I have been on the Atkins diet for 7 months, and I have (steadily) lost 26 pounds. Besides the traditional Atkins foods (e.g., steak, seafood, chicken, butter, cheese, eggs, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, lettuce, etc.), I eat a few ounces of blueberries or strawberries every day. I pour 4 ounces of heavy cream on them, and sprinkle a little Splenda on top. Very nice. Almost forgot: I drink 4 ounces of red wine (Merlot) almost every day. I also take vitamins and a few other supplements.
My exercise consists of yard work, lots of golf, and walking to and from the train station. At 53, my pulse is under 60, my BP is 110/60, and my general health is good. Before Atkins, I was on a Doctor prescribed diet that nearly turned me into a diabetic, while making me overweight, lethargic, and continually hungry. Worse, my cholesterol had zoomed to the point that the good Doctor wanted me to go on medication. Since starting Atkins, my total cholesterol has dropped over 100 points (275 to about 170). Better, I have tons of energy -- I can hit several hundred golf balls at the range without breaking a sweat. Even better, my joints no longer ache (my wife believes I may have a 'gluten' intolerance, whatever that is.). In any case, the Atkins diet has been great for me. If complications arise down the road, I can, at least, say that for years I avoided diabetes, eliminated high cholesterol and its complications, eliminated joint pain, and my golf game improved.
No offense to the anti-Atkins crowd, but you folks need to get a life. If you believe in your diet, stick to it. But get off your soapbox. It make you look stupid.
I'm glad to hear that its working for you. I know of others that have had good results with Atkins so I most definately won't argue against it.
I'm no dietician, but I would always recommend avoiding refined sugar and refined sweetners including corn syrup as well as refined flours and such. If nothing else, it concentrates the calories into easily-digestable compact little pieces that can add a ton of calories to a diet without one even knowing it. Look at it this way: A 1.5 ounce candy bar carries around 200-250 calories while a 3-4 ounce apple has around 80. Plus, it takes more effort to digest the apple. So which is better for you if you're trying to lose weight?
Well said! I have been on Atkins for 3 months. I've lost 40 pounds and I haven't felt this good in a long time. I recently started dirt biking again after a 30 year layoff and I am having a blast. I'm happy with my weight so my carb intake has risen with fruits and vegetables ... but I still stay away from the poisons - sugar, bread, fries, pasta. I am very active - kayaking, running, biking - so I am not afraid to eat to "fuel up". Four eggs and four slices of bacon for breakfast are not uncommon before an outing.
The diet/exercise game is cruel. You feel terrible because you are dieting and the added weight makes exercise painful on stressed joints. With Atkins I shed weight fast without the torture of food deprivation. I was amazed how quickly I got back into shape. I am in better shape at 50 than I was at 40.
I miss the convenience of high carb foods more than I miss the food. A quick bowl of cereal for breakfast beats frying eggs and cleaning up the mess afterwards. All the convenient snack foods are high carb. Sigh ... the price of being lean, mean and obscene!