I would like ADVICE on ATKINS??? :) ***GOOD?**NAY?***
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South Beach is a modified Atkins diet - they are essentially the same thing. And if you're looking for another alternative, a simple diabetic diet would again be the same thing too.
Where Atkins is different is the Phase 1. It's extra strict and is called the "kick start" phase. You don't have to do it it do Atkins - you can skip to phase 2 if you want, which is less regimented, and easier to follow...
No harm in trying it and seeing what you think. Each person's experience is different. You may hate it, but you may love it and it may just be the kick start you're needing!
Good luck on your journey!0 -
I went on it about 2 years ago. I lost around 25 lbs. I did end up gaining the weight back that I had lost, but that was my own fault because I got off of it.0
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There have been a lot of improvements to the Atkins diet from the early 2000's till today. In 2004 I lost 100 pounds doing Atkins but the way the diet was structured, it was extremely limiting and strict. As a result, it wasn't a plan I could stick with and unfortunately, reverting back to my poor eatting habbits, I gained it all back.
Having read the newest book, A new Atkins for a New You, published in 2010, I've been pleasantly surprised by all the changes to the program. Those who have done Atkins in the past and stopped, should really check out the new improvements and changes. Its much less restrictive and thus far it seems much easier. I've been low carbing again for the past month with great results.
You will hear all kinds of pro's and con's, opinion's and speculation. The reality is you need to find something that works for you. Try it, if you don't like it, modify it. If that doesn't work out, consider other options.
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Atkins can be great, but like any eating strategy, there are limits to it's greatness.
If you can be rigorous about the foods you consume, then Atkins, South Beach, and Primal/Paleo can be good choices. It doesn't matter if you have a metabolic problem that requires a low carb diet or not, there is no inherent flaw in following a low carb eating strategy.
On the other hand, if you simply cannot give up cake and brownies, then there is generally nothing wrong with simply calorie-counting. I can't do it, because it leaves me feeling ravenous, but many people can just eat what they like in appropriate portions and call it good.
A hybrid program is also possible, where you might go low carb most of the time and then have a carb-filled cheat day every week or two. This is what I follow, and it works well for me.
The biggest thing to keep in mind is that ant eating strategy will have a fairly rough adjustment period, and any eat strategy will only work so long as you follow it. People complain about putting all the weight back on once they stopped doing Atkins, but the entire deal is that you are not supposed to just stop. Atkins only work while you follow it, just like Weight Watchers, a diabetic diet, or any other strategy.
Good luck in whatever you choose!0 -
I love Atkins and all other low carb routines. My favorite book is "The Paleo Diet" by Loren Cordain, Ph.D.
I've heard so many people say that they couldn't do no-carb or even low-carb ....but the amazing thing about the regimen is that after 4 days (when you switch over to being fueled by your own fat stores, hanging on your butt) hunger ceases. NO hunger. Just the most wonderful feeling of well being.
Give it a try. You'll be a convert.0 -
I tried an Atkins-like diet for about two weeks and couldn't last. This isn't a method of eating I could sustain for the rest of my life, nor am willing to sustain this for a lifetime (as mrsjenfrank says above, it's too hard to sustain, health benefits or no). On further research, the South Beach approach seemed much more nutritionally sound to me, starts low carb but gradually reintroduces good-quality carbs. I can see where South Beach might seem onerous to some, but it seems fairly easy to live by for me. Sorry, I just can't buy that whole grains and starchy vegetables are The Enemy, or that saturated fats are My Friend even though my GP seems to have bought into this view.
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I read the book and followed the diet and lost a bunch of weight but like all diets for me they are hard to do for the rest of my life so as soon as I stopped I gained it all back.
My doctor put me on a modified ATkin's diet which is basically the diabetes diet which is reduce carbs not eliminate them comepletely. That is doable for me.0 -
Low carb is the ONLY way I can lose weight and maintain that loss. I also found out I am gluten intolerant, so by avoiding gluten/carbs, I have NO cravings at all...I don't miss bread or pasta, it always made me feel drugged and ill after I ate it...I went into a food coma. Why would I ever miss feeling that way? I feel great and have no desire to 'cheat' - which only means I am DAMAGING and cheating myself out of feeling good. I just don't get that mentality at all.
I eat lots of fresh organic veges, lean meats, nuts and seeds and some lower sugar fruits...how is that unhealthy? I have lost 79 pounds as of today, only 8 more to my goal weight and have not counted calories ONCE. I cut out the junk and processed foods and feel GREAT.
Many, many people have gluten problems and don't even realize it...gluten is a trigger for binge eaters too. I have no desire to over eat now that it is out of my daily routine. I think gluten is going to be the next 'evil' to avoid - like trans fats and corn syrup...I hope so. Try it...after two weeks of the initial withdrawal - you will feel fantastic.0 -
A study was just published that said adding more protein to your diet was good. Phase I of Atkins is no carbs, but it only lasts a certain amount of days. Phase iII is like the south beach diet. Both phase I and south beach focus on low carbs such as refined sugar. Atkins is great for quick weight loss. However, you will get sick of it. At that point, you would want to focus on south beach... Especially for maintenance. I'm a fan of lower carbs. Carbs make me HUNGRY. Protein doesn't. I lost 40 on Atkins. It melted off. You have to be prepared for a maintenance plan thpugh. In addition, I am diebetic, the nutritionist I went to told me to focus on lower carbs. People bash Adkins, don't listen to them. Do what you feel is right for you.0
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My mum did atkins and lost a lot, but its all back. her friend also did it, he was a dad of 2 and ate bacon and eggs for breakfast everyday and relished in the high fat diet- he just didnt eat any carbs. he ended up having a heart attack and dying (this was maybe 10 years ago now?). so just be careful if you do it. no carbs doesnt mean substitute it for really fatty foods and remember that such will damage your body!0
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Not only is it bad for your thyroid....it's also bad for your brain...Your brain functions on carbs as it will not use any other source for fuel. Limiting or reducing too much can result in seizures...Be careful.0
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don't do it! it is just a fad, and not a very healthy one either. My mom and I did it, we lost weight, yeah, but when we just couldn't do it anymore, we BOTH gained back all the weight and then some. Find a plan that works for you and can be sustainable
A forty year old FAD that has numerous studies and uncountable success stories to back it up. Unfortuantely people equate Atkins with the Phase 1 Induction and even then they misrepresent it because it does not cut out all carbs. In fact, as others have said, you will probably eat even more vegetables than you do on low calorie diets. It's not for everyone but many people not only do well on Atkins but feel great and end up with better health numbers than before they started.0 -
Not only is it bad for your thyroid....it's also bad for your brain...Your brain functions on carbs as it will not use any other source for fuel. Limiting or reducing too much can result in seizures...Be careful.
This is the funniest post I have ever read about Low carb! Oh...my...I can't stop laughing!!!0 -
Hi everyone,
So, I've heard a lot about Atkins but have always said "no way". Mostly because I heard that 'Phase 1' is NO carbs whatsoever. Not gonna lie, this wouldn't be easy for me in the least. LOL
Recently, I keep hearing really great things about Atkins on MFP. The most common thing I hear in that it jump starts weight loss. Even if just Phase 1 is completed.
I would really like some advice about Atkins. Anyone done Atkins? Success stories? People who don't like Atkins?
I think I need something very different than I've been doing for the last eight months. I have about 23lbs to lose.
I signed up on the Atkins website for now and they are actually sending out a free kit at no charge. That's pretty awesome.
Should I be purchasing the Atkins book? How do I get started? Do I just wait for my kit to arrive and then start?
Thanks so much! Hopefully I can get all the answers I need and make a decision.
I really appreciate any advice!!!!
HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
* Just wanted to add that from what I read on Atkins site, it isn't a no-carb/low carb approach anymore. They want you eating good carbs.
Go on Amazon or Ebay and purchase the 2001/2002 edition of the DANDR (Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution) and read it cover to cover.
Purge your pantry of non-allowable items and go to the grocery and purchase the meats and veggies you want to eat for the next 2 weeks.
Make sure to eat plenty of fats, moderate proteins and keep the carbs from green leafy vegetables at the 20 grams per day mark.
Whomever told you it was NO carbs is severely WRONG.
Please feel free to PM me as I have plenty of experience with low carb and Atkins. I lost 100 pounds in 2003 on Atkins, maintained that weight loss until 2008 when I was in a near death car accident and I gained a lot of weight back over the time I was in the hospital, rehabbing, etc.
So now I have taken it one step further and transitioned over from Atkins to a more Paleo approach as I have found that when I get to the point on Atkins to add back in grains and legumes they don't bode well with my body, which is a food intolerance.
Please feel free to contact me day or night.
And check out Sugar Free Sheila. She has lost weight on Atkins and has been maintaining it for more than 10 years now.
http://www.sugarfreesheila.com0 -
Wow, so much misinformation in this discussion about Atkins. Even by some who said they read the book. I don't know what book they read but it wasn't Atkins. Or maybe they only read about Phase 1 and neglected OWL (ongoing weight loss) Phase 2 and Maintenance (Phase 3).
Atkins is not no carb, even in Phase 1. It is very low carb for the first two weeks ONLY. After that, you enter OWL by adding 5 grams/carb to your daily eating plan for a week. Then another 5 the next week. And so on. Until you find the level of carbs that you can eat and still lose weight without having it raise any binge-eating triggers. I'm basically in the OWL phase eating about 80-100 grams/carb day.
I have more energy, think more clearly, have better memory, don't get the afternoon slump/want-to-nap feeling, sleep better at night, etc. It's all good including my blood tests for lipids, thyroid function, etc. I do have a teensy thyroid goiter that appeared prior to going on Atkins and has shrunk while doing Atkins which is the reason for the monitoring of my thyroid.
I eat many more vegetables than I ever did prior to Atkins. And after raising my carb level, I do have bread or a small bit of potatoes several times per week. Not that you need them for any kind of real nutritional benefit as they have nothing our bodies need that can't be eaten with vegetables but because I do like the taste of them. I also occasionally eat pizza, a hamburger, lasagna, or some other higher-carb food on my weekly splurge day without any negative effects. Well, without negative effects when it comes to weight loss anyway. However, I do then get sleepy/lethargic if I over-indulge, get throbbing joints, etc. So I need to limit the amount of these higher-carb foods even during my splurge day or I feel all sorts of nasty. But I can have enough to satisfy my taste-buds as long as I don't overdo it.
As someone said on another thread about low-carbing (wish I had the exact quote and the poster's name to recognize them), paraphrased: If I say I'm eating clean, healthy foods focusing on vegetables, lean proteins, nuts, and healthy fats, people would say "that's great!". If I say I'm doing Atkins, people say "oh, no, that's so unhealthy!". But they are the same thing.
Anyway, you might like it if you try it. But do it right and move up the "carb ladder" via the OWL phase and then, once you reach maintenance, find the right carb and calorie levels to help you maintain your weight. Don't do it wrong like the other folks who say they gained it all back. Well, when you skip the two most important phases of the plan, what do you expect?0 -
funkycamper
Where is the LIKE button!! Very awesome post!!0 -
Wow, so much misinformation in this discussion about Atkins. Even by some who said they read the book. I don't know what book they read but it wasn't Atkins. Or maybe they only read about Phase 1 and neglected OWL (ongoing weight loss) Phase 2 and Maintenance (Phase 3).
Atkins is not no carb, even in Phase 1. It is very low carb for the first two weeks ONLY. After that, you enter OWL by adding 5 grams/carb to your daily eating plan for a week. Then another 5 the next week. And so on. Until you find the level of carbs that you can eat and still lose weight without having it raise any binge-eating triggers. I'm basically in the OWL phase eating about 80-100 grams/carb day.
I have more energy, think more clearly, have better memory, don't get the afternoon slump/want-to-nap feeling, sleep better at night, etc. It's all good including my blood tests for lipids, thyroid function, etc. I do have a teensy thyroid goiter that appeared prior to going on Atkins and has shrunk while doing Atkins which is the reason for the monitoring of my thyroid.
I eat many more vegetables than I ever did prior to Atkins. And after raising my carb level, I do have bread or a small bit of potatoes several times per week. Not that you need them for any kind of real nutritional benefit as they have nothing our bodies need that can't be eaten with vegetables but because I do like the taste of them. I also occasionally eat pizza, a hamburger, lasagna, or some other higher-carb food on my weekly splurge day without any negative effects. Well, without negative effects when it comes to weight loss anyway. However, I do then get sleepy/lethargic if I over-indulge, get throbbing joints, etc. So I need to limit the amount of these higher-carb foods even during my splurge day or I feel all sorts of nasty. But I can have enough to satisfy my taste-buds as long as I don't overdo it.
As someone said on another thread about low-carbing (wish I had the exact quote and the poster's name to recognize them), paraphrased: If I say I'm eating clean, healthy foods focusing on vegetables, lean proteins, nuts, and healthy fats, people would say "that's great!". If I say I'm doing Atkins, people say "oh, no, that's so unhealthy!". But they are the same thing.
Anyway, you might like it if you try it. But do it right and move up the "carb ladder" via the OWL phase and then, once you reach maintenance, find the right carb and calorie levels to help you maintain your weight. Don't do it wrong like the other folks who say they gained it all back. Well, when you skip the two most important phases of the plan, what do you expect?
GREAT post!
I just want to point out to you though, if you are getting achy joints and feel tired after eating 'carbs' - coming from GRAINS/wheat, etc. you probably have a gluten intolerance - this is not a normal response to just carbs in general (like from fruits)... I know because I discovered I do better on a low carb plan because I avoided grains - then figured out later that I have a gluten sensitivity. I now avoid all grains and feel GREAT - and have lost 79 pounds. Please reconsider 'cheating' on grains/pastas, etc. - you will feel better if you stay away. Again, I know from experience.
Thanks for the post!
) 0 -
Wow, so much misinformation in this discussion about Atkins. Even by some who said they read the book. I don't know what book they read but it wasn't Atkins. Or maybe they only read about Phase 1 and neglected OWL (ongoing weight loss) Phase 2 and Maintenance (Phase 3).
Atkins is not no carb, even in Phase 1. It is very low carb for the first two weeks ONLY. After that, you enter OWL by adding 5 grams/carb to your daily eating plan for a week. Then another 5 the next week. And so on. Until you find the level of carbs that you can eat and still lose weight without having it raise any binge-eating triggers. I'm basically in the OWL phase eating about 80-100 grams/carb day.
I have more energy, think more clearly, have better memory, don't get the afternoon slump/want-to-nap feeling, sleep better at night, etc. It's all good including my blood tests for lipids, thyroid function, etc. I do have a teensy thyroid goiter that appeared prior to going on Atkins and has shrunk while doing Atkins which is the reason for the monitoring of my thyroid.
I eat many more vegetables than I ever did prior to Atkins. And after raising my carb level, I do have bread or a small bit of potatoes several times per week. Not that you need them for any kind of real nutritional benefit as they have nothing our bodies need that can't be eaten with vegetables but because I do like the taste of them. I also occasionally eat pizza, a hamburger, lasagna, or some other higher-carb food on my weekly splurge day without any negative effects. Well, without negative effects when it comes to weight loss anyway. However, I do then get sleepy/lethargic if I over-indulge, get throbbing joints, etc. So I need to limit the amount of these higher-carb foods even during my splurge day or I feel all sorts of nasty. But I can have enough to satisfy my taste-buds as long as I don't overdo it.
As someone said on another thread about low-carbing (wish I had the exact quote and the poster's name to recognize them), paraphrased: If I say I'm eating clean, healthy foods focusing on vegetables, lean proteins, nuts, and healthy fats, people would say "that's great!". If I say I'm doing Atkins, people say "oh, no, that's so unhealthy!". But they are the same thing.
Anyway, you might like it if you try it. But do it right and move up the "carb ladder" via the OWL phase and then, once you reach maintenance, find the right carb and calorie levels to help you maintain your weight. Don't do it wrong like the other folks who say they gained it all back. Well, when you skip the two most important phases of the plan, what do you expect?
GREAT post!
I just want to point out to you though, if you are getting achy joints and feel tired after eating 'carbs' - coming from GRAINS/wheat, etc. you probably have a gluten intolerance - this is not a normal response to just carbs in general (like from fruits)... I know because I discovered I do better on a low carb plan because I avoided grains - then figured out later that I have a gluten sensitivity. I now avoid all grains and feel GREAT - and have lost 79 pounds. Please reconsider 'cheating' on grains/pastas, etc. - you will feel better if you stay away. Again, I know from experience.
Thanks for the post!)
I appreciate your concern, BarbieHier. I probably wasn't as clear as I should have been about this issue, so I'll clarify a bit. An note that I did use the term over indulge in that post. I am aware of my gluten issues and take a calculated risk once in awhile to eat higher carb splurges because I will never not love lasagna, pizza, and an occasional good old greasy hamburger on a full bun. Or cake, cookies, brownies, whatever. I don't think I'll ever lose my sweet tooth. So I do have scheduled splurge days or splurge social events. It works well for me.
However, I rarely over-indulge to the point where I get that sleepy, lethargic feeling or achey joints. That's only when I'm being silly and eat without thinking it through. A very rare event for me because the price isn't worth it.
In essence, I can eat a small portion of lasagne and cheesy bread, or a couple slices of pizza, that greasy burger, that wedding cake, whatever, if I eat even more limited carbs the day after I do it or, if I know ahead of time I'm going to do it, to limit my carbs both prior to and after eating it without getting those negative effects. I am also fine if I do an intense workout (the kind where you really sweat like heck) prior to this type of splurge eating and/or do a lower-intensity workout earlier in the day but then supplement it with a short walk after eating the splurge item. If I just do these simple things, I can eat any of those types of high-carb items without any negative effects.
I sure can't do this every day. It would mess me up, make me feel like crap, and probably put a stop to my weight loss. But I can do it about once a week at most. Although, in reality, I probably only do it about twice a month.
Hope that makes sense. I realize we all have different intolerance levels for those types of foods and that some folks may never be able to eat these types of foods no matter what kind of measures they take to make it work. Anyway....If I allow myself occasional high-carb splurges while watching the portion size, I don't feel deprived at all. If I told myself I can never eat them again, I would feel deprived. So this works for me and helps me keep this a good lifestyle change for the long-term.0 -
Not only is it bad for your thyroid....it's also bad for your brain...Your brain functions on carbs as it will not use any other source for fuel. Limiting or reducing too much can result in seizures...Be careful.
Ummm, your brain acturally functions off fat, especially EPA and DHA found in Omega 3. That is why it is so important to not cut so much fat out of one's eating plan.
And where did you get that Atkins is bad for your Thyroid? My doctor told me to go on Atkins back in 2003 as part of treatment for Diabetes, Thyroid, PCOS and other hormone related issues.
Geeeesh!!!0 -
Pardon my oversimplification, my intenstion was not to slam Atkins, I was refering to carbs being converted to glucose more easily. The brain requires glucose to function and the decline of glucose levels results in the classic symptons of confusion, dizzyness, irritability and so forth.0
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