Atkins

[budcrew08]

My fiancee and I are thinking about trying the Atkins diet. She did it a few years ago and says she lost a good deal of weight, but it came back.

Has anyone tried it? It is good or just a lot of fail?

Any tips or recipes? Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

If there's another thread with Atkins, I didn't find one.

 

[mike311gd]

My parents went on it a few years ago. My mom couldn't stick with it, but my dad did and lost a bunch of weight. They're off it now, and I'm sure the weight is back. I think that's one of those diets where you've got to be on it constantly, otherwise it won't do anything long-term.

Plus, and I'm no doctor and am only going on what I've heard, I don't think it's the healthiest of diets, either.

 

[Pulitzer Wannabe]

It works. It definitely works. Use it to lose a bunch of weight right off the bat, then start exercising and eating sensibly afterward and you should be good to go.

I always found it to be a great kickstart.

 

[PopeDirkBenedict]

Atkins works if you want to take weight off (i.e., want to lose 10 pounds before the high school reunion). But I don't think you can really stay on it for long periods of time and once you go off, it is inevitable that there will be a carb binge in your future.

 

[pallister]

She did it a few years ago and says she lost a good deal of weight, but it came back.

That's what happens to eveyone on Atkins. Eventually, you'll start eating carbs again, unless, that is, you want to kill yourself first. A "diet" without carbs is not healthy.

 

[Pilot]

I did it for a couple months once, and lost a lot. It eventually all came back, but it took awhile. A year at least, and I didn't do anything to maintain it.

I agree with the "kick start" philosophy. I realize that to stay in shape long term, I'll have to eat better, work out more and can't rely on any gimmicks like Atkins. But it's a heck of a lot easier to get close to your ideal weight with something like Atkins, then try and maintain than it is to work down to that weight the long way.

 

[Pastor]

Dieting shouldn’t be about simply losing weight. It should be about adjusting your lifestyle.

The Atkins diet is crap. Your body requires carbohydrates. If you don’t eat it, your body will starve on it and thus eats itself. That is the “weight loss.” It isn’t real loss since you are basically eating yourself in an unhealthy manner.

A proper diet is based on 50% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 20% fat (not the trans-fat, though). Your body needs this to function every day. How many calories you eat total is based on weight and the amount you exercise.

If you aren’t doing any exercise at all, then you are really just wasting your time.

 

[dooley_womack1]

Atkins is not about not eating any carbs, it's about eating as many as possible up to the point you're not gaining or losing. I've been at a plateau for a while, but I haven't gained back. PM for tips and such.

 

[slappy4428]

Atkins is not about not eating any carbs, it's about eating as many as possible up to the point you're not gaining or losing. I've been at a plateau for a while, but I haven't gained back. PM for tips and such.

Lost 10 pounds a couple of months ago, most of its back -- damn sugar and starch. Still, I dropped 30 on it a few years ago.

 

[dooley_womack1]

And the theory behind the diet is, the body burns carbs before it burns fat. The fewer carbs it has to burn, the quicker it can get to the fat. From personal experience, eating carb-filled stuff makes you crave more carb-filled stuff. So it is a lifestyle change to limit carbs. I will be counting my intake for the rest of my life.

 

[pallister]

What do you know, dools, you're eating yourself?

 

[dooley_womack1]

Wouldn't quite say I'm eating myself. And Pall, you surely don't skimp on Old Style.

 

[forever_town]

It's ironic. My dad is a retired RN and he supported the diet heavily when it was all the rage. I thought it was the work of a quack from Day 1.

I'm very anti-Atkins Diet. Remember that Atkins himself died prematurely.

 

[Pastor]

What do you know, dools, you're eating yourself?

Seriously, talk to any personal trainer anywhere in the world.

Your body needs carbs. Your body needs fat. Your body needs protein. If you don't get the necessary amount you are doing harm to your body.

It is better to drop the weight slowly because there is an increase that it will stay off. On average, anything more than 3lbs per week is too much.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Atkins. Died. Obese.

 

[pallister]

And Pall, you surely don't skimp on Old Style.

True story: During my road trip, I took a couple people to Wrigley Field for pictures and such. Just across the street is the Cubby Bear, a fairly well-known watering hole for dirty Cubs fans. Anyhoo, I say, "Hey, you have to go drink an Old Style at the Cubby Bear while you're in Chicago." Unfortunately, the bar was out of the beer. How does a bar known for its affiliation with the Cubs run out of the beer most synonymous with them. Weak.

EDIT: Not arguing Pastor; as I mentioned, no carbs is not healthy. I think the argument here is whether you can successfully regulate them. I prefer to just eat carbs as I wish, exercise and try to stay in relatively decent shape.

 

[dooley_womack1]

Lots of doctors smoke. What's your point? Bottom line: Go with whatever works best for you for the long term. That's not rubbish. Anything is rubbish that is not done right.

 

[Pastor]

Lots of doctors smoke. What's your point? Bottom line: Go with whatever works best for you for the long term. That's not rubbish. Anything is rubbish that is not done right.

And the argument about Atkins is that it isn't necessarily the best for anyone long term.

Protein is 4 calories per gram, Carbohydrates is 4 calories per gram and Fat is 9 calories per gram. People need about 2,000 calories per day. If 1,000 calories isn't carbs then your body isn't getting what it needs and it won't function as needed. Protein is needed to restore lost muscle and fat is required for the brain as well as the lining for the nerves.

I think it was on DiscoveryHD not long ago, but they had this great show on the human body. One of the stories about how the body reacts certain ways showed a man that was lost out at see. He would catch fish and eat it. However, fish meat only contains protein. As such, the body (well it was really the brain triggering it) started desiring other parts of the fish, such as the eyes, in order to obtain the other necessary parts of a balanced diet.

The carbohydrate intake definitely needs to be watched, but to the excess where it is less than 50% of your daily intake will leave your body starving for what it really needs.

 

[Calvin Hobbes]

It's ironic. My dad is a retired RN and he supported the diet heavily when it was all the rage. I thought it was the work of a quack from Day 1.

I'm very anti-Atkins Diet. Remember that Atkins himself died prematurely.

Atkins slipped on an icy sidewalk and died of a head injury. That's hardly an indictment of the diet plan.

 

[dooley_womack1]

Pastor, I've said my piece. Has worked for me and millions. If you want to rail against it, your call. Anyone who wants to know more about how to do it right can PM me.