Atkins diet

NewTnme

I was looking for veiws on the atkins diet? I hear people often say low carb, more protein is the way to go, but is Atkins too extreme?

toomuchbootyindapants

Too restrictive. Eat in moderation, in a deficit, and you will lose weight.

craigineson

Atkins done properly isn't too extreme. The whole dietary regime is about resetting your blood sugar in the first week by eating ketogenic levels of carbohydrates (less than 20g), which can more than accomodate plenty of leafy green vegetables and salad.

The next few weeks are dedicated to learning your personal carbohydrate tolerance - That is, the amount of carbohydrates you can eat to lose, maintain, or gain weight.

Done properly, it can be very balanced. Done badly, you can end up causing a lot of problems.

Eat plenty of:

Saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and fish oils

via Meat, fish, eggs, nuts (particularly almonds), oils, leafy green veg.

If you're going to drink alcohol, wait until you're out of ketosis carbohydrate ranges and enjoy red wine or clear 40%+ spirits with a diet mixer.

Avoid:

Polyunsatuarated fats (they're inflammatory, suppress immune function, and promote cell mutation due to their chemical instability), hydrogenated fats, and man-made trans fats.

Carbohydrates, whether simple or complex (same thing, all sugar), artificial sweeteners.

You'll feel like a new person after your induction phase. Good luck!


EDIT: I should clear up one point - I say avoid polyunsaturated fats, meanwhile advocating eating plenty of fish (fish oil being, primarily, polyunsaturated in nature). There's two main forms of polyunsaturated fats, omega 3 and omega 6, which is a description of where the double bonds are IIRC. Omega 3 are anti-inflammatory and omega 6 is inflammatory. Too much omega 6, a symptom of the modern diet, can cause all manner of problems. Omega 3 on the other hand, being anti-inflammatory in nature, is the antagonist to omega 6 oils. Most foods contain omega 6, not omega 3, and this means that the O3:O6 ratio is not preferable for good health. As such, increasing consumption of O3 through, meanwhile avoiding "polyunsaturated fats" (read: Omega 6), means that ratio will become more favourable for good health.

NewTnme

Wow!! Craigineson Thanks alot!!!:happy:

chl823

I definitely DON"T like it. Several years ago my husband and I did this together. He lost weight much faster than me but he always does. When we went without many of the foods we use to eat we became very quick tempered. I think after 6 weeks we could have hurt one another. 2 years ago my doctor reccomended the South Beach diet. I did this as well as walking everyday. I lost over 22 pounds in six months doing this. Now I am using this fitness pal and learning how to eat and exercising.

ninerbuff

If you like carbs, then don't do it.

Weight loss comes down to calorie deficit. Learning to do it with a lifestyle change you can live with is the challenge.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

NewTnme

Thank u soo much for all your help

Ral263

If you like carbs, then don't do it.

Weight loss comes down to calorie deficit. Learning to do it with a lifestyle change you can live with is the challenge.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Well said. I can't eat grains/starchy vegetables because they are really hard to digest (for me), so it's not worth it to me to eat them. So, a low carb diet (maybe not necessarily atkins) works well for me. I eat lots of lean protein, lots of vegetables, and limit my fruit to berries. I feel best when I eat like this-- may not be the case for everyone, so choose something that works for you and is realistic for you as a LIFEtime change, not just a short term fix.

cmriverside

I think there are aspects of the Atkins plan that are good.

I don't think you ever have to go as low in carbs as the intial stage of Atkins suggests.

I do think limiting carbs in some reasonable fashion is beneficial.

I do best with my Macros set at 45%Fat/ 30%Carb/ 25%Protein. But it took me a couple years to come to this.

To me, higher fat and protein leads to greater satiety. 30%Carbs is just right. I'm happiest and feel best there. MFP wants you at 55%Carbs.....that's too high for me.

Find your Sweet Spot.

Bigbobhatley

I have been doing Atkins for almost 5 weeks and lost 14 lbs so far. It seems to work for myself. I started getting tired of the plain meat, so I bought the cookbook. There is alot recipes that are great tasting. You also eat lots of veggies. I'm still around 20- 25 net carbs and still under 1800 calories. I'm down to 322 pds.

corneredbycorn

I think there are aspects of the Atkins plan that are good.

I don't think you ever have to go as low in carbs as the intial stage of Atkins suggests.

I do think limiting carbs in some reasonable fashion is beneficial.

I do best with my Macros set at 45%Fat/ 30%Carb/ 25%Protein. But it took me a couple years to come to this.

To me, higher fat and protein leads to greater satiety. 30%Carbs is just right. I'm happiest and feel best there. MFP wants you at 55%Carbs.....that's too high for me.

Find your Sweet Spot.

I completely agree with this. Find your sweet spot. For some people, that may be high carb low fat. For others that may be high fat low carb. The former doesn't work for me. I can't eat that many carbs and, when I try, I feel miserable and I certainly don't lose weight. My sweet spot is 50/25/25 fat/protein/carb. It gives me wiggle room for my favorite carbs if I plan for it, but most of my carbs come from whole, unrefined sources like vegetables and fruit.

suzanneh197

My opinion on the whole low carb with either atkins or south beach is that when you start incorporating carbs back into your diet you can weight back and it becomes a vicous cycle that never ends! Take it from me I have done all the low carb quick fixes and yes initially it works and you do lose some weight however, it did not help my mindless eating habit I have so it didn't work. Counting calories is hard too but it is teaching me how to eat in moderation. Although I don't do the atkins I do try and stay away from white flours and sugar and just try to eat whole grains and berries for fruit (they have lower sugar). Either diet we choose will take willpower and discipline but good luck with etiher!