Why do people give Atkins up after experiencing success?

[californiacasey]

I think the main reasons I've fall off are:

1) Social pressures - everyone is having cake, ice cream, pizza, pasta, brownies, etc, etc, etc. Everywhere I turn there is another high-carb food to fend off. I think I break down and give in.

2) Not planning meals. When I don't plan meals it is easy to run out of food and eat what is available. This causes cravings and then it is even harder to stay on track.

3) stalls or slow weight loss. When you're not losing and you're eating right and exercising and doing everything you are supposed to and you're still not losing...this is a major motivation buster.

4) Doctors, health magazines, news article still touting the low-fat diet. It confuses me and I don't feel clear about what is really the best way to eat.

I'm in my 3rd clean(ish) week and am going to continue on (although I've stopped losing again :sadblinky ) But my doctor told me that it would be "harder for someone like me to lose weight" so I have "to work harder than other people" so that's what I'm doing.

ha

[dreamof145]

For me, when I first started this WOE, I didn't go out and associate with others. I never went out to eat. I was ashamed of my appearance and stayed inside and ate whatever I pleased. Once I started Atkins, I was aware of what I was eating. Once I started losing weight, I became more outgoing. I went out, met people, accepted invites to dinner and lunch. I stuck to my WOE, however and continued to lose.

Now, after 100 pounds, I am faced with people who tell try to convince me that AFTER LOSING AS MUCH AS I DID, I DESERVE to eat the things that I no longer eat.

I am not tempted...but I know if someone who really enjoyed those foods were put into that spot, they might have a hard time resisting and go back to the old ways. I think the main key to success in this WOE or any other WOE that has worked for anyone is that you must change your attitude as well as your WOE & exercising.

Everyday I tell myself that this plan has changed my life and made it better. I feed positive re-enforcement into my mind cause I know I am only human and if I don't continue on this WOE, then I will become unhealthy and overweight again.

[ttdriver]

Now, after 100 pounds, I am faced with people who tell try to convince me that AFTER LOSING AS MUCH AS I DID, I DESERVE to eat the things that I no longer eat.

Doesn't that comment just amaze you, when people say YOU DESERVE TO EAT .... :nono Its that "entitlement mentality" that led us all down the wrong road to start with.

I think the main key to success in this WOE or any other WOE that has worked for anyone is that you must change your attitude as well as your WOE & exercising.

YOU ARE SO RIGHT! Congratulations on your fantastic accomplishment!!

Betty

[Iapetus999]

I think I get the point...that the "induction acceptable foods" list is biased towards American food (can we drop the Caucasian thing?)

But what is American food? It's called Junk Food. It's in 3/4 of the aisles of your supermarket.

If you just shop on the "perimeter" of your store...fresh veggies, fresh meat...you can probably come up with any kind of ethnic food.
Everything in the store...including the veggies...have a nutrition label (you have to ask for the veggie chart but most stores have one)

The only thing in the store that's not on the perimeter that I buy for myself is nuts and detergent. (and beer/wine )

American Food is also called Fast Food....heat and eat. That crap is no good for you. Of course it's going to be more difficult to make your own food...and sometimes more expensive.

I do believe 99% of the reason people are overweight is bad diet and lack of exercise.(1% for illness) I mean the weight didn't magically appear from nowhere. If you eat more calories than you burn you will most likely gain weight...no matter what diet you are on. You just have to learn how your body responds to different foods, what level of daily activity you need to maintain, etc. That's what Atkins (and most diets in fact) are all about...finding ways to eat that you can maintain for a lifetime. Thats why I think WW is a joke because no one can eat that way for life...lo fat/hi carb makes you feel miserable. For me Atkins is a natural way of eating. I definitely eat more carbs and less fat than when I was on Induction...but it's more of a balanced diet now. I really think everyone can do the maintenance part of Atkins and pretty much eat what they want...but in moderation and pass on the high carb/high GI foods.

And yes I'm aware that hormones/pregnancy/emotions play havoc on women's bodies and it's also harder for women to maintain/lose weight. So it's harder for women...but that doesn't mean women can't have just as much success as men. They simply have a few more challenges.

Changing your lifestyle is hard...especially when you feel "deprived" or "entitled" or "deserving" blah blah blah. It takes work to change...and sometimes the new path is harder than the old. But in our rich-food-saturated world you just have to make the hard choices.

[Heidi3]

Iap we could drop it if I really thought it was about being "American"!...because it really isn't ....we are not a melting pot anymore...were a multi ethnic nation and the Atkins diet is a very Caucasion diet meat and potato with out the potato!!!!....seriously ....

[Iapetus999]

Iap we could drop it if I really thought it was about being "American"!...because it really isn't ....we are not a melting pot anymore...were a multi ethnic nation and the Atkins diet is a very Caucasion diet meat and potato with out the potato!!!!....seriously ....

I just don't buy that. Carbs are a main staple of just about every ethnic cuisine in the world and doing without them is difficult and foreign for everyone including Caucasians FWIW.
Calling it "Caucasian" is just a cop out for not figuring out how to make it work for you.
You may not like the "suggested food" in DANDR but there's no reason you can't subsitute something you like better. Maybe they should have been more creative and multicultural when they wrote the book.
Every food in the world is made from carbs, fat, and protein, and you just need to real the label to get the amounts and proportions right.
It would be interesting if they put out a version of the book for certain foreign markets with "updated" menus for those countries. ensive

My point is that the concept of how to select your daily menu should be universally acceptable, but what they suggest could use some work. But calling it Caucasian for me is kinda weird. :confused

[Heidi3]

Iap we could drop it if I really thought it was about being "American"!...because it really isn't ....we are not a melting pot anymore...were a multi ethnic nation and the Atkins diet is a very Caucasion diet meat and potato with out the potato!!!!....seriously ....

I just don't buy that. Carbs are a main staple of just about every ethnic cuisine in the world and doing without them is difficult and foreign for everyone including Caucasians FWIW.
Calling it "Caucasian" is just a cop out for not figuring out how to make it work for you.
You may not like the "suggested food" in DANDR but there's no reason you can't subsitute something you like better. Maybe they should have been more creative and multicultural when they wrote the book.
Every food in the world is made from carbs, fat, and protein, and you just need to real the label to get the amounts and proportions right.
It would be interesting if they put out a version of the book for certain foreign markets with "updated" menus for those countries. ensive

My point is that the concept of how to select your daily menu should be universally acceptable, but what they suggest could use some work. But calling it Caucasian for me is kinda weird. :confused

it is not universally acceptable to be on the Atkins diet Iap!....in fact for some cultures it is unacceptable....and who said that carbs are the main staple of EVERY culture they aren't!!! there are cultures that live only on meat as well...but when you consider the diversity of the world to assume that this particular one is the only healthy one is obsurd....I think it does in a way depend on your heritage....
I am half caucasian and have succeeded on this so I am in no way bashing it!..I am just agreeing with Tickle about the reason people fail ..it is not just a concrete matter of choosing the right foods ...some people have to fight their ethnicity as well eating is MORE THAN BEING ABOUT FOOD IAP IT IS RITUAL AND COMFORT AND COMMUNAL many foods have physical/emotional and spiritual significance when they are eaten...

BTW would it help if I called it "Anglo"?.....

[tickletussler]

But what is American food? It's called Junk Food. It's in 3/4 of the aisles of your supermarket.
...........
Everything in the store...including the veggies...have a nutrition label (you have to ask for the veggie chart but most stores have one)

"American" food may be defined as "junkfood". But if I had said "American way of eating" from the beginning, do you know how many people would've called me discriminatory for saying that? I thought to pick the more politically correct or hopefully more neutral term "caucasian" to cover the WOE where you have meat/seafood that is usually simply cooked, seasoned with a little salt/pepper, served with smaller portion of sides with a starch like potato and some veggies.
Basically this "caucasian" WOE could cover the WOE of many parts of the western world, but it IS very different to a lot of foods - such as Italian, Indian, Asian, Middle-eastern, African etc - these WOE are different. For a start, the proportions are somewhat different, for example, the starch forms the MAIN component (not the meat) eg Italian - mainly pasta served with sauce, herbs, meats in smaller portions compared to the pasta. What about many Asian foods where rice/noodles are the centre of the meal and you eat from a selection of dishes.
Another big difference is the huge amount of spices/herbs used. Do you know when I make a meat-only curry, by the time I add the coriander, cumin, cardamon, cinnamon, pepper, chilli, garlic, asafoetida, turmeric, mustard seeds, curry leaves in all the correct portions, I have added heaps more carbs compared to a meal of just steak, served with a side of greens? Should I reduce all the spices to fit the appropriate carb count? Then I wouldn't really end up with the same curry would I? - it would be a different food altogether. What Dr A uses for his Acceptable list IS the healthy alternative to the caucasian WOE, but he doesn't really provide alternatives for other WOE from different cultures does he? If he had a more generic list of foods - listing salad veggies as "any veggies that can be eaten raw", then it would be easy for different cultures to adapt/substitute and find the right foods to eat. Sure as you said "there's no reason you can't subsitute something you like better" but that's the problem, there is often no carb count for the substitutes we try to use. For example, where on earth do I find the carb content for curry leaves for example? or even candle nuts for that matter.
So if we can't find a substitute and it's not on Dr A's list of foods, then we just eliminate it? And not all veggies can we find a "nutritional label" or "veggie chart" as you call it because I'm pretty sure many ethnic groups do not care to find out the carb content in them. And should I eliminate all the foods that I can't find carb counts on, then I'll end up eating the typical "caucasian" WOE which is completely different to the WOE for my culture.

As Nursey said, there are cultures and tribes that eat only meat and feed off the fruits and vegetables of the land eg in Papua New Guinea. Also, the Australian Aborigines live on a diet of roasted kangaroo, witchety grubs, lizards, emu, supplemented with bush fruits, nuts and vegetables. They started to make bread with the introduction of the English in the late 1700s, early 1800s, but they didn't eat potatoes or bread for 40,000 years because they were nomads and didn't farm or grow crops, so they didn't grow corn, rice or wheat.

You may not like the "suggested food" in DANDR but there's no reason you can't subsitute something you like better.

And for this reason, it makes it harder for many to follow Atkins properly or correctly, or if they do in my case, we would probably end up reverting to what was eaten in our culture. But it doesn't mean that those who lose the weight will put it back on if they "give up" Atkins. Take Perry for example - he simply reduced/cut out the refined junkfoods and sugars but went back to eating the foods that were part of his culture eg pasta, but eaten in moderation. He's still kept the weight off because other than the junkfood it was reasonably healthy to start off with.

I do believe 99% of the reason people are overweight is bad diet and lack of exercise.(1% for illness)
..........
For me Atkins is a natural way of eating. I definitely eat more carbs and less fat than when I was on Induction...but it's more of a balanced diet now. I really think everyone can do the maintenance part of Atkins and pretty much eat what they want...but in moderation and pass on the high carb/high GI foods.

This statement may be true if you question all active ADDBers on the board. But what if you ask the lurkers, or those who put on weight because of pregnancy, because of late nights working & eating, because of shift work - a whole host of reasons - you will find that NOT everyone had unhealthy way of eating to start with. For you Atkins is a natural WOE that you FOUND and changed your life with. For me Atkins is a WOE that was NATURAL to me before I moved to Australia - I didn't like sugary foods, I never ate potatoes or pasta, rice was my staple, and we weren't big on high starch veggies. But I moved to Australia, I learnt to eat AND like these refined foods - combined with skipping meals, and eating a lot later in the day esp just before bed-time - I can say there was a definite correlation between this and the times of my life when I gained weight. In other words - my pre-Australia WOE was THE way to go, and that is why Atkins is helping me take off the weight NOW.

[Heidi3]

are you sure we are not related?????? Tickle what a brilliant statement!!!!!! :clapping :clapping :clapping it is not a matter of doing this right we are all trying..it is a matter of taking a basically "anglo or caucasian" diet and making it work for each persons individual culture ....we are pretty egocentric in our thinking of what is the perfect diet ..and really this is a great one ...but you have to work a lot harder if you are not caucasian to make it part of your life you have to fight more than just a bowl of rice or a plate of pasta...you have to fight your heritage as well.....I just love this Tickle girl!!!!!


Iap you know I love you too and am soooo glad to see you back!!!!! :hug

[Iapetus999]

I'm just looking at things scientifically with carb counts etc.
I agree it sounds harder for other ethnic food eaters to figure this thing out...and there are a lot of cultural rituals around food.

But I think it's hard for everyone to change their diet habits.
We can argue degree of difficulty if we want to but the pricipals are the same: make a change and try to hit the carb counts.

What's more Caucasian than Pizza? Yet I haven't eaten a piece in over 2 years now. The rest of my family had a nice juicy pepperoni pizza last night and I had a Greek salad.

a meat-only curry, by the time I add the coriander, cumin, cardamon, cinnamon, pepper, chilli, garlic, asafoetida, turmeric, mustard seeds, curry leaves

can you make me some? :wave
sounds great!

[Heidi3]

I just think it is fun arguing again..but we used to always be on the same side!!!!....

[Iapetus999]

I've seen so many people do Atkins and fail...and the reasons are usually the same: the diet just isn't varied enough and people don't want to do the work to make the diet work for them.
People are constantly bombarded with messages promoting foods that aren't in keeping with Atkins. It's not their fault that the messages are compelling. Very smart people keep finding ways to get you to eat more and more.

[Heidi3]

I've seen so many people do Atkins and fail...and the reasons are usually the same: the diet just isn't varied enough and people don't want to do the work to make the diet work for them.
People are constantly bombarded with messages promoting foods that aren't in keeping with Atkins. It's not their fault that the messages are compelling. Very smart people keep finding ways to get you to eat more and more.

My simple answer is to learn how to cook real food!!!! and come join the cooking forum!!!!

[tickletussler]

Typical of Nursey to turn this into an ad for her cooking forum LOL

IAP, at the end of the day we do agree on certain things:

* Atkins IS difficult for all of us: more difficult for some if you are addicted to junkfoods, easier for others if your pre-Atkins WOE is similar to "post"-Atkins WOE

* we acknowledge that there are many on the board who are reading these posts who find Atkins difficult, but don't speak up

* we all need variety, creativity, a little perseverence and a lot of support to reach Maintenance

Perhaps this post really could have been "What makes people fail on Atkins?" and "How do we make Atkins easier for the whole world?"

This has been a great discussion, many thanks especially to Iap and Nursey! :hug

[ttdriver]

Atkins IS difficult for all of us: more difficult for some if you are addicted to junkfoods

Ya know, I never really felt that it was difficult and I was HUGELY into junk foods before Atkins. McDonalds, Burger King, Wendys was MY LIFE.

Okay, maybe the first week or two was a challenge as I adjusted to life without bread and potatoes. But there were so many more wonderful choices out there that I had been missing all those years when I was stuffing my face with burgers and fries!!!

3 and a half years later, I wouldn't give it up for anything. I've learned to love my non-starchy veggies and proteins and healthy fats. I've learned to eat to fuel my body instead of my cravings .. I've conquered the sugar demon once and for all!! I am working out and in the best shape of my life!

Has it been worth the effort? YOU BET!

Betty