a short period?

jeffazi

Years ago I did it faithfully and lost a lot of weight but I just couldn't stay on it. Carbs are so important for good health and IMHO you just don't get enough when you're on this diet. The first two weeks you are limited to 20 carbs per day. You lose a lot of weight but I think quite a bit of it is water weight (water is released when you burn up your glycogen stores). I used to eat a lot more meat than I do now and that works well with Atkins. I prefer to count calories and eat lean protein, complex carbs, and good fats. Three healthy meals and three healthy snacks per day really stokes my metabolism and I find that it's just as easy to lose weight as when I was on Atkins.

If you eliminate bad carbs from your diet you'll go a long way towards reaching your weight loss goals. Your mileage may vary. : )

bcattoes

don't do it! it is just a fad, and not a very healthy one either. My mom and I did it, we lost weight, yeah, but when we just couldn't do it anymore, we BOTH gained back all the weight and then some. Find a plan that works for you and can be sustainable

This is good advice, except for the part where you assume everyone couldn't stick with it just because you and your mom didn't. The key to any diet is sticking to it.

jfcarlson713

I've never been on "a diet". However, I do uses Atkins and Special K protien bars and shakes after my workouts. I doesn't really have to be all or nothing. I also use Slimfast shakes for a quick breakfast if I'm in a hurry or at the end of the day if I'm low on calories. Works for me. I've lost 45 lbs since May 15th.

Neequie

Ive done Atkins and LOVED IT!! HOWEVER, that being said, I always went back to my carbs. ALSO, too many people think Atkins is a license to eat fatty meats and it is NOT! LEAN MEAT ONLY!! And for anyone, I recommend reading the books on it. It is about a lifestyle change. A completely different way of eating FOREVER!! I had the lap band placed in October and am under the care of a Dr and several nutritionists. Basically, they have me on NO CARBS. I am supposed to eat lean meat and produce ONLY. and very limited portions. The very small portions is not possible for most people, but the eating part is. Now I have not ruled out bad stuff forever, thats unrealistic. However, when I cheat, I cheat small. I also cheated A LOT during the holidays and did not even gain one pound. I am so friggn proud of that! I am supposed to eat a minimum of 88 grams of protein a day. You know how hard that is??? I average between 75 and 80. The basic rule is anything I eat (mealsm or supplements like shakes) should be 200 calories r under, over 20 grams of protein and under 20 grams of carbs. Since following this diet, beginning 2nd week in October, I have lost 30 lbs and FEEL great! So much more energy!! BTW, I haven't begun exercising until today. I have a ton of recipes that are low carb I would be willing to share. Something more, I do 1000 calories a day, no sugar, flour, rice, potatoes or bread. I do not eat ANY packaged food, no simple carbs (except my rare small cheat!) Additionally, I am here for suport for anyone who needs it, and please be there for me too!! I need help a lot!

ashley337

I have tried Atkins once before and Im not going to lie you do lose weight like crazy!!! I lost nearly 10 pounds in 1 week! But for me it wasnt worth how i felt! I was like a ZOMBIE!!!!! and a very hateful one at that! I stayed so tired, had horrible headaches, and crazy mood swings!! And then once i did decide to quit and eat a little normal the 10 pounds jumped back on me in just a few days! Im not saying that its a bad diet at all! Just saying it didnt work very well for me! lol! But good luck!