Why does Atkins have to be a way of life??

[se99paj]

I have heard it mention on this forum how Atkins is a way of life and not just a crash diet. I don't have a huge amount of experience with Atkins so I wanted to ask you all why it has to be a way of life??

I know from my experiences that it works wonders for weightloss, and it does work. But there are a majority of people who don't do Atkins, in fact I bet they don't do any diet and they don't have a problem with weight gain, or health problems. I understand that people are different and their bodies act differently.

[not2late]

Re: Why does Atkins have to be a way of life??

I have heard it mention on this forum how Atkins is a way of life and not just a crash diet. I don't have a huge amount of experience with Atkins so I wanted to ask you all why it has to be a way of life??

I know from my experiences that it works wonders for weightloss, and it does work. But there are a majority of people who don't do Atkins, in fact I bet they don't do any diet and they don't have a problem with weight gain, or health problems. I understand that people are different and their bodies act differently.

While there are people who are "lucky" enough to have the genetics to be stay slim without dieting, others aren't, including the majority of us because we wouldn't be trying to lose weight if we were one of these lucky people.

So for us, if we go back to the eating and lifestyle habits that made us fat, we'll gain weight. This is not only true of Atkins but of any weight loss/maintenance diet. You will find short-term results if you use any diet as a crash diet, but if you want long-term results you need to make life-long dietary and lifestyle changes. The statistics support this too because 9 out of 10 dieters regain their weight within 1 year of reaching goal. Of those who manage to maintain their weight, within 5 years 2 out of 3 will regain their weight. A successful weight loss diet is based on the 1 year post-goal results.

You can also read evidence of this by reading the posts of folks who reached their goal then "fell off" for a variety of reasons. Once they returned to the lousy eating and lifestyle habits that caused them to be fat, they became fat again.

Therefore unless you make your diet a way of life, you'll be a perpetual weight loss dieter---gaining weight, then going on a diet to lose it, gaining it again, losing it again, and so on.

I think Atkins does a good job of ensuring you won't be victim to the statistics IF you follow the diet properly by progressing through the phases. If you look at the successful Atkineers, they are the ones who went through all the phases, learning along the way how their bodies react to foods and other factors. Too often people think that the Induction phase is the entire Atkins diet and that you'll "never" be able to eat fruit again, or "never" be able to eat wheat products again, etc. Not true. I'm on the On-Going Weight Loss Phase of Atkins and I can eat fruit, legumes, nuts, grains and starchier veggies like potatoes and carrots.

So, keep the weight loss stats in mind and keep in mind too that while there are lucky people in the world who never have to worry about weight gains, we aren't among them.

[ttdriver]

Re: Why does Atkins have to be a way of life??

Diets don't work. Lifestyle changes do.

Betty

[FightingTheFight]

Re: Why does Atkins have to be a way of life??

For some, its a life or death sitiuation.

[Sarah1341]

Re: Why does Atkins have to be a way of life??

In addition to the above, Atkins is teaching you to be healthy. Just because someone is skinny or not overweight, they are not necessarily healthy. This way of eating teaches you to make the right choices, which lead to a healthier lifestyle and way of life. You are eating more veggies, eating healthy fats, drinking lots of water. Why wouldn't it be a way of life from the time we learn it? Those are things to consider.

Good luck

[se99paj]

Re: Why does Atkins have to be a way of life??

While there are people who are "lucky" enough to have the genetics to be stay slim without dieting, others aren't

Weight gain caused by genetics affects a small number of people, even if a mutated gene does affect the maintenance of body weight, it is still possible to lose weight, but this would be due to different environmental conditions, such as the right type of exercise, and the right food.

Once they returned to the lousy eating and lifestyle habits that caused them to be fat, they became fat again.

Some people do return to their original lifestyle once they reach their goal weight, and I think this is the only reason why they return to their original weight. What I'm saying is once someone reaches their goal weight, if they do exercise and drink lots of water why do they have to still count the carbs they eat. Lots of other people manage to keep a healthy weight without going on Atkins, I'm sure other people who are on Atkins can continue a healthy lifestyle once they have reached their goal weight.

In addition to the above, Atkins is teaching you to be healthy. Just because someone is skinny or not overweight, they are not necessarily healthy.

It is true that just because someone looks healthy, they might not be. But there are a massive number of people who look healthy and are healthy, and they don't do Atkins.

[Iapetus999]

Re: Why does Atkins have to be a way of life??

I eat almost everything I ate before starting Atkins (except sugary stuff like candy, soda, cake, etc and trans fat)
The big difference is the proportion that I eat the food in.
I used to eat a green salad maybe once a week, now it's at least once a day if not more. I only occasionally eat starchy food like bread, potatoes, corn etc.
I don't watch fat intake at all in fact I'll avoid lean meats.

My LDL is now so low it's off the chart.

The people who could go off a diet are people who gained weight in unusual circumstances: pregnancy, disability and who have completely recovered.
These people's regular diets may not be restrictive enough to cause weight loss. If they resume their normal level of activity they usually can resume their normal diet once the weight is gone.
But you need to use common sense: all the hi-carb hi-fat foods are marketed like crazy...doesn't mean you should eat them...eat healthy foods and you should be fine. That's the ultimate goal of Atkins: eat in a way that leads to health..most people don't really know how to do that.

[Effie]

Re: Why does Atkins have to be a way of life??

Some people do return to their original lifestyle once they reach their goal weight, and I think this is the only reason why they return to their original weight. What I'm saying is once someone reaches their goal weight, if they do exercise and drink lots of water why do they have to still count the carbs they eat. Lots of other people manage to keep a healthy weight without going on Atkins, I'm sure other people who are on Atkins can continue a healthy lifestyle once they have reached their goal weight.

I got a chuckle out of this, but I don't think it was supposed to be funny. People don't have to count the carbs to keep the weight off, they have to not eat the carbs either. The only reason a lot of people keep counting, as if they're still "on the program" is that they know they'll probably slip back into their old ways. Some people can have a turkey sandwich for lunch and feel satisfied, and for others it would cause mad cravings. That's really the whole point of Atkins -- to figure out what your own trigger foods are. Just because we're all at goal doesn't mean we're all the same with the same metabolism, appetite, etc.

I think this sort of thinking is what makes people gain the weight back. They hit goal and then think, "Oh good, now I can eat like normal person", and that to them means cookies, chips, pizza, or whatever else their skinny friends are eating without gaining weight. The door to the Planet of Fat is not going to slam shut behind you, it's wide open and trying to suck you back in!!

[LindaJay]

Re: Why does Atkins have to be a way of life??

Frankly, it doesn't really matter what kind of "diet" you use to lose weight --- if it works for you, you will have to stay on some variation of it to maintain your weight. You got fat eating the way you are eating now, so if you go back to eating that way, you will get fat again. You will notice all all successful "diet" plans have a maintenance aspect to them -- thus, they must become a "way of life" if you expect to keep the weight off.

[Finelly]

Re: Why does Atkins have to be a way of life??

Because what's the point, otherwise?

[lowcarbing4ever]

Re: Why does Atkins have to be a way of life??

Also, many of us are using Atkins to correct a number of medical problems that regular "diets", for lack of a better word, do not help or make problems worse. Me, for example, have PCOS. It is a disease that makes my risk of stroke, heart attack, Type II diabetes, and other illnesses 50% higher than the average person and I have daily symptoms that I need to control. Doctors have found that a low carb diet seems to ease or totally erradicate some of the symptoms and restore some things that are supposed to function that the PCOS takes away or halts alltogether. Plus, lowers our risks for the problems I mentioned, dramatically. We seem to thrive and get healthy on low carb vs. the traditional USDA madness or other low fat plans and not doing low carb tends to keep us in misery. I was miserable and not losing weight on low fat until I found low carb. I already accepted the fact that low carb is and will be away of life for me and I don't mind it. So for many of us, low carb is a way of life because it helps us and that makes it our way of life and we love it.

[tickletussler]

Re: Why does Atkins have to be a way of life??

WOW se99paj!
When I first read your post I thought "uh-oh, you're brave, I hope you're prepared for the variety of answers you're gonna get" but as I read through the posts I thought, the answer had to be YES for just about all the people on this board - Atkins had to be a WOL for most of us forever more

Megs is right. For those of us who have tried one diet after another all our lives and finally found Atkins which WORKED for us, it means it puts us into a separate category - just like alcoholics, most of us here are carbaholics - meaning Atkins NEEDS to be a WOL because "just one cheat", "just one bite" is as deadly as "just one drink" for an alcoholic.

Sure there are people out there who do their diets, lose the weight, keep it off and keep eating the way they have always been and not gain the weight - these people are the ones who are likely not to need to do Atkins for the rest of their life.

But most of the ones who do end up on this board, it HAS TO BE A WAY OF LIFE

Some people do return to their original lifestyle once they reach their goal weight, and I think this is the only reason why they return to their original weight. What I'm saying is once someone reaches their goal weight, if they do exercise and drink lots of water why do they have to still count the carbs they eat. Lots of other people manage to keep a healthy weight without going on Atkins, I'm sure other people who are on Atkins can continue a healthy lifestyle once they have reached their goal weight.

I am not sure you realise this... but what is considered an "Atkins WOL" ie once you reach maintenance IS what most people with no weight problems DO.
We'd like to think Atkins is some sort of alternative lifestyle, but all the principles and eating habits Dr A taught ARE the same principles that many health-conscious people with no weight problems use. For example my mother is a tiny 88lbs at 5'1" and when I think about it, she eats just like Mainteners do, but she's NEVER heard of Atkins or his teachings.

Frankly, it doesn't really matter what kind of "diet" you use to lose weight --- if it works for you, you will have to stay on some variation of it to maintain your weight. You got fat eating the way you are eating now, so if you go back to eating that way, you will get fat again. You will notice all all successful "diet" plans have a maintenance aspect to them -- thus, they must become a "way of life" if you expect to keep the weight off.

Linda is right here. Most of us who are on Atkins had unhealthy eating habits that got us fat, and what we need to focus on isn't ALL about what foods we can and can't eat on Atkins, we NEED TO FOCUS on Dr A's teachings of BETTER eating HABITS - look at Atkins as a big picture, not so much each component of the journey. Therefore Atkins isn't just about eating, it's about changing your eating lifestyle

Thanks se99paj for bringing up a great topic!

[Effie]

Re: Why does Atkins have to be a way of life??

Great post Tickle! I think you summed it up perfectly.

I definitely agree with the part about health-conscious people eating the way we do. There is a woman at work who is in her 50's, looks like she's always been thin, and just looks HEALTHY all around. We were having a birthday luncheon and there was salad, but she didn't take any because she "didn't know what was in the dressing". I don't know if she was watching out for fat, or sugar, or maybe she's allergic to vinegar, etc. I remember thinking, "Wow, I'd be too self-conscious to say that", but for her, that's just how it is. And of course, no one criticized her for being picky or on a weird diet.

[Alienore]

Re: Why does Atkins have to be a way of life??

It definitely has to be a lifestyle change. I work at my local supermarket at weekends and have become appalled at what I see people buying - all the high-sugar, high-carb stuff that is marketed as low-calorie and HEALTHY. But they don't buy salad veggies or fruit or even fresh meat - they buy the pre-packaged rubbish and do it because it's cheap.

For me, this HAS to be a way of life otherwise I'll eat myself to death.


Deborah

[Peytonn]

Re: Why does Atkins have to be a way of life??

Diets don't work. Lifestyle changes do.



and it's taken me FOREVER to realize that...... I'm not perfect doing ATkins.... I wish I could be like the people I read about that are 'cheat free' for so long...

but every day I try to read and learn more.... and stick with it better.. it IS working...

I know I"ll never be able to eat sugar the way I did that got me up to an all time high of 194.

Even though I'm not losing a bunch right now... I see changes in myself, my body... and a co-worker from school I ran into this week gasped "HOW much have you LOST?"

it made me chuckle inside... but it's not that much really.. but the staying away from sugar is kinda 'rearranging my body'...

I realize it needs to be a life style to be successful so that 10 years from now, I'm not back at 194. (10 years ago I was at the 118-123 range)