Atkins Diet

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jenny32697
jenny32697 Posts: 1
in Introduce Yourself
Hi, I am new to the Atkins diet and was looking for some positive or negative feedback on the plan.

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  • kluvit
    kluvit Posts: 435 Member
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    I was very successful using Atkins for a couple of years. We only ate low carb at home and when eating out at the regular places around town and only splurged for one meal a day on vacation or the once or twice per month when we went out of town. We bought low carb versions of pizza dough mixes, ice cream, etc. and didn't really feel deprived; however, eventually, when I had a stressful job change and travel schedule, I reverted back to my high carb comfort foods and gained it all back plus some! I tried it a few more times but never had the same success (was angry about "all or nothing" approach).

    Where I found great success was here with the everything in moderation approach. No food is off limits as long as it fits in my calorie budget. I always have a choice...eat this instead of that or eat this and run extra xx miles or not eat it because I'd rather have something else or because it's just not worth it. I do much better with this approach and have maintained +/- 3 pounds from revised goal (6 pounds lighter than original goal) for about 15 months.

    The best thing about this approach is that what worked for me while I was losing still works for me in maintenance. I didn't lose a bunch of weight following one plan only to gain it back when I returned to "normal." Through the process, I established new habits that are now the new "normal."
  • PaulHalicki
    PaulHalicki Posts: 576 Member
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    I did another low carb diet, the South Beach, a few years back. It worked good. The one thing I remember is that low carb works best for those who store fat in their belly, and is less effective if your fat is stored in your thighs. If you follow it pretty closely, especially the first phase, you'll have a good idea if ti will work for you.

    I didn't keep the weight off but I put that on me; I didn't actively manage my maintenance and let the pounds creep back.

    This time around I'm just using the MyFitnessPal calorie budget. I try to avoid carbs, but I don't try that hard. I think the secret behind most diets is to make the dieter more aware of what they eat, try to reduce harmful wasteful calories, and limit portions to sustainable levels. If Atkins gets you there, go for it.
  • BeckyGraceH
    BeckyGraceH Posts: 6 Member
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    Hi,
    I was on a Dr Supervised Atkins diet for about 2 month in Summer of 2004. I lost 72lbs in 60 days. Stellar results, I was impressed and felt great! I had more energy and less mental fog. I kept the weight off for about a year. Two things happened I took a job where I went from moving and walking around all day to a job were I sat behind a desk all day. And they had office parties and get togethers with all the high carb foods that I knew I shouldn't eat but everyone was doing it...not a excuse...if they jump off a bridge would I...evidently i would...lol.

    Anyway I was asked by my Dr this week to go back on the Atkins diet...even if I skipped the induction part and started working my way backwards till I got to the daily limit of carbs I can take in before I start loosing weight. He didn't like my liver function, blood sugar, cholesterol, or blood pressure and my weight....all the things he was concerned about giving me a heart attack. He said it is better to be a a diet like Atkins till i get my weight under control.

    So basically I am avoiding all bread, pasta and rice and beans, I am eating lean meat 4-6 oz and vegetables 4-6 oz at each meal. having some yogurt and cheese snacks or cream in my coffee. but keeping my carb count below 60 because about that and I gain weight instead of loose.

    I walk 6 days a week for about 3 miles...there is a route where I live that is 3 miles. it takes me between 30 minutes to an hour to walk the 3 miles.

    So I have started making progress

    Good luck with your journey
    Becky
  • r_balogh
    r_balogh Posts: 42 Member
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    Carbs are great your body needs them. I'm a big fan of the food diary. I log everything and stay within my goals. I exercise regularly and in under 4 months have lost 62 lbs. you dont have to give up foods, just be aware and honest with your logs. Know what you're putting in your body and what nutritional value it has. You'll feel better, have more energy and start losing because of it and can journey to being truly healthy.
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
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    Carbs are great your body needs them. I'm a big fan of the food diary. I log everything and stay within my goals. I exercise regularly and in under 4 months have lost 62 lbs. you dont have to give up foods, just be aware and honest with your logs. Know what you're putting in your body and what nutritional value it has. You'll feel better, have more energy and start losing because of it and can journey to being truly healthy.

    tumblr_m1rkzpHj1n1r6aoq4o1_500_zps2c091f68.gif

    I lost 75lbs on a low carb diet, then gained 90 when I went off of it. It is not sustainable. ^^^^ what he is saying is sustainable and you can eat this way for the rest of your life. There are no bad foods.
  • annasor70
    annasor70 Posts: 187 Member
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    I tried the Atkins diet years ago but as a non meat and dairy eater... it was really depressing as fruit wasn't allowed and it makes your breath bad as well as it not being great on your organs to eat a load of protein.
    I have done far better on a very healthy plant based diet for life... I can sustain it and occasionally have a vegan cupcake or cookie as a treat.
    I don't think that any temporary diet (especially one as inherently unhealthy as the Atkins one is ) is healthy or sustainable long term. As soon as I went back to eating carbs I gained back the weight. Carbs are not the enemy. Just eat healthily for life :)
    I wouldn't recommend it myself.
    When I tried the Atkins diet a lot of people were going mad on red meat, heavy cheeses and butter, etc.. and ending up very unhealthy! If you also care about a healthy body on the inside as well as a fit body on the outside, maybe just try to eat a well rounded mélange of foods with lots of veggies, fruit, nuts, seeds, beans, fermented foods, etc.. with your proteins of choice..?
  • thedebbeo
    thedebbeo Posts: 1 Member
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    Hello, I have been on Atkins since April. I used to exercise a lot, but found that even marathons couldn't keep up with my appetite. So I tried to monitor my diet using the Atkins approach. I will say that I did endure some side effects of coming down off my carb addiction including headaches and fatigue for the first two weeks. However during that time the pounds were just falling off. Currently I have lost my focus on the diet and I have had some carb creep, but I am still within a couple pounds of my lowest weight. I consider this a plateau and plan to continue losing weight. Good luck with the diet.
  • MermaidTX
    MermaidTX Posts: 352 Member
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    There's an Atkins support group on MFP if you need it

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/5181-atkins-support-group
  • kiramaniac
    kiramaniac Posts: 800 Member
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    MFP has a low carb form, and a keto forum you may want to check out. The main message boards tend to be anti low carb. It's viewed as an unhealthy fad diet. Unless you follow it. Then it's a whole lot of awesome, with a side of bacon and cream.

    Internationally low carb has some support. Just this week - "Swedish health authorities published a report (Dietary Apporach for Obesity. A Systematic Review of the Literature) concluding that carbohydrate restriction is the best short term dietary approach to lose weight for people with obesity. "

    http://www.docsopinion.com/2013/09/23/low-carb-diet-best-for-obesity/

    But most of the main message boards here will push the "a calorie is a calorie", "just eat at a deficit", and "if it fits your macro" dogma.

    Good Luck!
  • bacitracin
    bacitracin Posts: 921 Member
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    Carbs are great your body needs them.

    Umm, no? If you're not gonna back up your claims with science, I'm not going to refute them. However, dietary carbohydrates are not needed in any great amount for optimal body fat loss or normal functioning.
    I lost 75lbs on a low carb diet, then gained 90 when I went off of it. It is not sustainable. ^^^^ what he is saying is sustainable and you can eat this way for the rest of your life. There are no bad foods.

    This is further proof that your body is meant to be eating very few carbohydrates. It is very sustainable, you're just weak-willed and sugary foods are designed to be cheap and addictive by releasing high amounts of serotonin and dopamine.
    most of the main message boards here will push the "a calorie is a calorie", "just eat at a deficit", and "if it fits your macro" dogma.

    Sadly, this is very true here, and if most people stopped to pay any attention, they'd realize that they're being extremely hypocritical. "whole grains" are better than processed grains, because they digest slower, but it's totally okay to eat a box of twinkies if you lift heavy. /boggle

    If it stands to reason that not all carbohydrates are equal (by being high glycemic index and low glycemic index and processed or whole), then it stands to reason also that carbohydrates and fat and protein are not equal either. a 100 calorie snack of mostly glucose and sucrose affects your internal biochemistry very differently than a 100 calorie snack of fat and protein. Different hormones are released or inhibited by different foods.

    I'm not a nutritionist, but I'm not a moron. I know enough to require evidence for all claims, and have learned in my skepticism of ketogenic diets that there really isn't much to be skeptical about. I've learned the role of ghrelin, leptin, insulin, high-fat and moderate protein, lifting heavy versus cardio... and I've had my blood tested on a yearly basis just to make sure that besides losing 45lbs and keeping it off while increasing my strength, i'm not also getting high blood pressure, atherosclerosis or whatever else people claim.

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