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Old 12-17-2012, 09:55 AM   #1  
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Default Two days later - back to low-cal after Atkin's

I was tired of being so hungry on my low-calorie diet, so I thought that eating until I was full on Atkin's sounded great (I had done it once before years ago and had success with it), so I switched the other day. Well, I'm officially done with it after two whole days. Meat, eggs, meat, meat, some cheese, meat, more meat.....ugh. Talk about no variety. Virtually no vegetables, no fruit, certainly no sweets, no carbs. Goodbye quick protein bars, which I depended on while I worked out. And grabbing something on the go is gone, since almost everything has to be cooked in advance.

I went to a church pot luck dinner last night. Not that I would have binged, but there was a lot there that I wanted to at least try that were verboten on Atkin's. I think that may have pushed me over the edge. I think I'd rather bump my calories up some and be somewhat less-hungry than stay on Atkin's. No way could I do this diet even short-term - forget long-term. More power to those who can.

Last edited by tricon7; 12-17-2012 at 09:57 AM.
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Old 12-17-2012, 11:52 AM   #2  
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I did Atkin's before and like you I had success too. I lost 20lbs but that was about it for me. No matter what I tried I just couldn't get past 20lbs. And I also found that I binged alot on Atkins don't get me wrong, the binging was done with legal foods but I knew I shouldn't eat like that. I also ate a lot of artificial sweetners and the like which I believe are not very healthy for us and actually cause binging. After a while I started to feel greasy all over and the consto was unbearable.
I gave Atkin's a couple more shots but failed miserably because I just couldn't do it again. I just couldn't put myself through that anymore so I picked a different low carb solution which has tons of veggies and fruits, and some whole grains. I feel great! And no consto!!

But others have had great success with the Atkins diet. It's just not for me.
I think you're wise to up your calories a little. I hope that helps.

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Old 12-17-2012, 12:11 PM   #3  
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Well, you found something that DOESN'T work for you, so now you can find something that does.

Strict Atkins may not be what you're looking for, but you can always pick and choose what you'd like to incorporate.

I do that when it comes to Primal/Paleo. Strict Paleo doesn't work for me, neither does complete Primal (although Primal is a bit more relaxed!) so I've incorporated many parts of Primal into my lifestyle because there are definitely aspects I agree with and find relevant to my lifestyle and goals

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Old 12-17-2012, 12:44 PM   #4  
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Atkins made me feel gross. I also don't eat much meat, so I think that may have had something to do with it. Those foods aren't really something I'd want to eat anyway!
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Old 12-17-2012, 01:15 PM   #5  
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If you don't like nutrient dense veggies, moderate protein, and high fat eating, then don't pick a plan built around it. Seems simple enough.

As an aside, I follow Atkins by the book and eat a minimum of 5-7 cups of produce per day, and usually not over 12 oz of protein (and that is higher than normal because I'm pregnant and need it for human building). Hardly excessive and entirely typical of someone on the lower rungs of OWL. It is primarily a whole foods, unprocessed diet - this is obvious from even a cursory reading of DANDR. Two days isn't a fair shake for judging a plan by, especially one aimed at breaking cravings and changing the metabolism. Two weeks, the induction period, is pretty much necessary.

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Old 12-17-2012, 01:27 PM   #6  
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And all annoyance aside, PLEASE find a plan and stick with it for a minimum of 3 months. No matter what you choose, even if it is something as ill-advised and being a fruitiarian, you're doing yourself no favors by plan hopping. If you know you want processed foods (ick?) an exchange plan, calorie counting, or Weight Watchers will fit. If cravings are what you struggle with, actually committing to Atkins, by the book, for a minimum period of time, is probably the best course of action. If the quality of modern food concerns you, go Paleo. If you need to limit calories and still enjoy flexibility, John's Up Day Down Day Diet is GREAT.

So many options, but switching among them is both hard on your body AND will not give you any positive results. Investigate and tweak, but give it time on each before passing judgment

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Old 12-17-2012, 01:59 PM   #7  
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I like Atkins and I did induction to the T with no cheats. I lost a good amount of weight and gave me tons of energy.

With that said, I missed my fruits - I love apples and most apples have at least 22g of carbs. Yes, it has some fiber but I like to eat apples on the go. I usually have 1-2 apples a day. I also enjoy veggies - all kinds - so that was another problem for me. Carb counting became too problematic for the way I like to eat, so I went back to CC but keep some of the rules of Atkins. High fat (no more FF or LF products for me!), red meat is a big plus. I'm keeping grains on the low end. On a typical day my carbs are less than 110g a day, most of them coming from fruits, veggies and beans.

Atkins gave me the info that I needed and I created a plan based on what works for me. Hope you find something that works for you.
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Old 12-17-2012, 02:26 PM   #8  
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Did you follow the plan as laid out in Dr. Atkins book? Because from what you are describing it doesn't sound like it... And since Atkins is a ketogenic diet, two days is not long enough to evaluate it... or I would argue, any diet for that matter...

I think it is a common misconception with Atkins that you can simply lose weight by eating as much meat as you want if you just severely limit carbohydrate consumption... and that simply is not the plan as laid out in Dr. Atkins diet... There are rules and there is structure to it...

Now, to whether or not those rules and that structure is something that one wants to follow is a whole nother matter...
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Old 12-17-2012, 02:40 PM   #9  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Arctic Mama View Post
So many options, but switching among them is both hard on your body AND will not give you any positive results. Investigate and tweak, but give it time on each before passing judgment
I'm not sure what you're talking about. I've been on a calorie-counting diet for about two years now. I simply let my calories get too low and wanted to try Atkins again. It's definitely not for me. Going back to calorie-counting, albeit at a higher amount. And for me, passing judgment on Atkins after two days was none too soon. However, I know those like yourself who did well on it, and more power to those who can succeed with it.

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Old 12-17-2012, 04:04 PM   #10  
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I keep remembering posts about high protein, low fat, cycling, fasting, etc. I've calorie counted for several years, too, but tweaked extensively to the point that the plans are quite different now than they were when I began. I could be misremembering, but since Halloween I recall at least three significant tweaks being asked about. And dropping calories that low is also a huge tweak and unsustainable for a lot of folks (especially while working out). If you're going to switch methods, research them vigorously and follow the plans to the letter for at least three months (that's really the bare minimum to see any significant results). None of this 'today I'll do _____, never mind this sucks!' for a day or two.

Atkins involves nuts, fruit, and even grains. This stupid misconception that induction is all there is to the plan drives me crazy, when many folks can transition back in variety and add back up carbs methodically after just two weeks. It takes planning and care, but is totally doable and THE bulk of the plan is finding out what foods your body can handle and how much. It ISN'T austerity and induction for six months on end, and in fact is highly ill advised unless you have hundreds of pounds to lose. Ongoing weight loss (OWL) is by far the bulk of time spent in losing, not induction, and it involves ever increasing quantities of carbs and variety of them until you find a happy spot for your body and tastes. I don't see what isn't doable about that for so many people - the boards I'm on where the plan is followed religiously have high success rates and maintenance rates, it's generally the folks who refuse to carefully read and reread Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution (DANDR) or begin altering the program in weird ways like eating nothing but sausage and pork rinds or doing induction and never transitioning off it, who tend to fall off the wagon hard, binge like there's no tomorrow, and then decry the plan when in fact they never did follow it!

I know that might not be you, but in terms of basic troubleshooting for advice figuring out if someone has actually a) read the book right before doing the plan or refreshed themselves if it has been a few months and b) is actually following the advised food lists, quantities, AND time frames - that tends to pinpoint most problems immediately.

Atkins may not be for you, though I find it the most iminently livable plan of ANY I have been on, including calorie counting, Paleo, and Weight Watchers. But all of those plans require time, rigorous adherence, and a commitment to not cheating under any circumstances to really see the best results. Whatever the specific plan, it must be followed and for a fair duration. So my advice to you, if Atkins isn't it, is to pick something and resist the urges to:

- jump into it without significant study
- modify any detail of it that isn't crucial to your health (like an allergy)
- quit before giving it a season (3-4 months)

They're all quite sustainable with study, prep, and dedication. But none of them will do diddly squat for you if you don't actually DO them. That is my best, most caring advice, as someone who has lost weight and kept it off. Commitment and will are key, not a perfect food combo or calorie level. Diets DO work in varying degrees depending on the plan and specific body - but NONE of them work if they aren't actually adhered to. I agree that 1400 calories a day sucks, I wouldn't be able to live on that, be active, and not feel intense hunger. So find something doable for you and stick it out, even if it initially sucks.

Any of the ketogenic plans are intense and often highly uncomfortable for the first week or two, you won't reap any of the metabolic/hunger/craving benefits if you don't push through that detox period. So they may not fit your body if you can't discipline yourself to do that and that's okay! But this is where intense study of the subject and plan specifics should help you - before ever starting the plan you should have a solid idea of what to expect at each point in the game, including long term maintenance strategies, and then be able to critically evaluate whether or not they fit you. Knowledge is power and action without knowledge is just a sure fire way to spin your wheels and frustrate yourself.

I hope some of this helps
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Old 12-17-2012, 04:32 PM   #11  
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Atkins doesn't have to be the "all-meat" diet, and it definitely shouldn't be done on "virtually no vegetables."

I rejected Atkins and all low-carb diets, because of how ill I felt on Induction (and it only got worse after two weeks, not better - to the point that I would even pass out).

So for decades, I thought low-carb was "dangerous" at least for me. Then a few years ago, my doctor recommended low-carb, saying some recent research seemed to suggest that folks with insulin resistance (like me) did better on low-carb diets. He warned me not to go too low, but admitted he didn't know what would be too low - I'd have to experiment.

Around the same time my husband and I had a consult with a local weight management clinic, and we were told to consider low-carb, though my husband was told to do Atkins "backwards" because he's diabetic and was on insulin at the time. By doing Atkins backwards, the clinic director told us she meant that he should start with around 150 to 200 grams of carbs daily, and start gradually decreasing his carb intake (going backwards down the OWL carb ladder). If he had low-blood sugar issues, he was to step back up the ladder.

I eventually realized that low-but-not-too-low-carb is the perfect plan for me - but I never gave it a try. When I couldn't do induction, why didn't I ever consider going on to OWL and adding in the vegetables and fruits? Instead I either went "almost-no-carb" or "high-carb," and nothing in between.

I didn't have to throw the baby out with the bathwater, and neither do you. Low-but-not-induction might be for you. Although I'd also suggest that Atkins isn't and doesn't have to be the meat-and-nothing-else diet.

And although it isn't Atkins as written, you might find that while Induction isn't for you, somewhere along the OWL ladder might be.

I'm embarassed to admit that I never considered not-quite-so-low, low-carb dieting. I abandoned Atkins believing that low-carb diets were intolerable and even dangerous, and my alternative was always exchange plans and calorie-counting. I never gave a thought, let alone an attempt at low-but-not-too-low-carb dieting.

It's all there in Atkins, I just never got to it, because I was too hung up on following the plan in the time frame given by Dr. Atkins in the book. It would take me three decades to learn that 40 to 45 g of protein daily is my minimum to avoid the vertigo and nausea and propensity for passing out. I'm most comfortable around the 60g point. It would have taken me 10 weeks (most of it miserable) to reach that point on Atkins.

If I had decided to do Atkins "backwards" or had decided to move up the OWL on a faster schedule than Dr. Atkins recommended, I might have been able to find my "best diet" in my teens rather than in my 40's.

You only have to move up a "rung or two" on Atkins to incorporate more vegetables and fruit. If you can't bear induction, I would suggest that you at least try to move up the carb ladder to a level you are comfortable without judging low-carb.

I don't know why "moderately-low carb" diets don't get much attention, probably because they are incorporated in most plans that start much lower. I just know that I wish I would have considered skipping induction, rather than abandoning Atkins because I couldn't do induction.
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Old 12-17-2012, 05:13 PM   #12  
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Kaplods, you're not the only gal who has done that with success. On one of my Atkins boards we had a gal up felt overly ill with induction to the point of not being able to get through it, just like you, and she began with 70-ish carbs and moved backwards, too, finding out where her 'floor' was and then settling at a level where she could lose weight AND feel great.

I could have done induction longer (I did about three weeks of it, completely on plan including ditching all caffeine), myself, but knew that sticking it out at 25-30 net carbs and rung four was SO much more doable. So I transitioned slowly and now stick to that rung and the OWL rules and feel excellent. Induction is a cravings buster and kick start, definitely not the body of the plan. I didn't know how much I didn't know about DANDR until I read through it and really studied both the science AND plan. It makes me feel foolish to remember, especially knowing what a blessing it is for me now

I've actually tried to move up the carb rungs a bit and can't do it - I'm so happy with how I'm eating every day that I keep making choices that keep my carbs in that 25-30 net range It's a good 'problem' to have

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Old 12-17-2012, 06:58 PM   #13  
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I understand that some of you feel very strongly about low (or lower) carb because this way of eating seems to have changed your relationship with food. Just remember that some of us do not have any food sensitivities or digestive/metabolic issues and really enjoy eating carbs. For the likes of us, there's no compelling reason to switch to low carb if we can find a sustainable groove without going that route.

I've been eating a high carb diet (probably 60% of total calories) while losing 55 pounds and maintaining the loss for over a year. I don't have cravings for specific foods. I'm rarely hungry. I do have to eat less than I would like, but I happen to have a very large appetite and could comfortably eat 4,000 cals per day, so I'm pretty sure I'd have this "psychological adjustment" issue no matter what diet I was on.

JMHO Freelance

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Old 12-17-2012, 09:09 PM   #14  
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I don't think anyone was arguing that low-carb is the only way to lose weight. Rather, I think what most of us have taken issue with is the common misinterpretation of Atkins as the egg-meat-cheese-and-virtually-nothing-else diet.

There's no reason OP must follow Atkins, but most of her criticisms aren't accurate - in the sense that Atkins (even induction) doesn't have to be followed the way she followed it.

The criticisms

"Virtually no vegetables," even during induction, OP should be able to eat at least 6 cups of salad greens and 2 cups of cooked non-starchy veggies (with dozens of options for those veggies), and may be able to eat even more if she picks her veggies carefully.


No protein bars. Well not in the older incarnations of Atkins, but there are quite a few Atkins bars that can fit into the newest incarnation of Atkins (atkins.com). And by comparing the ingredints and nutrition profile, you can find other brands' bars that also can fit into induction.

Requiring advanced preparation and cooking. There are a lot of grab-and-go options, you just have to be aware of them, and shop for them. Beef, chicken, turkey, and fish jerkies (asian groceries have a lot of dried fish snacks that are very good). Nuts, coconut. Rotisserie chicken. Canned fish (smoked oysters, tuna, mackerel, shrimp, crab, sardines). Again if you can find an asian grocery, you can often find "flavored" sardines and mackerel in curries and other flavored sauces. Many but not all will fit into induction, and most will fit into the mid-range of the OWL ladder.

If you microwave slices of cheese until they become crispy (just before they burn) you end up with a crispy "cracker" that you can spread ham salad, chicken salad, turkey salad, egg salad, shrimp salad, crab (not krab) salad or flavored cream cheese upon.

Frozen pre-cooked shrimp can become a shrimp cocktail on a bed of lettuce in less than five minutes (just rinse the shrimp in cold water until they defrost). You can make a cocktail sauce out of low-sugar catchup and horseradish. or make a baja shrimp cocktail by stirring a low-sugar salsa, some chopped green onion and cilantro, chopped jalapeno peppers if desired, and cubes of avocado. Or you can stir some mayo into the shrimp and serve it in half an avocado.

Tons of "dump" soups can be made in five minutes or less. This is technically "cooking" but it's really more "warming" if you use canned, frozen and precut fresh veggies.

One of my favorite low-carb lunches was 1 can of spicy v-8, and equal amount of chicken broth or water and a bouillon cube, and a bag of stir fry vegetables, and a few ounces of cooked meat from leftovers, from a can, or from a rotisserie chicken, for example. Even a crumbled up hanburger patty.

Coleslaw and broccoli slaw can be used raw to make slaw, or they can be added to soups and stir fries.


Even the criticism regarding fruit can be worked around fairly easily if one isn't opposed to using artificial sweeteners. Sugar free jello, sweetened pumpkin and rhubarb, dry coconut and coconut butter (like peanut butter) can satisfy the fruit/sweet cravings until week 5 when berries are added (or OP could just "skip ahead" to week 5 if fruit is that important to her).

Of course OP has no obligation to try any of these suggestions, but it's not fair to criticise Atkins for limitations the plan doesn't actually have. There are plenty of vegetables one can eat, plenty of grab-and-go, and no-cook options, and it does not have to be the all-meat-cheese-egg diet.

I got sick of eggs for breakfast on Atkins, so I started eating fish for breakfast (with a little practice, fish is super easy and fast to cook in the microwave).

I ate a lot of soups, because soups are very easy to learn to make, and if you start with a very basic soup, you can change the flavor every day just by adding different ingredients. For example, if I started with a broth/veggies/rotisserie chicken one day. I could add v-8 the next day. I could add hot spices the next... or I could eat the same chicken/broth/vegetable soup and every day add different seasonings in each bowl.


There are a gazillion ways to make Atkins interesting, varied, and even easy-no-cook. So criticise Atkins for it's actual limitations, not ones that can be easily addressed with just a little bit of creativity (and if you have no creativity of your own, do a little bit of websurfing and take advantage of the creativity of others).

I would't be able to follow the all-eggs-cheese-meat diet either, thankfully doing so isn't a requirement of any reputable low-carb diet, not even Atkins during induction.
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Old 12-17-2012, 09:55 PM   #15  
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I'm sorry to go off topic here, but unfortunately with the ever increasing epidemics of obesity and its ensuing sequelae e.g. diabetes, etc... More and more people are going to have some "compelling" reasons to look at the carbs in their diets... And even for those that don't have those issues who are just looking to lose some weight... would, I hope at least look at where the carbs in their diets are coming from...

But back to the OP... There are vegetarian and even vegan meal plans in the newer versions of Atkins now, so it's possible to do Atkins with no meat whatsoever... If you so choose...

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