Getting off of the Atkin's Diet

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rangerray
rangerray Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I just got off of the Atkin's diet and also did a little unrestricted eating/drinking during the Independence Day holiday and have immediately gained around 7 lbs. Has anybody else had this experience?

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  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
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    It's not real, don't freak. All kinds of people went off all kinds of diets yesterday and suddenly gained scads of pounds. :smile:
  • Hendrix7
    Hendrix7 Posts: 1,903 Member
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    Carbs = water retention.

    This is not real weight gain.
  • 2Bgoddess
    2Bgoddess Posts: 1,096 Member
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    whoa, 7? over how long? I am betting that a few pounds of that is gonna be water weight, from a higher salt intake. my advice is, don't jump off the wagon, slide down one foot at a time! slowly introduce the restricted, but good for you foods back in...you can eat healthily, but if you go back to eating EXACTLY like before, you will turn into that EXACT body you were!!

    people criticize the atkins diet for this, and all low carb diets. "it's not sustainable" etc. of course not, it is designed to help lose a serious chunk of fat quickly. you have to move to maintenance, or your weight will go up, and you will begin a cycle of yo-yoing, that is damaging to your health and self esteem.

    i am trying that balancing act right now, finding what I can eat to maintain without tipping that scale again...it's tough, but we can do it.
  • orishp
    orishp Posts: 214 Member
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    Unless you have eaten 7*3500=24500 extra calories after you stopped atkins you couldnt have possibly gain that much
    Could it be water retention?

    My advice, keep watching what you are eating, track your calories, and mantain a small deficit until you see the scale stabilize, then up your calories slowly to where you are comfortable maintaining
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
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    it's water weight. i did the same! i'm up 6-8 pounds.
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
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    i bet you lose it all the first 7 days of induction though :D (if you go back on, but why wouldn't you?!)
    i'm lookin forward to that.
  • onikonor
    onikonor Posts: 473 Member
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    It's just water retention as your glycemic load probably increased.
  • shellyt1
    shellyt1 Posts: 119
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    It could be water gain from the sodium in the foods that are the 4th favorites! Plus depending on where you live this heat and humidity can't be helping with the scale! I'm in western Michigan along the lake and it is humid and I can tell it in my body.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    Carbs = water retention.

    This is not real weight gain.

    This. If you've previously conditioned your body to accept a low-carb diet and you're now going to be eating a large percentage of your diet as carbohydrates, expect at least most of those 7lbs to stick around. I agree that a slow reintroduction of grains would have been your best bet... But at the same time, if low-carb works for you and you want to keep weight off without having to continually diet off and on forever, it would be in your best interest to consider lowering your ratio of carbohydrates to protein and fat in your long-term plan. You may also be particularly sensitive to gluten. I personally feel bloated and tend to gain water weight when I've eaten more than a small amount of grain. It comes off again very quickly, but I don't like the feeling of being puffy in my midsection so in general I keep my grain intake to a minimum and it's worth it.
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
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    They all say water retention. I say alien implant.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,012 Member
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    I totally read that wrong.....I thought this was going to be about doing it with bacon......
  • cortezpj
    cortezpj Posts: 129 Member
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    Carbs = water retention.

    This is not real weight gain.

    This. If you've previously conditioned your body to accept a low-carb diet and you're now going to be eating a large percentage of your diet as carbohydrates, expect at least most of those 7lbs to stick around. I agree that a slow reintroduction of grains would have been your best bet... But at the same time, if low-carb works for you and you want to keep weight off without having to continually diet off and on forever, it would be in your best interest to consider lowering your ratio of carbohydrates to protein and fat in your long-term plan. You may also be particularly sensitive to gluten.

    This ^

    Several years ago, I was following another popular low carb diet to the letter and lost 8lbs in 6 days. I was pretty shocked. As I tried to keep it up, I had momentary lapses and was equally shocked at how much weight I gained back and how fast it happened.

    If it works for you then great. But like others, I'd recommend a gradual weaning off rather than a complete stop altogether.

    Good luck !
  • rangerray
    rangerray Posts: 2
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    Wow! I didn't realize anyone had replied to my post and haven't been on here for a while. Thanks one and all. I have to say that I'm more than a little dissapointed in myself. It's gotten worse since I first posted. I know what to do, but I just don't do it. I agree with what everyone's said about the Atkins Diet But, I haven't went back to it or any diet for that matter. I've been enjoying the carbs too much. Matter of fact, I've been binging. The thought of any kind of diet just really bums me out. I've been at it since Jan 1, 2012 and did real good with Atkins. Up until 3-4 weeks ago, I was down 52 lbs. Now I've gained back 20 or so.

    My wife is really upset with me too. Starting today, I'm going to at least keep up with what I'm eating and going back to the gym. I have a ton of steaks, etc. in the freezer, so I may go back to Atkins...I don't know. I may count calories. Either way, I refuse to go back where I came from.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Carbs = water retention.

    This is not real weight gain.

    This ^^^^
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Wow! I didn't realize anyone had replied to my post and haven't been on here for a while. Thanks one and all. I have to say that I'm more than a little dissapointed in myself. It's gotten worse since I first posted. I know what to do, but I just don't do it. I agree with what everyone's said about the Atkins Diet But, I haven't went back to it or any diet for that matter. I've been enjoying the carbs too much. Matter of fact, I've been binging. The thought of any kind of diet just really bums me out. I've been at it since Jan 1, 2012 and did real good with Atkins. Up until 3-4 weeks ago, I was down 52 lbs. Now I've gained back 20 or so.

    My wife is really upset with me too. Starting today, I'm going to at least keep up with what I'm eating and going back to the gym. I have a ton of steaks, etc. in the freezer, so I may go back to Atkins...I don't know. I may count calories. Either way, I refuse to go back where I came from.

    Forget the whole "diet" thing and just track your calories and macros and figure out what you need to maintain or what you need to lose and then just eat what you want within those limits. Anything that is too restrictive is too hard to make a habit.

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