# Thoughts on Atkins diet....



## highwood (Jan 12, 2012)

Has anybody tried it...I love my carbs and I tend to gravitate towards carbs because I feel like they fill me up more than protein, etc.


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## Sussieq (Apr 6, 2013)

highwood said:


> Has anybody tried it...I love my carbs and I tend to gravitate towards carbs because I feel like they fill me up more than protein, etc.


I haven't but I know plenty of people who have tried it. I prefer eating a balanced diet, like the pyramid. As long as you don't have any underlying medical conditions, it shouldn't be a problem. But it never hurts to check with your physician first.


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## Mavash. (Jan 26, 2012)

I love Atkins but most people don't understand what it's about . You do eat carbs on just not the junky kinds like chips, sugar, white breads, etc. There are carbs in fruits and vegetables.

Low carb to me is the only way I lean out, lose weight and keep my moods stable.

I did Atkins to beat my sugar addiction but I've since moved onto the zone diet which is still low carb just balanced. It suits me.


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## bbdad (Feb 11, 2013)

You need to make your nutrition plan a lifestyle. A diet is just a short term fix that typically ends up creating more problems than it helps. 

The low carb plans are not bad at all. But, you have to find something you can make a part of your lifestyle, not just a short fix and then put the weight back on.


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## highwood (Jan 12, 2012)

Very true..could also be a case or training my brain to go for healthier high protien items instead of breads/crackers/chips, etc.


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## Blue Firefly (Mar 6, 2013)

Actually, *fat* is what satiates your hunger.

Studies comparing low-carb/high-fat diets vs low-fat/high-carb diets found:

1) people on low-fat/high-carb diets got hungrier more often than people on low-carb/high-fat diets.

2) When allowed to eat as often as they want (and not counting calories) people on low-carb/high-fat diets *ate fewer calories* than people on low-fat/high-carb diets. 

What's more, the overweight people on low-carb/high-fat diets (who were eating whenever they wanted, and not counting calories) actually *lost weight.* The low-fat/high-carbers gained weight.

Remember, table sugar is a carbohydrate. ALL carbohydrates are just sugar molecules chained together. Short chains are sweet; long chains (like the ones in potatoes and bread) aren't, but your body digests them both they same way. It chops the chain into *simple sugar molecules* and then dumps them into your bloodstream (that's why eating bread spikes your insulin levels).

Look at it this way. There are 12 grams of carbs in a typical piece of loaf bread. There are 12 grams of carbs in 3 teaspoons of table sugar.

Eating 3 teaspoons of table sugar results in 12 grams of simple sugar molecules entering your blood stream.

Eating 1 piece of loaf bead results in 12 grams of simple sugar molecules entering your blood stream.

In other words, from a nutritional stand point, there's no difference between eating a piece of loaf bread, and eating 3 teaspoons of table sugar plus a (very, very small) vitamin pill.

You may love you some carbs, but nutritionally they are empty calories. Literally sugar by another name.

I suggest you read "Why We Get Fat" by Taubes.

Also take a look at the documentary "Fat Head" (available for free on Hulu).


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## Orion the Hunter (Apr 20, 2011)

I like the Paleo/Primal myself. I avoid all grains and sugars. We only eat real food -- if it's in a package of some sort, it's been processed.

I really like Mark Sisson marksdailyapple.com

Also, I practice the 90/10 principle. 90% of the time I'm very disciplined and 10% of the time I indulge. I can't give up a cheeseburger and fries. Even with my 10% I still stay away from sweets and desserts....you really lose that craving.

I use the diet to manage severely elevated cholesterol ... specifically my LDL-P (particle count) is >3000 ... which is crazy crazy high. I cannot take statins (and would not anyway) because I had an episode of Rhabdo due to taking Lipitor 4 years ago.

Eating Fat does keep you full. Eating refined carbs typically will make you more hungry.


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## Orion the Hunter (Apr 20, 2011)

Blue Firefly said:


> Actually, *fat* is what satiates your hunger.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Gary Taubes is a must read. His book "Good Calories Bad Calories" really taught me a lot....but it reads like a science book. I liked that, but it may not be for everyone. "Why we get Fat" is a great resource if GCBC isn't for you.


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## Almostrecovered (Jul 14, 2011)

highwood said:


> Has anybody tried it...I love my carbs and I tend to gravitate towards carbs because I feel like they fill me up more than protein, etc.


actually they dont fill you up unless they are "good carbs"

picture this

a chocolate chip cookie and an apple
both have the same amount of carbs and calories (let's say 100 calories)


you could picture yourself eating 10 cookies in one sitting if you get the munchies, you can't imagine eating 10 apples because you would get too full

the apple has better carbs (more complex, takes longer to break down) and fiber, the cookie is mostly flour and sugar (simple carbs)

I think lowering your carbs is a good idea as protein and fat help fill you up and feel sated and carbs get more easily stored as fat when not burned. But I think going to under 20 carbs a day is so difficult that it makes the diet too hard to follow and if you do follow it then you tend to break your diet more often because of the limitations.


I think limiting carbs to veggies, high fiber breads and fruits, along with a lower intake diet that you have a much better chance at success


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## Mavash. (Jan 26, 2012)

I can't eat apples. Too much sugar. 

But I see your point. Easy to eat 10 cookies not so much 10 apples. My husband fills up on a supersized apple. He's not as sugar sensitive as I am.

How Much Sugar in Fruit?


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## NextTimeAround (Dec 15, 2011)

Robert Lustig wrote a book called Fat Chance and said that he has had to liver transplants on 2 400 pound 15 year olds because they consumed too much sugar.


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## highwood (Jan 12, 2012)

Thanks some great points...I ordered the South Beach diet book...I heard it was a little gentler version of Atkins I think I get so focused on low fat..but yet I struggle to lose 20 lbs..I start off great only to have that day dissolve into a feeding frenzy..chips, bread slathered with such such as cheese, peanut buttter, butter, jam, etc. etc.


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## Mavash. (Jan 26, 2012)

I like Atkins better than South Beach. 

The fat is what makes Atkins fabulous. South beach is lower fat which isn't as much fun.

On Atkins I ate cheeseburgers (sans the bun), steak, and butter. YUM! Can't live that way forever though - it's just to get off the sugar. The best way to beat a sugar/carb addiction is with fat.


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## highwood (Jan 12, 2012)

I actually have both coming to me via amazon..I guess I will compare. I agree with you the fat is what keeps you full..

I used to eat a couple of boiled eggs with toast in the morning and this would not sustain me.. two hours later I was starving again. When I switched to one piece of toast and added 2/3 cup of hashbrowns fried in a little olive oil..all of a sudden I stayed fuller longer...


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## NextTimeAround (Dec 15, 2011)

highwood said:


> Thanks some great points...I ordered the South Beach diet book...I heard it was a little gentler version of Atkins * I think I get so focused on low fat*..but yet I struggle to lose 20 lbs..I start off great only to have that day dissolve into a feeding frenzy..chips, bread slathered with such such as cheese, peanut buttter, butter, jam, etc. etc.


anything that is low fat uses sugar to replace the fat. Somewhere along the line we've been scammed into believing that fat makes you fat. When it's sugar that makes you fat. 

You mention above eating a lot of processed foods. Even some peanut butter have added sugar. I was reading NYTimes article about how the food industry purposely seeks out the right flavor along the continuum that will keep you wanting more. the mechanics of which I could not fully understand.

I learned back in my late 30s eating a lot of carbs actually left me jittery and light headed. I call it now a sugar meltdown. the last one I had was about a year ago. I went to a meeting without eating, so I loaded up on the cookies with the coffee. Big mistake. I had to rush to eat. I keep reminding myself of this incident so that I will remember to eat the right things through the day.


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## highwood (Jan 12, 2012)

Mavash...how much did you lose. How long did you stay on Atkins?


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## Mavash. (Jan 26, 2012)

highwood said:


> Mavash...how much did you lose. How long did you stay on Atkins?


I lost 25 pounds on Atkins and it took 6 months. HOWEVER I was also perimenopausal so I struggled with carb cravings so during PMS I'd fall off the wagon. I'm now on hormones so that's fixed.

We moved and I got off track again. Gained 12 pounds of it back before I got a grip. Switched to the zone, worked out 5 days a week and lost 18 pounds in 9 weeks. Went from a size 10 to a size 4 (was almost a size 12 when I first started so I lost even more weight the 2nd time).

This has been a trial and error thing for me. At first I didn't know how to eat low carb but now I do. I know what works for me and what doesn't. Everyone is different. You just have to learn to read your body.


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## Mavash. (Jan 26, 2012)

highwood said:


> I used to eat a couple of boiled eggs with toast in the morning and this would not sustain me.. two hours later I was starving again. When I switched to one piece of toast and added 2/3 cup of hashbrowns fried in a little olive oil..all of a sudden I stayed fuller longer...


The toast would trigger an insulin drop and make me hungry earlier. Olive oil slows down the sugar which helped you not feel hungry 2 hours later.

My breakfast is one egg, 5 slices of canadian bacon and big bowl of strawberries.


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## Sussieq (Apr 6, 2013)

Mavash. said:


> I love Atkins but most people don't understand what it's about . You do eat carbs on just not the junky kinds like chips, sugar, white breads, etc. There are carbs in fruits and vegetables.
> 
> Low carb to me is the only way I lean out, lose weight and keep my moods stable.
> 
> I did Atkins to beat my sugar addiction but I've since moved onto the zone diet which is still low carb just balanced. It suits me.


I understand the Atkins diet. I know two people who literally went by the book, and became very sick and were hospitalized. One developed severe ketosis, and the other ketosis with kidney damage. It's important for each person to be sure their body can hold up to this diet, by clearing it with their physician. The massive amount of protein can impact kidney function.


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## Mavash. (Jan 26, 2012)

Sussieq said:


> I understand the Atkins diet. I know two people who literally went by the book, and became very sick and were hospitalized. One developed severe ketosis, and the other ketosis with kidney damage. It's important for each person to be sure their body can hold up to this diet, by clearing it with their physician. The massive amount of protein can impact kidney function.


But see that means they did NOT read the book. He never says stay in ketosis but I've been on low carb boards and read that's exactly what people do. It's NOT healthy to cut out an entire food group for more than a few months at the MOST and this would be for severely obese people. Obesity is probably causing more problems than the ketosis will. The OP needs to lose 20 pounds so for her she'd do 2 weeks then start upping her carbs.

Excess protein absolutely damages the kidneys which is also why he says to work out. But sigh people don't read that they just want the quick fix that low carb/ketosis gives them without understanding how this works.


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## NextTimeAround (Dec 15, 2011)

Those who have diabetes type 2 have to limit the amount of fruit that they eat because some of them have so much sugar. A GP once told me to eat only a half banana a day. Atkins friendly fruits are most berries.

So long to that worn out piece of wisdom of unlimited fruits and vegetables.

Also a negative that I read about for Atkins is that it makes your urine. Well, asparagus has the same affect. No is advising to stop eating that. 

And poop has always smelled, so what's the solution for that one.


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## Soifon (Oct 5, 2012)

I tried it and I hated it. It works for some people and yes it was working for me but I hated it. I quit Atkins because I cannot live that way and I wanted to make a lifestyle change not just lose weight. I lose just as much weight with portion control and exercise as I did on Atkins and I feel better. Yeah the induction weight loss was nice but it evens out if you compare to a slow steady weight loss on a traditional calorie output > input set up.

I'm not knocking Atkins, people who can do it and stay on it, more power to you. It just isn't for everyone and I think a lot of people that go into it are doing it looking for a quick fix. You are either in it and having that be your lifestyle or it won't work.


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## Mavash. (Jan 26, 2012)

Soifon my husband can't stay on it either. He NEEDS his treats so portion control/counting calories/exercise works better for him too.

I'm in the beginning stages of diabetes so I'm stuck with low carb for the rest of my life.


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## Soifon (Oct 5, 2012)

Mavash. said:


> Soifon my husband can't stay on it either. He NEEDS his treats so portion control/counting calories/exercise works better for him too.
> 
> I'm in the beginning stages of diabetes so I'm stuck with low carb for the rest of my life.


That sucks, sorry to hear that Mavash. Yeah I have this tiny problem of hating pretty much all vegetables so Atkins was way too hard for me to find things to eat. I live on fruit, dairy, breads and pastas. It just didn't work out at all for me.


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## Created2Write (Aug 25, 2011)

The thing about the Atkins diet is that is misses the point, imo, of what nutrition should be. We _need_ carbohydrates in our system. It's what our body gleans energy from. I had a friend on the Atkins diet who thought she could eat strawberries and whipped cream all day and lose weight. Um, no! 

It's very easy to overload on carbs, but to have a balanced, healthy diet, half of our caloric intake needs to be in carbs. Otherwise our bodies have to use other nutrients to make energy and that's never good. So long as your smart about _what_ carbs you eat(whole grain breads, whole grain pastas, whole grain cereals, milk, fruits and veggies) you'll have a nice, rounded diet.


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## WorkingOnMe (Mar 17, 2012)

I don't think there is any evidence that we need grains to be healthy at all. Or Potatoes, or sugar. I agree that a good portion of our diet should be carbs, but these carbs need to come from vegetables and whole fruit. I'm just finishing up "Why We Get Fat" and it was really enlightening.


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## Orion the Hunter (Apr 20, 2011)

WorkingOnMe said:


> I don't think there is any evidence that we need grains to be healthy at all. Or Potatoes, or sugar. I agree that a good portion of our diet should be carbs, but these carbs need to come from vegetables and whole fruit. I'm just finishing up "Why We Get Fat" and it was really enlightening.


I agree 100%... Dr. William Davis' book "Wheat Belly" does a great job explaining what today's grains really are. They're not what our great grand parents used to eat. They hybridized to the extreme and contain many anti-nutrients.

Healthy Whole Grains is an oxymoron to me.

YMMV


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## hookares (Dec 7, 2011)

highwood said:


> Has anybody tried it...I love my carbs and I tend to gravitate towards carbs because I feel like they fill me up more than protein, etc.


It's a great way to introduce gout into your life. I have a theory that it can also lead to renal failure.
A well rounded diet consumed with MODERATION in mind is the way to go.


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## VermisciousKnid (Dec 27, 2011)

Blue Firefly said:


> Remember, table sugar is a carbohydrate. ALL carbohydrates are just sugar molecules chained together. Short chains are sweet; long chains (like the ones in potatoes and bread) aren't, but your body digests them both they same way. It chops the chain into *simple sugar molecules* and then dumps them into your bloodstream (that's why eating bread spikes your insulin levels).
> 
> Look at it this way. There are 12 grams of carbs in a typical piece of loaf bread. There are 12 grams of carbs in 3 teaspoons of table sugar.
> 
> ...


The latest research suggest that the metabolic effects of simpler sugar versus complex carbs are very different. Refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, etc. are absorbed quickly in the bloodstream and overwhelm the liver. Slower absorption is apparently not as bad. 

They used to think that "getting fat" is what leads to type 2 diabetes but now it seems to be that it is a chemical process initiated by one's liver in response to sugar abuse.


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## waiwera (Sep 8, 2009)

I tend to eat 'lowish' carb all the time. I don't waste precious calories on highly processed and low nutrient carbs ie: bread, crackers, cereals but I do eat vegetable/fruit carbs, even high carb ones like potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, corn, pumpkin/squash etc... as these food are full of lots of energy, vitamins and minerals and I don't have any blood sugar issues to worry about. 

Do you holland? If you do... understanding where different foods rate on the glycemic index would be helpful... you can find lists on the net.

Learning to eat REAL food in moderation is the key IMO. Also important is building some muscle and being active everyday not just the 30-60 mins you spend at the gym or walking etc 3-4 x a week.


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## Freak On a Leash (Feb 19, 2010)

I just count calories. I eat what I want for the most part, I just watch my portions and the caloric intake. And I work out to tone myself up.

Eat less, move more. 

I try and keep the caloric intake at 1000-1500 calories/day. On the weekends I may splurge a bit. 

That said, I'm not a big bread eater. I don't eat much meat. I guess I eat a lot like a vegetarian. I like salads. During the week I eat stuff like Lean Cuisine and some sugar free puddings to satisfy my sweet tooth. I also chew sugarless gum. My biggest downfall is cheese. I love it. And wine. 

BTW, I'm 5'2" and I'm not starving to death. I've been doing this for years and back in '08 I lost about 50lbs in less than a year. Went from a size 16 to a size 3. I'm pretty much at a size 3-5 now. 

I don't weigh myself cuz muscle weighs more. If the pants are tight that tells me what I need to know.


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## firefly789 (Apr 9, 2013)

I think the South Beach Diet is a healthier way to eat long term than the Atkins diet. I've done them both, but Atkins is hard to stay on long term. SB just seems a more balanced approach for long term. I also now work out first thing in the morning. I eat just about all my carbs in the morning to give me some fuel. There's a new book out that I want to order about eating all carbs in the morning and people lost weight. It was a diet experiment from Tel Aviv. The book is The Big Breakfast Diet.


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