Le'ts Weign-in on Atkins

roachhaley

I really despise fad diets. They are always lacking in SOMETHING nutritionally. I think you are better off counting calories and cutting out the bad stuff (fast food, sweets, soda, etc...) for the first month or so as to detox. And then, if you want to treat yourself every now and then, but just keep it within your cals.

My body and mind have readjusted to craving things that my body needs so I listen to what I'm craving.

Technically we should not be having cravings. If you are craving anything, it is actually toxic to your body in the form of intolerance, allergy or addiction.

Care to substantiate that? And let's take pregnancy cravings, is that due to an intolerance, allergy or an addiction?

I agree. Today I craved eggs, crackers and chocolate and I am definitely not allergic or intolerant to any of those things.

glennstoudt

I recently went on Atkins and completed the two week induction phase. I lost 17 pounds, felt energized, and then all of a sudden something went terribly wrong. I got bad muscle cramps in both legs that left me in pain and scared....

My doctor told me that while you lose weight fast, there can be adverse side affects to an Atkins diet and to try a well balanced one instead.


Has anyone else had any similar experiences with Atkins?

Start tracking your potassium. If you keep that within the normal range, and sodium in normal range, you will be much less likely to experience cramps.

fieldsy4life

I think you can do Atkins horribly wrong, which can be unhealthy. It is hard to get all your micronutrients in without supplementation.

I loved being low carb though, but had to stop once I started my condition training. Kept bonking at the gym.

I lost all of my weight from being very low carb - which was 40 pounds from October to February. I was not counting calories - just tracking carbs. I was also not exercising beyond going for a 3 mile walk once a week. But lemme guess - it was probably all water weight, right

So I guess I have to side with both parties on this discussion. Low carbing is a great way to rapidly lose weight; however, eating a balanced diet is a healthier and more sustainable option.

Also, once you reach your goal weight, if you start eating poorly again, you will gain it back.

XXXMinnieXXX

I changed my macros to 40% carbs, 30%protein and 30%fat. On 1500 cals this gives me 150g of carbs. I find this easy to stick to, feel great and the weight is falling off after a 6 month plateau x

sapalee

Congrats on realizing how bad a 'fad' diet is for you! A balanced diet with all food groups is the only way to stay healthy!
I tried Atkins several years ago. It made me have nasty body odor, I lost a LOT of water weight and afterwards I almost went vegan because I was so sick of meat. The ONLY plus side was the fact that I didn't fart anymore due to the lack of carbs! LMAO
MFP is NOT a fad diet, or a diet at all for that matter. It is eating healthy and making room for 'treats' while staying healthy. I call it 'eating within your means'.
If you call your new lifestyle a "DIET", you will feel like youre on a diet and feel deprived. I also never , ever tell anyone I'm on a diet and if they ask me how I lost weight, I just tell them... I started eating right and I move more. It's that simple!
You can do this!

A balanced diet with all the food groups is NOT the only way to stay healthy.

It is more than possible to get all the nutrients needed when eliminating food groups, certainly ones that provide little nutrition. You just have to pay attention to what you are doing like anything else.

musclefat2k

The first thing i'm going to say is this. Low carb should never be looked at as a diet, It should be looked at as a lifestyle. When the low carb lifestyle is embarked upon, there are several guidelines to be followed. True in the first two weeks you are restricting your carbs to levels that most people dont dare do on a regular basis but you are also switching your body into a mode to basically get a new source of calories, fat, protein, and carbs (those things that most call macronutrients). After that phase is over then you begin to add carbs at a slow pace to see how your body adjusts as well as to find your number of carbs that your body can take without making you store large quantities of water and salt. Alot of people that start the low carb lifestyle begin to gorge themselves on all the wrong types of foods and basically end up having to stop due to some issue or another. I have been on a variation of a low carb lifestyle for years now and through trial and error have figured out what works for me. The first thing you notice is that i say low carb lifestyle. For me that means that i drastically minimize the starchy food intake, the sugars, the breads, the sodium, the carbonated drinks and the high fatty foods. I havent had a slice of white bread in probably close to 3 years now. I havent bought a bag of sugar in more than 3 years. I simply dont eat rice, pasta and other starchy foods period. Again, like I say it's a lifestyle thing. If I want some chocolate candy or something sweet, I use splenda to sweeten it, and i'll buy sugar free chocolates or a natural chocolate from the health food store. I take my vitamins daily and I also use mirilax since i dont eat alot of the sweet sugary starchy carb loaded fruits! mostly berries melons and other low glycemic fruit. Any diet you get on the first thing you will lose is the massive pounds of water weight you have stored from the excess carbs and sugar stores in your body. EVERYBODY is like that. This happens no matter WHAT DIET you follow or attempt. After that period is over, then you go on to lose actual FAT. Not salt, Not water, but ACTUAL FAT. You simply do this by calorie restriction alone and coupled with exercise. Thats the magic bullet. (not so magical as everyone thinks) And everybody is different. YOu take someone who weighs 400 lbs and you can either have them lose 2lbs a week and eat smaller meals or have them lose 5-8 lbs a week because calorie wise it can happen. I chose the latter because the bottom line is that fewer calories loses real weight. But the smaller you get the more time it takes SIMPLY because of the calories difference between the much larger and much smaller person. If you can always keep in mind that a pound of actual fat weighs approximately 3500 calories. Then once you consistently have a negative calorie deficit of about 3500 calories then you should lose an actual pound of fat. that means if you only have a deficit of 500 calories a day, you will lose 1 lb of ACTUAL FAT in 7 days. It's that simple! If you want to lose more weight than that (which most of us do) then you have to either reduce your required maintenance calories by more than 500 or you have to exercise and work off some extra calories during EACH day. But you cant say i'm going to go on a diet and then in a week hope to lose 10 pounds of fat! in order to lose 10 pounds of actual fat you have to have a calorie reduction of 35,000 calories LESS THAN WHAT YOUR BODY NEEDS IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN IT'S CURRENT WEIGHT. So you can almost just by simply using my fitness pal determine how much of your weightloss is actual fat vs water. The water weight you can put on and take off by simply taking a nap or laying down or going to work but the actual fat.... When it's gone, IT'S GONE and the only way it's coming back is when you put on 3500 calories MORE THAN WHAT YOUR BODY NEEDS IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN ITS CURRENT WEIGHT!!!!
#enjoyYOUROWNProcess!!

Acg67

The first thing i'm going to say is this. Low carb should never be looked at as a diet, It should be looked at as a lifestyle. When the low carb lifestyle is embarked upon, there are several guidelines to be followed. True in the first two weeks you are restricting your carbs to levels that most people dont dare do on a regular basis but you are also switching your body into a mode to basically get a new source of calories, fat, protein, and carbs (those things that most call macronutrients). After that phase is over then you begin to add carbs at a slow pace to see how your body adjusts as well as to find your number of carbs that your body can take without making you store large quantities of water and salt. Alot of people that start the low carb lifestyle begin to gorge themselves on all the wrong types of foods and basically end up having to stop due to some issue or another. I have been on a variation of a low carb lifestyle for years now and through trial and error have figured out what works for me. The first thing you notice is that i say low carb lifestyle. For me that means that i drastically minimize the starchy food intake, the sugars, the breads, the sodium, the carbonated drinks and the high fatty foods. I havent had a slice of white bread in probably close to 3 years now. I havent bought a bag of sugar in more than 3 years. I simply dont eat rice, pasta and other starchy foods period. Again, like I say it's a lifestyle thing. If I want some chocolate candy or something sweet, I use splenda to sweeten it, and i'll buy sugar free chocolates or a natural chocolate from the health food store. I take my vitamins daily and I also use mirilax since i dont eat alot of the sweet sugary starchy carb loaded fruits! mostly berries melons and other low glycemic fruit. Any diet you get on the first thing you will lose is the massive pounds of water weight you have stored from the excess carbs and sugar stores in your body. EVERYBODY is like that. This happens no matter WHAT DIET you follow or attempt. After that period is over, then you go on to lose actual FAT. Not salt, Not water, but ACTUAL FAT. You simply do this by calorie restriction alone and coupled with exercise. Thats the magic bullet. (not so magical as everyone thinks) And everybody is different. YOu take someone who weighs 400 lbs and you can either have them lose 2lbs a week and eat smaller meals or have them lose 5-8 lbs a week because calorie wise it can happen. I chose the latter because the bottom line is that fewer calories loses real weight. But the smaller you get the more time it takes SIMPLY because of the calories difference between the much larger and much smaller person. If you can always keep in mind that a pound of actual fat weighs approximately 3500 calories. Then once you consistently have a negative calorie deficit of about 3500 calories then you should lose an actual pound of fat. that means if you only have a deficit of 500 calories a day, you will lose 1 lb of ACTUAL FAT in 7 days. It's that simple! If you want to lose more weight than that (which most of us do) then you have to either reduce your required maintenance calories by more than 500 or you have to exercise and work off some extra calories during EACH day. But you cant say i'm going to go on a diet and then in a week hope to lose 10 pounds of fat! in order to lose 10 pounds of actual fat you have to have a calorie reduction of 35,000 calories LESS THAN WHAT YOUR BODY NEEDS IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN IT'S CURRENT WEIGHT. So you can almost just by simply using my fitness pal determine how much of your weightloss is actual fat vs water. The water weight you can put on and take off by simply taking a nap or laying down or going to work but the actual fat.... When it's gone, IT'S GONE and the only way it's coming back is when you put on 3500 calories MORE THAN WHAT YOUR BODY NEEDS IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN ITS CURRENT WEIGHT!!!!
#enjoyYOUROWNProcess!!

#WallofText
#Paragraphslearntousethem

Elzecat

I was put on a Modified Atkiins diet just yesterday by my doctor, which is a huge deviation from how I normally eat. I am not a meat/bad fat eater. I have epilepsy and am at the highest dose possible on my meds and have been struggling everyday with seizures for the past month and a half. Apparently low carb high fat diets help epileptics reduce there sezure frequency so we are giving it a go, alhtough, mentally I'm struggling to wrap my head around eating this way. I'm suppose to get myself down to 40-60 carbs a day. Yesterday I finished at 105, this is tough. Although my doctor did say it most likely would not have to be long term.

Ketogenic diet? I've heard of this being used successfully with folks who have seizure disorders. It is quite restricting, but it is supposed to be very closely supervised by doctors. I hope it helps you!

Meliklotz

Sounds like you didn't take the vitamin supplements they recommend. They are very important so you keep your vita & mineral levels up while shedding.
Don't give up!!
You can totally do this!

CrazyTrackLady

I really despise fad diets. They are always lacking in SOMETHING nutritionally. I think you are better off counting calories and cutting out the bad stuff (fast food, sweets, soda, etc...) for the first month or so as to detox. And then, if you want to treat yourself every now and then, but just keep it within your cals.

My body and mind have readjusted to craving things that my body needs so I listen to what I'm craving.

I am sorry, Atkins is not a FAD, it is a LIFETSYLE.

And when Dr. Atkins' autopsy came back, it was determined he was riddled with heart disease from his "healthy" diet. Just sayin'.

Elzecat

I recently went on Atkins and completed the two week induction phase. I lost 17 pounds, felt energized, and then all of a sudden something went terribly wrong. I got bad muscle cramps in both legs that left me in pain and scared....

My doctor told me that while you lose weight fast, there can be adverse side affects to an Atkins diet and to try a well balanced one instead.


Has anyone else had any similar experiences with Atkins?

Sorry, duplicate post.

Meliklotz

I was put on a Modified Atkiins diet just yesterday by my doctor, which is a huge deviation from how I normally eat. I am not a meat/bad fat eater. I have epilepsy and am at the highest dose possible on my meds and have been struggling everyday with seizures for the past month and a half. Apparently low carb high fat diets help epileptics reduce there sezure frequency so we are giving it a go, alhtough, mentally I'm struggling to wrap my head around eating this way. I'm suppose to get myself down to 40-60 carbs a day. Yesterday I finished at 105, this is tough. Although my doctor did say it most likely would not have to be long term.

Ketogenic diet? I've heard of this being used successfully with folks who have seizure disorders. It is quite restricting, but it is supposed to be very closely supervised by doctors. I hope it helps you!

try going to www.sugarfreesheila.com she has recipes that honestly make it so much more bearable!! You can do this!

Laurielronic

I too have cravings for healthy foods like onions, tomatoes, peppers and carrots. I don't think my body is trying to say don't eat those toxic things. I tried Atkins many years ago and would not recommend it to anyone! I don't believe it is safe for the body. I have heard from others of many complications from this "lifestyle". I had intestinal issues with Atkins that went away when I returned to carbs.

NewChristina

I think Atkins can be done safely and successfully. It's just not for everyone. I agree with those saying to watch your electrolytes. This is very important. Not only for cramps, but your heart health.

NewChristina

I really despise fad diets. They are always lacking in SOMETHING nutritionally. I think you are better off counting calories and cutting out the bad stuff (fast food, sweets, soda, etc...) for the first month or so as to detox. And then, if you want to treat yourself every now and then, but just keep it within your cals.

My body and mind have readjusted to craving things that my body needs so I listen to what I'm craving.

I am sorry, Atkins is not a FAD, it is a LIFETSYLE.

And when Dr. Atkins' autopsy came back, it was determined he was riddled with heart disease from his "healthy" diet. Just sayin'.

Rumor! This is a quote from his wife: "But here is the truth: my husband's medical records have been reviewed by knowledgeable doctors and his medical condition discussed with cardiac specialists. It is clear that Dr. Atkins developed a condition called cardiomyopathy approximately three years prior to his death. It is also true that when Robert developed cardiomyopathy his coronary arteries showed only minimal and clinically insignificant signs of coronary artery disease, consistent with what would be expected in a 69-year old man. Cardiomyopathy is a serious and progressive condition and was, I have been told, in Robert's case, caused by a viral infection. Though this condition significantly weakened his heart, its cause was clearly related to an infection and not his diet."

Zeromilediet

As others have suggested, it may be an imbalance of eletrolytes. I'm not really familiar with the atkins diet beyond it having specific stages ... but muscle cramps often signal a need for water or electrolytes in the muscle. Make sure you're well hydrated (1/2 oz per pound of body weight rule of thumb) and if you can, drink coconut water and homemade meat or chicken broths. Avoid or limit soda, and caffeinated drinks until things feel right with your body.

onedayillbeamilf

The first thing i'm going to say is this. Low carb should never be looked at as a diet, It should be looked at as a lifestyle. When the low carb lifestyle is embarked upon, there are several guidelines to be followed. True in the first two weeks you are restricting your carbs to levels that most people dont dare do on a regular basis but you are also switching your body into a mode to basically get a new source of calories, fat, protein, and carbs (those things that most call macronutrients). After that phase is over then you begin to add carbs at a slow pace to see how your body adjusts as well as to find your number of carbs that your body can take without making you store large quantities of water and salt. Alot of people that start the low carb lifestyle begin to gorge themselves on all the wrong types of foods and basically end up having to stop due to some issue or another. I have been on a variation of a low carb lifestyle for years now and through trial and error have figured out what works for me. The first thing you notice is that i say low carb lifestyle. For me that means that i drastically minimize the starchy food intake, the sugars, the breads, the sodium, the carbonated drinks and the high fatty foods. I havent had a slice of white bread in probably close to 3 years now. I havent bought a bag of sugar in more than 3 years. I simply dont eat rice, pasta and other starchy foods period. Again, like I say it's a lifestyle thing. If I want some chocolate candy or something sweet, I use splenda to sweeten it, and i'll buy sugar free chocolates or a natural chocolate from the health food store. I take my vitamins daily and I also use mirilax since i dont eat alot of the sweet sugary starchy carb loaded fruits! mostly berries melons and other low glycemic fruit. Any diet you get on the first thing you will lose is the massive pounds of water weight you have stored from the excess carbs and sugar stores in your body. EVERYBODY is like that. This happens no matter WHAT DIET you follow or attempt. After that period is over, then you go on to lose actual FAT. Not salt, Not water, but ACTUAL FAT. You simply do this by calorie restriction alone and coupled with exercise. Thats the magic bullet. (not so magical as everyone thinks) And everybody is different. YOu take someone who weighs 400 lbs and you can either have them lose 2lbs a week and eat smaller meals or have them lose 5-8 lbs a week because calorie wise it can happen. I chose the latter because the bottom line is that fewer calories loses real weight. But the smaller you get the more time it takes SIMPLY because of the calories difference between the much larger and much smaller person. If you can always keep in mind that a pound of actual fat weighs approximately 3500 calories. Then once you consistently have a negative calorie deficit of about 3500 calories then you should lose an actual pound of fat. that means if you only have a deficit of 500 calories a day, you will lose 1 lb of ACTUAL FAT in 7 days. It's that simple! If you want to lose more weight than that (which most of us do) then you have to either reduce your required maintenance calories by more than 500 or you have to exercise and work off some extra calories during EACH day. But you cant say i'm going to go on a diet and then in a week hope to lose 10 pounds of fat! in order to lose 10 pounds of actual fat you have to have a calorie reduction of 35,000 calories LESS THAN WHAT YOUR BODY NEEDS IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN IT'S CURRENT WEIGHT. So you can almost just by simply using my fitness pal determine how much of your weightloss is actual fat vs water. The water weight you can put on and take off by simply taking a nap or laying down or going to work but the actual fat.... When it's gone, IT'S GONE and the only way it's coming back is when you put on 3500 calories MORE THAN WHAT YOUR BODY NEEDS IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN ITS CURRENT WEIGHT!!!!
#enjoyYOUROWNProcess!!

Is there a cliffs notes version of this?

angieleighbyrd

I didn't do atkins but my grandfather did. He lost a crap ton of weight really fast.

Then got sick, went off of it, and gained it all back.

I say there is no point in dieting if you aren't going to commit to it for good. If you go back to your old eating habits you will gain back all your hard work.

Diets don't work.

Life changes do.

BuckeyeLife

The first thing i'm going to say is this. Low carb should never be looked at as a diet, It should be looked at as a lifestyle. When the low carb lifestyle is embarked upon, there are several guidelines to be followed. True in the first two weeks you are restricting your carbs to levels that most people dont dare do on a regular basis but you are also switching your body into a mode to basically get a new source of calories, fat, protein, and carbs (those things that most call macronutrients). After that phase is over then you begin to add carbs at a slow pace to see how your body adjusts as well as to find your number of carbs

LOTS OF MISSING TEXT THAT NO ONE WANTS TO REALLY READ BECAUSE IT IS SOMEONE GOING NONSTOP KIND OF LIKE THIS SENTENCE IT CAN BE REALLY ANNOYING AND IRRITATING TO READ NO MATTER HOW MUCH INFORMATION IS QUALITY OR NOT. #JustSayin

on and take off by simply taking a nap or laying down or going to work but the actual fat.... When it's gone, IT'S GONE and the only way it's coming back is when you put on 3500 calories MORE THAN WHAT YOUR BODY NEEDS IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN ITS CURRENT WEIGHT!!!!
#enjoyYOUROWNProcess!!

Is there a cliffs notes version of this?

I so LOL'ed at this reply. Love it.

nelnova

bump