atkins failure

[amazon1]

I haven't posted in a while but a friend tried Atkins and she says she was very, very careful and lost 10 pounds right away but then for months didn't lose an ounce. She finally quit. I kept giving advice like "eat more fat" etc. but nothing seemed to work.

She's pretty overweight. I remember reading somewhere that some people do better on low-carb while others do better on low-fat. Has anyone else had that experience?

I, by the way, have lost about 10 lbs. in 3 months which isn't too bad because I only want to lose about 20 all together.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: atkins failure

Who is the failure?

And with only 10 pounds more to lose, you should be on OWL!

[amazon1]

Re: atkins failure

Oh, yeah. I put this in extended induction. I don't know what I'm in but I rarely go over 25 carbs a day. I don't eat dairy or wheat, etc. - haven't for 20 years before Atkins and that's just what I end up with usually at the end of the day.

The "failure" is my friend.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: atkins failure

>> The "failure" is my friend.>>

Is it really your place to judge whether or not she's a failure?

Maybe she's simply not ready to change her life.

[mizski]

Re: atkins failure

It is too bad that your friend didn't post here on ADBB as maybe we could have helped her out. I've not heard about some doing better on low fat vs low carb. As many of us here can attest, the low fat route means that you are frequently hungry which often leads to going off that plan.

Maybe you could talk your friend into posting here and giving Atkins another try?

[amazon1]

Re: atkins failure

She's not a failure, I believe she stuck to Atkins religiously but didn't lose weight. The diet failed her. I kept telling her to post but I don't think she did.

[Grant]

Re: atkins failure

I hate to be skeptical but I can't help it. I find it hard to believe that someone doing everything right can't be successful on this diet. I'd really want to see her diet, her exercise, water intake, vitamins..all that stuff. It's just soo common for people to *think* they are doing everything right but miss something crucial.

That being said, everyone is different. So, who knows?

[ADreamComeTrue]

Re: atkins failure

Hi! I used to do the low-fat diet. When I did I didn't have near as much energy as I do now and I was eating foods that I didn't like that much. Also, I didn't lose any weight unless I exercised everyday and on my first 2 weeks of Atkins, I only exercised twice and lost 10 pounds. I am not sure if low-fat works for some and some it doesn't but to me Atkins is the ONLY diet I have been on that makes the best sense and has the best results.
I am sorry your friend didn't lose much, was she measuring inches? Sometimes we lose inches and not (scale) weight, but we are still getting "smaller".

-Christie

[Georgiana]

Re: atkins failure

a friend tried Atkins and she says she was very, very careful and lost 10 pounds right away but then for months didn't lose an ounce

Unless your friend posts here, it's impossible to help.

Not losing weight doesn't mean she was stalled.

She's pretty overweight. I remember reading somewhere that some people do better on low-carb while others do better on low-fat. Has anyone else had that experience?

I think that's only an excuse for people who are looking for a quick fix and are either not following the diet correctly or are not patient enough to wait through a stall.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: atkins failure

You wrote, " The "failure" is my friend."

>>I believe she stuck to Atkins religiously but didn't lose weight.>>

So you don't really know?

>>The diet failed her. >>

That's an incredible leap of logic.

You don't really seem to have the facts to back up your statement.

But wouldn't it be better to talk about YOUR journey?

When are you planning on moving to OWL?

[ziggy]

Re: atkins failure

maybe she was one of them 5% metabolicly resistent people that needed to go on the fat fast version of atkins for a week to kick start her metabolism?

eating up to 80% fat in her diet and only 1000 calories a day

[Georgiana]

Re: atkins failure

maybe she was one of them 5% metabolicly resistent people that needed to go on the fat fast version of atkins for a week to kick start her metabolism?

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

eating up to 80% fat

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

[sallyseachange]

Re: atkins failure

I wonder if this person had candida issues, or thyroid probs. Pity she/he doesn't post...

Losses at the beginning leave me thinking that the fat fast is not a good (or safe) option.

[Aways2Go]

Re: atkins failure

I think a lot of people think they are following the diet correctly when they aren't, unintentionally. Many people accidentally sabotage their weight loss by adding in too much of some item they are sensitive to, or adding in pre-made "low carb" foods like the low carb wraps or low carb ice cream bars... their total carbs for the day may make it seem they are doing things right, but they don't lose. Thus, they decide low carb doesn't work for them and they quit.

If your friend wants help correcting any possible errors in her eating plans, she would need to post a foods list and ask for advice.

I think it would be the rare case indeed that someone would follow the diet to the letter and basically lose nothing (pounds or inches) if they had significant amounts of weight to lose.

[Georgiana]

Re: atkins failure

But wouldn't it be better to talk about YOUR journey?

I agree with J. on this. You are only responsible for what you are doing. If your friend needs diet advice, providing her with information and support (not enabling) is nice of you if you have more experience/knowledge and don't struggle with your diet as well (i.e. follow it correctly and not be when on, when off). But acting as an intermediate between her and another possible source of advice involves you in her diet at a level that has no bearing on your journey and that does not help her journey either.

You wrote

I believe she stuck to Atkins religiously

but you don't know this for sure. So the answer to

I remember reading somewhere that some people do better on low-carb while others do better on low-fat. Has anyone else had that experience?

is irrelevant in the context of your friend's experience, because you (and us) don't know enough about what she did while on Atkins.

Of course, Atkins doesn't work for everyone, or else we'd all reach Maintenance and stay there. But that is not because the diet fails people, but because there was not a good "match" between the person and the diet (e.g., if one absolutely hates fat, Atkins is not a good option) or because the person was not fully committed in the first place or because he/she, at one point, stopped being committed.

Saying that "the diet failed her" is not only not backed up by reliable evidence, but it also absolves your friend of any responsibility for failing to making Atkins a lifestyle. Her success is her responsibility and it only depends on her commitment.