What Made You Choose Atkins?
 

Wow, :carrot:

I have been lurking around here for a few days and I was on WW before and I have been struggling with the same 5lbs going up and down since last November. I was so frustrated and cried alot too....I bought the book and started 4 days ago, yesterday I felt pretty yucky and today I felt sick to my tummy but I am not giving up, I also started this at 245 and want to be like you....slim and not wearing 3X anymore....as you can see by my stats I have been comming around this site for a while and I am outdated on the weights. But this morning I weighed myself and I am down to 240. That would have taken a month of what seems like he!! on WW. I am excited about this plan and have my hubbys full support and am determined to be like you....

I have also noticed that you are a very supportive person and very positive to all that need it...thanks for hanging around here after you have reached your goal to help others.

The only thing that I knew about Atkins before is that is was all the craze a few years ago and I remember my mom being on it in the 70's and there was these little Atkins candies that resembled caramels that I used to sneak.....LOL Tonight I had my favorite, Hollindaise Sauce Mmmmmm!!!!! I can't believe the stuff I get to eat on this way of life.....

As far as the diet goes...I see that you are quite strict with it and I plan on being just as strict....I really want to have stats like yours....

Also I am 42 married with 4 sons...all grown...thank heaven....:D

I want this soooo baaad!!!!:cry:

Really sorry if I am rambling but I just had to get it out after all this lurking, this seemed like the perfect thread to intro myself on....

Thanks for reading.....

:welcome: to Atkins Misery Chick!!

Thank you so much for your kind words:) It sounds like you are off to a fantastic start with Atkins. :congrat: for buying the book...have you read it yet? Feeling yucky is normal for the first several days, its your body's way of detoxing itself of all the bad things. I promise you, it will pass soon and you will start feeling much better:)

I am also very happy to hear you have your hubby's support. That is so very important! My DBF has been a tremendous support to me as well. He never complains when we have to find a restaurant that has something low carb I can eat. Back in Dec, he was told his cholesterol is high. I was quite annoyed with the Dr. because reducing it with diet & exercise was never suggested or discussed...instead, the Dr. wanted to immediately put him on Lipitor!! I said NO WAY! DBF began eating much lower carb (on his own) and lost 35 lbs, in a little over 2 months:carrot: I could not be prouder! He'll be getting his cholesterol re-checked in Aug.

I think you will find Atkins to be a "do-able" lifestyle. You might want to check out http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/recipes.html Those are some of the best low carb recipes on the net. The site is also very helpful for things like spice carb counts, splenda conversion charts, nut carb counts & hidden carb calculators. You'll find recipes for delicious main dishes, side dishes, salads and even desserts! All the recipes that are Induction friendly are marked with an *

I'm a firm believer in following this plan the way it was written. I often hear people say "oh I tried that Atkins diet...that didn't work for me" and when I've asked what they ate, I hear sugar-free candy, ice cream, low carb tortilla's, dreamfields pasta, crystal light...and the list goes on & on. No matter how you try to justify it, low carb junk food is still junk food! Sugar alcohols are evil and cause so many to stall. Even the so-called low carb Atkins bars that are labeled "appropriate for Induction" are DEFINITELY NOT Induction friendly. They contain ingredients like soy, milk & peanuts...none of those things are on the acceptable foods list! They also contain Glycerine, which is a sugar alcohol...although their label says 0 grams of sugar alcohol! Atkins Nutritionals deducts the glycerine from the total carb count which is how they calculate the 2 or 3 net carbs they advertise on the front label. They are bad news & should most certainly be avoided, especially on Induction and used only for the purpose Dr. Atkins created them for...emergencies when no other low carb food is available.

I'm SO happy you stopped lurking and you finally posted:) I am very excited for you as you begin this new journey in your life. You have a good attitude and you really want this...those, plus determination will make you successful.

You CAN do this!!!

All the best to you!:hug:

Thanks for the great answer, I can say that I have read the book once and I am half way through it again...

Also I have been sticking to EXACTLY what it says I am allowed and not straying from that...I have been checking other low carb places and noticed anyone that has been successful, such as you has stuck with the plan as written. I tend to be leary of any products Atkins or not that have ingredients that I cannot pronounce...LOL...

I actually had a dietician a long time ago tell me that any food is permissible as long as you can pronounce it....so she said if you are reading an ingredient list read it outloud and if there is one thing that you cannot pronounce. PUT IT BACK!! I find that I cannot pronounce Carvb anymore...LOL

I am feeling quite good today except a little grouchy and I have horrible heart burn and do not want to take any tums for it...(carbs in that)
Do you know of any no carb cures for heartburn...????

I am so glad that I have made the switch and found you all on these boards...

Barb

I actually tried it in the past and it worked pretty well for me, so I've decided to give it another go. I need something I can stick with for life and that will continue to benefit *ME*. I think this is going to be a good life choice;)

Good morning everyone. Like Barb I thought this thread was a good place for me to start.....I've been a member a very long time but not posting.

We had a family wedding to attend and both DH and i were uncomfortably overweight. We were discussing losing weight for the wedding and our daughter gave us a copy of Atkins on cd's. On the way home from her place we listened to the cd's and when we were finished DH said "so lets give it a whirl".

I started to cook low carb but we were eating so bland and so repetative I was unhappy........I love to cook for my family and I was definitely missing that. A web search found me two sites with low carb recipes and, like here, the induction friendly recipes were marked with a * which so simplied things. I began cooking again and began to love the program.

We started in Mid March and to date in that 3 1/2 months I've lost 23 lbs I don't know how much DH has lost but he looks so good I know it's at least as much as myself if not more.

We follow the program to the letter at home (I know he cheats a little when we're not home but I don't) and we feel great. I've always had a walking program but now he joined me and we walk for an hour each morning.

I've gone from 192.8 lbs to 169.8 lbs. I have a long way to go and I've stopped losing the last few days but I'm just staying with the program and I know I'll start losing again if I don't get annoyed and go outside my plans. My goal is 137/140 eventually.

By the way I forgot to say we bought the book and I've read it twice now with a new run through beginning today! :)

I never posted this but...

I did not choose Atkins. I chose Atkins once years ago and found induction and owl too strict (for me). I did choose low carb as a lifetime change though (low carb, just not Atkins).

I require low carb. As I've said in other threads, my binge and comfort food is salty carby food like french fries, potato chips and macaroni & cheese. Low fat makes me cry. Low carb makes me healthy. Obvious choice there...to me.

I am addicted to sugar, starch, white flour,sweets, salt and deep fried everything. I have issues.
My family has a history of diabetes.
Atkins is rich enough and satisfying enough to get me over the desire to eat sweets and junk food.
I am a chef so food is my favorite!

I realize everything is bigger in Texas, but it doesn't have to include my butt.

lol, that is so funny (native Texan here, heading home whenever we can get out of Japan).

Shamelessly resurrecting an old thread here! :p

I drifted into Atkins really. Years ago a doctor told me I should try Atkins to combat my hypoglycaemia and intolerances to certain foods—not to mention my big fat bod! I said, "yeah, right!", bought the book, thought it sounded scary, and never went back to that doctor. Ali the <*)))>(( knows best, you know!

After losing 70 pounds, a few years ago, by following a low fat diet restricted in kcals, I found I simply couldn't sustain that way of eating. I felt deprived and constantly hungry. That was the end of that. Of course, I waited until I had regained every one of those hard-lost pounds before taking myself in hand. :rolleyes:

I knew I had to do something, but had no idea what that something was, so while I decided on a plan, I followed the Atkins induction. Truth be told, the DANDR book fell off the bookshelf whilst I was cleaning, and that's why I started on it. :lol: I think that's what's called Divine Providence by some people.

So, what made me stick with it?

It only took a few days for me to understand why low-carbers love their WOE. My diet consists of real foods that are tasty and satisfying, so I'm never hungry. Many other niggles and aches got better too.

People (even here, sadly) make catty comments about Atkins being unhealthy because it entails "cutting out entire food groups", or "not being allowed any fruit and veg". Neither statement is true. These folks have obviously never read the books, and are merely trotting out the low-fat, high-carb mantras pushed by governments and [prominent] people with a vested interest in the sugar and processed food industries. I actually had someone criticise my eating steak and braised cabbage while they chowed down on sugary breakfast cereals and Lean Cuisine meals! Hello!?! :rofl:

I digress.

Anyway, it was pretty much an accident that got me on the Atkins WOL, and I'm so glad it did. My weight loss is a bit slower* than when I restricted kcals, but my life no longer revolves around slavishly counting the calories and weighing the food.

I keep thinking this is how it must be for naturally slim people, and I like it!

*I weigh a few pounds more than I did when restricting kcals, but my body fat (and clothes size) is actually lower.

ETA: I mean that at the same weight, I'm a smaller size.

I'm glad you resurrected it, it's very interesting.

OMG that is my second-biggest pet peeve about 3FC. Steam comes out of my ears every time I read one of those. I get so mad I can't respond. Thank goodness we have JerseyGirl and Kaplods among others on this site who invariably post intelligently about Atkins and carb reductions. I have no patience with people who bash Atkins and low-carb. I have gotten into too many in-person arguments about it. When I was younger and on Atkins, I would try to gently educate people who bashed it. Now, I'm older and meaner. I just tell them, 'hey after you've spent 5 years weighing almost 400 lbs then you lose half of it in six months, THEN I will listen to what you have to say ~ otherwise, you're wasting your breath' (only not that nicely ~ e.g., multiple expletives deleted!).

How I came to Atkins the first time, 1999, was ~ around September/October 1999 there was a sudden splurge of Atkins-related advertising on TV. Dr. Atkins was interviewed on the Today show, NPR and a couple of other places and I became fascinated. I had always heard it was unhealthy, bacon-and-eggs, etc., you know, the myths. But what he was saying made sense. And I had been struggling with my weight my entire life.

I jumped on it right before Halloween 1999 and by Christmas was down 2 sizes (I didn't use a scale, I was scared to get on). By Easter I was down 2 more sizes, and by the next Thanksgiving I had gone from a size 28 starting to a size 16. I was thrilled! Then I stalled out for about 3 years due to not really following it closely, and cheating. But I didn't gain, I maintained. In 2003 I went back on strict induction and lost 50 lbs in about 3 months.

Then I went through a horrible divorce and totally went off Atkins. Carbs, carbs, carbs. Gained over 100 lbs in less than 6 months. Then another 50 or more over the next couple of years. Finally, finally I recommitted to Atkins in August 2008 and I have lost 98 lbs since then, with about 100 more to go. But it's different this time ~ I finally, finally have gotten it through my thick skull that this is a permanent lifestyle change, not a short-term diet solution. I will never, ever eat crap and carbs again. I am addicted to sugar and I am clearly 'allergic' to sugar since eating it makes me gain weight and be unable to control my eating.

Robert Atkins has saved many peoples' lives and I am one of them. I am sure he is in a special part of heaven because of this. Heck I would nominate the man for sainthood if I were Roman Catholic.

Ooh... what's your #1 peeve? One of mine right now is the number of posts with foul language. :( Replacing a few letters with asterisks really doesn't make the posts any less offensive to me. I'm sure there used to be something in the guidelines about this, but I can't seem to find it now. :shrug:

Your stats are really impressive! :cheer2: Just look at how close you are to a 100 pound loss!

I totally agree that Dr. A was a star. :yes: I'm so glad his wife has her site with info true to his ideals. The official Atkins site has some fairly questionable content, IMO.

I'll PM you my biggest pet peeve; I don't want to inadvertently hurt anyone on this site's feelings.

I chose Atkin's because it works for me and fits into my lifestyle. I do not like to feel hungry or to be limited about what to eat when I am at a party- there is always some kind of meat or veggie to be had!

It has made me go from a size 16 to today's size 10 jeans! From 209# to today's weight of 162#...I'm 5'8"! I only turned to Atkin's on August 2008! It will work!

I chose Atkins partly inspired by the diet of my roommate, who is almost hysterically preoccupied with her weight. While she maintains on the low side of normal, she consumes very very few calories, very little protein, and next to NO fat: all vegetables, sugars, and fruits in small amounts. This diet struck me as very unhealthy--while she maintains a healthy weight, she seems to get very little joy from food and has sugar spikes and crashes like crazy, and gains weight if she ups her calories at all. I wondered if eating even LESS than her was necessary for me to lose weight. I tried it for awhile, and realized I was taking in 800 calories a day of cucumbers and veggie soups, feeling like crap, not losing, and being STARVING. Finally I googled "carbs and sugars" to try and learn more. What I learned pointed me towards Atkins.

I was shocked to realize, once I began, how much better I felt. I had more energy--steady energy that lasted throughout the day. And where before I would addictively and uncontrollably eat when I wasn't hungry, now I take pleasure in food but I'm not ruled by it.

Now my aggressive low-fat roommate is a little appalled by the way I eat, to the point of even throwing out the bacon grease I save for cooking (not out of malice but out of genuine disbelief that anyone would use it for food). But I feel amazing and I'm losing, so I guess I can't thank her enough!

*Disclaimer: I don't mean to hate on her diet or low-fat diets in general: she is happy the way she eats, I just know I wouldn't be AT ALL.