South Bend man
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Has anyone ever followed this diet to the letter and had success with it?
ATkins Diet
- Thread starter South Bend man
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P. B. Walker
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I had very good success with it about two years ago while I was trying to lose some weight before undertaking a charity bike ride for MS. It was a 150 mile ride. I had never rode my bike more than say, 10 miles in my entire life, so I knew I'd have to train for it. Needless to say, I wanted to lose about 20 lbs before hand. I ended up taking off 30 lbs. It stayed off for a good 6 months, but I ended up going back to my old eating habits and put the weight back on.
The diet is really a lifestyle change. It starts out as a 2 or 3 week diet.. then moves on to more of a slow steady loss program. During that time you should be changing your eating habits. It's a very healthy diet if you follow it exactly. Many people try to stretch that 2 or 3 week initial diet part into 2 or 3 months, which is VERY unhealthy. I would NOT recommend doing that at all. In fact, you NEED to purchase his book and read it before trying this diet. He recommends you quit drinking coffee and all other caffiene products, abstain from alcohol, and take vitamin supplements. Plus drink alot of water. It's a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. Exercising should be kept to low impact, short period exerice. Like a 15 min walk. If you are into heavy training or long bike rides, or long runs, you will have to modify this diet. If you do not have carbs in your system after you exercise for about 30 or 40 mins, your body will start breaking down muscle to get energy... very BAD.
Anyway... I recommend the diet for most people. BUT... get his book and read it and follow it. Don't try to half-ass it. I know a woman that just did the initial 2 week part of the diet (all protein and almost no carbs) for like 2 or 3 months... she woke up one day in her car in the middle of a wheat field... the last thing she remembered was driving to work. She saw her doctor and he immediately forced her off the diet. Her system was completely out of whack.
Good luck...
- PBW
The diet is really a lifestyle change. It starts out as a 2 or 3 week diet.. then moves on to more of a slow steady loss program. During that time you should be changing your eating habits. It's a very healthy diet if you follow it exactly. Many people try to stretch that 2 or 3 week initial diet part into 2 or 3 months, which is VERY unhealthy. I would NOT recommend doing that at all. In fact, you NEED to purchase his book and read it before trying this diet. He recommends you quit drinking coffee and all other caffiene products, abstain from alcohol, and take vitamin supplements. Plus drink alot of water. It's a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. Exercising should be kept to low impact, short period exerice. Like a 15 min walk. If you are into heavy training or long bike rides, or long runs, you will have to modify this diet. If you do not have carbs in your system after you exercise for about 30 or 40 mins, your body will start breaking down muscle to get energy... very BAD.
Anyway... I recommend the diet for most people. BUT... get his book and read it and follow it. Don't try to half-ass it. I know a woman that just did the initial 2 week part of the diet (all protein and almost no carbs) for like 2 or 3 months... she woke up one day in her car in the middle of a wheat field... the last thing she remembered was driving to work. She saw her doctor and he immediately forced her off the diet. Her system was completely out of whack.
Good luck...
- PBW
HoldenMcCrank
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is this the all protein
and no carbo diet? Where you can eat all the meat that you want but no bread or sugar?
Didn't they just have something on TV about this?
I was thinking of Trying this too if it is the same. I would like to lose 15 to 20 pounds.
Holden
and no carbo diet? Where you can eat all the meat that you want but no bread or sugar?
Didn't they just have something on TV about this?
I was thinking of Trying this too if it is the same. I would like to lose 15 to 20 pounds.
Holden
PB Walker hit the nail on the head. It must be followed to the letter. I tried it and lost 20 pounds but everytime I added carbs I stopped losing weight. I had read the book and knew staying on the initial leg of the diet was not a good idea. When I went off of the diet I gained back the 20 I lost plus 10 more. That was because I did not change my eating habits. I am back to measuring portions and light exercise and doing well.
One thing I did not like was the way my breath and body smelled.
Good luck with your diet.
One thing I did not like was the way my breath and body smelled.
Good luck with your diet.
P. B. Walker
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that's the other thing about this diet... your body starts craving carbs... so if you go off and go right back to a high carb diet.. you body will start storing extra carbs as fat in your body. and you'll gain all the weight back. your body does not store the fat you intake... it uses it and gets rid of the extra fat. when you have extra carbs however, the body turns them into fat and stores them. and if you'll noticed... many of the foods that you find in fast food joints are all high carbs (McDonalds, Pizza Hut, etc). So that's why it's very important to do the initial two week diet and then very slowly add carbs back into your diet. You should keep adding more carbs until you reach a point where you stop losing weight.. and then back off on the carbs a little bit so you keep losing weight at about 1 to 3 lbs per week. Like I said... it's a lifestyle change. If you go off the diet and totally munch carbs... you'll really ballon up.
The thing about the smell... that's actually a very GOOD thing. It tells you that your body is burning alot of Fat. the worse you smell the more fat you are burning. Unfortunate.. but a good indicator that the diet is working. The smell will only last for the first 2 or 3 weeks... once you go back on carbs and begin to lose only 1 to 3 lbs a week the smell will be non-existant. The other indicator you can get are these little sticks call keytone strips. You basically pee on the end of the stick and wait a minute.. then compare the color on the end of the stick to a color chart on the bottle and it lets you know how much fat you are burning off. The darker the color the more fat you are burning.
- PBW
The thing about the smell... that's actually a very GOOD thing. It tells you that your body is burning alot of Fat. the worse you smell the more fat you are burning. Unfortunate.. but a good indicator that the diet is working. The smell will only last for the first 2 or 3 weeks... once you go back on carbs and begin to lose only 1 to 3 lbs a week the smell will be non-existant. The other indicator you can get are these little sticks call keytone strips. You basically pee on the end of the stick and wait a minute.. then compare the color on the end of the stick to a color chart on the bottle and it lets you know how much fat you are burning off. The darker the color the more fat you are burning.
- PBW
South Bend man
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Good insight, thanks
Thanks,
I'm on day 2 of the diet here and enjoying it. It's amazing just how many food items are loaded with carbs!
I'm 5' 10, 184 and would like to do 2 things with this diet. First I'd like to lose 15-20 lbs. and secondly I want to be aware what food keeps this weight on me. Usually i'm way under 2000 calories per day, but Peanut butter is a killer for me.
So anyway I plan to stay on this diet for 1 month and see where it goes.
If you want to discuss this its easier to reach me at
Educatedprof42@hotmail.com
Here is a very good site for charting what you eat and goals to reach....http://www.fitday.com/
Thanks,
I'm on day 2 of the diet here and enjoying it. It's amazing just how many food items are loaded with carbs!
I'm 5' 10, 184 and would like to do 2 things with this diet. First I'd like to lose 15-20 lbs. and secondly I want to be aware what food keeps this weight on me. Usually i'm way under 2000 calories per day, but Peanut butter is a killer for me.
So anyway I plan to stay on this diet for 1 month and see where it goes.
If you want to discuss this its easier to reach me at
Educatedprof42@hotmail.com
Here is a very good site for charting what you eat and goals to reach....http://www.fitday.com/
P. B. Walker
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From my experience... I lost quite a bit of my weight in the first two weeks... like 15 lbs... but I was very careful to bring carbs back into my diet... I did it bit by bit. And I kept losing weight for sometime after that. I'd say in the two months I was on the diet I lost 30 lbs. But I was also training for a bike ride at the time, so I had to actually eat more carbs than normal in order to have fuel for exercising (I was doing 20 to 40 mile training rides to get ready for a 150 mile charity ride). So if you are not training or exercising heavily, be very careful when you add carbs back. I would stick to veggies and fruits. Don't go slamming pizzas and stuff LOL.
It is amazing how many foods are totally loaded with carbs. It's like America lives on carbs. I tried eating out and buying "ready made" meals, but they all have heavy carbs in them. When you're on this diet, you basically have to get used to the fact that you will have to prepare all your meals from scratch. I used to grill up 8 to 10 boneless chicken breasts at once and then refrigerate the 8 or 9 of them... then I'd take them to work and just microwave one for lunch. You can do the same thing with scrambled eggs. They make for a quick breakfast in the morning. Just scramble up like 10 or 12 eggs.. split them in to small meals... refrig them.. and then just micro wave it for about a min in the morning and bam.. breakfast is done. Another great idea for snacks... lunch meat.. and cheece slices... slap those together and roll them up ... makes a great meat/cheese roll up.
Good luck...
- PBW
It is amazing how many foods are totally loaded with carbs. It's like America lives on carbs. I tried eating out and buying "ready made" meals, but they all have heavy carbs in them. When you're on this diet, you basically have to get used to the fact that you will have to prepare all your meals from scratch. I used to grill up 8 to 10 boneless chicken breasts at once and then refrigerate the 8 or 9 of them... then I'd take them to work and just microwave one for lunch. You can do the same thing with scrambled eggs. They make for a quick breakfast in the morning. Just scramble up like 10 or 12 eggs.. split them in to small meals... refrig them.. and then just micro wave it for about a min in the morning and bam.. breakfast is done. Another great idea for snacks... lunch meat.. and cheece slices... slap those together and roll them up ... makes a great meat/cheese roll up.
Good luck...
- PBW
G
Guest
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Here are the downsides if the Adkins Diet:
1. It will shut down T4 to T3 conversion. Both are thyroid hormones which regulate the calories burned at rest. T3 is 4x more active than T4. T4 converts into T3, but it won't without carbs.
2. The weight you lose in the beginning is mostly water. But in defence of Adkins the weight you lose on any diet is mostly water, but even more so on Adkins.
3. The cravings are terrible and any amount of carbs kill the diet.
4. The eat as musch as you want is total BS. Calories in vs. calories out dicate how much you lose. What Adkins doesn't tell you is that you will feel less hungry on this diet, so you eat less naturally.
5. Keotones are not the magic Adkins makes them out to be. The reason this diet works is the constant low insulin levels.
The Plus Is:
1. Less muscle is lost on the Adkins Diet vs. Low Fat diets. See Nbr 1 above for the reason. (T3 will also burn muscle).
If you want a really effect diet (simular to Adkins) check out some BBing boards. These diets feature low carb days with periods of carb-ups. These are diets are also designed to work with lifting weights. When you lift weights you deplete your body of stored sugar. When you are depleted and then eat carbs muscle will be filled with the sugar first and only the remaining will go into fat. Insulin does this. It's a dbl-edged sword.
1. It will shut down T4 to T3 conversion. Both are thyroid hormones which regulate the calories burned at rest. T3 is 4x more active than T4. T4 converts into T3, but it won't without carbs.
2. The weight you lose in the beginning is mostly water. But in defence of Adkins the weight you lose on any diet is mostly water, but even more so on Adkins.
3. The cravings are terrible and any amount of carbs kill the diet.
4. The eat as musch as you want is total BS. Calories in vs. calories out dicate how much you lose. What Adkins doesn't tell you is that you will feel less hungry on this diet, so you eat less naturally.
5. Keotones are not the magic Adkins makes them out to be. The reason this diet works is the constant low insulin levels.
The Plus Is:
1. Less muscle is lost on the Adkins Diet vs. Low Fat diets. See Nbr 1 above for the reason. (T3 will also burn muscle).
If you want a really effect diet (simular to Adkins) check out some BBing boards. These diets feature low carb days with periods of carb-ups. These are diets are also designed to work with lifting weights. When you lift weights you deplete your body of stored sugar. When you are depleted and then eat carbs muscle will be filled with the sugar first and only the remaining will go into fat. Insulin does this. It's a dbl-edged sword.
P. B. Walker
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I agree with Unregistered whole-heartedly. There was some more stuff I wanted to mention, but I couldn't put them into the adequate words since I'm not very up on the proper lingo. I read the book and I also had an officemate that was big into powerlifting. He used a variation of the Atkin's Diet and he got me into it. It definitely works, but you have to be very careful. It's interesting to note that the Atkin's Diet and variations of it have been used for a long time by serious atheletes as a way to get lower body fat. Wrestlers use it alot since their weight is so important for them.
From my experience I can back up everything Unregistered said. The weight loss in the beginning is mostly water, and it's very important that you drink a ton of water during the first two weeks. The carb cravings are pretty harsh. You just start dreaming about a bread and shit... and you just have to be strong and not do it. I did feel less hungry. I actually didn't need to eat alot. I ate about the same amount I would normally. Maybe a bit less. And I never felt really hungry.. but I did have cravings for carbs. I actually felt very energized when I was on it. Felt very active. And as I started loosing weight it just got better. I never lost muscle.. if anything I think I gained alittle.. but like I said I was doing some training at the same time.
I would definitely follow his suggestion if you can find a variation on the Atkins diet. But be careful and make sure you get your information from a reputable source. If your not sure .. just stick to the Atkins diet.
Again,,, good luck
- PBW
From my experience I can back up everything Unregistered said. The weight loss in the beginning is mostly water, and it's very important that you drink a ton of water during the first two weeks. The carb cravings are pretty harsh. You just start dreaming about a bread and shit... and you just have to be strong and not do it. I did feel less hungry. I actually didn't need to eat alot. I ate about the same amount I would normally. Maybe a bit less. And I never felt really hungry.. but I did have cravings for carbs. I actually felt very energized when I was on it. Felt very active. And as I started loosing weight it just got better. I never lost muscle.. if anything I think I gained alittle.. but like I said I was doing some training at the same time.
I would definitely follow his suggestion if you can find a variation on the Atkins diet. But be careful and make sure you get your information from a reputable source. If your not sure .. just stick to the Atkins diet.
Again,,, good luck
- PBW
Lili
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I have been on a similar low-carb diet (The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet) since August 2000.
I heard a lot of bad things about the Atkins diet (mainly it's focus on so much fat and meat).
The Carb Addicts diet seemed much more sensible to me. If you plan to try it, you should really read the book for this one too, as somone mentioned about Atkins. But the main gist of it is that you have to restrict your carb intake to one meal per day, and you have to be careful how many carbs you do eat. No more sitting down to have an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's for dessert!
When I started it, I weighed 200 pounds, was a size 18, was always tired and it hurt to move. (I'm only 5' tall, so I didn't look so great either.)
I'm now in the 145 - 147 pound range. I've gone from a size 18 to a size 12 and I feel (and look) great compared to before.
I've been holding steady in this range for the past several months, and I might be able to lose more (my original goal was 130 - 140 lbs.), but even if I don't lose the last 10 - 15 pounds, I'm perfectly happy as I am.
Lili
I heard a lot of bad things about the Atkins diet (mainly it's focus on so much fat and meat).
The Carb Addicts diet seemed much more sensible to me. If you plan to try it, you should really read the book for this one too, as somone mentioned about Atkins. But the main gist of it is that you have to restrict your carb intake to one meal per day, and you have to be careful how many carbs you do eat. No more sitting down to have an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's for dessert!
When I started it, I weighed 200 pounds, was a size 18, was always tired and it hurt to move. (I'm only 5' tall, so I didn't look so great either.)
I'm now in the 145 - 147 pound range. I've gone from a size 18 to a size 12 and I feel (and look) great compared to before.
I've been holding steady in this range for the past several months, and I might be able to lose more (my original goal was 130 - 140 lbs.), but even if I don't lose the last 10 - 15 pounds, I'm perfectly happy as I am.
Lili
White_Tigress_
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Lili ..Lili said:I have been on a similar low-carb diet (The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet) since August 2000.
I heard a lot of bad things about the Atkins diet (mainly it's focus on so much fat and meat).
The Carb Addicts diet seemed much more sensible to me. If you plan to try it, you should really read the book for this one too, as somone mentioned about Atkins. But the main gist of it is that you have to restrict your carb intake to one meal per day, and you have to be careful how many carbs you do eat. No more sitting down to have an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's for dessert!
When I started it, I weighed 200 pounds, was a size 18, was always tired and it hurt to move. (I'm only 5' tall, so I didn't look so great either.)
I'm now in the 145 - 147 pound range. I've gone from a size 18 to a size 12 and I feel (and look) great compared to before.
I've been holding steady in this range for the past several months, and I might be able to lose more (my original goal was 130 - 140 lbs.), but even if I don't lose the last 10 - 15 pounds, I'm perfectly happy as I am.
Lili
where did you learn of this carb addict diet?
You know..I think that is my problem for bad eating habits. I don't eat sweets (except for a few days a month
when nature calls), I can't stand cake, never have. I never was a sugar fan even as a kid.I'm not a big eater when I do eat...only one plate a meal. I feel it is what I eat that is what's holding me back on losing weight.
I crave carbs in the worst way. Pasta & dinner rolls are the worst. I know they are not good for me so I've been eating only 1 roll with dinner on occation but that is only when we go out to eat...otherwise I won't make them at home.
I'd love to know how to quite the cravings....does this mean my body is lacking something? I haven't been on any diet so I'm not restricting myself of anything. I've only been really trying to pay attention to what I eat and cut back on what I really do know is fatning (like mayo, butter, oils..etc.). Im not all that knowedgable on diets because I dont like that word. I feel once you start a diet you need to live with it the rest of your life or you gain back all you worked so hard to lose. I don't want that!!!
I'd like to lose about 50 lbs, but not sure of the best way to go about it. I need something that can fit in everyday lifestyle. I don't have the time to cook special meals everyday like I wish I could.
Any advice would be helpful.
Good luck to you SouthBend on your goal...i hope you can do it, and the others had great advice. I personally know I wouldn't or couldn't handle the Atkins....way to restrictive of foods. My body don't like it when told i "can't" have foods...then it wants it more..lol (just like a kid)
Lili
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White_Tigress_ said:
Their website is http://www.carbohydrateaddicts.com/
They have a number of books out. The best one so far is the Carbohydrate Addict's Lifespan plan. It includes tips on how to follow their plan if you are on a low-fat, low-salt, or other special kind of diet.
Nothing is restricted on this diet except the amount you eat. In general, they allow no carbs at two meals per day, and a reasonable amount of carbs at the third meal.
For me, that means breakfast and lunch. If you don't normally eat breakfast, that's fine with them. If you do normally eat it, you may have to change what you eat. I hated giving up flavored oatmeal, toast, muffins, bagels etc. Since I normally eat breakfast after I get to work, I switched to an Atkins carb control bar and coffee.
I was like you and craved breads and pasta. Within about 2-3 weeks on this diet, the cravings went away. Now when I do crave, I can pinpoint exactly why - if I over did it on the carbs the day before, I'll crave them the next day.
Anyhow, the other major part of the Carb Addict's diet is that your supper (or whatever meal you choose to eat the carbs at) must be balanced. That means a large salad of non and low-carb veggies (at least 2 cups worth), a regular serving of non-carb veggies, and a regular serving of protien. You can eat an amount of carbs that is equal to, but not bigger than the amount of protien you ate.
There's a lot more to it than that, which you'll find in their books, but in general that's their plan.
Much to my doctor's chagrin, I do not regularly exercise, yet I still lost 50+ pounds while on this diet. However, since it no longer hurts to move, I do take the stairs, walk to lunch, dance and do other things that I couldn't have done comfortably when I was 200 lbs.
Oh - and one wonderful thing I discovered - if you make a crustless cheesecake with Splenda or some other artificial sweetner (and don't include any other carb ingredients), you've got a yummy, decadent-looking low-carb dessert. (You have to use the regular cream cheese tho - the low-fat stuff has more carbs in it.)
If you do try this diet, I hope you're able to stay on it and that it works for you. The hardest part is when you eat out or with other people who refuse to understand and try to insist that you have a second helping or whatever. I've gotten very good and saying 'no'.
Good luck!
Lili
**Edited to fix a typo**
PainSlut
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I've wanted to seriously go on one of these type of diets for a long time now.. but i don't eat meat.... i've tried before but could only stick to it for a few days.. you can honestly only eat tofu, beans and TVP so many ways mixed with veggies.. plus there was the cost factor of having to replace the filling and oh so delicious carbs with more expensive meat substitutes.
If any one has some more creative protien sources let me know i'd like to try this again...
If any one has some more creative protien sources let me know i'd like to try this again...
White_Tigress_
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Thanks so much for all your information. I bookmarked the site and plan to spend time looking it over. Your advice is helpful and at least I know that since someone did it and gave their opinion its worth a shot. Usually I read it in magazines or sites but you dont know if they are just giving you a line to sucker you in.Lili said:
again, thank you!!!
Best of luck to anyone that is wanting to lose weight, it's not an easy task...i've been on the roller coaster way to long now.
