Starting the Atkins diet

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30yearssincebikini
30yearssincebikini Posts: 261
in Food and Nutrition
I started the Atkins diet two days ago and I got on the scale today and it says I lost 2 pounds in two days! I have been counting calories and exercising like crazy for three weeks and I haven't been able to lose anything and now I am finally losing.

I tried this diet a year ago and lost ten pounds in two weeks. It's a great diet for quick weight loss, but it's hard to keep it off after the initial induction phase. But people have done it. I went to a forum called lowcarber and looked at success stories of people who stayed on the atkins diet and lost tons of weight!

I know there are a lot of naysayers out there when it comes to this diet, so that's fine. I expect to be blasted on this thread. But it's a tried and true method of losing weight, (as long as you stick with it) and I'm going to try to stick with it. If I can't, I can't, but after all the work I am doing, I am happy to finally be getting results.

So for all of you who are ready to give up, try this diet. Just google it.
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Replies

  • MrsBlobs
    MrsBlobs Posts: 310 Member
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    I attempted the Dukan which is similar but much lower in fats - I'm being honest here, I lasted three days. To work out, run a home with three kids, a dog and my mother with alzheimers and just life in general...I needed carbs. Badly. I started getting dizzy spells and felt very low in energy, that's just no good for me personally.

    I want to work out hard, I like it...a diet that gets in the way of that is a problem, not a cure. Back to the slower, but more energizing calorie counting and working out for me. I will though still have one red (protein) day a week, as it does force weight loss quicker, no doubt.
  • 30yearssincebikini
    30yearssincebikini Posts: 261
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    I attempted the Dukan which is similar but much lower in fats - I'm being honest here, I lasted three days. To work out, run a home with three kids, a dog and my mother with alzheimers and just life in general...I needed carbs. Badly. I started getting dizzy spells and felt very low in energy, that's just no good for me personally.

    I want to work out hard, I like it...a diet that gets in the way of that is a problem, not a cure. Back to the slower, but more energizing calorie counting and working out for me. I will though still have one red (protein) day a week, as it does force weight loss quicker, no doubt.

    I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. I can see where it would be hard with all that you have to deal with. I hope you reach you goal!
  • terrellc1
    terrellc1 Posts: 231 Member
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    Good luck on going low carb!

    Sure, lots of people gain the weight back because they revert back to how they were eating to begin with. I have been doing Atkins for about a year and a half now, and am happy. I feel so much better when I eat low carb that it's not a struggle for me. When I go on vacation, it is a life rule that there are no diets on vacation (and my vacations are LONG...about a month), so I always overdo it on carbs and alcohol. LOL I might gain a few pounds, but once I get home and start eating better again, the weight drops off and I am back in the groove.

    Granted, not everyone can do this. But I can simply because I know how I feel. Weight loss or no weight loss, I feel better when I am low carb. Not to mention, my skin, hair, and nails look so much better, and I have loads of energy.

    Let us know how it goes. :glasses:
  • dittiepe
    dittiepe Posts: 557 Member
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    Best of luck! I love my low carb lifestyle. I have a recipe blog in my sig if you need some recipe ideas :)
  • 30yearssincebikini
    30yearssincebikini Posts: 261
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    Good luck on going low carb!

    Sure, lots of people gain the weight back because they revert back to how they were eating to begin with. I have been doing Atkins for about a year and a half now, and am happy. I feel so much better when I eat low carb that it's not a struggle for me. When I go on vacation, it is a life rule that there are no diets on vacation (and my vacations are LONG...about a month), so I always overdo it on carbs and alcohol. LOL I might gain a few pounds, but once I get home and start eating better again, the weight drops off and I am back in the groove.

    Granted, not everyone can do this. But I can simply because I know how I feel. Weight loss or no weight loss, I feel better when I am low carb. Not to mention, my skin, hair, and nails look so much better, and I have loads of energy.

    Let us know how it goes. :glasses:

    This is very encouraging. I didn't expect such positive responses! I will definitely update!
  • 30yearssincebikini
    30yearssincebikini Posts: 261
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    Best of luck! I love my low carb lifestyle. I have a recipe blog in my sig if you need some recipe ideas :)

    Thank you, I will check out your blog!
  • momof3and3
    momof3and3 Posts: 656 Member
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    Do what works for you and you alone...just remember this is about lifestyle changes so if this is a lifestyle you can do...go for it!
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
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    I have been doing pretty close to a 1:1 with carbs. But I am going to try Atkins for 2 weeks to kick this plateau in the back side. I don't do processed meats because of the sodium, but I can work it out.
  • 30yearssincebikini
    30yearssincebikini Posts: 261
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    I have been doing pretty close to a 1:1 with carbs. But I am going to try Atkins for 2 weeks to kick this plateau in the back side. I don't do processed meats because of the sodium, but I can work it out.

    The Atkins diet is great for no processed food! Check out the "allowed food" on their website. (for phase one) and it will have tons of meat, fish, cheese, and veggies you can have. The key is no carbs like potatoes, rice, sugar, fruit, etc. And you don't have to worry about fat or butter. In fact, that is what gives you energy during the diet. Good luck!
  • jenniferwren
    jenniferwren Posts: 189
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    :noway: )it's the processed meats that are the carcinogenic killers full of utter yuck and not much real meat (only needs to contain 3% to legally be allowed to call it meat , if only people would watch/read about how this food is 'created' they wouldn't give it to an enemy let along their own stomach!!

    have done it and lost 70lbs really quickly but it made me ill and I put 80 back on, sigh!

    sorry what i actually meant to say was, if it works for you brill!! good luck :happy:
  • bugtrain
    bugtrain Posts: 251 Member
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    I was doing the Atkins diet in January,but got off course due to digestive issues.....mostly constipation(sorry for TMI).......I started back with the carbs.,but I want to keep doing Atkins....other than the digestive problem,I feel much better doing low carb......someone suggested taking Metamucil(sugar-free of course)......I bought some a few days ago and I believe it will solve my problem with the diet.
    My biggest downfall is sweets....I can't and don't control my portions when I am eating them.....the first bite always leads to a binge....just look at my diary yesterday....I had 6...yes,6 cupcakes....Good grief! I'm trying to start induction over as of today......best of luck and hang it there....this is a great lifestyle and I know you can be successful at it!
    Friend me if you would like.......I would love to have a fellow follower to support me here!
  • mcanavan05
    mcanavan05 Posts: 210 Member
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    Im at a loss. Stuck at 16lbs lost since mid Sept 2011. Pretty much no progress in 2012. So im going to try Atkins. Just download latest book via Amazon to my RAZR. 12 bucks.. steak tonight.. I need to drop 10lbs to get back on pace..
  • kvsmith59
    kvsmith59 Posts: 26 Member
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    I did the Atkins 5 years ago...lost a lot of weight, however, and I can't prove this, but I'm pretty sure it caused me to have a kidney stone, which was one of the most painful things I've ever had. Probably my fault because I wasn't drinking enough water.
  • martinah4
    martinah4 Posts: 583 Member
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    Good for you, for giving Atkins another try! It really should be called the "No Processed Foods" diet, because that's what it is really all about. Not tons of protein, but more whole foods, veggies and avoidance of things containing flour, starch and sugar! I've been doing it almost a year, to the day, and I'm down 67 pounds.
    I encourage you to do it correctly at least for 1 month, and then slowly climb the carb ladder. If you don't have a book, get one!
    Also, join one of the support groups on here. There is one called Atkins Support Group and several other just for low carbers.
    Good luck. Remember, as with any diet, if you start eating those bad foods again, you're going to gain weight back!
    Good luck!
  • David1178
    David1178 Posts: 24
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    There is no secret to losing weight. It all boils down to burning more calories than you take in, whether those calories come in carbs, fats, or proteins.
  • martinah4
    martinah4 Posts: 583 Member
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    There is no secret to losing weight. It all boils down to burning more calories than you take in, whether those calories come in carbs, fats, or proteins.

    Actually, there is a secret! When you lower your carbs, you usually up your fat and protein. When you eat more fat and protein, you feel full and tend to eat less calories!
    Conversely, if you're only tracking your calories and exercising more, you feel hungry more often and faster, making it easier to cheat.
    IMO.
  • David1178
    David1178 Posts: 24
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    There is no secret to losing weight. It all boils down to burning more calories than you take in, whether those calories come in carbs, fats, or proteins.

    Actually, there is a secret! When you lower your carbs, you usually up your fat and protein. When you eat more fat and protein, you feel full and tend to eat less calories!
    Conversely, if you're only tracking your calories and exercising more, you feel hungry more often and faster, making it easier to cheat.
    IMO.

    Based on an individuals preference. It can vary from person to person, but in the end it still comes down to burning more calories than you take in no matter if you eat carbs or not. You can cut all the carbs you want out of your diet, but if you are still eating 3000 calories a day of proteins and fats, you are going to have a hard time losing weight.
  • David1178
    David1178 Posts: 24
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    Atkins may work for some people and that is great if it does. But what people need to realize is that it is by being in a negetive calorie deficit that the reason they are losing weight, not because they stopped eating carbs.
  • martinah4
    martinah4 Posts: 583 Member
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    Atkins may work for some people and that is great if it does. But what people need to realize is that it is by being in a negetive calorie deficit that the reason they are losing weight, not because they stopped eating carbs.

    As far losing weight goes, it being strictly about energy balance is debatable. I believe there is a lot more to it then just calories in/calories out, but my point was just that generally eating higher fat and protein is naturally going to curve your appetite, and make it very hard to ever reach 3000 calories. I find it very hard to ever get over 1600.
  • emeralds5668
    emeralds5668 Posts: 28
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    I did the Atkins 5 years ago...lost a lot of weight, however, and I can't prove this, but I'm pretty sure it caused me to have a kidney stone, which was one of the most painful things I've ever had. Probably my fault because I wasn't drinking enough water.

    I had kindey stones 2 separate times while doing atkins.........it works but it almost killed me due to complications from lithotripsy. My advice would be to drink more water than u can stand and take cranberry pills or some other herbal supplement that reduces kidney stone risks...

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