Atkins Diet
 

Have you heard of it? Tried it? Does it work?

Thanks gals!

I strongly believe in Atkins when followed according to the book.

... and I do not. For health, ethics, and effectiveness reasons, I found it didn't work for me (I was a vegetarian at the time).

Cutting carbs is a great idea, but I wouldn't replace them with fats -- I went in the direction of moderate-carb, higher-protein/fiber, and found that worked a lot better (Zone diet range).

I haven't tried it, but I know from experience that a low carb diet doesn't work for me.

I've lost 90lbs on it. When I first started I was skeptical, but my mother insisted that I give it a go after an upsetting doctors appointment. I was still just a teenager when I found out I was obese, pre-diabetic, and had high blood pressure.

But all of that was reversed with Atkins and I feel excellent. I eat lots of vegetables, meats, nuts, dairy, and yes -- I can have fruit in moderation. I do miss my breads, pastries, and pasta, but I bake with flax seed to get my fibre and stay satisfied.

If you're serious about trying Atkins, definitely get the book. :)

I agree with Ramra, I advise reading the book.

Thanks so much for all your replies!

I ordered the new Atkins book, as the diet was revised since Dr. Atkins died (I researched it - he didn't die because of his diet.)

I will be getting it in the mail in just a few days, and I'm excited about trying it.

I've been trying the advise in Gary Taubes' book, Why We Get Fat. I haven't weighed myself, and I've had a few bad things, but I've found eating hamburger and sausage helps keep me full and satisfied. I'm only eating three to four times a day now, as opposed to five to six times.

Why doesn't it work? Because you crave them too much?

Going below 50g of carbs a day causes me to get very tired even beyond the few weeks it takes to adjust to such a low level.

I eat low carb, but not incredibly low. Probably around 100-150g per day. I feel SO MUCH better on that level.

I also find that for me it's about calories in, calories out. I could eat anything and lose, gain, or maintain my weight.

Everyone is different. I have seen Atkins do good things for people. I became a believer when I started to see patients' labs improve significantly.

Oh really, so you're a doctor? What kind of labs, if I may ask?

I have a question for you if you are. I'm going to start a thread asking everyone this: What exactly is starving yourself? I only get hungry two to three times a day and it doesn't take a lot of food to feel me up. Yet I hear doctors say that if you don't eat enough, or get enough calories, you'll go into starvation mode and actually store fat. So tell me: If you really don't feel hungry, could you still be starving yourself?

I lost 50 lbs on Atkins and kept it off 12 years. I'm only just now up about 7 more pounds than I want to be. It took me 8 months and I absolutely LOVED the program! The eating was sooo good! But,there are a lot of guidelines that have to followed to a tee.

I have an autoimmune disorder. I'm one of the people that sees improved labs from a lowcarb/atkins type diet. I went from a very ill person to a very healthy person when I removed grain from my diet. For some people it's a miracle, and for some it just doesn't work.

You have to find what works for YOUR body. It won't matter, at the end of the day, what worked for anyone else.

Give it a shot. It may be awesome for you, it may not. You won't know unless you give it a shot :).

I've found that those of us that have been successful were successful because we were able to find a plan that worked for our bodies, and were able to stick to it!

Thanks gals for the additional replies!

I was going to start yesterday, but went to a friend's house and had a popsicle, frosting, and watermelon, all no-nos. But today, so far, I've followed the diet faithfully.

I'm happy that I can have heavy whipping cream for my coffee, as it has zero carbs.

Those of you who have tried it, can you give me some pointers? I'm going to get bored real quick. I bought some veggies I know I will eat, and some meat I know I will eat, but really, there's not much in my fridge.

I think the biggest thing is not to overcomplicate things. I think a lot of people get caught up in tweaking their favorite recipes and trying to replace garbage foods. There's nothing wrong with just good, whole, eating. Don't get wrapped up in buying 'diet' products. Some veggies, some good quality protein, some healthy fats, and you're set. There's no need to overthink it :).

I agree. I think God made it right; why mess with perfection? :)

Well, I read the Induction phase chapter of the Atkins book, and it seems highly complicated. You have to count grams, and make sure 12-15 grams of your carbs come from veggies. Certain things like fruit, nuts, grains, and most dairy is off the list.

The nice thing is, that it doesn't stay that way. You slowly incorporate fruits and grains back into your diet. So it's not like goodbye forever. Because I love whole wheat bread.

If I lose a steady two pounds a week, I can be out of the Induction phase in a month. But some people lose 15 pounds in two weeks on Atkins. And I want to do it right, to get the best results. :)

You move out of the Induction phase once you're 15 pounds within your goal weight. And if I lose 15 pounds in a month, I'll be there. So wish me luck. :)

I think the important thing to remember about induction is that it is only 2 weeks out of your whole life. Also, focus on the positives. Chicken wings, full fat mayo, salmon, ranch dressing on green salads, bacon, cheese, eggs, were all things I'd avoided on lowfat and now was encouraged to fuel my body with. Induction was like indulgence for me.

Yes, usually Induction is only two weeks, but the book says you can stay in Induction until you get closer to your goal weight, if you have a lot of lose. I have 30 pounds to lose. But yeah, you're right, that's usually how it goes, but some people stay in it longer.

But yeah, I agree with you, some things that are allowed are very delicious!

Hey, theres a whole Atkins support forum here, come join us! Some of us are still in induction even. We have a July chat thread so just jump in! I personally lose weight best on ver low carb diets. I can calorie count to my hearts content but if I'm eating foods with carbs and refined sugars I won't lose an ounce. Sometimes some people are just different kinds of losers.

Thanks for the invite! I will hop on over!

Then I have some questions! See you there! :)