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On another board, somebody went off on saying they were quitting Atkins and low carb dieting to do something more "sensible". Here was my response!
You weren't really doing Atkins! Atkins does not promote eating a pound of bacon. In fact it is healthier than any other diet out there if you are doing it right. I don't really like to even call it a diet, because it sounds like something that you do only to lose weight and then you stop. Atkins is not that. It is a total change of mindset and way of eating for life.
People are finally starting to learn that it isn't fat that makes you fat, but an excess of carbohydrates that produce insulin that makes you fat. I highly recommend that you get Gary Taubes book, "Good Calories, Bad Calories". It is a real eye opener.
Anyway, I was like you with Atkins. On again and off again. Trying to limit my carbs to 20 and staying at induction levels, which is impossible to maintain. I would end up getting bored and then go back to my old way of eating and then the weight poured back on. Guess what, the same thing happens when you quit any "diet".
I finally got tired of the yo-yo and wised up and actually READ the book and FOLLOWED what the book said to do, and then it became simple.
When I started back in August of 2006, I weighed 356 lbs. I was borderline diabetic, and suffered from high blood pressure. I had sleep apnea, and was heading towards a double knee replacement. I am currently 204 lbs and I am only 4 lbs away from my goal weight. My doctor has seen my blood pressure drop to 120/80, my resting heart rate drop to 66, and my LDL (bad cholesterol) drop by 80 points, my HDL (good cholesterol) shoot up to 85 from 40, and my tri-glycerides drop all the way down to 69. I now either walk 4 miles or bike 15 miles everyday, I work out with weights on alternating days, and I no longer have to use a c-pap machine to help me breathe at night. It does work, if and only if, you do it right.
Here is what I did. I limited myself to 20 net carbs of acceptable vegetables during Phase I (Induction). I did that just to ween myself off of the carbs. After that I moved onto Phase II (Ongoing Weight Loss) and started adding carbohydrates back in. I started with lower glycemic foods, staying at each level a couple of weeks to see how my body reacted. Then I would add more carbs back in and go a little higher on the glycemic index as I learned how my body would react to the foods. It it brought on hunger, then I would eliminate it. How many carbohydrates a person can add back in, depends on the individual, and what types of carbohydrates they can add back in will also vary. I found my carb tolerance was actually fairly high at about 100 net carbs per day, due largely in part to my exercise, and I am able to eat all the things that are naturally good for you. Lots of veggies, just not starchy ones. Lots of berries and fruit, just not highly glycemic ones. I eat dairy products, but limit my cheese. I eat nuts, but just in moderation. I drink wine, but only a glass or two. I eat whole grain cereals and breads, just not the white enriched stuff. In fact, I probably eat a wider variety of foods than what anybody else is allowed on any kind of "DIET". I am now in Phase III of Atkins (Pre-Maintenance) and I am losing slowly, at about 1/2 lb to 1 lb per week. When I get to my goal of 200 lbs. I will stay on Pre-Maintenance to see if that is really my ideal weight. If I stay there for 10 weeks without losing any more weight or inches, then I will move onto the final stage of Atkins, which is Maintenance, where I will stay the rest of my life.
I have heard this a million times. I knew somebody that did Atkins once and it nearly killed them. Well, I knew somebody that did Atkins the right way once, and it actually saved their life! Here I am!
Just in case you want to know what I eat on a daily basis, here is just a sample. In fact, this was what I had yesterday.
Breakfast - 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of 100% whole grain oats, 2 slices of bacon, 1/2 cup of greek yogurt, and 1/2 cup of blackberries, 3 cups of coffee, 2 splenda, and 2 tbsp of half and half.
Lunch - 1 sandwich made with 4 oz of roast beef, 1 1/2 tbsp mayonaisse, 1 slice of swiss cheese, 2 slices of high fiber whole wheat bread, and 2 slices of dill pickle. Also had 2 cups of cauliflower steamed.
Dinner - Chicken enchilada casserole. Ingredients were about 5 oz of chicken, 1 low carb whole wheat tortilla, an ounce of shredded cheddar cheese, a couple of dollops of sour cream, 1/2 can or Rotelle tomatoes and chilies, and 1/4 can of cream of chicken soup.
Calories were 1833, fat grams were 104g (50%), carbs were 105 minus 33 fiber for 72 net (20%), and my protein was 134g (30%).
Fire away! I'm a SMALL boy, and can take it!
You weren't really doing Atkins! Atkins does not promote eating a pound of bacon. In fact it is healthier than any other diet out there if you are doing it right. I don't really like to even call it a diet, because it sounds like something that you do only to lose weight and then you stop. Atkins is not that. It is a total change of mindset and way of eating for life.
People are finally starting to learn that it isn't fat that makes you fat, but an excess of carbohydrates that produce insulin that makes you fat. I highly recommend that you get Gary Taubes book, "Good Calories, Bad Calories". It is a real eye opener.
Anyway, I was like you with Atkins. On again and off again. Trying to limit my carbs to 20 and staying at induction levels, which is impossible to maintain. I would end up getting bored and then go back to my old way of eating and then the weight poured back on. Guess what, the same thing happens when you quit any "diet".
I finally got tired of the yo-yo and wised up and actually READ the book and FOLLOWED what the book said to do, and then it became simple.
When I started back in August of 2006, I weighed 356 lbs. I was borderline diabetic, and suffered from high blood pressure. I had sleep apnea, and was heading towards a double knee replacement. I am currently 204 lbs and I am only 4 lbs away from my goal weight. My doctor has seen my blood pressure drop to 120/80, my resting heart rate drop to 66, and my LDL (bad cholesterol) drop by 80 points, my HDL (good cholesterol) shoot up to 85 from 40, and my tri-glycerides drop all the way down to 69. I now either walk 4 miles or bike 15 miles everyday, I work out with weights on alternating days, and I no longer have to use a c-pap machine to help me breathe at night. It does work, if and only if, you do it right.
Here is what I did. I limited myself to 20 net carbs of acceptable vegetables during Phase I (Induction). I did that just to ween myself off of the carbs. After that I moved onto Phase II (Ongoing Weight Loss) and started adding carbohydrates back in. I started with lower glycemic foods, staying at each level a couple of weeks to see how my body reacted. Then I would add more carbs back in and go a little higher on the glycemic index as I learned how my body would react to the foods. It it brought on hunger, then I would eliminate it. How many carbohydrates a person can add back in, depends on the individual, and what types of carbohydrates they can add back in will also vary. I found my carb tolerance was actually fairly high at about 100 net carbs per day, due largely in part to my exercise, and I am able to eat all the things that are naturally good for you. Lots of veggies, just not starchy ones. Lots of berries and fruit, just not highly glycemic ones. I eat dairy products, but limit my cheese. I eat nuts, but just in moderation. I drink wine, but only a glass or two. I eat whole grain cereals and breads, just not the white enriched stuff. In fact, I probably eat a wider variety of foods than what anybody else is allowed on any kind of "DIET". I am now in Phase III of Atkins (Pre-Maintenance) and I am losing slowly, at about 1/2 lb to 1 lb per week. When I get to my goal of 200 lbs. I will stay on Pre-Maintenance to see if that is really my ideal weight. If I stay there for 10 weeks without losing any more weight or inches, then I will move onto the final stage of Atkins, which is Maintenance, where I will stay the rest of my life.
I have heard this a million times. I knew somebody that did Atkins once and it nearly killed them. Well, I knew somebody that did Atkins the right way once, and it actually saved their life! Here I am!
Just in case you want to know what I eat on a daily basis, here is just a sample. In fact, this was what I had yesterday.
Breakfast - 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of 100% whole grain oats, 2 slices of bacon, 1/2 cup of greek yogurt, and 1/2 cup of blackberries, 3 cups of coffee, 2 splenda, and 2 tbsp of half and half.
Lunch - 1 sandwich made with 4 oz of roast beef, 1 1/2 tbsp mayonaisse, 1 slice of swiss cheese, 2 slices of high fiber whole wheat bread, and 2 slices of dill pickle. Also had 2 cups of cauliflower steamed.
Dinner - Chicken enchilada casserole. Ingredients were about 5 oz of chicken, 1 low carb whole wheat tortilla, an ounce of shredded cheddar cheese, a couple of dollops of sour cream, 1/2 can or Rotelle tomatoes and chilies, and 1/4 can of cream of chicken soup.
Calories were 1833, fat grams were 104g (50%), carbs were 105 minus 33 fiber for 72 net (20%), and my protein was 134g (30%).
Fire away! I'm a SMALL boy, and can take it!
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