Why do some people hate Atkins
 

I have found this to be a problem in some of the general support and success rooms. People say that it is not possible to limit carbs for life. WHY? To me, this seems just as sensible as limiting calories or fat intake or portions or whatever. It's a big trade-off, IMHO. We are learning through Atkins what to eat to get our weight off and keep it off through lifetime maintenance. Why is that so hard. I couldn't stand the thought of weighing my food for life or counting every little calorie or ingredient for the rest of my life. Counting to 20 is pretty darn easy for me. I didn't understand what Atkins was really like til I read the book. This has been the most success I've ever had at losing weight and I truly feel that it a WOE that I can continue for life. Sorry to rant, some people just think their way is the only way that counts.

You have your answer......they are uneducated to this woe!! Even some of the ladies who have made it to their goals, and are maintaining restrict some of their carbs, because they have the same issues we do. Carbs are our trigger foods.

When and if you get knocked down for your woe, remind them they are on a support forum....not a "my diet is better than your diet" forum.

Everyone does what works for them, and if this is working for you...then more power to you!! Just keep up the great work :)

Because they have no clue.

A lady in one of the support rooms told me that there was absolutely no way anyone could go without eating a piece of bread ever again. I had to explain to her that it's been a year since I had one, I'll never eat one again and doing so on a frequent basis could kill me.

People always tend to put down what they don't understand.

I'm not an Atkins follower, but I do understand it works well for some people. I think its hard for someone like me to understand how it works for some, because it would NOT be something that I could do for life - thats why calorie counting works for ME. Someone else, on the other hand, COULD do it for life, but thats rather hard for me to wrap my head around, personally.

I applaud anyone who finds ANYTHING they can stick to for life that works for them!

I'm not on Atkins, but I somersize, which is somewhat of a low carb diet. I have seen several posts where people remark that if you lose weight on a low carb diet you only lose water, and lately I've been smirking and thinking, yeah, and so far I've lost 80 lbs of water. :cool:

I don't understand how anyone has any success eating all the low-fat (and high sugar and carb) cookies, popcorn, and breads. I would have never-ending cravings if I tried to do that, and I would be cheating before the day was done.

I'm just glad there is more than one way to lose weight.

I'd point out, though, that I've gotten more than my share of "Atkins is the only thing that will ever work, you're just going to fail on calorie counting" from low-carbers as well. It goes both ways, but is sad either way - I'm just happy for anyone who finds anything that works....congrats to all the people who have found that low carbing works for them!

Thanks everyone. I could live my life without a slice of bread and have been doing it just fine. I, however, couldn't live with a 3-4 oz. steak. When I want meat, I want a decent portion of it, (8oz. or so). I hate the taste of low-fat dressings and low-fat butter etc. I want the real thing. This for me is the way to eat. I don't feel deprived. I agree with jTammy, I dont' think I lost 81 lbs. of water, if so, I was majorly in congestive heart failure and I didn't need to diet, I just needed some heavy diuretics. Haha, I don't think so. But, I have had people tell me this exact thing.I guess that I shouldn't blame anyone. when I first heard a lot of people ranting about Atkins, I didn't think it would work either, but I freely admit that I was wrong. I am glad too that there are many ways to lose weight, cause I've tried about all of them and this is what has worked best for me.

A lot of people are just that way. I don't even tell most people I'm doing Atkins anymore unless they ask specifically what I am doing. Then I desribe it first. And still I get arguements and comments.
Everyone is different. Different diets work for different people. I cannot count calories. Really drives me nuts and by the end of the day I'm starving because I am spending too much time focusing on food.
I guess just posting to say I have people give me a hard time too.

I don't "hate" Atkins...however I do have concerns with the amount of saturated fat that many people take in while doing it. I also don't think that carbs are the enemy. I think it's a matter or maybe cutting back on carbs if you find that they cause that insulin boost that makes you crave food. Now that being said I did say that "many" people do and I hope that those of you who are losing weight on here are doing so with the supervision of a physician and are being told that it's safe for you to continue.

I think it's great that you all are doing well but just because you're losing weight on something doesn't automatically mean that it's ok. People can lose weight not eating too and I'm not going to say "well if it works for you". Please don't attack me on this because I am not looking for a fight but if you are honestly seeking to understand other people's issues with Atkins...these are mine. And by the way I have read the Atkin's book so it's not a matter of uneducation. There was even a line in the book I read in which Dr. Atkins said that it's ok to be a compulsive emotional eater and said you can eat to comfort yourself just go to the fridge and get a piece of fried chicken or cheese instead of carbs. That sounds dangerous to me. Again, if it's working for you and you're healthy - awesome- I sincerely congratulate you...but those are my concerns.

I have to say that I love Atkins. I have tried so many other diets and needless to say, I didn't have any success with any of them however since I have been on Atkins, I have lost over 80 pounds and still going. Whatever eating plan people are following, I wish them all the best in successful weightloss.

From one who has tried all woe I must say that low carb is my way that fits into my eating life style. And to those who have not tried this or who have and can not life with out their bread or carbs, I feel the same way with meat and vegies. when eating low fat or low cal and start to stress eat I have no problem reaching for a slice of plain bread and eating half a loaf with out even realizing it. I can not do the same with meat it is self limiting how may people can eat 4 pieces of fried chicken?? not me. the protien fills me up and unless I am starving I stop at about 2 but in defence to others they do not feel the craving mindless eating that carbs bring to many low carbers.

I still see the difference. I when OP do not even look at bread or doughnuts or pizza with a craving got-to-have-a-piece feeling or spaghetti or many of the other carb loaded foods. this last week I fell off but not to badly I see my self reaching in the drawer for some bread, my thoughts are should I stop and buy a doughnut going through the grocery store I find my self longinly looking for cookies and other carb loaded foods, Whick I never gave a second though to one week before. Why?? I am addicted to the feeling carbs give me when eating them and the feeling they have.

now many people can drink alcohol or play some lotto with out sucumbing o they lure of the addiction but would you berrate the gambler or the alcoholic for not succumbing to their addiction would you rag the drunk for not drinking?? No so in essence those who realize their addiction and know that they have a problem do not rag on them. That is how I feel.

I am very sorry for those die hard low carbers that rag on the low cal or low fat dieters. that is just plain ignorance, what works for you is not going to work for everyone. every one is an individual. if we all ate the same and though the same we would not have so many choices. or ways we would be boraing so basicaly live is all about supporting eachother no matter what we do and how we do it!

My grandma used to say if you want to lose weight don't eat sugar, bread or potatos. Really low carb is not a new concept. And most people don't have an issue if it is stated that way.

I think part of the problem is that when people feel insecure about what they are doing, they often feel strengthened by attacking other people. This is true for many things from religion to politics, and I think it is the same thing with low-carb. I have read the books, tried the diet and realized it wasn't for me. However, I totally respect that for some people it is the way to go. I don't think it is one size/diet fits all world.

I too, love Atkins! I have tried other diets and couldn't stand to count points, calories or to keep track of the time between having a protien and a carb (or whatever it is that somersize does again). The only time I have lost weight prior to this is doing Jenny Craig and literally holding my nose to try to get some of that food down. Yes, I lost the weight, but what did I learn from it, Nothing.
With atkins I hardly even count my carbs now. I have never seen weight drop off like this! All my blood work is coming back normal after being on the induction for 5 weeks too!
Like a lot of us are saying, there is no one size fits all diet. If there was there wouldn't be 1,000,000, weight los books out there. My sister thinks I'm nuts for doing this and she is doing Nutrisystem and I think she is nuts for spending almost $300 a month on food (and by the way I'm losing a lot more than she is!)
So, I guess it's just whatever works!:dizzy:

I think people find that just thinking about giving up certain foods for the rest of their lives is more than they can believe in. They know they won't be able to sacrifice whole food groups forever. They envy the rapid weight loss of Atkins, but feel incapable of doing it, so it comes across as "hate" of Atkins.

But too, I think that there are some valid points in people who don't like Atkins. It depends on which of his many books you've read, of course, but the first one I read was rather weird. He sounded a bit like a nut in that one. I think it was his second book, the yellow covered one,(the first one he wrote in the 70s). In it he defended his diet like a fanatic, and kept on talking about how "fat is not the enemy".

His book was a bit reactionary to all those who had been dismissing his diet as too extreme or too high fat or something, but I really think that book he wrote probably is one of the reasons people get so worried about Atkins. They REALLY do think of it as a HIGH FAT diet. Which it isn't necessarily, it can be as high or as low fat as you choose to make it.

His later books were much more rational sounding and didn't sound like a crazy nutty angry man talking. So if you haven't read the yellow covered book, you may not really understand why people's prejudices are so high against Atkins. I think he basically invited the rest of the medical community to attack him with that book. I think he was right (in some ways), but his style and what he was advocating didn't sit well with all the low fat gurus of the time.

After all this time I do worry though about what his approach has taught me. I do believe that as he says "fat is not the enemy" if you are not consuming high carb as well, but I think there is some danger in not being cautious about too much fat in one's diet because unless you are constantly keeping the carbs low too, there could be danger. Therefore for me, or others like me who go back and forth between Atkins style eating and "normal" whatever that is, eating, the loss of fear of "high fat" can be a dangerous thing.

But I don't think the "hatred" is at all limited to Atkins. I think anyone, on any diet or style of eating from vegetarianism to total carnivore to everything in between, must look at other diets and find something to "hate" about them. Some way of saying "I could never do that." In reality we (most of us) could do anything we set our minds to. But do we want to? I guess that is the key.