Something I never understood about Atkins...

[winthorp69]

Hello all-

Let me start by saying I'm pro-Atkins and in my second week of what I feel is a pretty successful induction. I'm doing it because it allows me to eat more than a traditional diet (in the earlier phases anyway) would. That being said I have a question.

If the eventual goal of Atkins is to maintain your ideal weight by eating a mixture of portion-controlled healthy foods, why do it at all? If you cheat from time to time (which EVERYONE will) you mess yourself up more than if you follow a non-Atkins portion-controlled lifestyle. For people who are really in to fine dining and like different kinds of cuisine from around the world, having to exclude the things Atkins wants you to exclude is really very unrealistic.

I understand the diabetic argument but if a person makes healthy eating the norm and being "bad" a once-in-a-while thing (like Atkins says), they don't HAVE to be on Atkins to control blood sugar.

Thoughts?

[2big4mysize]

Re: Something I never understood about Atkins...

3 words READ THE BOOK!!!!!

you obvisously haven't or you wouldn't say

For people who are really in to fine dining and like different kinds of cuisine from around the world, having to exclude the things Atkins wants you to exclude is really very unrealistic.

other them processed sugars and refined grains what exactly do you KNOW atkins says we can't have? There are 4 phases to Atkins and after the first 14 days yep just 14 days we add back higher glycemic foods in the order given by Dr Atkins in chapter 14 called Ongoing Weight Loss or OWL around here as much as our metabolism can handle.

just cause a person can eat something or create something doesn't make it a healthy food for our bodies and food is supposed to be about nurishing our boby.

[Sheshy]

Re: Something I never understood about Atkins...

Interesting question...here's my 2 cents.

To me the obvious reason to follow Atkins is to lose the weight...and retraining yourself to a better way of eating, removing the processed and the carbs that cause the cravings. The goal is to be able to get to the point of eating all whole foods.


I agree with you...it seems that simple logic would work for all and but that's not true. And it if that worked for anyone one of us, we would have lost all of our weight and kept it off loooong ago.


And I do disagree about excluding some things from my diet forever, you're adding foods back into your diet all of the time. And things like processed foods, I don't need it and exclude it without a problem...and can enjoy all of the cuisine of the world when I want...just in moderation.

[ladyinred]

Re: Something I never understood about Atkins...

What they said. Also, if everyone could eat controlled portions of healthy food 24-7 then we wouldn't be having an obesity epidemic, would we? The thing about Atkins is that you get the cravings under control and you aren't hungry so you can be more objective about your food and re-learn portion control and healthy eating. The hunger-free aspect is the most important one for me. If you go on WW, for example, you can learn portion control, but you'll be hungry. And sorry, but any weight loss plan is going to limit certain foods at certain times. I don't think WW would encourage people to go to Paris and indulge liberally of butter, cheeses and wine. There would still be limits.

[winthorp69]

Re: Something I never understood about Atkins...

3 words READ THE BOOK!!!!!

you obvisously haven't or you wouldn't say other them processed sugars and refined grains what exactly do you KNOW atkins says we can't have? There are 4 phases to Atkins and after the first 14 days yep just 14 days we add back higher glycemic foods in the order given by Dr Atkins in chapter 14 called Ongoing Weight Loss or OWL around here as much as our metabolism can handle.

just cause a person can eat something or create something doesn't make it a healthy food for our bodies and food is supposed to be about nurishing our boby.

I understand you've been immensely successful on Atkins and I congratulate you. I can only hope to be a fraction as successful. I have noticed in my short time here however that some of the memers really sound *******about Atkins. It's NOT the only way to lose weight and become healthy and it's not nceessarily any better than more traditional methods. Let's face it, MANY people start Atkins because of the relatively UNhealthy food you can eat at the beginning. I understand why it works and I think it's cool that he figured it all out and outlined it for us, but I would venture to say more people than not just do it to rapidly lose weight. If they really get in to it (like you), that's when they actually stat caring about health.



I think people start it because they can eat more and "worse" foods than a traditional "healthy" lifestyle allows and then one of two things happen: they decide the other phases are too much work and give up or go hardcore like 2big4mysize.

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[jaga]

Re: Something I never understood about Atkins...

Winthorpe, maybe you would like to explain to us what these "unhealthy foods" are that we can eat during the induction stage?

[jaga]

Re: Something I never understood about Atkins...

I think people start it because they can eat more and "worse" foods than a traditional "healthy" lifestyle allows and then one of two things happen: they decide the other phases are too much work and give up or go hardcore like 2big4mysize.

And what is wrong with going "hardcore", at least its worked!

[winthorp69]

Re: Something I never understood about Atkins...

Winthorpe, maybe you would like to explain to us what these "unhealthy foods" are that we can eat during the induction stage?

Honestly? Come on man...I know the spin Atkins puts on all the fats and whatnot is positive but seriously. Don't act like you can't understand SOME of the foods one is asked to eat during induction could be viewed as unhealthy. Be realistic.

And nothing's wrong with people being hardcore but it's irritating when something happens to work for someone (for whatever reason) and they become convinced that's what everyone should do and don't understand why someone wouldn't. My brother is Vegan and in excellent shape. He's cool about it and doesn't try to convert people and tell them they're evil for eating meat but his girlfriend is the exact opposite. She scolds people at Thanksgiving. Same kinda thing. It just gets old.

[2big4mysize]

Re: Something I never understood about Atkins...

there isn't any weight loss program that doesn't restrict food of some kind and amount even the icecream diet has restrictions on it.

I disagree with you about that starting Atkins statement too. many folk do a what I call their mother's friend's boyfriends' mother's sister's coworker's ......... version of Atkins that they "heard about". Thjose are the folk eating large amounts of unhealthy foods thinking they are doing Atkins when they aren't. If they take the time to read the instruction manual they know they can't eat unhealthy foods and MUST eat healthy foods like unprocessed proteins, healthy fats ( Dr Atkins was sounding the alarm about transfats way before the AHA and/or AMA did), and low glycemic carbohydrates. They also know exercise is mandatory. they also know they will learn how their genes have fixed them to tolerate what kinds of carbohydrates after the first 14 days. We have very successful long term losers who had to skip whole food groups casue they caused either weight can or food cravings for them and they would have needed to avoid those food groups on their other plans as well. Some folk can and do tolerate all the food groups in the OWL rungs.

Weight control as Dr Atkins says in chapter 11 is about taking in less total cals then we burn off from all bodily sources. Dr Atkins tells use just as if you read the fine print on the Slimfast plan that if you go back to your old ways of eating ( which doesn't just mean eating higher carb foods it means eating more cals then you burn off) you will regain the weight you lost.

get your hands on a copy of DANDR 2002 edition the last one Dr Atkins wrote before he died and learn what the program is all about. What you learn may shock you.

[Bren]

Re: Something I never understood about Atkins...

See the problem here is this is ADBB. Atkins Diet Bulletin Board.......... pure and simple!

Not Low Carb, not South Beach (note: all of these are available as sister boards to this one...... links are at the bottom of the index!)

But here we discuss/participate in and do Atkins by the Book. So, obviosuly the questions and opinions here that do not coincide with Atkins will get very strong heartfelt responses from people whom have had great success on this plan and are only looking to help others suceed in ways that they know from experience work.

No hard feelings, but what it is .........is what it is!

[winthorp69]

Re: Something I never understood about Atkins...

get your hands on a copy of DANDR 2002 edition the last one Dr Atkins wrote before he died and learn what the program is all about. What you learn may shock you.

Thank you for recommending that (again). I already have it.

[boonie stomper]

Re: Something I never understood about Atkins...

Ouch - this pain is getting threadful....

As many posts as I've read on this particular board, I've yet to see anyone suggest that no one can ever be successful on another (than Atkins) diet. Fact is, many people do attempt Atkins in the way they (wrongly) think it should be done, namely to basically fast, except for eating protein, to quickly shed X number of pounds by a fast-approaching deadline. The media (and misinformed people of which there are plenty) have pumped vast amounts of incomplete, ignorant, misinformed and even intentionally negative information about the Atkins Diet throuout the last umpteen years. Some do so simple because they wish to sell you something that won't do the job, so they try to convince why every other diet is bad. Others are true to heart, but have'nt read the latest revision of Atkins' work.

There are of course other diets which work for some people. Many of us find Atkins the best, becauase we lack the will power to stay on the others we have tried, and each time we've failed we've grown more metabolically resistant to losing the weight, which repeatedly finds its' weigh back to our bodies, along with extra luggage.

Atkins diet carried out in its entirety doesn't mean you can never again eat any of some favorite foods. It means you learn what your limits are to keep the appetite and the weight under control without having to endure the weak and hungry feeling that often accompanies simple caloric restriction.

[winthorp69]

Re: Something I never understood about Atkins...

See the problem here is this is ADBB. Atkins Diet Bulletin Board.......... pure and simple!

Not Low Carb, not South Beach (note: all of these are available as sister boards to this one...... links are at the bottom of the index!)

But here we discuss/participate in and do Atkins by the Book. So, obviosuly the questions and opinions here that do not coincide with Atkins will get very strong heartfelt responses from people whom have had great success on this plan and are only looking to help others suceed in ways that they know from experience work.

No hard feelings, but what it is .........is what it is!

Yeah I guess I should have expected as much. It's nice to meet people though who can look at things from more than one angle and judge it objectively. Sometimes I feel like Dr. A just figured out a way for people to lose weight with minimal effort (at first) and wanted to make some money off it. It's not BAD to think that. He won't rollover in his grave or anything.

[dreamof145]

Re: Something I never understood about Atkins...

No, Atkins is not the only way to lose weight. I've tried every plan that is out there and non of them worked for me. Atkins was the only program that I am comfortable with and feel satisfied with the selection it gives me. For some, they can adhere to WW or other programs and feel satisfied. Not so with me.

I believe that Atkins worked for me because I was always miserable on other plans, running around looking in cupboards at the foods I wasn't supposed to eat and feeling deprived. In reading Dr. Atkins' book...I now have a new understanding of the foods I eat and the importance of exercising that not only helps me lose the weight, but it is the foods that has improved my health.

Everyone needs to evaluate themselves and find out why they want to lose and what works for them. For me, it is Atkins. I've never been happier in the past 40 years....why stop doing it if it is working and I am happy.

[ValidRouge]

Re: Something I never understood about Atkins...

Honestly? Come on man...I know the spin Atkins puts on all the fats and whatnot is positive but seriously. Don't act like you can't understand SOME of the foods one is asked to eat during induction could be viewed as unhealthy. Be realistic.

And nothing's wrong with people being hardcore but it's irritating when something happens to work for someone (for whatever reason) and they become convinced that's what everyone should do and don't understand why someone wouldn't. My brother is Vegan and in excellent shape. He's cool about it and doesn't try to convert people and tell them they're evil for eating meat but his girlfriend is the exact opposite. She scolds people at Thanksgiving. Same kinda thing. It just gets old.

And we don't go to a Vegan Message Board and say:

Honestly? Come on man...I know the spin Vegans puts on all the fats and meats is positive but seriously. Dont act like you can't understand SOME of the foods one is asked to not eat on a vegan plan could be viewed as healthy.

Be realistic.

And nothing's wrong with people being hardcore vegan but it's irritating when something happens to work for someone (for whatever reason) and they become convinced that's what everyone should do and don't understand why someone wouldn't. My brother is an Atkineer and in excellent shape. He's cool about it and doesn't try to convert people and tell them they're evil for not eating meat but his girlfriend is the exact opposite. She scolds people at Thanksgiving. Same kinda thing. It just gets old.



You are at an ATKINS BY THE BOOK site. There are plenty of other low carb sites that are not Atkins and are general low carb. If that's the type of plan you want, you can seek these out. Why come here and be irate because the answers we give aren't what you want to hear? Just go to one of those sites and get the answers you do want.