has anyone had any long-term success?

[embilie]

i have a major concern and would like your opinion on it!

almost everyone's "success stories" are only a couple weeks into the diet. i know that the diet works at first, but i've heard that as soon as people introduce carbs back into their diet, they gain all their weight back. can anyone back that statement up? or argue it?

here is my story, and i would also appreciate it if you read it and told me what you think, as it is related to what i said above.

i'm 20 and have been on this diet and staying at 20g a day for 3 weeks now (with the exception of a few days of "cheating" mistakes). i think i've lost about 10 pounds. i'm also working out every day. i plan on doing this induction phase thing until i get down to a decent weight (or until i get sick at the sight of another chicken salad dinner) and then after that, i plan on going on a normal diet, like eating 1200 calories a day and continuing to work out, instead of continuing on the OWL atkins thing. so that is my plan for continual, but slower, weight loss after i'm thru with atkins. does anyone think this is a bad or good idea? like i said, i'm worried that even if i'm careful about what i eat and work out and all that, that after this atkins phase i will gain all my weight back. is that even possible? does anyone know??

thanks so much for any feedback.

[RoadStar]

I am as new to this as you are but I am much older and have learned a few things along the way.

First I am very "blunt" so if what I say hurts your feeling I will apologize now.

That being said, I think you need to look a little deeper in this board there are several that are on a long term path and doing very well.

Secondly, Don't sell yourself short! Do some more research and I think you'll see for yourself that it is a matter of committing to a change in lifestyle that will make or break you on this or any diet. I believe from all I've read (a ton) on this subject that the reduction of carbs is key so if you return to another method even a 1200 calorie diet without some level of moderation in carb intake you will be wasting your time. Besides that I am living proof that a 1200 calorie diet works no better. In fact you cannot possibly remain that calorie restricted and healthy and will gradually increase the calorie intake to where you are now and gain the weight back. You describe the classic Yo-Yo dieter.

What Atkins professes is that caloric intake is less important than what you eat. Carbs=sugar=available energy=no fat storage reduction.

Any way you look at it whether you decide to do a conventional diet or Atkins it takes COMMITTMENT. The question to ask(yourself) is:

Am I ready to do this? Only you can answer that honestly.

[Anonymous]

I've been low carbing 17 months now.

but i've heard that as soon as people introduce carbs back into their diet, they gain all their weight back. can anyone back that statement up? or argue it?

Oddly, this is a both completely true and completely false statement. LOL

If you go back to eating the way that got you fat in the first place, you're going to get fat again. I don't care what way of eating you subscribe to. If you don't make permanant changes, it's coming back.

False because you DO reintro carbohydrates - you're repeating a *painfully* common misconception about the Atkins way of eating., There's an order in which to do it and when done right ends up being probably fairly close to what you are calling a "balanced meal". When done properly and all phases are followed, you end up in essentially the same place. I'm sure my menu from today would surprise you.

Breakfast today : 2 eggs over easy, 2 links sausage, 1 piece golden crunch bread.

Lunch : Salad of about 3oz turkey with romaine, spinach, iceberg, cukes, tomato, jicama and sunflower seeds with Newman's Own Parm & Garlic dressing.

snack : PMS special : 2oz chocolate cream cheese. Heh

Dinner: baked chicken with cajun spices, season-all, and just a sprinkle of parm, broccoli with an oz of cheese and a spinach/walnut tossed salad.

Dessert tonight was 1/2 cup blueberries with 3 tbsps of whipped heavy cream.


Now, it's your turn.

Tell me what's wrong with that? That's around 1600 calories and it's pure Atkins

[embilie]

i think some clarification is neccessary...

ok i have read both of your notes (thank you for responding! )
i feel like i should clear up a couple of things though...
well, first of all, i'm not sure i'd call myself a yo-yo dieter because i don't go on diets very often. i'm not one of those people who say they've "tried every diet in the book"... i used to have a problem of binging frequently and sitting on my *** a lot which is why i'm fat - i had a major issue with giving in to what i wanted when i wanted it. but i honestly have learned that if i want to be a thin person, i have to pretty much change my whole life. i can't binge and i have to eat right all the time and only eat when i am hungry. basically spend my life on what most people call a "diet" which i just consider to be healthy eating. i also realize that i have to make working out a normal routine, just like brushing your teeth. right now i'm doing it every day, but hopefully when i get down to my goal weight i can change it to just 3 or 4 times a week, but i know i will have to do it forever. i understand that it's a commitment. that being said, i feel like i'm being realistic, and can rule out the idea that i'll go back to my "old eating habits" when i go off the atkins diet. i really don't think i'll have that problem.

if it is true that i will gain weight back by going on a low-cal diet (1200-1600cals a day) (and it's important to mention that i'm not going to go carb-crazy when i do this, i'll still watch my intake... sarah lee is the enemy..), i simply don't understand why. let's say i reach my goal weight through atkins -- all that fat has been literally burned off, right? so why, if i start eating healthy right after that and continue to workout, would i gain any extra weight? that is what some people are saying will happen and i can't figure out the logistics of it. but according to you, brook, you said that the atkins diet evolves into a pretty balanced meal, and you haven't gained your weight back after reintroducing some carbs, so your story is evidence that the theory i talked about isn't true... which makes me happy
it sounds like this theory is only true for people who, once "done" with the atkins diet, go back to eating unhealthily again...

i'm not sure if this all made sense, i'm still trying to piece everything together...

so i've had one story negating that theory, are there any supporting it?

thanks again to all who respond(ed).

[Anonymous]

The biggest and best way to support what I've done and said is this :

Read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution so you have a full understanding of the program.

There are tons of us out there, embilie. This is a new website that's still in the process of gathering a member base. There are other, long standing websites that have a broader member base, therefore more response/reaction to questions like yours. You might want to check some of them out too.

I'm glad you have a grip on the whole 'must eat right & exercise for life' thing.

As you progress through the phases of Atkins, fat goes down, carbs go up, and it does balance itself out.

After you've lost your weight, why would you go back to a low-cal diet? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And again, you're perpetuating a myth that we don't eat right. That couldn't be more untrue, but again, isn't something you're truly going to understand until you invest the time to read the book. Menus evolving isn't an "according to [Brook]" thing - it's called climbing the carb ladder during OWL appropriately as described by Dr. Atkins

If you think about it, it makes sense. What happens at the end of the Weight Watchers program? Do you continue to stay at a points level that would cause weight loss or do you look for where you can maintain and stay there? - Same thing. You learn what your limitations are as you progress through through the four phases of Atkins.

Pick up a copy of the book so you get a real understanding of what and how this way of eating is done and approached and how it comes to a logical conclusion. It'll be worth your time - and your health

~Brook

[BikerGoddess]

If you can maintain your weight on a different diet, then yeah, you can quit Atkins and do that.

But, I think you're missing two points. A diet is only what you eat. A weight loss diet usually includes restricting something, but a "diet" can consist of Krispy Kreme and Starbucks and nothing else.

Second thing is that the final stages of Atkins is a 'healthy' diet. It includes basically everything but sugar and refined foods. And really, you can include things like bread and potatoes, as long as it's not every meal. Starches are cheap and easy fillers and that's part of the reason they've become so popular, but not so long ago, people ate diets that nowhere resembled today's supersized value meals (white bread, fries, and a big cup of syrup).

My experience with low-cal weight loss diets is that it's A) *very* hard to do long term and B) left me feeling so bad that I didn't exercise. Now, I can't say that I really exercise a lot now, but I *can* and that's the difference. I was so exhausted on low-fat that I just could not exercise.

It's really up to you, and you *should* do whatever is best for yourself and what you'll stick with. *My* experience is that Atkins is a lot easier to maintain than low-fat/low-cal. (10 months so far)

Laura

[theredhead]

Appetite Suppression

What the others here are saying is so true and wise. One more thing I'd like to add is that low-carbing is the ONLY way of eating that controls your hunger and cravings. That's what's convinced me that I must do this and stay with this if I don't want to regain weight. On a low-calorie or low-fat diet, I was always hungry and craving sweets. This goes away with Atkins. Don't sell yourself short by going back to your old ways after you put in the effort to lose weight. You're worth the effort. theredhead

[BeerBellyBeGone]

Lost it, gained it, losing it!

Embilie
DITTO (what the others have said).

Even though this thread has some age to it and you may not read my response because of that I still wanted to throw my $.02 in and tell you (and others that may be skeptical about Atkins) that you just received some of the best advice from those that obviously care about you and legitimize this WOE because they LIVE it.

As for needing to hear from somebody who lost their weight only to gain it back…that’s me. BUT, I’ll tell you I gained it back because I didn’t read and follow the right steps to maintenance. I thought a “conventionally healthy diet” was all that would be necessary. In fact, I came so very close to my goal only to look up (seemingly overnight) having gained most all my weight back. It started after I switched to a diet that my wife wanted to do together because she was nursing and couldn’t do Atkins. This plan was to limit fat grams and total calories (directly opposite of what were doing here!) but it sounded reasonable too. Especially since this “plan” consisted primarily of Healthy Choice entrees and salads (and the occasional dessert and beer…umm beers). Needless to say once I again crossed the 200 mark, I threw out all of the Healthy Choices (actually donated) and re-committed to Atkins.
Counting calories and limiting fat grams does not work! My wife, who is not nursing anymore, is now on Atkins and losing weight faster and finds it much easier to follow, etc. etc. etc. This WOE works. Just read and follow directions. You too will believe.

[Flaxfan]

Why would you want to eat 1200 cals when you can eat 1800 on Atkins and still lose weight?

[webdreamy]

clapping

Here, here Flaxfan!!

[Rab/ KS]

Hey, there ~
here's the shortened version of my story. I started with Dr. A in 1995 after weighing 282 at my highest. It took awhile as I gradually added carbs after induction (and went through numerous plateaus, sometimes for AGES, plus I'll admit I went off low-carbing for long stretches at a time), but I made it down to 150 sometime in 2002. I've stayed around that mark for well over a year. It's actually "goal" for me, but I've lowered my goal a bit so am low-carbing again.

If someone could kindly instruct me on how to post before and after photos/ do a custom signature, I'd SHOW you!

[no more fatso]

So, Rab... How is your weight now? I see you just joined . Is that to take off a few more pounds or for maintenance? I've lost 16# in 2 weeks and I, too, worry about the future and keeping the weight off forever.
What's it been like for you, and how about any leftover flab?