I am shocked at how you ladies do the Atkins diet!!

[cynsew]

I was on this diet, I am guessing, maybe twenty years ago. Back then you had an allowed food list and you ate off of that list. The nice part of the diet was that you did not measure, you just ate until you were full!!
I am a big eater and I remember that I lost 18 pounds.

I have been on several times again over the years and never watched what I ate as long as I followed the food list.

Now, I see that you measure every carb and do all of this calculating. I am wondering why the changes, the diet always worked without that.

I again am back on, I am not really that over weight, but would be really happy with losing 20 pounds. I started Monday and have lost 6 pounds already. I have not measured or watched what I ate besides the list. I am eating more than what I am seeing other ladies eating and losing.

Do you really feel it is necessary to be so rigid? Please don't take this as being nasty, I am just curious when things changed.

[Georgiana]

Re: I am shocked at how you ladies do the Atkins diet!!

Back then you had an allowed food list

In the 1972 plan, the "allowed food list" was only for the first week. Later you were adding foods back to the diet.

In the 2002 plan, which is the one we go by at ADBB (we use Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, 2002 ed.), there is also an Acceptable Foods List for Induction (which lasts for a minimum of two weeks). After Induction, you add back foods following the OWL Carbohydrate Ladder... and then progress to Pre-Maintenance and Maintenance.

I have been on several times again over the years

So you never made it a lifestyle?

the diet always worked without that

I'm not saying that the 1972 plan does not work for some people for weight loss, but for a "diet" to "work" for one, one needs to be able to maintain while following that diet.

[not2late]

Re: I am shocked at how you ladies do the Atkins diet!!

As Georgianna wrote, we follow the 2002 version of the Diet. And things are a bit different than they were 20 years ago.

[mizski]

Re: I am shocked at how you ladies do the Atkins diet!!

Induction was easy: just look at a list of foods and only eat what is on that. However, one does not live the rest of their lives eating only Induction foods.

Now, I see that you measure every carb and do all of this calculating. *snip*
Do you really feel it is necessary to be so rigid?

The difficult part with most diets is learning how to maintain. As I see it, that is what OWL is all about. By measuring foods and counting carbs (and other nutritional data) I am learning how much and what types of foods I can eat to lose weight and eventually how and what I can eat to maintain my goal weight.

I've been playing the dieting game for over a decade. Measuring and counting IS tedious at times but Atkins seems to me to have a plan so that I will never have to do this again.

[imagood1]

Re: I am shocked at how you ladies do the Atkins diet!!

Hi and welcome to ADBB.

When you follow the 2002 DANDR plan if you start having problems you can go back to what you were eating, since you are tracking your food, and have an easier time of finding what you need to change.

We also have so many more choices now so the lifestyle is easy to stay with. Good luck to you.

[Skeptika23]

Re: I am shocked at how you ladies do the Atkins diet!!

As I work through OWL and Pre-maintenance, I will learn over time what portions work for me, so I won't have to measure and track everything as closely when I get to Maintenance as I do today, in early OWL.

Nice thing about DANDR 2002 - it's a plan for learning how to maintain a weight goal, not a "diet" in the traditional sense. Or that's how I see it, anyway.

[2big4mysize]

Re: I am shocked at how you ladies do the Atkins diet!!

I was on this diet, I am guessing, maybe twenty years ago. Back then you had an allowed food list and you ate off of that list. The nice part of the diet was that you did not measure, you just ate until you were full!!
I am a big eater and I remember that I lost 18 pounds.

I have been on several times again over the years and never watched what I ate as long as I followed the food list.

Now, I see that you measure every carb and do all of this calculating. I am wondering why the changes, the diet always worked without that.

I again am back on, I am not really that over weight, but would be really happy with losing 20 pounds. I started Monday and have lost 6 pounds already. I have not measured or watched what I ate besides the list. I am eating more than what I am seeing other ladies eating and losing.

Do you really feel it is necessary to be so rigid? Please don't take this as being nasty, I am just curious when things changed.

sounds like you are one of the lucky folk with a high CCLL and can handle more carbs then many others can. As Dr Atkins learned more about the human body and the effects of his eating plan he made tweaks to make sure folk ate healthy amounts of nutrtionally dense foods during induction and the other phases so they could maintain their lost weight for the rest of their lives. One thing was allowing folk to add back lower glycemic carbs until one discovered their own individual carb limit so they knew where their body's line in the sand was drawn. Mine is pretty high but other folk have very low ones so for them to have the best chance to shed their excess body fat in a healthy manner that they can maintain for the rest of their life measuring and counting is important. All it take sis one gram of carb more then each persons individual tolerance and poof weight loss stops hunger returns and pounds come back.

Once somebody learns serving size and has practiced doing their atkins for a while the need to measure and count doesn't seem to be as important until they make a food change.

[Barbde]

Re: I am shocked at how you ladies do the Atkins diet!!

I was on this diet, I am guessing, maybe twenty years ago. Back then you had an allowed food list and you ate off of that list. The nice part of the diet was that you did not measure, you just ate until you were full!!
I am a big eater and I remember that I lost 18 pounds.

I have been on several times again over the years and never watched what I ate as long as I followed the food list.

Now, I see that you measure every carb and do all of this calculating. I am wondering why the changes, the diet always worked without that.

I again am back on, I am not really that over weight, but would be really happy with losing 20 pounds. I started Monday and have lost 6 pounds already. I have not measured or watched what I ate besides the list. I am eating more than what I am seeing other ladies eating and losing.

Do you really feel it is necessary to be so rigid? Please don't take this as being nasty, I am just curious when things changed.

Not everyone is as rigid. I never was and lost the weight fairly easily. I'm like you. I just know what I can eat from the list and would eat accordingly.
I have regained some though, and am following a bit more closely this time around. Different metabolism, age and other factors are coming in to play. I use Fitday from time to time to see where I am at, but usually I am where I should be without having to be so anal about it. Years of doing it, it just comes naturally.
But hey. Different strokes for different folks, right??

[atkinsgal08]

Re: I am shocked at how you ladies do the Atkins diet!!

>> I have been on several times again over the years>>

There's the rub! ... Atkins isn't really an on again off again "diet".

I think you missed the point of what "doing Atkins" is really about.

[Barbde]

Re: I am shocked at how you ladies do the Atkins diet!!

>> I have been on several times again over the years>>

There's the rub! ... Atkins isn't really an on again off again "diet".

I think you missed the point of what "doing Atkins" is really about.

Well, it doesn't stick for everybody the first time around.
Like quitting smoking. Carbs are an addiction. If it takes more than once, so what? It's the keeping trying that matters.
Keep pluggin Cynsew! Don't give up!

[bizzlekitty]

Re: I am shocked at how you ladies do the Atkins diet!!

And just a different twist. I thought I could do this WOE my own way and it was okay as I was losing weight, but then I hit a long stall and I fell of the wagon slowly then all together. It's amazing how quickly the weight can come back.

What I learned is that my CCLL was actually much lower, or maybe it's lower as I'm a little older. I was doing this WOE wrong the first time and never figured this out. I also lose weight better and feel better keeping my carbs below 30 (where I hadn't last time and even cheated ALOT).

I think Atkins works best if you follow the book strictly and based on advice here. If you choose not to do it this way and do sorta your own thing, then you need to accept the risks that it may or may not work for life.

[IrishIrish]

Re: I am shocked at how you ladies do the Atkins diet!!

I measured everything during the first few weeks of the plan. I had absolutely no perception of quantities. One cup of veggies might as well been 3 cups to my eye. Anyway, six years later, I am happy with that early decision. Yes I measured for a while. Most days, I don't measure a thing. But I still follow DANDR 2002 version of Atkins. And on days when I am seeking food for a reason other than hunger, I measure my quantities and count my carbs once again. I don't look at it as an on again, off again diet. It is a lifestyle for me.