Weight Watchers & Atkins

  • Hi Everyone

    Years ago I did Atkins and lost quite a bit of weight but went off plan and gained it all back. I've been doing Weight Watchers for 18 months and have lost over 100lbs so far but I'm stuck and I don't mean I've hit a plateau. I am a severe binge eater and for the past couple months I just haven't been able to stay on plan or track my points because all I can think about is eating junk which is high in sugar or anything salty. I have a LOT going on which is why I think these episodes are happening again - I have three kiddos, work as an EMT, am going to school, and hitting the gym 5 to 6 days a week. That's a LOT to deal with and I think my body is trying to tell me I'm doing too much.

    So here's my question! Is it possible to incorporate Weight Watchers with Atkins? I absolutely NEED WW for the portion control aspect but I really think I'm eating way too many carbs. I also want my cravings for sweet and salty foods to go away and I know that within 2 to 3 days of the Induction Phase they will disappear.

    Do any of you follow both?
  • I am doing exactly this, except I'm doing slow carb instead of no carbs. I'll tell you my plan then you can decide if you want to try it.

    I also have been doing weight watchers. I'm down almost 40 lbs. but hit a plateau in my mind lol! I just started cheating and not tracking and you know the rest. So I got this book called the 4 Hour Body. In it he talks about slow carb eating. I cut out all white carbs, or anything that can be white. So you don't eat brown rice or wheat pasta because it can be white. Anyway, I eat 4 times a day. You eat a lot of protein and eat a bean and a veggie with every meal. I'll give you a typical day...

    Breakfast: 2 whole eggs, lentils, broccoli, tbsp of Almond Butter
    Lunch: Chicken breast, asparagus, Ranch Style Beans
    2nd smaller lunch: Spinach leaf salad with grilled chicken breast and dressing
    Dinner: boiled shrimp, Ranch Style beans, grilled zucchini

    Ok so you stick with these same types of meals 6 days a week and then on the 7th day you eat whatever you want! It's called a dieters gone wild day lol. Mine was yesterday and I had mexican food, alcoholic beverages, pizza, donuts, etc. Anyway, you do this binge day to spike your metabolism and so your body doesn't get used to the reduced caloric intake the other 6 days. Last week I lost 3 lbs. I haven't done that since I started at weight watchers!!

    The way I incorporate this with WW is that during the week on my 6 slow carb days I make sure I don't go over my 29 WW points and on my binge day I don't go over the 29 I would get for that day plus the 49 I would get for the week. It's seeming to work for me so far. You can look up more about the 4 Hour Body online. It was on Dr. Oz so it's all over the place lol. It's been a little hard, but I'm consuming WAY more veggies and am eating no processed foods....except of course on that bad day. I think it's good to have that day to freak out so you don't feel so deprived, plus it's something to look forward to! Every time I craved something during the week I wrote it down so I could have it on my binge day. Turned out I couldn't eat most of the stuff I wrote down because I was so full after my first meal of Mexican food I couldn't eat again for hours!! Anyway, good luck!!
  • I tried Atkins recently. I'm glad I did -- it gave me a few great habits. But I found that I need portion control too. So now I do what works for me which is a low-carb version of calorie counting.

    Because I do CC, I pay a lot of attention to the fats I eat -- almost all healthy fats and a lower percentage of my total diet than the goal on Atkins. More cabs, but all veggies, and more lean protein to replace them. So, I am not doing Atkins + CC, I am doing CC, inspired by Atkins.

    Good luck figuring out a hybrid that works for you!
  • I'm trying to follow WW online and definitely need to lower my carb intake. Is there anybody that follows both low carb and WW and how do you do both? I need a lot of structure so it would be great to have a specific menu to follow.