Anyone doing Atkins?

All the power to you but Atkins is not a good answer to losing weight or maintaining. I did Atkins and lost a lot of weight but it didn't end well. It also makes you miserable. Just track your calories, stay in your macro's and eat healthy foods and you will be fine. Eating 1/2 a cup of whole wheat pasta with a cup of ground turkey in some sugar free sauce is waaaay better than just pounds of meat and cheese. Set yourself up for lifelong success and stay away from fads like Mr. Atkins.

I have done Atkins. I lost 34 lbs!!! But then the holidays came and I gave in! As with any diet plan, you need to stick with it in order for it to work. My doctor told me to lower my carb intake due to diabetes so I chose the Atkins way. It is the most beneficial plan for me. I eat tons of veggies....not just meat and cheese like some people believe Atkins to be. There are thousands of websites out there that have awesome recipes for low carb diets. Actually I don't even say "low carb" anymore...I say "better carbs"! Good luck to you on your journey!

I've been on and off Atkins for 3 years roughly, There is amazing weight loss associated with this program but unfortunately so many people regain the weight if not more afterwards ( That was me cause when I was off diet I was still eating lot's of protien and not tracking calories ). As delicious as the high protein diet is .. Mmmm Bacon! your body does need the nutrients of fruits and vegetables and even some carbs.

I found it hard to get thru the whole program and only did induction for weeks at a time cause hello stepping on the scale and seeing 10lb down a week was amazing! Sadly I couldn't make it past that glorious part.

It's hard to stick to veggies and meat! Plus the first two weeks of induction are hard with headaches, nausea, etc.. left me super cranky. ( Felt bad for my husband ) haha

My suggestions is instead of doing Atkins I suggest people just eat more low carb meals! It's easy to pick out the bad -- pizza and the good -- portabello pizza's -- So many simple solutions to everyday unhealthy food habits.

I've been low carb / keto since Sept 2012.
There are some great low carb and keto support forums here on MFP.

Keto Forum: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1143-keto
Reddit Keto Forum: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1494-reddit-keto
Low Carb / High Fat: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/7705-low-carb-high-fat-lifestyle
Low Carber Daily Forum: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-group

For recipes -
DJ Foodie
I Breathe I'm Hungry
All Day I dream About Food
Caveman Keto

Please be sure to supplement electrolytes! You can avoid much of the "low-carb flu" by supplementing sodium, potassium and magnesium. From "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living" by Phinney / Volek.

Low carb diets are natriuretic - they make the kidneys dump sodium. Sodium deficiency can cause headache, dizziness and fatigue. With continued low carb intake and sodium restriction, at some point your kidneys start to excrete potassium in order to conserve sodium. Potassium deficiency can lead to muscle cramps, cardiac dysrythmia. it can also cause the body to lose muscle, even when there's plenty of protein in the diet.

DRINK BROTH and try for 3-5 g of sodium per day when starting low carb / keto.

Good luck!

Me! It's not all meat and fat. I eat more vegetables than most people I know. The keto diet is working for me...I would join the keto group here if you want support.

I do keto which I hear is similar to Atkins, and I love it. It's not just about meat and cheese, I'm a pescatarian who eats fish once in a blue moon and I manage just fine. I started doing keto for the weightloss but then quickly became obsessed with the energy levels I had and eating foods as close to their natural state as possible, and I feel it's sustainable as I know how awful I felt while eating a higher carb diet with all the starches, etc. I was a really miserable, snappy person before keto haha.

For anyone following Atkins, or Keto feel free to add me, I can always do with some new ideas myself! ????

I've done Atkins but I find it too restrictive because there's SO MANY healthy veggies and fruits you can't have because they contain carbs. In fact, you can't have ANY fruit at all in the induction phase.

I just don't find omitting fruits and vegetables healthy but I do wish you luck!

I've tried Atkins and failed.

This is the thread that changed my life to something sustainable for LIFE: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Good luck, I absolutely hated Atkins and only managed a week!

If you stay away from the processed low carb stuff, it's a great diet. Induction is only supposed to last for a couple of weeks at most. And if you count calories, then induction is a breeze with very little side effects unless you're sugar addicted.

Hi guys,
I recommend that sticking to a healthy diet and following a healthy lifestyle will reap greater rewards than completely cutting a macronutrient from your diet, the reason the weight loss is so great with atkins is from cutting carbs which hold a lot of the body's water, remember that our body is predominantly water so therefore it makes sense that by cutting this macro that the weight loss will be substantial, and upon introducing it again the body will also begin to re hold the water that it's lost, as well as extra as it's been deprived for so long, you can lose a healthy amount of weight and keep it off by just counting your macros and cutting back a slight amount per day

I've done Atkins and did really well on it, but found it a little too restricting (for me) I'm doing Jorge Cruise's plan where there's a little more room for eating a larger variety of things. I do best by limiting my carbs which is what this plan does too. The best of luck to you, whatever you feel best about doing is what you should be doing.

I've done Atkins a couple times over the years. My mom swore by it when I was younger, so when I started gaining a lot of weight after college, she helped me do the diet. The Buddy system is a MUST! It was incredibly restricted in that original version; however, I lost a good 30 lbs. in about 3 months. Didn't make my goal of 135 lbs, but I made 142! The weight stayed off for a good five years, but then I had a carb binge after a move... That was in the early 90's. By the early 2000's, I had gained a little back (another major move) and found the New Revolution (last version put together during Atkins life, I think). So I really got back into the program and followed it religiously. I learned that you MUST increase the carbs every week-- it's like stoking furnace. Mom wasn't there to buddy up with, but I found a lovely website to chat and post. (Alas, it is no longer a live site.) I think I was up to 65 carbs a day? Anyway, I lost another 35 lbs. in about 3-3 1/2 months. That time, it stayed off for YEARS, again. But I was "foiled" by a bottomless bowl of Tootsie Roll Midgets at a temp job. By the end (early November) of that assignment I had lost all control and was fat again by Christmas. SO. 12 or 13 years later and many "normal" diet later, I am once again doing Atkins.

What is your reasoning for doing atkins?

Is there a medical reason you need to be on a low carb diet?

If not, then there are much better options, easier options to maintain.

BUMP