Debating Atkins

[momonmission99*]

Re: Debating Atkins

Well considering that before I started this I was 225 pounds... and at 5'8 that is NOT ok. I am now 164lbs and am actually thin again, even after having 3 kids, one right after the other. I finally look 27 again, actually much younger than that, but I looked so much older at my heaviest.

I used to sweat and get winded after mopping my floor! I can now walk almost 4 miles in an hour and not drip sweat. In the arizona heat no less.
My blood pressure dropped from 160 being the top number to 110 being the top number at my highest. My resting heart rate used to be insane, sometimes over 100 bpm and is now 70bpm. I'm working on getting it lower.

I am losing hair LOL, but that's not because of Atkins. From what I'm reading it would have happened either way after losing 61lbs.
This "diet" saved my life. I was on a horrible track before Atkins.

[BigSouthernBoy]

Re: Debating Atkins

I think Norman summed it up best. All diets have their flaws, and, in some instances, people become ill while on said diet. Whether or not that illness, heart disease included, had anything to do with how they may have been eating at the time I don't guess we'll ever know.

I do know, however, that I have a lot of weight to lose. And thus far, nothing has worked well enough to get me out of the morbidly obese category. You all have proved that an individual is perfectly capable of not only losing mass quantities of weight, but also improving overall health indicators on Atkins.

Though I may be somewhat weary of eating a pound of bacon a week, or perhaps using quite as much butter as I have been, I feel that Atkins is the best choice for me. You're all right; how could unprocessed, wholesome foods such as vegetables and meats in moderation be any worse for you than 6 Mt. Dews and God only knows what else in a day?

The fact of the matter is that it's not as bad. It's nowhere NEAR as bad, actually. So, I've come to the conclusion that while Atkins may not be the best choice for some, such as a low-fat-vegan (hah), it will work for me. Yes, there may be horror stories all across the web and throughout your community regarding the unhealthy nature of Atkins, but like several of you mentioned, we can't expect everyone to admit that everything they've ever known to be true is indeed completely false in one day. It will take time and a lot of studies to see how this all works out. Maybe some were right - maybe we're doing more harm than good. Only time will tell. In the meantime, however, a lot of good is being done by eliminating the plethora of carbs we typically consume.

Perhaps I will be "bad" sometimes and have some fruit. Though Dr. Atkins wanted low-carbers to significantly limit their fruit intake, especially those higher in carbs, I'll never be convinced that it is bad for you. I'll never feel guilty for eating an apple, orange, strawberries, and the like. Yes, perhaps I won't lose 150 lbs. in six months like some of you guys, but I will get there. And I'll get there without beating myself up constantly.

Thank you all for your input and opinions. I really appreciate you not being complete assholes and turning this into an argument. Instead, you provided me with real life examples of how this diet has turned your life around.

Thank you again.

[chinadoll]

Re: Debating Atkins

You have to remember it is not bad to have fruit. Just make sure you start moving up through the rungs after induction and you will get many other foods back in your diet. This idea that its all about bacon and meat is part of what is getting you down but there are a lot more choices than that. In fact I eat more veggies than ever before. DONT stay in Induction. Move up the rungs to get the things you miss back. Just do it in order and do it according to the book so you don't sabotage yourself.

[ErinB]

Re: Debating Atkins

In fact I eat more veggies than ever before.

Me, too! It is like the protein is the side dish now for me and the veggies are the main attraction ... and I don't dislike meat at all. It's just that the veggies provide so much variety and, so far, seem to actually be increasing the weight loss rate. I have to work at keeping the protein at the level it needs to be to support my workouts.

[keriann_forgoodthistime]

Re: Debating Atkins

Absolutely! I have a customer who has recently graduated from Louisiana State University in Nutrition. She hadn't seen me in a while, and marveled at how much weight I had lost. When she asked me how I did it, I said I followed Atkins. Her face just fell. She then launched into the dangers of Atkins. I then told her what I had eaten that day. After I told her, she told me I wasn't doing Atkins correctly, because I was having a veggie at every meal, and shouldn't be eating carbs. How do you argue with such ingnorance?

I rarely mention the "A" word anymore when someone asks how I lost weight... I just tell them I eat only unprocessed foods, and that seems to satisfy them.

That just amuses the heck out of me.
seriously. It's like - we all know the RIGHT rules of atkins, as we have read the book and it says "this is how you do atkins". then there are people out there who've never even SEEN the book in real life, let alone read it - and think they know how atkins is done.

I wouldn't go up to a basketball player and ask him why he's not scoring any touchdowns!

[keriann_forgoodthistime]

Re: Debating Atkins

Perhaps I will be "bad" sometimes and have some fruit. Though Dr. Atkins wanted low-carbers to significantly limit their fruit intake, especially those higher in carbs, I'll never be convinced that it is bad for you. I'll never feel guilty for eating an apple, orange, strawberries, and the like. Yes, perhaps I won't lose 150 lbs. in six months like some of you guys, but I will get there. And I'll get there without beating myself up constantly.

You have to remember it is not bad to have fruit. Just make sure you start moving up through the rungs after induction and you will get many other foods back in your diet. This idea that its all about bacon and meat is part of what is getting you down but there are a lot more choices than that. In fact I eat more veggies than ever before. DONT stay in Induction. Move up the rungs to get the things you miss back. Just do it in order and do it according to the book so you don't sabotage yourself.

Exactly like Chinadoll said - fruit ISN'T bad. but you have to be careful of it and introduce it back into your diet AFTER you've learned how not to eat junk sugar and all those other things.
I'm on rung 7 now. Fruit. I've passed rung 4. Berries.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my berries and I eat kiwis and peaches and other fruits allowed on rung 7. I'm down a total of 30 pounds and have NOT gained anything since introducing those fruits back in. why? well - because I've taught myself that WHOLE FOODS which are what we eat on this WOE is how my body needs to be nourished. fruit IS good for you - but NOT if you're eating it all day long and letting it spike your blood sugar - which in turn is what makes you fat (how insulin in your body works - read up on it).

Even one day I will begin to eat potatoes again - because they are allowed, once you train your body not to eat all that other junk - and it's just an "every once in a while food" and not a breakfast, lunch & dinner food. (seriously I used to LIVE off of potatoes and would/could/DID have one for breakfast/lunch/dinner...)

But now that I know that the type of food we eat is how our insulin in our body gets spiked and when there's excess insulin in our blood it stays as fat if there's too much there. it's learning how to BALANCE that and not gorge on sugar (yes, even fruit) but instead that it's ok to have some in moderation - just not all the time.

And just like someone else said - before beginning atkins this year - just looking at it - it went against EVERYTHING I'd EVER been taught about "healthy eating". I'm a lifetime member of weight watchers (technically) as I had lost 60 pounds on WW years ago. The weight came off - but I NEVER learned ANYTHING about actual nutrition - just how to neurotically count my points/calories and try to fit every type of junk food into my allotted points for the day. I did it - I lost the weight - but then i also developed "Insulin Resistance" and my body rebelled and no matter HOW much I counted points and exercised like a madman, I literally couldn't lose one ounce.

Now I eat whole - unprocessed foods - NOTHING I eat comes from a box and the only "bagged" foods I eat are nut flours (almond flour, coconut flour, or cheese if it's bagged...) stuff like that.

It absolutely TERRIFIED me to eat so much fat. But in two months alone (I haven't had it checked since february) - but in February, after two months of being on atkins, my cholesterol had gone down from 210 to 190 by eating FAT!

To me, this diet - like I said in my earlier post - is literally a life saver. I have come to realize that I have a disease. That disease is yo-yo dieting. I needed an answer on how to fix that disease so that I could be healthy both physically AND mentally and not become so consumed with hating myself over how much I weighed. I've FINALLY found it - and have NEVER been happier. I DON'T feel like I'm dieting at ALL. I'm healthier than all my friends - and I indulge here and there when I feel the need (but literally it's like once in a blue moon and I always try to find the healthiest indulges).

PLUS it's also helped my relationship! it's funny because most people who are doing a diet completely different from their families think the opposite - that it makes them feel more disconnected - but my DH is so supportive - and he absolutely LOVES LOVES LOVES the fact that I cook dinner now (when we first moved in together he did all the "womanly" things - cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc - but he's also a clean freak...) but we'd have fights that he didn't think I was doing "my part" of this relationship - and now that I have such a specific diet I follow - I have to be the one to make dinner - and it's actually becoming a hobby! Plus, I'm good at it. I'm not gourmet by any means, but I'm a good cook.

Seriously though - everything about me changing to Low Carb this year has changed my life in so many ways I can't even BEGIN to explain.

Plus - I haven't even gone back to the gym yet (had surgery last month, haven't been in over 3 months) - and now that I'm only 6 pounds away from my goal (which is the number that I was when I lost on WW) - it terrifies and excites me to think that I can actually do what I used to do at the gym (i will be getting back into it next month) and it will MEAN something now that I've gotten all this excess weight off and now that I know HOW to live a healthy life.

It's seriously become my passion anymore - healthy living - and the fact that atkins - the diet I myself used to criticize and ridicule - is what has literally SAVED my life.

All I can say is DO IT! and GOOOOOD LUCK!

[BigSouthernBoy]

Re: Debating Atkins

Thank you guys all so much for taking the time to share your stories of success and dedication. You really helped me through the rough (and constantly repeating) patch. As of this morning, I'm down 11.5 lbs. I know this works.

[neutronnorman]

Re: Debating Atkins

then don't spend hours reading it. Go for a walk, eat your meat and vegetables and lose weight. What more do you need?
That is what i did

$100,000,000.00

[yanto]

Re: Debating Atkins

Thank you guys all so much for taking the time to share your stories of success and dedication. You really helped me through the rough (and constantly repeating) patch. As of this morning, I'm down 11.5 lbs. I know this works.

I'll ditto all that. The shared experience of the users of this forum has reassured me considerably. I also had some fears but they have been laid to rest by the knowledge and experience the girls and guys have been good enough to share. I've lost 15 lb in under 3 weeks and apart from the induction flu for the first week I feel better than ever, and what's more I feel I have more energy from one day to the next, no diet I have done before has ever had that effect. I have probably eaten more veg than DANDR states, I have had a very limited amount of nuts and berries in week three, and the odd glass of wine, all of which I know is not by the book, but I reckon I can get away with these because I am very, very active and I have been very, very strict about refined carbs. I guess the reason I have started question the safety aspect is beacause I like it so much and feel like I can stay on it quite happily for a long, long time!

[7Miriam]

Re: Debating Atkins

I had the same concerns when I started Atkins almost a year ago. So before I started I got a physical and blood tests. When I get to a year (in another couple months) I plan to get another physical and compare the blood work. My thinking was that although I was scared of all the fat in Atkins, it still sounded healthier than what I had been eating. (I've tried WW on and off for years, literally most of my life & therefore was brainwashed to fear fat- but have never been able to stay on plan for long enough periods of time, and when I was off kept yo-yoing up more than I had lost.) After doing Atkins for a while, I feel so much better physically that I've become convinced that eating this way is what my body needs to work well. When I'm on Atkins I don't get headaches and lightheaded which was a constant problem pre-Atkins, am much less irritable and worried, have more energy and just overall feel better. I still plan on getting that second physical, but now it is more just out of curiosity than concern about doing Atkins. Though getting it at the beginning - when I was truely scared of Atkins - was what helped me to get over my fear and start doing Atkins.