Dr. Atkins diet

[xgunterx]

The last years I became a little overweight but I didn't worry about it but now I want it gone.
I'm only 1.70m and my weight is 91.5kg at this moment so that equals a BMI of 31.6 which is on the border of getting obese.

I read the book of Dr. Atkins and his reasening is I believe sound but on the other hand I'm not a doctor.
I made an appointment with my doctor to do a bloodtest and after I start I'll do it again every month so I can decide to quit or continue depending on the values.

Does somebody have good experiences (or bad) with this diet which is labeled as controversial by some?

 

[rm71]

I think it can work if you follow it properly. I did try it ( but not as he suggested) and I did loose some weight. Alot of people are against it( some without even reading the book) due to the fact he advocates a high fat diet. I think in the long run, he does not advocate that at all. He has some pretty impressive evidence and research by top scholars in his book. My 2c.

 

[mmack66]

It works but it is pretty restrictive and it is not really a diet that you go on for a month or two. You pretty much have to change your eating habits permanently in order not to gain weight back.

 

[xgunterx]

I think it can work if you follow it properly. I did try it ( but not as he suggested) and I did loose some weight. Alot of people are against it( some without even reading the book) due to the fact he advocates a high fat diet. I think in the long run, he does not advocate that at all. He has some pretty impressive evidence and research by top scholars in his book. My 2c.

He is not suggesting a high fat diet perse, but a low carbs diet but since there are only fats and proteins left besides carbs...
I see more and more low carbs diets popping up so it will probably not be that bad.
I know you have to be carefull about the saturated fats and especially the transfats and that the mono-and multiple unsaturated fats are considered as good fats.

 

[xgunterx]

It works but it is pretty restrictive and it is not really a diet that you go on for a month or two. You pretty much have to change your eating habits permanently in order not to gain weight back.

I appears he is very restrictive on the first few weeks and then is goes little by little up with the good carbs (low insuline triggering carbs).
I don't eat candy, cookies, junk food a lot so I won't miss them really.
I do enjoy a good beer and wine though.

 

[rm71]

I don't eat candy, cookies, junk food a lot so I won't miss them really.
I do enjoy a good beer and wine though.

You will still be able to have a glass of wine and beer, but you will need restrict it or even change to a low alcohol beer.

 

[Laz]

I (and a few friends) went on the Atkins diet. If you stick to it you will loose weight. We all did. We all put it back on. I lost 40 lbs the first time on the diet. I put 30 of it back on once I went off it. The second time I lost 20 lbs and put it all back on.

I have worked to get that weight off and have made slow progress. 15 lbs down. I feel much better about the choices I make now. I am teaching myself to exercise, eat smaller portions, and count calories. I don't limit the types of food that I eat, but make wiser choices (most of the time).

Atkins can't be sustained over a long period of time. You will miss the things you can't have. then you will eat too much of those things once you go off the diet. It will work over a short period of time, if you need to loose weight for an event quickly. But you will put the weight back on simply because you haven't changed any of the habits that got you there in the first place. You have only denied yourself for a short time.

It can be dangerous if you loose the weight and keep putting it back on. I can be disciplined for 2 or 3 months. Then I slip back into old habits and gain it all back in a year. I have done better to move away from the denial of "bad food" and learn to make better choices over a longer period of time.

Still, I have struggled with my weight most of my life. And still need to loose more. I really don't know if I will ever get to where I want to be, but I feel as if I am moving in the right direction and making healthier choices along the way.

Good luck and keep us informed.

 

[Confuzius]

My uncle did atkins a while ago, over the course of a year he lost 70lbs, then he ate a piece of toast and gained 80lbs.

Pretty much any "diet" is going to work. The only sure fire way to lose weight and keep it off it a lifestyle change, this isn't a quick fix, it's a lifelong commitment. Essentially, eat less mostly plants, move more.

 

[MAK]

Years ago I lost quite a bit of weight on a similar diet (pre Atkins, if you can believe it). Each time I would go back on the diet it would work less effectively for me.

If you are relatively healthy, it should probably be OK. Make sure you take a multi-vitamin, as you probably won't be getting enough vegetables. Follow up with your doctor is also a good idea.

Good Luck!

 

[Tone deaf]

When properly examined Atkin's like other food group specific diets turns out to be calorie restrictive. If it is largely based on eating protein and fats then ultimately over time you do eat less and less. The dull answer is eat less and exercise more but you can't sell many books with that or being absolutely serious join weight watchers as the peer pressure is a great incentive.

 

[Stubblefield]

My uncle did atkins a while ago, over the course of a year he lost 70lbs, then he ate a piece of toast and gained 80lbs.

Must have been a pretty big piece of toast.

 

[Ceezer]

I did TNT (Total Nutrition Tactics) last year. Prior to doing so I was totally against the low-carb diets as a decade ago I was pretty heavy into bodybuilding and always strived for at least 40% carbs. When I read the TNT book, though, their descriptions and layout put everything into perspective and it really made sense.

At first I loved the diet because it was easy to do and the food was good. They actually *do* recommend a high-fat diet, because it's more satiating and satisfying. So I was eating eggs and sausages and salads all the time and the weight was actually dropping. In 4 months I lost 30lbs.

Then I slipped. I didn't 'fall off the wagon', per se, but I was dragging a foot... It's not like I started gorging on cookies & Doritos, but I started craving and allowing myself to have things with dinner, like beans, taters, a little bread, etc. Not a lot, mind you, just a reasonable portion. It didn't matter. Within 2 weeks I had put 20 of those 30lbs back on, and at that point I became discouraged so it didn't take long for the other 10 to reappear.

I can try to cut out sugar and white flour as much as possible, but giving up carbs all-together is just not a change I can live with.

 

[xgunterx]

8<

I can try to cut out sugar and white flour as much as possible, but giving up carbs all-together is just not a change I can live with.

Atkins is only very restrictive (20grams of carbs per day) for the first 14 days. Then it can be a bit higher, but only carbs coming from vegetables.
When the target is reached, carbs are allowed, but only the quality carbs (carbs that don't release lots of insuline) like brown rice, brown pasta, ...

There is fat and fat. Mono-and multiple unsaturated fats are considered good while lots of saturated fats and especially transfat is considered bad.

The only thing I'll initially miss is bread since it is such an easy meal and in our region eaten twice a day.

 

[Ghost of Tom Joad]

The sad fact is that 99% of all diets eventually fail. Making a few simple lifestyle changes is all it takes to lose excess weight and keep it off, and you don't need fancy meal plans or expensive fitness equipment. High-protein diets like Atkins (tricking the body into using fat and protein for energy as opposed to carbs) are great for short-term, but long-term might be another story. Balance and moderation is almost always best and is the easiest to both implement and maintain.

Eating carbs won't make you fat, nor will eating fat. It's consistently eating more calories than you burn that slows your metabolism and urges your body to store the excess as fat. It just so happens that foods high in simple carbs and fats are calorically dense and can bring your daily totals over and above very quickly, so we just have to be careful about when and how much of them we consume. Also, eating carbs such as refined sugars, enriched wheats, pastas, and foods with high-glycemic indexes can trigger a response by which excess glucose is converted and stored as fat. Many convenience and processed foods take all the work out of digestion and get into the blood very quickly and spike an insulin reaction, leading to the sugar crash (shakes, sweats, excessive hunger, etc). Stick to slow digesting, low-GI foods: whole grains, vegetables, brown rice, etc. And always eat in moderation.

To lose weight and keep it off, all you must do is maintain a caloric deficit, either through eating less than your body naturally burns in the run of a day (basal metabolic rate) or by expending more calories through exercise. Keep your calories in the right range (if you are exercising, somewhere around 13 calories per pound of bodyweight is average), and even Burger King for lunch everyday won't make you fat. You might not be healthy or feel too good, but food is not your enemy, especially fats and carbs. Excessive intake is the only culprit.

Sorry to babble on for so long, but to answer your question I don't think Atkins is the way to go. Instead, I would try the following suggestions:

- Determine your basal metabolic rate to see how many calories (on average) are required to maintain your current weight. There are many calculators online for this, here is one from the Wikipedia article on BMR: http://www.runningdeersoftware.com/products/dietgenie-calorie-req.htm). Try a few different ones and take the average results.

- Scale back your caloric intake by 200-500/day. Do this by eating in moderation and eliminating (or cutting way back on) high-caloric, nutritionally worthless foods (soda, processed cheese, candy, some fast food and "convenience" products).

- Drink water and eliminate all sodas/sugar drinks from your diet. This alone can shave hundreds of excess calories from your intake.

- Eat smaller meals, 5-7 times a day. This trains your body to use the food as fuel and not store it as fat for the "famine" times. A meal can be anything from a 4oz piece of chicken with some rice/veggies to a protein shake with a handful of almonds. Try to stick to foods with low GI (http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/).

- Don't be afraid to eat a little junk now and then, just keep it infrequent and in moderation.

- Get some exercise for at least 30 mins a day, even if is just a brisk walk around the block a few times. Weight-training is your best bet, but not everyone is able to do this.

- Try not to eat anything substantial at least 2 hours or so before bed.

- Food is not the enemy; excess consumption is the problem.

It all boils down to this: All you need to do to lose weight safely and consistently is create a caloric deficit of 200-500 calories below your basic maintenance levels. This is accomplished through diet, exercise, or preferably a combination of both.

Again, sorry for the long post. I love talking about this stuff...

 

[Pig Cat]

My uncle did atkins a while ago, over the course of a year he lost 70lbs, then he ate a piece of toast and gained 80lbs.

Pretty much any "diet" is going to work. The only sure fire way to lose weight and keep it off it a lifestyle change, this isn't a quick fix, it's a lifelong commitment. Essentially, eat less mostly plants, move more.

+1

The clue is in the word 'diet'. They are almost always a temporary fix and very rarely make any long term difference. Most diets deprive you of some nutrients and make you feel guilty and like you are depriving yourself. Best to change your way of eating for life. Loads of fruit and veg, fish, pulses, beans etc. is pretty much guaranteed to do the job! Enjoy!

 

[Fnord5]

The Fnord5 diet plan is a free diet system, that will truly work.
The advice is free, but donations(preferably straight razors) are accepted.





Eat less, exercise more.

That's it.


As long as you burn more calories than you take in, you will lose weight.
However, once your metabolism kicks up, you will need to eat more, but will also exercise more.

Once you get to the size you want, increasing your protein intake, will build muscle mass, and muscle does weigh more than fat. A trim 200 pound guy that works out, and is in good shape, will be smaller than a 180 pound couch potato, all things being equal.


Oh, and a Big +1 to Mr. Joad.

 

[xgunterx]

8>

Eating carbs won't make you fat, nor will eating fat. It's consistently eating more calories than you burn that slows your metabolism and urges your body to store the excess as fat. It just so happens that foods high in simple carbs and fats are calorically dense and can bring your daily totals over and above very quickly, so we just have to be careful about when and how much of them we consume. Also, eating carbs such as refined sugars, enriched wheats, pastas, and foods with high-glycemic indexes can trigger a response by which excess glucose is converted and stored as fat. Many convenience and processed foods take all the work out of digestion and get into the blood very quickly and spike an insulin reaction, leading to the sugar crash (shakes, sweats, excessive hunger, etc). Stick to slow digesting, low-GI foods: whole grains, vegetables, brown rice, etc. And always eat in moderation.

Actually, I'm stable for years now on this weight. The only times I get clear sugar in is via hidden sugar in certain products as a sauce to give one example.
I already eat whole grains, brown rice, brown pasta, ... for years.
The only food wich is high on GI are potatoes as this is common in our diets here in Belgium. It is a main food as pasta is for an Italian.
When I'm stable on my target weight, I won't have to change much to keep it there (otherwise I would be gaining now as well) and it should even be more easy as my lean mass would be higher in relation to the fat as well.
But I need a way to get it off. I know excercising is important and that isn't the problem, but leaving 500 calories on the table to be able to lose weight isn't easy over a longer time.
That's why I'm interested in the low carbs diets since you don't have to count as much, have to give up much less (I find it easier to eat vegetables with meat, than to eat rice with vegetables for example) and don't get the GI-jojo during the day which only leeds to hunger.

8<

 

[The Seeker]

What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?

Above is a fascinating article written by Gary Taubes, respected science writer. In it, he challenges the accepted notion that saturated fats are the enemy and explores an approach similar to Dr Atkins', i.e. certain carbs are to blame for obesity and several illnesses.

 

[xgunterx]

Wow, that's a lengthy read. That will be for tonight.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Ghost of Tom Joad]

...leaving 500 calories on the table to be able to lose weight isn't easy over a longer time.

If you are maintaining on your current calorie load and don't want to eat less, your best option is to increase your energy output, i.e. exercise more. True, cutting the calories is easier if you consume things like soda or add a lot of sugar to coffee, etc, but even if you just shave 200 a day and increase your exercise you should see a difference. I would make small cuts. Eat just a little less over a period of time (2 potatoes instead of 3, 4oz of meat instead of 6-8oz, etc). The little cuts add up to a big difference by the end of the day. Your body will adjust and you won't miss the extra food. Remember, the idea is not to starve or go hungry, just to time your meals for optimum blood sugar levels and to eat moderately.

That's why I'm interested in the low carbs diets since you don't have to count as much, have to give up much less (I find it easier to eat vegetables with meat, than to eat rice with vegetables for example) and don't get the GI-jojo during the day which only leeds to hunger.

Lower-carb is fine; it's the no-carb and highly restrictive nature of diets like Atkins that give me concern. Carb reduction comes easy when you stick to highly satiating and low-GI choices. For example, instead of rice or potato with a meal you could swap in another vegetable.