Atkins diet

[badluck]

Has anybody been on it? I know, I know, it will kill you, blah, blah, heart problems

......I just want to hear from people who have been on the diet....Results??

 

[Looney]

Yeah iv'e been on it... i was trying to gain weight at the time though, so can't really say if it's effective in weight loss or not. But i can verify that you don't get as hungry on it. Then again, i'm not a big carb or sugar craver myself. I do know people who were on it, and they had huge carbs/sugar cravings.

 

[Jzero]

Protein makes your farts smell like rotten eggs. You have been warned; fitness has its price.

It works well for the people I know who do it. You've GOT to follow it religiously. Also, it's not supposed to be a permanent change--you should phase carbs back in, just keep them under control.

 

[Herbman]

I did it for a while and started to freak out after about 3 weeks I broke down and ate a peanutbutter sandwich and tall glass of cold milk.

Bread was the hardest thing about the diet. It gets tireing eating meat all the time.

My wife did it and did very well on it for about 3 mo.

It is definetly a diet you will not want to stay on all the time. But to drop about 10 -15 lbs its quite easy.

 

[PlatinumGold]

i did the atkins diet. lost 25 lbs in 10 days.

my diet was a bit different from normal atkins since i'm a vegetarian. i ate mostly Steamed broccali and cauliflower. lots of cheese etc.

it worked for me.

 

[Johnlee]

It works. Especially if you lift weights. You can lose weight and bulk up like a motha in no time. I lost 10 pounds in a week but was bitchy like a mofo.

 

[djheater]

oooo I want to hear about the vegetarian atkins diet. I don't like the taste of meat and have trouble digesting it, which means that 98% of my diet is Carbohydrates. I'd be miserable if I had to eat meat all the time. I like broccoli and I LOVE cheese....

 

[JayPatel]

have a friend at work who swears by it...it can be very expensive to be on just an all protien diet though. carbs are cheap...mmmm potatoes.

 

[badluck]

Thanks for the info - If anybody else can tell me what kind of cardio they were doing while on the diet that would be good --

I think I'm going to start after taking a good week or two so I can read up on it and get a plan together....

 

[Herbman]

It can be an expensive diet, meat and chesse can add up very quickly.

I didn't think about staying with steamed broccali and cauliflower and chesse strickly that could work very well. Save you some $$$

I never remember being hungry thats one plus. Just don't go into Subway sandwich when they are baking there bread.

It will make you go to the darkside

 

[novon]

It'll kill your kidneys. Atkins is a con artist, he pulled this stunt 20 years ago, a lot of people did permanent damage, and now he's back trying to pull the same stunt.

You should know that there is no easy way around it, right diet and regular exercise is the only safe way to go.

 

[Herbman]

<< right diet and regular exercise is the only safe way to go >>


Amen on that

 

[badluck]

<< You should know that there is no easy way around it, right diet and regular exercise is the only safe way to go. >>




Man, are you saying that giving up Mountain Dew and pizza will be easy?? And Subway??? Anyways, I need to lose about 20 pounds -- this isn't a long term diet for me -

 

[badluck]

bump for more input

 

[Rastus]

This is the only diet in the world worth following.

 

[Piano Man]

I did it last summer, lost 40 pounds in 35 days, then put back 20 when I went off it. If you can make it past the first few days, you'll be fine.

 

[royaldank]

I did this diet for about four months. I was primarily eating pepperoni's topped with cheese and steak and hamburger. Lunch was usually Wendy's jr. bacon cheeseburger or another cheap fast food sandwich. I would just throw the bread in the trash.

You have to be well restrained. Eating "just a little piece" of potatoe chips and bread can kill you for a couple days.

Your body, when starved of carbs, will start naturally burning fat and protein. That is all your body will burn once proteins have been deprived. What this means is that all your energy, whether eating, walking, standing up, etc... comes from protein and fat. You'll even become very complacent about eating anything. A day would go by and I would sudden remember that I hadn't eaten anything. Then, I'd go throw 20 or 30 pepperonis on a plate, cover with cheese and microwave. Grease just dripping off, but that was fine. In this state, you are burning whatever you put in your body and then working on your own personal fat after it is gone. Protein burns fast, so eating lots of protein is fine because you'll burn it in a couple of hours. A lot of the fat you eat will just pass right through while you absord and use the protein.

You have to remember no cheating and drink a ton of water. Really, I lived with a water bottle for four or five months. I would drink 120-200 ounces a day at minimum. I think that helps you from not being hungry, as well.

I recommend taking 2 weeks and trying to consume less than 10 grams of carb per day. After 2 weeks, you're body will be in the new cycle of burning protein and fat after being deprived of carbs. After the intial 2 weeks, keep your carbs under 20 or 30 grams per day to keep seeing the weight come off. You can exercise if you wish to bulk up and tone while losing weight. But, if you don't, you'll still start dropping pounds.

I did it for 4 months earlier this year and lost about 50 pounds. Since then, I'm eating about 60-100g carbs a day and I've stayed right around where I ended up. I plan on doing another 4 months after the first of the year to finish up and get ready to look sharp in my tux for my wedding next fall.

EDIT: After about five or six days of not eating any carbs (< 10 grams), you will not crave food anymore. I was skeptical of this, but sure enough, you have no desire to eat after just a few days.

 

[Jeraden]

I've been on the diet for 2 years now, so if you got any specific questions, I'm your guy! I'm 6'2 and at one point weighed 245 lbs. I went on a 'traditional' diet and lost about 20 lbs over a 6 month period (taking me down to 225), but then stayed there for 6 months, so it was time to try something new. After about 9 months on Atkins, I was down to 180, which was my target weight, so 45lbs in 9 months.

I stayed on it pretty religiously for the first year. At first its difficult getting used to not eating carbs, you have to analyze things very carefully. But fairly soon it becomes second nature. After you hit your target weight you can start eating a lot more carbs, as you just try to maintain your current weight. If you eat out a lot, its kind of hard to stay on it, as most restaurants either go for well-balanced meals (fat/protein/carb) or for low-fat meals (which usually mean high carb). Vegetables can be eaten in moderation, though some are worse than others (potatoes and beans for example are a no-no). When going out I normally get a salad, wings, ribs/steak (although the sauce on ribs usually has a ton of sugar), or something similar and skip the potato. If you eat at home a lot its usually not a problem. Steak/chicken/keilbasa/ground meat creation & green beans is a frequent meal at our house.

While exercise isn't required, I find that weight-lifting type exercises help out. Anaerobic exercise (weights) tends to burn carbs more effectively than aerobic exercise (running, aerobics, etc), so it helps keep your carb levels low. Plus it gets you in good physical shape.

For snacks I usually eat almonds, cheese, pepperoni (cooked in microwave for about a minute to make it crispy), protein shakes, or those carb solution bars (but don't go overboard on them). If you like to go out your best bet is some kind of sunday brunch bar or breakfast bar - you can load up on eggs, sausage, and bacon all you want. Just avoid the carby stuff there. At work, for lunch I'll usually go to Wendys and get a side salad and a burger, but just not eat the bun.

A lot of people say its dangerous, blah blah. I haven't been sick once since I started this diet. Not even a cold. I feel better than ever. Contrary to what someone else said above, I rarely fart now that I'm on this - I think carbs make you fart a lot cause I'd constantly be cutting the cheese when I was on a low-fat diet. While its hard to give up junk food/carbs at first, now its not even a consideration for me. I feel guilty if I eat any carby foods and haven't eaten a piece of bread in 2 years. Most people who leave the diet do gain some weight back. I tried to stop once and go back to a traditional low-fat diet and put on 10lbs in 1 month (but lost it again pretty quickly). I realized its just as tough being on a strict low-fat diet as it is a low-carb diet, and I enjoy the low-carb foods more than the low-fat ones, so I'm basically staying on low-carb for the forseeable future - after 2 years it's just so natural now that it doesn't bother me. As I said earlier, after you reach your target weight, its fairly easy to stay at the same weight and still have some carbs. I'd generally cheat 1 day a week (not TOO overboard - maybe have pizza for dinner, or go to a chinese buffet and have some of the good stuff there (no rice though)) and be good the other 6 days and was able to maintain weight.

I ended up purposely bulking back up to 185 as I felt a little bony at 180. Since thanksgiving I haven't been too good about the diet and am back up to 195 currently and stopped exercising about 6 months ago. After christmas I'm going to get serious about it again and get back to 185 and just recently started working out again.

Let me know if you want any more info.

 

[killface]

My roomate is on it (or some form of it). He eats 10 egg whites twice a day and mows so much tuna out of the can, you'd swear he was in some sort of sadistic contest. He works out like a mofo and is getting pretty big/lean, so I guess it works. No one can use the bathroom for like 45 minutes after he goes, however.

 

[dullard]

<< This is the only diet in the world worth following. >>



Funny, that link is the exact same formula used by farmers to FATTEN their animals before they are sold. That said, the Atkin's diet works to lose weight temporarily. After a few weeks, your body adjusts to the change and the weight usually comes right back on. Plus you have to eat untasty, expensive food that will most likely end up giving you cancer or a heart attack. Thus please, follow the only diet proven to work for everyone, for as long as you want, and without harming your body: high fiber! If it passes right through you, you can't gain weight

 

[rickn]

The traditional food pyramid doenst work for most people (it looks all nice and good when your a 5yr old, but as we age our bodies slow). Atkins does work, but it has to be adjusted for the long term. You slowly introduce carbs back into your diet, but just enough so that you do not set off the triggers that cause weight gain/cravings. Losing weight is only part of dieting, getting rid of the cravings is another -- carbs cause cravings.

As for the person who says he is a con artist, I suggest you read his book thoroughly, and not just to chapter 2. It amazes me how many ppl think the induction part is all there is to his program, or that you are not allowed to eat any carbs. Wrong. Each person has to tailor their carb intake to suit their own needs. 300 carbs a day recommended by the FDA goes above and beyond what we need. It is excessive.

Things you can eat: All seafoods, all beef and pork, all poultries. It is not a starve yourself program. And yes, you can make it a life change in the way you think about and eat food. Some excersice, vitamin suppliments, and lots of water are essential.

 

[abc]

how is your cholesterol level???

 

[rahvin]

Most fish is so full of mercury these days that they don't recommend prenant women eat canned tuna fish. If we weren't supposed to eat anything but meat 80% of our teeth wouldn't be sized for the consumption of carb loaded foods. Atkins pushes a diet that's long term effects on the body are HIGHLY questionable. Most doctors feel the diet is damaging to the body. Just because it works doesn't mean it's good for you. The problem with Atkins book is he doesn't present the risks of the diet.

 

[AaronP]

I think the stuff about it killing you is a joke. If you drink enough water, eat green veggies, and take a multivitamin, you will be fine. And just because you eat a lot of mean, that doesn't mean everything has to be fried, its not just beef either, you can eat chicken, fish, all that stuff too.

That being said, I have been on Atkins for 2 months. I started at 265lbs, and am now at 225. I did have a headache for the first couple days, which I attribitute for my body adjusting to no carbs. However, after the 2nd day, I felt great, and am hardly ever hungry.

THIS DIET WORKS AND IT RULES!

 

[rickn]

AaronP: I've been on Atkins, albiet a little modified for over 2yrs. I maintain my weight at around 155lbs. If you need any pointers, tips, etc, just let me know

I excercise reguarly, so my carb intake is higher than most. I stay away from sugars, except around holidays. Otherwise, I never eat sugar(I use splenda, stevia).

I eat fried fish, fried chicken, I just mix ingredients (low carb keto crumbs/flour or low carb keto crumbs/shake n' bake) Either way, it is still low carb. My fried orange roughy is good..

Also, if you go on atkins, you'll want Ketostix. Drink lots of water, and I mean WATER WATER. Diet sodas, or flavored drinks do not count. I still drink them, but I make sure I drink lots of water. You'll end up with kidney stones if you dont drink water.

And as for your headache. That is normal because your blood sugar levels are bottoming out. Carb addiction has sideaffects from withdrawl.

And as for it being expensive, it isnt. You end up eating a whole lot less since you eat no junk food (which is very costly) and no fast food. Now, Atkins it aint for everyone. If you live off food stamps or in a dorm, well, Atkins probably isnt quite the best option. For us older folk, it works out good