From Calorie Counting to Atkins

[poobears1972]

Re: From Calorie Counting to Atkins

Don't be surprised if you have a gain at first when you make the switch. Your body is starving right now since you are hungry all the time. Finally feeding it the food it needs, it might hold onto it for a bit. Once it sees you are going to continue feeding it properly it will quickly let it go.

I switched from WW points to Atkins. I'm with you, I got so tired of counting points I hated it. With Atkins I don't have to do that. I also had a lot of success with WW and with just losing weight on my own, in fact the majority of my weight was lost that way. But I was looking for a way of eating with a structure I could live with for life and nothing I was doing before fit that requirement. This does.

I can easily see myself eating like this from now on. We are even putting plans in place to stay on this WOE during out 2 week FL vacation this year, no reason to get off track just because you're on vaca.

Good luck

[kitkat22]

Re: From Calorie Counting to Atkins

Carolinagal, I'm glad that poohbears brought up the fact that you may gain before you lose when you change diets. Try not to be discouraged. Fitday was a great way to help me move from calorie counting to carb counting - it was completely a mental thing with me. Basic Fitday accounts are free and allows you to see calories and carbs (and a LOT more). I haven't been on Atkins for long and I've lost weight and the "desperate hunger" of other diets. Hope you find the same. Good luck!

[JaxMama]

Re: From Calorie Counting to Atkins

did u get your food yet? i hated calorie restriction, it's the worse because it has to be low fat....sucked.

hope you get ur food soon, your meal plans are your best ally

[carolinagal]

Re: From Calorie Counting to Atkins

We go to the grocery twice a month, Im going Wed 3/10 (payday) to get my induction foods.
In the meantime I am re-reading Atkins & planning meals.

Ive continued to eat healthy in the meantime. I dont gain back the 23 lbs Ive lost. Ive been stuck at 199 lbs for over two weeks. I cannot wait to get my food!!

Thanks everyone for your replies/advice!

[thefemalegreenday]

Re: From Calorie Counting to Atkins

I find it so funny that we call eachother by our usernames..
Its like we're all 13 year old boys playing one of those online wizard games.

[Happy2BThin4Me]

Re: From Calorie Counting to Atkins

Carolinagal (since I don't know your "real" name lol), I can identify with your switch! I moved to Atkins from another popular packaged food program...I had lost *most* of my weight that way over 2.5 yrs ago but always stalled out 10-15lbs from goal and couldn't lose anymore, then it was a constant struggle to keep it off. To keep it off, I had to continue to diet diet diet on calorie restriction and I just couldn't stand it anymore and since I am very active I was EXTRA starved. I ended up eating way too many carbs because of the resultant cravings from my long running sessions (marathon training and such) of several hours. The next day after my long run would be a nightmare in carblust. That's what I "lovingly" called it. Basically insatiable carb cravings. I would overeat and it was extremely difficult to control. Every time I tried to train for my full marathon I would gain 10-15lbs beyond where I stopped losing before. It was so discouraging. In mid-January I switched over to Atkins. It's been a complete lifesaver for me. I can't even explain it! Well I will try anyways...here's my list of things that improved right away from transitioning to Atkins and I admit, I did it gradually...lowering my carbs little by little until I reached a short induction level but since I didn't have much more to lose I moved up to OWL after about a week on induction or less (I don't remember).

My list of things that improved with switching to Atkins:

My hypoglycemic episodes stopped completely.
I lost a few pounds right away.
I also dropped several pounds of water weight I was holding onto for no particular reason which has been an ongoing problem for me.
I am not hungry or starving anymore.
I don't get "carblust" after a long run or any run for that matter, even my intense interval sessions!
My runs feel so much more energetic and calm. I don't run out of steam anymore. My endurance is much higher.
I have gained muscles and lost body fat.
I have a more toned look and my ab muscles are showing again (just a little!).
My "baby bearing belly" is going away, my youngest is 4 and never could lose the belly. It's actually getting flatter and I don't do many crunches, maybe 20-30 reps a couple times a week at most (not that I recommend being as lazy about strength training as I am lol).
My energy is constant and high - caffeine is no longer what I need to get through the day.
I don't fear fat in my food anymore.
I don't fear eating anymore or that eating will make me fat.
I get full from my food. I couldn't do that before and I always felt like something was missing and I would graze on low calorie "allowed foods" which only made my cravings worse. Now when I am done, I truly don't want any more food!
I have more willpower now than ever before (and I almost don't even need it).

I have so many more but since just trying to sort of say welcome and introduce myself I will cut myself short here on my list and just bid you "welcome!!!" and hope that any help I can provide would be of use to you! Now I am by no means an expert yet (I used to be in low cal/low fat circles) but I am trying and studying everyday to make this way of eating the best way of life yet for me. I have stuck to it easily for all this time and honestly feel that I can live this way the rest of my life. I couldn't say that with low calorie ways of eating. I don't want to go back to being hungry and deprived all the time. The only time I really get cravings is either before my time of the month (TOM) or if I have eaten something I am sensitive to. It's trial and error to find what works and doesn't work for you but you'll see as you go along that if you pick yourself back up after a setback and come back to it, it will pay off in further knowlege of what works and doesn't work for you! It's such a great program and easy to follow in my opinion. Always come here for help if you need it!

-Michelle

[thin4summer]

Re: From Calorie Counting to Atkins

I think you will find the Atkins is much better than low calorie dieting and you will feel much happier!

I did a low cal diet and lost 40lb in 4 months..........but I was starving and miserable and I ended up gaining nearly half of it back after a few months of eating properly again! Disaster,you can't eat so little forever.

I decided to start the atkins end of Jan and have lost 18lb! I am never hungry love all the foods you can eat and have bags of energy unlike the low cal diet! I am sure you will love Atkins! Good luck,I bet you can't wait to eat again!!

[Elizellen]

Re: From Calorie Counting to Atkins

I find it so funny that we call eachother by our usernames..

Well it is hard to do otherwise unless people add their real-life names to their signatures, thefemalegreenday, isn't it
It is more friendly than calling everyone 'whatsisname' (though I think we have a member with that username already )

[Happy2BThin4Me]

Re: From Calorie Counting to Atkins

Just wondering how you're doing?????? I hope all is going well! I know my switch has been tough at times (and I had a two week semi-brief foray back into low calorie land where I starved and starved and wondered what the heck I was doing and came back, me and my silly impatience) but it's been great. I think I will be living this way for as long as I can. My body fat and measurements keep steadily moving down - even when the scale doesn't budge and that has kept me on the straight and narrow lately. Seeing those measurements move is all I need to see. I just have to remember not to measure or weigh myself the week before TOM comes lol. I just lose it if I have gained anything! BUT, I know its temporary and make sure my food choices are clean and along my plans. It sure helps to have the cravings gone though.

I hope you're doing well!!!

-Michelle

[imeanitthistime]

Re: From Calorie Counting to Atkins

Hello Carolinagal! I started a pretty low calorie diet in January and lost about 48 pounds. I may have lost weight, but I was hungry all the time and watched the clock constantly to see when I could eat again. I switched to Atkins in April and I have not been hungry since! After decades of starving to lose weight, and failing miserably, it is very hard (for me anyway) to eat more to lose the weight. Every meal feels like I am "cheating" somehow. But it works. It's a lifetime committment, so take the time you need to prep. But do it. It works!

[hu11aba1oo2]

Re: From Calorie Counting to Atkins

Carolinagal

Last fall I ate 1200 calories a day and exercised 5-6 days a week 1hr-2hrs at a time, for 6 weeks and lost 1 lb! I was starving all the time, and very, very cranky! I got very frustrated. At the beginning of last year I tried Atkins and lost 13 lbs very easily, needless to say I came back to Atkins and I'm staying here!

As for the transition, mentally it can be difficult to limit your vegetable so the amounts allowed. In the past on low calorie diets vegetables were my friend, I could snack on them without worrying about consuming too many calories. Now for a snack I can have a piece of cheese, some egg salad w/mayo, a hamburger patty, etc, sometimes it still freaks me out a little. Also something else that can be a little awkward at first is adding fat back into your diet. I don't really like fat on my meat, so I still trim some fat off but then I have to add some sort of fat back in, such as olive oil, mayo, etc. That doesn't kinda freak me out, it really freaks me out! But I'm sure this is something we will get used to. And it is way yummier and keeps me full much longer.

As for physical symptoms while you transition, you may get the "Induction Flu". Headaches, aches and pains, fatigue. . . you will feel like you have the flu, hence the name. This should pass within a few days.

I will warn you, should you have a "cheat" day while on Atkins and think, "Oh, I can have this one piece of cake, it won't matter." You WILL pay for it physically. Cramps, bloating, and just a general feeling of being very uncomfortable. Plus then it may take you a couple of days to get back into Ketosis.

And one last thought, WAY TO GO on getting prepared. I too spent a week before I got payed, reading and re-reading the book, looking up recipes, planning menus and shopping lists, etc. In my opinion, planning makes all the difference in the world. Planning before you start, planning meals and precooking food when you know you won't have time later, all of that helps you stay on track and keeps you from grabbing something you shouldn't.

Good luck and keep us updated on how it's going!

[mizski]

Re: From Calorie Counting to Atkins

carolinagal has not been around for a couple of months.

My friends & family are advising me not to switch to Atkins because Im having success through calorie counting.

We see this a lot and it does make it difficult when your R/L support is against what you are trying to do. I wish her well and ADBB will be here if she decides to go with Atkins.

[Happy2BThin4Me]

Re: From Calorie Counting to Atkins

Good to know, Mizski...I appreciate the update! I was just wondering. I think its a common thing to happen - switching from low calorie to Atkins can be intimidating to be honest but for me, I had been on the low calorie roller coaster for 2.5 years and I was tired of starving just to maintain and even then I kept gaining weight, little by little. I can only imagine what I did to my metabolism to make it act like that. Now I am rebuilding it! It's hard work and its going to take time but at least I get to EAT in the meantime!!!! That's what makes this WOE so special. I don't even miss all that junk I used to crave!

-Michelle

[Browneyedmelly]

Re: From Calorie Counting to Atkins

Carolina...when I was on Weight Watchers, and I am not putting the plan down... but I was always hungry all the time, same when I was on Jenny Craigs..The Atkins WOL..has been very good to me...I am never so hungry I could eat a horse.. and the fact that I love protein, and fat and some veggies...it was a perfect fit..my own husband, as I have said plenty of times, calls this wol a "kooky diet".. but the proof is that I have lost 108 pounds so far..which now has allowed me to exercise...bring my blood pressure down etc etc....so I say read the book, exercise and give it a whirl...if its not your thing you can always go back to what you were doing...but just remember all plans, take work...so good luck to you...

[cleochatra]

Re: From Calorie Counting to Atkins

I was so hungry on Weight Watchers. It killed me. Now that's not to say it doesn't work, but I was miserable. It took me three months on WW to lose 25 pounds.

In the following three months on Atkins I lost 52 pounds. More than double on Atkins, and all without hunger (and I weighed less when I re-started Atkins because I'd lost the 25 from WW).