What about Atkins?

jjl0412
jjl0412 Posts: 278 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was wondering, over 20 years ago, my family and I went on the Adkins diet. We lost weight almost to our desired goal, but eventually tappered off of it, and sooner than later, we gained weight.

Now I am almost to the half way point of losing 120 lbs the sensible healthy way of watching what I eat, exercising and counting everything. My question is.... would doing the Adkins thing be ok for a month or 2, or 3. Would it shake things up in a good way in vast scheme of things?

While at present I am not dieting, I am eating smart, portion controlled and counting. Adkins is a diet. I don't think eating bacon, few veggies & fruits would be smart for very long.

Opinions?

Replies

  • aqua_marine_light
    aqua_marine_light Posts: 52
    Atkin's has been proven a safe way to lose weight. And I have found that it is the fastest way to get results. Any "diet" isn't going to work long term, if the person goes back to their old eating habits that made them fat in the first place. I love the Atkin's diet. I've been doing it for a while, because I wasn't getting the results I wanted from reducing calories. And it works for me. As long as it's working, I'll be doing it. When, and if I ever get to my goal weight I'll decide then how to keep off extra pounds. I too have dieted, lost weight, gained it back, more times than I care to admit. But, it wasn't because of the "diet" I did. It was because I went back to bad eating/not getting enough exercise afterwards.
  • jjl0412
    jjl0412 Posts: 278 Member
    Atkin's has been proven a safe way to lose weight. And I have found that it is the fastest way to get results. Any "diet" isn't going to work long term, if the person goes back to their old eating habits that made them fat in the first place. I love the Atkin's diet. I've been doing it for a while, because I wasn't getting the results I wanted from reducing calories. And it works for me. As long as it's working, I'll be doing it. When, and if I ever get to my goal weight I'll decide then how to keep off extra pounds. I too have dieted, lost weight, gained it back, more times than I care to admit. But, it wasn't because of the "diet" I did. It was because I went back to bad eating/not getting enough exercise afterwards.

    But you do limit the calories, right? I know you can eat pretty much meat as you want. Once keytoses has started, it basically takes care of the intake. Any special considerations? Limitations? What is your typical daily intake?
  • Fubbash
    Fubbash Posts: 1 Member
    I know that our body uses carbs to create glucose which fuels our brains and long term carb deprivation can be detrimental to brain functions. This diet it not recommended by most dietitians but the effectiveness of the diet is well known.

    http://www.atkinsexposed.org/atkins/97/dietitians_warn_of_low-carbo_diet_dangers.htm
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    I know that our body uses carbs to create glucose which fuels our brains and long term carb deprivation can be detrimental to brain functions. This diet it not recommended by most dietitians but the effectiveness of the diet is well known.

    http://www.atkinsexposed.org/atkins/97/dietitians_warn_of_low-carbo_diet_dangers.htm

    Yes, the brain needs some glucose, in the absence of adequate carbohydrate the body can generate enough glucose via a process of gluconeogenesis.

    The brain will also run on a fair proportion of ketones (around 75% of energy needs), which replace glucose, quite happily.

    Most dietitians therefore know squat.
  • aqua_marine_light
    aqua_marine_light Posts: 52
    You can get a lot of information on what you can eat on the Atkin's website, www.atkins.com And yes, you do need to restrict your calories too while on Atkin's, but not as much as you would with calorie counting. I read in my Atkin's book that women need to stay below a certain amount, maybe 1,600 calories, and men maybe 1,800? You might want to do some research on that to be sure. Menu of my typical day: Breakfast: 2 or 3 hard boiled eggs and a whole tomato....sometimes I eat sausage too.
    Lunch: we usually order lunch from a local restaurant here at work, and I get a side of grilled chicken from the Mexican place with a cup of chopped tomatos.......or a double burger plain, and don't eat the bun.
    Snacks: If I feel the need for a snack I usually grab some Almonds or peanuts. Supper: Lots and lots of brocolli, and tuna. spicy v-8
    You can have cheese on Atkin's, but I have a tendency to over-do-it on the cheese, and that stalls my weight loss, so I quit buying it. I drink LOTS of water also, and take a multi-vitamin. I'm not a huge fan of veggies to begin with, but I like tomatos and brocolli, and luckily they don't have many carbs.

    Hope this helps! :drinker: Best of Luck to ya!
  • tnkrbellsam
    tnkrbellsam Posts: 7
    My question is.... would doing the Adkins thing be ok for a month or 2, or 3. Would it shake things up in a good way in vast scheme of things?


    One of the reasons Atkins gets such a bad wrap is because people think it's a quick fix. Sure the first 2 weeks people can lose up to 15 pounds, but as soon as you go back to your "regular" way of eating you will most likely gain it back. Atkins is not a diet, it's a lifestyle and that is what people don't understand. But if you wanted to do a modified version of low carb, I would bet eliminating processed carbs would help. Instead of white bread/rice/pasta choose whole wheat versions or brown rice. No matter what you chose, in order for it to stay off, you have to stick with it, so make sure it's something you can be happy with and enjoy what you are eating (or not eating in some cases)
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    I did the Atkins program a couple of years ago for a few months. It does work well, and I felt really good, but ultimately it wasn't how I could live long term. For those who can, its a great option. One thing I have noticed though is that low carb thinking has invaded the way I approach my food now and not in a good way. I'm not counting Carbs but looking at the larger picture these days but that little voice keeps whispering "don't eat that ..too many Carbs....".

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