Anybody ever try the Atkins Diet?

by El Kabong 35 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  LyinEyes

  I just wanted to check in and give a report on how i am doing on day 8 or 9 , of my Atkins plan.

  I have been reading from the Atkins web site, and have learned alot and there are so many recipes. Also good inspirational stories, before and after pics,,,,,,,,, that really helps me,,,,,,lol, you can even have an online personal journal to keep track of things.

  http://atkinscenter.com/index.html

  I just wrote a shopping list for things I can use to make some snacks low in carbs.

  I have no stomach or digestive problems, the energy is coming back.

  I have lost probably 5 lbs so far,,,,,, in just a little over a week,,,,,, i am sure that was water weight , because I dont feel bloated and my face looks thinner. My clothes are feeling better, with just a few pounds lost.

  It is getting easier now. I have to make myself eat, but I noticed today I got hungry and didnt have anything handy.

  Tomorrow I am going to the store to buy those little food containers, and make ahead of time, little side salads, egg salad, some bacon slices, cheese , lunch meat , sugar free jello.

  Plus i am going to cut some celery, cabbage, spinach, brocolli , and have it ready to dip in some of the dip recipes I found on Atkins.

  I have had hardly any sugar at all this last week,,,,,,, I went to get a piece of ham , very low in carbs, as a snack and it was honey ham by Deli Select......... when I put it in my mouth it tasted so sweet I couldnt even eat it. I can't believe the differnce a week can make in the way you wean yourself off of the sugar.

  But for the times i want something sweet,,,, I am going to go for sugar free jello, and try this cheesecake recipe,,,,,, I just think you leave the graham cracker crust out.

  A good stand by for emergencies,,,,,,,,, pork rinds, and salsa, beef jerky, and Atkins recommends keeping an Atkins bar in your purse in case you get tempted and hungry while out and about.

  What I like about this plan , is it teaches you control, and you do slowly get to go back to adding more and more good carbs to your diet as you continue to lose weight. Anytime you feel you are gaining or not progressing you can find what you have been adding and cut it down or out.

  It is not a diet that says no carbs at all, of course the first two weeks is very low carb, but after that you add a little bit of carbs at a time.

  I hope I can stick with this......... My little secret is ,,,,,,, one evening a week, I am going to eat whatever I want ,,,,,,,,, because I will be out with hubby at the dance clubs and drinking whiskey sours, so I will blow my diet on that day, but that day only. It gives me a little reward and I dont feel that I can never have another cheeseburger again,,,,,,, I can just once a week. I think I can live with that.
• 

  funkyderek

  Those who are on the Atkin's diet or thinking about trying it may find the following articles informative:

  http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/lcd.html

  http://208.133.254.45/search/display.asp?Id=425&caller=455
• 

  Scully

  The problem with a lot of diets, including Atkins, is that they practically eliminate certain food groups from your intake. You can't stay on them for long periods of time without depleting your resources of certain essential nutrients, and they can become dangerous.

  As well, once someone has lost the amount of weight they want to lose, they tend to go back to their old habits and quickly regain the weight. That isn't healthy either.

  Losing weight permanently has to be a lifestyle choice, not a quick fix for a few weeks here and there. Mulan's suggestion of Weight Watchers is a good one. The plan is easy to follow; it is based on a point system where you have a daily "budget" of points and can spend within that budget. There are no restrictions on what you can eat, provided you plan your choices within your daily allotment of points. It also allows you to accumulate extra "points" for exercise and other activities. You still need to measure your portions and keep a daily journal, but that is a behavioural exercise to make you more aware of what you are consuming over the course of a day. Putting it on paper is a kind of commitment, and an acknowledgement of what your choices are. They've made it easier by allowing you to journal on-line.

  Love, Scully
• 

  Bona Dea

  I tried the atkins diet about a year ago. I lost about 20lbs in a month. But I couldn't take it. I still get sick to my stomach when I see a bag of pork skins. I love cheese, eggs, meat, broccoli (which is pretty much all I ate)...but I craved sandwiches, spaghetti, coke, coffee. I was quickly fed up with the likes of splenda and diet rite and decaf . I do believe that much of what has been said on here about the healthiness of this diet is true. You have to wonder about a diet that encourages the intake of fatty foods and denies vegetables and fruits. The whole goal with this diet is to send your body into ketosis which is an abnormal increase of ketone bodies in the blood as in diabetes mellitus. Atkins works if you want to lose the weight, but I do believe it to be unhealthy.

  Francois was right. Out of all the diets I have ever been on (and I've been on many) the low-fat diet was the best!! If for no other reason than it allows you some variety. You can eat as much and as many vegetables you want. There is now an abundance of low fat foods on the market like chips (like wow brand and baked varieties), cookies, and ice cream to choose from, not to mention all the fruit you can eat. You can have bread, pasta, sugar...actually the only thing you really need to steer clear of are things like butter (which I used low-fat butter or something like molly mcbutter), oils, and fatty meats. I ate lean meats (chicken, turkey) and became addicted to turkey bacon. You can still drink normal caffeinated, sugary, creamy (powder, of course) coffee. You can drink tea and coke and...why did I ever go off of this diet? Like Frank said, you keep the intake below 30 g a day. It's pretty simple. I exercised a minimum of 30 mins a day, 4 days a week. I lost 50 lbs in 4-5 months. I kept it off for about 6 years.

  Stay clear of the cabbage soup diet (yuck). I have heard good things about weight watchers, too. Also, my husband went on slimfast (so did I, but with no luck) and he lost about 20 lbs over a 6 month period. It was slow but he has kept it off for several years now.

  Good luck finding what works for you!!!

  Sadie
• 

  LyinEyes

  I can't believe I had made it this far on the diet . My son made some cinnamon rolls in the toaster oven and my mouth was watering.
  

  I agree that eating the no carbs , high fat way for long periods of times is harmful and too hard to stick too. But I can tell you I have learned alot about how I was eating, from being on this diet. I dont know if I can honestly stick to it anymore, I too am sick or pork rinds. But as I mull over what exactly to do, low fat, as Francois said,,,,,,,,,,or calorie control ,, what to do??? errrrrrrr.

  On the low fat , did you count calories, I really hate the idea of having to be so strict on calorie counting. But that is probably the one true thing that works.

  But regardless of what I decide to do,,,,,,,,, I am definatly staying away from a large portion of the sugar, such as cokes, breads, cinnamon rolls, candy, etc.

  Thanks for all the advice and anymore you have is very welcomed.
• 

  LyinEyes

  Funkyderek, I read those links and it gave me alot to think about, heat problems run rampant in my dad's side of the family, as well as kidney, liver problems, very high triglycride levels, etc.

  You know , the things I was going to do on the Atkins , going to the grocery store for more vegatables, would still be the key in any good weight loss program. I dont eat hardly any fresh vegetables or fruits, except salads . There are so many good veggies out there and I plan on trying to find new ways to eat these.

  Thanks for the info, it is helping me to make good choices for myself, and a program I can live with.
• 

  Reborn2002

  To date I had not chimed in on this topic because Scully our board's resident registered nurse handled this topic very well.

  The Atkins diet can theoretically help an individual lose weight over a brief period of time, but the residual damage it can do to your physiology is not worth the short-term benefits.

  Think rationally for a moment. Do you really think that eating such fatty foods in such large portions could conceivably be good for your body? Is grease-laden, fatty food what you want your body to be digesting?

  So-called experts will develop "fad" diets all the time for one purpose. To make money. They make promises of results and in some cases they may even work temporarily. However, as I have told clients that I have developed nutritional plans for... weight-maintenance is a PERMANENT LIFESTYLE CHANGE.. and there is NO QUICK FIX or MAGIC PILL/DIET.

  Depending on the individual, I would develop specific nutritional guidelines. However one thing applies to everyone. A low-fat, balanced diet containing diverse foods and including healthy portions of fruits and vegetables is a sure way to success. Grilled and steamed foods, not fried. Chicken, fish... everything you know is good for you but so often choose not to eat. It is convenient to get Burger King or other garbage.. but this is your health and your body we are talking about.. shouldn't it matter? I also encourage people to increase their water intake. Far too many people drink coffee (caffeine, a diuretic) and soda (sugar and empty calories) and do not even realize how much sugar and processed preservatives they are adding to their intake.

  Just my 2c for now.
• 

  Bona Dea

  Lyin Eyes,

  When I was on the low-fat, all I did was watch my fat intake (30 g or less) which is, IMHO, a lot easier than counting calories. Most veggies/fruits have 0 fat; most bread, pasta, tomato sauces usually have 1-3 g; soda's have 0. It's really easy to keep up with, maybe because the number is so low. Although you have to bypass things like butter and oil, I just opted to bake most of my food rather than frying and use low-fat butter, Molly Mcbutter, and natural seasonings such as herbs and spices on things like pasta and potatoes...which is healthier anyway. The diet I was on was the Cory Everson diet, and the plan was to eat every three hours. I ate and ate and ate. The idea is to keep your energy level up (food is energy!) and keep your metabolism going. The plan is also to exercise at least 6 days a week - and I'm not sure if this is the same diet that Francois is talking about, as there were many different ones circulating when low-fat diets were "the" fad - but I exercised anywhere from 4-7 days, depending on how I felt. But I tried to get in at least 4 days. I usually just walked or rode my stationary bike. It really was the easiest diet I ever tried. And I was very pleased with the results.

  Sadie
• 

  LyinEyes

  Thanks Sadie, I am on my way to the grocery store........ I will try this and see if I feel a little better by eating every 3 hours ,, right now I am not eating very much at all, maybe that is the reason I am losing weight,,,,,,,,,evidently, and maybe not the atkins diet at all,,,,I know it is not healthy to not eat , so I am going to listen to the advice here and use moderation, and really exercise. I am also going to get my husband who lifts weights, to help me with a program, I hear you burn more calories if you lift weights.

  Any one eles have any more good diet tips........? thanks
• 

  Bona Dea

  Lyin Eyes, I ate breakfast (cereal with skim milk, jelly toast, turkey bacon, cheese flavored grits, something along those lines), small snack (like low-fat yogurt or ice cream, a fruit, some fat-free or lowfat something - cookies, chips...or something like that), lunch (pretty much anything except fried foods...baked potato, bbq baked chicken, a veggie -peas, corn, beans, tomatoes-, ham sandwich - Bryan's deli style smoked ham is awesome-, salad with low-fat dressing -I like fatfree italian-, spaghetti with lean ground turkey, etc) , another snack, dinner, and another snack....LOL...lots of eating going on. But I didn't feel tired at all. As a matter of fact I had an abundance of energy. Anyway...hope it works for you. Different things work for different folks. Good luck!!!!! Keep us updated if you have any luck...

  Sadie