atkins

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secret_sally
secret_sally Posts: 20
in Food and Nutrition
I am thinking of trying the Atkins' diet, but only temporarily of course. Has anyone tried it and how much did you lose (inches and lbs/kgs)?

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  • tikitanna
    tikitanna Posts: 15 Member
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    I used the Atikins diet several years ago...I lost 60lbs and went from a size 13 to a size 5.
    I gained all 60lbs back plus another 40.
    You cannot do Atkins "temporarily". It takes a commitment to an overall low-carb lifestyle to keep every pound off that you will lose.
    It may be a fine WOE for some, but for most, once you revert back to eating "normally", the pounds come piling back with a vengeance.
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    Tough to do atkins "temporarily" and not gain the weight back
  • secret_sally
    secret_sally Posts: 20
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    Tikitanna: I am so proud of you for losing all that weight! It inspires me to do the same, but at the same time kind of scares me that it will pile back on :(. So far Atkins or at least a similar diet seems the most suited for me because well.. I can eat lol. Low-carb is a little hard because my dad loves to cook spaghetti. I will try to do this for a week, and if I slip up well lol I will just have to keep at it. The thing with a high-protein/ high-fat diet is that sometimes my heart palpitates... but that could just be me.
  • tikitanna
    tikitanna Posts: 15 Member
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    I LOVED eating Low-carb...there is something so primal about eating a bunch of meat and eggs, and little bits of cheese...and then you throw in a few veggies...my brain still counts carbs as I've adopted a different way of eating....and when I look at my daily nutrition, sometimes I still feel guilt at the amount of carbs I've consumed that particular day....
    BUT... there were several times that I actually almost passed out, and felt so light-headed and dizzy, and I attribute it to my diet...

    I have adopted a healthier lifestyle, and it takes work...but its paying off. I eat less and move more.... If I want to indulge myself, I ride a little farther on my bike or I take my dogs for an extra long walk. This way I feel so much better about myself. If I want to eat spaghetti, I do. No biggie.

    Good luck to you....
    I hope you find what works for you :)
  • LowCarbForLife
    LowCarbForLife Posts: 82 Member
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    I am thinking of trying the Atkins' diet, but only temporarily of course. Has anyone tried it and how much did you lose (inches and lbs/kgs)?
    Low carb diets should be a lifetime lifestyle decision, not a temporary fix IMO. Your "of course" leads me to believe it is probably not a good idea for you without doing more research on the diet. If you had, you wouldn't have added that disclaimer.
  • LowCarbForLife
    LowCarbForLife Posts: 82 Member
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    I used the Atikins diet several years ago...I lost 60lbs and went from a size 13 to a size 5.
    I gained all 60lbs back plus another 40.
    You cannot do Atkins "temporarily". It takes a commitment to an overall low-carb lifestyle to keep every pound off that you will lose.
    It may be a fine WOE for some, but for most, once you revert back to eating "normally", the pounds come piling back with a vengeance.
    Well said. I should have read all the responses before posted my own which said essentially the same thing.
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
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    I used the Atikins diet several years ago...I lost 60lbs and went from a size 13 to a size 5.
    I gained all 60lbs back plus another 40.
    You cannot do Atkins "temporarily". It takes a commitment to an overall low-carb lifestyle to keep every pound off that you will lose.
    It may be a fine WOE for some, but for most, once you revert back to eating "normally", the pounds come piling back with a vengeance.

    almost ditto. I did Atkins in 2005. It worked great as long as I followed it strictly. I lost 50 and had the best cholesterol and triglyceride readings I had ever had. However, I started getting complacent and really could not stick with a low carb lifestyle for life. I didn't have an exit plan and over the next few years I gained all of the weight back plus an additional 7. kind of sad that I'm now losing the same weight again (I'm roughly 2 pounds away from where I ended up after Atkins). at least this time around I'm doing something I can sustain.
  • tjnahm
    tjnahm Posts: 73 Member
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    We eat and live a Primal / Paleo lifestyle which is similar to Atkins and we LOVE it. No sugar, grains, processed foods and my wife and I have lost over 130lbs combined in under four months. Our three children all follow the same lifestyle now to TREMENDOUS effects in there energy levels, fitness, lean bodies, moods, and our son's "ADD-like symptoms".

    We will never add sugars, grains, and processed foods to our diet again.

    :)
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
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    I think one reason folks like Atkins is because you can lose quite a bit of weight the first 2-3 weeks (I lost 17 pounds in 3 weeks). However, the weight loss starts to steady off after that and it takes a real mental commitment to stay committed to Atkins.

    This time around, I've simply chosen to eat more healthy and control my portions. Other than basically cutting out fast food and fried food, I know I can eat what I want. I love fruit and I eat it everyday. I love pizza and I eat it once or twice a week...I just know I am full after 2 pieces and I stop. I love pasta and I eat whole grain pasta at times. I eat more veggies now than what Atkins ideally permits. I can have desserts sometimes. I can have lowfat frozen yogurt most nights.

    With this less restrictive healthy eating plan, even though I didn't lose 17 pounds in 3 weeks, it took me roughly the same amount of time to lose 50 pounds as it did while doing Atkins. only difference is this time around I don't feel like I'm doing something I can't sustain.

    We all want to lose weight as fast as possible. That mindset leads folks to different diets that are not sustainable for most people...and that usually leads to gaining the weight back. I now realize the difference in mindsets from 2005 (along with intermittent, but less successful efforts to lose weight in between) and now. My mindset now is to lead a healthier life...to make healthier food choices most of the time and to be active.

    saying that, Atkins does work if you commit to it long term.
  • LowCarbForLife
    LowCarbForLife Posts: 82 Member
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    I think one reason folks like Atkins is because you can lose quite a bit of weight the first 2-3 weeks (I lost 17 pounds in 3 weeks). However, the weight loss starts to steady off after that and it takes a real mental commitment to stay committed to Atkins.

    This time around, I've simply chosen to eat more healthy and control my portions. Other than basically cutting out fast food and fried food, I know I can eat what I want. I love fruit and I eat it everyday. I love pizza and I eat it once or twice a week...I just know I am full after 2 pieces and I stop. I love pasta and I eat whole grain pasta at times. I eat more veggies now than what Atkins ideally permits. I can have desserts sometimes. I can have lowfat frozen yogurt most nights.

    With this less restrictive healthy eating plan, even though I didn't lose 17 pounds in 3 weeks, it took me roughly the same amount of time to lose 50 pounds as it did while doing Atkins. only difference is this time around I don't feel like I'm doing something I can't sustain.

    We all want to lose weight as fast as possible. That mindset leads folks to different diets that are not sustainable for most people...and that usually leads to gaining the weight back. I now realize the difference in mindsets from 2005 (along with intermittent, but less successful efforts to lose weight in between) and now. My mindset now is to lead a healthier life...to make healthier food choices most of the time and to be active.

    saying that, Atkins does work if you commit to it long term.

    I agree with most of what you wrote but question this statement, "I eat more veggies now than what Atkins ideally permits" because it indicates that you may not understand the actual vegetable intake that Atkins does recommend. Even in its MOST restrictive period of induction which only lasts two weeks Atkins suggests:

    You should be eating approximately 12 to 15 grams of net carbs per day in the form of vegetables, which is equivalent to several cups depending on the actual carb content of the veggies you select.

    If you check out net carbs for most vegetables you'll find that 15 grams is a LOT of vegetables. For example that's almost five cups of broccoli (1.6 net carbs per half cup) per day which is a lot more vegetables than the vast majority of people regularly eat.

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