Unexpected benefits of Atkins
Sarah_Wins
Posts: 936 Member
I've noticed I no longer need concealer to hide my under eye circles, they're gone! Also, my skin is much more hydrated and I only use moisturizer at night. My friends have commented that my hair looks healthier and shiny. Stabilizing my blood sugar has made me a much happier and friendlier person, and I'm no longer prone to depressive episodes. What other benefits have you noticed?
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My HAPPINESS has returned ! lol :bigsmile:0
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I'm doing more of a primal, lower-carb, gluten-free diet, not necessarily Atkins, but what I've noticed:
*no more bloating, gas, etc. (gluten! and if I have waaay too many carbs in general)
*stopped taking meds for acid reflux (after 8+ years)
*stopped taking birth control to HAVE a period - I have a normal, regular one on my own now (sorry if that's TMI!)
*stopped taking daily allergy meds (claritin for years)
*no more eczema flare-ups (gluten)
*no more of the occasional achy joints (gluten)
*I did better over the winter - usually I have symptoms of seasonal-affective disorder. Not sure if it was from being low-carb, or because I started taking D3 supplements (or both).0 -
I just feel so much better in my self, my hair seems to be growing much quicker than it ever has, and yes, my skin is better with hubby telling me im actually glowing
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I'm doing more of a primal, lower-carb, gluten-free diet, not necessarily Atkins, but what I've noticed:
*no more bloating, gas, etc. (gluten! and if I have waaay too many carbs in general)
*stopped taking meds for acid reflux (after 8+ years)
*stopped taking birth control to HAVE a period - I have a normal, regular one on my own now (sorry if that's TMI!)
*stopped taking daily allergy meds (claritin for years)
*no more eczema flare-ups (gluten)
*no more of the occasional achy joints (gluten)
*I did better over the winter - usually I have symptoms of seasonal-affective disorder. Not sure if it was from being low-carb, or because I started taking D3 supplements (or both).
Mine is the same as Shars all around except for the birth control (tubes tied)
Plus I have tons more energy, I do have to watch and make sure I am getting enough potassium though!0 -
I forgot about that, I have tons of energy now too. Never got all the complaints about low energy when ppl first start this, and figured they must be doing it wrong or not taking vitamins. I accidentally went off my supplements once and could barely make myself work out.0
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I always have been told I (since age 10) was Lactose Intolerance. Since going a modified Atkins/Low carb (aiming for btw 50-100 daily), where I cut out: breads, cereal, rice, potaotes and most of the high carb stuff (sugary).
Gone has been the daily stomach issues with what I ate.
I've been able to eat more CHEESE and other dairy (no pure milk, lactose or standard whey [not the isolate] - it still triggers issues).
I've had more energy, feel less hungry and feel better.
I've added several supplements - glucosmine, flax seed and others. And really notice if I stop them now.
I still get issues - if I get too much carbs (mainly grains/breads - I am leaning toward gluten intolerance as well as lactose).
The one day I ate something wrong... OMG!!! I suffered (4) hours of the worse lactose/gall bladder attacks I've had in MANY years.0 -
No gas, no emergency pooping, no sick feeling after I eat. Sooo much more energy! Not hungry every waking moment of the day!0
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I haven't lost the weight i wanted to. Thats why I started this. But the benefits.....
- definantly gas and all other bowel issues, gone!
- my yearning for sugar first thing in the morning, gone!
- hair better
- dont get that nagging hunger i use to get
- dont feel yuck when i look at myself, even though i weigh the same and clothes fit the same , (whats up with that?!)
so i would say it has MANY benefits!0 -
I definitely agree with everyone who says they have gotten rid of tummy issues since starting Atkins. I used to take antacids every night. I rarely need them now and I never have gas or bloating anymore either!0
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I've lost excess weight (need to still loose more)
Eczema flare ups are MUCH less frequent
Retaining muscle during fat loss
Better mood
Get sick less often (if it wasn't for having a 2 year old and other kids around probably wouldn't get sick at all)
Blood pressure is great as of last physical (112/66)
Reduction in silent reflux issue
Less sinus issues
Overall this is a lifestyle that I beleive in and will continue to do for the rest of my life. One of my biggest regrets was slipping back into a Standard American Diet after loosing weight years ago and being a real Atkins convert. Bad choices and stressful situations got the best of me.
Best thing ever recently was my physical this week and the doctor said "Whatever you are doing, keep doing and tell EVERYONE that you meet to do the same!"0 -
I am on low carb too - not really Atkins, just stay under 50 net carbs. I have noticed the following -
Less Pain - I have Fibromyalgia and I hurt a lot less than I did when eating a carb heavy diet
More Energy - if my kids would let me sleep through the night I might be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound
Less Hunger and no more insatiable cravings for SUGAR
More stamina - when riding horses, working out, etc
I sleep better
Less stomach issues
My skin and hair look FANTASTIC
I am losing weight - FINALLY after a year of trying, I am losing weight
I feel better in general - happier, more content, less mood swings
I didnt realize it until I read this thread by I have mild eczema and it too has cleared up. I never attributed it to the diet. DUH!
I dont feel bloated and HUGE all the time. I mean, I am a big girl, I have a way to go but before I FELT huge and sluggish. Not any more.
If I could get the thyroid straightened out too... well, who knows, I might actually feel WONDERFUL. 0 -
It has reminded me how much I love to cook again !! I'm firing up the bbq pit and steamer almost every night and teaching my son how much fun it is to create great food !!
It's a great tool to help my son learn true nutrition. He's now a label reader and I get so tickled when he yells in the grocery store "OMG, Mom...did you see the carbs in this ?? Yuck !!" He's 13, a great time to learn !0 -
It has reminded me how much I love to cook again !! I'm firing up the bbq pit and steamer almost every night and teaching my son how much fun it is to create great food !!
It's a great tool to help my son learn true nutrition. He's now a label reader and I get so tickled when he yells in the grocery store "OMG, Mom...did you see the carbs in this ?? Yuck !!" He's 13, a great time to learn !
LOL! My kids do that, too!
And they play an annoying game every night at the dinner table....mommy can't have this...mommy can have this, but she can't have that! Glad they are aware of my diet, though, and some of the nutrition stuff is sinking in, too.
After doing Atkin's for almost a year, here's what I noticed:
--my nightly heartburn completely went away with in the first 2 weeks.
--my blood pressure dropped..I check myself every week, and am consistently well with in the normal range.
--my snoring, which caused my husband to wear earplugs every night, is not so loud. *when I cheated for Mother's Day, he said I snored like a train, so it must have something to do with the sugar or processed foods I ate that day
--I'm rarely sick.
--tons of energy
--my skin looks healthy and glows--I've received a lot of compliments
--rarely hungry
--besides the usual inconvenience, I barely notice my period (i.e. cramps, mood swings)
--I'm sleeping soundly through the night, where I used to wake up 3-4 times a night.
How is everyone NOT eating low-carb? Why is Atkins still considered a fad after all the positive results? I want to shout it from the roof tops!0 -
How is everyone NOT eating low-carb? Why is Atkins still considered a fad after all the positive results? I want to shout it from the roof tops!
Unfortunately the stigma began with the original layout of Dr Atkin's method. It was eat until you were content off the meats, fats, select list of vegetables and such.
Then they revised the plan - which to be honest I think was a mistake. But, I believe there is more to the revised Atkins plan than what has been made public IMHO. I wont go into great detail because of the political connections our food industry has (big corporations, Monsanto, 'those' types) because its a very dirty subject in my mind... but, Im a firm believer that anything that doesnt mirror the 'ideal concepts' is considered a direct threat.
Too many people (a good chunk of MFP members) think Atkins is nothing more than eating prepackaged Atkins bars and stuff. The real Atkins program (first gen) never had that. It was real food.
New Gen-Atkins incorporates (per their website) prepackaged foods with a healthy menu- you go through phases of cleaning the body and slowly integrating other types of natural foods that contain the less-than desirable carbohydrates....
First-Gen Atkins, primal, paleo, 'low carb' - its all in the same family but with a few minor differences... the one thing this group does have in common is that it is widely accepted in the medical community. Its about healthier, cleaner food options minus the hub-bub of junk.
There are many medical problems that are being treated with dietary changes that follow those food-related styles as part of the treatment and care of a patient.
And.... if it was so freaking bad, why the hell is MFP allowing it? They allow it because it is a safe, medically-recognized formula recognized by the medical community for dietary intakes/changes. THAT is what the high-horse riders of MFP refuse to acknowledge.
If I were to describe tonight's dinner (05/19/2012), its going to be fresh gahhhlicky chicken breast tenders, melted mozzarella cheese, a homemade basil pesto on top, served with oven-roasted vegetables and a side of spaghetti squash with fresh herbs. If I left it as that on any other thread on MFP, there would be people who would definitely say "WOW that sounds good!"... but, if I were to add "I have a great low-carb meal planned for tonight.. its gonna be ........yadda yadda yadda" - insert that meal, there would be holy hell to pay because I am willingly withholding pasta, rice, corn, breads and such....moderation police would be at-arms, etc....
Ive often began a thread where Ive said "...now before the moderation police come and tell me differently, Ive got medical issues going on that warrant a different dietary intake so please dont ruin this by attacking me".... thankfully they havent attacked.. but its pretty pathetic that I have to do that because I know, 'it' will happen.0 -
How is everyone NOT eating low-carb? Why is Atkins still considered a fad after all the positive results? I want to shout it from the roof tops!
If I were to describe tonight's dinner (05/19/2012), its going to be fresh gahhhlicky chicken breast tenders, melted mozzarella cheese, a homemade basil pesto on top, served with oven-roasted vegetables and a side of spaghetti squash with fresh herbs. If I left it as that on any other thread on MFP, there would be people who would definitely say "WOW that sounds good!"... but, if I were to add "I have a great low-carb meal planned for tonight.. its gonna be ........yadda yadda yadda" - insert that meal, there would be holy hell to pay because I am willingly withholding pasta, rice, corn, breads and such....moderation police would be at-arms, etc....
Ive often began a thread where Ive said "...now before the moderation police come and tell me differently, Ive got medical issues going on that warrant a different dietary intake so please dont ruin this by attacking me".... thankfully they havent attacked.. but its pretty pathetic that I have to do that because I know, 'it' will happen.
I know what you're talking about. My dinner last night was salad with parmesan cheese, tomato's, onions and ranch dressing, a side of grilled yellow peppers, and an 8 ounce sirloin.0 -
I know what you're talking about. My dinner last night was salad with parmesan cheese, tomato's, onions and ranch dressing, a side of grilled yellow peppers, and an 8 ounce sirloin.
Talk dirty to me woman!
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--my snoring, which caused my husband to wear earplugs every night, is not so loud. *when I cheated for Mother's Day, he said I snored like a train, so it must have something to do with the sugar or processed foods I ate that day
Interesting, this is the first time I've heard a low-carber mention this. Anyone else have this happen?
I had an ex that snored like a freight train....even through a CPAP! :noway:0 -
No gas, no emergency pooping, no sick feeling after I eat. Sooo much more energy! Not hungry every waking moment of the day!
The "emergency pooping" literally made me LOL! It's true though; especially for anyone taking Metformin - lowering the carbs seriously reduces the tummy upset. I've been on about 80-100 carbs a day but, today, I got as high as 175 and I paid for it. It's amazing to look back and think that I use to eat at least the RDA of 300 and probably even more (I was a carb junkie); it's no wonder my stomach was always tore up and I ate Tums and drank Pepto-Bismal by the bottle.0 -
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How is everyone NOT eating low-carb? Why is Atkins still considered a fad after all the positive results? I want to shout it from the roof tops!
Funny you should say that. I've often said I feel like I've discovered the secret that the whole world seems to be looking for. Health and weight loss the EASY WAY! Yeah, that's right, I do find this pretty darn easy now. Newbies, you'll get it soon.0 -
Atkins induction cured my restless leg syndrome. Low carbing healed about half of the spider veins on my face. And, after two years of low carbing, this was the first time in 30 years that I didn't get spring allergies, and therefore, the first time in thirty years that I have not taken allergy medicine. My body is slowly healing.0
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Atkins induction cured my restless leg syndrome. Low carbing healed about half of the spider veins on my face. And, after two years of low carbing, this was the first time in 30 years that I didn't get spring allergies, and therefore, the first time in thirty years that I have not taken allergy medicine. My body is slowly healing.
That's great news! Low carb is starting to make a come back and more and more people are seeing benefits and getting healthier with it.0 -
Atkins induction cured my restless leg syndrome. Low carbing healed about half of the spider veins on my face. And, after two years of low carbing, this was the first time in 30 years that I didn't get spring allergies, and therefore, the first time in thirty years that I have not taken allergy medicine. My body is slowly healing.
That's great!! My allergies actually seem to be linked to wheat/gluten. Even if I still have a little and stay LC, I start sneezing!! But low-carb is what helped me figure this out.0
