The Atkins Diet ...Any Freeper experience? (Vanity!)

Me

[Partisan Hack]

Okay... I did it. I read the New Diet Revolution and I've bought into the whole notion of a 0 - 20 gram per day, low carbohydrate diet. I'm in the "induction phase," and the Doctor assures rapid weight loss during this initial two-week run. Supposedly, as success is achieved, the dieter can begin to gradually increase the amount of carbs that they consume. The trick is to remain in ketosis while attempting to shed weight.

My most important question is if any freepers out there have had any success with this diet and what tips might they be able to pass on.

Also, are "free" foods truly "free?" Does nutrasweet negatively impact this diet?

I'm a week into it, (and have confirmed that I am indeed in ketosis) but I'm not yet loosing any weight. I'm hoping to loose 40 lbs!

Sitting in front of this computer, glued to Free Republic has caused me to gain this weight btw!!!

[CLaymoreminded]

Did it for 2 months with ex_girlfriend and lost 25 lbs. Drink plenty of water - my Dr. said I was giving myself gout my protein urine levels were so high. Beware coffee. and get familiar with Stevia and Splenda.

The best thing about it was the awareness it creates of the carbs you intake. It got me off sugar, which was in itself worth it.

Get hooked on your own endorphins!

[DB]

Not true.

Different forms of calories are absorbed differently in the body. Go eat Styrofoam cups as a crude example. Styrofoam has calories (go burn it and see how many are released) but your body will not absorb it. The intake of calories your body doesn't easily absorb is not equivalent to calories that are. Carbohydrates for example are readily absorbed and are quickly converted to sugars in your body. Proteins on the other hand do not.

[Landru]

Beware the, "Thrifty Gene" & learn what it means.
There's no substitute for proper diet; & that primarily means PORTION CONTROL.
Of course assuming one gets a handle on that -- & it's a big one (to control)?
Good, solid excersize sessions that're minimally performed 3 times per/week, lasting minimally 45 minutes per session are essential.

A proper diet, combined with excersize should take care of most excess fats stored by the pesky "Thrifty Gene(s)" you've inherited from your ancestors.
'Lest you get trapped in the eternal dieting game of losing, gaining (it back) & losing forevermore.
Lastly; good luck.

...'cuz it ain't easy getting into & then staying in shape in this culture of our's.

[Tuxedo]

I agree... I thought about this diet, but life without: doughnuts, cookies, pies, cakes, bagels, rye bread for reubens, white rice, burritos, chimichangas, pizza, danishes, real pancakes, french fries, mashed potatoes, stuffing, onion rings, etc.. just didn't sound as enjoyable. Yeah, it would be nice to be thinner. But, drinking 12 glasses of water a day? Taking a bunch of pills? Yeah, we Americans may be fatter than ever, but we are also living longer. I think it is simple chemistry: calories in minus calories burned. When you get a negative number, you are working in the right direction. Atkins says it is a lifestyle change. I agree... but I do not wish to pursue that type of regimen. It sounds expensive too! And bad breath without being able to munch an Altoids... ugh. Consider this: It is fine if you are willing to CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER. If you want a quick weight drop and a return to your old eating style, you will gain all of the weight back plus interest. If you want to live off of the Atkins diet forever, then the best I can suggest is to CONSULT WITH YOUR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN FIRST!!!!! Freegards!

[KneelBeforeZod]

The Body for Life book might work...but look at the pictures on the insides of the cover. They are sooooooooooooo phoney I laughed out loud. OBVIOUS cut and paste heads on the bodies. Even the joke pictures on FR look more realistic.

Then again, maybe they're not fake and this diet also makes you tan and gives you a new hairstyle and makeover....

[Paradox]

Hence, my interest is ketosis has always been more as a potential tool for correcting insulin desensitization, eliminating cravings, etc. Lyle answered a lot of questions that Atkins wouldn't with respect to the overall biology involved to help me forumlate my own personal understanding of what may be going on in my own system.

Then that information is perfect for you. I did it mostly as a curiosity thing. I got great results, it just takes some discipline.

[Behind Enemy Lines]

As someone who has struggled with weight his whole life and recently found success, all I can say is be skeptical of anything that advocates eating an unbalanced diet. If you aren't prepared to follow a regimen for the rest of your life, then it's not a viable system. Besides, your body needs carbs, and you will be harming your health if you eliminate them from your diet.

I've lost over 100 lbs on Weight Watchers and am still losing. If you're not familiar with the system, essentially it stresses portion control and eating a balanced diet. There's nothing you are required to eat, and nothing you are prohibited from eating. You just have to use moderation and common sense. It's not so much what you eat, but how much. (BTW, WW isn't the only system to use this approach, but it's probably the best known and most readily available around the country.)

Fad diets always seem to offer a "magic bullet" approach. In Atkins' case, it's the idea that it's those nasty carbs that make people fat, not the fact that they just eat too much. That's partially because these diets need a hook or a gimmick to sell books, and partially because it lets people of the hook for their behavior. (In terms most Freepers can understand, it's the nutritional equivalent of demogoguery: "I'd be just fine if it weren't for those evil carbohydrates" Just substitute "rich Republican fat cats" for carbohydrates, and you'll see the psychological dynamic fad diets play on.)Forget the gimmicks and just eat a balanced diet with smaller portions, and increase your physical activity and you will lose weight. Or as a previous poster stated, just burn more calories than you take in. Simple, but certainly not always easy.

Good Luck!

[mjf]

I used a modified Atkins diet to shed about 15 pounds. I stay under 100 grams of carbs now. Two years into it and the weight has not returned.

Of course, at the start there are a lot of foods you miss, but after a while you can start to slip up in small ways and it doesn't hurt. (After the initial phase, a chocolate chip cookie isn't going to knock you back.)

A very nice reference book to have (diet or not) is The Corinne T. Netzer Encyclopedia of Food Values. It lists the carb (and other contents) of about every food product on the supermarket shelf.

A couple of hints: Miller Genuine Draft Light: 3 grams of Carbohydrates. But, a Gin and Diet tonic is lower.

My brother makes a very excellent ice cream from the normal ingredients but with Splenda substituted for sugar. After a while, you get creative.

[SLB]

We are going to Weight Watchers. Since the first of April I have gone from 260+ to 200. My wife has lost a goodly amount as has our oldest daughter. I still enjoy eating and so will not mention how much they have lost. Weight Watchers is a little pricey, $9.95 a week, but we can eat the foods we enjoy. However if we eat more of them then we are supposed to then we gain. Even over Thanksgiving we stayed within our target weights. I have gained Life Time status so no longer have to pay as long as I remain within 2 pounds of my goal weight.

[Slapper]

Obviously I can`t speak for America, but Kevin Trudeau was peddling the authentic Atkins diet on TV in New Zealand. He had clips from Dr Atkins and all that sort of thing. I know because I bought it. Never got around to using it though, because I left the country shortly afterwards.

[bluefish]

I did a quick search and see that he was hawking some Atkins tapes and who knows what else. I didn't realize it, but this is the "Mega-Memory" guy. In any event, he was essentially a pitch man for some tapes, maybe some books, etc. The guy is a self-improvement infomercial scammer. Sad that Atkins had him hawking stuff for him. I don't think it says much about the efficasy of Ketogenic diets however. Atkins himself is still a little too much hype, but perhaps that hype has helped people to understand that the previous high carb, low fat way being promoted for years is pure crap.

[Eaglefixer]

I was diagnosed in Feb 2000 with Hyperglycemia (type 2 diabetes) and my physician put me on the Atkins diet. I didn't need to lose weight. I am doing great. I have stabilized at about 50 gm of carbohydrates per day.

This is very much easier than counting calories. I've tried that for years and was always hungary.

I have eggs and bacon every morning and salad and meat every night. I eat all of the steak I want and feel great. Never hungary. This is for life for me.

No checking blood sugar levels 5 times a day and all that BS.

It works!

[ladtx]

Believe me it works. I looked at the pictures and laughed too till I tried it. The dramatic difference in well-being and physical change is not a result of photographic tampering, I?m living proof.

[MichaelP]

Beware of kidney stones! My Father in law had several bouts with them after trying that diet...

Mike

[PoisedWoman]

Followed Atkins to the letter for a month, felt super, lost NOT one ounce. Sometimes it just doesn't work -- and often, not for women. But the much easier Zone diet with it's more sensible nutritional guidelines worked like a charm. Take a look at Barry Sears books about the Zone diet. It offers a better balanced diet.

[roylene]

My blood pressure did no6t change. I felt good while on the diet but ......

[Great Dane]

It seems to work on some, my son-inlaw is on it off and on, and I don't think thats any better than other yo-yo dieting. Lowering carbs is a good idea, but many doctors will tell you not to overdo.

[dansangel]

Be very careful.

Hubby's cholesterol skyrocketed out of control after 6 weeks on the "diet." He lost a grand total of 2 lbs., was exercising, was on cholesterol meds and had his usual blood test. The Dr. called the house to give him the results of the cholesterol reading and asked hubby when he had decided to go off his meds.

The punchline was.....he hadn't! The diet had sent him well up into the heart-attack range!

Just be sure the benefits "outweigh" (no pun intended) the costs.

[Great Dane]

#14....... Well said, I have modified my eating habits a little, enough to loose 25 in a year, I am happy with that as the modification is so small, it has become an easy life style.