My husband wants to go on the Atkins with out working out...

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jmjohns
jmjohns Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
I have read plenty on health and fitness and have watched many documentaries on such. My husband weighed over 300 lbs before we started dating and he tried the Atkins diet and he lost around 80 lbs really quick. He looked great, but then we started dating and then got married and well I cook regular food not Atkins diet friendly food, so over the past few years he has gained back around 40-50 lbs. He seems to think it is the best way to lose weight fast, but I try to explain to him all he needs is a lift style change, count calories, watch what he eats and exercise. He refuses to do that and I am sure he will lose the weight but once he gets off the Atkins diet (and he can't live on the Atkins diet forever) he will be right back where he started. It is beyond frustrating for me, because I want to encourage him and support him but I strongly disagree with the Atkins diet.

Does anyone have any advice on this topic or any knowledge of it? He also has very high blood pressure, I mean extremely high. At its worst it can be 190/130, but it seems to be a little lower right now. I don't know if eating mostly meats and very few veggies is the answer. Unless there is something I am unaware of.

PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!

A concerned wife! :)

Replies

  • zanielleleigh
    zanielleleigh Posts: 14 Member
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    why not try the dukan diet? You only do the protien only thing for a week and then its protiens and veg. at least you getting your vitamins etc with the veg???
    then again he is a man and will probub do what he wants anyway???

    obvs the best thing is to change for life! cut out the crap and eat well....
    hope you can convince him x
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
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    I would say that he should actually read the Atkins plan and follow it correctly. You do not eat mainly meats. 4-6 oz. at a meal is what my Atkins book recommends.

    You do eat very low carb for the first 2 weeks but then you gradually add in carbs to find your "sweet spot" which is the carb amount you can eat each day without stalling weight loss and while leaving you satiated without kicking in cravings.

    Here's some Atkins-friendly cooking ideas:

    Breakfast: omelet or scrambled eggs filled with veggies and a small bit of cheese
    Lunch: salad filled with nuts and some proteins (sliced hard-boiled eggs, cheese, meats or any combination thereof) with soup or a open-face sandwich on whole-grain bread
    Dinner: meat/vegetable stir-fry, soup or stew (just watch the potatoes or noodles), any kind of protein with a vegetable and salad on the side, hamburger on a low-carb bun or eaten open face on half a bun
    Snacks: nuts, nut butters, cheese, small serving of fruit with protein (like 1/2 an apple with peanut butter), veggies

    Is this any different than anyone should be eating for weight loss? No. it's just plain good clean-eating. Mainly vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats. What is wrong with this?

    Also, you really don't have to cook differently for lower-carb eating than you do for higher-carb eating. If your meal has a potato or rice for starch, for example, he might need to avoid that part of the meal at first and load up on more vegetables but then, as he goes up the carb ladder, he could have a small portion which might get bigger depending on where his "sweet spot" is.
  • ilikejam33
    ilikejam33 Posts: 252 Member
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    I would recommend you actually read the book, most of what you are concerned about is not actually true. Unfortunatly many people think they know the Atkins diet and make up their minds about it, the book will open your eyes to how healthy it can be, and that it is not actuall high fat meat and few veggies.

    There are a host of health beneifts to this type of sugar reduction plan. If this is what your husband wnats to do, then get the book and help him do it correctly, this way you can be supportive and you can both be healthy.
  • jmjohns
    jmjohns Posts: 4
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    I will definitely read the book, though I can't get him to. LOL He doesn't like to read books, it might read something online, like an article or website. He hasn't done Atkins in 8+ years and from what he tells me, he is not suppose to eat any bread at all. I don't know if there are different versions or if they have an updated Atkins. Thanks for all the tips and for helping me to understand it a little better. I will definitely check out the book myself. :)
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
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    Well, there really is nothing in bread that you need. It contains no nutrients that you can't get from vegetables. However, some people do successfully add in bread once they move up the carb ladder and some don't. It's all personal preference and what works best for them.

    I usually try to stay around 80-100 grams/carb per day. That's fine as long as I'm exercising regularly. If for some reason I'm not going to exercise much for awhile, I need to decrease those carbs. Because I do like bread, maybe a couple of times a week I will use some of my carbs for a single-slice of whole-grain bread.

    I can also sometimes eat more carbs if I account for them with exercise. Here's a successful and not so successful example.

    Last week I met a friend for lunch and he wanted to eat Mexican. I did not exercise earlier that day and ate way too many carbs for my body to handle well. I went into such a carb fog that I missed my evening exercise class, felt miserable and even woke up the next day feeling like I had a hangover. I was kicking myself because I know better.

    Several days later, I was helping a friend move and she had made some amazing and HUGE cinnamon rolls for us. Since I was lifting, carrying and packing boxes back-and-forth to the moving van for several hours, I could eat that cinnamon roll without any ill effects and even made it to spin class that evening.

    Oh, I do want to add also that Atkins says that exercising is mandatory.
  • jmjohns
    jmjohns Posts: 4
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    Thanks for all the wonderful tips. I meant to say *carbs not breads in my last reply.. He just doesn't do it the way he is suppose to and refuses to work out or make time for it. He works a lot of hours and is always tired, so it is not something he wants to do or enjoys doing. All I can do is encourage him and support and love him no matter what he does with his body. :) LOL I just worry about his health.
  • jmjohns
    jmjohns Posts: 4
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    I appreciate the information from everyone, Thanks again. :)

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