I know there are many differing opinions out there in reference to this diet and whether it works. I also know that many of these opinions are based on other opinions rather than the actual reading of Dr. Atkins' books.

Two things I wish to express in this topic:

1) I wish some people would read the official books before formulating opinions. Educated opinions are a great basis for discussion.

2) The Atkins Diet actually worked for me!! :D :) 8)

I was overweight, developed adult onset diabetes and my cholesterol was sky-high. I had tried every diet and every pill available. If my nerves and heart rate weren't being shot by ephedrine and excess caffeine stemming from the pills, I was starving myself, depressed and to the point where I'd once tried purging whatever I ate to just eat again shortly thereafter; not to mention that the purging method was barbaric and painful and I couldn't see how anyone would do it more than once. :P

Anyway, this is probably my first time speaking of this issue here in the forums. I'm speaking of it because I feel like if I can be successful at losing weight, anyone can too.

The Atkins Diet was my salvation because I was eating normal, naturally low carb food and never hungry!!! Just the reduction of carbohydrates and sugar aspect of it saved my life, literally.

I also felt like sharing my success story with you guys and gals because you are all a very important part of my life, as I interact with you on an everyday basis. :)

I'm still on Atkins and I have more weight to lose. But I've lost 30 Lbs. already and I feel great!!! 8)

Good for you!! :D  That's so great, Hair!!  Congratulations & I wish you luck. :)

I've never done Atkin's myself - not that I wouldn't love to try it, but you see, I don't eat red meat OR pork, and from what I've read meat is a HUGE part of the diet.

Good for you!! :D  That's so great, Hair!!  Congratulations & I wish you luck. :)

I've never done Atkin's myself - not that I wouldn't love to try it, but you see, I don't eat red meat OR pork, and from what I've read meat is a HUGE part of the diet.



Thanks!

Some vegans are doing it too, believe it or not.

I'm so pleased that the Atkins Diet has worked for you, Hairspray!  :)

I've never been on a diet myself but may have to consider it in the not-so-distant future, as I've put on a few extra pounds in recent years.

Nope. I'll keep my opinions to myself on what I think about it, but I'm glad it worked for you, Hairspray.

It is wonderful that you have found a diet that has worked for you, Hairspray - Good luck for future weight-loss.  :D

Me personally, I just believe you have got to cut out junk food and excercise more. I have a sit down job and, despite it not being an excuse, is certainly a factor why I am a bit overweight. It is so difficult to find the time and the motivation to do this.

However, congratulations.  :)

Nope. I'll keep my opinions to myself on what I think about it, but I'm glad it worked for you, Hairspray.


Have you tried it, Jess?



I know a few people that train with my spouse that are on Atkins & it they really like it.  If an athlete can be healthy on a low-carb diet (which these guys are monitored very closely by dieticians/nutritionists as well as doctors) then I don't see why it gets such a bad rap.  I read in a magazine (either Newsweek or Time) that stated there have been no proven bad side effects (long term) from this diet.

Also, my aunt who does Weight Watchers, said they are even incoroporating the low carb diet into their points programs.  I would think a company such as WW, would do massive reasearch and study before suggesting it to their members. ???

Nope. I'll keep my opinions to myself on what I think about it, but I'm glad it worked for you, Hairspray.

Ditto.

I'm happy for you. :)

Have you tried it, Jess?


Yeah. I lasted a whole day. :-[

I don't know. The whole concept of low carbs bugs me for some reason. It doesn't seem natural. But that could be because I refuse to give up my bread and stuff. :P

This would be a diet that I wouldn't mind trying if I ate meat.  Since it doesn't seem to limit you in the amount you eat, just what you eat.  I live on Carbs and Sugars unfortunately and the weight just creeped up on me.  I am not a vegan since I do still eat eggs and dairy products, but I am curious on how the Atkins diet works for those that do not consume meat products at all.  I would think it would be very limiting and not something I can go on for very long.  Too bad. 

In the end the whole game is about cutting calories.  I think that some of the "Atkins dissing" that we hear about are with regard to people who went on Atkins, but simply ate MASS QUANTITIES of low-carb foods.  If you eat 5000 calories/day of low carb food or high carb food, you're gonna get fat,

Hairspray, if the Atkins "menu" left you NOT feeling hungry, great!  I imagine that for some people, the "type" of food that they eat affects how "hungry" they feel for the same number of calories.

Health can be a series of compromises.  Possibly Atkins carries some health risks.  But if the alternative is to be grossly obese, then Atkins could be a good alternative.

One thing is certain on the Atkins diet.  Plenty of people are making money off of it, just like every other diet ever introduced.  :P

I know a few people who have done it with some success. 

I personally think the low carb part is a great trick to keep you from eating sugar and too many calories.  I've tried to do it myself, but I never feel full just eating meat.  Instead I've been trying to alter my eating habits, and make sure I don't eat a lot of sugar (I hardly ever snack) and that I don't eat a lot of stuff with high calories.  I'm sure if I could bring myself to do a little exercise I'd be dropping more weight.  I've lost about twelve pounds in the past three months, which isn't stellar, but most doctors agree it's the preferred approach.

The only real danger from the atkins diet, is if you do ZERO carbs.  Your body needs carbohydrates, it just can't use the ones from sugar as well.  I would think a couple pieces of whole wheat everyday and then no more carbs for the rest of the day would be enough to keep you from suffering any severe consequences from dropping the carbs way down.

I don't believe in it mainly for the no carbs thing.

Congrats on your success and here's to your continued success and good health! 

My opinion of Atkins:  Woo Hoo!!  More carbs for me!!!  ;D 

Plenty of people are making money off of it, just like every other diet ever introduced.  :P


That's because many companies have jumped on the bandwagon to promote all of these "carb-friendly" products that are actually not necessary in the Atkins diet and actually discouraged during the first stage.

There are official "convenience" foods labeled Atkins for people who are constantly on the go; but these are still discouraged in the first stage called "Induction", where your carb content is restricted to 20.

Thanks to everyone for their kind words!! :)  OH!!! I forgot to mention that my cholesterol dropped to a healthy level!!! :D

As for vegetarians/vegans:

From the Atkins Center:

Instead of meat, replace the meat with soy "meat like" products. Gardenburger brand is well respected. Gardenburger Sausage is very popular because it ends up having "0" carbs due to the fiber content.

Sample menu:

Breakfast: Omelets in the morning can be had with almost any good tasting cheese and a variety of vegetables. Hot sauces and sour cream can be excellent additions. If eggs are not desired, one could use egg substitutes.

Lunch: Veggies and a flax seed muffin. Cold cuts of many varieties are great as well. Many brands of corned beef, roast beef, turkey and ham are carb free!

Dinner: One can have salads with a variety of cheeses and vegetables. Olive oil and vinegar dressing with garlic is perfectly allowed. Add to that 2 Gardenburger Flame Grilled patties (as they are the lowest in carbs).

The Atkins Center advised vegetarian patients to eat some fish to make the diet more enjoyable.

Be sure and count the carbs in the soy "meat like" products in your total carbs for the day.

The diet can be very enjoyable as one should never be hungry and lose weight. One of the greatest rewards is the energy level. The Atkins Center stated that vegetarians notice an initial "boost" in energy more so than others partly because of their extra protein intake.

It would be great if I could quote the entire book because it really does make a whole lot of sense once read.

I didn't believe the hype at first. I had to read the book in order to understand. I don't want to sound like I'm promoting the book, but the darn diet does work if given its fair shot.

The greatest myth is that Atkins means no carbs. That is false. In the first stage of Atkins which lasts a minimum of two weeks, the carbs are restricted to their lowest number in the entire diet, which is 20 daily. That is low carb. There is no such thing as no carb. After the initial 2 weeks, one can increase their carb intake if they should so desire. It's all in the book though. It would take forever for me to explain it all.

I guess the best thing I could say here is that if you have been struggling with weight issues and nothing has ever worked for you, then you should give this diet a fair shot because you have nothing else to lose - but the weight.  ;) Of course, as with any diet, it will be a lifestyle change and it will take work and discipline to get started. Once started though, you'll never look back.

I am one of the laziest people on the planet when it comes to exercise and I was a total carb addict!! I couldn't live without my sugar, rice and mashed potatoes. If *I* was able to do this, man, anyone can. I swear by this. :)

One more thing -

It's not about gorging on 8 strips of bacon, 4 sausage links and 4 eggs every morning and/or all day! That's the way some of the media make it sound.

It's about eating these type of foods sensibly.

Yes you can follow a low carbohydrate diet as a vegetarian:

http://www.immuneweb.org/lowcarb/

Myths about Lowcarb:

http://www.immuneweb.org/lowcarb/faq/myths.html

I tried it and DID lose about 15 lbs, but became severely hypoglycemic as a result so I had to stop.  I have lost about 30 lbs in the past few months simply by really watching what I eat.  I don't count calories or carbs, but just consciously made the decision to not eat a bunch of crap.  Now, I eat mostly "negative calories" and it seems to be working for me.  If I want a sandwich, I eat a sandwich, if I want a candy bar, I eat a candy bar, I just don't eat 3 of them anymore.

If you do Atkins or South Beach or any other diet where meat is the primary food, you just have to watch why types of meat you eat.  If you eat tons of bacon (for example), your cholesterol is going to go up.  If you eat mostly chicken/fish or lean red meat, your cholesterol isn't going to go up.

Congrats on the weight loss Hairspray!!  I wish you the best of luck with losing the rest.

80s_cheerleader, I feel thesame way asyou do. I basically have done the same thing with the same attitude for years now and i feel great. Keep up the great work.

Hairspray: i meant no disrespect and i want to thank you for the information. Congratulations on the accomplishment :)

Hairspray: i meant no disrespect and i want to thank you for the information. Congratulations on the accomplishment :)


Thank you and I want you and everyone to know that I respect your opinions. Of course I know you meant no disrespect. :)

I do hope I can somehow dispel some of the myths in reference to the negative publicity on Atkins and educate and encourage the incorrigible.

Good on you Hairspray!  I've never been on the Atkins Diet but a couple of friends have and they've done very well.  One lost 30kgs (66 pounds) which can only be a good thing!

Thanks for the link Hairspray.  I do like the Morning Star/Gardenburger products.  Your sample meals actually sound good.  I do love my starches and living without pasta and sweets would be soooo hard.  For the short term it looks feasible.  I am so glad that the diet worked for you.  It sounds like you approached this diet the correct way.  The media does make it sound like you can consume mounds and mounds of food and still lose weight and be healthy. 

Someone I know very well went on a modified version of Adkins (his own modifid version, as he never does anything the right way ::) ) and lost about 90 pounds in approximately 5 months. Like any diet, the trick is to stick to it.

Good on you Hairspray!  I've never been on the Atkins Diet but a couple of friends have and they've done very well.  One lost 30kgs (66 pounds) which can only be a good thing!


Thank you, jaytee! Losing the extra weight is always a good thing, especially when done properly. :)

Thanks for the link Hairspray.  I do like the Morning Star/Gardenburger products.  Your sample meals actually sound good.  I do love my starches and living without pasta and sweets would be soooo hard.  For the short term it looks feasible.  I am so glad that the diet worked for you.  It sounds like you approached this diet the correct way.  The media does make it sound like you can consume mounds and mounds of food and still lose weight and be healthy. 




Thank you, NbC for your reply and you're very welcome in reference to the link. I too struggled initially to break away from carbs and sweets, especially chocolate. The first 3 days are the hardest part. If one is able to completely resist the stuff for just that short amount of time, the rest becomes surprisingly easy and manageable. The cravings decrease significantly too! I think you're looking at the whole Atkins thing with a very positive attitude and it's nice to see, for sure. And if you think it is feasible, even if only for a short term, at least it's a step in the right direction; though I'd be lying if I said one would be able to do this short term. See, you'd be so impressed with your results to such a degree that you wouldn't be able to help yourself and would most likely make the lifestyle change permanent.

...the trick is to stick to it.


That's the truth. To have the ability to commit, to be disciplined and in control of your life or to at least try (possibly through strong desire) is always key.