low Carb (Atkins) diet....amazing results.

santd
santd Posts: 234 Member
edited November 11 in Motivation and Support
Hi everyone,
I lost 196 pounds by October 2013 on a healthy balanced diet. Then I had an knee operation and became immobile for 6 months, but it also depressed me (I didn't expect that). So for the past 14 months I've really struggled with my weight and re-gained 37 pounds. That was so devastating to me as I'd started my diet back in June 2011, and none of my new wardrobe fit!! more depression. I've had a life time of low fat/sugar information pumped into me.

Then my husband started to read the science behind how the body metabolises fats, protein, sugars, & carbs, and yes I was very interested in it, but it went against everything I knew or believed.

The first week I went into melt down thinking this isn't going to work- its too much fat! But the weight has started to come off . When I lost my weight the last time, the last 24 pounds was really difficult to lose, and I never lost 2 pounds in a week, impossible. But I've just lost over 2 pounds this week and I'm delighted. I'm going to stick with this low carb diet for a while longer. It isn't easy cutting out ALL carbs, as they hide in most stuff but I've tried cutting carbs down greatly.


Has anyone else had success with Atkins, or similar high protein.

Replies

  • My sister has lost 49 lbs already! She started in October!!! I am trying to stay very low carb but it's so hard. Sometimes you really just want to eat Reese's Cups! I will tell you, the Atkins version is very good though.
  • krdews
    krdews Posts: 124 Member
    I did Atkins some years ago and had excellent success, love the way I looked, loved the way I felt. Cannot say the exact number of lbs I lost - I never used a scale until recently. I will be transitioning off my current weight loss plan and plan to use Atkins as my weight management more for the low carb, high protein aspect. Stick to it and good luck! By the way the only reason I went off Atkins - I went on vacation to visit my BFF and we ate and drank and I just spiraled out of control; but I always knew Atkins was the best plan for me.
  • MsTracy1972
    MsTracy1972 Posts: 25 Member
    Did Atkins, lost weight quick, was very hard to stay on this diet though. My cholesterol got high, and I just could not eat another egg, oh, and my breath was stinnnnkkkyy from not eating any bread! LMAO I consider doing it again sometimes, but I'd rather just eat healthy and exercise.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    I don't follow the Atkins plan, but I do low carb. It really is only successful if you can do it long-term. It has been much easier for me than I originally thought. The cravings (for everything: carbs, sugar, etc.) completely disappeared so I'm absolutely doing this for life.

    I'm no expert, but I think going on-and-off low carb diets frequently can have negative effects. Ultimately, you have to find what works for you long-term (each individual). Keep it up - it's a lot of trial and error.
  • RenaTX
    RenaTX Posts: 345 Member
    Did Atkins, lost weight quick, was very hard to stay on this diet though. My cholesterol got high, and I just could not eat another egg, oh, and my breath was stinnnnkkkyy from not eating any bread! LMAO I consider doing it again sometimes, but I'd rather just eat healthy and exercise.

    Since cholesterol has been proven by Harvard that it isn't food related I really wonder why it got high.
  • RenaTX
    RenaTX Posts: 345 Member
    I'm trying low carb /high fat mod protein for the last two weeks and so far I like it. I feel really good on it, and I'm not hungry all the time. It's not been a long time so I'm trying to keep an open mind about it and what it does to me. What I have noticed is I'm no longer dealing with low blood sugar induced tension headaches, I feel satisfied, I have calorie allowances left in the evening and I'm not hungry or looking for munchies. I do try and meet my calorie allowance however so I just need to get better at spreading it out.

    In 2014 I was just trying to eat at a calorie deficit as everyone says to do and I was losing weight but there were times I would be already at my calorie limit, I may or may not have had time to exercise and I was still hungry or I just wanted to eat something.

    Again it's only been two weeks but so far I feel satisfaction, I feel good on this and I'm not feeling deprived. I mean I avoid things but I don't feel like it's punishing. I also am losing weight.

    The funny thing I think my husband is also benefiting from my attempts at weight loss. Because I cook the meals in the house there was about three or four days he had to eat salads for lunch as we had to be away from home and didn't want to spend money in restaurants. After the three days he told me that he noticed how he too was feeling good. Then yesterday he weighed himself and he was at 198 where a few weeks ago he weighed in at 210 LOL.

  • eatsyork
    eatsyork Posts: 71 Member
    RenaTX wrote: »
    Since cholesterol has been proven by Harvard that it isn't food related I really wonder why it got high.

    I think the research says that dietary cholesterol doesn't affect most people. Some people do have a response so it is kind of individual. Low-carb high fat diets also often cause cholesterol to increase but they bring up HDL and lower triglycerides so while the total cholesterol number can increase, the "good cholesterol" is often a significant part of it. The understanding of cholesterol appears to be slowly changing with recent research. It looks like potentially the total count isn't as important as the ratio of HDL/LDL, the particle size of LDL, and the amount of inflammation causing oxidation of cholesterol.

  • RenaTX
    RenaTX Posts: 345 Member
    eatsyork wrote: »
    RenaTX wrote: »
    Since cholesterol has been proven by Harvard that it isn't food related I really wonder why it got high.

    I think the research says that dietary cholesterol doesn't affect most people. Some people do have a response so it is kind of individual. Low-carb high fat diets also often cause cholesterol to increase but they bring up HDL and lower triglycerides so while the total cholesterol number can increase, the "good cholesterol" is often a significant part of it. The understanding of cholesterol appears to be slowly changing with recent research. It looks like potentially the total count isn't as important as the ratio of HDL/LDL, the particle size of LDL, and the amount of inflammation causing oxidation of cholesterol.

    That's true. I remember reading about particle size etc. Thanks for clarifying this for me. My cholestrol last year checked out to be good so I don't want to see that messed up.

  • eatsyork
    eatsyork Posts: 71 Member
    I've been eating low-carb since September and I've lost 58 lbs. It's been relatively easy for me. Much easier than anything else I've ever done to try to lose weight. The first week I felt absolutely awful. Since then I've felt great. I don't get hungry (even though I eat at a large deficit) and I don't get cravings. It can be hard if you don't have the willpower to either make special orders at restaurants or cook for yourself, but I think the results speak for themselves.
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
    santd wrote: »
    Hi everyone

    Has anyone else had success with Atkins, or similar high protein.

    I did it, lost weight really quickly but couldn't stay on it because it was messing with my digestive system and I didn't feel great, however as soon as I went on to a normal maintenance diet with carbs it all went back on :/

    I do try to up my protein so I feel fuller longer and for muscle maintenance, but I'd never totally give up or drastically restrict a food group again, or do any other "fad" diet (sorry about the terminology) because of that, but that's just my experience.

    I do genuinely hope it works for you though, unfortunately it didn't do much for me. x
  • scg17
    scg17 Posts: 88 Member
    edited January 2015
    RenaTX wrote: »
    Did Atkins, lost weight quick, was very hard to stay on this diet though. My cholesterol got high, and I just could not eat another egg, oh, and my breath was stinnnnkkkyy from not eating any bread! LMAO I consider doing it again sometimes, but I'd rather just eat healthy and exercise.

    Since cholesterol has been proven by Harvard that it isn't food related I really wonder why it got high.

    Beans, and other things that are high carb, but healthy, have been proven to help with cholesterol management. What was proven is that high cholesterol foods can't cause high cholesterol in people.

    Edited: Other people already answered this better than I did :smile:
  • The interesting thing I hear is when people say it's bad to cut out a macronutrient (carb) while at the same time pursuing a low fat diet. Some humans, perhaps up to a third, can deal with carb as the main fuel source, but the evidence would seem to be growing that the rest of us are more predisposed to processing fat with far healthier results. one size doesn't fit all, but I'm glad to have found a sustainable diet that eschews carbs in favour of fat.
  • santd
    santd Posts: 234 Member
    I'm amazed at my weight loss, energy levels, and full feeling. Plus I can eat some fats I'd never dare before. its great.
  • vickicravener
    vickicravener Posts: 76 Member
    santd wrote: »
    Hi everyone,
    I lost 196 pounds by October 2013 on a healthy balanced diet. Then I had an knee operation and became immobile for 6 months, but it also depressed me (I didn't expect that). So for the past 14 months I've really struggled with my weight and re-gained 37 pounds. That was so devastating to me as I'd started my diet back in June 2011, and none of my new wardrobe fit!! more depression. I've had a life time of low fat/sugar information pumped into me.

    Then my husband started to read the science behind how the body metabolises fats, protein, sugars, & carbs, and yes I was very interested in it, but it went against everything I knew or believed.

    The first week I went into melt down thinking this isn't going to work- its too much fat! But the weight has started to come off . When I lost my weight the last time, the last 24 pounds was really difficult to lose, and I never lost 2 pounds in a week, impossible. But I've just lost over 2 pounds this week and I'm delighted. I'm going to stick with this low carb diet for a while longer. It isn't easy cutting out ALL carbs, as they hide in most stuff but I've tried cutting carbs down greatly.


    Has anyone else had success with Atkins, or similar high protein.

    I'm doing Atkins and the Venus diet.
  • I started doing the low carb diet officially 2 weeks ago today. I say officially bc the week before I started, I just cut back on food consumption. As of today I've lost 11 pounds! I could not be more thrilled. I decided to give this diet a try, as it has way more things I can eat and enjoy. I've tried the low calorie, but it eels I was ALWAYS hungry. On this particular diet I don't get the hunger pangs as before. I'm ready to try and reach my goal of 50 pounds. Once I incorporate moderate exercise I feel even more weight will come off. My biggest downfall is that I have a sweet tooth! If anyone has any good dessert options let me know!
  • kungabungadin
    kungabungadin Posts: 290 Member
    Well I guess I am kind of dumb but I have to ask to do the Adkins diet to you have to join some place or pay some kind of fee or is there a free formula to follow? I know I will just have to google it but if someone can explain a little that would be nice.
  • eatsyork
    eatsyork Posts: 71 Member
    There are no fees for Atkins or low-carb or keto. You just need to do the research. I recommend reading some books (Atkins books, The Art And Science Of Low Carbohydrate Living, The Primal Blueprint, Keto Clarity, etc.) so you understand the what and why of it all. If you insist on going in blind, though, you can find all the info you need on Google.

    As an example, for the very basic keto diet you just eat 5% carbs, 25% protein, 70% fat. If you want to know why you eat those things and how to not feel like garbage the first couple weeks you should pick up the books :)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    The issue to realize here is that while low carb is a pretty good strategy for weight loss, if one has a bad day, week, or month, weight piles on very quickly when carbs are reintroduced in larger amounts due to the water and glycogen storage that's created. If one isn't committed to giving up cakes, donuts, desserts, or any sweet sugary indulgence, chances are that Atkins won't be a successful way for them to lose weight. Just don't jump on the bandwagon for weight loss. It should be a program one can sustain for life.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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  • eatsyork
    eatsyork Posts: 71 Member
    jujmatt wrote: »
    My biggest downfall is that I have a sweet tooth! If anyone has any good dessert options let me know!

    Many people find after they adjust to low carb eating they don't crave sweets any more. I find that coffee or cocoa with a little sweetener (stevia or splenda) is fine to kill any cravings I might have. A couple squares of 80% or higher dark chocolate would probably fit the diet. Or real whipped cream with splenda or stevia on top of a few berries. Quest bars are also tasty and most people are ok with them on low carb but a few people stall from them (they contain isomalto-oligosaccharides and a few flavours have sugar alcohols). Whey protein with unsweetened coconut beverage and a splash of Walden Farms zero cal chocolate syrup is nice too. I, personally, avoid diabetic candy and the Atkins products because they are full of malitol which in my opinion is almost as bad as sugar.

  • Hi all!!!
    I just started my atkins journey again today. I personally want to keep my net carbs at 20
    and am wondering how I can set my goal at 20 nc's and calories at 1300?
    I find that those numbers really worked for me and I lost weight every week.

    I fell off the wagon badly in December. My dad passed away from cancer in a weeks time from the official diagnosis and I ate everything in site and put on 6 lbs of the 13 lbs that I had lost on Atkins.

    Any advise you can provide will be appreciated! Hope to find some online wtloss buddies here
  • SwankyTomato
    SwankyTomato Posts: 442 Member
    While I am not doing Atkins or any "diet", I am paying more attention to my protein vs carbs intake. It does make a difference for me with not binging.
  • stillonamission
    stillonamission Posts: 140 Member
    Congrats on your 2 pound victory - and your past weight lost! That is amazing!

    I did low carb/Adkins pretty hard core for 8 months in 2013 and lost 90 pounds. I lost it really quickly, however I did incorporate exercise as well.

    Since then I have tried a calorie counting, low fat diet, but I didn't do as well. I do better cutting items out rather than having just a little. - Yogurt is a total binge trigger for me.

    Since last summer I have gained 10 pounds back, so I am back to the hard core low carb diet now (sticking to under 20 grams net), although it is coming off very slowly compared to my first rodeo -- incredibly frustrating but I am sticking to it, I know it works.

    I feel way better on this diet that I did on Low fat, but I think it's mostly due to very few processed foods- (except liquid sweetener!). The hardest thing about low carb is that you have to make everything from scratch. I don't eat any of the Adkins meals or snacks and try to reach for the fresh ingredients first. I also try not to eat too much protein -- that can cause your body to store glucose and kick you out of ketosis.
  • I have always done a low carb diet to loose weight. It started when I saw my mom loose over 100 lbs! I was a Jr. in High School the first time I did it and lost 25 lbs. since then, I did the diet after I had my son...I gained 50 lbs with him and most it all in 3 months. I just recently had my second child, gained 38 lbs, she is 8 weeks old today and I only have 10 more lbs to loose! It works!! I also exercise 5 days a week.
  • vikkir8
    vikkir8 Posts: 13 Member
    jujmatt wrote: »
    I started doing the low carb diet officially 2 weeks ago today. I say officially bc the week before I started, I just cut back on food consumption. As of today I've lost 11 pounds! I could not be more thrilled. I decided to give this diet a try, as it has way more things I can eat and enjoy. I've tried the low calorie, but it eels I was ALWAYS hungry. On this particular diet I don't get the hunger pangs as before. I'm ready to try and reach my goal of 50 pounds. Once I incorporate moderate exercise I feel even more weight will come off. My biggest downfall is that I have a sweet tooth! If anyone has any good dessert options let me know!

    Try mixing full fat coconut milk 400ml with 3 tables coco powder and a few drops of vanilla essence. Mix well and pop in the fridge for a couple of hours. 4 servings from this. Check the carb content for both but should average about 3.4g carbs per portion.
  • santd
    santd Posts: 234 Member
    I have bought that quikcarb for baking and my muffins are only 1 carb per muffin and 68 calories its great. Also that slim carb free noodles from Holland & Barrett are great too. So I can have my cake and eat it.
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