atkins failure

[Georgiana]

Re: atkins failure

I am following the Atkins diet.

Induction ≠ Atkins

[amazon1]

Re: atkins failure

No one ever explained how you know when you get to the point where you can't eat more carbs without gaining weight. Maybe if you are losing 2 or 3 pounds a week you would know if you are stalling, but not if you're losing very gradually and fluctuate.

Can you recommend another board? I don't do South Beach or Zone.

[Georgiana]

Re: atkins failure

According to Dr. Atkins, staying on Induction until goal is how one should not do Atkins. From DANDR 2002, Chapter 17, "The Wrong Way to Do Atkins":

Misconception: You can just continue to do Induction until you lose all of your weight.
Reality: You will lose weight more quickly if you continue doing Induction, but you won't learn how to keep that weight off permanently if you don't move through the four phases. More important, you will miss out on the benefits of the phytochemicals present in health-promoting carbohydrate foods.

[Georgiana]

Re: atkins failure

how you know when you get to the point where you can't eat more carbs without gaining weight.

Before gaining weight, you'll first stop losing.

You need patience to do OWL. And yes, you can go for weeks or months without weight loss. It can happen in OWL... but it can happen in "extended" Induction, too.

[ziggy]

Re: atkins failure

The Fat Fast is not meant to "kick start" one's metabolism when that person was able to lose weight following Atkins.

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-low-carb-dieting-faqs/37419-who-should-do-fat-fast.html

Actually, the Fat Fast is 75-90% fat, not "up to 80% fat".

thanks for correcting me i never knew this xD

also i was thinking the 10 pounds was all water weight so maybe it was possible she never lost any fat

[ziggy]

Re: atkins failure

Sorry, I didn't read all the helpful comments in-between. I think she's someone who it didn't work for. It works for me and for most of the people here but not her. I think she's had thyroid issues. Could that be it?

when ever i see someone (rarely) that the diet does not work for they either did not do it right and or have thyriod problems

so ya trying to fix her thyriod issues and im sure the diet would work then

[amazon1]

Re: atkins failure

Looking at a the Atkins Essentials on my Kindle - I bought the latest DANDR but like I said, I leant it to someone. I'm not on induction because I eat nuts and don't worry about the 1 cup of this and 2 cups of that.

He says here that in pre-maintenance you should be losing less than a pound a week and it's very hard to tell if you're stalled. When you're losing less than a pound a week, like I am, it's impossible to know the exact point that you start stalling.

He also says that many people can never add legumes, fruits, etc. on OWL. I didn't add those things. The only thing I'm doing is keeping my total carbs under 25. He says some people can never go over that. So I'm actually not doing anything he wouldn't approve of.

Has anyone over 50 with 20 pounds to lose lost a lot more than 1/2 pound a week on a different regimen?

[IrishIrish]

Re: atkins failure

In answer to your initial question, I never had a problem with Atkins, but I followed it and didn't deviate. Rarely a cheat, until it is named IrishIrish's New Diet Revolution, I'll follow Dr. Atkins version. I didn't build my own plan but followed his in all the stages prescribed.

Depending on how much your friend has to lose, ten pounds may not be bad in a few months. Medication and stretching the plan can affect the loss experienced.

It requires work, education, determination, willingness to work through issues. This board exists to help others who need support but no one here can work miracles and without information, it is dangerous to advise.

Personally speaking, I've run into people who knew I did Atkins but as they sip their Marguerita and eat their chips and salsa claiming it is "their cheat day", I am skeptical. I reserve my hard earned knowledge of this program for those who are serious about the plan.

[mitzimarie]

Re: atkins failure

He also says that many people can never add legumes, fruits, etc. on OWL. I didn't add those things. The only thing I'm doing is keeping my total carbs under 25. He says some people can never go over that. So I'm actually not doing anything he wouldn't approve of.

It is true that some people can't eat legumes, fruits, etc. in OWL/Pre-Maintenace/Maintenance. But they test them first, to see if they have an intolerance... they don't just stay on Induction forever without progressing through the rungs.

I am one of those people who pretty much has to eat at Rung 1 even in Maintenance (although I do have an ounce of raw, natural almonds each day). But I progressed through all 9 rungs in a very methodical way in order to determine what I can and cannot tolerate. I also can't eat a huge number of carbs and still maintain. Again, I didn't just assume it was X number of carbs... I slowly upped my number, and determined how many I could eat and still lose. In Pre-Maintenance, I upped my number until I found out how many I could eat before I started gaining.

Has anyone over 50 with 20 pounds to lose lost a lot more than 1/2 pound a week on a different regimen?

Well, for one thing, it's never a good idea to compare your rate of loss with someone else's. We are all way too unique for that. And I wouldn't chose a plan for eating just because it is the quickest way to lose weight. I would base it upon how healthy the plan is, and which one you can follow consistently for life. I have tried many "diets", and Atkins is the only thing that has worked for me. That is why I spend my time here at ADBB.

Does properly progressing through the rungs take a great deal of time and patience? You bet! Frankly, I found it quite tedious at times. But we're talking serious business, here. I think I am worth the investment of time and energy that it takes, to learn exactly what I need to do to keep the weight off for life. And trust me, the journey does NOT stop when you hit goal. That's when the real work starts.

I have never implied that 2002 Atkins is the single, only way to lose weight. I am of the opinion that just about any plan can work - one just needs to find the plan that they believe in, and can follow for life. For therein, is the key to success.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: atkins failure

>>I didn't add those things.>>

Did you ever try moving up the OWL carb ladder?

Of course, Atkins Essentials is only geared towards Induction ... it's not a book designed to take you "all the way" to maintenance.

>>The only thing I'm doing is keeping my total carbs under 25.>>

By choice though, right?

>>So I'm actually not doing anything he wouldn't approve of.>>

Except for not moving up the OWL carb ladder!

It seems to me that all you're doing is finding sentences out of context to support the "amazon1 plan" rather than trying to do the Atkins plan.

[amazon1]

Re: atkins failure

Mitzi - how did you move up the carb ladder if you find that you have to be at rung 1? If you stopped losing weight on Rung 2 shouldn't you have gone back to Rung 1? Does this mean if you gain weight with dairy, you should never eat nuts?

[atkinsgal08]

Re: atkins failure

>>If you stopped losing weight on Rung 2 shouldn't you have gone back to Rung 1?>>

No.

>>Does this mean if you gain weight with dairy, you should never eat nuts?>>

No.

[mitzimarie]

Re: atkins failure

Mitzi - how did you move up the carb ladder if you find that you have to be at rung 1? If you stopped losing weight on Rung 2 shouldn't you have gone back to Rung 1? Does this mean if you gain weight with dairy, you should never eat nuts?

Oh, dear!!! No, no, no - that's not how it works at all. Look, it's hard to tell someone in a few posts all of the information that is contained in the 540 page book that I have read, and re-read many times. And believe me, each time that I read it, I get a new understanding of something. My best advice is to get the book and read it carefully.

Also, this board is a wealth of information. To be perfectly honest with you, I think Dr. A could have done a better job explaining the rungs. HOWEVER, if you read his book and read all of the "stickies" in the OWL forum, you can garner enough information to ask specific questions about the things that you may not understand. Absolutely read the stickies and read through some of the threads in the OWL forum; they are invaluable.

OWL is SO important! I'm glad to see you asking questions about it. I am more than certain that there are MANY people who "follow" the plan like you do. Heck, I was one of them. Having done it both ways, I know first-hand what a difference it can make to follow it to a "t". And yep, it can be a pain at times. But I had to look at the bigger picture.

[keriann_forgoodthistime]

Re: atkins failure

I can totally understand you wanting to help your friend out...you care about her and you want her to succeed. I'm not sure calling her a "failure" here will help your case because many people don't like name calling and the fact is that no one here truly knows whether the diet failed her or whether she failed the diet - because - as many have said - she's never posted here and so we don't know what her experience is.

While I personally believe that low-carb truly is the absolute healthiest way for EVERYONE and ANYONE to eat...I will admit those words "everyone / anyone" are loose because there are people out there who ARE successful on low-fat. Not too many mind you, but there are some.

Your friend honestly needs to do the research into all the different ways of eating out there...low-carb (and there's tons of different plans, not just atkins, although of course atkins is the best, lol), all the low-fat, possibly gluten-free?

But that would be the advice I give...maybe she's intolerant to certain foods such as gluten or dairy. She needs to figure that out and find out exactly what it is she needs to do before just giving up. there IS something out there for everyone.

[brandywine1241]

Re: atkins failure

Amazon1, I think it's great you are trying to help your friend. Here are some suggestions that have helped others on the board.

Is she following Dr. Atkins plan, or the one put out by Atkins Nutritionals? If it's the latter, many folks have found that the shakes and bars stall them big time.

Is she reading labels? Many meats and canned veggies have added sugar.

Is she journaling what she eats? Writing down everything you put in your mouth can be a revelation. FitDay is a free online program that can really help keep track of carbs, percentages, etc.

Did she start doing something different after induction? Individual intolerances may mean that something that is "legal" on the plan is not legal for her.

Lastly, be aware that, if you offer suggestions and she responds with excuses as to why she can't do things, she may not be ready to make the commitment, as many others have pointed out.