notmissingwhitebread

@vsabino It's simple don't count the fiber or sugar alcohols. You should know if you eat large amounts of sugar alcohols some of it will be digested.

Oh and you can get the strips in drug stores usually in the diabetic section. good luck!

davej323

At the CVS by me, the "Ketostix" ketosis test strips used to be carried in the same section with the pregnancy tests (and other urine test kits), but because of low demand they stopped stocking them regularly and now they have to be ordered as a "no prescription pharmacy special order item." If you can't readily find them in your drug store, just ask for them at the pharmacy counter and be prepared to wait a few days if they have to be ordered. There are also lots of places you can order them online.

Dave
___________________________________________
stats, inspired by Ron

Male, 6'0" tall, 37 y/o

Starting weight, 4/19/10 (started Atkins) = 287
6/16/10 (finished Atkins book & joined Fitday) = 261
latest weight 8/03/10 = 244.5
mini goal (wedding) 9/4/10 = 235
ultimate goal for lifetime maintenance by 4/19/11 (one year mark, 100 pounds loss) = 187
This will be my lightest weight since high school!

CoeyCoey

Any diet with phases is a fad diet. Lifestyle change is something you do for life and not just a phase.

And I am sure you all know better than the American Heart Association when it comes to dieting, eh?

High-Protein Diets

vsabino

Yeah I agree, there are TONS of sugar alcohols too in those Atkins bars, not sure why they suggest them (or why they don't make better ones). Better not to eat them at all probably. What about the Atkins protein shakes? They only have 2g net carbs but they probably slow down weight loss as well?

AtkinsIsTheWay4Me

I have seen them at Target, Walgreens and Walmart.

davej323

This argument has become exhausting. Critics love to take one simple fact about the Atkins diet and extrapolate that in to the fact that it must be unhealthy because it just doesn't sound right. In your example, you suggest that Atkins is unhealthy because it has phases. Do I even need to tell you what an incredible over-simplification this is? Furthermore, the phases of the Atkins plan, if followed correctly, are meant to lead to that lifestyle change you are referring to. In fact, someone who feels unsafe about following the more restrictive phases of the plan is free to start in a later phase. Even if someone is following a calorie restriction type of diet plan he/she is going to have to make adjustments to that diet as he/she approaches goal weight. So is your problem just with the terminology, "phases?"

In terms of the AHA recommendations, they are failing to account for a few things. For one, they don't account for the fact that the most severe carbohydrate restriction is only in the first stages of the Atkins plan. They also don't account for the fact that the Atkins plan calls for eating plenty of fiber-rich leafy green vegetables. Even during induction phase, the plan calls for a minimum of 12-15g a day of these type of carbohydrate sources. In my own experience (I am doing a prolonged induction phase until I get to within 10 pounds of my goal weight), I eat broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach every day, and often complement my dinner protein with a garden salad. Finally, they have evidently chosen to completely ignore the multivitamin recommendations from the Atkins plan. That is no surprise, since I am sure many people who follow the plan also choose to ignore the multivitamin recommendation, but that doesn't change the fact that the plan insists that a good multivitamin is essential, especially during induction phase.

If you don't like Atkins because it has phases and because the AHA says that these type of diets need more research, then you are free to choose another eating plan. That doesn't change the fact that Atkins has helped many people who were at great risk of heart disease and diabetes. I fell into that group just six months ago, but have since then lost over 40 pounds, eliminated the need for diabetes medication, and erased nearly every risk factor for heart disease. My blood work is now virtually "normal," and that is because of the Atkins diet. Understand the fact that most people who start the Atkins plan are making a change from an unhealthy lifestyle that often includes suffering from obesity and heart disease risk to one that is devoid of both. Any diet, even Atkins, can be challenging at times, and vague and negative accusations such as those you made are not welcomed in a forum where people need encouragement. As an alternative, I invite you to take your comments to a forum that discusses the type of eating plan you are more comfortable with.

I could provide a link to an article that directly refutes the accusations about the health risks suggested by the AHA, but there are far too many to limit it to just one. I suggest you do a google search for "inuit diet and heart disease," "treating metabolic syndrome with diet," "ketogenic diet and diabetes," "ketosis and weight loss," etc. There is lots of evidence to the contrary out there.

Dave
___________________________________________
stats, inspired by Ron

Male, 6'0" tall, 37 y/o

Starting weight, 4/19/10 (started Atkins) = 287
6/16/10 (finished Atkins book & joined Fitday) = 261
latest weight 8/03/10 = 244.5
mini goal (wedding) 9/4/10 = 235
ultimate goal for lifetime maintenance by 4/19/11 (one year mark, 100 pounds loss) = 187
This will be my lightest weight since high school!

davej323

Hey guys, I just wanted to remind you that the Atkins bars, shakes, etc. are meant to be convenience foods for occasional use. Let's not forget that the primary goal of the Atkins plan is to make a switch to a diet consisting of whole, natural foods.

Dave
___________________________________________
stats, inspired by Ron

Male, 6'0" tall, 37 y/o

Starting weight, 4/19/10 (started Atkins) = 287
6/16/10 (finished Atkins book & joined Fitday) = 261
latest weight 8/03/10 = 244.5
mini goal (wedding) 9/4/10 = 235
ultimate goal for lifetime maintenance by 4/19/11 (one year mark, 100 pounds loss) = 187
This will be my lightest weight since high school!

annievaughn

I was on Atkins from last August to March of this past year and I honestly had never felt better. After phase I, I was probably eating less meat than most people, but I was eating other sources of protein. The real magic for me was that I it really curbed my appetite. I didn't crave sweets anymore. I did a gradual slide since March, completely stopping in June and have gained about 15 pounds. Like the carb addict I am, I made little deals with myself, for the first couple of months losing control bit by bit, but now I spend most of the day thinking I deserve a treat. I will be starting Atkins again next week, and only hope I'm never stupid enought to stop again. I feel miserable, bloated and hormonal... I ate next to no packaged food while I was on Atkins and tons of veggies, a fair amount of nuts and a small amount of fruits daily. A far cry healthier by any standard than my current diet or the average North American diet.

davej323

Best of luck with your second attempt at Atkins, Annie. Don't feel that you are alone in the fact that you slipped back into old habits after losing weight your first time on Atkins. That happens to many people (myself included) who used the plan as a short-term weight loss plan rather than a lifestyle change plan. I have read three different versions of the book, and of all of them I would recommend the latest one (a new atkins for a new you). The biggest changes that I noticed are that it now gives a suggestion for protein intake level and does suggest a calorie limit for people who seem to be hitting a plateau. Since you already found Fitday, you will also find that tracking those calories and protein values is very easy using the food log. That doesn't mean that a previous iteration of the diet won't work, but the new book does go to some length to quell some of the previous concerns that people had about the plan.

Dave
___________________________________________
stats, inspired by Ron

Male, 6'0" tall, 37 y/o

Starting weight, 4/19/10 (started Atkins) = 287
6/16/10 (finished Atkins book & joined Fitday) = 261
latest weight 8/03/10 = 244.5
mini goal (wedding) 9/4/10 = 235
ultimate goal for lifetime maintenance by 4/19/11 (one year mark, 100 pounds loss) = 187
This will be my lightest weight since high school!

Barryman9000

A raw veganist condemning the Atkins diet. How original - YAWN. I find it hilarious that you offer the same old diatribe that raw veganists have been touting for years, and you offer no proof, no studies, nothing. Just an all cap word that's supposed to scare people. You need to do more research before you condemn a diet that's proven to work (see my other post referencing Christopher Gardner Ph.D. from Stanford called "Comparison of different diets").

I also like how you try to hide your disdain for Omnivores (or anyone who eats animals) by citing out of date information and propaganda that attempted to scare people away from Atkins - nice fear tactic.

Regarding your claim about needing carbohydrates to store glucose - Gluconeogenesis: "...results in the generation of glucose from non-carbohydrate carbon substrates such as lactate, glycerol, and glucogenic amino acids. It is one of the two main mechanisms the body uses to keep blood glucose levels from dropping too low (hypoglycemia)."