Atkins - Does it work? How much did you lose on Induction?
skimpyskimp
Posts: 44
Just wondering what's everyone's verdict on Atkins? I plan to use Atkins until I reach my goal weight and then to follow the Zone for maintenance.
I'm 5ft2, currently weigh just under 140lbs and want to get under 120lbs. Heaviest weight was around 175lbs.
Can anyone share their weight loss progress using Atkins?
I'm 5ft2, currently weigh just under 140lbs and want to get under 120lbs. Heaviest weight was around 175lbs.
Can anyone share their weight loss progress using Atkins?
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Replies
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TDEE - 20% = You can still eat carbs! wooohooo!0
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huge mistake DO NOT DO IT!0
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My in-laws did Atkins. First of all, have you read the book? To do it right you're supposed to take tons of vitamins and supplements. I don't personally know anyone who's kept the weight off with it, but I'm sure there are people out there.0
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I did Atkins about 15 years ago and did have success with it while I was on it. I lost 60lbs in about 9 months, however I did not feeI good the whole time I was on the diet. I have since gained back the weight (plus more), and will not try it again for several reasons:
The moment you go back to regular eating, the weight starts creeping back on
It is not a healthy diet for the long term
Your breath is HORRIBLE! its the excess ketones, and entering into a fat-burning state of ketosis
The lack of carbs caused severe headaches for me
Sleeplessness
I was extremely tired all the time
The only thing I can say is if you do go on it, go short term. I lost about 20lbs the first month, so if I had it to do over I would have switched to a healthier diet at that time to continue my weight loss. The diet is high is fat and animal proteins which has been linked to many health problems later in life. This time around I'm focusing on a healthy BALANCED diet, and a change in my eating habits, hopefully it will last long term.
Good luck in what ever diet you decide to do.0 -
Don't do it! Yes the weight melts off. But it comes back!. Atkins is something that you have to commit to. Low carbing for life (and I just couldn't do it love bread too much). It works for some people. It didn't work for me. Low carbing really messed with my mind - but that was just my experience.0
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hi,
It will work however this is a start up diet. Once you stop the diet and haven't made significant changes then the weight will comeback. I used Abs Diet as my starter diet. Just start planning for what is next after that. If you want the healthy body for the long run understand that you have to make the changes for life.0 -
Honestly, if you want to do Zone for maintenance I would just start doing that now. It's really tricky to transition off of low carb without gaining weight, and since you have relatively little to lose to begin with, it might be demoralizing to immediately put back on some weight as you re-fill your glycogen stores.0
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ANY DIET works if followed. Staying on it after goal is the challenge. Personally I've never done one (with the exception for competitions) that kept me restricted from foods I like to eat. And that's why I've basically been the same size for 30 years now.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
as others have said, unless you're going to do it for the rest of your life then i would find another method. my mother had great success and keeps the weight off as long as she stays away from carbs. it's important to note as well that she still ate at a deficit and exercised in addition to the lifestyle change.0
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All right, I'll be the one proponent of Atkins on this thread.
Atkins works, and it works long term if you stick to the plan. It is perfectly healthy to eat this way, as I have been for more than 2 years.
Please go out and buy yourself a copy of the book and read it. A good book is Atkins Essentials. Very handy.
My advice:
Follow the plan, work your way up the "carb ladder", until you get to the final phase which is (in a nutshell) finding the foods that you can eat that will help you maintain your goal weight. For a lot of people this is very similar to the South Beach diet, and actually even less strict.
The replies above seem to mostly be hearsay, and not all of it is factual or true.
Another suggestion is to find some low-carb or Atkins groups on here, and join them. There are thousands of people who following a low-carb/Atkins diet who are very successful and can help you with questions and menus.
Again...and most important...read the book and stick to the plan! Good luck!0 -
My DJ/Close friend was obsessed with this diet, he lost big and then when he came off it would eventually put it back on. He then switched over to calorie counting after my boss lost big on it, he has since lost 2 stone and says he hasn't felt so great in his life and refuses to ever go back to Atkins diet and I mean he was obsessed with this diet.0
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ANY DIET works if followed. Staying on it after goal is the challenge. Personally I've never done one (with the exception for competitions) that kept me restricted from foods I like to eat. And that's why I've basically been the same size for 30 years now.
^^ this. Any "diet" works but they don't last very long.0 -
ANY DIET works if followed. Staying on it after goal is the challenge. Personally I've never done one (with the exception for competitions) that kept me restricted from foods I like to eat. And that's why I've basically been the same size for 30 years now.
^^ this. Any "diet" works but they don't last very long.
This is true. You have to have the mind-set of making it a life-style change. Of COURSE if I go back to eating the way I ate before (which is why I put on the weight to begin with), I will put the weight back on. When I quit doing Weight Watchers, I gained my lost weight back.0 -
All right, I'll be the one proponent of Atkins on this thread.
Atkins works, and it works long term if you stick to the plan. It is perfectly healthy to eat this way, as I have been for more than 2 years.
Please go out and buy yourself a copy of the book and read it. A good book is Atkins Essentials. Very handy.
My advice:
Follow the plan, work your way up the "carb ladder", until you get to the final phase which is (in a nutshell) finding the foods that you can eat that will help you maintain your goal weight. For a lot of people this is very similar to the South Beach diet, and actually even less strict.
The replies above seem to mostly be hearsay, and not all of it is factual or true.
Another suggestion is to find some low-carb or Atkins groups on here, and join them. There are thousands of people who following a low-carb/Atkins diet who are very successful and can help you with questions and menus.
Again...and most important...read the book and stick to the plan! Good luck!
I did Atkins years ago and it worked for me wonderfully (lost nearly 20 pounds just in the Induction phase - which was a lot different then than it is in the new book, from what I understand). However, I did not learn to eat better for life, which is what I am doing now with my calorie counting. Since I did not learn any new skills (besides low carbs), I eventually regained all the weight with my bad eating habits. I think low carb is great for some people if you can stick to it (I clearly could not). I think you can do it if you are thinking about gaining those skills while you do it so you can sustain the losses (but I do not think it is necessary...). Best of luck to you.0 -
I did it years ago and lost 30 pounds but quickly gained it back ( and more )0
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It works, but I don't do it anymore because it was not sustainable for me.
Google sugar free sheila for a site about a girl that has lost and maintained it for several years. She has lots of free and useful info.0 -
I had a friend that did Atkins..her breath smelt rank and anything she lost..she put right back on.0
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I follow a low carb approach (not any in particular, just low carb so my sugar cravings stay away as well as my blood sugar stays consistent as I'm insulin resistant) I ALSO count calories, because no matter what you eat you can not lose weight if you're eating too much of it. I believe this gives me an edge because I do learn portion control and I also learn which carbs affect me more negatively (sweet potatoe is much better than wonderbread :P)
I lost a fair bit the first couple of weeks, 7lbs but the rest seems to come off about 1lbs/week. I eat about 1800 on days I"m not active to about 2000 on days which I am. Seems to work just fine for me and I am learning a lot about myself in the process. I don't expect to gain anything back even when I add in more carbs because I will still be eating aroung 1800 calories/day. The bottom line is no matter what you choose, too many calories is going to undermine your efforts so evne though Atkins says not to count calories I would count them based on your TDEE -20,15,10% whatever.0 -
I did atkins for 2 months last year June. I lost 2 stone is two months and after the induction felt great......BUT i started eating properly and i have put on 3 stone! So i am heavier now than i was before. It is a really boring diet and does drain you out of your energy for about a week. The food is very repetitive and there is a lots of fat involved which is not good for you. I would not recommend that diet to anyone, but it is your own choice. If you have anymore questions, ask.0
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I follow a low carb approach (not any in particular, just low carb so my sugar cravings stay away as well as my blood sugar stays consistent as I'm insulin resistant) I ALSO count calories, because no matter what you eat you can not lose weight if you're eating too much of it. I believe this gives me an edge because I do learn portion control and I also learn which carbs affect me more negatively (sweet potatoe is much better than wonderbread :P)
I lost a fair bit the first couple of weeks, 7lbs but the rest seems to come off about 1lbs/week. I eat about 1800 on days I"m not active to about 2000 on days which I am. Seems to work just fine for me and I am learning a lot about myself in the process. I don't expect to gain anything back even when I add in more carbs because I will still be eating aroung 1800 calories/day. The bottom line is no matter what you choose, too many calories is going to undermine your efforts so evne though Atkins says not to count calories I would count them based on your TDEE -20,15,10% whatever.
Basically this ^
I'm also low carbing at the mo because a) I know I'm pre-diabetic and low carbing seems to be the only way I can lose right now and b) I can't do 'no' carbs.
I've done Atkins before and quite honestly I just felt toxic the whole time, same with Dukan which has you no carbing for the first week and then alternate days with no veg etc. I love me my veg and I neeeed my veg. So 'no' carbing just wasn't sustainable.
You will lose, you will lose quick but, whether you sustain it (or can stomach it) is another matter.0 -
1) For weight loss and a "Short-term fix" it works. But you will still need to find a healthier Lifestyle/Diet to keep it off and maintain a healthy living. If you have issues with Cholesterol, it will help...but again, it's short-term.
2) some good reading here on the concerns to make this your lifestyle - "The American Dietetic Association also has concerns about the Atkins diet. Gail Frank, PhD, former spokeswoman for the organization and professor of nutrition at California State University in Long Beach, says, "The body needs a minimum of carbohydrates for efficient and healthy functioning -- about 150 grams daily." Below that, normal metabolic activity is disrupted.
"The brain needs glucose to function efficiently, and it takes a long time to break down fat and protein to get to the brain," says Frank. Carbohydrates, especially in the form of vegetables, grains, and fruits, are more efficiently converted to glucose. And this more efficient use of glucose has developed over a long period of time, according to Frank. "Fruits and berries are much more indicative of early man's eating pattern than eating only protein, and we haven't changed all that much physiologically."
Also, note that Atkins, himself, died of Cardiac Arrest.
So let me ask you....are you in it for the short-haul, or for life and long health? If its the short-haul, just go get Lipo0 -
Also, note that Atkins, himself, died of Cardiac Arrest.
Pretty sure he fell on ice and died of related injuries. I see this all the time. Turns out people just regurgitate rumours they hear as fact. Not that cool.0 -
I did atkins for 2 months last year June. I lost 2 stone is two months and after the induction felt great......BUT i started eating properly and i have put on 3 stone! So i am heavier now than i was before. It is a really boring diet and does drain you out of your energy for about a week. The food is very repetitive and there is a lots of fat involved which is not good for you. I would not recommend that diet to anyone, but it is your own choice. If you have anymore questions, ask.
You don't gain 3 stone eating properly, sorry but this isn't Atkins' fault, it's yours.0 -
In the past I had success losing weight on Atkins. In the past I failed at keeping the weight off on Atkins. I could not maintain a low carb lifestyle for the rest of my life. I missed too many of my favorite foods and would slowly try to add them back and as I did the scale would rise.
If you would not miss certain foods which are severely restricted on Atkins (for me it was bread and pasta) then you may be a better candidate than I was for Atkins long term.
I also recommend you read the entire book before you start so you know how the whole plan fits together.0 -
Also, note that Atkins, himself, died of Cardiac Arrest.
Pretty sure he fell on ice and died of related injuries. I see this all the time. Turns out people just regurgitate rumours they hear as fact. Not that cool.
Yeah yeah, be that way...LOL He did suffer one, though.0 -
I have the snack bars and shakes on hand, not to do the whole Atkins thing, but to supplement my regular diet. They are good to have for when I need a snack, or am away from home, driving at lunchtime (Diabetic)0
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Also, note that Atkins, himself, died of Cardiac Arrest.
Pretty sure he fell on ice and died of related injuries. I see this all the time. Turns out people just regurgitate rumours they hear as fact. Not that cool.
Yeah yeah, be that way...LOL He did suffer one, though.
He suffered a what? a cardiac arrest? cardiac arrest is the cessasion of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract. Everybody who dies suffers cardiac arrest LOL Sometimes if can be CAUSED by a heart attack (which is not the same thing) but in this case I think that seems to be what you are trying to imply. Every single person who died, EVER... suffers cardiac arrest.0 -
I have been doing a low carb approach/ Atkins like and so far have been really enjoying it. I am definitely a carb and cheese addict, and once I start eating I find it difficult to stop. I noticed I especially was bloated and puffy daily and just had a sluggish feel. About four weeks ago, I resolved to give up bread, pasta, sweets, and diet soda. The first four days were hell, exhausted, headaches. I would eat a banana some mornings due to carb crash which would help a lot. Once I got through the initial phase I felt amazing. I have not cheated and had any soda since. I realize people don't want to cut out carbs and feel a diet long term is not healthy, but I feel so much better without the unhealthy carbs and sugar in my diet. My splurges are ceasar salads (no croutons) and I eat lots of nuts and fruit and nut mixes. I had pizza this past weekend as a Mother's Day splurge and I felt terrible the next day. A typical day for me is scrambled eggs for breakfast and coffee, nuts for a snack, chicken breast and broccoli for dinner, afternoon snack of almonds/or half a protein bar, and then a salad with meat for dinner. I absolutely plan to have splurge nights but I save them for a girls night out/wedding/holiday and I don't go overboard if I splurge. So far I have lost 10 pounds in under a month and am feeling great. I am also saving money by prepping lunches ahead of time and not buying in the cafeteria at work! I know this is not for everyone, but although I have no allergies I find I am sensitive to carbs. Another great side effect is my out of control appetite is under control and I don't crave sugar and carbs anymore, I feel like food is not constantly on my mind or controlling my life.0
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I follow a low carb approach (not any in particular, just low carb so my sugar cravings stay away as well as my blood sugar stays consistent as I'm insulin resistant) I ALSO count calories, because no matter what you eat you can not lose weight if you're eating too much of it. I believe this gives me an edge because I do learn portion control and I also learn which carbs affect me more negatively (sweet potatoe is much better than wonderbread :P)
I lost a fair bit the first couple of weeks, 7lbs but the rest seems to come off about 1lbs/week. I eat about 1800 on days I"m not active to about 2000 on days which I am. Seems to work just fine for me and I am learning a lot about myself in the process. I don't expect to gain anything back even when I add in more carbs because I will still be eating aroung 1800 calories/day. The bottom line is no matter what you choose, too many calories is going to undermine your efforts so evne though Atkins says not to count calories I would count them based on your TDEE -20,15,10% whatever.
Yep--I would second this. I also have blood sugar issues so cutting back on carbs was essential for me (in addition to increasing my activity, which I have). I lost a lot more weight at first but then it settled in to about 1 pound a week and the last three or four months, it has been about 1/2 pound per week. I never feel deprived. But I prefer to call what I do as "lower carb" eating--I do not recommend ketotic diets. The reason why Atkins works is that you get so sick of eating meat, eggs, fish, etc. after a while that you cut way back in your eating. It is impossible to overeat on protein for days at a time (at least it was for me). But I don't think it is a healthy diet to stay on long-term. On lower carb eating, I usually stay between 70 to 100 grams of carbohydrate per day--I let it drift up toward 120 on my heavier exercise days. I get good appetite control at that level (I'm never hungry) and I consistently lose. I'm never tempted to binge because I don't eat sugary foods, which I feel contribute to binge eating for people with leptin-resistance, which I undoubtedly have. I don't eat any food with added sugar (now I find that on the rare occasion when I do have a bite of something like cake that it is WAAAAY too sweet). And I also took myself off of gluten because I felt it was contributing to my severe reflux and other digestive problems. The good news is that my reflux and digestive complaints have gone away and even my arthritis has improved on gluten-free eating. I generally have no problem staying within my allotted calories. Sometimes I have the opposite problem, pushing myself to eat a bit more when I don't really feel like it. (I generally try to "net" around 1,200 as if I don't, I might start losing too quickly and then feel totally dragged out).
I always eat at least one serving of fruit per day and lots of vegetables (and I eat mashed potatoes too--a personal favorite that would be a no-no on Atkins, I think). I don't miss the sweets and the bread but that's just me. Other people find that part hard to stick with. When I get to maintenance (it will probably take me at least another year because I actually want to lose very slowly) I will stay under 150 grams of carbs per day. I should be able to maintain at that level of carbs but if my weight starts to creep up, I will cut the carbs back down to 120-130. Good luck!0 -
I think the best Atkins story I've ever heard was from an acquaintance that lost a good amount of weight and then had what she described as a "Ring Ding Breakdown" while grocery shopping one day. She's kept it off but she also quit Atkins.
Personally, I did it for a month, hated it and felt horrible every minute of every day. I would never do it again.0
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