Atkins Products???

[julie3524]

Hello I'm new to the program. I just bought a whole bunch of atkins products(bars, shakes, etc) they say they are good for all phases. Reading through some of the threads I saw that some people say this is not correct for the first 14 days. Please advise. I just started yesterday and feel like I screwed up already. Thank you!

[Nick9973]

Re: Atkins Products???

Julie,

You are fine... don't worry. Personally, I steer clear from any sweet low-carb products simply because my sweet tooth cravings would throw me overboard. But if this isn't a problem for you, there's no reason you can't enjoy an Atkins product every now and again. There are a few stipulations, though:

1) You should only have a maximum of two products a day... no more!
2) They are not meant to be used as meal replacements, just snacks. It might be a good idea to have a veggie with your bar or shake.
3) If you experience slower-than-you'd-expect weightloss, stop using them immediately.

Some people find they slow weightloss down. When I used to use them, they worked fine... except for promoting my sweet tooth cravings, like I mentioned. Personally, I frown upon products in general. I believe Atkins can be done using whole, unprocessed foods. But I realize that not all people are the same. Whatever method you choose, make sure it works to your benefit and not to your detriment. Hope this helps!

Best of Success!

[Nick9973]

Re: Atkins Products???

Oh... and also, only Atkins bars and shakes are okay for induction... no other low-carb product. The other low-carb products are only okay for later phases. But the bars and shakes are okay.

[Lisa]

Re: Atkins Products???

Julie, I posted my answer to your other post in the 14-day-induction

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-14-day-induction/59617-atkins-products.html

In short....my suggestion..return the products and buy the fresh veggies, meat, and dairy to get you off to a healthy start.

Sorry to disagree here, but the products are meant for higher rungs, not Induction. Read more of the benefits of a clean induction in the book or the threads noted in the Induction parts

[Nick9973]

Re: Atkins Products???

The bars and shakes wouldn't say they were okay for all levels if they weren't. I agree that you should have a clean induction, but if you absolutely must have some form of sweets, they are the best way to go. Not all people can go whole-hog. If you can't, the Atkins products are fine.

[Nick9973]

Re: Atkins Products???

Julie,

To help you make up your own mind based on professional advice, here's a quote from Colette Heimowitz, the Vice President of Education and Nutrition at Atkins:

<As a nutritionist one of the advantages of the Atkins Diet that I like the best is that it can be individualized to suit a person’s likes, dislikes, tastes and lifestyle. We are all heading in the same direction of permanent weight control and vibrant health but the paths we choose to get there may be very different.

There are 14 studies to date showing results of 6 month to 1 year follow up in which participants were given two serving of Atkins Bars or Shakes daily as part of the research protocol. The products did not interfere with weight loss and, in those studies that allowed Atkins products; there was better compliance and retention. In fact there was one researcher in another study from the Veteran's Administration who was opposed to using Atkins Products with her patient population and she had a tougher time with compliance and retention. At the end of the year, her study participants were consuming far higher levels of carbohydrates than the patient population who were allowed to use Atkins products, and the drop out rate was much higher.
While I agree that there are some individuals who may need a two week period of withdrawal from sweet tasting foods to break an addiction, there are also those individuals who would not succeed without a healthy substitute.

So my advice is usually as follows; if you can't stop at one bar or drink at a time, if products are sacrificing your intake of whole foods, or you find yourself eating more than two per day, then stay away from Atkins products for two weeks until you have things under control. Each individual has to determine for themselves what works or doesn't work.

Otherwise there is no reason why one should avoid Atkins products in Induction.>

[julirama723]

Re: Atkins Products???

Nick, I disagree.

Atkins nutritionals is a BUSINESS. They don't care about the intricacies of the diet, they only care about making money. The way they make money is by getting you to believe that shakes and bars are necessary and healthy. They're NOT!

Julie, in DANDR, it says to only eat foods off the acceptable foods list. If you look at the shakes and bars and read the labels (which is what every Atkineer should be doing! ) you will find many ingredients not allowed until the higher rungs of OWL. Usually the shakes and bars are made with dairy, nut, and soy products. These are NOT allowed on induction.

In addition to illegal ingredients, the bars also contain sugar alcohols. Unless you get explosive diarrhea upon consumption of said bar, your body processed every single gram of those sugar alcohols like real carbs, and you MUST count them. So, ignore the "2g net carbs" statement on the wrapper, and simply subract fiber from total carbs. That's the REAL net carb amount. That being said, most bars can only be consumed once you reach Rung 6, Legumes, as there are usually soy ingredients.

So, once you get to the appropriate rung, the bars and shakes are technically legal, but still not a good idea. Dr. Atkins states that they are to be used only in an emergency, when a better food choice is not available.

[Nick9973]

Re: Atkins Products???

Julirama, I also disagree.

As I have previously said: FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T GO WHOLE-HOG, they are fine. "Can't" is the operative word. If it is possible to do Atkins without this crutch, then obviously, it is the best way to go. Not all people are like you and me... and you need to be sensitive and supportive to those who are just starting and may not know what they are capable of. Many people have successfuly moved through the phases of Atkins, using Atkins products along the way. I, personally, am not one of them. But I know many who have, and they are just as successful as you or I or any other member of this forum.

Lisa, it is important to choose the path that you find best suits your needs. If you need them, use them. If you don't... then don't. It's cheaper not to, anyway.

Best

[Sherri]

Re: Atkins Products???

Ditto what Julirama said.

[mitzimarie]

Re: Atkins Products???

Nick, there ARE boards that follow the program put into practice by Atkins Nutritionals, the company. This particular board, however, is centered around the 2002 version of Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution and advice is given based upon that book.

[Nick9973]

Re: Atkins Products???

<Nick, there ARE boards that follow the program put into practice by Atkins Nutritionals, the company. This particular board, however, is centered around the 2002 version of Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution and advice is given based upon that book.>

And nowhere in that book does it say you can or can't have Atkins products. If you read my replies very carefully, you'll notice I agree extensively with what many people here are saying. However, for those of us who CAN'T (ah, there's that magical word again!) keep with it, Atkins products are a fine fall back. Better than eating a Snickers bar, wouldn't you agree?

I am aware of the board you talk about. I am a member of it. But I am also an avid member of this board and the one thing I really can't get over is how dogmatic some people here can be. For those who desperately want to lose weight and maintain optimal health for life, they should be given the chance. If it means having a quick Atkins shake when nothing else is available, or if it means appeasing a sweet tooth craving that simply won't go away after weeks of Induction, so be it. I am not advocating that an entire menu revolve around these products. Trust me, I am not. But I really see no harm in having a shake every now and then for those who can handle it without becoming addicted or falling off the wagon; and while there may be some out there who claim Atkins products are the devil (you can count me as one of them), there are countless others who will claim they work.

The only way to know if an Atkins product will work for you is to try it. If you don't need them... don't take them! If you find that you could benefit from the occasional shake or bar and consume them responsibly and conservatively (and still lose or maintain weight depending on which phase you are in), then go ahead and do it. I see no problem in advocating that each person tries it out for him or herself. Isn't that what Atkins is all about, anyway?... Identifying the foods that work with you and the foods that won't? Did I miss something?

[happyinlife]

Re: Atkins Products???

I agree with most of the post here regarding clean induction. You want to kick the
sugar cravings first. I believe the sweetners and Atkins products have slowed down my weight loss. I am going to try a week with out them and compare.

There is plenty of time for the Atkins products later. The strawberry shakes are wonderful and the bars are very good too.

Take time to look ups some induction friendly recipes in place of these atkin products.

[not2late]

Re: Atkins Products???

It's been the collective experience of the members on this board, that the low carb products--bars, shakes, etc.--have a tendency to slow or stop weight loss in some people. Therefore, we don't advise their usage. If you do choose to use them, you need to be aware of this.

As for what Dr. Atkins really thought about those products. Here's an exerpt from his biography.

The patients who stayed, however, were extremely loyal to both atkins and his low-carb diet. But they had one major complaint: In a fast-paced world where everything was low in fat or high in carbohydrates or both, it was difficult to find something that they could eat on the run while still remaining on the low-carb program. They had no time to prepare their own snacks. Perhaps something like the low-fat energy bars sold in convenience stores would be great, only low-carb instead.

Atkins hesistated, and for a good reason. One of the things he constantly stressed with his patients was that they should eat foods that were as close to their natural state as possible, and for him, any kind of energy bar was as good as poison since it was clearly a processed food...

But his patients continued to beg him for something---"you sell the vitamins and other supplements, why not energy bars?" they reasoned--and so, with great reluctance, he gave in and developed not only an energy bar but also a low-carb shake that would make it easier for patients to keep to their Atkins programs.

"As long as you only use it for emergencies," he reminded them...

The energy bars and shakes were a necessary evil, there only because he thought his patients were too lazy to prepare the real kind of unprocessed foods that were the mainstay of his diet.

---Excerpted from:
Dr. Robert Atkins: The True Story of The Man Behind the War on Carbohydrates Lisa Rogak. Chamberlian Bros. 2005. Ch. 6

[kirbychristian]

Re: Atkins Products???

My personal experience is that I had a really good ketosis going and an Atkins bar kicked me out and I had to start all over. I was so p.o.'d...I thought an ATKINS bar would be good for the Atkins diet! I now avoid all "low carb" and "low net carbs" foods while on induction.

[julirama723]

Re: Atkins Products???

No need to be rude Nick.

The OP asked if bars and shakes are OK for Atkins induction. Simply put, no they're not. If a person is to follow the rules of induction, and only eat foods off of the acceptable foods list, the bars and shakes are not legal.

I am not saying to NEVER eat the bars; they are legal at the appropriate rung of OWL. (consumer beware, watch out for those sugar alcohols!) If I were to change the rules of Atkins to suit my need, I'd no longer be following Atkins, I'd be following Juliramakins.