20 Carbs is 20 Carbs right?

[themotomedic]

Ok, so perhaps I'm mislead here so please forgive me. I have done atkins before and lost about 40lbs and everything worked well for me. So, with that said...

As long as I stay under 20g of carbs a day I'm good right? I keep reading posts on here saying "off limits" ect.

20g is 20g right? The whole idea of the diet is to keep your body in a constant burning and level state and reducing the amount of insulin dumped into the body.

If this IS NOT TRUE then how have I did so well on the diet before drinking my "sugar free" Red Bull (4g per can) and still losing weight.

I'm doing quite well, I'm down 12lbs the first week... my question is could I be down more if I did it different? Seems to be working just fine for me...

Help please! thanks!

[Grant]

Re: 20 Carbs is 20 Carbs right?

To me your questions are a bit misdirected. To me it's not important if you would have lost more weight. I would suggest that by following the plan the way Dr. Atkins wrote it (where certain things are "off limits"), you could greatly increase your chances of keeping the weight off.

[themotomedic]

Re: 20 Carbs is 20 Carbs right?

What's the best book to read, since well in the past I have just gone to 20g and kept it that way never did any real reading... I KNOW I KNOW...lol

[Grant]

Re: 20 Carbs is 20 Carbs right?

The only book I really know is Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, 2002 edition. That's the book this board bases most of their advice on with the idea that since it is the last book the Dr. Atkins actually wrote it is the best one to go by. In our experience the later edition of the books have changes that seem to be made, by Atkins Nutritionals, more to sell their products then to help people be successful.

[themotomedic]

Re: 20 Carbs is 20 Carbs right?

well digging around my parents had that book laying around, guess I know what I'm reading this week... missing front cover and all.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: 20 Carbs is 20 Carbs right?

>> As long as I stay under 20g of carbs a day I'm good right?>>

No.

And it's "net carbs".

>>If this IS NOT TRUE then how have I did so well on the diet before drinking my "sugar free" Red Bull (4g per can) and still losing weight.>>

You can lose weight doing anything.

[CalicoPrairie]

Re: 20 Carbs is 20 Carbs right?

Yay for you, finding the book! Now read, read, read and learn why this diet works the way it does. It will help you so much to know not only how your body works during weight loss, but also how to KEEP the weight off later.

I look at Atkins as a study of our bodies, really, and how they work. I know that after I go through all the rungs, I'll know exactly what I can and can't eat, and if I don't know about something, I'll know how to find out. THAT to me is the most important piece of knowledge I can have. Well, that and how to keep the weight from creeping back!

Welcome to the boards and have fun reading the book and getting to know your body!

[hu11aba1oo2]

Re: 20 Carbs is 20 Carbs right?

The first time I did Atkins, I didn't do it right. Never mind about getting most of my carbs from veggies, or relearning how to eat, or learning what foods affected my body, it was all about keeping it under 20g and losing as much weight as possible. My goal is still to lose weight, but to learn a lifestyle that will sustain that weight loss. Sure, I can lose a lot of weight really fast just keeping under 20g net carbs, but without going through the process as Dr Atkins describes in the book, 100% chance that I will regain that weight and probably more.