Anyone doing Atkins Diet? Need to start ASAP!
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TheOldBallCoach43420
Posts: 119 Member
Hello everyone! I have been doing research on all sorts of diets and wanted to give the Atkins diet a try. I have over 100 lbs to lose, and my wife wants to lose 50.
Can anyone offer any advice or guide me where/how to start? Feel like crap all the time and I need to make a change FAST!! I have a 3 and 5 year old at home!!
Thanks in advance!!
Can anyone offer any advice or guide me where/how to start? Feel like crap all the time and I need to make a change FAST!! I have a 3 and 5 year old at home!!
Thanks in advance!!
2
Replies
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If you will google "atkins diet" you will find plenty of information.
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Been there, did that.
Looking for THEE actual plan itself. Want to do the Atkins 20, but feel there is more to this than simply making sure we are eating less than 20 net carbs per day.
Every website has slightly differing information, but no real outline of the actual diet itself. Does that make sense?2 -
This is the Atkins Ketogenic book which sounds maybe what you are looking for.
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Ketogenic-Diet-Beginners-Essential/dp/1623158087/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2M77FKQEDH804&keywords=atkins+20+diet+book&qid=1557279621&s=books&sprefix=atkins+20,aps,168&sr=1-1-spons&psc=12 -
Or, you can do this:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
and continue to eat what you like.
I'm just saying if low-carb doesn't end up working out for you or your wife, don't give up on MFP. You can lose weight while eating all of the macros and counting calories. Weight loss happens only if you maintain a calorie deficit, if Atkins helps you do that, fantastic!
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There's no magic bullet and no miracle one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter solution. There really is no "The Plan".
Weight loss comes down to one thing and one thing only. Eating fewer calories than you use. That's it. High carb, low carb, high fat, low fat, vegan, Mediterranean, Keto, Atkins or the millions of other methods out there all work the same way by creating a calorie deficit.
Likely why you're finding slightly different information on different websites is that what works for everyone is slightly different. Or completely different.
Some people find protein filling so some form of high protein/low fat/low carb diet works well for them. Some are the opposite and are satiated by fats which means a keto diet makes it easier for them to control their calories. Others are volume eaters and achieve a calorie deficit via huge quantities of low calorie foods and others find that the reduced eating window of intermittent fasting works for them.
My advice. Stop looking for the perfect plan and start doing something. If it works for you then keep it up, if you struggle or find it difficult take that knowledge and adjust what you're doing or, completely discard that approach and try something else. Starting is the most important thing you can do.
G'luck13 -
We just want to make sure we are doing it correctly to get us started because both of us have quite a bit of weight that we both need to lose. Is it really as simple as making sure you stay below 20-25 net carbs per day? We haven’t really found “the plan” anywhere. We have found the list of foods that have zero net carbs but does that mean you can eat them freely? Seems odd.7
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TheOldBallCoach43420 wrote: »We just want to make sure we are doing it correctly to get us started because both of us have quite a bit of weight that we both need to lose. Is it really as simple as making sure you stay below 20-25 net carbs per day? We haven’t really found “the plan” anywhere. We have found the list of foods that have zero net carbs but does that mean you can eat them freely? Seems odd.
It's only going to work if you're in a calorie deficit. Few people can achieve that without trying. I think the only way to find the plan would be to buy a book containing it. Or do keto, which sounds like it'd be the same thing with those net carb numbers.4 -
Did someone recommend Atkins to you? Do you and your wife have any medical reason to restrict carbs? What was it about Atkins that appealed to you?
A lot of times you won’t find the full information about a particular named program unless you purchase the book or subscribe to some sort of plan. That’s what people are trying to tell you, there’s nothing magical about Atkins for weight loss - it will have the same results as any other program that leads to a sustained calorie deficit. Some people have medical reasons to restrict carbs, and some find a low carb diet to be satiating and enjoyable. You can likely find some tips on these boards by using the search feature as well.5 -
TheOldBallCoach43420 wrote: »We just want to make sure we are doing it correctly to get us started because both of us have quite a bit of weight that we both need to lose. Is it really as simple as making sure you stay below 20-25 net carbs per day? We haven’t really found “the plan” anywhere. We have found the list of foods that have zero net carbs but does that mean you can eat them freely? Seems odd.
There is no magic to Atkins or any other diet. You lose weight by eating less calories than your body burns. If you start a low carbohydrate diet, you will likely lose weight quickly the first few weeks, as your body will shed water weight. This is not the same as fat loss, but maybe it can give you a psychological victory to see the scale number lower.
For some people, a low carb diet makes them feel fuller, so it is easier to for them to eat within a calorie deficit. You can't "eat whatever you want as long as you stay below a certain number of net carbs" and lose weight, if you are also eating a lot of high calorie food. But maybe the diet will keep you full enough that the food that you eat on it to fill you up keeps you in a calorie deficit. That works for some people. It doesn't work for others. Some people love low carb diets. Others it makes miserable. Many here who do a low carb diet also track their calories since they know that a calorie deficit is the only true way to lose weight.6 -
Years ago when I did Atkins, I went to the bookstore and bought the book "Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution" by Dr. Atkins. It had all the information I needed. These days, I suppose you'd order whatever the most updated version of that is online since there aren't many bookstores left. I know there's Dr. Atkins NEW Diet Revolution as an updated book. I'm not sure if there have been any more updates since then.
After some experimentation, I found that my body doesn't like low carb. It doesn't like the standard high carb dietitian recommended diet either so I tend to keep them around 40ish% of my diet. Experiment and see what makes you feel most satiated and lose weight best.
One website I like for low carb recipes is yourlighterside.com
Best wishes to you.3 -
In the other thread I recommended the book Atkins: Eat Right, Not Less. I really recommend starting with that-it gives all the info you need in a very easy to understand format (it has beautiful pictures too). It breaks down the various stages of the plan so you know exactly what to do. I borrowed it from the library but it's pretty inexpensive to just buy and have on hand as a reference.
https://www.amazon.com/Atkins-Guidebook-Low-Carb-Low-Sugar-Lifestyle/dp/1501175440/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1557401411&sr=8-15 -
Forget the advice from Danp and others like it. There is a difference in diets. The studies prove that low carb diets like Atkins or Keto have a better effect on weight loss.
For the original poster, I would suggest just using MFP to track what you eat at first. Don't try to do it all at once because sustained weight loss takes time and is essentially a lifestyle change that has to stick after your goal weight is reached.place
You've taken the first step in recognizing that you are overweight. Now realize what got you there in the first place...most likely poor eating habits and little or no regular exercise.
Start by removing all the crap. Cut out fast food, processed packaged food and start making your own meals and snacks. Try to avoid refined sugar in all it's forms (corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose anything ending in -ose). Stay away from soda and fruit juice. Diet soda is okay as long as you have only one serving (8oz) per day.
Find an exercise routine that you can enjoy and stick to. Walking is a good start. Humans were designed to move and so the more you move the better you feel. Added weight can be a burden for exercising so consider weightless exercise at the local swimming pool - water walking, water calisthenics, swimming, water aerobics etc..
And lastly don't expect the weight to come flying off. It will take time to lose 50 - 100 lbs. just keep trying and keep moving forward.
Ultimately keeping your carb intake below 30-50g per day will go a long way in aiding your weight loss. Low carb diets like keto have enough evidence to prove they work fundamentally better for people with health related weight issues.35 -
I follow the South Beach Diet , it is a variation of the Atkins Diet but allows for certain carbs and you wont be eating "all the bacon and cheese you want" . Low carb works well for me but I also stay within in a max calorie limit per day.2
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Forget the advice from Danp and others like it. There is a difference in diets. The studies prove that low carb diets like Atkins or Keto have a better effect on weight loss.
For the original poster, I would suggest just using MFP to track what you eat at first. Don't try to do it all at once because sustained weight loss takes time and is essentially a lifestyle change that has to stick after your goal weight is reached.place
You've taken the first step in recognizing that you are overweight. Now realize what got you there in the first place...most likely poor eating habits and little or no regular exercise.
Start by removing all the crap. Cut out fast food, processed packaged food and start making your own meals and snacks. Try to avoid refined sugar in all it's forms (corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose anything ending in -ose). Stay away from soda and fruit juice. Diet soda is okay as long as you have only one serving (8oz) per day.
Find an exercise routine that you can enjoy and stick to. Walking is a good start. Humans were designed to move and so the more you move the better you feel. Added weight can be a burden for exercising so consider weightless exercise at the local swimming pool - water walking, water calisthenics, swimming, water aerobics etc..
And lastly don't expect the weight to come flying off. It will take time to lose 50 - 100 lbs. just keep trying and keep moving forward.
Ultimately keeping your carb intake below 30-50g per day will go a long way in aiding your weight loss. Low carb diets like keto have enough evidence to prove they work fundamentally better for people with health related weight issues.
Meh, I ate restaurant food 4 times this past weekend and I stayed completely on plan for my lower carb way of eating. It was pretty easy to chose lower carb options or do simple modifications to make things lower carb. Many restaurants offer meat focused dishes, along with eggs and cheese, veggies etc. I even had pizza-we did carry out and I just transferred the toppings to a low carb wrap and made it a pizza wrap. It was lower carb, was a good source of protein, fat and fiber and tasted good as well.
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No, you can't just eat as much as you want and not worry about calories.
Eating lower carb does help with satiety and stops most binge eating, since people usually over eat on carby delicious foods but it is still possible to over eat on Atkins.
Atkins came out long before it was easy to track calories online. Doing both is a great way to work it. The "induction phase" of Atkins is very low carb, but then the plan suggests adding in carbs again. I would buy the book and read it.
However, that said: if the food choices are too restrictive (and women often struggle with this way of eating) then you can lose weight just as well by merely watching calorie intake.
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I did Atkins waaaaay back when it was all the rage. I lost quite a bit of weight but was not able to maintain the loss because I couldn't live that way indefinately. If you want to do the diet he does tell you that calories don't count. I disagree because what made me lose wasn't the combination of foods but the fact that I quit being hungry. I got sick of eating nothing but protein and fat. The Keto diet is similar. For me (I have no gall bladder) I can't tolerate that level of fat anymore so I couldn't even try now. I finally lost the weight and kept it off by just counting calories.
If you are determined to eat Atkins style then I would suggest going to a book store and picking up the book. If you have second hand book stores you will likely find several copies available.
As I recall the first couple of weeks you were allowed nothing but protein and fat and for carb he suggested 4 ounces of hard cheese, 2 cups of lettuce, 2 TBS of heavy cream and 1/2 cup of strawberries per day. I believe that works out to around 20 grams of carb. He then suggests that you eat steak and eggs with bacon freely. Most folks can do that for a week or two. As you are doing that your body drops weight because you lose alot of water as your glycogen stores are used up. After the induction phase as he calls it you can add back something like 5 grams a week until you find you are no longer in Ketosis. Then you scale back to remain in ketosis. After a few weeks you no longer care to eat because it becomes so boring. I got to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore after about 3 months. I dropped around 40 lbs but gained it right back because I hadn't learned anything that would help me keep the weight off.
Good luck to you and your wife and I hope you find a plan you can live with. For more support on a low carb lifestyle I would suggest going to groups and searching on Low Carb. There is a big group with a whole bunch of people living this lifestyle. They can support you further.2 -
TheOldBallCoach43420 wrote: »Hello everyone! I have been doing research on all sorts of diets and wanted to give the Atkins diet a try. I have over 100 lbs to lose, and my wife wants to lose 50.
Can anyone offer any advice or guide me where/how to start? Feel like crap all the time and I need to make a change FAST!! I have a 3 and 5 year old at home!!
Thanks in advance!!
Going into weight loss with a FAST!! attitude is going to end in disaster.
A 1lb per week weight loss rate (the middle ground) will take you 2 years.
Think long, slow marathon. Not a sprint.
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cheryldumais wrote: »I did Atkins waaaaay back when it was all the rage. I lost quite a bit of weight but was not able to maintain the loss because I couldn't live that way indefinately. If you want to do the diet he does tell you that calories don't count. I disagree because what made me lose wasn't the combination of foods but the fact that I quit being hungry. I got sick of eating nothing but protein and fat. The Keto diet is similar. For me (I have no gall bladder) I can't tolerate that level of fat anymore so I couldn't even try now. I finally lost the weight and kept it off by just counting calories.
If you are determined to eat Atkins style then I would suggest going to a book store and picking up the book. If you have second hand book stores you will likely find several copies available.
As I recall the first couple of weeks you were allowed nothing but protein and fat and for carb he suggested 4 ounces of hard cheese, 2 cups of lettuce, 2 TBS of heavy cream and 1/2 cup of strawberries per day. I believe that works out to around 20 grams of carb. He then suggests that you eat steak and eggs with bacon freely. Most folks can do that for a week or two. As you are doing that your body drops weight because you lose alot of water as your glycogen stores are used up. After the induction phase as he calls it you can add back something like 5 grams a week until you find you are no longer in Ketosis. Then you scale back to remain in ketosis. After a few weeks you no longer care to eat because it becomes so boring. I got to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore after about 3 months. I dropped around 40 lbs but gained it right back because I hadn't learned anything that would help me keep the weight off.
Good luck to you and your wife and I hope you find a plan you can live with. For more support on a low carb lifestyle I would suggest going to groups and searching on Low Carb. There is a big group with a whole bunch of people living this lifestyle. They can support you further.
The current plan structure has more variety/not as many restrictions. Atkins20 has 20-25g of net carbs mostly coming from their large list of 'foundation vegetables', along with up to 3-4 ounces of cheese, and then the trace carbs found in eggs, some seafood etc. You can actually get quite a bit of veggies in with that amount of net carbs.
By the time you get to Atkins100 you're eating quite a bit of carbs with lots of room for veggies, nuts and seeds, dairy, some fruit, sweets and grains etc.
I'm not following Atkins but I just got done reading a few of the books and have spent some time on their website. For me personally, I just decided to do a more general lower carb, higher fat way of eating but I do think the Atkins structure is good for those who are just starting out and need a bit more help.
Op, being at the correct calorie deficit for your weight loss goals is the foundation of any plan. Tracking calories, especially when starting out, is a very good idea to do alongside Atkins. And measuring out correct portion sizes on a food scale will be a huge help as well.0 -
@TheOldBallCoach43420
Check this link out:
https://www.atkins.com/how-it-works/atkins-20/phase-1
This starts with Phase 1. The blue ovals give other explanation to the plan, FAQs, tips, an an acceptable food list, how to transition to the next phase. For similar information on all other phases, look to the nav bar on the right. They're all listed.
This should help you figure things out without having to buy the book. If you have more specific questions after reading through that resource, the Low Carber Daily Forum may have folks who are on the plan and can aide you there. There are some other non-MFP forums where people are doing Atkins so if you don't get what you need from the Group, PM me and I can link you there.
HTH 2 -
At the time of his death Dr. Atkins weighed 258, had serious heart problems and high blood pressure.
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