Atkins curious

Qskim

My MIL has been on the Atkins diet for 20 years...off, gain, on, lose, off, gain, on, lose...she still insists it works....when she's on it.

islandbeez

I was on the Keto Diet not that long ago which is were Atkins comes from except Keto has High Fat/Protein intake were as Atkins is low Fat.

Actually Atkins is not low fat. The ratio generally aimed for is 60/30/10 of fat/protein/carbs. Atkins advises staying away from anything labled as "low fat" and to make sure you are getting it from your healthier sources and not say, eating a pound of bacon (too bad )

As far as the calorie intake goes, I find it so hard to get over 1200 because I am always so FULL! It's amazing how you feel after eliminating processed foods.

I just made an AMAZING deep dish keto pizza. I could barely finish a slice!

tj1127

I was on the Keto Diet not that long ago which is were Atkins comes from except Keto has High Fat/Protein intake were as Atkins is low Fat.

I have been on Atkins for quite some time, it is the most misunderstood diet out there. It is NOT low fat! In fact it is high fat and is considered a ketogenic diet known to be good for diabetics, and has been more recently used by a select few physicians for patients suffering from autism and ADD!

The problem is that almost everyone reads only part of the plan... The induction phase. That is intended to be a short term boost to the beginning of your weight loss and restricts almost all carbs! In the beginning books and the descriptions of the diet the induction phase of the plan allowed for 20 carbs a day. High protien, high fat and low carb foods such as , all beef, chicken,poultry , eggs, cheese (4 oz.) and 1 cup of greens was allowed. That was recommended for two weeks and wasn't hard to do because the proteins and fat made you feel satisfied. As the book evolved and descriptions were revised, induction changed to state 20 NET CARBS , (total carb gram count minus fiber grams and sugar alcohol grams) ... The diet is still successful. Many people think that the induction phase is all there is, but after the two week induction it is up to the participant if they wish to continue the induction plan (this is where people get bored or discouraged) to lose weight more rapidly, or move on to the next phase which allows added vegetables, fruits, and grains. Oh but don't stop there! Once you have SLOWLY added different foods to your menus you are able to identify what triggers a gain... And cut it back until you continue to lose weight (there are actually several "rungs" on the ladder of foods listed for each step (food) that you add, but these are all within the "On Going Weightloss" or OWL segment). In the third and final phase of the diet is where you have basically learned your triggers, learned how to balance your intake between proteins, fats, and carbs ( the prior phase basically teaches you about the good carbs) and are "free" to maintain your newly modified way of eating. In effect, as with all diets, it's behavior modification. With ANY plan if you go back to the way you are eating Today... You will gain.

Atkins has worked well for me in the past (lost 65 pounds and kept it off with NO trouble for two years. Happened to start dating and eventually marry a guy that HAD TO HAVE bread and potatoes at every meal... Both were my trigger foods and after a couple of years I had gained back my weight. Other life events took over, but I got back on track last April and have gone from 185 to 150 and maintained at 150 for the past 6 months. I am now cutting back again after being off induction for almost 11 months, and am hoping to lose to 130 by June. I don't think I will have any trouble, but if you read my profile, you will see that I have concerns that I havent lost while working ou over the past 6 months. Maybe it's muscle, but I don't know!

Starting weight : 185 lbs Joined Fitness Pal at: 175lbs and haven't been on here!
Current weight: 150lbs
Height: 5'2"
Pant size: 4-6 regular or 6-8 petite depending on brand. (was size 12-14 in 2010)
Blouse size: 12. (previously 14-16)
Bra size: 34E or 36 DD. (previously 38 DDD or 38 G)

Vailara

I did it years ago. It was definitely not low fat in those days! I always had cream and butter in the fridge .

Pros:
I didn't get any of the supposed side effects like bad breath or constipation and felt good on it.
I liked the food and it "felt" much healthier than it sounds. I ate a lot of salads and stirfries, with meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, olive oil, butter, cream in my tea, berries, seeds, nuts.
I did lose weight.

Cons:
It reduced my appetite so was eating at a calorie deficit anyway, and I suppose that was the reason for the weight loss.
It wasn't always the greatest diet to manage socially and for family eating (I'd still have to cook carb foods then not eat them).
If I went out for a meal, I was often paying for a lot of carbs I couldn't eat.
The food tended to be expensive and involve a lot of home cooking! (Although you could get by without that).

I stopped because I was advised to (I had PMS and at the time I was advised to eat a high carb diet). I slowly put the weight back on.

I wouldn't use it again because I'm more interested in finding something that I can keep up for life. Some people do manage to keep up low carb for life, but I think it's more difficult than some diets to maintain.

jules1202

Atkins gets a really bad rap and its not justified IMHO. I have always been a carb addict and Atkins taught me some key things about food. The #1 being that fat wasn't the enemy I had always been told it was. This opened up the door to alot of healthy foods that I had previously thought were off limits. After the first week of adjusting my body ran better on an atkins style diet (lots of energy, good mood, no constipation) . The problem with it is that its hard to maintain because its so different from how we eat in the US and its more expensive to maintain.

BTW I eased out of Atkins when I stopped (maybe that is the difference from others experience?) so I did not gain back when I stopped and kept the weight off for years. If it wasn't for the cost and having two kids in the house to also feed I would go with Atkins again so instead I am following the South Beach diet. It focuses on healthy carbs and healthy fats.

spm2010

I think those that gain the weight back after getting off are mostly the people who run out and fill their plate with bread and pasta, you have to ease back into it slowly or of course you'll gain the weight back. I've been on it 3 days, no constipation, cravings are going away, no bad breath and I can actually sleep at night, which never happens. The usually to do list at 3am lol

Vailara

That wasn't the case for me. I wasn't eating loads after Atkins, but the appetite suppressing effect of Atkins had meant that I was eating about 1400 calories a day while on it. I naturally ate more when I stopped the diet and lost that effect.

martinah4

To me, the benefits outweigh the difficulty with Atkins. I feel better, more energetic. I'm never hungry. I don't crave junk food. I've found places I can go out to eat that support low-carb diets--several burger chains offer a low-carb option without the bun and "special sauces" or ketchup--so I can eat with my family. My snoring has subsided. My heart burn/acid reflux has disappeared completely. My calories rarely go over 1700 a day, and I'm doing good to get them up to 1500 on some days. I give myself several cheat periods a year (my birthday, Christmas, Thanksgiving), and I immediately feel bloated and hungry after eating the sugars and refined carbs. For me, Atkins is a solid Win!