atkins diet success stories?
 

How well has this diet worked for you? How much weight have you lost and over how long of a time? Did you have to count calories? Did you exercise? Do you find it hard to stick to this diet? I know I'll miss pasta a lot, I love pasta!

And Kim is inspiration to us all!

She is that! As is lilybelle!

I think it would be inappropriate at this stage to call myself an Atkins Success Story, since I'm not yet half way to my goal, but further to your questions:

How well has this diet worked for you?

So far, very well indeed! I've been averaging half a stone a month - so 1-2lb a week.

How much weight have you lost and over how long of a time?
I started on January 7th this year, and so far I've lost 3 stones (42lb).

Did you have to count calories?
Nope

Did you exercise?
Not enough! I've been a bit crappy and erratic with this, but hope to get back on track over the summer, with the C25k and some weights/interval training.

Do you find it hard to stick to this diet?
No! Really no! Surprisingly no!

I know I'll miss pasta a lot, I love pasta!
Actually, you might be surprised. It did take a little while to adjust my way of thinking, because I was so conditioned to having some rice or pasta or potatoes or bread as a component of a meal. But I find lettuce is a very acceptable substitute as a base for catching sauce and so forth underneath things, and I'm quite startled that I DON'T miss bread, rice or pasta, since I used to (think that I) loved them. Turns out that it was more a matter of craving than of actually enjoying.

I do slightly miss potatoes, and also baked goods like proper chocolate chip cookies, or proper piecrust pastry. But if it's a choice between eating the chocolate chip cookies or continuing to unfat myself - really, it's a no-brainer. I'm still horrified by how fat I really am right now when I see photos my friends have taken of me lately - the thought that I was walking around 42lb fatter than this just a few months ago is frankly horrifying. I wish I hadn't let myself get into such a state in the first place, but I'm d*mned if I'm going backwards (or standing still) just for the sake of some fleeting impression of taste and texture on my tongue.

Carbs, it turns out, are THE DEVIL. For me, at any rate. I feel infinitely healthier with them cranked right down, and I'm thoroughly enjoying my food choices. Fruit tastes much sweeter and everything is more flavourful now that I've stopped cutting corners.

I hate being fat - but I can change this. I AM changing this. And it's both astonishing and intoxicating to feel yourself succeeding, and to realise that all the low-fat cheese, all the wholegrain bread, all the low-fat spreads and skimmed milk and 100% fruit juice and suchlike that I HAD been eating before in the belief that these were good choices was actually contributing to my problem.

I agree with everyone. I started in March and I've lost 25 lbs now at a rate of about 1.5 lb a week without thinking about it. I don't count calories at all. I do exercise. We walk about an hour a day and I ride my bike now that the weather is good.

You won't find you miss many things once you get going. I, and many in my family, are definitely Carb addicts and it's always good to escape something that controls your life.

I found many interesting recipes and I cook for company the same as I cook for us.......the reaction is always positive.

I intend to stay on this eating plan ..... it's very satisfying. (I did have to battle the urge to eat low fat........you cannot do ANA using low fat and that had to be worked through for me. Food is much tastier with the fat we are allowed on Atkins.)

Yep these ladies are living proof Atkins works... so it my DH ;)

I'm a pastry chef with issues.

Just made waffles for the kids, corn bread for a gathering and egg salad with a side of grilled peppers and tomatoes for me.

It's nice to smell it but I have a problem once I start with the carbs. Atkins and just dropping the carbs makes a huge difference for me.

I've just started two weeks ago and have dropped about 6 lbs.
My goal is a size 8/10 by November (right now at 16/14). Sooner would be fine but later is good too.

I really do not want to become a diabetic pastry chef!

I also don't believe it is right to call myself an Atkins success story...for two reasons here.

1. I'm not on Atkins, I'm on a slight variation of it written by India Knight & Neris Thomas.
2. I'm not to goal yet.

But I'll answer your questions...

How well has this diet worked for you?

Fantastically. Actually looking back at my weight loss journal I can see the days I felt bad were the days I did not stick to it (which are very few).

How much weight have you lost and over how long of a time?
Started May 14th, have lost 26 lbs. and 6" in my waist (I actually HAVE a waist now!) over the last 7.5 weeks.

Did you have to count calories?
Nope

Did you exercise?
Almost every day. It was really hard at first and I could barely walk for 30 minutes at a semi-brisk pace (3.2 speed) without feeling like I was going to die. Now I alternate M-W-F 1.5 hours of cardio (including jogging!) with T-Th-Sa machine weight circuit training, and mild yoga on sundays. My goals include climbing Mt Fuji before I leave Japan though, so I'm really pushing the exercise.

Do you find it hard to stick to this diet?
99% of the time no. Every once in a while I have a bad day of craving stuff I know is going to make me feel awful though. Usually I get through it by doing some other activity to take my mind off, or reminding myself repeatedly that the few moments of flavor are NOT worth the days of retribution.

I know I'll miss pasta a lot, I love pasta!
I love pasta too, but sadly, it doesn't love me. It turns into curds under the skin of my thighs and an ever-expanding waist line. So I've learned to have (and love) other things that are MUCH better for me.

Low carb success
 

I have used both Atkins and South Beach to lose 85 pounds. I returned to Atkins in July and am doing well. I started in 2003.

Originally did not count calories but because of my age I do now.

I exercise daily by walking the seawall here in Vancouver for 10k or six miles daily rain or shine.

Now that my cravings are under control it's not hard but when I was struggling it was disheartening.

I will not miss pasta because I have other excellent choices now. This summer I brought into my life other resources like Byron Katie to examine my thoughts and how they contribute to my gaining so much weight and keeping the cycle going.

Its the information sharing by other people's struggles like this forum that has kept me going.

Cie :cool:

I can tell you for a fact that it works. I started Jan 05 and by April 05 I had lost 66lbs....Thats just 3 months!!!! I got pregant and gained the weight back, even though I knew better...but that's why I'm here now!! TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN!!
:)

Welcome back. I know you will do it. :)

So how many calories a day? I'm 57, does that mean I should count calories?

Not sure if you are addressing me. Please use quote button if you are responding to a post. :?:

Sorry about that. Yes I was asking you about
 

counting calories.

Everyone is different so this is my woe. I use Atkins '72. In the book he has written on stalls and calories. Since I am over 50 I interpreted my 6 month stall from Jan. to June as my woe needing tweaking. So I began a meat and egg to first stop the cravings then moved into portion control. I keep my fat % high and do alternate weeks of 1300 calories to 1400 calories. This is my woe.
There are no shoulds in this. My take on this is only you know if you have been on an extended stall and need to tweak your way of eating. :cool:

Thanks. What you are doing is obviously working for you.

I have coffee with cream in the mornings and in general stick to an Atkins plan with lots of protein but it sure doesn't seem like I am loosing the weight I think I should for as little as I am eating Discouraged.

I know your question wasn't directed at me, but I'd like to share my "typical" days menu.

5 out of 7 days for breakfast and lunch I have 2 or 3 of the atkins bars, the 2.1oz versions, and 2 of the pre-made shakes (the new mocca coffee ones are great) the other 2 out of 7 I'll make an egg omelette with cheese, ham, and some salsa, and for dinner I'll have a burger (w/o bun) or some chicken, meatballs, hotdogs, and for sides I'll have a small salad w/ blue cheese dressing, spinach, green beans. Breyers makes a great sugar free ice cream that I'll have as a snack after dinner, or I'll have peanuts or peanut butter. I've been on atkins since late January this year. Since then I've lost 29 pounds and still going....though I must say up until a month or so ago the pounds were coming off at 1.6 a week, and now it's more like 1.0. But I'm still loving it...I'm never hungry/starved, and don't have to be on "special" food.

I use the bars too for breakfast and an occasional lunch. They do not affect me in a negative way. I've managed to go from 190 on February 9th to 134 today. So how it affects you is a very individual thing. Just my 2 cents.

I hadn't thought of it that way, meaning those bars and shakes were not for 'norm' situations. They actually taste good (to me at least), they may have changed the taste since you last tried one. Also the ice cream, at least to me, tastes exactly like the regular box of ice cream of breyers I used to buy. I do eat all those items you listed above, usually for dinner, or if on the weekend for breakfast (eggs, sausage, ham, etc). I suppose I should be crediting some of my weight loss to eating those bars and shakes only for breakfast and lunch 5 out of 7 days a week (figure thats an average of 8 carbs and 800 calories [not that we count those on atkins] for my breakfast and lunches, leaving a nice cushion of room for a good dinner.

I must say though I've seemed to stall out these last couple weeks, I've dropped about 30 pounds and still want to go for another 25 or so, and guess I need to explore more options.

Thanks again for the info :)

Very interesting reading....thank you!

To answer your question, I was counting the 2 net carbs on the front of the label. On the back it says Total Carbs:22 Dietary Fiber:10 Sugar:1 .....so where's the other 11?? I see that this can be a reason why I finally stalled out. Perhaps my body was simply getting rid of the excessive fat/weight and now I'm simply maintaining unless I stick to an even stricter low-carb daily diet. I checked out that newsgroup and saw some good recipes. Are there any particular snacks that you like to have that you know are truly low-carb?

BTW - thank you so much for taking your time to talk to me. :)

Well it's too early to say I've had "success" with the Atkins diet but I truely believe that this diet saved my life. At the beginning of this year I was very ill and by April, I couldn't even walk down the strairs. My blood sugar was high, I kept having asthma, my kidneys were showing signs of damage, I was anemic and I had problems with my thyroids. My diabetes was at it's worst even though I tested daily and I was on medication. I took 2 pills a day and 3 insulin injections. I tried working out and eatting everything sugar-free but that still didn't work for me. I was always so hungry from the insulin shots. Although I never read about the Atkins diet but somehow I decided to keep my carb count at 20g and only eatting 800 cals a day starting in June, 2 weeks later I read Dr. Atkins book because I was googling if it's fine if I only ate 20 grams of carb a day and I ran into the Atkins diet. So instead of doing my own thing, I followed the Atkins diet. With Atkins, I wasn't starving myself. By the end of June, I was no longer dependant on any of my medications, goodbye pills, goodbye insulin. I'm no longer anemic and I can walk down that stairs, not only that, I can jog for 30 mins, do 90 push ups, some yoga, 30 jumping jacks, 30 sit ups and some weight lifting WITHOUT and I do really mean it, without feeling tired as I was in April just walking down the stairs.

I am as happy as I can get with my life now due to the fact that I don't need medication, I can eat right, I can exercise daily and it's not the end of the world. Oh, I left out a few things, my hair isn't shedding anymore, it looks like my head is getting more hair also, my legs are growing hair now too, (it wasn't before, signs of nerve damage) my feet is actually soft now and since I drink sooooo much water on Atkins, my face is so clear and soft, my cheeks even looks rosy. Excuse the language but DAMN! I love this diet.

I just lost 30lbs in 3 months :D I've resumed normaler eating habits, but I try to tone down the carbs and sugar, and so far my weight hasn't gone up! It looks like I've found my "zone"

Newbie
 

Hi there,

i read all your comments and wanted to introduce myself, i did Atkins 5years ago and lost 30lbs but than went back to eating normal and gained 30 + another 10lbs back. I really would like to get back on this diet because I know it works........but I tend to lose motivation just after first couple days...any tips how I can stick to it........it was way easier 5years ago but with so much negative ads and view regarding this diet makes me really confused........I start on a monday but come wed. I throw the towel thinking is it safe, is it doing me good...etc...etc...

HELP!!'

Jess170

Several years back, I lost 60lbs in 3 months on Atkins. After I got my body back into all those cute clothes, I went right back to eating the same old way and the same old (bad) things. Guess what? Here I am starting all over again because I know this diet works! I started June 26, 2010 and have lost 25lbs to date. The difference this time is in addition to walking several miles a day, I AM using portion control and counting calories. I am keeping my calories in the 1200 or less range. Portion control was an issue for me after the first time losing. So this time, I am going to be better prepared to maintain my weight loss. My biggest meal is at breakfast, usually 3 scrambled eggs w/ 3 sausages. Lunch is usually a moderate salad with a lean meat. Dinner is a low carb protein shake. If I feel like I need a snack (which is rare), I'll eat pork rinds and homemade salsa, or a small piece of cheese, or some beef jerky. I try to keep all my snacks protein based to kill any little hunger pangs (which are really rare on Atkins). Hugs and Support to you on your journey :). The ladies here are really sweet and give some awesome advice :).

Congrats on the 25lbs! I have just started induction, day 2 here and I have to admit, going a bit nutty!! I want to hang in there, reading everyone's success stories is inspiring me. Best of luck to you.

What an inspiration you are....congratulations on your success!

My first 7 dys on high protein diet
 

Hi all, I'm a newbie :) (hope i'm putting this in the right place!!). A week ago i started on a high protien zero carb diet of eggs, red and white meats, bacon sausages and mushrooms NOTHING ELSE. I always used to love my carbs especially white bread and pasta etc and i also was drinking 10-12 mugs of coffee per day with semi skimmed milk and 1 spoon of sugar!! Since starting my new diet i have religously taken up the active sports program on the playstation console and also a little weight lifting every day just for 15-20 minutes or so. At the start of the diet i have also gone down to only 1 coffee in a morning (same ingredients as before) and 6-8 pints of water per day!
My meals stay the same every day for breakfast (2 boiled eggs and mushrooms) dinner is a piece of meat and 2 poached eggs and mushrooms and tea/supper is a couple of slices of bacon and a few sausages with mushrooms! :D In my first week i have lost 8lbs! My start weight was 238lb last monday and i am now 230lbs!! :D :D My goal is to get down to 190lb by july 7th when my wife, children and i go to egypt for 3 weeks:)
My question is....If i was to stick to this strict regime would i lose the same kinds of weight week in week out? or would it stabalize??

Thank you for comments/advice in advance, Andrew ;)

Hi Andrew, a couple things:

1) You aren't on a no carb diet, you are eating mushrooms! Mushrooms have carbs :)
2) Are you trying to follow Atkins? If so, your vegetable intake needs to reach 3 cups per day of acceptable vegetables.
3) No, your weight loss will not remain that fast. The first week on a low-carb diet is mostly water. The second week you will see it slow down... Then even more weeks 3-4 as your body continued to try to figure out what you're doing to it! By week 5 or so, your weight loss *should* resume an okay pace of 2lb or so per week. This is a general pattern, not everyone follows it, but it's good to keep your expectations reasonable.

Finally, it's a good idea to think about lessening your dietary restrictions over time, to make it more sustainable. You can't live on four foods. You need variety for nutrients and fiber and sanity :) That is why if you are following Atkins, after the first two weeks you gradually add back in other food groups including dairy, nuts, and berries, while still losing. Something to think about, anyway! Good luck!

Atkins worked for me 6 years ago I had my dd and after she was 3 months I started atkins and lost 50 lbs by her birthday.

Tho Im here again I have had two more children since my dd and i gained 40 with my third child lost 15 lbs and gained another 40 and lost 18 of that so here I am now that things have settled down with life so I can focus on me again!!

I can definitely say that low carbing works-I started at 172 and now am down to 148 as of today. I also exercise alot. I find the success stories and helpful advice from other members a tremendous help!! My goal is to get down to 135. I am 5' 3" tall and 61 years old. I hope this post helps motivate someone else as I had tried getting back on Wt. Watchers, and other plans-but the carbs were killers for me.

Hello! My name is Kristine. Age 21.
My Atkins diet results: Lost 48.4 lbs (22 kg).
Now my Body Mass Index, BMI is 21.!

I wanted to ask you all for something - Can You write a story about your Atkins success for my Website?

Wowee, if I can do this and lose weight as quickly as you I can be at my goal by Christmas, Now that is a huge incentive for me. Thank you very much, I needed that boost.

I'm loving the success stories! They really help for those of us just starting out.
Thanks to all who have posted!

I had tried Atkins many years ago but forgot how well it worked for me...now I have been on it for a little over 2 weeks and down 16 pounds! I love all the food I can eat and can't imagine going off this plan! I haven't started my fitness plan yet but am working my way towards it...way too long as a couch potato, my body just about gave up on me. Good luck to all of you on your weight loss adventure!

I did Atkins for about a month back in 2010. I lost about 14 lbs in that month, I stalled for one week after two weeks of induction when I tried to move onto OWL and started using the Atkins bars for snacks.

I thought it was OWL that stalled me, but it was after that I realised it was the bars that had done it. Once I cut them out I kept losing.

The reason I stopped is I felt good about how I looked and my husband and I (we were just engaged at the time) decided we wanted to get married in 3 months and then move to a new city and then start trying to start a family. We got married in January, moved in February, and I found out I was pregnant in April.

Now I've had my baby a month ago today and I'm ready to get back on track :)