I've been on the Atkins Diet for ten days and I feel great. Is that bad?

[RandomKoolzip]

I've heard that the Atkins Diet is evl and will kill you in the most gruesome way possible. However, I know people who've beeen on it for a few years and are doing fine, and have lost weight.

I'm about 40 pounds overweight, and I have high cholesterol. I also started an excersize regimen- lifting weights, sit-ups, jogging, etc.

What can you guys and gals tell me about the Atkins diet that I should know, before I become too enamored of it?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

1. It doesn't work for everyone, but it works for a lot of people

I'm one of them.

If it works for you and you don't suffer any physical ill effects, no problem!

[toddzilla]

2. massive quantities of water..

drink drink drink. don't stay on induction too long. buy some ketostix so you can see where you are at in ketosis. i was able to eat 50 grams of carbs in a day and still remain in ketosis the next day. and if you get some crazy ass craving for something, just eat a small portion of it. it's easier to deviate a little once in a while than to build up an immense craving of a bunch of stuff and go off like an atomic bomb. after a few weeks on it i would eat a normal dinner on saturdays and go back on sunday. it is expensive though, i'm laid off so i had to stop until my unemployment kicks in.

good luck!

[RandomKoolzip]

5. Oh, yes, water. Me love water.

I already drink INSANE quantities of water. I've sworn off soda and juices. I ONLY drink water for liquid nourishment, but that started over a year ago.

Haven't bought the ketostix yet. I'm expecting to introduce smal amounts of carbs slowly after about two months or so. Right now I have no cravings for carbs and I can FEEL it working, you know? That feeling is helping me stay away from the carbs and the sugar. I'd rather keep this feeling going than get the cheap rush of eating comfort food.

My wife went on the Atkins diet and it sucked for her, because she has hypothyroidism, and I don't think the two gelled very well. She as on it for four months, did no excersise... and lost two pounds. And she is going nots no, convinced that I'm going to kill myself if I go on this diet- she's convinced it won't work for me. I want to prove her wrong

[toddzilla]

7. two months is way too long for the induction phase..

you should be looking at two weeks max before you start adding in a salad here and there, cauliflower is good, as is celery dipped in bleu cheese dressing!! trust me, you'll get so stopped up you'll be on the toilet for 3 hours a day. don't forget to eat a variety of meats, i got stuck in a hamburger rut for a while, and neglected pork, fish and poultry. one thing you should look for is mccormick montana meat seasoning, it's in with the spices in the grocery store, and it makes steak and burgers taste awesome. i've lost quite a bit of weight on this diet and it's a winner for sure.

[RandomKoolzip]

9. I'm sorry, by carbs I meant bread, starch, etc...

I'm eating a salad right now, as I type! Sorry, poor choice of words. I'll add breads when I feel comforatble about it.

I make allowances for veggies..can't go a day without my veggies, I'm a salad freak.

[toddzilla]

10. ah, ok..

my old man tries this diet occasionally, but he's way too strict and he always stays on the zero carb induction for weeks on end. then he gets frustrated and goes off it.. and he even has the book!

good luck with it, and any ??s post, there are many here who have used it or are currently on it.

nice tele btw.

[LynneSin]

14. It's NOT zero-carbs weeks on end

Anyone who does Atkins MUST read the book.

It's 2 weeks for inductions - 20 carbs a day.

That was plenty of carbs for me to eat a salad for lunch and a serving of green veggies for dinner.

Anyone who is staying on 20 carbs for an extended period of time is NOT doing Atkins - they are abusing the program just like folks do with other diet aids like pills.

[RandomKoolzip]

15. No, no, no...

I've read the book. I include veggies in my diet, and some dried berries, too. And I take vitamins. When I said "carbs" above, I was using a misleading, blanket term for breads, grains, snack chips, etc. Sorry about that. I am following the diet, but making small allowances.

[LynneSin]

16. That wasn't for you but the post above

When Toddzilla said about the zero carb induction for weeks on end

To be honest - that's why Atkins get's a bad rep because there are people who think they should just keep going low carb and that is very very unhealthy.

I think most people know better. Anyhow - I love my sugar & snow snap peas!!!

[toddzilla]

18. re-read my post lynnesin..

i wasn't advocating it, i was talking about how too many people do that zero carb approach for far too long, and they get burnt out on it. although more effective in the short-term that way, it isn't healthy and doesn't provide any other nutritionally diverse foods that only veggies can.

[LynneSin]

19. I know, but it's more than that

And I wasn't trying to draw you out too much, but point out a misconception held by many people who oppose the Atkin's plan.

There are people out there that will abuse anything they can get their hands on and dieting is no exception. Unfortunately there are people dumb enough to continue on with the low-carb induction phase for well past it's prime and that is a health risk.

However, these are not the majority of the people on the Atkins plan. Yet for the past 3 days I've seen nothing but negative attacks against the diet with people thinking us Atkins folks do nothing but slaughter farm animals and grill em up on the BBQ and then eat them in one setting.

So I apologize if it was attack against you, but you had brought up a concept that I see many people actual use against those of us on Atkins. That all we do is sit around and eat meat and nothing else.

I'm just hoping to clear up the air - that those folks who do that are NOT on the Atkins plan. They're trying to find shortcuts to lose weight and they will pay for it with their health.

I suppose it's the same ire I felt when we had a string of Christian bashing threads. Because yes, I know there are some real bad Christians out there that give us a bad name - but the bulk of Christians (like myself) are pretty decent and even progressive thinking.

It's a world of assumptions - I'm just trying to clear one up.

Thanks for putting up with me though!!!

[toddzilla]

20. I'm confused...

I think we're both talking about the exact same thing, i'm just not being clear enough. That being said.. everyone should buy the book and follow it, it's very effective and healthy when it is followed properly.

[corarose]

3. It's the best diet

You will loose weight on it.

[dolo amber]

4. You're going to grow

a big horn, y'know, like a unicorn...Then your children will all be born looking like baby seals, only they'll be make of like...tire rubber. And then all the ectoplasm will come out of your left eye and follow you around for days and days and days, until you rudely tell it to bugger off...then you'll feel all bad and apologize, but it'll be too late...And then your legs will start dividing, like a cell, till you have like 1 billion legs...

Good for you, I wish I had the willpower to do it. I get bored with food fast enough when I have access to anything. I'd be bouncing off the walls on a diet like that in 5 minutes flat. :D

[RandomKoolzip]

6. So...just like normal, then?

That horn, by the way, is TOTALLY screwing up my "emo" hairstyle...

[elperromagico]

8. Beware of Gout.

No further questions, please.

[classics]

11. And sudden death, oh and liver and kidney failure.

But if you dont die you will look a little thinner for awhile.

Good luck.

[RandomKoolzip]

12. Okay, please, provide me with proof that I will DIE from the Atkins Diet.

THis is waht I was alluding to in the first place. It seems like the Anti-Atkins people have an agenda...I was reluctant to try it at first, but I FEEL good on this diet. It's not so much "looking" better, but not feeling like a lumbering pregnant cow all the damn time.

And if you're gonna try to scare the hell out of someone like that, please post some facts and links so that I can MAKE UP MY OWN MIND, thank you.

[LynneSin]

13. You won't

I have a co-worker who lost weight off of Atkins 6 years ago.

He's still thin, healthy and his cholesterol has been greatly reduced.

Ignore these anti-atkins folks. Geez, maybe you and I should just give up Atkins and stay fat & unhealthy OR do a diet of puking our guts and chugging diet pills.

:eyes:

Congrats on the weightloss. Just make sure you start adding in all the healthy fruits & veggies. I'm like you - I about ready to add some grains back into my diet but I'm a little nervous myself!!

[toddzilla]

17. My opinion on this..

Having 80% towards a degree in exercise physiology and knowing enough about nutrition as it relates to the commonly held beliefs, i can say virtually 99% of these posts are just resistant to new information. "you'll burn out your kidneys" has always been my favorite. think back thousands of years, man ate this way every day for the entirety of his lifespan. A large mammal is killed and they feasted on it, with vegetables and fruits thrown in as they were gathered i.e. "hunter-gatherer". I believe that much of what plagues humankind today is a direct result of our turn to agriculture as a way to feed our overpopulation. No real information has ever been provided to prove that atkins is in any way harmful to the body, and most indicators either show no difference between it and the conventional low-fat, high carb diets, or that atkins improves cholesterol and blood lipid profiles. You have the right attitude, facts speak louder than inflammatory statements, and i've yet to see any facts that are conclusive one way or another.

[populistmom]

21. This is why I also think Atkins is okay

Throughout 95% (or maybe 99%) of human evolution, we have been hunter gatherers. What do hunter gatherers eat? Leafy greens, small amounts of fruit, nuts, seeds, and meats. They don't eat pasta and crackers. They might have had some starchier vegetable like potatoes or corn, but not breads or processed stuff. I don't think we were designed to eat many of the foods people regularly eat, hence all the health problems largely due to high sugar Western diets.

[chiburb]

22. Yeah but your breath stinks!

Or so I've read here for the last couple days...

:-)