Has anyone done te Atkins/SouthBeach Diet?

In my opinion, a "diet" is just that...a diet. It ends up being temporary, so once you quit your diet and go back to normal habits you gain all the weight right back. For years my dad did Atkins for a month then quit, Atkins for a month, then a week off, Atkins for a week then...I think you get the picture. The point is, he NEVER lost weight permanently. Carbs are good for you if you're eating the right kind and exercising. So, although its more difficult, my suggestion is to stick to your daily alottment of calories and exercise regularly. Diets like South Beach and Weight Watchers can be effective, but only when it becomes a lifestyle rather than a temporary fix.

I tried them all...but I did have weight loss on the South Beach Diet. It was good as a kick start and definitely helped with the carb cravings. The first 2 weeks are hard, but I did lose belly fat.

In my opinion, a "diet" is just that...a diet. It ends up being temporary, so once you quit your diet and go back to normal habits you gain all the weight right back. For years my dad did Atkins for a month then quit, Atkins for a month, then a week off, Atkins for a week then...I think you get the picture. The point is, he NEVER lost weight permanently. Carbs are good for you if you're eating the right kind and exercising. So, although its more difficult, my suggestion is to stick to your daily alottment of calories and exercise regularly. Diets like South Beach and Weight Watchers can be effective, but only when it becomes a lifestyle rather than a temporary fix.

I agree with you. If you want to lose the weight and keep it off, then you need to be prepared to make a lifestyle change. Diets in my eyes don't work because they don't last. Once your ready to make the change and the commitment you'll lose. I tried diets for three years and never lost anything. Made the choice to change my life and I've dropped about 23 pounds in a few months. I've learned how eat better and make the choices that will effect my weight loss for the better.

ARRGGGGGG!!!! Am I the only one who it drives crazy when people say, " Yeah, I did low carbs, AND i LOST 10 LBS IN TWO WEEKS!" ? This drives me out of my mind.


OF COURSE YOU DID, YOU BASICALLY JUST VOIDED YOUR BODY OF GLYCOGEN, which is water plus glucose, which is HEAVY! But you know what you didn't do? Lose any fat, seriously, all you did was change the way your body burns energy, you didn't increase your health, you didn't drop fat, you didn't increase muscle mass, you just changed how your body burns energy, and in the process dropped some excess fluids.

You know what else happens when you change from a carbohydrate metabolism to a protein/fat metabolism? You made yourself extremely vulnerable to dehydration, calcium deficiency, and iron deficiency.

People LOW CARB IS A LIFESTYLE, not a diet. It's a HUGE change which should only be made after you have done your research and determined that this is a change you want or need to make, there are very specific reasons to have a low carb diet, and make NO mistake, low carb does NOT mean weight loss. Like any food plan, eat too much low carb and you'll still gain weight.

Also know what happens after you go from low carb to regular carbs? Yep, that's right, you gain all that glycogen weight right back!

ARRGGGGGG!!!! Am I the only one who it drives crazy when people say, " Yeah, I did low carbs, AND i LOST 10 LBS IN TWO WEEKS!" ? This drives me out of my mind.


OF COURSE YOU DID, YOU BASICALLY JUST VOIDED YOUR BODY OF GLYCOGEN, which is water plus glucose, which is HEAVY! But you know what you didn't do? Lose any fat, seriously, all you did was change the way your body burns energy, you didn't increase your health, you didn't drop fat, you didn't increase muscle mass, you just changed how your body burns energy, and in the process dropped some excess fluids.

You know what else happens when you change from a carbohydrate metabolism to a protein/fat metabolism? You made yourself extremely vulnerable to dehydration, calcium deficiency, and iron deficiency.

People LOW CARB IS A LIFESTYLE, not a diet. It's a HUGE change which should only be made after you have done your research and determined that this is a change you want or need to make, there are very specific reasons to have a low carb diet, and make NO mistake, low carb does NOT mean weight loss. Like any food plan, eat too much low carb and you'll still gain weight.

Also know what happens after you go from low carb to regular carbs? Yep, that's right, you gain all that glycogen weight right back!

Informative and well worded. Thanks :happy:

A friend of mine told me to cut carbs and I will lose weight. So I was wondering what diet plan should I follow? Any tips and or suggestions?

Honestly, I still eat the same stuff I ate when I was 60 lbs heavier, I just eat less of it, and the high calorie stuff a lot less often.
Now, since then I have incorporated more veggies, lean meats, and a lot less breads, and red meat. Don't think you're going to wake up one morning and only eat items on a certain diet.

Start out trying to eat within your alotted daily calories. That right there will get you substituting better things for bad things. Once you're used to that and are comfortable with it, THEN start trying to get the proper nutrients at each meal. That takes a good amount of recepie research and trial and error to find things you honestly enjoy eating.

I tried the Atkins diet. I read the entire book and everything. I lost about 20-30 lbs....then I went on vacation and got off track. I have since gained all that weight back and then some. The diet was just too restricted. All I ate was cheese, meat, eggs, and vegetables. I got bored easily with my menu choices.....

I know this won't come as a surprise to everyone who has been on this site for awhile but ...I just read that any weight loss program (Atkins, South Beach,.....) to be successful it has to reduce your total calorie intake. In other words create a calorie deficit. I did Atkins for a few months lost 20 pounds. I am probably fortunate that once I started adding carbs (whole grain ones) I did not gain the weight back. Each person has to decide what their food choices are going to be in order to create the deficit that will cause weight loss. But it is important to remember that once you've lost the weight if you return to old eating habits the weight will return. Remember diet also means the food we eat not necessarily one program or another so chose a diet you can happily eat the rest of your life.

Unless you know there are certain medical reasons you need to go low carb, why not just try low calorie high quality foods with exercise and see if that works for you? I bet it will. And it'll probably be a lot easier than cutting out entire food groups for periods of time.

I absolutely, unequivocally agree with this statement. High quality foods eaten at a modest caloric deficit, with a good mix of exercise and a good daily eating schedule is the perfect plan for not only weight loss but increased overall health! You don't need to cut any food groups out to achieve weight loss (unless allergies or some other medical reason force you to that is).

Why cut out something you like to eat to lose a few pounds? Why eat only certain foods to lose a few pounds? Denying yourself the foods you like to eat will never work over any length of time, because you will eventually go back to eating what you like. Who wouldn't? Who wants to go through life without a piece of cake now and then? Who wants to avoid pizza? Who wants to eat steak all the time? I don't know anyone who did either of these two "diet" plans who stayed on them or who has kept any of the weight off they lost.

Everything you need to know about losing weight, you already know. Eat smaller portions and a wide variety of foods, try to eat more fruits and vegetables and less meat and high fat dairy, eat fattening or high caloric foods in moderation, and exercise daily if you can. Follow these simple rules and you will lose weight, but more importantly it will be a more healthy weight loss, and you'll be more inclined to keep it off.