Straight Dope: How painful is Atkins?

[tcv]

So, I finally received my book (yay) and am reading through it. I've also been browsing the forums.

One thing I can't quite put my finger on -- and scares me, honestly -- is that I get the impression that Atkins is painful to exist on. I realize that Atkins himself states that one should not feel hungry. Fine. But certainly there are enough messages on this board to indicate that many people are not exactly well during Induction. Indeed, some are outright panicky.

I am wondering what to expect. Me scared.

[Hoping]

Re: Straight Dope: How painful is Atkins?

Some people go through the induction flu, but not all. When I first did induction I got a headache, but that was it. It wasn't even that bad really.

After that you feel great. You get to eat yummy foods, exercise, and have lot sof energy. Every body is different, and you have to rremember that.
There i s one thing: you need to be committed; otherwise, you will have a hard time. You have to plan, plan, plan so you don't fall off the bandwagon. You have to cook/prepare your meals, but it's so easy. It just takes a little more time.
Good Luck

[kate58]

Re: Straight Dope: How painful is Atkins?

I felt dreadful and had awful headaches for about 2-3 day during induction, but then I gave up a 2-3 litre a day diet coke habit at the same time as I started, so I'm guessing that had quite an influence on that. Whatever the cause, by day 5 or 6 I was feeling BRILLIANT, and have felt that way since.

I think you may be selectively reading posts. Lots of people post during the first few days of induction that they feel bad or weird, but then their bodies are undergoing major change, so that isn't really surprising. But those very people are often back just a day or two later posting about how great they feel.

If you look at enough post you'll find that few, if any, people saying "I've lost 20/30/40/50 pounds and I feel terrible" - it's the exact opposite, people who have stuck to the plan for any decent amount of time pretty much invariably feel better than they have for years.

[sillygirl]

Re: Straight Dope: How painful is Atkins?

So, I finally received my book (yay) and am reading through it. I've also been browsing the forums.

One thing I can't quite put my finger on -- and scares me, honestly -- is that I get the impression that Atkins is painful to exist on. I realize that Atkins himself states that one should not feel hungry. Fine. But certainly there are enough messages on this board to indicate that many people are not exactly well during Induction. Indeed, some are outright panicky.

I am wondering what to expect. Me scared.

It's true, some people do get the induction flu, but not everyone does. It only lasts a few days and frankly what it is is withdrawal from carb addiction.

If you've read the book you will understand it's the way we eat that keeps the hunger at bay so yes you should not feel hungry.

We recently had a book reading challenge that you can read here:
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ad.php?t=50798

We went thru the book part by part and had discussions about each. It will be agood read for you in conjunction with DANDR.

There is no pain involved, only good eating. When Atkins is followed properly, you will eventually be eating from every food group, including grains.

So, what you can expect? You can expect to feel very energetic, not hungry, your skin will glow, and above all you will feel really good about yourself!

[Sera]

Re: Straight Dope: How painful is Atkins?

when i did induction the first time i had no induction flu at all and im sure this was due to me having lived a fairly low carb life before already.
the second time i went on a short induction to get back into ketosis i had just come back from holidays and had eaten bread and, yes, sugar as well and i did get the symptoms then.
its over after a few days tho and i dont think its something u need to worry about.
for the rest, i really enjoy the way i eat now.
i just have a fabulous eggplant lasagna in the oven and while i used to eat lasagna before it was never all selfmade and never tasted that good ;D

i hope you'll overcome your doubts and join us, its a great way to lose weight

[dreamof145]

Re: Straight Dope: How painful is Atkins?

Anytime you try to overcome an additiction, it isn't easy the first few days. Atkins is the same way cause you are eliminating your dependency on sugars. Don't dwell on the negative few days that might or might not happen. Instead make plans for the new life-style and all the positive things like health, feeling great, looking great and the wonderful friends you will make here. Congratulations on reading the book and committing to making your life happier and healthier!

[SunnySmile501]

Re: Straight Dope: How painful is Atkins?

It takes different enzymes to digest carbs than it does to digest protein and fat. When we are eating a lot of carbs and stop suddenly, it takes a few days to get the proper enzymes in our system to digest the different foods. This process in reverse is why we get a headache and sick if you eat cake or something with a lot of carbs. Also, your body is detoxing and you will probably have yeast die-off, which can make you feel bad for a couple of days. You do feel a bit bad, sometimes, but it never lasts long and you feel so much better after a few days, you'll wonder what took you so long to start eating this way.

There's a very good chance that you won't get Induction flu at all. I was practically living on white carbs by doctor's advice, and I didn't get it at all. I had a bad taste in my mouth and my urine smelled funny for a few days, but that's all. Well worth all the benefits I have reaped.

From other posts of yours that I have read, you are not overweight and don't eat that badly, so you will probably be okay. You'll probably have to scale back your intense exercise for about a week, but that's not hard to do for only one week out of your life.

If you allow yourself to experiment, Atkins is the best eating you will ever find. I never feel deprived and have found a plethora of new Atkins foods that are now my new favorites.


Here is an excerpt from an article that explains the enzyme thing a little better:

Following a low-carb diet makes one a little glucose intolerant, which is the reason that the instructions for a glucose tolerance test always include the admonition to eat plenty of carbs in the week before the test. Why? Because all the macronutrients--glucose, fat and protein--are broken down by enzymes during the metabolic process. And all the enzymes necessary for the metabolism of the various macronutrients are made on demand but not immediately. If you are on a high carbohydrate diet, then you will have plenty of enzymes on hand to deal with the carbohydrates you consume. If you switch to a low-carbohydrate diet, it takes a while to manufacture the enzymes in the quantities needed to deal with the extra fat and protein that your metabolic system hadn't been exposed to. This deficiency of protein/fat metabolizing enzymes is the reason people starting a low-carb diet become so easily fatigued--they've got plenty of enzymes on hand to break down carbs, they just don't have the carbs to metabolize. Once they produce the enzymes necessary to deal with the load of protein and fat, which takes a few days, they become low-carb adapted and no longer feel fatigued.

Once people become low-carb adapted--as I hope we all are--then the same thing happens if they go face down in the donuts. They don't have the enzymes on board to deal with the sudden influx of glucose, and, as a consequence, their blood sugar spikes higher than it would on a person eating the same amount of carbohydrate who is already carb adapted.

This paper shows that these carb spikes are not benign. As the paper points out

Link to full article: LINK

[Debi2007]

Re: Straight Dope: How painful is Atkins?

Detox can be painful. But soooo worth it. I had a slight induction flu but then I felt so great. It is truly worth it.

[daquix]

Re: Straight Dope: How painful is Atkins?

So, I finally received my book (yay) and am reading through it. I've also been browsing the forums.

One thing I can't quite put my finger on -- and scares me, honestly -- is that I get the impression that Atkins is painful to exist on. I realize that Atkins himself states that one should not feel hungry. Fine. But certainly there are enough messages on this board to indicate that many people are not exactly well during Induction. Indeed, some are outright panicky.

I am wondering what to expect. Me scared.

I never went through the "induction flu" as others have. As per my personal experience, the first 3 days are filled with hunger paings, but if you can get through them without cheating, day 4 and on become pretty easy. You feel full and satisfied.

[OzLover]

Re: Straight Dope: How painful is Atkins?

Here is my experience:

Touch of Induction flu...headache, feeling tired, somewhat bitchy...all due to detox. What I gained by going through the 3-4 days of this=increased energy levels, being able to work 8+ hours a day & come home with enery to do whatever I want, no more acid reflux, sleeping incredibly well, no food cravings, no hunger pain/cravings, my body doesn't ache like it use to, increased self esteem & confidence & finding a great group of people at ADBB!

Continueing to eat carbs=feeling like crap all the time & hating myself.

I'm glad I chose this way of eating/living & the Induction flu was worth it!!!

[Mirya]

Re: Straight Dope: How painful is Atkins?

So, I finally received my book (yay) and am reading through it. I've also been browsing the forums.

One thing I can't quite put my finger on -- and scares me, honestly -- is that I get the impression that Atkins is painful to exist on. I realize that Atkins himself states that one should not feel hungry. Fine. But certainly there are enough messages on this board to indicate that many people are not exactly well during Induction. Indeed, some are outright panicky.

I am wondering what to expect. Me scared.

I had induction flu start right about the 5th-9th day of induction. The only thing thats bad is the caffiene headaches and feeling like your dizzy or lightheaded sometimes but thats all part of the caffiene and carb withdrawls. I am on my 15th day of induction and down 12lbs. I am going for 2 weeks extended induction. Honestly I really wish I had done my research about this diet long ago. I am always full and if it helps to graze your food then do so. Like many small meals a day. Basically your eating something all the time really just don't go over 20 net carb grams a day. its really easy once you get used to it and induction flu really isn't that bad.

[LCer09]

Re: Straight Dope: How painful is Atkins?

Hmm... Well, I've been on Atkins since 10/03, and it was for-sure painful BEFORE I started. Swolen feet, chronic exhaustion and horrific acid reflux are the first physical things that come to mind. The mental anguish over being 100lbs overweight and all that comes with it was quite a blow as well. But after Atkins? Painful? No way! The "pain" of not being able to have french fries with my burger is NOTHING compared to all that.

... although my feet do hurt sometimes now when I've covered tha Mall 10X looking for the perfect dress. It IS so much harder now that ALL the stores carry my size. Well, except Lane Bryant..

[Discolemonade]

Re: Straight Dope: How painful is Atkins?

I've been eating akins since 2004. Induction was the only bad part, and that was 3 whole days. Since then the only painful part is constantly spending money on smaller clothes. OUCH>but it feels OH SO GOOD.

[liv]

Re: Straight Dope: How painful is Atkins?

I have only been doing this since the end of November, but painful is not how I would describe it. More like excillerating, fun and rewarding. Sure there have been times when I had to ask my new internet friends here for help about this or that but those have been minor glitches. I am so glad I decided to change my eating style. I am eating so much healthier now and have a more energy. I am also starting to feel better about myself and treat people around me with more patience. And last time I went to buy clothes (and I don't go very often) I had gone down one size rather than the usual up one size.

[Mirya]

Re: Straight Dope: How painful is Atkins?

Think of it this way. All the money you save on junk food you can use to buy clothes for when you get your Sexy Back