The Atkin's Diet

[Armitage]

Welcome to being mid 50s and overweight... I'm just over 190lbs and want to go down to 175 and stay there. I've been looking at The Atkin's Diet as it seems to suit what I already tend to eat, to limit the suffering and all. The real trick is being happy on it, to keep the weight off.

So I was wondering if any of you guys had tried it?

 

[DaveH]

I did it about 10 yrs ago, dropped 30 lbs pretty quickly...you can literally watch yourself lose 1 lb - 1.5 lbs a day (once your body gets in the rythm of it, which can take a couple weeks). The problem is when you get off the diet, you'll most likely gain it back at about 1/3 the rate at which you lost it, unless you really watch yourself. With no carbs coming in, your body is forced to convert the fat cells. When you start taking carbs back in, your body will see it as: "Hot damn, he's feeding me again! I'd better store this for the next time he decides to starve my ass.".

My problem was that after a period of time, carb became tantalizing...it's sort of funny how the sight of a loaf of bread, potato, or ear of corn can make your mouth water. /emoticons/default_laugh.png

 

[edgar_allan_poe]

First and foremost...if you look at Atkins as a diet, it will fail. Atkins is a lifestyle change and it *does* work, but only if you are dedicated to changing your lifestyle permanently. Revert back, and your weight *will* come back on.

I lost 90lbs on it.

Do *not* believe what most people tell you about Atkins. The vast majority of it is horribly misinformed. Get the book and read it for yourself. It is actually a great read and you will see how much sense it makes.

Not only did I lose 90lbs, but my good cholesterol shot up, bad cholesterol dropped like a stone and my triglycerides plummeted. All of this while eating bacon, eggs, and low carb bread for breakfast. LOL!!!

 

[Citrus]

yes it works, but if one were to actually read the book, it says that it is a diet for people who need to lose a great deal of weight

It ideally should be done with medical supervision

The theory is that an obese persons diet is so unbalanced that it needs to be rebalanced and better eating habits re-learned

The diet starts with the abundance of protein and fat, and the lack of carbs.

Ever so slowly GOOD carbs are brought back into the diet in the form of vegetables, and fruits

If followed through to the end, the diet does get rebalanced into a more ideal eating pattern.

I too lost 80 lbs, and put ti back on - the crave for carbs gets to you . I LOVE Steak, eggs and all that great protein, but REALLY missed stuff like rice BREAD, PIZZA PASTA, and BEEEEEEEER!!

I can have all that on weight watchers

I am currently doing weight watchers "points" program, eating real food, just a bit less of it.

Weight is lost at an avg of about 1.5-2 lbs a week. Not a quick fix, but a much healthier, attainable lifestyle, with a proven track record of lost weight kept off.

Slow and steady once again wins the race

 

[Thundernotes]

Tried it a couple of times... Lost 11lbs in 4 days the first time, but did not include enough fiber. I'll let you figure out why I gave up on that round. /emoticons/default_laugh.png

Second time - by the third day, I had lost my will to eat and figured out how the diet makes you lose weight. It makes food suck.

I know from personal experience, the Atkins diet CAN work, but I think a modified approach like South Beach is more sustainable for the long-term. YMMV.

 

[edgar_allan_poe]

Tried it a couple of times... Lost 11lbs in 4 days the first time, but did not include enough fiber. I'll let you figure out why I gave up on that round. blink.gif

LOL!!!! Been there....done that.

Second time - by the third day, I had lost my will to eat and figured out how the diet makes you lose weight. It makes food suck.

I wouldn't say it makes food suck, but it does eliminate hunger. This is a side effect of ketosis. Platzer and I were on our way to see Kiz one weekend a few years back. Halfway through the trip I started to get light headed...it the dawned on me that I hadn't had anything to eat for the entire day and it was almost 5pm. Not good...lol.

I know from personal experience, the Atkins diet CAN work, but I think a modified approach like South Beach is more sustainable for the long-term. YMMV.

From what I see of South Beach it is basically stage 3&4 of Atkins and it eliminates induction and stage 2. I personally think that induction is critical to jump starting the change in metabolism, but I also know that it is not the most pleasant thing to go through.

 

[MCChris]

Second time - by the third day, I had lost my will to eat and figured out how the diet makes you lose weight. It makes food suck.

It also does what all effective diets do: reduces your caloric intake. Sure, you CAN eat pounds of bacon at will, but no one actually DOES that. By limiting the types of foods you can consume, by nature you will take in fewer calories. This is why the "Twinkie Diet" worked for that guy: he adhered to a strict (and very low) calorie number. He also took a multivitamin, which is also recommended for Atkins.

I lost 30 lbs. in a month on the "diet" when I adhered to it strictly and combined it with regular gym workouts. But it was torture for me.

Agree with Poe about the book. Makes total sense when you read it, and I've yet to read anything as convincing that tries to refute the principles.

 

[Thundernotes]

To me, the biggest obstacle to a successful Atkins diet is the rest of the world. Everybody I know eats pasta, potatoes, and bread in copious quantities. Then there's beer. Personally, I can fill my fridge and cabinets with the whole Atkins plan, but if I go anywhere it becomes more complicated. It truly is a lifestyle change that is hard to incorporate socially until you've reached the "South Beach" stages.

That said, I'm considering Atkins for myself again. Any suggestions on overcoming the family and friend pressures? Is the holiday season just a bad time to try the induction process?

 

[edgar_allan_poe]

To me, the biggest obstacle to a successful Atkins diet is the rest of the world. Everybody I know eats pasta, potatoes, and bread in copious quantities.

A-men to this. The way I got around this was to not worry about it. When I went to friend and family on holidays, I ate what I wanted...including carbs. I used that as a reward to myself. I just went back on it the day after. This time of year was tough...no doubt. Going out with friends usually wasn't that tough. Most bars serve hot wings so I used that as my staple at the bar. If I needed a drink I usually drank some rum with diet coke.

 

[veatch]

I have nothing of value to add, just that personally, i prefer the Chet Atkins diet:

 

[moozak]

i was most certainly pre-diabetic last year... and this year, exactly one year later, my blood work is fantastic (with just a touch of high cholesterol that i still need to work on), blood sugar is normal and my hemoglobin is normal and i'm over 30 pounds lighter. diets like Atkins work by throwing your body chemistry off... that's not good for you... period.

all i did was this:

1) buy this book: The New Glucose Revolution Shopper's Guide to GI Values 2010.... you can get it from amazon.com. simply start "shopping" based on the foods in this book that have a GI of 50 or less... period... that's it. eat and enjoy... just don't eat foods that cause your insulin to spike quickly. you'll be surprised what you can eat according to this book and it certainly does NOT feel like you're on a diet of any kind. this is really how we should be eating all the time anyway... because trust me... you get fat from not eating correctly. there's no magic formula... it's true that "you are what you eat"... and you are "how much you eat" as well.

2) take 2 walks every day... at least 15 mins at a time (more if you can). if you're already active then this is not much of an issue... but usually if someone says "i am 50-something and overweight" then they simply aren't doing enough moving around... period.

3) step on a scale in nothing but your underwear every single morning and every evening... because this will teach you a LOT about how your body is reacting to what you've eaten in the course of a day. once you are AWARE of your DAILY weight... it becomes a conscious effort.

4) do NOT eat past a certain time each evening... set a time... say 7pm... eat and then that's it. if you MUST have something... have a natural snack... like peanuts. and this whole "eat 3 meals a day" thing is bull shit... try to eat 2 good meals... and call it a day. you're overweight right? so you need to move around more, eat less, and watch what you eat. just make what you do eat count... and you don't have to over eat to do it.

5) take a vitamin... like 1-a-day men's 50+ advantage every morning

that's it... it's simple and you don't have to throw your body chemistry off... you just need to eat better and move around a bit. i got this straight from my doctor and i followed it to the letter and i healthier than i've been in many years... i'm 6'1" tall and only weight 192... i've lost over 30 so far and i want to get to 185 (my body mass index weight). i feel better... i sleep better... and i certainly look better (no more gut).

diets that change your body chemistry to cause weight loss are not good for you especially past 50. it's much healthier for you to "eat right"... and using the GI index will help you do that.

 

[edgar_allan_poe]

diets like Atkins work by throwing your body chemistry off... that's not good for you... period.all i did was this:

1) buy this book: The New Glucose Revolution Shopper's Guide to GI Values 2010.... you can get it from amazon.com. simply start "shopping" based on the foods in this book that have a GI of 50 or less... period... that's it. eat and enjoy... just don't eat foods that cause your insulin to spike quickly. you'll be surprised what you can eat according to this book and it certainly does NOT feel like you're on a diet of any kind. this is really how we should be eating all the time anyway... because trust me... you get fat from not eating correctly. there's no magic formula... it's true that "you are what you eat"... and you are "how much you eat" as well.

2) take 2 walks every day... at least 15 mins at a time (more if you can). if you're already active then this is not much of an issue... but usually if someone says "i am 50-something and overweight" then they simply aren't doing enough moving around... period.

3) step on a scale in nothing but your underwear every single morning and every evening... because this will teach you a LOT about how your body is reacting to what you've eaten in the course of a day. once you are AWARE of your DAILY weight... it becomes a conscious effort.

4) do NOT eat past a certain time each evening... set a time... say 7pm... eat and then that's it. if you MUST have something... have a natural snack... like peanuts. and this whole "eat 3 meals a day" thing is bull shit... try to eat 2 good meals... and call it a day. you're overweight right? so you need to move around more, eat less, and watch what you eat. just make what you do eat count... and you don't have to over eat to do it.

5) take a vitamin... like 1-a-day men's 50+ advantage every morning

that's it... it's simple and you don't have to throw your body chemistry off... you just need to eat better and move around a bit. i got this straight from my doctor and i followed it to the letter and i healthier than i've been in many years... i'm 6'1" tall and only weight 192... i've lost over 30 so far and i want to get to 185 (my body mass index weight). i feel better... i sleep better... and i certainly look better (no more gut).

diets that change your body chemistry to cause weight loss are not good for you especially past 50. it's much healthier for you to "eat right"... and using the GI index will help you do that.

Everything you just said is right out of the Atkins book. Atkins recognizes that insulin has a massive impact on body fat and does everything it can to keep insulin levels steady. It is Atkins 101. That is the only change in body chemistry, so I have zero idea why you would say that altering body chemistry is bad. Especially considering that if you are seriously overweight, your body chemistry is more than likely a mess.

 

[SteveB]

I've been bad at sticking to them, but everything I've read from Atkins and a host of thousands tends to make me believe the following:

1) The worst thing you can do is eat stuff that shoots your blood sugar to the roof. Large quantities of high glycemic foods = really bad idea. Say bye bye to that large plate of fries, and not just because they were cooked in oil, because they turn to sugar nearly instantly in your blood.

2) a "calorie is a calorie", but some are worse than others. Eat too much, get fat. Eat too much bad carbo... get Fat AND Diabetic.

3) Its really hard to massively overeat on just proteins and fat, we get satiated really fast on that stuff. Obese people starting Atkins induction will lose weight no matter how much they eat because they are still eating less than needed to maintain their original weight. This needs modified as they start getting closer to goal weights.

4) This may be the most important point of all... the human body is not built to handle large numbers of calories at one time, and especially not large amounts of sugar (carbs). Only so much storage room for carbohydrate especially, otherwise it's stored as fat. Before it gets stored as fat though it turns into blood sugar and wreaks havoc on your hormone system. Keeping meals to 500-600 calories each and eating more often makes a ton of sense, and is way easier if your carbos are low density and filling.

5) the "right food" diet is probably the paleo diet our ancestors would have eaten... basically if you can kill it or pick it up off the ground or tree or whatever and eat it without processing, then it's the best food for humans. The more you have to smash it, cook it, or mill it to make it digestible, the worse it is.

this seems to be a general consensus of everyone except maybe the people who benefit from selling crap food and anti-cholesterol drugs.

 

[edgar_allan_poe]

I've been bad at sticking to them, but everything I've read from Atkins and a host of thousands tends to make me believe the following:1) The worst thing you can do is eat stuff that shoots your blood sugar to the roof. Large quantities of high glycemic foods = really bad idea. Say bye bye to that large plate of fries, and not just because they were cooked in oil, because they turn to sugar nearly instantly in your blood.

2) a "calorie is a calorie", but some are worse than others. Eat too much, get fat. Eat too much bad carbo... get Fat AND Diabetic.

3) Its really hard to massively overeat on just proteins and fat, we get satiated really fast on that stuff. Obese people starting Atkins induction will lose weight no matter how much they eat because they are still eating less than needed to maintain their original weight. This needs modified as they start getting closer to goal weights.

4) This may be the most important point of all... the human body is not built to handle large numbers of calories at one time, and especially not large amounts of sugar (carbs). Only so much storage room for carbohydrate especially, otherwise it's stored as fat. Before it gets stored as fat though it turns into blood sugar and wreaks havoc on your hormone system. Keeping meals to 500-600 calories each and eating more often makes a ton of sense, and is way easier if your carbos are low density and filling.

5) the "right food" diet is probably the paleo diet our ancestors would have eaten... basically if you can kill it or pick it up off the ground or tree or whatever and eat it without processing, then it's the best food for humans. The more you have to smash it, cook it, or mill it to make it digestible, the worse it is.

this seems to be a general consensus of everyone except maybe the people who benefit from selling crap food and anti-cholesterol drugs.

Bingo!

 

[moozak]

...so I have zero idea why you would say that altering body chemistry is bad. Especially considering that if you are seriously overweight, your body chemistry is more than likely a mess.

well, yes... if you're overweight your body chemistry is off... but it took time to do it. drastically (meaning rapidly) changing it by certain diets is not good either. i mean, i'm not trying to upset you by what i said... it's what i have read and it's just what i believe. the basic reason why there are critics of the atkins diet is that the diet is because it restricts healthy foods that provide essential nutrients. you can lose a lot of weight with the atkins diet... i agree... but i don't feel the diet is good for you. if you feel strongly about the atkins diet it's your choice. but from what i have read about it medically... i personally would not recommend it to anyone.

 

[edgar_allan_poe]

i mean, i'm not trying to upset you by what i said...

Dear lord, why would you think that? You didn't upset me in the least, I just didn't agree with everything you said.

the basic reason why there are critics of the atkins diet is that the diet is because it restricts healthy foods that provide essential nutrients.

Can you give me an example?

 

[BlueRedWhite]

Been loosing 40+ pounds on Ideal Protein and i was Hyper-insulinic, taking glucophage twice a day.

Not even taking my pills anymore.

Small portions, right combinations and glicemic index..and yes, for a while forget about alcohol, fruits, and carbs. There is a cetosis cycle like with Atkins, i think is better than Atkins

still 30 pounds to go, i'm loosing fat, keeping the muscle, training with Tony Horton's P90 and feeling better than ever.

I will have to keep the combinations menus and play with the glicemic index of certain foods when i finish. I can get everything in moderation and i need to keep exercising to maintain. No miracle there, right? Dsicipline, will power, and enjoy the results

Best diet i've ever done, best invested money, and i was this * * close from a bariatric surgery.

I'm just happy now i didn't have to go through that.

 

[moozak]

Dear lord, why would you think that? You didn't upset me in the least, I just didn't agree with everything you said...

Can you give me an example?

ah... then i apologize... i took what you said the wrong way... sorry about that.

well... losing weight using the glycemic index is not really a "diet" so to speak. it's simply eating the way we all should, really. we can lose weight naturally because we're eating correctly and not feeding the fat via various means.

the atikins diet works on a principal called ketosis... which causes excess stored body fat to be burned which causes weight loss. this is the chemical condition i was referring to. some say ketosis is not all that bad for you... there are lots of arguments both ways. but i tend to believe the medical things that i've read. some research suggests that there is a condition called ketoacidosis where your liver produce perilously high amounts of ketones. that's a condition where one would experience a significant drop in insulin and a rise in glucose. there are also other possible symptoms: constipation or diarrhea, halitosis, headache... etc. from what i have read, the high intakes of fat and protein also raise cholesterol levels as well as the risk of cardiovascular disease. yes the atkins diet works, i'm not saying it doesn't... but the last thing you need when you start dieting and trying to get healthy is to chemically put your body in a state of shock. so that's why i feel that it's simply better to follow a GI diet and do the things i listed above. it does work just as effectively... you will still lose the weight... and it's just better for you. (i think)

 

[ecnal]

there are also other possible symptoms: constipation or diarrhea, halitosis, headache... etc.

The halitosis is nearly crippling, or at least it was when one of my friends did the diet.