Atkins: On and Off??? Would that work for maintain weight?
I was thinking about this diet and thought maybe it is too much for me to make it for life, because I LOVE carbs... but I could manage to be on Atkins as long as I know I would not have to give up carbs for good.
So, I was thinking if it would work if I do Atkins (induction phase) during the week and have “free” carb weekends...
Maybe it would not allowed me to lose weight, but would make me maintain it, which is my goal.
Because the weekdays would make up for the weekends... Does it make sense to you???
Have anyone ever tried it?
Theoretically I think it could But why would you want to do Atkins if you love carbs? Why not do a moderate-carb plan rather than jump back and forth?
I do wonder if going back and forth would increase your carb sensitivity though, long-term, so that your blood sugar is more affected than it used to be...
Because I am carb addicted and cant have that much control, once I start eating it. I am fine in the days that I totally avoid carbs though, if I know I will be allowed to eat them some other time....
I was always told to avoid low-carb plans if you "couldn't live without carbs." That and the fact that the low-carb diets were supposed to be so terrible for your health, I never gave low-carb plans more than a two to three week trial before reverting to something "more sensible."
It wasn't until two doctors (one who lost almost 100 lbs herself on low-carb) recommended low-carb that I gave it a serious try.
Now, I realize it's the only food plan I can follow and remain sane. On carbs, my hunger goes into overdrive and I feel like a caged and starving animal. To control hunger, I have to control carbs.
I'm not doing a very good job (and even when I do, my body just doesn't seem to allow me to lose weight rapidly anymore). I think I will always have to watch carbs.
I think that your plan is worth a shot. There are low-carb plans that allow high-carb treats periodically during either the loss or maintenance phases. And there's no reason not to adapt any plan to your needs.
You may find that you can have two off-plan days per week and still meet your loss or maintenance goals, or you may find that you can have only one a month. Or you may find that some high-carb foods aren't worth eating at all because of the binges they trigger. Or you could find a thousand different possibilities.
Don't be afraid to tweak until you find the system that works best for you.
I have a hard time sticking to my low-carb plan, and I'm still losing (slowly). It's often more about progress than perfection. I would lose weight faster if I never ate an off-plan food, but in the past I would use my slips as "proof" that I couldn't succeed and I'd give up. Now, I look at them as errors or mistakes but not fatal errors. The only fatal (to my weight loss) mistake is giving up.
I don't know if this would work for you. In my case, I view Atkins as a way of life now. I know once I eat the wrong carbs that I will want to eat even more carbs. That's why I love this WOE because I don't crave carbs anymore. I get my carbs from veggies and salads and I am never hungry because I get filled up easily from all the great recipes allowed on this WOE.
I also no longer view Atkins as a diet but as a way of life for me and I love it!
I am engaged to a man in another state. When I am home, I follow Atkins and prefer it. When I am with him, I count calories because we are always eating out plus he is not that fond of meat or eggs.
I can switch back and forth with not much trouble and lose weight slowly with both plans. HOWEVER, hunger is an issue on the calorie-counting plan, and I also suffer more from acid reflux with higher carbs. I am trying to figure out if I am maybe allergic to wheat or something.
Additionally, I can eat several hundred more calories per day on Atkins and still lose weight.
But the primary reason I prefer Atkins is I am not hungry and that is a huge benefit.
(Now that I have written this, I'm going to try and stay lower carb even when with my DF.)
If you follow Atkins induction during the week your body will go into ketosis after a day or two for most people, the moment you indulge in carbs your body will be out of ketosis and you will have to suffer a day or 2 of sugar/caffeine/carb withdrawls again the next week, etc. I can't imagine that is good for your metabolism.
[QUOTE=CJZee;3271236]I am engaged to a man in another state. When I am home, I follow Atkins and prefer it. When I am with him, I count calories because we are always eating out plus he is not that fond of meat or eggs.
QUOTE]
CJZee
Do you know ahead of time where you are going to eat out? You can check out their menu on-line. I actually find eating out quite easy. If something is breaded, you can simply ask that it be "naked". I recently ate out an Italian restaurant and believe it or not had chickens wings and a salad. Yo do not hve to eat what he eats. My BF is not a fan of Atkins, but I have no issues eating with him. Maybe if you start eating on the plan when you are with him he will become supportive.
MOM24QTS - I agree with you. If it takes a few days to get back into ketosis, you are almost at your "free" weekend again. Seems like you would be chasing your tail.
I am soooo glad to see this post today! I have similiar issues. I have been on induction for almost 3 1/2 weeks now (one of those weeks was TOM (is that the right acronoym?) and Im haveing problems with some constipation) but even so I have lost 10lbs on the scale.
Im happy with this weight loss but I have a long ways to go and I am really getting bored with induction foods. Its funny that I crave healthy carbs right now. I really miss oatmeal and I really want a subway sandwich on whole wheat bread (one of the low fat choices) I also really want pizza (my big weakness)
I have however, broke my lifelong addiction to soda. I probably used to drink about 400-500 calories a day in soda and energy drinks. Now I drink Water!!
With all of that, I am really really tempted to go off atkins and try calorie counting once again. I just know how much harder it is to stick to. I really hate that I get bored, wish I could stay on track and focused. I also don't seem to have the additional energy I had when I first started this. I have seen people mention a modified low carb diet? How many additional carbs would this be? And do you then need to cut back on fat?
I used to love carbs and of course my weight was a reflection of that. I tried South Beach at one point but found it too open for me to misuse. I needed to jump start my weight loss by severely limiting what carbs I was going to allow myself.
I started Atkins with the thought that I would be going to healthy carbs once I was motivated to keep the weight off, but I have found myself more than satisfied with this as a WOE.
For the most part I stay on induction but I have added a few things up the rungs. I have added more salad veggies in and occassionally have a low-carb yogurt (although it is very difficult to find).
I have, rarely, had a cookie or a tiny taste of lemon square ..... but I find that half a cookie and a tiny taste are more than enough. I no longer have the cravings to finish off a dozen cookies.
I believe early man moved in and out of ketosis regularly, depending on the food supply, so I doubt if there is any harm moving in and out of ketosis. I do not find I suffer from "withdrawal" moving between the 2 plans, Atkins and calorie counting. I rather like the flexibility of it and have lost 76 pounds doing it this way.
That said, I do tend to stay lowish carb, but I'm definitely not on Atkins when I'm with my fiance. BTW, he is totally supportive of whatever I want to do. I myself find it too cumbersome to stay on Atkins when I am with him.
Also, people who have reached their goal weight and are maintaining have no need to be in ketosis all the time. So I think belezura might try her plan out and it might work for her.
Ok so I kinda started doing this 3 weeks ago. Now I don't know much about atkins but I have done south beach.
I do a semi-low-carb m-sat(exceptions are oatmeal in the morning and some fruit)
Sundays are my free day. I don't count anything. I relax. I go out. I have fun. And I just don't think about it.
What it has done is make being OP EASIER during the week because I have that 1 day coming up where I can have what I want. And after 1 day I am excited to jump back in monday morning.
One of the fitness low-carb programs (can't remember the name - it's kind of a bodybuilding focus) has the kind of approach you mention, although I do think he has one day a week, not two for the carb-festival. Rest of the week strict no-carb.
I would think it could work but depends on how carb sensitive you are, and how much you freak out about changes on the scale (as you add carbs you'll add weight from water).
If you think that for you it would be a good & easy way to live, give it a try.
Personally I think successful maintenance requires constant attention. Not the same restrictions as weight loss dieting, but not allowing the free-for-all that got us overweight in the first place....
good luck & keep us posted how it goes - obviously from the response there are a lot of people who want to live this way too (I personally plan to eat mainly low carb all the time, but allow for digressions from time to time. Giving myself weekends off would be too much liberty to throw it all to **** the Monday that something goes wrong...)
Ok so I kinda started doing this 3 weeks ago. Now I don't know much about atkins but I have done south beach.
I do a semi-low-carb m-sat(exceptions are oatmeal in the morning and some fruit)
Sundays are my free day. I don't count anything. I relax. I go out. I have fun. And I just don't think about it.
What it has done is make being OP EASIER during the week because I have that 1 day coming up where I can have what I want. And after 1 day I am excited to jump back in monday morning.
I've been doing the same thing than you (with the exception I take both weekends day off plan) and has been working for me for the same reason... I start fresh every Monday and am able to stay OP for the 5 days, because I know I'll be able to have my treats eventually.
I just have one question for you crcossel:
Have you see yourself on this "treat day" binging? or are you able to eat freely but within control? If so, is it hard to keep control?
I have had a hard time in keeping myself from binging during the weekend, but still this plan works for me... but it make that much harder for me during the week and I wish I could control myself better on weekends, so I didn't have to be so stricted on weekdays.
I was thinking about this diet and thought maybe it is too much for me to make it for life, because I LOVE carbs... but I could manage to be on Atkins as long as I know I would not have to give up carbs for good.
Atkins Induction is for 14 days. Then you move to OWL where you learn how many carbs and what kind of carbs you can have to lose weight and eventually, to maintain weight. Atkins is not about giving up carbs. It is about giving up junk food and eating healthy food though.
What is/was your CLL and what is your ACE? This is key information to know otherwise you cannot know how many carbs or what kinds of foods you can have. How are you managing any problem foods you've discovered? Have you read any of the Atkins books?
Atkins is definitely not about yoyo dieting each week. And why go through all that each and every week? Learning to eat properly, regaining and keeping optimum health and maintaining your weight is what happens when you do Atkins right. Sounds much better than weekdays on Induction and weekends binging. Besides, those weekends will eventually get longer and longer and eventually the free for all eating wins out. And then weight gain. And then back to Induction.... Just saying.
Atkins: On and Off??? Would that work for maintain weight?
But why would you want to do Atkins if you love carbs? Why not do a moderate-carb plan rather than jump back and forth? 
