Atkins...off and on?

[simplesahm]

Okay...I am fully prepared for a butt-chewing but I really want to hear your thoughts on this regardless.

I've done Atkins twice now. The first time I was simply looking for a sugar-free diet (I'm hypoglycemic) and ended up losing 10 pounds.

This time, I am trying to lose between 15-20. I am not overweight (yet ) but was headed that direction after taking Lexapro. I just want to get back to my "pre-kiddos" weight.

If I maintain a healthy diet after atkins, is it possible to simply do atkins when I need to lose a few pounds?

I plan to remain sugar-free and white flour free forever but don't want to count carbs the rest of my life if I hit my goal weight.

What are your thoughts?

[grovemonkey]

Re: Atkins...off and on?

When you ask if it is ok to do the atkins off and on, do you really mean is it ok to go in and out of ketosis for the sake of loosing weight?

[not2late]

Re: Atkins...off and on?

Okay...I am fully prepared for a butt-chewing but I really want to hear your thoughts on this regardless.

I've done Atkins twice now. The first time I was simply looking for a sugar-free diet (I'm hypoglycemic) and ended up losing 10 pounds.

This time, I am trying to lose between 15-20. I am not overweight (yet ) but was headed that direction after taking Lexapro. I just want to get back to my "pre-kiddos" weight.

If I maintain a healthy diet after atkins, is it possible to simply do atkins when I need to lose a few pounds?

I plan to remain sugar-free and white flour free forever but don't want to count carbs the rest of my life if I hit my goal weight.

What are your thoughts?

I'm in the Pre-Maintenance Phase of Atkins and soon to be in Maintenance Phase. I'm eating a very "healthy" diet right now. In fact, I was eating a "healthy diet" during my OWL phase.

As for counting carbs, once you go through OWL phase and learn how many carbs your body can tolerate, the carb counting part becomes second nature. I can look at my food and get a pretty accurate estimate of how many carbs 2 tablespoons of hummus on a rice cake contains.

As for jumping on and off Atkins, Dr. Atkins devoted a section in the book about this and cautioned against it because in his experience, yo-yoing like that can interfer with your metabolism to the point that you won't lose weight no matter what you do.

[ValidRouge]

Re: Atkins...off and on?

If you do the Atkins Nutritional Approach the way it is intended, the only thing you don't add back to your diet is the sugar and white flour. So, do two weeks of Induction, then move immediately into the Ongoing Weight Loss phase and start adding foods back in. By the time you hit your goal, you should have added every food group back in except the nasty white stuff.

[sadie147]

Re: Atkins...off and on?

Joy is exactly right...Im in maintenance and I currently include the following into my meals.

various proteins such as meats, nuts etc
various types of fruit: cantaloupe, apples, grapefruit, berries
whole grains: steel cut oats, sprouted grain and whole grain breads and wraps, whole rye crispbreads
various veggies including starchy veggies like sweet potatoes carrots etc.
dairy: yogurt, milk, cottage cheese, soft cheeses etc.

I have followed Atkins thru all the rungs, and I consider myself following a 'healthy' well balanced diet. I eat fruit 2/3 times a day now, as well as grains along with my proteins and veggies

there is a common misconception that Atkins is all about induction, this is definately not the case.

[simplesahm]

Re: Atkins...off and on?

I listened to the book on tape which didn't include the "ladder" graphic. That makes me feel better. I am planning to cut out white flour and sugar. I was just under the impression that I would be constantly playing with carbs like I am now.

I fed my kids some watermelon today and wanted to dive in face-first!

Thanks for your support! It makes more sense now.

[sallyseachange]

Re: Atkins...off and on?

Yes... Joy is right. What you are planning to do is Atkins maintenance to a tee, so you might as well do that!

[cherribom1]

Re: Atkins...off and on?

Sadie, what kind of milk are you drinking?

[sadie147]

Re: Atkins...off and on?

Sadie, what kind of milk are you drinking?

I usually use whole milk (3% mf), though right now I'm using Blue Diamond Almond Breeze 'milk' for my cereal, it's taste alot better than soy. i sometimes can be a bit lactose intolerant so too much dairy can irritate my stomach if I have too much...since i usually eat yogurt every day i find i can't include milk as often.