ATKINS?

I'm starting Atkins is anyone out there doing it? or have you done in the past? Do you have any good ideas? Thanks Deanna

Sat. May 19, 1:31pm

I have done Atkins. It works in the short run but I couldn't eat like that forever. Digestive system gets totally srewed up and your breath will be awful. A balanced diet of nutritious food is the way to go in the long run. It may take longer to lose weight but you will be healthy and nicer to be around.

Saturday, May 19, 2007, 2:51 PM

I think south beach is a healthier alternative to Atkin's. Anytime you cut out an entire food group your body will rebel in ways you may not see right away. Be careful and BE SMART!

Saturday, May 19, 2007, 4:37 PM

I've been on Atkins and read all the books and people who say that it messes you up or causes all kinds of health problems are the ones that took it to the extreme. They either eat only meat or they eat nothing but pre-packaged low-carb foods which contain sugar alcohols and give you gas all day. If you read all the books about the additional phases of Atkins, you will see that over time you will add back natural and complex carbs back into your diet.

Like all other diets on the market, you won't eat the way they tell you to forever. Everyone has to modify their eating once the weight is lost.

I'm starting low-carb again and I stopped because of all the horror stories I would hear. But if you read into those stories you will see that these people went to the extreme. Just like with low-fat diets where dieters went over board and did no-fat. I'm re-starting low-carb because of the way I felt when I was on it. I had energy througout the day and my skin cleared up. I didn't crave high-sugar foods and I discovered so many new vegetables and other whole foods. I've discovered almond butter which has 5 grams of fiber per serving, a cereal by Natures Path called Optimum Slim that tastes good and has 7-10 grams of fiber per serving. It is always sold out at Whole Foods Market. Check out The Food Network website and search for recipes by George Stella. He lost a ton of weight on low-carb and he has really great recipes. He also has a cook book. You can find it at your library or book store. I forget the title,but you can find them by using his name.

My advice, if you are going to do low-carb stick to real foods that are naturally low in carbs. As you go through the phases, add a lot of veggies, soups and high-fiber cereals & crackers. Anything I eat with carbs, natural or processed better have at least 4-5 grams of fiber in a serving. One very important thing, really really read the books that were written for Atkins dieters. Don't skim the pages to get to the good part.

Saturday, May 19, 2007, 5:00 PM

Atkins really taxes your liver/kidneys because of the constant processing of protein and fat along with the severe and sudden depletion of glycogen. If you have problems with these organs or take medications that put stress on them, this might not be the diet for you.

Make sure you drink a ton of water - eliminating the glycogen (fuel stored in muscles) is very dehydrating, and it's the reason you lose so much weight in those first two weeks. 6-11 lbs is the norm. No point continuing the introductory phase beyond that because there's no more glycogen to get rid of. Oh yeah...you're losing muscle fuel, not fat. And that's why you gain back superfast when you quit the diet - and you will quit, because your body gets desperate for the energy that carbohydrates provide. Been there, done that - three times.

Saturday, May 19, 2007, 5:19 PM

To the OP;

As you see from the 5:19 PM post it is extremely important that you READ the Atkins books and even other low-carb books. A few things you will learn: ANY diet you go on, the initial weight loss will be water and ANYtime you stop dieting and go back to your "normal way of eating" you will gain the weight back super fast. This is not exclusive to Atkins. In addition, your body will not be depleted of glycogen or glucose. It is a fact that ALL components of foods, whether it is protein, fat or carbohydrate break down in the body as glucose, the body's main source of fuel. It just so happens that carbs, especially the refined high-sugar kind breaks down to energy faster and gives you that quick lift. Other components break down slower, but eventually turn to glucose also.

Read and educate yourself. There is legitmacy to Atkins and other low-carb diets. Why do you think major companies are creating low or reduced sugar cereals, Splenda, even stuffing fiber and protein into everything they can think of. I was avoiding trans fats and high frutcose corn syrup long before it was all over the news. I learned to avoid it as I was doing Atkins.

People go on and off all types of diets. Even the ones that are supposed to be well rounded and doesn't "cut out a food group" Refined sugar is not a food group and it cracks me up when people say they can't eat low-crab forever, and then return to eating the same refined high sugar foods day in and day out and blame the weight gain on their diet.

Saturday, May 19, 2007, 6:51 PM

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