I think I am going off..

[Adena]

Re: I think I am going off..

Not sure which "healthy, natural" foods you are deprived of? I have gone through all of the rungs, and eat everything except for sugar and white flour... surely that's not what you're referring to? I eat healthy whole grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, protein.

Capemay, the reason you see people trying to correct your facts is that Atkins has gotten a bad rap from people who aren't fully informed about the plan and don't follow it correctly (or others who truly know nothing about it). Then, they badmouth it as being unhealthy, and the bias against it continues.

I wish you success on WW.

[cocobelle]

Re: I think I am going off..

*SIGH*...Capemay... the only 'advice' that I gave you was to check your facts. (oh... and to have that murky urine checked out by an MD). I gave you a couple of questions that apparently were troubling - How much water are you truly consuming? (your RN/MD family will assure you that 1-2 liters is not unhealthy, rather ... recommended)... How much protein are you truly consuming? (again, check the RDA guidelines).

I wish you luck on Weight Watchers. I tried WW for a year before I returned to Atkins. I couldn't stand being hungry all the time. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

It's all a question of what you'd rather give up. I'm willing to give up white sugar and white flour and not be hungry.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[Sheepie]

Re: I think I am going off..

Hubba, hubba, Scooter! Glad I'm on your team! It's clearly the winning team.

Good luck on ww, Eagle.

[sallyseachange]

Re: I think I am going off..

Good luck with Weight Watchers. I sincerely wish you every success on that plan.

I'd ditto most of the things the others have already said and would only add a request that you not criticise Atkins to people who are not eating this way without being very, very sure of your scientific facts.
If the plan is not for you, then that's fine and absolutely your choice... but it wouldn't be right to give bad publicity without deep knowlege...

... and I'm sure you woudn't. All the very best.

[not2late]

Re: I think I am going off..

My fiance's father is a vascular surgeon and he was the one who got me into Atkins. Her mother is an RN, as is my own mother. My mother did Atkins as well, but it wasn't for her.

I work for a group of physicians: general internists and pediatricians. They are all low carbers. Half of them follow Atkins, the remainder just eat low carb/low glycemic. They were the ones who got me to go on Atkins to lose my weight and get healthy again. It's worked for me, my bosses and co-workers.

By the way, you might want to direct your sisters-in-law to the recommendations the American College of Cardiologists revealed at their annual society meeting in 2006: they would be able to access that information through their CME. The ACC and AHA are going to push for a lower carb lifestyle because they finally realized the high carb, low fat regimen has only contributed to heart disease, diabetes and stroke. The word on the street is that the ACC and AHA are trying to figure out a way to 'break it to' the medical and non-medical society so 1. they won't attract medical malpractice lawsuits and 2. they won't look as stupid when they say "Whoops! We've been wrong for the last 40 years, folks. Sorry."

Just adding onto what Higgies said. Induction is the most restrictive phase of Atkins. However, it's not the sole weight loss phase. On the contrary, Dr. Atkins wanted us to 'move on' and lose the majority of our weight on On-Going Weight Loss Phase, because he knew Induction was restrictive in terms of food choice and general nutrition.

During my OWL Phase, I ate vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains and even 'starchy' vegetables like potatoes. I wasn't constipated with all that fiber. And my breath didn't smell bad because ketones have a sweetish odor--similar to over-ripe apples---and due to the chlorophyll I was getting from those fruits and veggies.

Good luck to you, nonetheless. And I do suggest you tell your sisters-in-law about the more current dietary recommendations by the AHA and by the Joslin Center for Diabetes. It will only serve to benefit their patients.

[ConfusedAndNeedHelp]

Re: I think I am going off..

Bad breath? Weird. I have sweet breath and go regularly.

[Amy35]

Re: I think I am going off..

I'd like to know too what healthy, natural foods we are being deprived of. I'm on extended induction and even with the restrictions of induction I'm still eating and cooking FAR healthier than before this WOE. Three cups of veggies a day?? That NEVER happened before Atkins. Grilled meats, chicken and fish?? Yeah, maybe during the summer on a sunny weekend, otherwise it was whatever boxed "food" you could throw into the oven and forget about for an hour.

And I'm curious too, just how much protein were you eating a day? Did you keep track on Fitday?

[michigander]

Re: I think I am going off..

Atkins is not a cult. People can stop the diet whenever they want - there's no punishment. But most of us have been around the block a time or two, and have found that low carb is the only long-term plan that works in our lives. There's no cookie cutter diet that works for 100% of the people.

I did find weight watchers EXTREMELY helpful, because it taught me how to watch my portions, which I still apply to atkins - it really does make a difference how much I put in my mouth. I lost 15 pounds doing weight watchers, but then couldn't afford to re-join after my 3rd month and gained it back. I ended up going back on atkins, and lost 35 pounds.
I think atkins is like any other way of life - no matter which method you stick to, it will work if you truly do it. So I wish you luck on WW, and feel free to try atkins again if it doesn't work out.

[jsj0305]

Re: I think I am going off..

Sorry Atkins was not for you.

I have to say, I agree with what everyone has said thus far. If done correctly, this diet is extremely effective as well as extremely healthy. Their are FAR more studies recently conducted that say not only is this diet healthy, but it is one of the most effective diets. It was ranked #1 by a study conducted by Stanford. For every article or "study" conducted that claims this is not healthy, their are a hundred to set the record straight.

Dr Atkins mentions MANY times in DANDR that you should have blood work and be checked out before hand. This diet is NOT to be done by those who have kidney problems already.

I just can't help but feel like this is the same thing as the whole epherdra crap. Too many people w/ preexisting heart conditions used ephedra and they ended up having heart attacks. Not ephedra's fault... it's the person's lack of knowledge of their own body. I have heart problems and knew better than to take diet pills. If I did, what ever happened would be my responsibility.

This is why it is SO important to be checked out BEFORE you start the diet..so that you know what was already there, and what changed.

As far as the water and the protein are concerned.... the ONLY way water can be dangerous is if you are not consuming enough sodium. Then your minerals and electrolytes get thrown out of balance. But this is also due to not voiding and getting rid of that excess water. It's usually related to extreme athletes..which really doesn't apply to most of us, no offence

Your ratios should be 65% fat, 30% protein, and 5% carbs from veggies. I'm sorry but 30% of your diet being protein is not dangerous..and that is only induction. The ratios change as you move along.

I hope that you find a diet that works for you and your kidney issues are resolved.

And please remember that if in the future you decide to come back to Atkins and ADBB, we will all be here with open arms. YOUR success is what matters to us...just as our successes thus far mean a lot to us. Atkins has been the way for us..and for many of us, the ONLY way. When we are walking billboards of how effective and healthy not only this diet is but we are...it's very easy to become offended b/c it is taken personally.

I just hope you understand where we are coming from, that's all.

Best of luck to you and your fiancee in whatever you choose to do...I hope that you succeed and are as happy with your diet as we are with ours.

[Checkers]

Re: I think I am going off..

I wonder if this OP actually doing Atkins, or what Atkins is rumored to be??? 1. Atkins is high fat, not high protein which anyone that read the book would know. 2. My urine is almost clear because of the water I drink. 3. Induction included more veggies than have even seen anyone eat. So now veggies are unnatural and not what we are meant to eat? 4. So I'm assuming that according to the OP and her family members that the OWL foods that I have added are unnatural and bad for me.... fruit and berries, legumes, dairy, grains. So my question is what should I be eating that's healthy if I give up all of these unnatural foods? Sorry, but I don't beleive that anyone that has ever read the book and done Atkins correctly would make these statements. I have no problem with people quitting and going for another plan, but lets not lie about Atkins.

[cincywbbw]

Re: I think I am going off..

I have read every post in this forum, and once again everyone has convinced me that this is the only WOE for me...Thanks Guys!!!!

[ConfusedAndNeedHelp]

Re: I think I am going off..

Well I can tell you that before I looked into atkins heavily, before I started - the general push people gave to atkins was "eat all the meat, eggs and butter/fat you want."

Nobody mentioned the water, veggies and rungs to me before. Which is a big reason why I decided I'll do my own thing which has to be better for you in the long run.

[bradybunch]

Re: I think I am going off..

I have read every post in this forum, and once again everyone has convinced me that this is the only WOE for me...Thanks Guys!!!!

My sister is also a RN and has been for fifteen years. When i did my bloodwork in the fall she was totally impressed. She told all of the MD's at her hospital. They were amazed. I have gone from totally unhealthy to healthy in less than a year. I owe it all to this diet. You are on the right path cincywbbw. No doubt.

[Checkers]

Re: I think I am going off..

Yes I am looking for a reason to quit, I am sick of bad breath, constipation and being restricted from healthy natural foods we were meant to eat. I did lose 15 pounds, so obvisiouly it does work, its just not for me.

As to who you know, my mother is a RN and has been for 21 years. My sisters in laws are both MDs and they all have negative things to say about this diet. So I think I will take their advice rather than yours. Not to be harsh..

I've got to ask, what are these 'healthy natural foods' that Atkins restricts you from? It is based around whole, natural foods. Veg, legume, berries and fruits and whole grains are all on the carb ladder. Sadly I have yet to read one article against Atkins that didn't just plain lie about what is eaten on Atkins. I don't know anyone that eats as many whole foods as me. I bet your family members are saying these things after a of gross, processed, fake foods. Please show them the carb ladder and then they can educate us on which of the rungs are the bad foods.

[ConfusedAndNeedHelp]

Re: I think I am going off..

I think Atkins is keeping you from over processed and preservative laced foods.
That SOB!

But in all seriousness, I hope you find a plan you like and get thin from and not yo-yo.