I have to stay under 20 net carbs for 7-14 days on the induction diet and no more than three cups of veggies/ day. This diet is really hard because I don't like meat or fatty foods and that's pretty much all I'm allowed. My stomach is so bloated I look pregnant. I hope this pays off.

Encourage, encourage! I upped net carbs to 25 the second week; am at 40 now after 4 weeks. Try a variety of meats: fish (different kinds especially tuna), lamb, pork, shellfish (potassium), turkey, chicken, veal, duck. You can marinate pork shoulder in soy sauce and ginger and broil it; eat with tofu noodles. Get fat from butter, cream, cream cheese, cheese, fried pork rinds (NO CARBS). Get through the first week or two and you will be on your way. Watch the total nutrition chart. Get through 4 weeks and you will feel great. Good luck. Exercise.
Rick

Thanks for all of your help. This diet just isn't for me- I woke up about three times last night STARVING and decided any diet where I'm eating this much and feeling this terrible isn't worth it. In fact I figured it's pretty much the opposite of what I need so I'm going vegetarian! haha I already feel like a million bucks from my one bowl of oatmeal + crazins and I'm not hungry for the first time in a few days. Thanks again for your help and encouragement though- best of luck to you!

I changed my diet significantly to have loads of fresh vegetables and fruit and very limited amounts of bread and pasta and red meat. After six months i don't miss any of it and most of my week is all veggies and two or three times i have fish and maybe once a month have some chicken. It is another great alternative, eat clean and fresh! And there are no such things as hunger pangs i eat when i want, you won't stay heavy by eating vegetables! And there is no phases you just keep losing weight and it becomes lifestyle.

raisins and oatmeal give you potassium (and carbs)
different strokes for different folks
Rick

198 on bathroom scale minimum weight on morning. The weight I have been tracking is at 4 PM and it was 204.0, only .4 lb in a week. If my goal is 180 in the afternoon my min might be 174, out of the range of overweight. Maintaining potassium at about 7% RDA intake. Vitamin D is low; working and spaing more out in sun, I might get enough. Looking into supplements. If I continue losing weight I can increase my milk intake, and yogurt. Trying to maintain 35 to 40 net carbs until I lose 2 pounds on the more accurate scale.

Atkins diet progress
 

200 on medical scale at gym late afternoon, 201.0 on my accurate scale before lunch, 198 on bathroom scale. I have lost about 22 pounds in 4.5 weeks. Hardly any hunger except just at meal time.

I am not getting any support here on my atkins diet. My potassium is up in the low 70's% from supplements. I need to start back taking the calcium and Vitamin D. 198 on bathroom scale in morning, 201.2 on accurate scale in afternoon.

199.2, 22 pounds lost. I broke the 200 barrier and deserve to reward myself. I did it by my self with no continuing support from a diet buddy. Adding legumes, 45 net carbs a day. I feel great.

You should go to lowcarbfriends.com or atkinsdietbulletinboard.com

Congrats -- you are doing great.

Rick, you are doing awesome, wish I lived closer so I could take you up on the walks.

I could use a little support now. I have not been getting the kind of support from my doctor that I feel would be appropriate. I am blue. Gained back a pound trying to get enough potassium. He will not give me a Rx for a supplement.

Sorry your Dr is not being there for you, I'm sure you'll lose that pound plus tons more soon.

Hi all. I'm new to fitday and I'd like to give you a quick rundown of my current plan.

Age: 38
Height: 5' 11"
Starting Weight: 362
Current Weight: 336
Goal Weight: 195-205 range

Here are my weekly losses to date (on Friday weigh-in schedule)

Start: 362 Plan: Warrior Diet
Week 1: 352 (-10) Plan: WD
Week 2: 347 (-5) Plan: WD
Week 3: 344 (-3) Plan: WD (started Atkins after this week)
Week 4: 336 (-8) Plan: Atkins

A started with the warrior diet for three weeks. In a nutshell it is undereating during the day and overeating at one main meal at night with food progression. Veggies, Proteins, Carbs last. Got tired of looking for food to cram in my mouth every night, so I switched to Atkins after the third week.

Lost 18 in three weeks with the WD, and lost 8 the first week with Atkins, sticking to 20 or less carbs per day. Since I have an incredible amount to lose, I can safely stay in induction mode for a while yet.

My workout regime include 40 minutes of cardio 4-5 times a week. Weight lifting 3-4 days a week for 45 minutes to an hour. This last week I have now incorporated interval training. One minute walk one minute jog on treadmill. So far only toing 10-12 minutes of this. I mix it up with some eliptical trainer, stationary bike and treadmill.

My long term goal is to reach 195-205 pounds (which ever my body prefers), so with 26 pounds lost after 4 weeks I am 131 pounds from my upper goal range. Putting a 12 month time table on that goal.

My short term goal is 286 by September 10th and to finish a triathlon on Sept. 18th which is 1/4 mile swim, 12 mile bike and 3.1 mile run.

I love reading these forums for the encouragement and inspiration from others. Happy dieting and God bless.

machine_x

I gave up on my doctor; no one in his office seemed to like the Atkins diet or me being on it. For 3 weeks I did not lose weight because my potassium was low and I felt like s***. To try to get it up (potassium) I ate potassium rich foods that were also richer in carbs. Dr. would not respond to requests to see him and review my nutrition data; wound not give Rx for potassium supplement. I changed docs; new one gave lose dose of potassium and I started it yesterday. Immediately felt better. Despite being upset about doc's office manager throwing me out Friday I maintained net carbs and caloric intake discipline, walked dogs, worked out at gym; it was hard. On my bathrrom scale I was 194 and at gym 196.5 clothed. Looks like I am finally losing again. Will weigh accurately this morning on the scale I have been using to track weight in fitday. Got a new diet buddy. I AM GOING TO DO THIS! I feel great. Rick

Down to 192 on bathroom scale and losing again on more accurate scale; feel great. Potassium intake now near 100% RDA. Walking dogs, going to gym, did not feel like doing more than 5 min on exercise bike. Starting more intensive work on yard. In a couple of weeks I will break 190 and start on pre maintenance. I have learned a lot. I put each supplement as a separate custom food so I can fine tune my total nutrition; using the More option of Custom Foods allows me to check boxes for all supplements and custom foods I am taking that day and add them all at once to the Foods list. What a learning experience. I am now nearly back down to my low weight of the last several years, not hungry except at meal time, am in control, and going to 50 net carbs per week. Yaaaay Atkins New Diet! Yaaay, me. Thank you all for your support.

So, I discovered this site based on a recommendation in the new Atkins book, and it has been an invaluable tool. Like others, I had done Atkins before, lost a bunch of weight (over 30 pounds in 3 months), but then switched back to my old ways and gained back that 30 plus another 40 or so! :eek:

There are some misconceptions that I need to clear up for you to help you truly appreciate Atkins (or any other ketogenic diet for that matter), and I can assure you that if you stick to it, it works for the long term.

1. Atkins and other ketogenic diets are not just carb restriction. Yes, the primary focus is on reducing carb intake to a low enough level so that the body starts using fat and protein for fuel. Once your body makes this switch (via starvation, carb restriction, or intense exercise), you are in ketosis and your body will "mobilize" its own fat stores to use for energy. In other words, you don't really need the carbs if you are getting a sufficient amount of fat and protein instead. One book I read (I believe it was "The Ketogenic Diet" by Lyle McDonald) actually suggested that an obese person could have enough fat stores to survive for a year :eek:

2. This is where this website comes in handy. Under the new Atkins plan, you not only restrict carb intake, but also try to keep calories and protein intake within a certain range. In my case (6' male), I eat between 1800-2200 calories a day. I have between 90-190g (most days it ends up 120-160g) of protein a day. I try to keep my fat intake at about 60% of my diet, and I take in 20g of carbs a day (12-15g from green vegetables, and the rest usually from toppings and artificial sweetener).

3. You don't need to buy Atkins brand products to be on the Atkins diet. As you will see from my typical food example below, I eat no packaged Atkins brand stuff, and the diet is working anyway. In fact, unless their packaged food has improved in the last ten years or so, it is disgusting anyway. The book does recommend a multivitamin and even gave the ingredients in the Atkins brand multivitamin. I took the book with me to GNC, and bought the GNC men's mega instead, which had almost identical amounts of all the ingredients in the Atkins brand.

I am still in induction phase. I have lost about 30 pounds in the last couple of months, and have another 40 or so to go. Because I am actually following the plan correctly this time, I will switch to the next phase of the plan once I get within ten pounds of my goal weight, and I will gradually start adding in more fiber-rich carb sources, 5g at a time until I am done with weight loss and figure out the level my body can tolerate.

Here is my food from a typical day:
4 or 5 cups of coffee, each with about 1tbsb of half&half and one packet of sweet & low (Atkins only recommends three packets of artificial sweetener a day, so this is an area where I cheat).
1 cup of scrambled egg/chorizo (a spicy pork sausage) mix
1 cup of raw broccoli
1 cup of raw cauliflower
6 to 8 oz of a barbecued meat cut (usually boneless beef shortrib or pork loin) covered with my own homemade barbecue sauce (reduced sugar ketchup + liquid smoke + splenda)
5 or 6 stalks of asparagus, pan fried in 1 tbsb of butter
2 to 4 oz of hard cheese (either sharp cheddar or pepper jack)
2 hamburger patties (cooked weight about 3 oz each), pan-fried with soy sauce
1 to 2 oz of chicharones (fried pork skins)
2 cans of diet pepsi
about a gallon of water

I never feel hungry, never get gas or heartburn, never feel bloated, etc. The only shocker that I did have was regarding the broccoli and cauliflower. If I ate all two cups of those with my lunch, I was getting a sluggish feeling and an upset stomach in the afternoon. Since then, I spread those items out between breakfast, lunch, and snacking, and that solved the problem.

Hopefully this is encouraging to you. Now my challenge is to encourage my doctor about it! In December I was diagnosed as a pre-diabetic with high blood pressure. I am on pills for both items and when I called my doctor to tell him I was starting Atkins and to ask if I needed to adjust my medication, his nurse called me back to tell me that he believes Atkins is bad for me (no explanation why), that he didn't want to adjust my medication, and that he suggested I visit a dietician. I have been overweight my whole life, and have been to a dietician before. They base their advice on USDA recommendations...no thank you! My hope is that when I go to see him next month my blood test will be proof enough that this diet is right for me. If that doesn't convince him to accept it and/or adjust my medication, then I will be convinced that another doctor is also right for me.

Hi Michelle,

I am using the "new" Atkins plan as well.

You and I are in similar circumstances. Back in December, I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic with high blood pressure. I weighed 285 at that doctor appointment. My doctor warned me that if I didn't get my weight, blood pressure, and glucose level under control, he would have to put me on pills. I fooled around with calorie restriction, low-fat food, and moderate exercise for a few months, only to find out in early April that I gained two more pounds (up to 287). My glucose improved a bit, but my a1c was still high and my blood pressure was still high, so my doctor went ahead and put me on the pills (metformin and lisinopril). That was all it took for me. I am only 37 years old, and being in a position where I have to take pills every day is disturbing to me.

I started doing carb restriction based on knowledge I had from doing the Atkins diet about ten years ago. After doing that for a couple of weeks I called my doctor to tell him that I was doing Atkins and to ask if he wanted me to adjust my medication. His nurse called me back with some shocking news. He said that the Atkins diet is not good for me, that he didn't want to adjust my medication, and that he wanted me to see a dietician. That is when I went out and invested in the new Atkins book (no way I am going to go to a dietician who will give me advice based on USDA recommendation). At that time, I wasn't really counting anything (not even carbs), but just eating meat, eggs, cheese, and an occasional green vegetable. I continued this until I got through the induction phase chapter of the book and realized all that I was doing wrong. I also found out about fitday in that book. I have been following the new diet correctly for a couple of weeks now, and fitday has been an invaluable tool for that. As a 6' man, I have 1800-2200 calories a day, 90-190g of protein, and 18-23g of net carbs a day (some days I go a few grams over because of too much artificial sweetener in my coffee).

If the industrial scale at work is anything close to the medical scale at my doctor's office, I am down almost 30 pounds from that April visit (down to 258.5 as of Monday this week). Now I am starting to think forward to the possibility of being under 220 for my September wedding! Yay! As for my doctor, I see him at the end of next month. I am confident that my weight, glucose, a1c, and blood pressure will all be lower as a result of adhering to induction phase so well, and I will expect him to lower or completely cancel my medication. If not, I will expect him to have one less patient!

My food logs are public, so feel free to check them out if you like. Good luck with the plan!

Dave

I wanted to respond to your final paragraph. I use the ketostix. I check myself once a week, but I might stop that altogether because I am deep in ketosis now and that shouldn't change unless I cheat. Through experimentation, I found that they don't read as well when you are well hydrated. For that reason, I get the best indication first thing in the morning. As far as supplements, I found a GNC multivitamin that closely matches an Atkins one, and I intend to pick up a big bottle of fish oil capsules the next time I am at Costco. About the scale, I had the same fear. For that reason, the only reference I have for my starting weight (unfortunately) is the scale at my doctor's office. I couldn't bring myself to voluntarily weigh in for a couple months. After clothes started fitting better and my weight loss started showing, then I decided to weigh myself and, if the industrial scale at work is anything close to my doctor's scale, I am down about 30 pounds in the last two months. Now I really wish I had taken a comparison reading after my last doctor appointment! Maybe you can use that as your motivation to weigh yourself (you need a reference to know where you are starting).

hey dave,that is great news i would love to see the look on your dr.face when you go see him.the adkins diet get's a bad rep but we know it works.

Hey Everyone,

I am also doing Atkins. I was just wondering if there is anyone out there that has an answer to my question. I have been doing it for two weeks now. There are days that i allow my self to eat whatever and then i go back to low carb. Is this going to work or am i defeating the whole purpose?

I think it depends what's your goal and what it means to "allow my self to eat whatever".
If you have little to loose or are in maintenance, I think it's ok you get a day off diet from time to time, but not too often and 'off diet' must not mean 'pig-out', that's a huge difference.
Instead if this is going to be a long term committment because you have plenty of weight to loose or the "allow my self to eat whatever" means "pigging out", then no, it's not ok and as you say, it really is defeating the whole purpose.

As Paleorainy said, it really depends what you mean by "eating whatever." If you haven't read the book yet, I strongly recommend that you read it (any version of the Atkins plan) so you can fully understand what it is you are trying to do and the science behind it. "The Ketogenic Diet" by Lyle McDonald is also a good resource that delves a little deeper into the science of why a ketogenic diet works. All that being said, if you are still going to eat whatever every few days then I recommend that you at least invest in some ketostix to see if your body is remaining in ketosis or not. If you don't enter ketosis, your progress will be slow or even non-existent.

help with atkins diet plateu
 

Hi thanks for reading. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm a 27 year old male 5'10". I started atkins may 26 and went down from 220 lbs to 200 lbs in the first 20 days. Then from day 20 to day 30 I actually gained about 3 lbs without changing my diet at all. I eat about every 4-5 hours. Very light meals consisting of grilled meat and broccoli cabbage or green beans.I broke the diet 2 days ago cause I got disgusted with the weight gain. I suspected my metabolism bottomed out. But I don't know enough about this stuff. I also theorized that maybe it was because my potassium got to low cause I had very bad headaches the last week of the diet. Either way I'm not sure. Any comments are welcome. I also want to ask. If I stay off the diet for about a week or two then get back on it will it be a fast weight loss like it was the first 20 days. Added not. I did not exercise a lick during the diet and lost very well. Then I did start exercising a few days before I got off of it with no posative results. Thanks for reading

If I read this correctly you lost 17lbs. in 30 days and you are discouraged? First, celebrate the great start, then take a look at your weight loss from a mathematical standpoint. Losing 20lbs in 20 days requires a calorie deficit averaging 3500 calories per day! Many people can't do 1000 calorie deficit without sending their metabolism into starvation mode. Your body thinks you are starving, and I would bet the headaches are a symptom indicating a lack of balance in your nutritional choices. The headaches could be from a lack of carbohydrates. What is your fat as a percentage of calories? If it is less than 20% you may not be getting enough to perform essential bodily functions. (Not all fat is bad for you!)

I believe your weight loss is too fast! You said you are doing no exercise so at least 50% of your weight loss has come from muscle. You need to hold on to all the muscle you can while dieting. Muscle is what burns the calories and the more of it you have the higher your metabolism.

My suggetions:
Eat more! Try to average a 500-700 calorie deficit per day. This will slow your weight loss to a more body friendly 1 to 1.5lbs per week.
Exercise! If you are fit enough do weight training with heavy weights that allow only 5-6 reps before failure. This will help you hold on to muscle.
Make sure your protein is 30% and fat at least 20% of your calories.

Imho, atkins sucks. There's research that tentatively shows that carbohydrate restriction actually lowers your blood T3 and T4 levels, which makes it harder to lose fat. A large portion of the weight loss in the initial weeks of atkins is not fat but glycogen depletion. Your muscles and liver store glycogen (which binds to water) and a tall guy can actually have over 10lbs of glycogen+water stored in his muscles. If you plateau'd, more than likely it just means you were eating at maintenance and needed to reduce calories further. If you have a cheat day where you eat over 150g carbs, you can expect significant weight gain as your muscle glycogen stores become replenished.

I suggest adopting a weightlifting regime such as stronglifts and eating an amount of calories equal to ten times your bodyweight (in lbs). 50% of those calories from protein, 25% from carbs and 25% from fat, with up to 10% deviations being permissible for each macronutrient. Get your veggies, do cardio here and there, and you will surely lose weight.

If you want to continue to pursue the atkins route, however, I recommend reading mauro dipasquale's "anabolic diet" book or Lyle Mcdonald's "the Ketogenic diet." Adopting a modified, cyclical version of the ketogenic/atkins diet, while staying away from sugars, is also a great way to lose weight. However, you will find that once you get off the diet, some fat tends to come back because you never actually learned how to control carb cravings and how to eat sensibly in a sustainable manner.

First of all, let me say that 20 pounds in 20 days was an incredibly high rate of loss, and you probably shouldn't expect that pace to keep up. The three pound gain-back shouldn't really be a big concern in light of the fast way that you lost the first 20 pounds, but you should definitely take a look at your eating habits to make sure that gain-back doesn't continue. The new book addresses plateau periods or slow loss periods on pages 105-110. Also see the "Savor, don't smother" statement on page 57 and the protein recommendation on page 43. A man your height should be getting 1800-2200 calories per day, 86-178g of protein per day, and (if you are still doing induction) 20g of net carbs (12-15 of which come from green vegetables). Fitday is a great tool for tracking these things, and using it I actually found out that I was going over my net carbs with things I didn't normally count, like carbs in artificial sweetener packets and cheese. Thanks to the Fitday food journal, I have figured out that my food is typically 60-65% fat, 30-35% protein, and 5-10% carbohydrate. If someone is trying to convince you to consume less fat and/or more carbohydrate, then they obviously do not subscribe to the theory of a ketogenic diet and I would disregard that advice. Following the plan with that balance of macronutrients, I have steadily lost 3-5 pounds per week for the last two months, now down to 255 from 287.

Last, but definitely not least, be sure you are getting enough water and enough salt. A ketogenic diet will have a diuretic effect, and I suspect that some of those 20 pounds you lost so quickly are because of water loss. That might also explain the headaches.

Finally, as someone else mentioned, there are other publications out there that delve deeper into the science of a ketogenic diet than the Atkins book does. I am in the process of reading Lyle McDonald's book (it's a slow process involving sitting down to take notes while reading it) and it has given me a much better understanding of what my body is doing and why a ketogenic diet works.
__________________________________________________ ____________________________________________
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 & started Fitday) = 261
latest weight 6/28/10 = 255
mini goal (wedding) 9/4/10 = 220
ultimate goal for lifetime maintenance by 4/19/11 (one year mark, 100 pounds loss) = 187
If I can acheive this goal, it will be my lightest weight since high school

The first thing you should do is get back on the Atkins plan. Assuming you are still in the induction phase, you should be maintaining a daily carbohydrate intake of no more than 20g carbohydrate per day (I subscribe to the '92 version of Atkins). I maintained this diet for many years and lost 70 lbs by doing so. Stalls and plateaus are a part of the Atkins diet, so avoid being discouraged. If you stick with it, you'll be fine.

You mention you are eating light meals - I don't believe this is necessary. I was eating up to 4,000 calories per day with approx 70% being fat calories, 28% protein calories, and 2% carb calories. If you stall, be sure to check that you are receiving enough calories from fat. I experienced weight loss similar to yours in the first 20 days, then would hit a stall for a few days to a week, then go back to losing fat again. All said, I lost about 65 pounds in the first 6 months. I visited a doctor regularly and experienced absolutely zero negative effects.

By the way, you mention your headaches - your potassium theory is correct - Atkins suggests 90mg of potassium every day. Any headaches I experienced were relatively early in the diet.

Good luck, and don't be discouraged by the stalls - you'll get through them with perseverance!

Thanks for the responses guys. I appreciate it. And thanks for the encouragement nbpetty ;). Since coming off of atkins saturday. I have not started it back. However started sunday on a low calorie diet 1100-1400 calories a day and 5 miles of vigerous walking per day. The headaches were so severe on atkins that I'm kind of scared to get back on it. But it did a wonderful job of jump starting my weight loss. As of sunday I weighed 199 so the 3 lbs I gained toward the end of atkins must just have been weight fluctuation. I'm going to go 14 days on the low calorie diet with 5 miles a day at the track. Then check my weight to see how its coming along. If ya have any more comments feel free to drop them. Thanks again guys

A lean, calorie-restricted diet will work as well, but I would think that your weight might go up a bit as your glycogen stores are replenished. If that happens, don't be discouraged. A low calorie diet is the exact opposite of a ketogenic diet (such as Atkins), so instead of high fat and protein with low carbs I assume you will now concentrate on getting plenty of fiber-rich carbs and plenty of lean protein. Surprisingly, some ketogenic diets actually recommend cycling in and out of ketosis. This requires too much discipline for me because I know that instead of getting complex carbs from whole wheat and vegetable sources, I would go right back to the simple carb pleasures of nachos, burritos, beer, etc. To each his own. Best of luck, and please respond back in a couple weeks to let us know how the low calorie plan worked out.
__________________________________________________
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 6/28/10 = 255
mini goal (wedding) 9/4/10 = 220
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!

Just started today...Induction...advice?
 

I have used low calorie and exercise in the past and went from 204lbs to 152lbs. However, after laziness and loss of motivation, and some more laziness...I'm back at dieting again. I lowered my carbs yesterday, but didn't plan to start until today (went to eat with the family, was visiting).

I am 167lbs as of this morning. I am a female, 22yrs old, and 5'7".
I am going to do the induction for 14 days as I read.
I am also planning to do cardio everyday, and weight lifting several days a week. I have lowered my carb intake to 20g or less as I read in Atkins.

I have several questions I was hoping to have answered by those more experienced.

1) What kind of results can be expected in this diet? I read some on it, but there seems to be mixed results.
2) With cutting carbs, I ended up cutting aloooot of calories. I had less then 1,000 today. I know that is unhealthy, and want to include more. What is a no carb food I could add to my diet to increase my calories another 200 or so?
3) I only plan on doing the induction, as I don't think low carb is best for me. I know it is a healthy diet with many benefits, but I feel more comfortable counting calories. Especially since, though I am not vegetarian, I don't eat alot of meat.
But I also know that if I leave Induction and go back to my carb eating ways that I will probably ruin everything. So my plan is to increase by 5grams every few days, or perhaps every week after the first 14 days. But to be honest, I don't even know what is a normal intake of carbs. Can anyone tell me what a normal but healthy intake of carbs a day is? And will building up gradually ease me out of the state I put my body in, as to not make me gain back all the weight I lost?

Thanks for your time!!
-Meghan

I have a question after reading your post. You said cycling in and out is healthy, and a good way to lose weight? I started Induction today, with the goal of sticking with it for the 14 days (unless the results are amazing, such as losing the ten pounds I want to lose...then I'll do it three weeks). Then I was going to gradually build back up to a normal level of carbs.

But your post got me thinking. Would it work to do the Induction for a while, two to three weeks, then do a low calorie (sensible diet...whole wheats, fruit, veggies) diet for a few weeks, then switch back?
I am not a huge fan of eating all this meat, and I do admit I love carbs (I am in love with whole wheat bagels and peanut butter).
It is my thinking that this plan would help me, if it is an idea that would work, as it would keep me from getting bored with my food choices and losing my motivation and focus.

I appreciate anyones feedback. :)

Thank you,
Meghan

New Atkins Dieter - Would Like Advice From Those With Experience
 

I pretty much posted this exact thin elsewhere, but in a thread not specific to my question, so I hope I don't annoy anyone with the repost.

I have used low calorie and exercise in the past and went from 204lbs to 152lbs. However, after laziness and loss of motivation, and some more laziness...I'm back at dieting again. I lowered my carbs yesterday, but didn't plan to start until today (went to eat with the family, was visiting).

I am 167lbs as of this morning. I am a female, 22yrs old, and 5'7".
I am going to do the induction for 14 days as I read.
I am also planning to do cardio everyday, and weight lifting several days a week. I have lowered my carb intake to 20g or less as I read in Atkins.

I have several questions I was hoping to have answered by those more experienced.

1) What kind of results can be expected in this diet? I read some on it, but there seems to be mixed results.
2) With cutting carbs, I ended up cutting aloooot of calories. I had less then 1,000 today. I know that is unhealthy, and want to include more. What is a no carb food I could add to my diet to increase my calories another 200 or so?
3) I only plan on doing the induction, as I don't think low carb is best for me. I know it is a healthy diet with many benefits, but I feel more comfortable counting calories. Especially since, though I am not vegetarian, I don't eat alot of meat.
But I also know that if I leave Induction and go back to my carb eating ways that I will probably ruin everything. So my plan is to increase by 5grams every few days, or perhaps every week after the first 14 days. But to be honest, I don't even know what is a normal intake of carbs. Can anyone tell me what a normal but healthy intake of carbs a day is? And will building up gradually ease me out of the state I put my body in, as to not make me gain back all the weight I lost?

Also:

I have a question after reading a post elsewhere on the board. It was mentioned that cycling in and out of Atkins is healthy, and a good way to lose weight. I started Induction today, with the goal of sticking with it for the 14 days (unless the results are amazing, such as losing the ten pounds I want to lose...then I'll do it three weeks). Then I was going to gradually build back up to a normal level of carbs.

But after reading that post, I got to thinking. Would it work to do the Induction for a while, two to three weeks, then do a low calorie (sensible diet...whole wheats, fruit, veggies, fish) diet for a few weeks, then switch back?
I am not a huge fan of eating all this meat, and I do admit I love carbs (I am in love with whole wheat bagels and peanut butter).
It is my thinking that this plan would help me, if it is an idea that would work, as it would keep me from getting bored with my food choices and losing my motivation and focus.

I appreciate anyones feedback.


Thanks for your time!!
-Meghan

Good luck. I just started yesterday too. I also Looove carbs but I love protien and fat more. Hopefully this will work out ok for me.
As you said, any feedback will be helpful.

Height 5'4" 50 yr old female
Highest weight 145
Lowest 115
current 133
Goal back to 115
But I'd be very happy with 120

Good luck on your fresh start!! According to what I read at Atkins.com, it is possible to lose 15lbs in the first two weeks of Induction. So if Atkins really works, you should be at your goal in no time. I'm happy for you!

My advice from someone that has been at low carbing (started on Atkins and now switched to Primal Blue Print after finding I have grain intolerances) since 2003.

Do not start Atkins and do induction to go back to counting calories.

Atkins is meant to be a lifestyle change that takes you through all 4 phases from start to finish no matter if you have 15 pounds to lose or 150 pounds to lose.

This is the primary reason that the media can spout their venom of saying that low carb doesn't work.............Because people do Induction, then go back to their calorie counting low fat way of life and yes you will gain back the weight you lost.

Sorry for being so blunt, but the mis-information that the media and a lot of people spread about the low carb way of life is really a thorn in my side because people think they can treat it like a "diet' and start and stop it when they want.

The low carb lifestyle is just that. A lifestyle that is meant to change your mindset and you are not there yet.

I don't mind blunt, blunt is good. I went out, got the book, and have doing induction for several days. My low calorie ways worked, sorta, but I was always hungry...
After reading the book I now know sooo much more. My family has a history of heart disease and diabetes. The men get heart problems, the woman diabetes. And this seems like the best kind of choice for me, all the benefits of changing to this lifestyle is astounding. And the best part? I haven't craved anything at all yet. I'll think about it, yes, go 'That is tasty...' but then easily banish the thought.
It also really isn't that hard, and induction is the most strictest part! The only problem I have had, and I'm working to correct it, is actuallly eating enough carbs and calories.

I think now that I am educated on this lifestyle change, how it works, why it works, what it does to you, how it benefits you...I want to do it. When I made that post mere days ago, I still didn't know anything about it. But now that I do, it is the best option for me I believe.

Plus, losing 8 pounds in four days? Sweet! Lol.

Thank you so much for your reponse!

Your quite welcome!!! Hopefully we can support each other on this journey!!!

In your previous post, you said you had to leave Atkins because of grain intolerences? Can you explain what that is?

I would love to support each other on this, especially since I tried talking to a couple of my friends about it and they are telling me it is unhealthy, even when I try to explain how it works and what it does for someone.

And I love Atkins more and more each day when I step on that scale. Down 10 pounds! And I haven't even been on it a week! I am only 2.5 pounds from a healthy BMI (according to FitDay, Atkins however, I am considered under 25 BMI at 153).

[B[/B]I have used low calorie and exercise in the past and went from 204lbs to 152lbs. goodHowever, after laziness and loss of motivation, and some more laziness...I'm back at dieting again. forgive yourselfI lowered my carbs yesterday, but didn't plan to start until today (went to eat with the family, was visiting). if you are on a diet you are on a diet

I am 167lbs as of this morning. I am a female, 22yrs old, and 5'7".
I am going to do the induction for 14 days as I read.ok you might go to 25 net carbs the second day; be sure you are counting net carbs, not carbs; it is easier and just as effective
I am also planning to do cardio everyday, every other day would be ok; occassionaly you might take a several day breakand weight lifting several days a week. I have lowered my carb intake to 20g or less as I read in Atkins.

I have several questions I was hoping to have answered by those more experienced.

1) What kind of results can be expected in this diet? I read some on it, but there seems to be mixed results.good if you are consistent; 5 pounds a week, mostly water, for the first several weeks. All diets have plateaus; your body is adjusting. Wait them out.
2) With cutting carbs, I ended up cutting aloooot of calories. wonder of wonders, watch your nutrition. I use www.fitday.com to log foods. I noticed that low carb foods are low in potassium; I get an Rx and have my blood level monitored. I also take OTC supplements for D and B1 and occasionally caldium and thiamin.I had less then 1,000 today. I know that is unhealthy, [B]not for a short term; 1000 less than your maintenance intake will result in a 2 pound loss per week./B]and want to include more. What is a no carb food I could add to my diet to increase my calories another 200 or so?deep fired pork rinds with butter, walnuts, soy protein. I get mine at Trader Joes.
3) I only plan on doing the induction, as I don't think low carb is best for me. make it a lifetime thing; it is bestI know it is a healthy diet with many benefits, but I feel more comfortable counting calories. but you will if you count net carbsEspecially since, though I am not vegetarian, I don't eat alot of meat. eat fish, lamb, pork, turkey (has postassium), chicken
But I also know that if I leave Induction and go back to my carb eating ways that I will probably ruin everything. exactly; make the committmentSo my plan is to increase by 5grams every few days,every week or perhaps every week after the first 14 days. But to be honest, I don't even know what is a normal intake of carbs. Can anyone tell me what a normal but healthy intake of carbs a day is? in life time maintenance about 100 or less if you regain weightAnd will building up gradually ease me out of the state I put my body in, yes but cut back again if you dont lose or start to gainas to not make me gain back all the weight I lost?

Also:

I have a question after reading a post elsewhere on the board. It was mentioned that cycling in and out of Atkins is healthy, nope you lose your ketonosis; get Bayer keto stix and use them; go for a moderate to small level of ketonesand a good way to lose weight. I started Induction today, with the goal of sticking with it for the 14 days (unless the results are amazing, such as losing the ten pounds I want to lose...then I'll do it three weeks). Then I was going to gradually build back up to a normal level of carbs.

But after reading that post, I got to thinking. Would it work to do the Induction for a while, two to three weeks, then do a low calorie (sensible diet...whole wheats,no fruit, npveggies, green leafyfishall you want) diet for a few weeks, then switch backnope?
I am not a huge fan of eating all this meat, eat mostly fatnoand I do admit I love carbs (I am in love with whole wheat a half on weekends during life time maintenance onlybagels and peanut butter).
It is my thinking that this plan would help me, if it is an idea that would work, as it would keep me from getting bored with my food choices and losing my motivation and focus.you can have quite a variety; if you want I will give you a url for my food logs

I appreciate anyones feedback.

you can also join Atkins? - Official Site - is a powerful life-time approach to successful weight loss and weight management. free and get 3 2 net carb chocolate bars
Thanks for your time!!
-Meghan[/QUOTE]
Good luck, keep in touch