ATKINS! Tell me your stories, experiences, successes/failures!

[Phillycat]

The husband and I are doing it. We are waaaay too happy and comfortable and the weight is piling on. We refuse to let ourselves go, just because we're married. We started Meatfest 2007 (boy, that sounds wrong) this morning. I had bacon and eggs for breakfast! :9

I've done it before, and lost weight initially, but never made it past 2 weeks. Tell me what I should expect. Thanks! :hi:

[LeftyMom]

1. You'll ruin your arteries

There's a thread in health.

It's also horrible for your liver and kidneys, to say nothing of your heart.

[MonkeyFunk]

3. That's not a universal truth

see my post below.

[LeftyMom]

4. Yeah, but the study showed it's a significant concern

And circulatory issues are a nightmare, so I sure wouldn't want to risk it.

[MonkeyFunk]

5. It's probably not for everybody

but for some, it can be a great help.

[Mojorabbit]

37. My hubby

had a heart attack at 44 yr while on it. I think south beach is a bit gentler.

[Phillycat]

9. It seems to vary depending on the person.

I know a lot of people whose good cholesterol went UP and bad cholesterol went DOWN. Anyway, I have some wiggle room at the moment, as my cholesterol is perfect and I have extremely low blood pressure. Thanks for the information though.

[MonkeyFunk]

2. I did it for about 8 months

lost a lot of weight, and my bad cholesterol and triglycerides dropped to the floor and good cholesterol shot through the roof.

My doctor was amazed. I was a little embarassed to tell him what I was doing, but he said "Hey... I've seen it before. It works for some people."

[Phillycat]

6. That's what the book says.

It says your good cholesterol will go up and bad go down. I'm willing to give it a try! :hi:

[MonkeyFunk]

8. Check with your doctor....

but it worked well for me. I really should do it again. It's pretty easy - never hungry and get to eat lots of cheese.

But after a few weeks, I really craved some bread, and the low-carb bread out there is just crap.

[Phillycat]

10. Yeah, I will miss bread and pasta.

Potatoes and rice I could give up forever, even french fries. But bread and pasta...especially bread. I can have all this amazing cheese but no bread to eat it on! :cry:

But then I think, we'll be thin and gorgeous, so, you know...priorities, right? :D

[MonkeyFunk]

12. But on the plus side....

lotsa bacon!

[Phillycat]

13. Bacon with a side of bacon, wrapped in bacon!

And fried in bacon fat! :bounce:

[MonkeyFunk]

15. Can I come over for dinner?

I used to go to a sandwich shop that cooked their bacon in the deep-fryer. God, I miss that place.

[DS1]

7. I used it for awhile to help motivate me, as I'd also started a regular

exercise plan. The rapid loss at first kept me going. Slowly I worked back into carbs, when I found that my bicycling was hurting due to a lack of carbohydrate energy. Once I started eating bread and pasta again, I could go for 3-4 hours, which offset the effect of eating carbs :)

[Phillycat]

11. Did you feel exhausted all the time in the beginning?

I never got into the phase where you're supposed to feel full of energy all the time - I felt flat, from no carbs, when I stopped doing it. How long does it take to start feeling the energy thing?

[DS1]

14. quite the opposite

I'd go sprinting up stairs just for the hell of it -within days

[Phillycat]

16. Awesome!

Thanks.

[TommyO]

17. Reduced carb eating has been the only thing that works for me

You don't have to overdose on eggs, bacon, steak, and cheese to eat low-carb, a grilled chicken caesar salad is a great low-carb meal that keeps the saturated fat numbers down nicely.

[Phillycat]

18. Yeah, but if we can lose weight eating bacon, damned if I'm not going to try!

Many people have said their cholesterol IMPROVES on the traditional bacon- and cheese-heavy Atkins regime. I'm going to give it a shot anyway! My cholesterol is great now so I have some room to maneuver. :)

[TommyO]

38. I know, mine did.

I wasn't shy about having sausage and eggs for breakfast, but the grilled chicken Caesar salads were very yummy too.

[cathandler]

19. My wife's been on a modified Atkins since August 1. Lost 30 pounds.

She had a physical a month ago: her good cholesterol was up; her bad cholesterol was down; glucose was 34; triglycerides were 60; her blood pressure was 120/72. We don't eat red meat, just fish and chicken. My wife stopped drinking the orange juice at work (38 carbs in one bottle), stopped drinking skim milk and diet soda and beer, stopped eating pasta and bread and rice. She still has a glass of red wine occasionally -- it just seems like she's much happier on this diet because she's not starving herself.

[Phillycat]

20. Nice!

That's really great to hear. My husband and I have no willpower when it comes to portion control these days, so we tried this so we DON'T feel like we're starving all the time. Congrats to your wife! :toast:

[Shakespeare]

21. I have PCOS, and it's the ONLY way I can drop weight.

Women with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome, which is actually a misnomer) are already advised to stay on a carb-restricted diet, because insulin resistance is one of the fun things that comes along with the syndrome. I've been able to keep weight off by doing that, but on the occasions when the scale creeps up a little, going on Atkins is the ONLY way I'm able to lose weight. I've suffered no ill effects from it--but I'm obviously one of the people for whom it's a beneficial way to eat.

[Phillycat]

26. Sorry to hear about your illness, but at least you've found a diet that works for you!

I think a lot of Americans are developing insulin resistance just from all the HFCS and sugar we eat.

[IndianaJones]

22. it works. I can drop 5 lbs a week on it easily. nt.

[Phillycat]

27. Cool!

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

23. After about 4 days I got so overcome with richness (cheese, sausage, etc.)

I gave up. I liked South Beach much better. But I have since used principles of both for a diet I really like.

[Phillycat]

28. Yeah, I can see that.

I can't imagine getting sick of cheese, though. :D

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

33. I couldn't either un til I did

believe me - it went away quickly! :D

mmmmmm

[cathandler]

24. Hi, janesez. This is Kaiden, Cathandler's wife.

Let me interject here -- since he's writing about me.

My doctor, who's a woman, told me that the low fat/no fat food craze of the 1980s has destroyed Americans' diets. What happens is that when food is low or no fat, food manufacturers (or whoever they are) have to inject a lot of sugar into the food to make it taste good. I've done Weight Watchers before and all that program does is teach you how to starve yourself. You end up eating small portions with "points" attached and all those small portions have scores of carbs in them. By the weekend, you're so damned hungry you gorge on your extra "points." Screw that! Now when I eat, I just make sure I eat food that doesn't have a lot of sugar.

[Phillycat]

29. That makes a lot of sense.

I know I feel much worse when I eat processed foods, even those that are supposed to be "healthy" than I do with fresh foods, even "unhealthy" ones like steak! There's also the component of the HUGE amounts of sodium they put in the low/no fat foods to make them taste like something.

Thanks for weighing in! No pun! Ha! :hi:

[AlCzervik]

25. i did and still do South Beach, the first week was terrible, i was tired and had a migraine

but it went away. SB is like Atkins, high protein but you can have tons of vegetables as long as they aren't starchy or sugary. I've 85 pounds and have kept it off but i still like to lose 10 more.

[Phillycat]

30. Wow, that's incredible!

The Phase 1 of Atkins limits you to three cups of veggies a day, and only the non-starchy ones. I will look forward to adding more veggies in!

Congrats on your amazing weight loss! :D

[AlCzervik]

31. for sure, they really help fill you up, plus you will really be needing the extra fiber.

i know you've heard a million times but make sure to drink a lot water and best of luck to you. when ever you need some support let us know.

[Phillycat]

32. I've been using Crystal Light to increase my water intake.

No carbs, and I fill my quart bottle up 3 times per workday. Helps me to drink more to have some flavor. Sugar substitute, of course. :)

Thanks for the encouragement! :hi:

[Sweet Freedom]

34. I did it for six months

I lost 15 pounds in the first two weeks. I had a headache everyday for over a month (was told by a doctor that this is a common side effect for some). It took me another 5 1/2 months just to drop another pound. When I started reintroducing carbs, I immediately began putting the weight back on. By then, I was so sick of eating protein and my total cholesterol had gone up 55 points, so my doctor told me to stop and I regained every pound plus another 10.

Several of my coworkers did the diet at the same time I did. None is still on it and they have all regained the weight they lost plus some more. (One of my cowowrkers lost 40 pounds and then gained back 60). It's a difficult diet to maintain for life. I also found it to be very expensive.

I personally wouldn't ever do it again.

[Phillycat]

35. Thanks for the info!

So weird how it works so differently for so many people. I will have to keep a close eye on my cholesterol. Thanks! :hi:

[supernova]

36. I've used Atkins before and had good success

I lost about 20 lbs and got interrupted by a kidney infection.

But I was losing and I ate basically protein (not more than the recommended daily amount either.) and low carb veggies. After a while, I added back in nuts and low sugar fruits and veggies. I eat a lot of chicken, turkey and fish and eggs and egg subsititutes. I will have a steak maybe a handful of times during the year.

While I was on Atkins was the first opportunity I'd had to discover that I have a wheat gluten sensitivity and I am also lactose intolerant (which I knew0. So I've since removed both of those things from my diet. My GI tract is much happier as a result. I've learned to ignore people who tell me I must stuff my face with grains. And my mood is much improved too, since gluten sensitivities can affect mood also. I do have gluten free baked goods only rarely. This holiday season, I'm going to explore baking that way.

I am also insulin resistant so keeping insulin levels low and leveled out is important to me. I need to get back on it because the last couple of years I have ballooned out again because I wasn't keeping track of my eating. (Job stress. :P )

edit: As for drinking, I also drink tea: green, white, and regular tea are all good. And of course decalf while you are on induction.

[Magrittes Pipe]

39. In all the pictures I've seen, you're quite thin.

If you're putting on a little since getting hitched, I think you're still probably thin enough that you don't need anything radical like Atkin's. Just keep track of what you eat and keep track of your physical activity (I suggest using a site like Fitday to keep track).

Burning more energy than you consume = weight loss.