Not new but trying to add to my existing loss

[grovemonkey]

I'm going to try the atkins again. I did this unsuccessfully about 1 1/2 years ago.. lost some weight gained it back and then some. I was around 114 kilos. I'm at 91 kilos now. For the past 6 months, I did a low fat, vegan diet. No cheese, no milk, no meat.. I fasted occasionally just to clear out my system. I don't eat a lot of rice or bread but I do make my own pizzas with no cheese. I allow myself to cheat 2 meals a week. My diet consisted of veggies and soy based products. It worked and I felt great.. Recently I've been wanting a change and instead of changing in a bad way, I'm hoping to take a change in a good way. In fact, a strict vegan diet can be very similar to the atkins but it takes time getting used to the diet the cheating days allowed me to get rid of my real eating problem and that is eating out for lunch and always eating a lot. the fact is that if you make your own food, don't eat out, and keep your sugar and beer drinks minimum, a vegan diet is fine.

I'm just a little bored so figure I will add meat to my diet and get stricter on my carb control. At around 90 kilos but I'm hoping to drop to 80. I'm sure I can do it. Time will tell. Take care and thanks for reading.

Grove

[Outback Jess]

Re: Not new but trying to add to my existing loss

Hey Grove, I hope you have gotten a copy of the book that Dr. Atkins wrote, the 2002 edition. Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution. It will not only explain what to eat, but what is what with this low carb way of eating and why it works.
It is a very specific ketogenic diet, putting you in a ketogenic state where you are burning fat for fuel. Once in ketosis your body is free of sugars, and looks to your fat stores for fuel. For many of us, we are addicted to the sugars and processed foods laden with carbs, we actually break free of their hold on us after a week or so. But, once we free ourselves we have to stay free... Cheating or having cheat days are not horrible things. Many programs allow for that, successful ones, but this is not that type of program, it's a specific program that leads you to a ketogenic state, where you flip a switch from burning sugars to burning fats. You won't be successful nor get the full benefit if you are constantly allowing yourself steps back into foods that switch to burning sugars...I would suspect you will confuse your metabolism. Success with this specific type of diet requires all or nothing...and it's for people who are not successful or happy on other plans, people who are resistent to weightloss.
The book is wonderful, I would encourage you reading it, and get this understanding down pat. I wish you the very best of luck!

[grovemonkey]

Re: Not new but trying to add to my existing loss

outback, thanks for the reply. I've been cruising the boards since 2003 and also have a copy of the atkins book from 2003 which I still read. I think I've got a good handle on the diet and what it requires. I might not have been clear in my explanation.

The post was to explain my most recent background, how I lost 21 kilos and to explain why I was going to give the atkins one more go. I understand that the strict regimen the atkins prescribes doesn't really allow for a cheat days, especially while you are in ketosis.

I've tried the atkins many times, probably 4 or 5 in the last 3 years. It hasn't been sucessful in so far as I always left the diet. I loose, then I gain my weight back plus a little more. In fact, I don't attribute the failure to the atkins. It works as a diet and if want to go as far as to call it a lifestyle, so be it. I attribute my failure to poor eating habits not atkins diet.

I found a vegitarian and vegan (here refering to a more refined or strict veg only diet not including milk/cheese) diet to be a good way to maintain weight loss and loose weight from the beginning. At least for the past 6 months it's been fairly easy and consistent. However, I found I've stalled a little bit because I was eating out and taking in a bit too much cheese. Or maybe giving myself a few too many cheat days..

so I wanted to go high fat, high meat and try to revitalize my love of veggies. For me, a week on the atkins is enough to make me go straight back to an all veggie diet.

What I find interesting is that on either diet, you are still going to end up avoiding the refined grains, breads, sugars and pasta to a degree. There are fat vegans abound plowing there faces with refined sugars and rice and pasta. There is a difference since these foods are the enemy irregardless of wether you

Some people may find that an all vegetable diet mutually exlcusive of the atkins. It isn't, particularly after induction. Throughout his book, atkins preaches about vegetables.

Sorry if this was a bit of a digression, it's early.

grove