Hello, I have been doing Atkins low carb since November and I have lost, but its getting harder to stay on this type of diet....I was on WW before, did not lose as fast but it seems I was able to stay on the diet better, I am a vegatarin and do not like meat at all, could I switch over without too many problems? Thank you any advice would be very appreciated.

Hi

While I wasn't an Atkins follower, I did Protien Power which I think is much the same but not quite as restrictive.

I lost quite a bit of weight on it but it was starting to "creep" back on and so I joined WW on Monday.

Right now WW is fun because I can have a lot of things that were restricted on the low carb. I really like fruit and low fat yogurt. I could live forever without potatoes and will likely not use points eating potatoes.

I think I'll need to really use my tracker in order not to think I can eat unlimited amounts of protien and then add higher carb things that I ahve been craving.

Good luck - I'll be interested to see if there are some things that we should watch out for.

I was on Atkins last fall... I lost 20 pounds and when I wasn't sticking to the plan perfectly I would gain. So...after I gained about 12lbs back I joined WW and though I haven't lost quite as much as quickly, it's steady. I would still becareful on the carbs...otherwise you will gain quickly, before you start to lose again. Most important thing with WW is exercise!!

Hello, Thank you for getting back to me so quickly, it`s just so hard to change the mind set thing its like when I started low -carb I had to rethink everything, I`m older then probably most of you and I always did lowfat and counted calories, yes, I truly agree with you, if you just go off a little bit on the low-carb diet you gain like crazy!! Its almost like I have to relearn everything now again any suggestions on that part of it and where could I buy the tracker I believe that is was called........Thank You again. Patty

I got my tracker at the WW meeting, but it is pretty simple to replicate. All it really amounts to is a food diary where you start off with your alloted points for the day and decrease by the ones that you have eaten. Once you get to zero - you go to bed !!!

Since I was at WW before they have brought in flexpoints which you can use if you end up negative (just to a total of 35) but for now I'm trying to just get to zero every day and then if I slip I have a cushion (that isn't my butt) to fall on.

Even though I lost quite a bit on low carb, I really still believe that some form of portion control (calories) is the best way to go. I want to get to the point where I eat what I want - just less of it - and feel satisfied. You can't do that on low carb.

Good luck

i am hoping to switch over to something like weight watchers, too. i have been on atkins about a month, and i didn't have too terribly much to lose. i've lost about 18 pounds with a combo of counting calories and then later atkins, and right now i'm losing about a pound and a half a week. but i figure i can do that just trying to eat better and count calories, fat, etc while still getting some of the things i can't have on atkins.. i am really worried, haha, but i'm going to see how it goes.

I did atkins also at one point. I started to hate it and hate meat. The articles that I have read and being a nurse, the WW diet in my opinion is alot more healthy for the body and is something that a person can realistically stick too.

If you are nervous about the switch you could always start with a lower carb version of WW....grilled chicken for example is very low in points as is thin sliced lunch meats, etc

One thing I have learned is to stay truly full you need lots of fiber, protein and some carbs. For example one of my fav things to eat for breakfast is a mini bagel, 5 pieces thin sliced ham (Hilshire Farms) and 1 whole wedge of laughing cow cheese....it *totally* keeps me full and my blood sugar stabilized until lunch time.

I would imagine though that the transition from Atkins to WW you may gain back some water "weight" initially since with Atkins a small part of the weight lost is water, but as your body adjusts you will do fine.

I really love WW and can't recomend it enough because to me it is a very realistic way of eating and you can tailed it to your personal needs.

Skinnymini

Just checking in -I have now finished Wk 2 of WW and in the two week I'm down 4 lbs. I actually thought I might gain since I was having trouble with portion size of protein after having been used to not needing to worry about that.

What I really want is something that once I get to my goal can become a way of life and I didn't see that with low carb. I would add that the thing that helps a lot on both is drinking the water. I am doing better at that and have almost cut out coffee in favour of decaf teas which give me the flavour of sweetness that I miss on both diets. At least on WW I can cave in to the craving -just so long as I keep the portion small and count the points.

Good luck everyone.

I found Atkins was kind of scary. It truly worried me adding fat and staying away from so many things I've always liked and felt were healthy. After about a week, I dropped it and knew it wasn't for me.
I started getting horrible pains in my legs after about the 5th day and if you read Atkin's book, it says that this can happen to some people due to a loss of potassium. Naturally, I wasn't eating fruit.
If you read further into this book, it indicated HUGE amounts of vitamin supplements (naturally they want you to buy their brand, for big bucks!) that you need to take in order to remain "healthy". That was pretty scary too.
With Weight Watchers, I eat a very balanced diet. I have protien, carbs (but healthy ones). I eat fruits and veggies. I can have pasta and bread.
I couldn't imagine cutting out breads! I eat high fiber breads that are low in points and very healthy. I think WW is the best, overall, plan for me.
I tried South Beach as well. It's a bit healthier than Atkins, but still way too restrictive for me.
I like flex points!
Linda in NH

This is a great thread. I am so interested to hear about folks who are coming back to WW after doing a low-carb diet.

I am a lifetime WW member, but I have been toying with starting the South Beach Diet because I gained a tremendous amount of weight after having a baby and I want some quick results. I was also drawn to the idea that I could eat as much lean protein and veggies as I wanted.

However, I have not been able to stay on SBD even one day! I guess I am "spoiled" by WW from the past. I am used to being able to have any kind of food I want - and the portions I want - just not as much as I want all the time. I need to have things like yogurt and fruit and some (healthy) convenience foods (like Amy's frozen stuff) in order to stay on program.

I was thinking of going it alone at this point and just counting calories, but after reading this post, I think I may go back to WW. I love the support and have a great leader.

Thanks for the post & responses everyone.