what about atkins diet?

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  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
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    I lost about 75lbs on the adkins diet, then gained 90+ when i went off of it. Not saying it is not effective, but it is not for me.
  • MusicInMyHeart
    MusicInMyHeart Posts: 179
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    Please do not consider doing this diet. I'm living proof that it does not work. I was on the Atkins kick for 3 months and dropped 40lbs for a vacation to the Bahamas. As soon as I returned I gained it all back and an extra 20lbs.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
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    Do u think it workS? did anyone try it? please tell me your stories!

    Oh my gosh. horror story here. I've lost and gained on it several times, eat time I gained I was higher than previous.

    Diets like those are not sustainable and I found they hurt me in the long run, delayed my success.

    These were the diets I tried and failed and did the diet yo-yo with for 15 years:

    Low fat high carb, Slim-Fast, Weight Watchers, Atkins, Organic, Weston Price Diet, The Schwarzbein Principle, Eat Fat Lose Fat, The Ultimate PH Solution, The Makers Diet, A friends diet from a personal trainer/dietician

    I finally just got sick of it all and made up my own diet with healthy foods I enjoy and smaller portions. I ate my meals from small desert plates and bowls. I stopped eating in the evenings (not that when you eat matters.) I started calling what I did mini-meals and mini-fasts and I lost 40 lbs. Then I found Eat Stop Eat and learned why it worked and everything took off for me at that point.

    Eat what you want, eat what you like, mostly healthy. Don’t deprive yourself of foods you love unless there is a serious health risk. Depriving yourself of food you love and creating extensive good food and bad food lists at some point borders on a mental disorder. It will drive you insane.

    This is why on the login page to MFP it says eat what you want. That is what it's all about. A calorie budget. No more good foods and bad foods. You want to eat as healthy as you can because it makes you feel better and perform better, and makes you healthier. There are a bunch of tricks and clean eating; reducing sugar (especially HFCS), fiber, white flour vs whole grain, low carb, low fat, on and on. All that matters is calories for weight loss. If you need to eat a certain way for health reasons or to feel better do it, but extensive good food and bad food lists will drive you insane at some point, it’s a constantly moving target. Just eat what you like, mostly healthy, mostly balanced, within a calorie budget. We all know what healthy is by now, just do it.

    All that matters is calories. A healthy balanced diet within a calorie budget for a deficit that is right for YOU is all that matters for weight loss. Don't make it complicated.

    Wishing you the best! Bobbie
  • jcr85
    jcr85 Posts: 229
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    Funny how people lose all that weight and say it doesnt work because when you go off it you gain all the weight back. That doesnt mean the diet doesnt work it means you dont work right once you stop the diet.
  • JenniTheVeggie
    JenniTheVeggie Posts: 2,474 Member
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    I am a firm believer in whatever works for YOU. I do lower carb. Basically I cut out junky carbs and processed garbage. You have to think of it as a lifestyle not diet.
  • Wendysworld13
    Wendysworld13 Posts: 225 Member
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    From personal experience - Atkins works really well the first time you do it. If you are strick about it you can lose easily and quickly and you throw lots of ketones - must be careful if you have any kidney issues at all. If you stry you will gain weight back and because it is very restrictive it is hard to go again.

    My recommendation is to try to make some lifestyle changes you can live with - ie, cut out refined whites (white sugar, white breads, white rice, white flour, white pasta). By adding whole grains and less refined food products you can truly lose weight without deleting any necessary component from your diet - Carbs are in MANY things, and thou cannot live on fats and proteins alone!

    Good Luck
  • RobynMWilson
    RobynMWilson Posts: 1,540 Member
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    Lose the term "diet". Sure you will lose weight but will you keep it off for good? I never agreed with "diets" or any eating plan that eliminates an entire food group. I have a busy life...I need carbs for energy, but healthy carbs.
  • kaervaak
    kaervaak Posts: 274 Member
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    Very bad for long term; your body will not be getting adequate nutrition. You really need vegetables and fruit in your daily diet to get adequate nutrition; also you can really harm your liver with Adkins...

    Being on Atkins actually should cause you to eat a lot more veggies. If you're doing it right you should eat high fiber cruciferous veggies with every meal. Spinach, lettuce, broccoli, kale, asparagus, brussel sprouts, bean sprouts, cabbage etc should be absolute staples in a low carb diet. Your body doesn't process fiber in the same way that it processes other carbs, so the fiber in veggies should not be counted in your daily carb intake.

    There's no danger to your liver with low carb diets unless you also drastically increase your heavy metal intake, please cite a source for that info.
  • Steve_Runs
    Steve_Runs Posts: 443 Member
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    I don't know how anyone can say they have lived on it for years. You can't continually keep yourself in ketosis! I don't believe it is healthy at all. I did it 12 years ago and I swear, it took me 10 years to enjoy eggs again!
  • speedgraphic19
    speedgraphic19 Posts: 36
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    It CAN work, but a lot of people don't function well on a low-carb diet and you can get sick etc. Maintenance is also really hard and impractical on a highly restrictive diet like Atkins. I wouldn't recommend it, personally.
  • micneg01
    micneg01 Posts: 147 Member
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    @ Liawlliams - please read The China Study by T Colin Campbell before starting Akins.
  • HansTied
    HansTied Posts: 81 Member
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    Tried it many years ago. I easily lost 50 lbs and developed Gout. My Dr. told me it was directly linked to the high protein diet and had me get off it. Unfortunately, once you have gout. It is there forever. If you do decide to go that route, a lot of suppliments could help avoid my outcome. Careful research with a medical professional would be the best assurance of health and success. Best wishes.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Atkins is dangerous. If you want to lose weight AND be healthy, eat more fruits and vegetables.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    @ Liawlliams - please read The China Study by T Colin Campbell before starting Akins.
    I second this.
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    @ Liawlliams - please read The China Study by T Colin Campbell before starting Akins.

    But before you waste your precious time, go read Denise Minger's dismantling of it ...

    http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/07/07/the-china-study-fact-or-fallac/
  • mohanj
    mohanj Posts: 381 Member
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    I saw 2 people doing it and failing. My brother did it for a few months and lost lot of weight but gained all that weight back and more. My boss did it just for a few days and she collapsed while in the office.. We had to take her to the emergency and the doctors told us the cause of her collapse was because her potassium level down. Any restrict diet will have an adverse effect on the body and not a long term solution.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    @ Liawlliams - please read The China Study by T Colin Campbell before starting Akins.

    But before you waste your precious time, go read Denise Minger's dismantling of it ...

    http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/07/07/the-china-study-fact-or-fallac/
    T Colin Campbell is a lot more qualified to talk to the subject of nutrition than Denise Minger. He has worked in the field of nutrition for over 50 years, is very well respected, and is also a healthy person in his 70's. He cites more than 750 references in the book, including hundreds of scientific publications from other researchers.
  • liawilliams123
    liawilliams123 Posts: 24
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    got it!! NO diet! cut calories and eat whatever you want! but not much processed food!
  • jmk6500
    jmk6500 Posts: 2 Member
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    I hate it when people knock Atkins and say it doesn't work. Any diet works - you just have to stay on it!!!! There is no way out of it, you start eating the way you did before and you will gain it back. It doesn't matter if you go on Weight Watchers, South Beach, or Atkins. My husband and I have followed a diet similar to Atkins for 8 months now and have lost almost 50 lbs each. It works. What we do like best about eating low carb is you lose your cravings! Once you go a week or two without bread and pasta or sweets, you just forget about it. You really can get along and you really enjoy your protein and vegetables. There are a lot of great ways to fix protein and vegetables. We grill a lot! Linda's Low Carb Recipes have some good ideas too. We don't go nuts on all the cream cheese though, but there are still some good ideas. We have Mission Low Carb Tortillas once a day, but at the beginning we didn't even have that. We just stay away from starches and sweets. We do still have a drink once in a while, but no soda in it or sweet mixer. I also made the decision to eliminate diet pop/tea and all that. I felt all those artifical sweeteners were not helping me. I also keep track of calories with this website. We try to keep it around 1400. We walk and if I burn 200, I then can eat about 1600. So, we keep calories to about 1400 (without exercise) and keep the carbs down. You don't have to be as strict as Adkins, but believe me if you do stay away from pasta and bread, you will feel so much better! They just weight you down and make you feel sluggish. Once you get them in your system, you will just crave more. Read the Wheat Belly Diet. That is all true about wheat. It is not good for you. There are so many good ways to fix vegetables, meat, fish, and eggs - go for it. My health statistics have improved - my doctor is so pleased. She eats Paeblo, so she says nothing is wrong with the way I am eating. Whatever you do, if you start eating bad again, you will gain. You have to change your ways - it has taken me a long time to realize that. I have lost weight many times and I am hoping this time I can learn how to maintain. Just as hard as dieting.
  • fit4lifeUcan2
    fit4lifeUcan2 Posts: 1,458 Member
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    I tried it a few years ago and it made me feel very sick. I had no energy, had the jitters, had horrible abdominal pain and to top it off it made my breath stink really bad. I did it along with a few of my friends and they all had the same experiences so we all quit doing it. We did lose weight in the beginning but after that nothing. I think we all stuck it out together for 3 months and couldn't take it anymore. I then went on LA weight loss which started with 2 weeks of atkins diet and then moved onto slowly add other foods. I swear I would gag at the thought of eating so much protein. NEVER again!

    I've lost weight better and faster by just eating healthier, watching how much I eat and counting calories. I drink only water and my 2 cups of coffee in the morning. I never cared for pasta so thats not an issue for me. My problem was with those damn cheese puffs lol. Thats my kryptonite along with other salty crispy crunchy snacks.

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