Is anyone else doing the Atkins diet?

Considering I'm on a diet and my last name is Atkins, I guess I am on the Atkins' diet. lol jk. Actually my diet is the complete opposite of the 'Atkins Diet'.

LOVE

It would be better to just adjust your macros to 30% protein and let the other numbers work themselves out. It is more about high protein/low fat than low carbs that really helps you lose the weight. Protein keeps you full and keeps your metabolism going. Your carbs should come from high fiber sources. When you look at it that way it is more about heathy eating than following a specific Meat diet.

I think it's the fat that satiates. Low fat = no bueno.

Well you'd think wrong, it's the protein

I would not be wrong, it's both protein and fat.

A satiety index of common foods.

Protein, fibre, and water contents of the test foods correlated positively with SI scores (r = 0.37, P < 0.05, n = 38; r = 0.46, P < 0.01; and r = 0.64, P < 0.001; respectively) whereas fat content was negatively associated (r = -0.43, P < 0.01).

http://www.ucsyd.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/om_uc_syddanmark/dokumenter/marianne_markers_kursus_NRO/110228_Holt et al Satiety index.pdf

Cool. I stand corrected. #keepsanopenmind

Day 3 of the Atkins and I have not yet felt hungry and I have tons of energy! I have read the book and it makes alot of sense. I am also not looking at this as a crash diet but a lifestyle change. As you read the book you will see that you can add crabs back in to your eating plan.

Good job! (I can pass on the crabs, though--lol)
Here's what I just had for lunch: a grilled chicken breast on a bed of lettuce, broccoli and a sprinkling of cheese, topped with fresh avocado and ranch dressing. nom nom nom!
5 net carbs.

Because bad carbs and sugar are so healthy....not so, even in moderation. This is to the uneducated...I literally worked out 2 hours a day and stayed at my appropriate caloric intake for 6 months and lost ten pounds. I was 100 lbs. over weight, so 10 lbs. was absolutely rediculous! I quit eating sugar and bad carbs with Atkins and am down 40 lbs. Whoever downs Atkins is highly uneducated about health. Doctors have now found cancer cells thrive off of glucose, which is carbs and sugar, because cancer cells cannot live without glucose. So guess what doctors are prescribing to cancer patients along with their treatment? You guessed it, a low carb no sugar diet. It's sad to see people here push the idea that all they need is to restrict calories to lose no matter what junk they fill their bodies with. Sugar and bad carbs are bad no matter how you limit it. It's poison for the body and if we choose not to eat poison then let us be....all of you who hate the idea keep on with poisoning your body add I will keep on with keep,ing it out of mine.

Bump

My husband and I started Atkins before the holidays. although we ate some carbs (very little, actually) during the holidays, I did not gain weight. We are back on our full time schedule now, and walking 30-45 minutes a day, either outside or inside when it is snowing. I'm looking for tips also.

The New Atkins diet is really good. It is lean protein with lots of vegetables.

I agree. I wish people would stop thinking that all we eat is bacon, topped with mayonnaise and dipped in lard. Just not true! I've never felt better eating this way!

My Doctor has me reading "Why we are Fat" first and then he wants me to do the New Atkins. He says my blood work will come back 100% improved. And more importantly to me, I may actually get down below this wall I have hit for the last few years. My doctor believes that our extreme low fat diet is actually not good for us. I do believe we need some fat and I know we eat way to many simple carbs (bread, cereals, etc.). This diet is probably similar to Palelo too. Mostly, I think its most important about knowing the balance you need for your life.

Giggle. My husband and I are still at the bacon dipped in mayonnaise stage! We are feeling full and learning not to eat bread. That is a biggie. We grew up on sandwiches. But we are getting older, retired. I will get the book and read it! Thanks for all the notes. I still think this is the eating plan for us.

There are forums on here with all sorts of recipes and advice. I think one of the reasons that people find it so hard to maintain on Atkins, is that they get bored with the food choices. I'm fortunate to have a husband who loves to cook, and likes to experiment with new recipes, so I have a huge variety of meals to choose from.

Good luck to you and your husband!

Why do people gain weight when they quit doing the Atkin's plan? Simple. They didn't actually follow the plan correctly. It is not and was never intended to be a crash diet or a no-carb plan. And it's the media that have claimed you can eat 3000 calories of bacon and not gain weight, not Atkins.

Those who are so anti-Atkins (or any other low-carb plan) are either uninformed of how they really work or are just trolls. I believe there are some of each in this thread.

Atkins begins with 2 weeks at very low carbs, I don't recall off-hand if it's 20 or 30 per day. This was never intended to be a long-term way of eating. Yet, I would bet my last dollar that the majority of those who are anti-low carb believe this is how Atkins intended you to eat long-term. Poppycock!

After the first 2 weeks, you are supposed to go into the OWL phase (ongoing weight loss). This means that you add 5 carbs/day to your food plan each week. So, first week of OWL, you might eat 35 carbs/day, go up to 40 carbs/day in week 2, to 45 carbs/day in week 3, and so on. You keep adding carbs back in until you get to the stage where you are losing about 1# per week while feeling satiated and not experiencing cravings for carb-heavy foods. If you go into a long-term weight loss plateau where you are no longer losing and/or you start getting cravings, you drop back 5 grams/day for a week, then again if needed, until you hit your sweet spot where you can lose without cravings while feeling satiated. When adding carbs, you should start with non-starchy vegetables and berries. If you find that you can eat a significant amount of non-starchy vegetables berries without stopping your loss or getting cravings, you can add in more fruit and/or small servings of starchier items. This is the phase where you find out what your particular limit is. For example, some folks can add in some bread and be fine, some can't. Some can only go up to about 50 grams/carb daily and some can go up to 100 grams/carb/day, some even more.

So, if OWL is done successfully, you find the right level for you and stay there throughout your entire weight loss. Again, the amount of carbs might vary greatly from person-to-person and be as low as about 50 grams/day to 150 grams/day. No, none of us are special snowflakes but we all have variance in our body's response to carbs based on our many factors.

Exercise: Atkins encourages exercise and, yes, it is very likely that someone doing a lot of it, especially long cardio if they're, for example, training for a marathon, will need more carbs.

Last summer, I was training for a 200-mile bike ride event (2 days, 100 miles each). During that time, on long ride training days only, I drastically increased my carbs or I would bonk. But I couldn't eat that high of carb on days without long rides or I would get carb lethargy (where eating too many carbs would raise my blood sugars too much causing me to want to just sleep).

So, yeah, carb amounts need to be adjusted for our individual variances in our response to carbs plus our exercise load.

Once you have reached your goal weight comes the final Atkins phase of maintenance. This means that you increase your carb intake until you find the level where you can eat it on a daily basis without gaining. Again, you should add 5 grams/carb/day and stay at that level for a week, then jump another 5, and so on in order to find that level.

Again, maintenance levels will vary. Some might need to stay as low as 75 grams/day and some might be able to go over 200 grams/day.

I really don't see much difference between this and the eating plans that some tout who are also anti-carb. I mean, many here at MFP say that you should eat about 1 gram protein per pound of body weight (or lean body weight) and about 0.5 gram fat per pounds of body weight (or lean body weight). I hear both regard to whether it's body weight or lean body so....well, whatever. And then they say to fill up the rest of your calories left with carbs. After the induction stage, that basically what Atkins is telling you to do as well. Sure, there's a tad bit of difference but the fundamentals are similar. Then once you get to goal, you up your calories to maintenance and fill it in with carbs. Again, just like Atkins.

I find it humorous that some of those who are most opposed to Atkins tout the eating style in the above paragraph which really isn't all that different from Atkins. The semantics are more different than the actual eating plans.

Hi,
It is not recommended, as you will gain it all back when you quit. Heart Drs. do not like it at all, too much cheese,high cholesterol,bacon and other meats.
Good Luck
Sallyafe1

Funny since my Doctors (yes, more than one) recommended it due to a medical condition that makes me insulin resistant and makes it harder for me to lose weight.

A lot of people think about the old 1972 Atkins plan when they think about it.

While their are those that follow that plan, as well as that late 90s plan, their are a LOT of people that are following New Atkins New You from 2010 plan.

Believe it or not, I don't eat a lot of red meat and I am not eating bacon and other fatty foods every day. I am using olive oil, I eat olives and tons of greens. I dont miss my fruit because I get my nutrition from vegetables.

You only cut fruits for the first 14 days. There is a reason for that. After that, you can introduce it back.

Atkins has been the only plan that has helped me with whats going on with my body.

It does work if you stick with it. Those that are "trying again" are people who gave up for one reason or another.

I was going to ask the same thing about the need to redo again after some years. If it is as effective as it is, then why would there be a need to go back to it? Is it safe to say it's a band aid solution? I think I need more of an approach that I can handle from today and on.

I have always said that having been blessed to have been born into a Latino family, there's no way in heck I'd skip out on our wonderful (yes, carb-rich foods) for some months, let alone a lifetime! I can do it for 2 weeks, tops!, to lose some weight quick, but forever.... NADA!

And, this is the kind of attitude that gives Atkins a bad name. Read the book! The first two weeks are the most restrictive, then you can slowly add your carbs back in. SLOWLY so you can see what foods trigger weight loss stalls or weight gain.

If you add healthy carbs back you won't gain the weight back. Like any diet if you binge after,you are going to get fat again. People need to read the book instead of making these ignorant comments.

Hi,
It is not recommended, as you will gain it all back when you quit. Heart Drs. do not like it at all, too much cheese,high cholesterol,bacon and other meats.
Good Luck
Sallyafe1

This isn't true. The new Atkins is all about veggies and protein. Please don't make comments like this without being fully educated on the subject.

i want to know how the atkins works like do we only eat meat and thats it or can we have fruits and veggies ?? :embarassed:

It is about eating veggies, protein, healthy fat and Eliminating processed crap. You can read about it on the Atkins website.