I've given Atkins the boot

ayj72
ayj72 Posts: 13 Member
in Motivation and Support
Its been quite a while since I've been on MFP, last June I switched from a calorie controlled diet to the Atkins diet. At first I had great results, the weight really did drop of me, in no time at all I'd got down to my goal weight but after I came back from holiday I found I was less motivated to keep up with the Atkins regime. I'd go out at the weekends and have a drink and then be naughty and I think that because my diet was so restrictive during the week it just made me behave even more badly when I did decide to have a treat. The end result of this is that I never really got away from induction because I had to return to it every Monday to make up for what I'd been doing at the weekend. This worked until Christmas when I put extra weight on over the holidays which I then failed to take of because I was still in my cycle of good during the week, misbehave at the weekend. Finally this Easter I decided I'd had enough, having put more weight on and nearly back to my starting point before I lost the weight. Now I've decided to adopt an eating plan based on mediterreanean type eating habits, I'm hoping that after my body has got used to this it will mean that I can eat a healthy balanced diet that appeals to me and maybe eventually lose some weight. In the meantime its really hard going, I know I will put weight on in the short term and my body is having trouble getting used to fruit and things like bread. I hope it will all be worth it.

Replies

  • StrongGwen
    StrongGwen Posts: 378 Member
    I was thinking about doing Atkins for about a month to break thru this stuck place, then going back to a more reasonable approach. No way I could do it long-term but it would be nice to see a quick loss, for whatever reason. I'm thinking it would be easier to maintain it once I'm there. Agree? Disagree?
  • HMD7703
    HMD7703 Posts: 761 Member
    The only way (in my opinion) to do Atkins for a short period is to do the 2 week induction and then go back to your eating plan but limit carbs. All the weight you lose in induction will be gained right back if you start eating regular amounts of carbs again.

    On the flip side, some people have great results with carb cycling. This may be a good option for someone that does not want to do Atkins long term.

    REF
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/top-5-facts-you-should-know-about-carb-cycling-and-fat-loss.htm
  • chickentunashake
    chickentunashake Posts: 164 Member
    The only way (in my opinion) to do Atkins for a short period is to do the 2 week induction and then go back to your eating plan but limit carbs. All the weight you lose in induction will be gained right back if you start eating regular amounts of carbs again.

    On the flip side, some people have great results with carb cycling. This may be a good option for someone that does not want to do Atkins long term.

    REF
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/top-5-facts-you-should-know-about-carb-cycling-and-fat-loss.htm

    I agree. I was on atkins for a while and it is very restrictive to keep up. What I'm doing now, is a lets say limited Atkins, lol. I eat a lots of protein for my muscle, 0k fat and try to stay under 100 g of carbs a day, which is not much if you work out a lot. On the weekends, I'm eating more carbs to reload my body. So far it works very well for me
  • ayj72
    ayj72 Posts: 13 Member
    I think that mariesellers1 is doing more or less what I'm going to try to do, I hadn't really thought about grams but I had got as far as deciding that during the week I would only eat carbs once per day, preferably not for the evening meal. I try to do lots of exercise and found that Atkins didn't really leave me with enough energy to do as much exercise as I wanted to.
  • cdtoms
    cdtoms Posts: 6
    If your going to do no or low carb diets, it is better to alternate days or meals. For instance you can do Mon, Wed, and Fri no carbs and carbs on the other days. Or you can do carbs every other meal of the day and no carbs on your other meals. You should always avoid heavy carbs for dinner no matter what kind of day it is so you will become catabolic at nighttime. Your essential fat (olive oil, flax oil, avocado, raw nuts) intake should be higher on days where you do no carbs also. For instance when I do a no carb day I will bump my fats from 40g a day to 80g a day. Try either one to see which works for you!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    If your going to do no or low carb diets, it is better to alternate days or meals. For instance you can do Mon, Wed, and Fri no carbs and carbs on the other days. Or you can do carbs every other meal of the day and no carbs on your other meals. You should always avoid heavy carbs for dinner no matter what kind of day it is so you will become catabolic at nighttime. Your essential fat (olive oil, flax oil, avocado, raw nuts) intake should be higher on days where you do no carbs also. For instance when I do a no carb day I will bump my fats from 40g a day to 80g a day. Try either one to see which works for you!
    That's basically the Dukan diet in a nutshell.
  • iRebel
    iRebel Posts: 378 Member
    Yup, atkins sucks. Never gonna do it again. I was on induction for 3 months, and I'm a vegetarian. I didn't lose weight, and I felt sick.
  • Emancipated_Tai
    Emancipated_Tai Posts: 751 Member
    I'm not doing Atkins, but my own modified version of the South Beach Diet which is low carb but not as low as Atkins. I've lost weight/inches from 221 to 208.8 in 30 days. I work out 4-5 days a week, and when I started this process I upped my caloric intake as well. On the weekends I do let myself indulge and eat foods very high in carbs; however, it hasn’t affected my progress.

    I believe that any lifestyle change you make will need to be for the long haul, not just to lose some weight. I love the way I am eating because it’s all food I already enjoy. This makes it easier for me to stick with the program. I still have my cheats, but hold out on indulgences until the weekend (I’m lying, I have a few thru the week as well!) My whole point is you have to find a program that works for you. Just because someone else had success on it doesn’t mean you will get the same results. Just make sure whatever you do is safe for your body. Don't starve yourself. Eat a decent amount of calories. I found eating more calories helped me have more energy as well as lose more weight.

    Good luck and hope this new plan works well for you :drinker:

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