Atkins diet pwned me..

[Arkaign]

I did Atkins, so did my brother, it really does work, but you 110% have to stick to it. I don't believe it's all that healthy, but holy crap it works fast. If you cut your carbs to say less than 5 daily, you can lose 30-40lbs in 4-6 weeks easily. You do sort of feel like crap on the diet though.

It's not bad for a short-term weight fix, then you can start to work out more (hard to work out for some overweight people, as it's hard on the joints if your body isn't used to carrying extra weight), and start transitioning to a healthy balanced diet.

Rule #1 of any diet should be : avoid excess sugar and excess simple carbs.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: mrCide
I'm doing Weight Watchers. I started at 177 and I'm at 153, about 3-4 months so far? I'm perfectly happy with what and how much I eat. This is without exercising which I'll start at some point.

Eating right and cutting back portions goes a long way. I've done Atkins a couple times, it really is an awful diet, and people really do eat the most unhealthy crap on that diet and ignore it because 'yay its not carbs its safe'. Think again.

Edit: the GF is kind of doing it but did it consistently for a year and lost 70lb or so and is maintaining it with no problem. 200ish->130

If eating right and cutting back portions goes a long way, why are you doing weight watchers? You get out of it what you put into it. A diet should be a noun instead of a verb. (dieting) And not pre-fixed with something useless like "Atkins" or "Weight Watchers". It truly is a lifestyle change.

 

[theeedude]

Originally posted by: zoiks

Originally posted by: Deeko
Atkins is awful. Not healthy, and you will gain most of it back if you don't stick to it...ya know, forever.

It's not awful. It depends on what you eat in your diet. I primarily avoided fatty foods and ate chicken (skinless) and fish for protein. I also ate a lot of vegetables especially green leafy vegetables like spinach, chinese broccoli, bok choy etc.

One trick I've learned on controlling hunger is to eat nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios etc). Just a handful of them work wonders for me. Every other evening nowadays after work I eat a handful before I run my 4 miles.

I think if you start Atkins diet from the end, where it allows you to eat properly chosen carbs in moderation, you can eat well, sustainably. I think that sort of resembles my current diet.
I just don't agree with his induction ketosis phase where you cut them out completely. It is stressful on the body and the digestive system. You are basically starving the body of carbohydrates and putting it into unnatural metabolic state.
Burn fat through exercise, it will develop good exercise habits, and it is going to build muscle and improve metabolism.
Plus skipping induction phase and starting on a sustainable lifetime diet will develop good dietary habits from the start, so you won't have to go through phases and risk falling off the wagon during transitions.

 

[CRXican]

didn't realize people still fell for this BS

 

[yh125d]

Honestly when I need to lose weight I just cut out all liquids but water, and limit my caloric intake to next to nothing for a few weeks. Probably not healthy but it works and worrying about health is so depressing


For example, when I moved into the dorms last fall I was 230 (6') and wanted to lose some weight. Lots of bottled water/turkey and swiss sammiches to keep the hunger monster away and a bit of walking to class and I was 180 by thanksgiving

 

[PricklyPete]

Diets like Atkins are way to prone to fail. Moderation and exercise is the only longterm way to go.

 

[imported_inspire]

Originally posted by: zoiks

Originally posted by: Deeko
Atkins is awful. Not healthy, and you will gain most of it back if you don't stick to it...ya know, forever.

It's not awful. It depends on what you eat in your diet. I primarily avoided fatty foods and ate chicken (skinless) and fish for protein. I also ate a lot of vegetables especially green leafy vegetables like spinach, chinese broccoli, bok choy etc.

One trick I've learned on controlling hunger is to eat nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios etc). Just a handful of them work wonders for me. Every other evening nowadays after work I eat a handful before I run my 4 miles.

A couple years ago, at 6'2", 230 lbs, I decided to do something about it. I kicked it all off with an Atkins-style diet for about a month or so. When I wanted to snack, I'd just eat nuts - like you said. Even though I'd burn through them like you would not believe, I still managed to lose weight.

After a couple months, my diet more or less transitioned to more of a Weight Watchers-style and then back to just general awareness of what I ate. I got down to about 175 lbs, and today I hold steady at 183 - though I'm hoping to get back to 180.

As a busy professional going through a lot of shit in life, I dind't have time to regularly exercise, so my intake was the only thing I could really control. My best advice: eat constantly, if you have to, but don't fill up. Eventually your stomach will tighten and lose some elasticity, and you'll feel full earlier. Once you get to that point where you're not hungry all the time, it gets easier.

And always remember that diets don't typically work; only lifestyle changes.

 

[Tessi]

It's about picking a permanent change of diet that you can deal with for the rest of your life, not just a temporary diet. Smaller portions and more whole food, less processed foods, etc.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Originally posted by: ric1287
the best diet is not eating stupid shit (often) and exercising.

Yep. I'm currently "dieting" trying to go from 218 to about 195 or so. Have not adjusted my meals at all, still eat what I want and however much I want. All I've changed is eliminating high calorie snacks (potato chips are my kryptonite) and hitting the bike hard. Through three and 1/2 weeks I'm down to 204 and am not hungry. It's amazing how quickly the weight disappears if you exercise. Burn off an extra 1000 calories a day and you don't have to worry about having some mac and cheese.

 

[dman]

I tried it once, a long time ago but couldn't do it. A couple years ago I got sick and afterwards my GI system was screwy, constantly had nausea. Overtime I found that a gallbladder diet manages the symptoms (even though my GB tested out fine). So, the doc's still don't know what's wrong with me but the low fat / healthy food diet at least helps. The thing is, after getting sick I was always feeling full so I had to force myself to eat (Still do a little). It's amazing what ( fear of getting / constantly feeling ) sick will do to change your eating habits.

Anyway, so, I know it's tough but as others have said, start out with the small changes, cutting out whatever junk/crap you can. Try finding some activities you can do that will take your mind off of (and body away from) eating. Walking, etc. Sitting in front of the TV or on the PC aren't good for obvious reasons.

Also, keep a food journal, write down EVERYTHING you take in, at what time, and how many calories. In a few weeks look it over and see what you can change. Keep the journal until you have a routine, and then you might want to stop or not.

Good luck.

 

[TehMac]

Up in Berkeley I am finding the pizza a lot more delicious than in SoCal, so it's a bit of a problem. I do 40 pushups every morning before running off to work, but yea, practice restraint and it will come easier to you.

I'm easing myself off cokes, for example.

 

[nerp]

Quit the junkfood, exercise for an hour a day and eat more veggies.

You will lose weight.

 

[zylander]

Thanks for all the replies, you guys are all confirming what other people have told me. I'm a carb fanatic, I love bread, cereal and rice. That 12 hours was so hard and I was so hungry come dinner time, I think it will be so much easier for me to just cut out the bad stuff and just start eating in moderation.

Originally posted by: hanoverphist
i did it like 4 years ago, lost 95 lbs over about 11 months without adding exercise to my routine. i drank iced tea and diet mt dew instead of regular mt dew, as well as lots of water. wife left me and i kind of went on a pity party with the foods i shouldnt have been eating and gained pretty much all of it back over the next 2 or so years. been working on doing it again, i kind of liked how i felt being 240 instead of 330ish. im 6'3", but am very wide. my shoulders are about 2ft wide alone, when i get under 220 i look like a skeleton man (ribs and hips show badly). you must have a smaller frame to be huge at 230.

Im not huge at 230, I just have a huge gut. When people see me they think I look normal thats just because the clothes I wear hide my stomach. When the shirt is off I look like Im pregnant.

 

[zylander]

Originally posted by: TehMac
I'm easing myself off cokes, for example.

THats my problem, I drink way too much coke.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Originally posted by: dman

Try finding some activities you can do that will take your mind off of (and body away from) eating. Walking, etc. Sitting in front of the TV or on the PC aren't good for obvious reasons.

Better yet, find ways to turn things you like to do into weight losing activities instead of weight gaining activities. Instead of plopping down on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn and a 20oz Mountain Dew turn on the TV and get on the exercise bike instead. For example, let's say you want to watch a 30 minute sitcom. With popcorn and soda you likely take in something like 400 calories during that half hour. Do 15mph on the bike for those 30 minutes and you burn off something like 400 calories instead. Net gain is 800 calories in 30 minutes. There's your diet plan right there. You go from a 400 calorie a day surplus to a 400 calorie a day deficit and you lose weight. It's really that simple. No Atkins, no all-grapefruit diets, no starvation, no fads. You don't even have to adjust your life to fit in exercise. You don't need to get up early to go to run. You don't have to make time to head to the gym. You don't have to give up high def porn. Just exercise while you do other things. You can work on a stationary bike. You can read on a stationary bike, you can watch TV, movies and porn on a stationary bike. You can probably even nef from one.

 

[StinkyPinky]

I don't get all those diets and stuff. Surely common sense is enough? Cut back on shit junk food, high sugar food, and exercise. And you don't even need to run for 5 miles. Hell, just mow the lawns and go for a long walk with your wife.

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: StinkyPinky
I don't get all those diets and stuff. Surely common sense is enough? Cut back on shit junk food, high sugar food, and exercise. And you don't even need to run for 5 miles. Hell, just mow the lawns and go for a long walk with your wife.

But all that requires effort. People don't want that. It needs to be a pill, or something else that doesn't require work. Eat steak, lose weight!!! Can you think of a better sales pitch?

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: zylander
Im 24, 6'4" and my normal weight is around 180-190lbs. Over the past year I have been slowly gaining weight and am now up to 230lbs and my belly is huge! My diet is not too great either; lots of soda and sweets and a lot of junk food like mac n cheese and fatty breads. A friend of mine started the Atkins diet a few weeks ago and it has been working pretty well for him so I decided to try it out.

I started yesterday morning at breakfast with a few hard boiled eggs and some bacon and then for lunch I have a chicken caesar salad. Everything was going alright during the day, dinner is where things fell apart. I BBQed some baby back ribs and some skirt steak and then took it over to my girl friends aunts house where she had mac n cheese, baked butter honey rolls and a fridge filled with coke and orange juice. I tried to resist all the urges and stuck with eating just the steak but I crumbled within minutes and then grabbed a plate of mac n cheese and rolls and wolfed it down...when it comes to food I am a weak, weak man.

So after my colossal failure I decided to; cut out soda, do smaller healthier breakfasts and lunches and then eat my dinners in moderation and not stuff myself. I already jog 5 miles every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. I figure if I just monitor my intake I should be able to lose weight without having to radically change my diet.

Anyways, thats the story of my pathetic attempt at changing my diet. Anyone here actually try the Atkins diet and actually be successful at it?

every fad diet there is will fail. you have to change your lifestyle.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
It's a shame you haven't visited the AT Health and Fitness forum. Perhaps you would have read the fat loss sticky and learned a few things. The Atkins diet isn't going to work. You get ridiculous urges and it emphasizes a lot of crash-like dieting.

That's a bunch of nonsense. I went on the Atkins diet 6 years ago and lost 60 lbs. I didn't gain it back. I learned what makes me fat and what doesn't and I permanently adjusted my diet. I'm very sensitive to carbs.

 

[nerdress]

Atkins, like the South Beach diet, set you up for failure. Why shouldn't you have carbs!? They're fucking delicious!

So I say screw that, just eat smaller meals, eat slower so you can feel full quicker, stop eating when you feel full (I don't care how delicious 5 more cornbreads sound...mm...shit I'm craving that now). Weigh your portions correctly, you're not preparing for an eating contest. For meat it shouldn't be any bigger than your fist, and just eat a lot of vegetables instead. Natural sugars in fruits = win. But don't deny yourself a nice meal/sweets/fats/oils/etc...that just makes you feel worse, thus making it harder to get back on the wagon.

Exercise is going to tone where you lose the fat, and lifting will help develop muscles. So don't be surprised if you lift, that you won't be losing as much weight as you hoped (yet another reason people hop off the wagon )

Start with small goals (5 pounds in the first 2/3 weeks, etc), so that you don't get discouraged. Losing weight is purely mental; you just have to convince yourself that you deserve to feel healthier!

Good luck with your goals and I'm sure you'll be where you want to in no time

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: Deeko
Atkins is awful. Not healthy, and you will gain most of it back if you don't stick to it...ya know, forever.

Most people are fat because they have unhealthy diets to begin with. Most people abuse carbs.

I tried a few different diets when I was looking to lose weight and tried Atkins. I lost weight quickly on that and discovered just how sensitive my body is to carbs. With that knowledge, I'm able to keep my weight down by limiting my carb intake.

Most people who say they're on the "Atkins" diet probably aren't on that at all. If you see them eating tons of bacon and burgers without the bun they probably haven't read the book. There isn't much difference between the maintenance phase of Atkins and the South Beach diet. I think the one part that most dieters forget about is that a diet isn't a quick thing you do to get in shape. It's a tweak you need to make to your habits and lifestyle.

 

[Firebot]

Don't do stupid fad diets. a diet should not be about fat loss, it's supposed to be a lifestyle change. Exercise, eat healthy, and you won't even think about going on a fad diet meant to get the money of fatties who still want to eat their bacon and 'lose weight'. Even for fad diets though, even Atkins requires a lifestyle change that people simply aren't willing to do.

Build a high metabolism through muscles, the rest will come as you follow a healthy diet.

 

[Firebot]

Originally posted by: nerdress
Exercise is going to tone where you lose the fat, and lifting will help develop muscles. So don't be surprised if you lift, that you won't be losing as much weight as you hoped (yet another reason people hop off the wagon )

Huge huge misconception and myth bolded. You cannot choose where you lose fat, and people for the most part loses fat in different ways and places. There is no such thing as toning. Aside from that though the rest of your info is mostly correct.

Just don't want you to get people to start doing 100 crunches a day thinking it will help them get abs while still 50 pounds overweight .

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: nerdress

Exercise is going to tone where you lose the fat, and lifting will help develop muscles. So don't be surprised if you lift, that you won't be losing as much weight as you hoped (yet another reason people hop off the wagon )

Wrong.

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: Firebot


Just don't want you to get people to start doing 100 crunches a day thinking it will help them get abs while still 50 pounds overweight .

They'll get abs... They could be difficult to find though :^P