Has anybody here ever been on the Atkins Diet?

[zanne]

I'm desperate. I have health issues that demand a skinnier me, but I have an appetite you wouldn't believe. I get hungry an hour after eating a meal. I tried the low-calorie, low-fat approach and lasted nine days. I was always hungry. (And I mean grumbling stomach hungry).

I started on the Atkins diet about a week ago. I can't say that I've stuck with it every day; that'll take time. Do you know if it's possible to eat as much as you want of the "right" food and still lose weight?

[Deja Q]

1. Yes. And (Hypno-haters, tune in) my kidneys paid the price for it.

High levels of protein wear out the kidneys more quickly. Ok, I'm not at kidney disease level yet, but my doctor warned me about excessive protein intake. (At least I kept to low fat sources, but fat is not protein... )

The weight came back anyway.

I'd otherwise tell Atkins where he can go shove his diet, but it sounds like he's already 6 feet under, with the autopsy showing he really loved his own diet too... :(

[pitohui]

9. "at least i kept to low fat sources" ... no, in other words, you didn't follow the plan

the harm caused by low fat/high carb diets is IMHO almost certainly caused by the LOW FAT part of the diet

vit a/d are fat soluble, and we are learning now that being indoors/eating low fat is linked to depression, hmmm, possibly linked to inability to absorb vit. d

if you'd done the diet as high protein/high fat instead of high protein/LOW fat i wonder if you'd have the same health problems

the plural of anecdote is not data but since we switched to FULL fat cheeses, milk, etc. along with restricting carbs to less than 75 grams per day, we've seen amazing results -- my husband has experienced blood pressure down, blood sugar returned to normal, 40 pounds lost...

altho i am already at my "correct" weight i feel that full fat cheeses are also of benefit to me -- i have a family history of osteoporosis, and the family member who was on a low fat diet the longest (my mom) has suffered the most, without fat your body is not going to properly absorb the calcium and vit d

just a thought based on our experiences

obviously not telling you to ignore your doctor but i'm wondering if your doctor was aware that you were keeping to "low fat" sources -- in my case, the ability to absorb calcium/vit d is a key point in my fight to head off osteoporosis and my doctor would not be amused if i were eating low fat cheese, skim milk, and so on

[sir_captain]

24. just for accuracy's sake

calcium is dependent on vitamin D for absorption, and just because vitamin D is fat soluble (why it's fortified in milk, for instance) does not mean that you need to eat a high fat diet. on the contrary, by far the most important factor in vitamin D absorption (and for that matter, its synthesis) comes not from ingesting it, but simply from sunlight. so if it's vit. d you're after, put down the butter and just go outside.

[TZ]

2. Yes.

I lost 40 lbs then it seemed to stop working for me and I put all the weight back on...x(

[driver8]

3. Years ago, it seemed that everyone I work with was on that stupid diet.

They all took off a lot of weight, and then put it all right back on.

Don't do it...there are much better ways to lose weight.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. I did. It works - sort of.

I lost about 30 lbs. but just couldn't stick with it. Got so tired of meat that I can hardly stand it any more. Gained the weight back.

[KG]

5. yep.

works for me. several times. doing it now, dropped 5-7 lbs first week. but i have a high exercise going on with my bike and dog walks. i'm planning on losing 20+lbs with it over the next few months.

actually, i do what i call very low carb. cut out sugars and starchy vegatables, and processed carbs like breads and pasta. still room for many veggies like leafy greens and tomatoes. and the occaisional splurge. it's a diet i can live with when my life is in a groove.

it's not for everybody - i jones for my bread and potatoes and i'm not much of a meat eater, but it's worth it.

edit to add:
when i hit 40 my body no longer processed carbs like it used to. suddenly, even with all my hours of running up and down a basketball court 4 nights a week, and bicycle riding, i started putting on weight.

it wasn't till i whacked the carbs that i lost weight, and it dropped off fast.

it's a life long commitment. it's not for everybody. and i'd recommend plenty of exercise to make it work.

[Boojatta]

6. "the low-calorie, low-fat approach and lasted nine days"

There's more than one low-fat approach. Did you try Pritikin?

[Critters2]

25. Or Ornish. Quite doable and there are a lot of online groups for support. nt

[flvegan]

7. Something to read from Alternet

http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/92822/the_danger_of_meat-heavy_diets

Now, it *is* possible to eat a great amount of the right food and lose weight, but you have to know the right foods, eat more often and take up an exercise routine.

[wain]

10. Thanks for the link, flvegan

I was fortunate to have someone give me a Dean Ornish book after my cardiac arrest and bypass in '95 (at a young age). The combination of a vegan diet and a consistent exercise program of running, walking and the gym have left me far healthier than I have ever been. Actually, I don't worry or pay attention to how much I eat. The weight stays where it should be. I will admit to not being a total real vegan as I will have a barbecue steak a couple of time in the summer, supplemented with a very fine cabaret.

[flvegan]

12. So you read something by a nutritional expert

as opposed to an absolute quack. Excellent! I'm very happy that you've had such success.

I find it odd that folks follow a dietary equivalent of putting diesel in a petrol automobile, yet they'd never do that with their car.

[Redstone]

14. God, I remember the FIRST time "Atkins" was discredited, thirty years ago. I guess

some people never learn.

Redstone

[LeftyMom]

15. It's easy to sucker people with quick fixes.

Look how many people sell plans for bogus fuel economy stuff, etc. Sure, it's stupid, but people are greedy and the promise of making their car run on water gets a few of them to cough up their credit card number.

It's the same thing, really.

[flvegan]

18. And therein lies the problem

Folks refuse to learn reasonably proper nutrition. I'm not suggesting everyone go vegan or anything, I'm being very sincere. People see the "stuff your face with bacon and lose 10 lbs" and they take the lazy way. Kidneys be damned.

[Redstone]

22. Oh, yes, indeed. A book that contained the only REAL way to lose weight would be only 4 pages,

and then only if each page contained only one word:

Page 1: Eat

Page 2: less.

Page 3: Exercise

Page 4: more.

I'd write that book myself, because it wouldn't take too long to do so, but somehow I feel I'd have a struggle to find a publisher.

Redstone

[pitohui]

8. yes and yes

i went on it as support for hubby, who lost and maintained a loss of 40 pounds in addition to normalizing his blood sugar readings and his blood pressure

it worked miracles for him and it did not trigger any eating disordered weirdness in me (so i was able to maintain a healthy weight, in fact, the only time i lost what i felt was an unpleasant amt of weight was during my trip to africa where i was in primitive conditions and often had no option but to go off the diet and eat a lot of rice/drink beer)

it seems to be true that the high protein diet modulates your appetite, so that you end up eating just the right amount to lose weight (if you need to) or to maintain weight (if you're already at the right weight)

if you don't eat carbs, you lose the addiction quickly -- this is why the "induction phase" works so well and so fast, you'll be amazed

we did low fat/low calorie for TWENTY YEARS and all hubby did was get fatter and sicker, the low carb/atkins really turned it around -- my weight/health really wasn't affected either way, so i might as well eat what is best for him and make it easy on the cook :-)

good luck, sounds like you are smart to cut your losses on the stupid low fat diet WAY sooner than we did

[MonkeyFunk]

11. yes, and I need to go back

I lost a lot of weight, and my doctor was astonished at how my bad cholesterol and triglycerides had come down. He thought I was on meds.

He said he'd seen it work in other people. I guess you have to try and see if it's for you.

[Beaverhausen]

13. No, but I lost 50 lbs last year on Weight Watchers. I kept it off over a year

Weight Watchers teaches you how to eat right in the real world; it's not really a diet.

[sniffa]

16. Atkins won't work if you skip any days

and Atkins is a bad diet. It's good if you need to slim down for say a wedding in a month (as my friend did) but once you introduce any carbs you'll balloon back up quicker than the weight came off.

Also, it's extremely unhealthy to stay on the diet - it's only a short term thing.

[Arkansas Granny]

17. Yes. I dropped over 40 pounds and I've kept it off for over 3 years now.

The only concessions I make now are limiting sugar intake (using Splenda in my coffee) and I rarely eat bread. I also eat smaller portions of pasta, rice and potatoes and larger portions of vegetables than I did before.

I used the book "Atkins for Life" which listed foods in categories like eat sparingly, eat in moderation, eat all you want, etc. which simplified my choices. I found that I was able to eat enough and often enough that I never felt hungry.

It may not be for everyone and if I had health issues I would check with my doctor first, but I had great sucess with it.

[TrogL]

19. My partner was on it

....and it was the only diet that actually worked for him.

The problem was to get him to actually follow it strictly.

[hippywife]

20. Yes. Don't do it.

I did it many years ago and as a result I regularly (about every 1.5-2 years) develop uric acid kidney stones.

Please get the books by Michael Pollan called The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food:An Eater's Manifesto if you want to find out how to resolve your health issues without dieting. It has done wonders for my blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. Everything came down into the normal range within six months of eating the way he suggests we should.

His tenets are: Eat (real, not processed) food. Not too much. Mostly plants. And if your great grandma wouldn't recognize it as food, don't eat it.

You'll find yourself much more satisfied without giving up anything but the trash most Americans think is food.

[AllieB]

21. Yes, and I lost 30 lbs. I still eat low carb-mostly vegetables, protein, and berries.

I've kept the weight off, and my cholesterol and blood sugar are perfect (they weren't before).

I recommend reading a book called the 'Protein Power Life Plan' by Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades. It explains the science behind the low carb diet, and the role of sugar and carbs in a variety of diseases. Here's Drs. Eades blog:

http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/

I also read a great (though kind of dry) book called 'Good Calories Bad Calories' by Gary Taubes who meticulously debunks the studies upon which much of our modern nutritional science is based. Here's the amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad-Gary-Taubes/dp/1400040787/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217467944&sr=8-1

[AllieB]

23. Here's a recent study on low-carb

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25708495/

There is a lot of science out there that refutes the low-fat, low-cal dogma. I'm glad to see it's finally getting some attention.