Calorie Counting vs Atkins

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mruiz628
mruiz628 Posts: 5
in Food and Nutrition
I have been calorie counting for 3 weeks now and excising 5 days a week and have only lost 1 pound and no inches lost. According to the trainers I had to stop my Atkins which the first week I lost 4 pounds. So should I start back on the Atkins since I notice more results with that. Or should I stick with the calorie counting a little longer and see what happens. I am so frustrated.

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  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
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    What is your current caloric intake? What was your caloric intake when following Atkins? How long were you following Atkins? At the most basic level, weight loss is calories in vs calories out - being in a caloric deficit will cause you to lose weight. Following a particular "diet", unless for health reasons, will not cause you to lose more weight per se. You were restricting carbs on Atkins, and most likely you weren't replacing the carb calories with fats or proteins, so you were probably consuming less calories than you currently are now. Also, with your reduced carb intake, you may also have experienced more water weight loss than you currently are now. These are most likely the reasons you aren't seeing as much weight loss as before. My recommendation is to log what you were eating while on Atkins and compare that to your current caloric intake. Speak with your trainer and doctor to see if your previous caloric intake was healthy and can be sustained. If the answer is yes, then set those calories as your current goals.

    Keep in mind as well that weight loss is not linear. You may go a week or 3 without seeing much movement on the scale, but that doesn't mean what you are currently doing isn't working.
  • LAW_714
    LAW_714 Posts: 258
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    I have been calorie counting for 3 weeks now and excising 5 days a week and have only lost 1 pound and no inches lost. According to the trainers I had to stop my Atkins which the first week I lost 4 pounds. So should I start back on the Atkins since I notice more results with that. Or should I stick with the calorie counting a little longer and see what happens. I am so frustrated.

    Calorie counting works. And if you're working out with a lot of aerobic activity, you need carbs. If on the other hand you have insulin resistance and a more sedentary lifestyle, Atkins may be helpful. Plus, high protein diets often lead to self-limiting calorie intake because you may feel less hungry.

    It sucks to always say 'it all depends...' but, in the end, it sort of depends on the individual.

    Personally, I think go by what works for you and what you can more easily continue doing over time (which will most likely be a different answer for different people).
  • mruiz628
    mruiz628 Posts: 5
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    On Atkins I was doing about 1500 calories, and on my calorie counting I do 1200 and my exercise daily is around 250-400 calories a day. so should I eat less than the 1200 calories a day or work out longer?
  • mruiz628
    mruiz628 Posts: 5
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    On Atkins I was doing about 1500 calories, and on my calorie counting I do 1200 and my exercise daily is around 250-400 calories a day. so should I eat less than the 1200 calories a day or work out longer?
  • endoftheside
    endoftheside Posts: 568 Member
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    Why did they want you to stop Atkins? Was it causing you problems with your workout?

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