I Could Use Some Truth/Advice!

[hotmama2b]

Hi Everyone!

I am new to the boards here and was taking a look around. I haven't started the atkins diet yet as I am a little nervous about it. I wanted to ask some of you what you really think of the diet and how its been working for you. I've been trying to lose weight for what seems like forever and keep trying different weight loss methods but none of them seem to really work, I know part of it is that I keep stopping or cheating and sometimes don't give them a full chance. I really need to lose about 70lbs for a lot of different reasons and am very serious this time but want to make sure I choose the right program. I don't want to delay this any further. Can some of you let me know what the good/bad things are about the atkins program? Do you exercise? How much have you lost, has it been pretty quickly? Thank you all so much.

[djb]

Re: I Could Use Some Truth/Advice!

excercise is a must mate,ive lost quite a bit within a month,remember everyone is different.

after you get through the 1st 3 days it gets really easy,just focus on your goal you will never look back

[atkinsgal08]

Re: I Could Use Some Truth/Advice!

>> haven't started the atkins diet yet as I am a little nervous about it.>>

What are you nervous about?

Have you read the book, Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution?

[barrnone]

Re: I Could Use Some Truth/Advice!

On 2/1/2009, I was at least 70 lbs overweight...depressed, angry, sad. I had quit doing a lot of things because I hated myself. My relationship with my husband was in the toilet. On that day I chose Atkins. Within a week, I was hooked and 9 months later I havent' changed my mind. I'm thrilled every day that I have chosen Atkins. I found my self again and I like it. My hub is also thrilled and has joined me with Atkins! Life couldn't be better. February 1, 2009 will always be one of the most important days of my life.

I really don't see a downside

[stephinextremis]

Re: I Could Use Some Truth/Advice!

I'm fairly new to this board but I wanted to give you my thoughts.

Atkins works if you work with it. Reading the book, Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution (the 2002 edition is what this board uses) is of PARAMOUNT importance. I can't stress it enough! You aren't doing Atkins unless you read it and live it. If you read it and take the time to understand, I bet you that the Atkins way will sell itself to you in no time flat. And if you have any questions, there are countless fantastic men and women here who are happy to help you find your way. This is my second time on Atkins, and I guarantee you that if I'd practiced what I now preach on my first try, I wouldn't be here trying to lose the weight again!

As you will see in the book and mentioned here by others, exercise is essential to doing Atkins. You aren't doing Atkins if you don't exercise. You don't have to run a marathon on your first day, but you need to move your body! Take a walk, do a fitness DVD in the privacy of your home, but do something.

You mention stopping and cheating and not giving things a real chance. On Atkins, it's essential that you do the two-week Induction phase by the book. It may seem impossible now, but it's only two weeks of your life, and you just need to commit to doing it correctly one day at a time for those first fourteen days. Once the two weeks are up, I can virtually guarantee that you will look and feel better. You asked what are some of the bad things about Atkins, and I think that what you need to hear is that this can be a hard thing to do. I'll be the first to admit that the first few days aren't fun. Absolutely, it can be hard to change your ways of eating, not to mention your ways of THINKING about eating. Sure, you can lament the fact that you "can't" have bread, pasta, rice, fruit, desserts, and soda...and fixate on those things...or you can look at the fact that you CAN eat all the wonderful foods from the Acceptable Foods list for Induction. Induction, properly followed, will help you break your cravings for all those carb-laden things and shatter your old habits. Atkins will show you a new way to be.

On that note...cheating is hard to resist sometimes (almost nobody here will argue that!), and especially during the first few days of this way of eating as your body becomes accustomed to burning fat instead of all that glucose. But in my realm of experience, cheating is usually accompanied by a headache, a stomachache, other "digestive issues", and gaining back anywhere from five to ten pounds of water weight. It's not fun! It is especially hard to start any new kind of diet or way of eating during this time of year, when food is used to socialize and is given as gifts, but you will find the support you need in the book and on this board if you need it.

Best wishes for you and your weight-loss journey!

Stephanie

[RitaCeleste]

Re: I Could Use Some Truth/Advice!

Well, I'd advise you not to take the quickest possible path to get the weight off. If you exercise, make sure its something you like and are comfortable with doing for a long time. Atkins has worked for me whether I exercised or not. And not exercising involves me walking all over malls to look at clothes I can now fit in regularly. Okay the good the bad and the ugly. Atkins helps to control hunger for most people. This is good. You get to eat real food, not processes junk or franken foods. You may find you can live off bunless burgers and cheese and shrimp and loose weight doing it. You will also eat veggies and salads. If you cheat on Atkins, it tends to result in the rapid gaining of water weight at the very least. Also one meal a week off plan works for some. For others even that and they don't loose a pound when they weight in seven days later. You'll probably loose a good amount of water and fat during the induction phase of the diet, but then it'll level out to one to three pounds like any other healthy sustainable diet. Why do Atkins if it isn't really the turbo diet you ask? Well, you eat healthy foods Meats, Cheeses, Veggies, and after induction there is even more good food to choose from. Its easy to cook, you don't have to get fancy. Its simple, you can plan your own meals. And it should reduce your hunger and allow you to succeed on it. I picked this diet because I can live happily ever after with the allowed foods and knew it would take me awhile to get the weight off. Also I tried other diets and didn't loose the weight, didn't like the food, and was so hungry. Remember, if you succeed in getting the weight off with Atkins, you'll want to maintain your loss. Would you rather count calories and go around hungry in order to stay the same weight, or limit your carbs so hunger doesn't rear its ugly head? Those are also your choices in weight loss plans pretty much too. What you choose will depend on what works best for you. If I were you, I'd give it a shot to see how well your hunger is controlled by the end of induction and compare it to the other diets you've tried.

[chinadoll]

Re: I Could Use Some Truth/Advice!

Successful loss requires work and commitment. That includes water, exercise and not cheating. That is the same for all weight loss programs. Atkins makes me feel good, my allergies and reflux are better, my cholesterol is better. The down side is that when I screw up, I regain faster than on other programs. Don't look for the quick fix. Look for a complete permanent lifestyle change. This is the way for me. You need to decide what you can live with long term and make the commitment to do this--no cheats, no straying.

[Whatsername]

Re: I Could Use Some Truth/Advice!

I admit I was nervous when I first did Atkins. I got the book and read it, reread it and read it again. Debated and debated because i was so afraid of failing. This was in 2003. I finally started and was so happy. I will never forget how simply amazed I was that this worked for me. What I really loved was that I was in control of my eating for the first time ever. I didn't really do Atkins properly by following OWL and learning how to really make it my way of life. In 5 months I lost almost 50lbs. Went through some bad stress...crashed and burned and gained most of my weight back. For some reason (would take me a book to try to explain)...I knew Atkins worked for me, knew how I felt when I was on it but just couldn't commit. So for about 5 years...knowing all that in the back of my mind...I ate. Whatever & whenever I wanted.
Then I started rereading the book and thinking about it. And here I am. I am much smarter about it this time by learning how it is a lifelong plan..and how that works. I am also exercising and drink lots of water.
The good...how it has changed my life and how much better I feel about myself now.
The bad...getting started...get over that bump and off you go

Good luck! You can do it and we are here to help you along the way.
Jane

[Shrew2u]

Re: I Could Use Some Truth/Advice!

Others have explained many good aspects of this Way of Life, so I'll focus on the bad:

• Atkins food is expensive. I can make a serving of Hamburger Helper (w/ 1.3 lb hamburger, serves 5) for $1.12. Cheap, fast, tasty! Meanwhile, a serving of hamburger soup (same 1.3 lb of hamburger, with beef broth, zucchini, celery, onion, mushroom, butter and garlic, serves 5) costs me a whole $1.32. Outrageous, I tell ya!
• The results of Atkins are expensive. I'm so glad my clothes are stretchy enough that I didn't go up a size when I gained weight. I feel bad for the people who are so successful with this way of life, they have to buy a whole new wardrobe when they're done. That's gotta suck!
• Some people are jerks when they find out you're on Atkins. There are so many misconceptions about the Atkins way of life that negative responses are almost inevitable. (I wonder where those people were when I was eating chili cheese fries and chocolate shakes for lunch?) Then there are the catty ones...you know, the ones who never seem to lose an ounce but have weight loss advice for everyone? The more you lose, the cattier they get. Be prepared to tell a cat or two what's what.
• You have to eat real food. I used to be able to grab any old thing and stuff it in my gob without a care in the world (until I stepped on the scale and felt disgusted with myself). Now I have to plan my meals and think about the way certain foods affect my body. I actually have to worry about eating *enough* food, since this way of eating naturally suppresses my appetite.
• You might have to beat people off with a stick. I'm no advocate of violence, but seriously? The wolf whistles are getting annoying! Jeez, dude, I'm married - I know the view is nice, but that's for Mr. Shrew to enjoy!

[Georgiana]

Re: I Could Use Some Truth/Advice!

• You might have to beat people off with a stick. I'm no advocate of violence, but seriously? The wolf whistles are getting annoying! Jeez, dude, I'm married - I know the view is nice, but that's for Mr. Shrew to enjoy!

LOL!

[liv]

Re: I Could Use Some Truth/Advice!

You are so right on with the disadvantages
that clothes one is a killer. I have had to replace my clothes several times. There are times I really regrets doing this.
Another things I have noticed is that people have stopped giving me friendly but subtle advice about how to eat. I really miss that
And I don't get quite as much sympathy as I used to. Before people used to turn to me and ask me if I was OK when I had to stop half way up and catch my breath or use my asthma inhaler. That just do not happen anymore.
Not great.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: I Could Use Some Truth/Advice!

>>one meal a week off plan works for some.>>

It's certainly not proper Atkins though!

And I'm not sure how wasting 3-5 days of fat burning for one meal "works".

[RitaCeleste]

Re: I Could Use Some Truth/Advice!

She admitted she isn't the proper sort, cheating on her other diets. Not everyone is proper. And I was honest about what could happen. Its harder to cheat and loose weight on Atkins than it is on other plans. This can train you up right, mold and shape you, or it can totally defeat you. All or nothing thinking leads a lot of people to not even try in the first place. They figure if they can't be perfect and they know they can't they should just quit while they are ahead and give up. How many people are overweight? How many are even on a diet of any kind? I am not perfect all the time but I was good enough to loose a lot of weight. So Atkins doesn't have to only be for proper, perfect dieters. It even works in spite of some flaws too sometimes! It takes longer but beats the alternatives. If you think I cheated on Atkins, you should of seen what happened with low calorie diets with no hunger suppression happening! Its easier to be good on Atkins.

[Aways2Go]

Re: I Could Use Some Truth/Advice!

In my experience thus far...

The Good -
I stay full easily - I am almost never hungry
I am eating real food - you can eat out if you plan it a little - you can change recipes you are already used to eating to suit this low carb style of eating
Counting carbs is easier than counting calories - smaller numbers, LOL!
It is easy to stay on this plan when you aren't all that hungry anyway
Especially after the first few weeks, there is a lot of variety in the diet
You lose some weight fast at first, which keeps you motivated, and then you lose at a more normal rate of a few pounds every week or so, but you keep losing and it adds up
It gets much easier after the first several days to a week - I have no problems at all with staying with this way of eating and not wanting to cheat, no cravings, etc.


The bad -
Cheating does you in a lot more so than on other diets and takes longer to recover from weight wise (and cravings wise, for a lot of folks)
You won't lose as fast after the first few weeks - but this is true of all diets
You have to put up with occasional stalls in your weight loss - aggravating, but if you just keep eating right, the weight comes off again shortly
You really have to pay attention to little things that add carbs - eating 3/4 cup instead of 1/2 of several things in a day may make you not lose, for example, so you have to know and not guess what you are eating - forgetting one thing you ate that had 5 carbs in it might put you over your limit for the day
You really need to keep a list of what you are eating to do the best with it and know how many carbs you are taking in.
Many people find they absolutely have to avoid aspartame to lose weight - and aspartame is in ALL KINDS of foods where they have taken sugar out - diet sodas, crystal light, diet jello, on and on and on. It's shocking how many foods it is in.


Overall, it is the easiest eating plan I have ever followed which is why I am still with it after many months, and still having success.

Read the book - drink enough water - read the bulletin boards here - don't try to add in a bunch of "low carb" created foods from the store like low carb wraps, low carb ice cream, low carb chocolate bars, etc. Those products kill a lot of folks in the weight loss arena. Leave them off until much later on, like pre-maintenance.

[Elizellen]

Re: I Could Use Some Truth/Advice!

Wow!! What a lot of terrific advice/cautions/experience in all these posts
You all deserve rep points for these if the system will let me do so many at once