Today is my 4th day on the atkins diet. I have already lost about 8 lbs and I have never felt so much energy or so little hunger, mostly because i force myself to drink huge amounts of water which leaves me feeling so full. my problem is that I dont know why ppl have such a hatred for this diet. I mean with very little carbs I still have more energy than When i used to binge on them. Maybe some ppl are afraid of change.

Another thing on water loss. A lot of ppl deem water loss as a horrible thing, but if you think about it...each cell in our bodies is about 70% water. if we are breaking down fat cells than we can expect to see a loss in water naturally. And there is a myth about muscle breaking down before your body eats its fat. Actually muscle will naturally atrophy from lack of activity, but you body doesnt eat it for nutrition. The body makes fat for the purpose of storage and makes muscle for the purpose of support and protection since when did the body suddenly change its mind on these tissues' roles they play?

I simply don't believe in organized diets...because I wonder why people would take out certain groups of food from their diet. I can understand it as a diet...but not as a lifestyle.

I mean...how could someone eat all meat but not allowed to have an apple?

It sounds like you get good results...but wouldn't one's cholesterol go out the window?

Whatever works for you, I think!

From what I've heard, Atkins actually helps lots of people's cholesterol. I think there are some people (and I am one of them) who just can't eat a lot of carbohydrates. They're like a drug to me. I don't like a very restrictive diet, and as you can see by my weight on my ticker I haven't been actively "Atkins"-ing for awhile lol, but for me restricting carbs seems to be the only way I can lose, so that's what I'm doing. This time though, when I get down to where I'm comfortable in my skin, instead of adding in brownies and hot fudge sundaes I'm going to add in apples and strawberries and good for me stuff. Sugar and processed foods are my downfall, they make me hungry, lazy, and cranky. I can't believe the energy increase and appetite suppression that happens to me when I cut carbs. I just have to remember to drink lots and lots of water.

I have trouble with the terms used.
What's low carb? I'd like to keep my carbs at 40% is that low or high? Same with high protein. Some folks talk about high protein as being 70 or 80 grams. Lots of folks eat less than 20% fats and other claim to eat low fat....

The trick with water weight loss is that it's deceptive. If by being dehydrated one day Jane Doe thinks she's lost 4 lbs, the next day if she's rehydrated, she thinks she's yo-yoing and gets discouraged.

More research is needed into the long term effects of low and lower carb dietings, but so far the research has been surprising.

Actually dieting does result in both muscle and fat loss, and higher protein diets seem to reduce the amount of muscle lost. Cholesterol levels appear to decrease, rather than increase on a low carb diet (but is this a short term effect of the weight loss, there isn't any research on whether a lifelong low carb diet would increase cholesterol levels).

I had always been very leery of low carb diets, but a few weeks ago I spoke with the doctor heading our weight loss management clinic. I have to admit I'm rather skeptical of weight loss doctors, but she and her husband lost over 200 lbs between them (she 90 lbs and he 120 lbs) on a low carb diet (less fat, and more carbs and fiber than Atkins allows).

I had always been very anti-Atkins, and I still believe it is unnecessarily restrictive, but I have been won over by the research so far into the lower carb diets. My husband and I are restricting our carbs to around 100 g of carbs per day (this is 5 times what Atkins allows at induction, and almost twice what it allows during maintenance).

We've only been at this a few weeks, so it's too early to jump to conclusions, but so far we've been noticing some wonderful differences with this eating plan than our previous attempts to lose weight. I've lost every week, and my husband has lost every week except one (we had family visiting out of state, and he overindulged, but still at least maintained), and we're not nearly as hungry as on other plans. My husband is a HUGE carb junky (and as a diabetic, this can even be dangerous - as he cannot have one potato chip without eating the entire 10 serving bag). Also, when I look at what we're eating, we don't seem to be eating that much more protein than before (many carbs have a way of making you hungrier overall, and I think we ate more from all of the food groups (except possibly veggies) when we were eating processed and other high glycemic carbs. Maybe that's why cholesterol levels go down instead of up, people aren't eating more protein, they're just eating fewer carbs - not sure about that.

I think the kinds of carbs make a big difference as well. We're eating fruits and whole grains as our carbs now, rather than processed junk that only seems to make us hungrier than we started. My husband took full advantage of the all-you-can-eat beef and pork the first couple weeks, but he's mostly over that, and now we've been eating mostly chicken, and starting to add in more fish (David's dad is quite the fisherman, and has started bringing us walleye, so we'll have an endless supply of walleye and pan fish).

I don`t eat any carbs and i`m ok. My doctor allow it. You loose weight faster, maybe u have lease energy but i prefer the weight lost

Atkins restricts carbs, it doesn't eliminate them entirely--and only for a set period of time. I think it's 2 weeks but I'm not sure. After that, you can add more carbs. It's important to follow the plan exactly.

I am a fan of low-carb programs because in the American culture we eat way, WAY too many carbohydrates and sugars. I have read a book by one M.D., an endocrinologist who works with diabetics, who says that high cholesterol is actually a result of too many carbohydrates, and not from eating cholesterol. (This is in general--not folks with family high cholesterol.)

I'm a calorie-counter because that's what works for me right now. But I do try to watch that I don't eat sugar and refined carbs, but rather whole food sources (whole wheat, brown rice, in limited amounts).

Jay

When I tried Adkins, I dropped 7 lbs in a week (and was sooooo excited). I also had a raging headache the entire time I was on adkins. I couldn't handle the carb restrictions and slowly added them back after 2 wks (only lost 2-3 lbs the second week and was almost at my goal weight). Over the next few weeks, eating fairly healthy, I gained back my weight + some, ending up at my highest weight ever.

I talked to a friend who is an FNP and he said that Atkins does result in muscle loss, which we all know makes our RMR slower...thus explaining the extra pounds I put on when I got back to my body's "set" weight. He says the ONLY way to successfully lose weight is "eat less calories than you put out" (sounds so simple huh?). Incidentally, he has a slight weight problem himself and all too well realizes how hard it is. He is die-hard anti-Atkins.

I say if it works for you and motivates you, go for it though!

No carbs punchi? Does that mean you just eat protein and fat all day?

I think there's a lot of confusion about carbs. Carbs include broccoli, apples, strawberries, zucchini, whole grains, carrots, eggplant, lettuce, basil, and thousands of other foods. Carbs aren't just sugar and bread and potato chips.

I believe in a balanced diet that is bursting with variety, and the nutrition and flavor that goes along with it. You CAN lose weight without eliminating foods from your diet. Choose foods that have a lot of nutrition and limit foods that are devoid of nutrition, like sugar.

Low carb diets can result in quicker initial weight loss, but the results at the end of the year are about the same as with other diets. Recent studies show that low carbers are more likely to regain, though, and they regain quicker than those that regain after other diets.

I don't really believe in eliminating any food groups (except overprocessed, nutrition-devoid fast foods and junk food). I don't see how eliminating vegetables and fruits and grains can be good for you. Where do you get nutrients? Fiber? Vitamins? I just think balance is the way to go. I also know I couldn't just stop eating anything with carbs in it and keep it up for the rest of my life. I don't see it as a lifestyle change I would maintain.
That being said, Atkins may work for some people. But it's just not for me.

I totally agree with Suzanne - carbs aren't "bad", but there are a lot of misconceptions about what a carb is. I've eliminated most processed carbs from my diet, but still eat a healthy amount of carbs overall - the difference is they come from nature, not a factory. Because of this, the carbs I eat aren't "empty", they're loaded with fiber and very satisfying, so I feel I experience the same benefits as far as controlling hunger that people enjoy from Atkins but without having to give up the foods I love.

I'll be interested to see whether you feel the same way today, 4 days in, as you will 4 months down the road. That was the key for me, finally - the way I eat has to be sustainable for life, not just for now. I've done many "diets" in the past and always felt gung-ho for the first couple of weeks.....it's after the shine wears off a bit, so to speak, that you see what it's REALLY like and whether it's something you can live with long-term.

It's not for me either. I can't go my whole life without a bagel. Now granted I've only had 3 of them in the past 6 1/2 months,and that was after scooping out the entire insides, because I do want to keep the "bad" carbs to a minimum. But I mean onions are loaded with carbs and carrots and sugar snap peas, asparagus, caulflower and so many other nutritious and beneficial foods that are PERFECTLY healthy, not to mention delicious. AND low in calories. These foods have helped me greatly to lose weight. I couldn't imagine doing without them. And I don't have to. Everything in moderation, yes even a bagel every now and then.

Having said that, we all have to figure out what works for us. We must find something that we can "stick to". Forever. Because if we don't stick to it, well then it won't work.

Wow, atkins is a horrible way to go. I really urge you to reconsider your goals and where you are at. Also look at this while physicans are medical doctors most have no formal schooling in biomechanics, nutrition, or exercise. So really be wearing about what advice they give you regarding those. A healthy rate to lose weight is about 2 lbs per week. Also this whole low carb is what is actually considered a normal diet. But don't cut out carbs completely or try to cut out as much as possible. CHO's is what we call a protein sparer, meaning that when your body doesn't have enough calories it goes into starvation mode and will then break down muscle and convert it to an energy source. Why is this bad you may be asking? The more lean muscle mass you have that faster your BMR or RMR what ever you are familiar with calling it will be. This means during a specific amount of time you will burn more calories at rest, so pretty much your metabolism will speed up. While on a low car or no carb diet and a low caloric intake you will be putting your body into a semi starvation phase and your body will begin to catabolize muscle for energy. Also CHO goes to become glycogen which is the enrgy the brains needs to function. You might notice that during these peroids of restricive dieting that you might feel headaches and even be dizzy with exercise. This more likely is 99% of the reason. I hope I've shed some light on this