Atkins

[isign]

Dh and I are starting this week. I've really been needing him to do this with me and he's finally hit a point where he wants to. So off we go :) Anyone else doing Atkins?

[Kinetic]

I've been on Atkins since 2002. It has changed my life. Just remember that it is extremely difficult in the 1st 2 weeks, but keep your goal in mind, be determined, and tell yourself you can do it! You will see results after 2 weeks. It works. It is healthy.

After 2 weeks, your diet will consist of meats, vegetables, whole grains, fruits, dairy. Dr. Atkins never promoted a diet of all bacon.

At this point in time, I have been at my goal weight for over 2 years - I dont count any carbs anymore. It has altered how I think about food. And now I am drawn to healthy foods, and even though I occasionally endulge in chinese food/pizza/cake now, it is on that very rare occassion, and I feel guilty and horrible after eating it since I know so much about nutrition now.

Let me know if you have any questions. It is great that your DH is doing it with you - the support you can give each other will be invaluable. Start ridding your kitchen shelves now. Good Luck!

[Bellefior]

I'm also on this as well, because DH is the one that started on it. The first couple of weeks were hard, but I am getting used to it. The one thing I do do is try to stick to some leaner meats. Does anyone have any suggestions of what to do with eggs, other than scramble, fry and boil?

[camberne]

I did Atkins and was rather successful at it, I lost 32 pounds. However, I had to stay on the "induction" indefinately in order to keep losing weight. I know that people can be VERY successful on it, as I know people who have been. However, I gained every pound back and then some, but that was my own horrible fault ~ I went carb crazy. I couldn't maintain the >20 grams of carbs forever, and that's what I would have had to do. I did find it an easy diet to follow (meat, eggs, greenbeans, cheese good - anything white or sugary bad) and even my gastrointestinal issues weren't much of a problem with it (there are a LOT of things I can't eat anyway).

Good luck! I might join you in this again. If I can get down to my goal weight (I have half my weight to lose), I feel confident that I could maintain it... it's just such a long way to getting there.

Kinetic - sounds like you had a great experience. Did you have to stay in the induction phase or were you able to increase your carbs throughout as you went along?

bellefior - Omlettes were my big thing. You can change the taste by whatever meats, veggies, cheeses you want to use. IHOP has a chicken fajita omlette that I love!! I just get it without the salsa/sour cream.

[ginandchris]

I've been on Atkins since January and I've already lost 15 lbs. Just like kinetic said it is hard the first 2 weeks. It took me about that long to get used to it. Since then though, its been pretty easy. I do eat some carbs that have a high count, but not a lot. Ex. french fries, ( they are my fav) But other than that, I've been able to find substitutes, they have a lot of low carb food on the market now.

I try to eat less than 30 grams of carb a day, and what has made is easier is all the low carb meals I get from the low carb store. Eat rite is the best! Good luck to everyone.

[Weddings by]

Julie, I'm so glad to have found this! I'm going to start as soon as I go shopping. Probably Monday. I've been feeling so gross, sick and fat since I quit eating that way. Ugh and bleh.

[Weddings by]

The rate at which a person loses frequently has a lot to do with how much a person has to lose. I was on Atkins for less than 2 months and lost 22 lbs. BUT I started with the desire to lose 70 lbs, so...

Just posted that in case it helps anyone in any way.

[sinderstorm]

I've been low-carbing with varying degrees of sticking to the book for 1.5 years now. I'm down a total of 60 pounds, with the weight coming off slowly, but staying off. I've learned lots of tricks, and am happy to share. I have another 15 or so that I'd like to lose.

[southerner]

Thinking about doing this diet as a crash course for a wedding I'm going to be in in July. Thought I would bump to see if anyone wants to add to the thread. Or maybe some of the PP's can come in and update??

[Weddings by]

Hi, southerner!

I LOVE this diet! I feel so healthy, energetic, my brain comes back, I am not hungry (unless I don't eat :p), and it can be really yummy. PLUS I almost never crave things, after the first several days.

The first 4 days are typically the hardest, so I want to prepare you for that. I have been known to walk around the house with only a few thoughts running through my head, "Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate. No, I'm not going to eat any! Chocolate. Yum. No. Why am I on this diet, anyway? Why am I starting today? I can start tomorrow. I want some chocolate. NO. Oh...OK....NO." :p Yes, I wish it weren't true, but that's me; I love chocolate.


My suggestions (and these are things that help ME. Everyone is different, and I won't be offended if people think my idea/methods are wacky):

1) I start out with a plan for food, including snacks. I must BUY the food! (Yes, this is important.)
2) Drink lots of water.
3) Eat until I'm full.
4) Throw away or give away anything that I think I will/might want to eat. If it were something that I thought I would want later and it's not something I would want to purchase again, I might ask someone to "hide" it at their house for me. :) (That might seem silly, but until the willpower has kicked in and the cravings have subsided, it really might be helpful.)
5) Keep food available. Make sure to start cooking BEFORE I am hungry. Being hungry is the prime time to give in to cravings/desires.
6) Remember that it's only a few to several days that it will be difficult.
7) Set a goal for when I will have a cheat day or meal, if it seems helpful. It could be based upon # of days, pounds, or percentage of weight lost, or even a particular event. It has happened that once I have reached that goal, I didn't feel like cheating. (Which is preferable, because it can be REALLY hard to get back on if the cheating brings up some strong cravings.)


Read the book--not the newest copy.


I LOVE this LJ (http://community.livejournal.com/atkins_diet/profile) forum. (Sorry to send you away from CC, but I have found it to be extremely beneficial and full of experience. BUT please remember to read the rules on the "intro page" or whatever it's called. People can really get annoyed at telling so many posters to quit breaking the few rules that exist. :) )

Like I said, that is all what helps ME. I wrote it hoping it might help some others.


I have "done" Atkins several times--upto 3 months at a time. I intend to start again in a few days, after I make a menu and go shopping, and my desire is to turn it into a lifestyle. For years I thought people who did that were wacky, but I have come to see some of the awful effects my regular diet is having on me, and I want to change.


Oh, yeah...eat your vegetables!


I love to make Chinese, Indian, Latin American, Thai and some Ukrainian dishes. They have so much flavor and so many vegetables. The variety helps a lot, too. After the first 2 weeks, if you go out to eat, please realize that these foods DO have starches and sugars in them when cooked in restaurants. Indian food I think is the least offensive--the recipes I've seen don't contain sugars (usually) nor simple carbs (for the most part).

For soy sauce, you can use Bragg's Liquid Aminos. It is made from soy beans, but it doesn't have anything added. No extra salt. No wheat.

When making Chinese and Thai at home, leave out the premade sauces unless you can clearly see the ingredients. A lot of recipes say to add sugar, Hoison Sauce or other sauces, and/or say to thicken the sauce. The recipes I make are good without those things, so I just leave them out.


I'm sorry if some of this sounds so elementary that it was already obvious to anyone reading it. I'm just trying to share what I know, and of course I don't know what anyone already knows. You know? (I want to fit in some more "knows" but I seem to have run out of ways to do it. :D) Oh! I know you will enjoy it once you get past the first several days, if not even during those days.


You can do it, and (I could be wrong, but I've not heard of any time when this wasn't true) you will be glad that you did. :)


One big word of experience: Stay away from the "products" and artificially sweetened pop, etc while on Induction! The cravings WILL NOT (unless you are not typical) go away if you don't. I know someone who always keeps drinking pop, eats protein bars, but has a very difficult time sticking with the diet because what can't be eaten is constantly on the brain. Fake sugars can still keep the body wanting sugar.

Plus, artificial sweeteners (A.S.) aren't good for a person. After Induction, if they help a person stay on the diet, then it might be a better option than not consuming some A.S. But, for those who don't have a wide range of experience with them, here is my experience/knowledge:
Aspertame--makes me c-r-a-b-b-y.
Splenda--might make me sick. I don't really want to test it again to see if that's what caused it.
A.S. ending in "-tol" (like maltitol)--(excuse the crudeness, please) produce cramping and gas in many, many people.

Stevia--is a natural sweetener that I have used in a few things, like Sweet Tea (Iced Tea).

I'd love to share experiences with you, southerner, or anyone else.

Wendy

[Weddings by]

Hi, southerner!

I LOVE this diet! I feel so healthy, energetic, my brain comes back, I am not hungry (unless I don't eat :p), and it can be really yummy. PLUS I almost never crave things, after the first several days.

The first 4 days are typically the hardest, so I want to prepare you for that. I have been known to walk around the house with only a few thoughts running through my head, "Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate. No, I'm not going to eat any! Chocolate. Yum. No. Why am I on this diet, anyway? Why am I starting today? I can start tomorrow. I want some chocolate. NO. Oh...OK....NO." :p Yes, I wish it weren't true, but that's me; I love chocolate.


My suggestions (and these are things that help ME. Everyone is different, and I won't be offended if people think my idea/methods are wacky):

1) I start out with a plan for food, including snacks. I must BUY the food! (Yes, this is important.)
2) Drink lots of water.
3) Eat until I'm full.
4) Throw away or give away anything that I think I will/might want to eat. If it were something that I thought I would want later and it's not something I would want to purchase again, I might ask someone to "hide" it at their house for me. :) (That might seem silly, but until the willpower has kicked in and the cravings have subsided, it really might be helpful.)
5) Keep food available. Make sure to start cooking BEFORE I am hungry. Being hungry is the prime time to give in to cravings/desires.
6) Remember that it's only a few to several days that it will be difficult.
7) Set a goal for when I will have a cheat day or meal, if it seems helpful. It could be based upon # of days, pounds, or percentage of weight lost, or even a particular event. It has happened that once I have reached that goal, I didn't feel like cheating. (Which is preferable, because it can be REALLY hard to get back on if the cheating brings up some strong cravings.)


Read the book--not the newest copy.


I LOVE this LJ (http://community.livejournal.com/atkins_diet/profile) forum. (Sorry to send you away from CC, but I have found it to be extremely beneficial and full of experience. BUT please remember to read the rules on the "intro page" or whatever it's called. People can really get annoyed at telling so many posters to quit breaking the few rules that exist. :) )

Like I said, that is all what helps ME. I wrote it hoping it might help some others.


I have "done" Atkins several times--upto 3 months at a time. I intend to start again in a few days, after I make a menu and go shopping, and my desire is to turn it into a lifestyle. For years I thought people who did that were wacky, but I have come to see some of the awful effects my regular diet is having on me, and I want to change.


Oh, yeah...eat your vegetables!


I love to make Chinese, Indian, Latin American, Thai and some Ukrainian dishes. They have so much flavor and so many vegetables. The variety helps a lot, too. After the first 2 weeks, if you go out to eat, please realize that these foods DO have starches and sugars in them when cooked in restaurants. Indian food I think is the least offensive--the recipes I've seen don't contain sugars (usually) nor simple carbs (for the most part).

For soy sauce, you can use Bragg's Liquid Aminos. It is made from soy beans, but it doesn't have anything added. No extra salt. No wheat.

When making Chinese and Thai at home, leave out the premade sauces unless you can clearly see the ingredients. A lot of recipes say to add sugar, Hoison Sauce or other sauces, and/or say to thicken the sauce. The recipes I make are good without those things, so I just leave them out.


I'm sorry if some of this sounds so elementary that it was already obvious to anyone reading it. I'm just trying to share what I know, and of course I don't know what anyone already knows. You know? (I want to fit in some more "knows" but I seem to have run out of ways to do it. :D) Oh! I know you will enjoy it once you get past the first several days, if not even during those days.


You can do it, and (I could be wrong, but I've not heard of any time when this wasn't true) you will be glad that you did. :)


One big word of experience: Stay away from the "products" and artificially sweetened pop, etc while on Induction! The cravings WILL NOT (unless you are not typical) go away if you don't. I know someone who always keeps drinking pop, eats protein bars, but has a very difficult time sticking with the diet because what can't be eaten is constantly on the brain. Fake sugars can still keep the body wanting sugar.

Plus, artificial sweeteners (A.S.) aren't good for a person. After Induction, if they help a person stay on the diet, then it might be a better option than not consuming some A.S. But, for those who don't have a wide range of experience with them:
Aspertame--makes me c-r-a-b-b-y. And I mean C-R-A-B-B-Y!! Uncontrollably. It's weird.
Splenda--might make me sick. I don't really want to test it again to see if that's what caused it.
A.S. ending in "-tol" (like maltitol)--(excuse the crudeness, please) produce cramping and gas in many, many people.

Stevia--is a natural sweetener that I have used in a few things, like Sweet Tea (Iced Tea).

[Weddings by]

Hi, southerner!

I LOVE this diet! I feel so healthy, energetic, my brain comes back, I am not hungry (unless I don't eat :p), and it can be really yummy. PLUS I almost never crave things, after the first several days.

The first 4 days are typically the hardest, so I want to prepare you for that. I have been known to walk around the house with only a few thoughts running through my head, "Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate. No, I'm not going to eat any! Chocolate. Yum. No. Why am I on this diet, anyway? Why am I starting today? I can start tomorrow. I want some chocolate. NO. Oh...OK....NO." :p Yes, I wish it weren't true, but that's me; I love chocolate.


My suggestions (and these are things that help ME. Everyone is different, and I won't be offended if people think my idea/methods are wacky):

1) I start out with a plan for food, including snacks. I must BUY the food! (Yes, this is important.)
2) Drink lots of water.
3) Eat until I'm full.
4) Throw away or give away anything that I think I will/might want to eat. If it were something that I thought I would want later and it's not something I would want to purchase again, I might ask someone to "hide" it at their house for me. :) (That might seem silly, but until the willpower has kicked in and the cravings have subsided, it really might be helpful.)
5) Keep food available. Make sure to start cooking BEFORE I am hungry. Being hungry is the prime time to give in to cravings/desires.
6) Remember that it's only a few to several days that it will be difficult.
7) Set a goal for when I will have a cheat day or meal, if it seems helpful. It could be based upon # of days, pounds, or percentage of weight lost, or even a particular event. It has happened that once I have reached that goal, I didn't feel like cheating. (Which is preferable, because it can be REALLY hard to get back on if the cheating brings up some strong cravings.)


Read the book--not the newest copy.


I LOVE this LJ (http://community.livejournal.com/atkins_diet/profile) forum. (Sorry to send you away from CC, but I have found it to be extremely beneficial and full of experience. BUT please remember to read the rules on the "intro page" or whatever it's called. People can really get annoyed at telling so many posters to quit breaking the few rules that exist. :) )

Like I said, that is all what helps ME. I wrote it hoping it might help some others.


I have "done" Atkins several times--upto 3 months at a time. I intend to start again in a few days, after I make a menu and go shopping, and my desire is to turn it into a lifestyle. For years I thought people who did that were wacky, but I have come to see some of the awful effects my regular diet is having on me, and I want to change.


Oh, yeah...eat your vegetables!


I love to make Chinese, Indian, Latin American, Thai and some Ukrainian dishes. They have so much flavor and so many vegetables. The variety helps a lot, too. After the first 2 weeks, if you go out to eat, please realize that these foods DO have starches and sugars in them when cooked in restaurants. Indian food I think is the least offensive--the recipes I've seen don't contain sugars (usually) nor simple carbs (for the most part).

For soy sauce, you can use Bragg's Liquid Aminos. It is made from soy beans, but it doesn't have anything added. No extra salt. No wheat.

When making Chinese and Thai at home, leave out the premade sauces unless you can clearly see the ingredients. A lot of recipes say to add sugar, Hoison Sauce or other sauces, and/or say to thicken the sauce. The recipes I make are good without those things, so I just leave them out.


I'm sorry if some of this sounds so elementary that it was already obvious to anyone reading it. I'm just trying to share what I know, and of course I don't know what anyone already knows. You know? (I want to fit in some more "knows" but I seem to have run out of ways to do it. :D) Oh! I know you will enjoy it once you get past the first several days, if not even during those days.


You can do it, and (I could be wrong, but I've not heard of any time when this wasn't true) you will be glad that you did. :)


One big word of experience: Stay away from the "products" and artificially sweetened pop, etc while on Induction! The cravings WILL NOT (unless you are not typical) go away if you don't. I know someone who always keeps drinking pop, eats protein bars, but has a very difficult time sticking with the diet because what can't be eaten is constantly on the brain. Fake sugars can still keep the body wanting sugar.

Plus, artificial sweeteners (A.S.) aren't good for a person. After Induction, if they help a person stay on the diet, then it might be a better option than not consuming some A.S. But, for those who don't have a wide range of experience with them:
Aspertame--makes me c-r-a-b-b-y. And I mean C-R-A-B-B-Y!! Uncontrollably. It's weird.
Splenda--might make me sick. I don't really want to test it again to see if that's what caused it.
A.S. ending in "-tol" (like maltitol)--(excuse the crudeness, please) produce cramping and gas in many, many people.

Stevia--is a natural sweetener that I have used in a few things, like Sweet Tea (Iced Tea).

I'd love to share experiences with you, southerner, or anyone else.

[BTB]

My experiences with Atkins have been negative. I tried it in 2001, followed the program to a "T", felt terrible the entire time, and in six weeks lost just 1.5 pounds. My mother did it for months and is now battling a fasting serum cholesterol over 300 (the prior year she'd been in the 160's). I wish you all more success than we've had. :)

[Weddings by]

BTB, (I am not trying to get you to try it again) I was thinking about what you said and wondering why/how that happened (since I have never heard of this happening)...could it be possible that you're allergic to/intolerant of milk products and/or eggs? I'm not trying to suggest that THAT could be the only reason a person could feel terrible and not lose much weight, but...it's the only thing that comes to my mind at the moment. :) I hope you found something that gave you what you were seeking through Atkins.

And because I'm ever curious, if you feel like summarizing what following it to a T means to you, I'd love to know. :) If not, that's OK. I want to be sure you realize that I'm not trying to get you into a discussion about going back on Atkins. I'm just wondering what caused it.

[savannahgrl]

My inlaws have done Atkins for years. They now do a modified Atkins to maintain their weight/health and they love it. They are pretty small so I was very surprised that they ever needed Atkins, but they claim that they had at one time put on some weight and they wanted to get it off.

The improvement in their health was the main reason they have stuck with the diet for so many years. My FILs cholesterol was really bad before Atkins, but he has not had any problems with it at all since being on Atkins. My MIL has IBS and she has pretty much controlled it through this diet and has been able to go off of her medication.

Personally, I've not been on Atkins but my inlaws rave about it so I thought that I would chime in on the conversation. Good luck!

[southerner]

weddingsby, thank you for taking the time to post all that info. I hope it will help someone who decides/is doing this. After doing more research, I decided that this diet would be too hard for me. I'm a rather picky eater :o

Anyway, I'm a Lifetime Member at Weight Watchers and I'm comfortable and familiar with it, so I"m going to try that. I think I can lose 10-15 pounds in the 7 weeks I have before this wedding.

Good luck starting back this week!

[BTB]

could it be possible that you're allergic to/intolerant of milk products and/or eggs?

No, I'm not allergic to or intolerant of eggs or dairy, so that wasn't it. It wasn't *that* kind of feeling terrible anyway. ;)

What I meant by following it to a T was, following the program as set forth in Atkins' book without cheating or modification. I kept track of everything I ate and never went over the intake limit for the week I was on.

It's not a big mystery how someone could not lose weight on Atkins - despite popular belief to the contrary (at least at the peak of the low-carb craze) a low-carb diet alone isn't enough to lose weight. Calorie intake matters too. When energy in = energy out, no weight is lost. :)

In talking with people since, I've found that my experience was definitely not unusual. Nor was my Mom's - happily medication has begun to bring her sky-high cholesterol back to normal levels.

[savannahgrl]

I kept track of everything I ate and never went over the intake limit for the week I was on.

Maybe it was because you were only on it for one week. The induction phase (1st week) is suppose to be the hardest week because of your body detoxing from all of the sugars and carbs.

I hope you that found something that works for you. Everyone's body functions so differently, so what works for one might not for another.

[BTB]

Maybe it was because you were only on it for one week.

That's not what that meant - you have to read both my posts. :)

I was on Atkins for SIX weeks. But since the amount of carbs changes each week after the first two week induction phase, rather than say "each week I kept within the amount of carbs I was allowed for that week in the program" I shortened it to "never went over the intake limit for the week I was on."

Thus, "week I was on" means "whatever week it was at that time", not "the one week I did the diet" since I'd already said I was on six weeks and lost 1.5 pounds during that time. :)