Starting Atkins. Need Support!
Replies
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I eat 60/30/10 - Protein/Carbs/Fat
I feel fantastic every single day... Full of energy... Athletic performance levels... And I'm 36!!!
Proteins I eat:
- Chicken
- Tuna
- Mahi / Hake / Salmon
- Greek Yogurt
- Boiled Egg Whites
Carbs I eat:
- Organic Brown Rice
- Black / Kidney / Lima beans
- Oatmeal
- Cottage Cheese
Fats I eat:
- Flax Seed Oil
- Fish Oil
- Olive Oil
That's it! Get creative with the spices for flavor and you will will look and feel fantastic too!
Edit: I eat a ton of vegetables too 0 -
I lost over 100 pounds on Atkins. Unfortunately I was not committed enough to the low carb lifestyle to keep the weight off. I gained it all back. I hope you are more successful than I was. :flowerforyou:0
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oh and one last thing i want to add. Lots of people like to make the coment oh you will lose weight but once you start eating "normal" you will gain it back? Really? what is normal. mcdonald every day, I would not consider that normal, nasty but not normal. Normal is what is best for you, for me normal is low carb. And yes this is something i can do long term. especially if i dont get lazy about bringing lunch to work, which does also save alot of money.
and really as far as the 'food pyrimid' they have been shoving down our throats for years and years, if it is so correct, and if all the low fat, high carb is proper then why is obestity in america skyrocketing? if all that was correct shouldnt it be unheard of by now?????
okay time to put my soap box away and go back to work
If people were eating to the food pyramid they wouldn't be obese. McDonald's isn't to be found on the pyramid.
You can eat McDonalds everyday and still lose weight. NOT recommened but truthfully speaking, you can. McDonalds is not making people fat. People eating too many carbs and sugars is making people fat.
The more carbs you eat, the more carbs your body has to burn before it can get to your stored body fat. People eat too many carbs and after burning them, they still have some left over and it's stored as fat, even when people "go to the gym" and "count calories".
The less carbs you eat, the sooner your body will get to burning it's stored body fat. Point blank.0 -
Good Luck! You WILL see results. I did Atkins in high school and lost 15 pounds. I lived off of salad, steak, and cheese. Counting Carbs is the worst part, but it did improve my math skills!
Good snack for Atkins: Peanuts/almonds and Diet Coke. ( I don't drink Soda anymore though) Cottage cheese. Fiber one cereal. Greek yogurt.
Worst part about Atkins: Cutting back on Fruit
Just be careful, this diet is addicting. I'm in college now and scared to death of high starch/carb foods. I cannot for the life of me eat bread, pasta, potatoes, and rice without feeling sooo so guilty.
I'm not currently on Atkins anymore, although i do not eat bread, pasta, or potatoes. I've been able to keep my weight off with an active life style and going to the gym a lot.0 -
Good Luck! You WILL see results. I did Atkins in high school and lost 15 pounds. I lived off of salad, steak, and cheese. Counting Carbs is the worst part, but it did improve my math skills!
Good snack for Atkins: Peanuts/almonds and Diet Coke. ( I don't drink Soda anymore though) Cottage cheese. Fiber one cereal. Greek yogurt.
Worst part about Atkins: Cutting back on Fruit
Just be careful, this diet is addicting. I'm in college now and scared to death of high starch/carb foods. I cannot for the life of me eat bread, pasta, potatoes, and rice without feeling sooo so guilty.
I'm not currently on Atkins anymore, although i do not eat bread, pasta, or potatoes. I've been able to keep my weight off with an active life style and going to the gym a lot.
and the whole not eating bread , pasta or potatoes i am sure helps alot too0 -
oh and one last thing i want to add. Lots of people like to make the coment oh you will lose weight but once you start eating "normal" you will gain it back? Really? what is normal. mcdonald every day, I would not consider that normal, nasty but not normal. Normal is what is best for you, for me normal is low carb. And yes this is something i can do long term. especially if i dont get lazy about bringing lunch to work, which does also save alot of money.
and really as far as the 'food pyrimid' they have been shoving down our throats for years and years, if it is so correct, and if all the low fat, high carb is proper then why is obestity in america skyrocketing? if all that was correct shouldnt it be unheard of by now?????
okay time to put my soap box away and go back to work
If people were eating to the food pyramid they wouldn't be obese. McDonald's isn't to be found on the pyramid.
You can eat McDonalds everyday and still lose weight. NOT recommened but truthfully speaking, you can. McDonalds is not making people fat. People eating too many carbs and sugars is making people fat.
The more carbs you eat, the more carbs your body has to burn before it can get to your stored body fat. People eat too many carbs and after burning them, they still have some left over and it's stored as fat, even when people "go to the gym" and "count calories".
The less carbs you eat, the sooner your body will get to burning it's stored body fat. Point blank.
All the research shows that if you burn more calories than you eat you will lose weight. If you eat more calories than you burn you will gain weight. It doesn't matter if those are carbs, fat, or protein. It is basically the laws of thermodynamics.0 -
I'm doing a low carb diet right now (under 100g/day, which I plan on lowering as I get more used to eating this way) and I feel great! I think a lot of the failures with Atkins is people losing the weight and then going back to what they were eating before. You were fat before for a reason, and you lost the weight for a reason. Duh.
You go girl. You've done your research, so I hope you see great results! :-)0 -
Hi there!
I feel bad that this thread turned so controversial- I get a lot of great support from MFP!
When I began my journey this year I had tried the strict Atkins plan and wasnt able to do it. I knew I was a carb addict and that was something I had to break! So, I took my desire for a low carb lifestyle and started working on it. I cut out all refined flour, sugar, etc. and would only eat veggies, limited fruits, and very limited whole grains. Yes the carb cravings were very dificult for about 2 weeks. After that, it got much easier!!! I had so much more energy and didnt have the aches and pains. Cutting out as many refined foods as possible has changed everything for me.
I congratulate you on your decision to make a change. As a Registered Nurse I have been learning more and more about how overconsumption of carbs and refined foods affects our health in many ways. Soon we will all have to change our thinking that fat and cholesterol lead to heart disease etc. and start looking at our diets high in carbs, as that is what the new research is showing.
Just remember to listen to your body and ask for advice if you need it! Good luck! Feel free to add me as a friend!0 -
There is a thread you can join for support. Search- No Grain...No pain, and there are alot of us on there. It is for low carb/low sugar etc. I think you will find a lot of like minded people on there for support!!!0
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I've done my research and heard both sides. I am making sure to take precaution on it and I'll be the first to grab a slice of bread if I feel like I need it. Thanks for the concern. I do appreciate the help.
I think the best part of sticking to this lifestyle change is to find substitutes for those things. I have recipes for shredded zucchini or eggplant pizza crust, use spaghetti squash instead of pasta, mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes, and even one for bread made without flour (couldn't stand the thought of never having a sandwich again). I don't feel like me or my family is missing out on anything and know I can stick with it for ever!!0 -
oh and one last thing i want to add. Lots of people like to make the coment oh you will lose weight but once you start eating "normal" you will gain it back? Really? what is normal. mcdonald every day, I would not consider that normal, nasty but not normal. Normal is what is best for you, for me normal is low carb. And yes this is something i can do long term. especially if i dont get lazy about bringing lunch to work, which does also save alot of money.
and really as far as the 'food pyrimid' they have been shoving down our throats for years and years, if it is so correct, and if all the low fat, high carb is proper then why is obestity in america skyrocketing? if all that was correct shouldnt it be unheard of by now?????
okay time to put my soap box away and go back to work
If people were eating to the food pyramid they wouldn't be obese. McDonald's isn't to be found on the pyramid.
Anybody here eat McDonalds, ever in your life has anyone actually ate McDonalds, not at McDonalds, but eat McDonalds? I’m just saying, I love these strawmen people throw up to make their simplistic case that the food pyramid is the holy grail of nutrition. Let’s take a closer look at the food pyramid shall we, Grains,=three buns on a big mac, vegetables,= fries, poultry, =chicken nuggets, dairy,= milk, meat,= beef patties. So see Brian, McDonalds does indeed follow your food pyramid, everything on the pyramid is sold at McDonalds.
By the way thanks for telling me how to follow others post around, very useful.0 -
oh and one last thing i want to add. Lots of people like to make the coment oh you will lose weight but once you start eating "normal" you will gain it back? Really? what is normal. mcdonald every day, I would not consider that normal, nasty but not normal. Normal is what is best for you, for me normal is low carb. And yes this is something i can do long term. especially if i dont get lazy about bringing lunch to work, which does also save alot of money.
and really as far as the 'food pyrimid' they have been shoving down our throats for years and years, if it is so correct, and if all the low fat, high carb is proper then why is obestity in america skyrocketing? if all that was correct shouldnt it be unheard of by now?????
okay time to put my soap box away and go back to work
If people were eating to the food pyramid they wouldn't be obese. McDonald's isn't to be found on the pyramid.
You can eat McDonalds everyday and still lose weight. NOT recommened but truthfully speaking, you can. McDonalds is not making people fat. People eating too many carbs and sugars is making people fat.
The more carbs you eat, the more carbs your body has to burn before it can get to your stored body fat. People eat too many carbs and after burning them, they still have some left over and it's stored as fat, even when people "go to the gym" and "count calories".
The less carbs you eat, the sooner your body will get to burning it's stored body fat. Point blank.
All the research shows that if you burn more calories than you eat you will lose weight. If you eat more calories than you burn you will gain weight. It doesn't matter if those are carbs, fat, or protein. It is basically the laws of thermodynamics.
WEEEEEEE Lets all go out and eat nothing but twinkies, just remember kids not to eat more than you burn, and you will be OOOOKKKKK0 -
Mostly I think the Atkins naysayers have sort of crashed after doing induction for more than two weeks, and took that to be the Atkins diets. But it is only to let you get off carbohydrate cold turkey and kick start ketosis and weightloss. After that, you switch to maintenance and start adding carbohydrate back to your diet, but in a controlled way, so you'll know when you start gaining weight again. If you do that the right way, you'll be eating right for you: complex carbohydrates, but not from starchy sources so much, lots of vegetables, lean meat, low glycemic fruits and fats. Not a bad way of eating, IMO, only people sort of parrot the general hype about Atkins, which is all based on the induction phase. Whereas IMO the maintenance phase is the most important, because then you'll eat like that for life. And there are people for whom the Atkins diet can be very beneficial. I think it will be particularly helpful for people with metabolic syndrome, T2 diabetes, and for people who had a low birth weight and so have issues with visceral fat and insulin resistance.
So, naysayers, please let those people get on with it, because they are on that diet to get healthy, not necessarily to lose lots of weight.0 -
I did Atkins for 2 months in college as part of a documentary-style assignment for a writing class. I followed the plan and recorded it every day. It. Was. Hell. You have NO energy, your "systems" are completely blocked up, your hair will start to look like hell. That beings aid, you will lose weight. I lost 23 pounds in two months. However, within 3 weeks of going off it I gained 30.
I'm currently doing a 40/40/20 ratio of protein/carbs/fat and have had great success. I still have enough energy to work out and have been losing steadily. Everything is moving along nicely and my hair and nails aren't looking like crap. Neither is my skin. Just some food for thought.
I'd listen to this smart girl!! Most people I know who have done Atkins have followed exactly this. Yes you will lose fast, but you will gain it back just as fast. It gives the false sense that you can eat a mountain of food then once you go off, you splurge on all of the things you couldn't eat!0 -
Can I please remind everyone to have a read of the forum rules, particularly numbers 4 and 11
4) Do not attack/slam/insult other users. The forums are here so that members can help support one another. Attacks or insults against each other takes away from the supportive atmosphere and will not be tolerated. You can discuss the message or topic, but not the messenger - NO EXCEPTIONS. If you are attacked by another user, and you reciprocate, YOU will also be subject to the same consequences. Defending yourself, defending a friend, etc. are NOT excuses. Violations of this rule are taken very seriously and may result in being banned without warning! If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
11) If you have concerns about another poster or wish to report a rule violation, the ONLY appropriate venue is to use the Report Post feature. You may NOT air such concerns on the message boards themselves. If you have a general concern that does not involve a specific member, you may post your question in a civil manner in the "Feedback" or "Help" forums.
Marlinedorcinvil post states that she is starting Atkins and wants support, I'm sure she doesn't want a flaming match between other users. If you disagree with someone else's views either state your opinion without insults or ignore. It really is as simple as that to keep the boards friendly and supportive.
Thanks in advance for your cooperation. Hope you are enjoying the site.
Best regards,
CatCrazy
MFP Form Moderator0 -
Fad diets fail, what you need to do is find what works for you. Yes atkins will help you shed the weight but as soon as you go off of it you will most likely gain it back, my advice is to learn the healthier options, Research Tom Venutos burn the fat feed the muscle and learn about clean eating. I do a 40/30/30 carb/protein/fat for my diet and I feel good on that more than any other diet I have eaten, but more importantly if you want it to be a lifelong weight loss you really need to make the necessary habit changes and find a diet that works for you. We are all different and function better off certain ratios, I happened to hit mine by doing a metabolic type test. Tried it and felt great.0
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Fad diets only fail if, once finished, you go back to eating the way you ate before the diet. This of course can be said of any diet.
Marline, I just started doing something similar to the Atkins Diet/South Beach/low carb diets in earnest (just a general ketogenic diet, raising carbs up slowly once I've hit my goal). Good luck! I find it helps to plan meals at the beginning of the day; that way, I don't have to worry about "what to eat and still stay under for the induction period."
Also, I found this website (below) that has a TON of useful information, both regarding the science behind ketogenic diets, as well as some foods to focus on.
http://josepharcita.blogspot.com/2011/03/guide-to-ketosis.html
Hope this helps a bit 0 -
You're not supposed to go back to eating the way you used to, but you also don't have to stay extremely low carb forever. You can slowly increase your carbohydrate intake to find the maximum amount of carbs you can intake without gaining the weight back. Once you hit your target weight, you can actually reintroduce quite a bit of carbs to your diet, but obviously not all of them.
Why do some people call the atkins a fad diet? It's not like it's some random diet introduced where there was a surge of undertakers and then the diet was almost never heard of again. In actuality, it did have a surge of undertakers, but then the amount of people interested simply leveled out. However, it is still something that is in the awareness of quite a few people, and isn't close to dieing off. It's a diet that is fairly close to what used to be our natural diet for millions of years (paleo would be much closer). It won't work for everybody, but it's not doomed to failure for everybody as well.
The atkins can be a really healthy diet if the person plans it out well. It can also be harmful to ones health if the person plans it out horribly.0 -
I did Atkins for 2 months in college as part of a documentary-style assignment for a writing class. I followed the plan and recorded it every day. It. Was. Hell. You have NO energy, your "systems" are completely blocked up, your hair will start to look like hell. That beings aid, you will lose weight. I lost 23 pounds in two months. However, within 3 weeks of going off it I gained 30.
I'm currently doing a 40/40/20 ratio of protein/carbs/fat and have had great success. I still have enough energy to work out and have been losing steadily. Everything is moving along nicely and my hair and nails aren't looking like crap. Neither is my skin. Just some food for thought.
I have to say this is NOT everyone's result. The important thing is to eat veggies and drink plenty of water. I felt GREAT on Atkins so much so that stayed on induction for 3 months. I lost weight and built muscle - I was the smallest at 31 that I had ever been at a size 8. I did have some fatigue for a week or two but it passed. Your body is going to switch over from burning carbs for energy to burning stored fats - so expect some changes before you adjust.
I am currently on an Atkins-like low carb plan of my own design where I don't limit fruits as much. I have lost 13 lbs and am kicking myself for the 5 years I spent eating carbs - I forgot all these wonderful benefits of low carb eating. For me, they are: disappearance of acne (I am a life-long sufferer) really good stable moods (I was much moodier on carbs) regulation of menstral cycle. Best of all I am losing weight NOT feeling hungry and NOT feeling out of control. When I am full I am never stuffed. There are so many foods to choose from and I am never bored.
So I had to counter this reply with my experience. I am not doing strict Atkins now but am on a low carb way of life forever, so if you'd like support, I am here! :-)
Donna0 -
same here i lost 14lbs in 2-3 weeks but soon as you stop you gain it back if not double. I did it 3 times and gained double back each timeI did Atkins for 2 months in college as part of a documentary-style assignment for a writing class. I followed the plan and recorded it every day. It. Was. Hell. You have NO energy, your "systems" are completely blocked up, your hair will start to look like hell. That beings aid, you will lose weight. I lost 23 pounds in two months. However, within 3 weeks of going off it I gained 30.
I'm currently doing a 40/40/20 ratio of protein/carbs/fat and have had great success. I still have enough energy to work out and have been losing steadily. Everything is moving along nicely and my hair and nails aren't looking like crap. Neither is my skin. Just some food for thought.0 -
The key with low carb diets including Atkins is - it is not a DIET it is a WAY OF LIFE. You may start one phase as a diet but if you read the book and follow it through there is no "start eating 'normal' again." You slowly add carbohydrates until the point where you stop losing weight, and that is your maintenance level of carbs for life. Yes, you are all right, if you go back to a typical American type diet where the grains/carbs are the biggest percentage of your calories, you will regain all weight lost. If you figure out how many carbs your body can process you will not. It's that simple. No one should do Atkins or any other low carb way of eating if they plan to return to their former ways of eating "after." They should in my opinion approach it as a new way of life and read all the information.
Yes, you will lose a crapload of weight, but...once you start eating normal again, you will gain it back, plus some. I have seen soooo many of my friends do this and they just don't understand why. It's not difficult to figure out.0 -
Low/No Carb will lose water weight first, then fat/muscle. Problem is, it doesn't discriminate. When the weight is off, you'll gain it back easily as you will have lost the muscle that burns calories. You can actually decrease your metabolism.
I have to say, muscle loss has never been my experience on low carb. Quite the opposite. As you reduce carbs your body burns stored fat for energy. My muscle definition and stregnth/endurance have never been better.0 -
Another vote for the 40/20/20 ratio. Atkins in particular is not great due to muscle loss.
South Beach isn't nearly as bad. Atkins will give you headaches, make you cranky and make your breath smell.
You brain can only function on carbs. The amount you get on Atkins is barely enough for brain function, let alone any energy for anything else.
If you want to try low-carb, try South Beach. What's your fear of carbs anyway?
I highly recommend the current book I'm reading called the Body Fat Solution by Tom Venuto. He also wrote burn the fat, feed the muscle. He explains how to eat regular food (at higher than 1200 a day calories) and exercise sensibly. It's an excellent resource.
Low/No Carb will lose water weight first, then fat/muscle. Problem is, it doesn't discriminate. When the weight is off, you'll gain it back easily as you will have lost the muscle that burns calories. You can actually decrease your metabolism.
Thank you for being a voice of reason! :-)0 -
Well, like some others are saying, if you stay committed and make it to the maintenance phase, and that's a livable lifestyle for you, then you will succeed. If you look at a maintenance mealplan and it doesn't seem sustainable to you, then you can certainly change your mind.
I've done Atkins a few times but it's not really sustainable for me.
That being said, two recipes kept me going through induction when I craved bread or sweets, the one minute muffin and the microwave carbless cheesecake. I'm sure they'll turn up in a google search.0 -
I didn't start losing weight or inches UNTIL I started eating carbs. I only eat complex carbs now (barley, lentils,oatmeal, whole grains). They keep you full longer, offer fiber, and often protein. I actually look at the chart for MFP and work toward meeting it. I use whole butter for fat, as opposed to hydrogenated margarine. I use Olive Oil a lot! Don't go over the fat allowances, but the balances seem to be working for me. And, watch the sodium. Unfortunately the Food Diary doesn't have enough areas to watch ALL the categories...too bad. But I do look into the second screen all the time.0
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Fad diets fail, what you need to do is find what works for you. Yes atkins will help you shed the weight but as soon as you go off of it you will most likely gain it back, my advice is to learn the healthier options, Research Tom Venutos burn the fat feed the muscle and learn about clean eating. I do a 40/30/30 carb/protein/fat for my diet and I feel good on that more than any other diet I have eaten, but more importantly if you want it to be a lifelong weight loss you really need to make the necessary habit changes and find a diet that works for you. We are all different and function better off certain ratios, I happened to hit mine by doing a metabolic type test. Tried it and felt great.
i have found what works for me and that is keeping carbs to a minimum. so basically you are saying dont listen to that guys stuff , just listen to the guy i likes stuff. hmm0 -
and further more you are contradicting yourself. you say dont do atkins it bad , then you say find what works for you. You say we are diffrent and function better off certain ratios. but you mean only if its the same you and other do. I have found the ratios i function better on and guess what they are no where near yoursFad diets fail, what you need to do is find what works for you. Yes atkins will help you shed the weight but as soon as you go off of it you will most likely gain it back, my advice is to learn the healthier options, Research Tom Venutos burn the fat feed the muscle and learn about clean eating. I do a 40/30/30 carb/protein/fat for my diet and I feel good on that more than any other diet I have eaten, but more importantly if you want it to be a lifelong weight loss you really need to make the necessary habit changes and find a diet that works for you. We are all different and function better off certain ratios, I happened to hit mine by doing a metabolic type test. Tried it and felt great.
i have found what works for me and that is keeping carbs to a minimum. so basically you are saying dont listen to that guys stuff , just listen to the guy i likes stuff. hmm0 -
Atkins is absolutely HORRIBLE for your overall health!!! Don't do it!0
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Atkins is absolutely HORRIBLE for your overall health!!! Don't do it!
Based on what?0 -
I decided I was a carb addict, instead of atkins I just dialed down carbs on MFP to 35 percent of normal, lost weight at about 2 lbs week but remember I started at 295, hit a plateau about 70 lbs, started eating 400 more calories a day and I am still losing weight, think you can off set some of the problems such as exercise and you will have plenty of energy and eat some high fiber carbs like millville high fiber cereal. Remember you can deduct dietary fiber from the carbs and I have lost about 75 lbs since Oct and am in much better shape.0
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