Hi,
I used to be a WW member but have not been on program for about 6 months. I was a member for 4 months and lost about 25 pounds. I have been debating about trying the atkins diet. Have any of you tried atkins? If so, did it work? If it didn't work, why not? I would really appreciate the input.
I think I'll post a similar message on one of the Atkins boards. Thanks.
I trield Atkins and couldn't do it. It was just too much fat for me to eat all at once. Plus I have a history of Kidney Stones and the Atkins Program can actually induce Kidney Stones. WW is ok, I find it is too lienient..which just gets me into trouble!!!
I started on 6/30/03 and have only lost 3 or 4 lbs it Varies, and Today I am starting my excersise. I am so busy and commute 1 1/2 hrs to work and I work 9-5 who wants to excersise at 8 at night or 5 in the morning!
I am on Weight Watchers now and have lost 55 pounds since January, before this I went on Atkins and had lost 25 pounds, but gained it all back when I started to eat "normally again". At least on WW no foods are off limits and you can always eat any foods. Just use portion control and watch your daily intake. How many people on Atkins haven't gained weight back once they started to eat potatoes, bread, rice, etc.? It's good for quick weight loss and that is about all!
I was doing Atkins, along with my husband, till just last week. It worked very well for us but one day he just blurted out, "I can't eat anymore meat!" So now we're going to try WW at home (ordered my stuff, still waiting for it). I think we'll probably still lean towards low carb (pasta, bread, rice, etc - caloricly dense, but not nutritionally dense- I want more bang for my calorie buck!) but I know he'd like a little more flexability. I personally could've gone on doing just Atkins for quite some time. I felt great, the weight was coming off. Tons of benefits.
When we first switched gears - from very low carb to counting calories - we both had a little bump in weight gain but it's come right back off. We didn't go back to "normal" eating as "normal" eating is what got us fat in the first place. But that's true of any plan. If you lose with WW and then go back to "normal" eating, you're going to gain weight back as well. ANY diet needs to be a lifetime committment or you're wasting your time.
I don't think it's an either/or proposition with diets. I think that most of them work (WW, calorie counting, low carb, low fat, whatever) if you STICK WITH THEM and think about LONG TERM changes. The trick is finding what YOU can stick with and what fits your life.
IdealPerson, asking if Atkins people gain weight back after going back on carbs is like asking if WW people gain weight back after giving up portion control. The whole idea is that you're making a shift in the way you eat FOR LIFE. If you go back to what made you fat, you're just going to get fat again.
It may just be my imagination, but the folks I know that have really stuck to the Atkins plan have developed vile breath. To my way of thinking, it just doesn't seem like a natural way to eat. The South Beach Diet appears to be more balanced as far as foods and might be a better choice offering low carbs as opposed to no carbs. The drawback on the South Beach diet is that many people suffer from fatigue & loss of energy. I've been very successful on WW before, researched what's out there now and I'm back with WW... Good luck no matter which way you go!!
I was on WW from 1999-2003, and in between, briefly on Atkins for 2 months.
I am mostly vegetarian, except for the rare seafood, so when I went on Atkins, I DID lose weight quickly (9 pounds my first week, and 3 every week thereafter)... but my kidneys were killing me! Of course I wasn't used to so much protein. Ultimately, I couldn't deal with preparing meat to eat, and the clean-up. I got grossed out
Plus I would have killed for a glass of orange juice, and I became very constipated. I found it creepy to have to take fiber supplements just so I could go to the bathroom! The novelty of eating bacon and cheddar cheese as a snack wears off quickly I found. However, I must say I did have a lot of energy on this diet, and I wasn't hungry.
On WW, I lost 52 pounds by learning to eat correct portions, eat the ol' 5 servings a day of fruits and vegetables, and drink lots of water, AND exercise 30 minutes a day. I did this by going to weekly meetings religiously, and getting on the scale no matter how I felt I did. In the end, I was reassured that my body was an "honest machine" in the sense it just did what I caused it to do. If I ate too much, I gained. If I stayed on plan, I lost. Simple!
My energy level on WW is average I think. The first 2 weeks are an adjustment, getting your stomach used to smaller portions. I occasionally get hungry on WW, but to me, this is not the end of the world. Healthy snacks being handy help a lot! I think the kiss of death on WW is making the mistake of starving yourself for part of the day, then becoming so ravenous you devour anything in sight, Points Schmoints!
I personally like WW better. Unfortunately, I fell off WW in the middle of a stressful relationship, and went back to my old ways of pigging out to distract myself from my emotions... And gained 43 pounds back.
But I'm back! I'm DETERMINED to lose 69 pounds, to go from 200 to 131. I've been on WW at home since this Sunday morning, and already lost 3.5 pounds from my 200 pounds weigh-in on Saturday. Of course, this is probably just waste and water, but it's good to see a drop!
I'm going to clean up my house and then go out for a 30-minute walk around the neighborhood since the YMCA up the street is closed for Labor Day.
Good luck to you, whichever diet you choose!
Sarah
Personally, Atkins is just too restrictive for me. You are so limited as to what foods you can eat. I just started WW and I feel that this is a plan I can live with forever. That's really the bottom line. If you think you can follow a certain way of eating for life. Whether it's Atkins, WW, Sugar Busters, or whatever.
Atkins wasnt to bad,personaly i didnt do atkins i did my own lowcarb i allowed myself 60 carbs a day,so that included certain breads...a small tater for supper,i dont belive you can cut one certain food group out,but certainly cut suger completely out which i did,i lost 30 pounds in 2 1/2 months,i avoided Fried foods,i baked alotta my meat,an when i did fry it was in extra virgin olive oil in a non stick pan which mm was good,i enjoyed tha diet im a meat eater aslong as i have a daily dose of something different its kewl,but my willpower is jus not there,i to am about to start WW's im giving it 6 months if i dont lose atlest 24 pounds,im switching back to Lowcarb Because im truly a carb addict!!! gimme gimmme gimme them taters!!
I have been doing Atkins for 32 months and love it. My weight has dropped from 376 to 266 in this time. I am looking into Weight Watchers as a supporting tool for portionizing. I drink 100-150 oz of water a day because I am thirsty. I exercise at least 30 minutes a day. I stay away from the white stuff and trans fats because they are toxic to me. I have had heart palpitations and panic attacks after eating the white stuff. I took my food for the day and calculated the points for it. I ate out at a restaurant for breakfast and lunch. Here it is:
I don't know why WW would think Atkins is no carb. I eat anywhere from 30 to 80 carbs a day. It is all spelled out in the Atkins for Life book on Maintenance. It depends on how active I am. I lose 3-5 pounds a month now which is very comfortable for me. Since any food plan is about lifetime changes, for me there is no rush to lose it all at once. I want to feel comfortable and full. I am happy that WW is introducing a low carb approach to their program, because now I can feel welcomed and included if I choose to go to WW meetings or participate in WW threads on this site.
I am combining the 2 programs. I keep my carbs below 20 (still on induction, first phase of Atkins) and journal the WW points to keep from eating too many calories.
I find the no sugar, no bread = NO food cravings for me! Great for appetite suppressing. When I was just on WW a few years ago, I was always starving and then would binge.
There is just no way I could do Atkins, Zone, South Beach. I love my bread and rice and potatoes and english muffins and FRUIT! i couldn't live with just berries as fruit, and I need my orange juice. WW has worked very well for me (50 lbs in 7.5 months) and it's something I can continue to do for the rest of my life if I felt like it.
We have all heard extremes are not good, and that is why I like WW at home. It teaches you better eating habits and portion control. Something I feel like I can live with for the rest of my life. I have been losing weigh at a steady rate, yet am not deprived of any foods. It's a very realistic program and flexible enough for just about anyone to follow. I have PCOS and just make sure I stay low on unhealthy carbs. I have lost 13.5 lbs in about a month.
WW vs Atkins
I'm DETERMINED to lose 69 pounds, to go from 200 to 131. I've been on WW at home since this Sunday morning, and already lost 3.5 pounds from my 200 pounds weigh-in on Saturday. Of course, this is probably just waste and water, but it's good to see a drop!
