Atkins Diet anyone?
 

I'm on Day 3 and feel like shit. Supposedly it gets better soon and I start to lose weight ???

Just played Badminton and I ache all over (don't normally).

Thought I'd really struggle finding the food. But I've found some salad bowls for lunch that are only 9 carbs (with Coleslaw). I just throw in some slices or ham/beef/pork and away I go.

Still not a big breakfast eater - can't bring myself to face bacon and eggs in the morning :)

Is anyone trying this?

Wow, loadsa people I know are on it at the moment. Seems to work better the heavier you are and you really need to stick at it.

One guy at work has lost about 16 pounds in under a month but he is really strict on it. So it does work.

Side effects seem to be bad breath and tiredness (Although lethargy can differ in different people, but the pongy breath seems universal).

Shame you don't like fry ups, that seems to be the best part :)

Personally I am just trying to cut down the sugars and carbs, I couldn't go without my toast.

Haven't had pasta, bread, or bagels in any significant amount in the last 2.5 months. It sucks. The results have been pretty impressive though. (22 lbs)

i went on it once a few years ago after one of my frat bro's did. it made me feel lethargic and sick. i personally don't think it's a very healthy diet. you need to make sure you drink a lot of water because a lot of the weight you actually lose is water weight. and it makes you produce ketones, which for some reason is bad, i'm just not sure why.

It is not at all good for you. The only way I have heard to use it is for like a month at most, and then slowly get carbs back.

It is more of a revolution of the protein diet, where you cut most carbs out for 14 days.

I think some of these things are just dangerous. People should just have the patience to try and lose weight a little at a time by cutting intake and increasing cardio. Carbs are essential for your body, and while you don't want too many of them, you shouldn't starve yourself from them either.

The Atkins diet is a really good diet, people who have low fat diets are still having heart issues that we "asssociate with the fat." Carbs are stored for later use as energy after your body can't take anymore. Keitones(sp?) are a side-affect of the diet. Usually, you'll pee them out, or breath them out, which is cause for the bad breath. To start the diet, you cut your carbs down to 20 grams per day for the first two weeks. During the first couple of days, you'll feel like crap, but it's because people are addicted to the carbs. It's like any other addiction. After the first 2 weeks, you can add another 10 grams of carbs, and you can continue to do that until you don't lose anymore weight. When you stop losing weight, the amount of carbs that you are eating that week is the amount of carbs your body can take in, and process. For some people BigBlue, they aren't able to do any cardio, or they are just to overweight that they can't do it, or many other reasons. The facts on this diet are quite simple, people lose weight freakin fast, and it's quite effective. The upside to it is that you can eat as much as you can of meat and such, unlike other diets where you need to eat like a cup of this, a teenie slice of that, and drink lots of water. Generally also for this diet, men will lose more weight then women, so guys, don't do it the same time as your S.O..

Ketones are the waste product produced when your body is burning fat and protein for energy instead of carbs. Up until lately, being in ketosis has been considered bad, because on low-protein diets, elevated ketone levels mean that you are digesting your own muscle tissue, ie, starving.

On the Atkins diet, producting ketones means that the diet is working and that the fuel source your body is using is the protein you eat and the fat you are losing. (The bad breath is due to ketones leaving your body through your exhalations)

You need to drink a lot of water to flush out the ketones, otherwise, your body will be fooled into thinking you are starving to death, and will try to shut down. This is the feeling of fatigue you get when you first start the diet. Drink water and it will pass.

Before long, the body adapts to using protein and fat for fuel, your insulin levels normalize, and thereby increase your serotonin levels, which make you feel full and happy. The Atkins diet is a great anti-depressant.

Now on day 5 - and I think I stink. Mouth tastes horrible and even my pee smells funny - don't think I need these Ketosis sticks. Not noticed any weight loss yet - but early days.

You should notice it almost immediately, and dont worry about the smells. Make sure you dont drink any alchohol, and are to the letter on the diet the first 14 days. It does work. Oh, and as reccomended, drink a *lot* of water, a gallon a day or more if you can.

I've been on Atkins for 5 months now and have lost 47lbs. I lost 9lbs my first week. To say you haven't lost anything yet tells me your eating hidden carbs. Remember carbs are everywhere, even sugarless products.

my girlfriend's dad has been on the atkins diet (or something very similar) for almost 5 years. He was a pretty big guy...i'm guessin close to 300 lbs...then he lost about 100. If he ever goes off the diet, he starts gaining it back, but he's gotten pretty used to it and he hasn't had any health problems.

I agree with hotzot- you probably are ingesting some carbs. If your urine is not testing high levels of ketones, than you are metabolizing carbs.

Doctors used to think this diet would increase heart disease but surprise!... recent studies show an actual decrease in LDL(bad) cholesterol and an overall decrease in cardiovascular events(heart attack, stroke) so much so that the AMA has given the diet its stamp of approval(Too bad Dr. Atkins didn't live to see his theory vindicated)

This sounds like a too good to be true diet to me. If it is a low-carb diet, or a no-carb diet, that would explain why you're tired and aching. Carbohydrates provide a huge percentage of the energy your body consumes. Have you tried talking to a dietician about this? It may not be right for you, as it sounds like you're experiencing some tough side effects.

The diet works really well, but for me it's really tough. I take vitamins right now and it seems to help. I crave carbs all the time. I didn't know about the ketones, so I'm gonna drink a lot more water now. The only bad thing is you have to pee all the time! Could you all post what you eat on the diet. I'm getting tired of chicken and water. Thanks to all who posted so far, I need the encouragment.

Did the atkins about a year ago, dropped 15 lbs in a month. I concur with water, probably one of the best things I took from the diet. The diet is pretty simple, however, I think Nine may be getting hidden Carbs. Coleslaw? Normal Coleslaw has sugar in the dressing. First couple of weeks is tough as you try to figure what you can/cannot eat. Must stay away from caffine the first two weeks too, (just because the lethargy is not bad enough) I do think it is important you eat breakfast, even if it is a hard boiled egg or so. In general you can find food to eat almost anywhere, be careful with salad dressings and processed meats (hot dogs...) The reason why I left the diet, was hard to find food that is crunchy. Any suggestions, Man can only eat so many pork rinds. As far as craving something sweet, I did find a candy bar with very low carbs. .04 gm per serving. Of course a serving is 2 squares of a chocolate bar, but if you have to have something to tide you over it works, atfter initiation.

Crunchy - eat nuts. Almonds and macadamias are best for Atkins. A few chowmein noodles aren't too terrible, either. Sunflower seeds are ok, too. I used to smash up pork rinds and use them for croutons on salads. You can get some crunch from raw veggies, too, but be careful with the amounts, as some have higher carb counts than others.

Atkins is great because you can actually make real ice cream with Splenda if you have an ice cream maker. Atkins can make you into a cook.

I can't really do the atkin's diet, as I'm a vegitarian and don't eat all the meat in there. Have lost 5 pounds since cutting out meat though.
It does seem to work though. My friends little brother got on it. He was a 150 lb. 11 year old and only about 4'2". He seems to have dropped a lot of weight, but he is really diligent about it.

I've been snacking on Boca Burgers which are low fat soy burgers. Lots of protein. Microwavable. But, I wasn't sure if soy counts as carbohydrates on the Atkins Diet.

When I get a craving at work, I microwave a Boca Burger.

Any comments?

I personally know several people who's lost HUNDREDS on the Atkins. Personally, I tried it and felt like shit for the entire month I was on it, and stopped. I've managed to lose weight just by cutting out sweet drinks, starches and white flours.. and excersizing.

Lost 50 in 3 mos.

OK, Atkins Diet - Yes, just like any diet it CAN work, but for how long and at what expense? In reality no one should go on a "Diet", you need to come up with an "eating lifestyle" that you can LIVE with. The Psychology of the diet alone is brutal, let alone some of the physical issues.

Atkins diet plan is Bad Psychology because it requires you to give up FOREVER and FOREVER such treats as chocolate cake, spaghetti, french fries, pancakes, apple pie, mashed potatoes. You are a rare person indeed who can give all of these up forever.

It is also missing something very important, that will also lead to possible failure - some regular mild aerobic exercise so that your metabolism can change.

Also I am sorry but I have a hard time believing that much saturated fat is good for you. Just like everything in life, it is moderation.

No diet is a good diet if you can not stick to it. Personally the "Body for Life" program was a huge success for me, it is not a "Diet" it is a program for life. I personally loss over 32 lbs of fat and gained about 8 lbs of muscle for a net loss of 24 lbs in the first 4 months - I look and feel better than I ever have and I am now 35. I have lots of energy, and I have my kids and girlfriend on it w/o any complaints. My girlfriend does not do all the weight training and aerobis but she is also in the best shape of her life.

I have been on this program for 3 years now, since the initial loss of 32 lbs, i have loss about 4 more lbs of fat but have gained 6 lbs of muscle.

The study failed to mention that one of the key reccomendations is that you take Fish Oil. Fish oil is known to help cholestorol, people on the study took the fish oil. Do you? In the same study, the drop out rate was higher on the Atkins diet.

I agree that too many carb can be bad, but it is the simple carbs that are bad, processed food!!! Whole carbs are not bad for you, the more whole the food the better, potatos and even whole fruits are essential to any diet.

Of course people lose weight, but can you stick with it for like, if not you have just deprived yourself, yet again! On this diet, you are still restricting calorie intake, bottom line you eat more calories than you burn you will lose weight - but no one likes to count calories. You will lose (as someone else stated) weight in the beging because of water loss. That's because the initial part of the diet cuts out most carbohydrates, which causes the body to use energy that is stored with water in the muscles.

Those on a low-carb diet may lost weight because proteins and fats may make you feel satisfied or full for longer periods than if you eat carbohydrate-rich food.

Bottom line, you need to find something that fits YOU, you need a program you can stick with NOT a "diet". If you need to go towards Atkins, do it for the first 2 weeks, lose the water and feel beter about yourself. But you will need to ad some carbs into the program, complex carbs NOT simple carbs.

You want to lose weight, try:

- Eating fewer processed foods
- Have healthy snacks between meals, this will help you feel satisfied and not eat more than you need to during meals.
- Eat from all food groups, God put fruit on this earth for a reason.
- Get some exercise, walk, run, weights, whatever works for you
- Weights, you really want to increase matabolism? Burn more Fat when you are sleeping - then lift weights.
- Moderation
- YES, an occasional self-indulgence!!
The world is full of temptation, and if a diet is too difficult to follow, people will become disillusioned and stray from the righteous path.

Finding the right "diet" is very much a personal thing, I have to agree with many points here but you need to find the right one for you. Being sore and lathargic would be a big issue with me, especially with just playing badmington. I play Basketball, Soccer and Golf and I have excelled in all of these since starting the program.

Best of LUCK to all of you.

It works in the short term, but really my "spidey-sense" tells me that it's not healthy. Try the Hacker's Diet instead. Works like a charm.

Man, I tried the diet for a week, and lost a few pounds, but had to stop, because I felt horrible the entire time and had troubles paying attention at work. I am not saying that it is a bad diet, but it didn't work for me. I was strict for the first week, then quit. My good friend lost 90 pounds on the diet, starting around 300lbs, in about 8 months. He also started working out when he started the diet, and he is feeling better then he ever has in his life.

--
Rich

In my experience, all diets mean you're taking something away that should more than likely be there.

A very, very simple plan that is tough to stick with but fast and worked for me = Http://www.BodyForLife.com/

I have the book and it changed my life. Changed my eating habits for life. Changed my lifestyle. He's one positive bastard. :)

My sister had similar results. She told me when I started it for the first time a while back that she would get stomach aches, felt bad, etc. I think that goes without saying being ripped out of a lifestyle and put into something new will eff you up, but after a while our mammal super powers, the ability to adapt, kick in and you start feeling much better, and sexier =D.

I've used the Atkins diet before to quickly shed some weight. It does work well, but it is hard for people who work more than a few miles from home, you can't just run home at lunch and grill a chicken breast. Yes, restaurants have options that you can eat but they are expensive if you want to get full.

What I have found to work well is just eat the same ole crap that I have forever, but eat less of it. Instead of getting the extra value meal, go large with a diet coke, just get the burger and diet coke or go with the tiny little happy meal (you get a cool little toy too). Go to Subway, and instead of eating a footlong sub, get the six inch and no chips. You will feel hungry and unsatisfied for a few days but your stomach will shrink down to where you will start to feel full again by eating less. Then don't blow it by over-eating. If you really feel like you need to overeat, like Thanksgiving for example do it, but only once then go back to half a sandwich. What this does is basically just cut calories, the most important thing to do to lose weight.

Cut calories and exercise.

I dunno... but everyone that I've ever met that is on this diet has absolutely the nastiest breath.

What's up with that?

Atkins Diet
 

I started Atkins on June 8th b/c a friend had told me her doctor suggested it. The first three days totally sucked! I felt like I was dying. My body ached, I was starving and I had a huge headached that wouldn't go away. Then the fourth and fifth day the symptoms were starting to go away. I made sure I ate something every three hours, I also had water all day. I really felt tired the first week. Then after a week I lost five pounds and that totally gave me motivation to stick this out. It is a life change in your eating habits. I still struggle sometimes daily though. I'm not 20 and I can't eat the way I used to. Now, I've lost a total of seven pounds and two inches in my waist and thighs. There are days I will "cheat" with a glass of wine or something, but get right back into it. I crave carbs too so I started exercising and it really helps. Just don't give up--and most importantly, listen to your body:)

Would I be able to start the Atkin's Diet based on the various bits of information or am I going to have to buy a bunch of books, etc. ?

I would suggest getting the book. I only have one. It the most recent version and it's paperback. It really helps to read it. It is motivating, gives you tips, menus, food ideas, food lists, and then you fully understand what it is about. I love it and refer to it daily sometimes--good luck

I'll have to take a look then.. maybe the library has it..

You could do that, or cook your meat before you go to work.

I did Atkins for years. One time I lost about 25 lbs and I was feeling good. The problem is that if you cheat, WHAM, you suddenly gain back a lot of weight. This is not a diet that you can go on and off. Cheating is a big no no.
I had problems staying on the diet mostly because of eating eggs every morning. I couldn't take it. I did find a store that made low carb life easier for me. www.lowcarbconnection.com It's 5 minutes from my house, but you can order stuff online. The bagels are fantastic and only around 9 grams of carbs. The y have tons of stuff and the owners are incredibly amazing people.
Check it out. It will help some of the cravings you might have.

I have a glass of slimfast and bacon for breakfast. Slimfast is 20g carbs, as well as a lot of other good things (filling as well). After that I can have about 40-50 more carbs that day for vegetables/whatever and still stay in ketosis losing weight.

Just did a google search to learn a bit more. Gee, this diet sure sounds great. When do you get to put the gun in your mouth?

"If someone were to be consistent with the Atkins diet, they may run into the following problems: bad breath, gout (painful inflammation of the joints), high cholesterol (LDL = bad), kidney damage, weakness, bad (acne) or dry skin, thinning hair, increased risk of having a heart attack, yellowish instead of white eye balls, set back or sunken eye balls, muscle loss, frequent urination, vitamin and mineral loss, health related problems due to improper nutrition balance, and attitude or mood changes due to bad nutrition.

Bad breath would be the end result for anyone who eats only fat, oils, and protein. This is what dog food is made of. Items such as eggs and cheese have some of the highest cholesterol content of any food. This is an excellent way to have a heart attack.

Nutritionally, the Atkins diet is terrible. Kidney damage can occur as a result of depleted carbohydrate levels. There are several additional health related problems that this type of diet can cause such as headaches and dizzy spells; both due to a bad nutrition balance. The Atkins diet can kill you! It's an "unhealthy" way to lose weight."

From: http://www.leonardfitness.com/atkinsdiet.htm

Here's my opinion, I recently damaged my knee, torn a cartlidge and my specialist told me when i had started physio that i needed to loose some weight. I asked him about the atkins diet he said it does work but it is unhealthy. The key to loosing weight is changing your lifestyle. To increase your metabolism - Do a lot of cardio vascular exercises. And seriously just change your diet and keep doing exercises. Now probably you wont see the weight fall off you like you do in the Atkins diet - I tried it and lost 5kg in a week.. which is insane weight loss. But just get your metabolism up, and do lots of cardio work for 45mins a day. 2km runs, 10-15km bike rides, and eat healthy. Its the best diet in the world. None of the bullshit new diets can beat this. All you need is the will power to loose weight.

<b>urologist</b>

I just did a google search and found out that Elvis is alive. Boy, google is sure a reliable source of information. (grin) The kidney claim on atkins is bullshit, and anyone making that claim is uninformed. People making that claim confuse Ketoacidosis, a dangerous health condition, with Ketosis, a condition which is NOT dangerous. Many major studies now out show that Atkins is at least as safe and more effective than, for example, the AHA's Step One diet. There are NO studies that show any chance of kidney damage. I challenge to post a medical study which shows this.

<b>minorci</b>

You really need to pick up the book and read it. Atkins is not a "fad" diet, like The Grapefruit Diet or the Cabbage Soup diet, where you go on it, lose the weight, and go off of it.

Atkins is a lifetime approach to weight management. You start with Induction, move on the Ongoing Weight Loss, and finish with Lifetime Maintenance. Along the way, the book teaches you how to eat and how to make food choices, and really teaches you a lot about health and nutrition. The Lifetime Maintenance phase of atkins is a healthy diet full of veggies and a wide variety of foods, and more carbs than you may think.


I lost 30 pounds on Atkins, gained back 20 of that in muscle through weightlifting, and went from a 42 waist to a 34. I have kept the weight off for a year, and took my total blood cholesterol from 210 to 150.

You should all get the facts before you criticize atkins. The paperback is only $7, or you can browse through it in the bookstore or grab it in a library. It is NOT a fad diet.

I've been on the diet for a little over a week now, and have lost 6 pounds. I was at 242, and my goal is 210 - 215. To put this in perspective, I'm a 26 y/o male, 6'3".

I've felt a little of the lethargy, but mainly in the legs. It's starting to go away.

What I'm liking most is my motivation to actually head out and walk, swim, get exercise. I walked the seawall at Stanley Park yesterday, a 2 hour 10k walk. It was nice. Legs were sore, but it's all for the best :)

As much as I like eating beef and chicken, bacon and eggs, and the occasional salad all the time, I'm not planning on staying on Atkins forever. With Atkins and exercise, I'm losing my weight. When I reach my goal, I'll be adding in more of the foods I like. Carb foods. I'll also be running regularly and working out at the gym.

It's worked for me so far :)

Edit: Oh, you don't necessarily need the book to start the diet. I started after a night of reading articles, recipes and menu plans at the atkins website.

HarmlessRabbit

Man, I just heard about Elvis too! I'm so happy! ;) Seriously though, I know what your saying. Didn't mean to offend. I know nothing about Atkins but it does seem to be helping quite a few people. But do me a favor and keep this in mind:

"...yellowish instead of white eye balls, set back or sunken eye balls..."

If you notice that then drop the diet, okay. Jesus, eyeball stuff creeps me out. :)

"bullshit" and "uninformed" are extremely strong and confident words

And just so I dont put words in your mouth and I fully understand you; before I make another post: are you saying info from the AHA is inaccurate?

Books are great, but I already am stacked with material I have to read; thats what makes the internet great. Google led me to several Schools of Medicine in and out of the states; Im taking the context of what you say above as sarcasm with reference to google. So the net is no a worthy source of info? Shucks! I was just about to ask you for links on those medical studies showing Adkins being as safe if not better than those the American Heart Association have put out.

This is one of the reasons the forum is such a great place because theres so much to learn from one another here. Im definately uninformed. Ive seen the medical updates at the Adkins site, but if you have the time I'd like to show you some information that needs to be brought to light that contradicts what your saying. You sound as though you know your stuff so I'll value what you say; especially if your a medical doctor specializing in the urinary/renal system. Thanks

As an asian person, Atkins diet is near impossible for me.

I don't mind my weight though...even 205 lbs. at 6' that's not that bad.

<b>Sun Tzu</b>

I believe you're taking me wrong. I was not calling the posters names. I was talking about the article about kidney damage that Meaty Urologist linked to. The "uninformed" comment was to people who think Atkins is a "lose weight and get off it" diet like typical fad diets.

I said:

The "official" atkins answer is this:
http://atkins.com/helpatkins/faqs/faqmyths.html

If you have studies that show kidney damage from a low-carb diet in healthy adults, I'd love to see your links.

As to the AHA comment, I believe you read me wrong there too. The AHA Step One diet appears to be a healthy weight loss diet. However, in two trials it has been shown to be either not as good or just as good as atkins in terms of weight loss, and worse than atkins in terms of heart health.

The first study showed that people following the Atkins diet had much better success than people following the Step One diet, both in weight and in heart numbers.

http://atkins.com/Archive/2002/8/27-699825.html

The second study was a double blind study using the AHA step one and the Atkins diet. In this one, no one was given any coaching or assistance. Over six months, both sets only lost a modest amount of weight, but the atkins dieters had statistically significant improvements in heart numbers. One thing to take away from this study is that most people don't follow diets, no matter what diet it is. :)

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/...ct/348/21/2082



If you have evidence about problems with Atkins, I would love to discuss your findings. Post away. My problem was with people just googling for any old web site and posting their search results. Properly followed, I don't believe that atkins is dangerous or unhealthy. Quite the opposite.

I'll add my two cents.

1. ketosis is not really different from ketoacidosis. All the acidosis implies is that the ketosis is severe enough to significantly shift the pH of the blood.

2. it's not really clear that shifting the pH of the blood itself is a bad thing. Pretty much every study which looks at aiming to correct the pH of the blood comes up empty handed. So mostly it's not done anymore except when you need a hail mary - so to speak.

3. The atkins diet does not adversely affect the cholesterol. Reasons for this are not clear.

4. At this point, the medical community mostly believes that the atkins diet works, but for reasons that are different from what Dr. Atkins proposed. There is some concern for long term effects mainly because it has not been studied thoroughly.

5. I remember well being in biochem in med school and being told that the atkins diet wouldn't work. I went home and looked at it and looked at it and came to the conclusion that it seemed like it should work. Dumbass biochem phd.

I shall immediately perform seppuku!

PICS!!!!

:)

HarmlessRabbit I did misread what you said; so I apologize if I sounded like an ass. I’m no longer in the medical field, but my last job within the community was working as nutritionist at an anti-aging clinic (or clinical age-management as they call it now) I did personal training on the side, but after 2 years I got fed up with people not following the routines they paid me to design for them. The things going on inside the clinic were always fascinating, but that’s a different area and discussion.

The Atkins diet works. I’ve done it myself; I actually did a more hardcore version of it with a technique known as extended carb loading. M-F I would intake only 14grams of complex carbs per day the rest was about 2500 calories of protein and fat. On Saturday and Sunday I would load on carbs every two hours (literally every two hours) www.bodybuild.com/ans/otsad.htm

Without drugs I was completely shredded at 7.9% body fat from 13.2 in 9 weeks this on top of gaining 15 lbs of lean mass. I was irritable, and I didn’t do any renal damage. It was a good thing I had access the most sophisticated lab in the world http://www.kronoscompany.com/services.aspx is one of the things I miss about working there. That area of medicine is definitely for the wealthy elite, and unfortunately I’m still climbing my ladder. My blood work looked OK except high LDL and HDL levels.

That was to be expected and should be by anyone on this or an Atkins diet, its going to happen. I took Niacin with an aspirin to counter the flush nightly. I titrated up to 1500 mgs and that brought my levels down with 10 days. I expected my urinary uric and calcium levels to be elevated, but holy shit they were through the roof. Back then I really didn’t care because I have; admit tingly used a few enhancers here and there. Not to mention I was get growth hormone through the clinic so my mentality was a little “tilted”. What I’ve come to realize that just because it works and doesn’t kill you in 6 months, doesn’t mean it’s something a person should do for the rest of their life. If it’s done to knock off the initial pounds; what about when they’re done?

From what I’ve seen in myself and in many others: in physical results, lab work, and mental attitude the zone direction has yielded the greatest results.

5 meals throughout the day broken up evenly with caloric intake appropriate for whatever goals are being targeted in a ratio of: 40% protein, 30% complex carbs, 30% FFs (mono, polyunsaturated, etc) with the 6 meal being straight protein (the last one usually around bedtime for nitrogen retention, and IGF-1 stimulation)

This keeps the insulin level regulated and even which will yield obvious great results (most overlook the anabolic properties of insulin-far greater than even testosterone)

It keeps the brain fed well on the fuel that keeps it going (glucose)

Keeps muscles fed with glycogen: there’s ways to force the body to utilize fat for fuel during workouts to optimize time spent in the gym- a common concern.

It’s an eating regime that someone can do for the rest of their life.

These are just a few.


I also see allot of people talking about losing pounds. I can understand if were talking 200-300 lbs over weight, but I think if more attention was spent monitoring the fat percentage/ lean mass ration vs. going by the scale alone they could better gauge where they are truly at.

I fully understand the science behind the anabolic diet I was on, but around my 11th week I could see my body was starting to go into a catabolic state.


This was a little of my own personal feedback, I’ll post the studies I wanted you to take a look at, as well as some of the research criteria that is used in Atkins studies on my next post.

I check the Atkins site from time to time because its update when they finish each study. I did find the NEJM article interesting, the first line of the abstract says allot though.


Now I understand about the urologist thing.

Hey MU are you an MD?

Re: Atkins Diet
 

This makes me laugh! You felt like shit when you started your diet. Why didn't you listen to your body then? Obviously your body was telling you it didn't like the plan and something wasn't right.

For most people, the discomfort comes from quitting caffeine cold-turkey, something which atkins actually doesn't recommend. He recommends a slow wind-down of your caffeine intake so that you can avoid the headaches.

Also, sugar is surprisingly addictive and your body complains about not getting it those first few days. It's hard, but the rewards of kicking sugar addiction is worth it for most people.

Geez, if I listened to my body, I'd never exercise and I'd eat 24 hours a day and not get up in the morning. Bad Philosophy! If the body was smart enough to know what it needs, it wouldn't need a brain!

I have kind of stalled on Atkins after two weeks. I am not sneaking anything and I lost about eight pounds in the first ten days and now.....stable at 187 lbs. I am only 5'10". damn this belly!

Slim Fast???? Sorry - look at the ingredients - it does NOT have a lot of good stuff in it, added vitamins maybe but you can get that from fruit and vegies (which is even more filling). Slim Fast is SUGAR (A candybar if you will) with Vitamins added. So eat a snickers, (it has protein too) with a glass of OJ and vitamins.

Don't listen to this guy, he is obviously misinformed. Slim-fast has only 12 grams of sugar which is less then a single serving of raisen bran (20 grams). There is also a nice amount of vitamins in it as well as the new kind has soy. The only downfall is that it isn't very filling especially if you are a moderately active person. It is a great way to reduce your daily calorie intake. Tons of ways to get healthy and lose weight, you just have to choose which works best for you :)

i don't know what product you're looking at, WeAre138, but the first slim-fast shake I clicked on had 35 grams of sugar.

http://www.slim-fast.com/products/pr...product_id=366

the second one I looked at had 39 grams of sugar:

http://www.slim-fast.com/products/pr...product_id=346

On the atkins diet, that's a lot of sugar. In addition, that's pure sugar, probably high-fructose corn syrup, and your body doesn't need that. A 40 gram sugar bomb is just going to spike your blood sugar then leave you feeling listless.

I like the atkins brand shakes, but you can also get cheap flavored soy-protein mix in most stores. The best diet shakes for atkins are ones with lots of protein and lots of fiber. It fills you up well without the sugar.

Also, plain water is pretty darned filling too, make sure you get 8 glasses a day and drink a glass 20 minutes before eating a big meal.

I totally agree--now that I've gotten over the first couple of days, I feel great and it has motivated me to keep working hard and change my eating habits completely.

Well I started this thread some weeks ago now, and aside from a brief lapse when I was working away form home I'm still doing Atkins

Am losing weight still, feeling healthy and have a lot more energy. Totally over the sugar craving now. Still drink coffee in the morning though.

Have worked out that roughly 100 carbs a day is my limit at the moment. Any more and I feel "full" the next morning.

Have moved from dring beer to wine. Other food I love to eat now is Strawberries - eat them almost everyday!

Don't crave any of the high carb foods now. But basically I'm just being sensible, if I eat something high in carbs (eg, rice when I go out for a curry) which is rare, then I'm just careful the next couple of days.

Would recommend this diet to anyone who needs to shed the pounds, but more importantly change their habits so the pounds don't come back again :)

Ahh, yes I was talking about the slim-fast (with soy) powder that you buy in bulk to mix with water ---> http://www.slim-fast.com/products/pr...roduct_id=361. Here is a list of the powders I am speaking of , and I recommend using these as opposed to the ready-to-drink slimfast snack drinks (which do contain quite a bit more sugar).

The atkin diets in my opinion is too extreme and you can get better results with other ketogenic diet such as a CKD or TKD, bodyopus etc. research for other types because atkins isnt the only one out there. Heres a link www.c-k-d.com and i also have a book in pdf format explaining everything about ketogenic diets by lyle mcdonald (sp?). If anyone can host it ill be glad to send it to their e-mail addy so then can post a link and everyone can download it.

I finally started Atkins again. I've been weight training and I wanted to add some muscle mass before going back on it again.

(Background: Five years ago, I lost 60 lbs on Atkins while I was on crutches from a broken leg. Kept it off for 2 years, then had acute tonsillitis, which caused sleep disorder which caused me to gain it all back. Got rid of the tonsils last year.)

I'm happy to say, it's been 3 weeks, and I'm down 15 lbs. This is the way I remember it last time! I'm still lifting (high-protein diet is good for this) and taking creatine, so the weight loss is better than expected at this point. I'm on my way down from 310 lbs and currently am at 295. My goal is 250 to begin with, then I'll decide whether or not to keep going to 220 right away or take a break.

i've never tried the atkin's diet or any of that so i can't attest for anything, but i found the above post unusually inspirational. thanks so much for that :)

I just started the Atkins diet. At first I was skeptical, but then I read his book, and he seemed to know what he was talking about. I really believe that I was eating way too much sugar in the form of processed foods like cola, bread, candy, and other junk foods. I was also taking in a lot of carbs eating chinese food and basically all forms of fast food. Also I was always hungry.

Now that I'm on Atkins, I have bacon and eggs for breakfast. Then for lunch it's a large salad with various meats and vegetables. For dinner we do another salad, and then our choice of a decent entree. So far we've done filet mignon twice, fajitas without the tortilla, chicken wings, shrimp, scallops, and it's all within the diet.

The benefits have been this,

I'm never hungry anymore.
My mood has stabilized.
I've kicked my caffeine and cigarette habits.
I've lost 10 pounds.

I could seriously live like this for quite awhile.

I know a lot of people try to do this diet by eating meat only, but Atkins doesn't tell you to do this. Eat a salad, eat non starch vegetables, they'll make you feel good, and your body will notice that you're not trying to suffocate it in junk anymore.

Say what you want about the diet, giving up junk food, and eating fresh unprocessed foods seems like a good idea for anyone.

Funny!

Sometime around the end of my second set of ANY lift, my body is downright stupid. "Aw, we can quit now. We've done enough. This is starting to hurt....."

I'm just about to start Atkins. I'm excited about it. I'm 6'1", currently 235 lbs or so, and I'm targeting 195.

A good friend lost 40 lbs and 4 inches in 6 months on Atkins, he's my inspiration. He still has a ways to go, but he's loving it. Watching him cheerfully pass up carrot cake with cream cheese frosting at a party last week was the last straw, I said, "Dammit! I'm doing the fucking diet!"

I follow a low carb diet that is meant more for athletes, etc. I eat fairly low carbs [20 g a day] with the exception of one cheat meal on the weekend where I carb up for the week of training. I also keep my protein high [about 1 gram per pound of bodyweight] and fat moderate 45-60 grams and try to keep that on the healthier side.
Been doing it about a month. My weight hasn't changed much but my max lifts in the gym are the highest they've ever been, I'm running a strong 5 miles a few times a week and my pants are fitting a little better...I tried the traditional Atkins a while ago and couldn't keep up with the training and the day at work...this one seems to work pretty well for me. But again, everyone is different...trial and error is the rule...good luck to everyone out there working hard to get healthy!

Last month i read in the wall street journal an artical about Atkins Spouse Syndrome, they were saying how spouses or SOs of people on the atkins diet tended to eat the same foods, but with the carbs, causing higher blood pressure and other negative effects. Just something to think about if you live with an atkins dieter.

I am not sure why people cannot just follow a healthy diet coupled with exercise at least 5 days a week /boggle. Atkins seems to be a good thing for people severely overweight as a way to start shedding the LBS, however, this diet is horrible for anybody expecting to have enough energy to exercise. Good luck having stamina on this diet ;). Sure it makes you lose weight, but is it something that you will be doing for life? Hell no! Diet is a lifestyle change, not a science project geared towards shedding X-LBS in X-Amount of days.

Fuck Dr. Atkins and his lazy-man's diet ;)
/em braces for the assault from the Atkin's fanboys

based on anecdotal evidence, you're wrong. supposidly there's actual scientific research on the atkins diet, but that seems to be more along the safety side of it. and i'm kinda curious as to who's run those studies... there could be bias there...

anyways, i agree with the why not just follow a healthy diet statement. i think it's because people who resort to the atkins diet (warning: major generalization ahead!!!), especially those who have "tried everything and nothing worked!", are really just weak willed people when it comes to controlling themselves around food. my guess would be that like 1% of all people who can't lose weight doing the other diets actually arent' doing them right. (1% statistic pulled out of a rear oriface). i think a lot of them don't realize how many calories and of what type are in various foods, especially the heaviily processed ones. so why would this one work? because they don't have to worry about portioning. calorie counting. just eat as much as you want, just make sure it's on this here list. that's a lot easier than having to say to yourself "well, this piece of cake is too big. i shoudl cut myself a smaller one. and only a tiny scoop of ice cream to go with it."

with that said... i've stalled on my weight loss doing it the old fashioned way and might actually try this atkins thing. i think i'm gonna cry. :(

Mael, I think what it boils down to is willpower. I am 100% confident that there is not a person out there that I could not transform into a new person in a few months if they have the drive to do so. It isn't easy to make such a life change which is why we have so many fat people in this country, hell, even I find it tough to stay motivated some days and I am as dedicated as they come. I guess Atkins, South Beach, (Fill in diet of the month here) is better then not doing anything at all. I don't mean to downplay peoples drive to get in shape, I just question the ways in which they choose to do so. I cannot stress enough how important the idea of a diet being a life change is instead of a few month avoidance of certain foods to meet your weight quota.

I have ranted enough on this topic, good luck to all that choose this route.

I've been on Atkins since July 28 and I've lost 34 pounds.

My brother, a board-certified gastroenterologist is supportive of the diet.

Those that are negative toward the diet invariably don't know enough about it.

It's not a "high fat" diet. It's a way of eating that minimizes carbohydrate intake.

Since starting it, people around me have noticed and are now on the Atkins way-of-eating (WOE) too, including my mom, my in-laws, my secretary, the guy in the office next to me and several others who I know only through other internet message boards. All of them are doing well and agree that the Atkins WOE works.

The first week is hard because your body is literally suffering symptoms of withdrawal from its addiction to high blood sugar.

I used to get frequent heartburn and headaches before Atkins. I never get either anymore. Pepperoni used to trigger nasty heartburn. I eat pepperoni now as a snack without any negative effect.

I sleep better and have more energy. I'm rarely hungry and often have to remind myself it's time for a meal.

Atkins does not require people to give up foods with carbohydrates forever. The first phase of the WOE does, but as you near your weight goal, you add carbs back into your diet gradually so that you can determine your own body's ability to maintain weight....a carbohydrate equilibrium.

Atkins is NOT a diet that excludes exercise. Quite the opposite. Atkins' book requires regular exercise. During the first phase (called induction) vitamin supplements are also required....but you won't need the vitamins as you gradually move up the "ladder" of foods, adding things back into your diet in moderation.

The ultimate goal of Atkins is obviously weight loss and good health. To achieve the goal, you've got to break your body's addictions to excessive carbs.

People can argue that Atkins is crap or whatever. I know it works. The world isn't flat either. ;)

It most surely works, I wasnt disputing that. My question is it the optimal way to go or safest when there are other options. Is it something someone should or could do for a lifetime, and what type of substrate does the brain use for nutrients?

It certainly is something people can do for a lifetime. The first phase ("induction") is supposed to last a minimum of two weeks. That's the stage when people are limiting carbs to 20g per day.

Once the goal weight is reached, a more "normal" menu is available, including fruit, veggies, etc. It's the induction phase that gets all the press coverage.

Been on Atkins since Feb. Have lost 35lbs. and never felt better.
I have been monitoring my heart health indicators.. cholesterol ,triglicerides, blood pressure regularly and all have shown significant improvement especially my B.P.
My doctor says whatever I have been doing to keep doing it.
I am into the maintainance phase and my diet is probably not much different than most peoples with the exception of sugars and white flours. I eat most all vegetables, some whole wheat breads, and quite a bit of fruits.
If you understand the concept of the diet you would realize that after the initial phase there is nothing so radical about this diet as to be a grave health concern, quite the contrary. It is a healthy way of living and eating. I can't see where limiting your intake of sugars and junk carbs could possibly be a bad thing.
As for the bad breath , once you increase your levels of carbs to the point where you are no longer in Ketosis it disappears.
I have no doubt that this way of eating along with the recommended amount of excercise would be a more healthy alternative to the vast majority of people.
By the way, I was not obese but had put on about 30 lbs. gradually over the last few years. I initially planned on just going on this diet to lose that weight, but once on it felt so much better about my overall health, I decided to keep eating low carb.

I have changed my diet so i corresponds with the ideas of Atkins.

I have lost almost 40 lbs in less than 3 months, from 212 lbs to 173. The diet definately works.

The reason why the book is a good investment, is primarily that it is chock full of info. The info is on all levels, from practical advice, to biochemistry.

There have been lots of attacks on the Atkins diet. This summer there has been warnings from different sources about the diet. Every single issue, that i have seen raised, has been dealt with in the book. Often the criticism is based on a mistaken and faulty perception of what the diet is all about.

Recently the Atkins diet was called dangerous and unhealthy and based on pseudoscience. This is utter BS, the claim that it is dangerous and unhealthy was not sufficiently documented, thereby making the claim Pseudoscience itself.

Atkins himself, and people around him, have often claimed that the big corporations like Unilever and Nestle was atacking hiim through all available means. You do not need to be a conspiracy nut to find evidence that that claim is true.

BTW.. i maintain induction right now, and i plan on staying in induction till christmas :)

I've been on induction 9 days, and I've lost 10 pounds. Well, strictly, I'd lost some of it in the week leading up to beginning, when I was sort of "conscious" of carbs, and deliberately giving some stuff up... Still, 10 lbs in say a week and a half... Not bad..

Those who say that's too fast--relax. Atkins himself says that the first week's weight loss is largely water. Part of why he requires eight-eights hydration.

It really is true, reading this thread. Every single thing ANYONE has said against the diet, Atkins has already covered in the book.

If you're against it, or think it's unhealthy or a bad idea, you are under-informed. Go buy the book--whether you want to do the diet or not--because under-informed, you're spreading misinformation.

www.atkinsdietalert.org/consumer.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2859733.stm

Before changing careers a couple years ago, I worked as a nutritionist at an anti-aging clinic.

http://www.kronoscompany.com/science_laboratory.aspx
I had access to having my labwork done with what I consider the most sophisiticated lab in the world (nothing very "psuedo" about it). There was a point I was doing a diet similiar to the atkins (with minor variations, but the premise is the same) www.anabolicsolution.com/ after the second week my uric acid spiked off the chart. Theres no doubt in my mind that anyone on the Atkins diet is in the same scenerio. You might do yourself a favor and research what extended periods can do to you.

First of all, the rapid weight loss people see is water being removed at the cellular level. The cell dehydration occurs when carbohydrates are replaced by fat. When people begin to increase their carb intake, the water that was lost comes back and it looks as though people are blowing up again. They blame it on the carbs they ate and stop again. This causes a yo-yo effect and that's extremely hard on the body.

Carbohydrates are needed for all metabolic functions in the body. The brain and nervous system survive only on glucose which comes from carbohydrate breakdown. When carb intake in decreased, extra fat needs to be added to the diet for an energy source. Since there is no glucose for the body to use as energy, it turns to the fat stored and literally eats itself. This breakdown causes the release of ketones. Ketones can be extremely hard on the internal organs if accumulated. They are toxic and need to be eliminated through urination. This makes the kidneys work overtime. The high amount of dietary fat consumed is very taxing on the vital organs, particularly the kidneys, and can cause real damage.

To make what could turn into too long of a post short here's points I have seen, experienced, and gathered as fact vs possible theory:

1) Everyone is built genetically different; while certain general results can be found in any type of intake people are going to react differently to different things.

2) A diet thats been designed according to the proper caloric intake to what a persons goals are, and consuming 5 smaller meals with 40% protein- 30% COMPLEX carbs (not simple), and 30% FRIENDLY fats (not saturated) through the day with a 6th right before bed consisting of only protein (to keep nitrogen retention elevated through the night) with promote a condition of the body being anabolic vs catabolic. In other words it contributes to lowering the fat percentage without compromising muscle tissue. There are some that dont understand that muscle helps burn fat and when you raise cortisol levels and promote an extremely high amount of free radicals, the body may lose weight, but not be lowering its fat percentage; guess what that means. *Hint use a caliper with the scale, dont just rely on the scale alone; it doesnt tell the whole story. Due to the fact people are picking there own foods out and the body is getting the complete spectrum of its nutritional needs as well as keeping the insulin level consistent throughout the day theres no question about the safety, effectiveness, and just plain enjoyabilty of eating as such.

3) My general take on the current scientific and medical safeness of the Atkins diet is there is just as much evidence out there that it has potential harmful effects as it not having them. (Cardiovascular, diegestive systems) Hormonal levels havent been tested enough to provide anything in either direction, but educated guesses are easy to make- what substrate does the brain run on. . .

4) It is not recommended for people with kidney issues, or other renal complications. Can that be a good thing?

Im not downing anyone because Im truly interested to know where the members are getting the info they are considering psuedo-science, and what that word means to them.

Here is a piece of pseudo-science: a prediction/theory- Its a fact the the human brain gets a majority of is nutrients and fuel to run properly from carbs. A lifetime if reducing such may promote or even accelrate (if predispostioned to) organic brain disease, such as alzheimers or dementia. There's no current research to support that statement (but then again the tests have only begun to initate for that area).

The bottom line is this my hat is off to those who are chosing to live on the Atkins diet; for it is through you and time; the quesitons so many scientists-doctors-and nutrition professionals continue to deabte will finally be put to rest whether or not it does long term damage, so in essence thank you for volunteering. (There is a registry at the Atkins site for people to chart how things are going) I encourage you to participate its valuable information for the entire population.

Sun Tzu ,

Regarding the "pseudo science"; I have seen statements claiming that the Atkins diet is based on pseudo science. In the same statement it was claimed that doing Atkins will make you fat, heighten your cholesterol levels and might eventually kill you. There was not a shred of documentation for this, not even a link to some. ..that makes the above claims pseudo science.

My uric acid levels has gone up a bit to, while doing the diet. I consulted the book when i discovered this and got a referral to another book by Atkins about nutritional supplements. Nutritional supplements are an important part of the diet.

A large daily intake of water, makes a big difference in general well being. At least that is what i have found :)

Skifter2 my bad, I misread your post; sorry about that. Your statement is what I found as well, I thought you were stating that opposite. Its a good thing your monitoring your body chemsitry. If your open to it you may considering participating in this http://www.atkinsdietalert.org/registry.html

it will help further data on either side of the issue.

I went to that survey, it looks as though they are conducting a witch hunt. They are definately not looking for positive responses.
Also the references to legal issues may be a indication that their minds are made up.

The survey was a bad post on my part, I should have looked deeper into who was sponsering it. It one of those posts if we still had the ability to delete like last TFP I would have; so sorry about that. I think it brings up the point something as such is needed though,

There is nothing at all wrong with Atkins - I've lost 30 pounds and am keeping it off - perhaps a lot of this was simply quitting drinking Coke by the gallon - I've actually grown to like Diet Dr. Pepper. If Atkins gets old switch over to the South Beach diet - It basically adds a few of the right carbs and cuts some of the fats out of Atkins - Some really neat recipes in South Beach.

while i like diet dr. pepper, why not just drink diet coke? both have aspartame and caffiene. just curious.

Because Diet DP tastes like DP - Diet anything else doesn't taste much like anything you'd want to drink.

Ok, there are quite a few of you with experience and some that sound more knowledgable than the average joe on this subject. I'm 6'1 and 245lb. I've -always- been a bit fat. Even as a kid, when I played sports year around (Soccer, baseball, basketball and indoor soccer) I was a bit on the fat side, and we ran a mile or 2 at every soccer practice. Exercise helps up a to a point, then seems to level off and stop helping (cardio 45min/day, weight training 2-3 days a week) -- I've thought about atkins because my diet has ALWAYS been pretty high in carbs. Pasta's, breads, potatoes, rice, etc. A lot of other diets have failed for me, and like I said, even running all the time in sports never really slimmed me down (you can actualy see a the lines of a six pack in my cooler, you just also see a lot of cooler too :P ) --will something like the atkins diet actualy work for me? Or am I just in that small percentage that is just kind of stuck with it? It doesn't really effect my luck with the ladies, that hasn't been much of a problem, and I 'wear the weight well' --it's distributed so I look more like a football player than a couch potatoe. Just kinda --thick. Any suggestions?

Nobody's "stuck" with anything. It's all a matter of chemistry.

If you treat Atkins like a "diet"--something you use to drop some pounds and then quit--you'll have the same results as any other "diet". You'll gain the pounds back, and they'll bring some friends with them.

If you treat it as it's designed--a lifestyle, a fundamental change in the way you eat--you'll lose weight and be more healthy for good.

I sympathize. I just finished two weeks of my own version of the South Beach/Atkins diet, namely, giving up starches and sugars. One of the lifesavers for me was discovering Russell Stover sugar free chocolates (mint patty and toffee) to help with the cravings.

Now, though, I don't crave rice or bread or starches. Well, maybe just a little.

I really had a hard time finding something for lunch. I ended up at Indian fast food restaurants ordering grilled kebabs.

My experiences:

Male, 40, Was 232, now 200 since march 03. Lowest was 196, goal mid 180 or when my pre-stop smoking pants fit again -5.

Currently day 5 in a modified induction mode (>20 carbs, caffeine and hard alcohol are allowed), I have nasty breath and my pee stinks too. The keto sticks are a beautiful dark maroon woohoo! On the road again.

Last 2 times, after the induction flu, I felt awesome. Unfortunately I believe I have a bit of real crud to go with it this time. Motrin helps alot.

Learnings:

Read the book every day. You get more out of it each time something applies to where you are currently at.

During your first induction. Follow it by the book, strickly.

Stop eating when you are full. You will eat less and less. When coming off diet. Force yourself to start with smaller portions. Avoid binge foods.

BEFORE A MEAL take the supplements. You may wake up at 4 AM screaming with a huge cramp in your calf if you don't. Yes this happened to me. I added fish oil, and oyster shell calcium this time. Take a daily dose of 100% Psyllium Fiber, or other fiber source OR YOU MAY PAY BY PASSING A BRICK!

Hidden carbs are everywhere. If the stick is not showing ketosis you are getting carbs somewhere. I know, 6 days no ketosis. Finding: Sugar free DIABETIC throat losenges. No carbs on label. My buddy had problems with sugar free gum.

Water. Drink like you want to wet the bed. Easy on the alcohol or you might LMAO.

Alcohol.... only hard stuff which has no carbs. Watch the mixers too. I like a rum and sugar free, caffeine free pepsi before bed.

After induction, add in the "evils" in your life 1 a week. Caffeine may be the reason I am having muscle aches. Try to isolate any health problems to food choices in your diet.

Read the sucesses of others. Learn from their mistakes.

Know the diet. No progress is from ignorance or cheating.

You MUST have some carbs. 20 per day doesn't mean LESS either. Natives of Alaska have starved eating a caribou only diet. No fat, no carbs = starvation.

Menu/Recipes.

Taco salad, without the chips. Easy and yummy. Add sour cream, guacamole, black olives (remember to add the carbs)

Pizza, eat the roof, throw the rest at the dog. OR

Make a mix of ground meat, mushrooms, pepperoni, green pepper, onions, in a pan. Add low carb sauce (tomato sauce, spices and sugar replacement) and melt cheese on top. Yummy and nukes at work well too.

No time for eggs in the am. I eat a beef Buddig and a cheese stick during the drive into work.

Lean ham cubes, mustard with a salad and a pickle.

I make omlets and other egg stuff on weekends to break up the week.

Shrimp, I made some awesome shrimp and dipped it in low carb cocktail sauce.

Mexican style food is easy and I love it. Just leave out the beans, corn and shells.

No bean chile. Use lots of meat steak or burger. Season well.

Chile rellenos (modified), anaheim pepper with meat and cheese melted in the middle. The grill adds flavor. YUMMY X2.

Lastly:

After day 5 weigh every AM after peeing but before anything else. Then start the day with a large glass of luke warm water. If you do this for a while you will see the benefits (fewer hunger pains too)

Use keto sticks. They really tell you that you are doing it right. Don't assume you are in ketosis.

Move. Walk. Chase the S.O. aroung the house neked, but move.

Good luck!

Putting your body into a catabolistic state is not smart. Nor is remaining in ketosis for long periods of time.

You have lost 30 lbs in the span of 7 months which isn't exactly remarkable progress and you could have done it quicker and with less hassle if you would have just followed a caloric deficit balanced diet.

Plan9, that's mighty condescending.

A low-cal, low-fat diet simply does not work for everyone. Most everyone on the Atkins diet has spent a lifetime trying to lose weight that way and failing.

And most importantly, the most recent studies show that the form of ketosis under the Atkins diet is beneficial and not harmful in any way.

Every time someone mentions Atkins in a thread, you come around to bash it, but have no facts to back it up. When someone else contradicts you with links to actual studies, you disappear.

Why do you have to rain on someone else's parade like this? Do you have some sort of agenda?

I am very against it, I don't consider it an agenda, just against it. I am a personal trainer irl and work with many people on it. I don't like the negative effects it has on the people's energy levels who are on this diet and I also am a firm believer in not fucking with our system like this. Another thing that bothers me about this diet is that almost all fiber comes from carb food. Not getting enough fiber causes all kinds of internal problems in the colon area. There is an old medical saying- "All problems begin in the colon." This is due to the fact the waste builds up on the inside and isn't properly eliminated with a normal diet. Take away your fiber and you are asking for problems. Another reason a high protien diet is bad is that it stresses out your heart and liver. Huge amounts of protein and no carbs means higher cholestrol and clogged arteries.

Another downside of low-carb diets is that they severely restrict fruit and vegetables (as these contain carbohydrate). This means the diet is low in beneficial antioxidant vitamins and low in fiber, all of which increases the risk of heart disease, cancers and bowel disorders.

High-protein diets may also increase calcium excretion, which may reduce the health of bones and cause osteoporosis (weak bones).

There are also concerns about the impact of this high-protein diet on the kidneys, which have to work harder as there are more toxins that need filtering out in our urine. And this is a particular worry for people with diabetes, as the condition already increases the risk of kidney disease.

You can lose weight on the Atkins diet. In fact, you probably will lose weight fast this way. You could lose weight even faster by using cocaine, but that doesn't make it a good idea.

Oh, and me disapear when somebody contradicts me? Funny, thats news to me. I don't exactly hover over threads to see the replies. I simply put my .02 and hope that anybody who is thinking about getting on this diet and thinks that Plan9 sorta 'knows his shit' will re-think it and try a normal balanced diet instead.

You want facts that warn of the negative effects of the atkins diet? Go read their site... it has all the warnings on it. Better yet, google it. For somebody like yourself, mr. hedgehog, who seems to be pretty confident about the Atkins diet, you dont really need me to show you any links that show the negative things about Atkins because you are already set in your ways.... and people like you I am not concerned about changing their minds. Hows that for "dissapearing when somebody contradicts me"?

What's fucking with our system is the glut of junk carbs most people eat these days. The lifetime approach to the Atkins way of eating is NOT about being in ketosis permanently, it's about breaking the carb addiction most of us walk around suffering from.

Atkins Myth #1: It calls for you to cut out fiber.

Atkins very clearly recommends alternate sources of fiber. I'm doing 3000mg of Psyllium Husk daily, myself. I've never been so regular. Fiber intake isn't counted into your carb load for the day--it's a freebie.

Atkins Myth #2: It gives you high cholesterol and is bad for your heart

ALL the studies done about this show a marked decrease in cholesterol levels and a dramatic improvement in all blood lipid levels. This assertion that it's bad for the heart is patently false and has been disproven many times.

Atkins was a CARDIOLOGIST for crying out loud...

Atkins Myth #3: You don't get to eat vegetables. (I'll deal with fruit in a minute.)

I'm eating more veggies on Atkins than I have since I left home and my mommy quit making sure I ate right. Today with Lunch I had a big spinach salad and a double-handful of steamed broccoli with butter. The Atkins Diet REQUIRES vegetables, cannot be done WITHOUT eating vegetables. To say otherwise is simply incorrect.

The Atkins Diet as laid out by Dr. Atkins in Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution calls for people not to eat fruits for PRECISELY seven weeks. On the eighth week, fruit is to be added back into the diet, starting with the lower-carb fruits--berries, mostly.

Explain to me how abstaining from any type of food for seven weeks causes heart disease, cancer or bowel disorders?

Now, I grant you, many people do something they call The Atkins Diet which is NOT the way of eating created by Dr. Robert Akins. I can't speak for any damage those people do to themselves. It is possible to hurt yourself doing a zero carb diet, or staying too low on carbs for too long, but if you're doing that, you're NOT doing Atkins. If you're still eating 20 grams of carbs a day on your 4th week and you don't have more than 100 lbs to lose, then you're NOT doing Atkins. If you're on your sixth week and you haven't progressed up the Carb Ladder (the WHAT!?) you're NOT doing Atkins.

All those people you work with who are experiencing low energy... Dollars to donuts they're doing their own personal version of Atkins. I'm NOT defending anything that might come as a result of that. I say, follow a plan that's worked for millions of people over the last thirty years, you're probably ok. Go off on your own, and you're probably asking for trouble. This includes people who treat it like a crash diet--like thinking that the intense, Induction phase is the whole diet, and once they use that to reach their goal, they go back to the popcorn and potato chips. That's not Atkins either. But that's the behavior that gives the way of eating a bad name.

I honestly don't know enough about this to argue about it sensibly. For all I know, that's true. I would say that the high-protein phases of the diet are not the phases intended to be permanent. The "Lifetime Maintenance" phase looks remarkably like a traditional balanced diet.

It does cause increased kidney function, which is not a problem in people with healthy kidneys. People with kidney disorders shouldn't do the program. People get all weird about that, but there's never been a study done that demonstrates any sort of kidney damage to someone with normal renal health.

And you said you don't have an agenda? Look again.

You didn't touch Atkins Myth #4 ("It's a diet for the lazy. Get up off the couch, lardass!"), so I'll have to cover that one for you. Atkins is VERY CLEAR that exercise is a REQUIRED component of the diet. He covers that in several places in the book. He doesn't lay out a whole plan for it the way something like Body For Life does, but he make it plain that it's not optional.

As for me, I have an agenda. I'm completely up-front about it. This way of eating has changed my life and I want everyone to know it's possible... and just how EASY it is. It's not about weight loss, for people who treat it as a lifetime thing. It's about being and feeling healthy.

This way of eating violates common sense. No two ways about that. It challenges what "everybody knows" about how a healthy diet is supposed to look. Nonetheless it works, and it's demonstrated to be healthy. So.... So much for what "everybody knows"!

Well, ratbastid I am glad this diet works for you and you recite Dr. Atkin's info like you work for them :D. I am going to have to leave this issue alone because I obviously will always have conflicting opinions about this diet then the people who are on it. We will just go in circles and nobody will be convinced. Atkins' fans are more rabid then any fan I have seen and I am not here to pick fights and this seems to be leading in that direction.

Lets all hug :)

I did the Atkins from January to about August. At the time I started the Atkins I was almost 200 lbs. Around August I was down to 170 or. At that time I felt I wasn't THAT fat anymore, and went back to normal eating and started exercising a lot.

Atkins is a very good diet, however, it isn't for the weak willed. If you can't control yourself from eating a piece of cake or slice of pizza, you might have a tough time with it.

You will feel like crap the first couple days, but that's only because your body is assimulating into ketosis. Once you're in, you'll feel a ton better.

It DOES work - as many people who have already responded have attested for.