Let me start off my saying I am not a carb counter. I cannot live without my dear, sweet carbs.
ANYWAYS,
My question is about how one does Atkins. My brother is on Atkins, and this his typical mean plan.
8/10 slices of bacon. (plain bacon, not turkey)
0.67 pounds of ground meat. (whatevers on sale)
The scrappings of mozzerella cheese and peperoni of 2/3 slices of pizza.
20 hotwings.
Snacks include: pieces of rotessiere chicken, ham, peperoni, melted cheese, and hot wings.
And an hour on the treadmill, everyday.
He's done this diet about 4 times, losing the weight everytime, and then he gains it all back. Is it becuase, well, IDK, he eats the most unhealthy foods imaginable Or is it me? Is this they way Atkins followers eat?
I mean, he loses weight, but HOW?!
I can't say anything, for I have never attempted this diet. EVER. Just looking for some insight.
You need to follow a diet that youre willing to do for the rest of your life (so it becomes a lifestyle change). If not, youll lose weight BUT you'll gain it all back very quickly. I dont know about you, but I coudlnt stomach to eat the Atkins way forever.
Uh, where are the veggies? I admit, I don't know much about atkins but I thought you were supposed to eat a serving or two of veggies even during induction. And I think if he's tried the diet 4 times and gained it all back each time, it may be time to try something different.
Your brother is not on Atkins. He's doing what a lot of people think of when they hear Atkins, but they'd be wrong. He needs to read the book.
Atkins by the book limits cheese and discourages nitrates/nitrites (bacon, pepperoni, ham and other cured meats are generally pretty high in nitrates). Also, he's eating virtually no carbs (except a few that might be in the cheese and any that might be in the ham if it's sugar cured). Atkins, even during induction is supposed to include 2 to 3 cups of low carb greens and veggies, and up to 20 carbs for the day (after the 2 week induction carbs are generally increased to somewhere between 40 to 60).
I'm not doing Atkins, but I am restricting carbs. In learning from the people here who've succeeded on Atkins and other low carb plans, I've found there is no magic to low carb or to keeping it off.
The secret to keeping the weight off with Atkins is no different than the secret to keeping it off on any plan - you can't go back to your old way of eating.
For myself, I can eat a lot more calories and still lose weight, if I eat low carb. If I eat very low carb, I have very little to no hunger, the weight comes of at a reasonable pace (the fastest I'm able to at this point in my life is still pretty slow even on no carb), but if the carbs are too low, I also don't feel very well (this isn't everyone's experience, but it is mine). However, too many carbs, especially refined or concentrated carbs (flour, sugar, to some degree white rice and potato...), and the weight doesn't come off, even on few calories. I've concluded that some people just process carbs differently than others, and for me excess carbs mean excess me.
Low carb (even low carb, relatively high fat) diets are not necessarily unhealthy, or incompatible with long term weight loss, especially if you're eat a wide variety of lower carb fruits and veggies. My health markers are all moving in the right direction, and if they were to start moving in the wrong direction I'd reconsider my diet, but for now all the evidence is definitely pointed to this being a workable solution for me (I just need more practice at getting the carb balance right, as it is I'm a little better at getting the balance for maintenance right, than the balance for losing, so the weight is coming off pretty slowly, but it is coming off).
Low carb is doable, but you've got to do it right, and you can't go back to your old way of eating. It's possible to lose weight and be healthy while eating more fat on a low carb diet than you could with a high carb diet, but the lack of veggies and low carb fruits is still a problem in the menu that you list (also bacon, pepperoni, ham and cheese, are not meant to be the primary choices).
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I 100% agree with Kaplods...your brother is not doing Atkins. My first question would be, has he ever read the book Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution? With all due respect, by the way he's eating, my guess would be he hasn't. Atkins gets a bad rap because people don't understand how or why this plan works. They tend to listen to hearsay which is typically that Atkins is an all you can eat meat, bacon & cheese diet. That is simply not true.
Atkins Induction (the 1st phase of the program) is 20 carbs per day in which 12-15 of those carbs should be coming from veggies & salads on the acceptable foods list. Cheese is limited to certain varieties and to 3-4 oz. per day. Bacon is permitted but...nitrate-free bacon is encouraged. No where does the book say you can eat as much meat, bacon or cheese as you want.
Can he lose weight doing things the way he is? Sure. But, can he keep it off?...Ummmm....no. I think he's proven that fact based on this being his 4th attempt at "doing Atkins".
I've been on Atkins 4 & a half years now. I lost the weight in a little over a year & have been maintaining the loss for 3 & a half years. When done correctly, Atkins is a doable lifestyle. The key is doing it correctly.
My suggestion to your brother would be to get Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution and read it from cover to cover, re-reading it until he completely understands it. If he is serious about doing Atkins he really needs to do the research BEFORE he attempts this plan...doing it any other way is only setting himself up for failure. For the way Atkins is done, he may want to have a look here: http://www.veronicaatkinsfoundation.org/lifestyle.htm
Last edited by JerseyGyrl; 10-12-2008 at 08:17 AM.
Is this really how ya do it?!
