Atkins 20

[FlightlessDuck]

I find eating mostly raw vegetables with some animal protein, whole grains, fat, and fruit to be the best way for me to lose weight. You can eat an incredible amount of lettuce, cucumber, carrot, etc. for relatively little caloric intake.

Then again, I'm a 40 year old man. So...YMMV.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

I have a good friend who has been doing Atkins for over a year. She loses the weight, but then every time she starts adding a few more carbs to her diet the weight comes right back on. She's either miserable because she is so restricted in her diet, or miserable because she has out some weight back in even though she is eating less than the average person, but more than super low carb. It's not sustainable in my opinion. In the 10 or so years Atkins has been popular I don't know anyone who has been able to keep the weight off when they go off the super-restrictive plan.

 

[ronandannette]

As far as the smoking goes,try the cold laser method.My husband and I did that 11 years ago,and have no cravings at all.Worth looking into!

Thanks - I do really well on Champix (I think it's called Chantix in the States). I'm not too worried about the quitting part once I get the rest of my "ducks in a row".

 

[Hrhpd]

Atkins 20 absolutely works. The think what jumped out at me is when you said you are hungry. That is not right. When you're doing Atkins you shouldn't be hungry at all. Most people have to remind themselves to eat. Perhaps you aren't getting enough to protein and fat. Fat especially will make you feel full. Try logging everything in my fitness pal. Set your macros to 10% carbs/60% fat/30% protein. When I was doing Atkins 20 I found it easiest to eat close to the same thing each day. Breakfast was bacon and eggs and half an avocado. Lunch was some chicken salad or some lunch meat, cheese and cucumber slices. Dinner was salad and steak, chicken or fish. You will find your groove and learn which meals you like the best over time.the first 4 days are basically a detox and you will expect to drop a little water weight during this time. It takes 3-4 days for your body to get into ketosis where it will start burning fat. If you want to crank up the fat burning add exercise. There are some great videos on YouTube and they're free. I recently starting doing Les Mills Combat on YouTube and it's fun and only takes 30 minutes.

I second all this. Atkins 20 is an old friend and I love it. Well, actually, I like the more restrictive Atkins 1972. I don't do as well on the newer versions.

The big thing that is hard to get over is fat is ok and necessary. Put some olive oil and vinegar on that salad. Eat some bacon. This is a not a low fat diet.

I also second MFP or Sparkpeople (what I use). If you want a lot of ideas, this message board is very active: http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/
Here is the Atkins Induction section: http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/forumdisplay.php?f=50
I like to do the monthly challenges because it keeps me honest and not so inclined to cheat.

And my tip: if you have a craving for bread or you need a fast, protein breakfast, the flax seed muffin in a cup is heavenly.
I take out the cinnamon and add a handful of fresh blueberries (after induction.) I also use stevia instead of splenda (got a thing against aspartame.) Make this and top with cream cheese...yum!
Here is the atkins version: https://www.atkins.com/recipes/muffin-in-a-minute/165 but you can just google "flaxseed muffin in a minute" and come up with a ton of different recipes.

As for it not being maintainable over the years, it is maintainable if you do it right. And it doesn't have to be boring. You just have to track how many good carbs you can add back in without gaining. If you can't find enough Atkins recipes to satisfy you, search pinterest for paleo recipes. Many are compatible with Atkins and since it is such a fad right now, there are a ton of recipes out there. Low carb is a lifestyle not a diet. I don't look at it as a diet, it is more that I am a carboholic and it helps me feel better and keeps the carb cravings at bay.

Edited to add: You might be stalling if you are drinking a lot of the shakes. I always stalled when I started eating their processed food. The shakes do have aspartame for a sweetener and recent studies have shown that aspartame can actually cause weight gain.

 

[wenrob]

I have a good friend who has been doing Atkins for over a year. She loses the weight, but then every time she starts adding a few more carbs to her diet the weight comes right back on. She's either miserable because she is so restricted in her diet, or miserable because she has out some weight back in even though she is eating less than the average person, but more than super low carb. It's not sustainable in my opinion. In the 10 or so years Atkins has been popular I don't know anyone who has been able to keep the weight off when they go off the super-restrictive plan.

Going ultra low carb depletes your glycogen stores so as soon as you start eating carbs again it comes right back. It's not really weight lost or gained in the beginning but water. If your friend maintained a deficit after the initial "gain" they probably could have kept it off. That's part of the problem with these super restrictive diets with rules though, people don't know what to do when they're "done." In my experience, you can never be done with a weight loss plan you have to figure out what works for you and how to incorporate it into your daily life. There's no going back to 'normal' IMO, just a new normal.

 

[Hrhpd]

I want to add that I use the ketostrips daily, especially if I add an iffy or forbidden food. For instance, if I have a glass of wine, I check to see if it threw me out of ketosis. It will give me the incentive not to have it again

 

[dotfurio]

Edited to add: I see some discussion about free calories. I don't believe in that. Everything has a caloric impact, even fruit. My coworker on WW stalled her weight loss because of free fruit. While fruit is very healthy, much of it beyond berries, is pretty high calorically. I love mangoes but have you seen how many calories they have? Everything works differently for everyone. I think if you are at "that last 10 lbs" that calories really matter. If someone gave me license to eat free fruit, I know I'd sabotage myself because I am hungry and I'd probably eat 500 extra calories of fruit a day. With mangoes, bananas, and some melons its very easy to do.

Free points, not free calories. I did MFP for quite a while. I know fruit has calories. I also know many of my low calorie snacks I ate on MFP I now avoid like the plague because the point value is too high with WW. I think it all works out in the end, and no one said I was eating several pound of apples and bananas every day because they don't count as points. Everything in moderation. At any rate it's working for me. If MFP was working for me I wouldn't have ever tried WW. If MFP works for other people, that's great. Every body is different.

 

[wenrob]

Free points, not free calories. I did MFP for quite a while. I know fruit has calories. I also know many of my low calorie snacks I ate on MFP I now avoid like the plague because the point value is too high with WW. I think it all works out in the end, and no one said I was eating several pound of apples and bananas every day because they don't count as points. Everything in moderation. At any rate it's working for me. If MFP was working for me I wouldn't have ever tried WW. If MFP works for other people, that's great. Every body is different.

I have a friend who would eat a pound of grapes as a snack because they were "free." That's 360 calories, a small meal and that's not including the other free fruit she was eating. Some people truly don't understand that a calorie is a calorie no matter where it comes from and for them (like my friend) the system is a detriment. I think that's all the PP was trying to point out. It works amazing for some, not so much for others. I'm glad it's working for you.

 

[dotfurio]

Eating a pound of bacon on Atkins isn't exactly healthy either, even though it's technically within diet parameters. As I said, everything in moderation. Go with what diet works for you and use common sense. Because one person eats a pound of fruit in a sitting doesn't mean every WW participant does and therefore the diet is invalid.

 

[wenrob]

Eating a pound of bacon on Atkins isn't exactly healthy either, even though it's technically within diet parameters. As I said, everything in moderation. Go with what diet works for you and use common sense. Because one person eats a pound of fruit in a sitting doesn't mean every WW participant does and therefore the diet is invalid.

I agree. I don't think anyone said it was invalid. Merely pointing out the possible pitfalls as were pointed out about Adkins as well. And let's face it, if we were all using common sense none of us would have to lose/work to keep weight off in the first place. Even people with the best of intentions and true desire to do things the way they're intended will consciously or unconsciously try to game the system (any diet not just WW) even though it's not it their best interest. It's one of the reasons they changed the points yet again, because people were using it as a way to eat total crap. That is a pitfall of MFP/calorie counting as well. If it fits, you can eat it. Doesn't mean that you should. I have nothing against WW, I've seen it do a lot of people good. It more of a "be careful, pay attention to what you're doing" statement not a slam.

 

[Christine]

I have a friend who would eat a pound of grapes as a snack because they were "free." That's 360 calories, a small meal and that's not including the other free fruit she was eating. Some people truly don't understand that a calorie is a calorie no matter where it comes from and for them (like my friend) the system is a detriment. I think that's all the PP was trying to point out. It works amazing for some, not so much for others. I'm glad it's working for you.

Thanks wenrob, that's all I was trying to point out. Dotfurio, I feel like you felt I was criticizing you. I wasn't. Just some experience I've had with people on WW and free fruit. I think some people tend to overdo it when they hear the word "free." Obviously WW works for many people. If I did it, I would just probably ignore the free fruit thing because I think I would tend to go overboard with it.

 

[Christine]

Eating a pound of bacon on Atkins isn't exactly healthy either, even though it's technically within diet parameters. As I said, everything in moderation. Go with what diet works for you and use common sense. Because one person eats a pound of fruit in a sitting doesn't mean every WW participant does and therefore the diet is invalid.

No one said that. Not sure why you took it that way.

 

[lizabu]

I have a suggestion for breakfast. Frittatas can be a good option. Chop and sautée vegetables you have around the house. You can add bacon, ham or sausage if you have it. Put a little in the bottom of muffin tins. Whisk some eggs and fill muffin cups to half full. Bake in the oven at 350 for ten minutes or so. Let them cool and you can wrap them or put them in a ziplock. In the morning you can grab two and microwave for 20-30 seconds.and will have a satisfying breakfast that takes seconds to heat up.

 

[dotfurio]

No worries. I suppose I took it as criticism because the two comments about WW and fruit were both extreme examples of fruit consumption, as if all WW participants gorge themselves on fruit. A couple people does not show a trend of over a million users. Just as my example of eating bacon on Atkins is an extreme example. You could look at bacon as "free" on Atkins. Back in my Atkins day I know coworkers who did consume all kinds of unhealthy fats because it was permitted within the diet parameters. That doesn't mean everyone on Atkins does. I was just providing another perspective and showing that eating excessive amounts of any "allowed" or "free" food on any diet could be detrimental.

ETA it's actually recommended by WW to track everything, even zero point foods, so if the scale isn't moving you know to cut back on those.

 

[ronandannette]

I second all this. Atkins 20 is an old friend and I love it. Well, actually, I like the more restrictive Atkins 1972. I don't do as well on the newer versions.

The big thing that is hard to get over is fat is ok and necessary. Put some olive oil and vinegar on that salad. Eat some bacon. This is a not a low fat diet.

I also second MFP or Sparkpeople (what I use). If you want a lot of ideas, this message board is very active: http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/
Here is the Atkins Induction section: http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/forumdisplay.php?f=50
I like to do the monthly challenges because it keeps me honest and not so inclined to cheat.

And my tip: if you have a craving for bread or you need a fast, protein breakfast, the flax seed muffin in a cup is heavenly.
I take out the cinnamon and add a handful of fresh blueberries (after induction.) I also use stevia instead of splenda (got a thing against aspartame.) Make this and top with cream cheese...yum!
Here is the atkins version: https://www.atkins.com/recipes/muffin-in-a-minute/165 but you can just google "flaxseed muffin in a minute" and come up with a ton of different recipes.

As for it not being maintainable over the years, it is maintainable if you do it right. And it doesn't have to be boring. You just have to track how many good carbs you can add back in without gaining. If you can't find enough Atkins recipes to satisfy you, search pinterest for paleo recipes. Many are compatible with Atkins and since it is such a fad right now, there are a ton of recipes out there. Low carb is a lifestyle not a diet. I don't look at it as a diet, it is more that I am a carboholic and it helps me feel better and keeps the carb cravings at bay.

Edited to add: You might be stalling if you are drinking a lot of the shakes. I always stalled when I started eating their processed food. The shakes do have aspartame for a sweetener and recent studies have shown that aspartame can actually cause weight gain.

You haven't stayed in Induction for years, have you? If that's what it takes I'll likely give up now. I the muffin idea - is it allowed on Induction? And can it be done in quantity and baked in the oven? I actually picked up some flax meal during my shop today and am definitely trying that recipe. Thanks! (Oh, and I'm on one shake a day as a grab-n-go breakfast or snack. I'm feeling pretty lost without convenience foods but it certainly has pointed out how many of them we were routinely eating.)

Going ultra low carb depletes your glycogen stores so as soon as you start eating carbs again it comes right back. It's not really weight lost or gained in the beginning but water. If your friend maintained a deficit after the initial "gain" they probably could have kept it off. That's part of the problem with these super restrictive diets with rules though, people don't know what to do when they're "done." In my experience, you can never be done with a weight loss plan you have to figure out what works for you and how to incorporate it into your daily life. There's no going back to 'normal' IMO, just a new normal.

Then something is definitely going wrong here for me. Even though I'm down on the scale my hands and feet are puffier than ever - I can barely get my ring off and that's not normal. Am I salting too much? I've been hitting the plain meats pretty heavy with seasonings (nothing with sugar, I swear). I'm also avoiding much bacon and my dearly beloved ham and other processed meats due to the addition of sugar in the curing process. I'm about ready to consider taking herbal diuretic. Any advice you have on this would be greatly appreciated.

Eating a pound of bacon on Atkins isn't exactly healthy either, even though it's technically within diet parameters. As I said, everything in moderation. Go with what diet works for you and use common sense. Because one person eats a pound of fruit in a sitting doesn't mean every WW participant does and therefore the diet is invalid.

But right there is where I have a problem getting my head around WW. Is fruit free or not? I really don't want to be having to count points AND count calories. I'd be the type that was inclined to eat "free" fruits and vegetables without restraint and then I'd be sabotaging my loss, right? How would one know without actually doing a calorie tally?

 

[leebee]

You definitely have to do some pre-planning on Atkins so you have the food ready, at hand, for when you need it. I've always had luck with Atkins, and if I'd stuck with it I'd probably be on Atkins today, still. You have to remember with Atkins you can't have the carbs from any form of wheat, and in many veggies, to begin with. To eat carbs, you have to "titrate" them back into your diet to see what you can tolerate. Some people cannot tolerate most carbs. However, with most people, bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes are always going to be limited in their diets.

I think you aren't losing weight because you aren't eating enough. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but that's how Atkins works. First off, eat your protein!! FIRST!! Don't start with the "boring" veggies you have around the house; start with yummy protein. Remember, you can have almost any of the proteins and fats: Beef, pork, chicken, fish, bacon, sausage, lamb, eggs, cheese are all fine. You can also have real mayo, salad dressing (low fat dressings usually have more carbs in them because of the sugars and additives used for thickening), butter, avocado, olive oil. I don't have much time in the morning for breakfast, so I started hard boiling a bunch of eggs on Sundays; I'd make some into egg salad and leave some as-is. Ready-made breakfast, just grab and go! I've also made the egg-cheese-meat muffin cups someone described above. I also bought some whey protein isolate powder (Syntrax Nectar) that I make up with unsweetened almond milk (I like Almond Breeze best) for shakes, which I'd drink as breakfast on my way to work. This WPI is 23g of protein per scoop, no fat, no carb. (The Atkins pre-made stuff is too much for induction.) Similarly, I don't have a lot of time for lunch, so I like that to be easy, too. I stick a couple slices or cheese and a couple slices of cold cuts (make sure they aren't sugar/honey cured) into a baggie and make meat-n-cheese roll-ups as I eat them. If I have romaine, I'll wrap some around my roll-up. I usually do this as I am eating, not make a lunch up ahead of time. It also helps if you have chicken salad or tuna salad pre-made, so you can just scoop some into a storage container and take it for lunch. I try to have cut up veggies on hand (peppers, cucumber, baby tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, etc) so I can grab a handful and take them in a baggie for lunch and snacks, or throw them atop lettuce (with prepared cold chicken) for a big lunch salad.
Supper is pretty straight-forward: Meat and veg and/or salad. I make marinades from whatever is on hand- wine, flavored vinegar, olive oil, herbs, spices, salad dressing, etc. I try to make extra meat so I have some for lunch the next day. Sometimes we'll have sausage with grilled peppers and onions- that makes a pretty good lunch, too. I also roast a bunch of veggies for more interest. (Get together a pile of allowed veggies- I usually do enough to cover 2 cookie sheets. Shake or drizzle with olive oil and garlic powder. Roast at 350 for about 30 mins until veggies are cooked. I'll use tomatoes, onion, broccoli, summer squash, zucchini, cauliflower, sometimes sliced carrots, maybe eggplant (can't remember if it's allowed on induction), green beans, etc. SO yummy...)

Induction can be challenging if you are a snacker, because none of that is allowed, and snacking is usually a habit that you need to break. Cheese cubes, sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles, a slice of lunch meat or some chunks of chicken... whatever you need to get you through, but make sure it's NO CARBS, NO SUGAR. You can do this, but you are right, you need to have the right foods available.. and stop filling yourself up with veggies first- eat the GOOD STUFF first!

(Did you know that buffalo wings are allowed on Atkins? Make sure the wings are unbreaded and the buffalo sauce is the "clear" kind made mostly from pepper sauce and butter, not the thickened kind you find bottled in the grocery store... and bring on the blue cheese dressing! Believe me, this has saved me from many a temptation on Atkins when out for dinner with friends!)

 

[ronandannette]

Thanks leebee - any recommendations on brands of mayo and dressings? I spent quite a few minutes browsing them at the store and left with nothing because every label had either sugar or dextrose listed. Every.Single.One. I'm trying to be fanatical about hidden sugar and carbs - I haven't has so much as a smidgen of wheat or cornflour since last Tuesday.

I'm definitely going to take the advice about eating the meat first. I've really been struggling to cram down 12g worth of greens. Now that I've gotten some provisions in the house I just need to find the time to put things together.

 

[wenrob]

Then something is definitely going wrong here for me. Even though I'm down on the scale my hands and feet are puffier than ever - I can barely get my ring off and that's not normal. Am I salting too much? I've been hitting the plain meats pretty heavy with seasonings (nothing with sugar, I swear). I'm also avoiding much bacon and my dearly beloved ham and other processed meats due to the addition of sugar in the curing process. I'm about ready to consider taking herbal diuretic. Any advice you have on this would be greatly appreciated.

That IS weird. Are you peeing normally? More? Less? You don't have any kind of kidney issues do you? A very high protein diet can be tough on the kidneys. I do not low carb so I can't say whether the puffiness is normal or not. When I puff up I can usually nail it down to high salt intake, more strenuous excercise than normal, the heat or all of the above. I cut back on salt, drink lots of water and get extra steps in to help move it out of my system. Usually takes a couple of days.

 

[lizabu]

Don't worry about the salt. In fact most people who do Atkins have to add salt to their diets to avoid headaches. You would be surprised how much salt is in processed foods and once you cut out all that stuff you will sometimes have to scramble to get enough sodium. That's why you hear about Atkins flu or ketosis-flu. It sets in about 3-4 days in and you might feel tired and have a headache. Drinking broth or pickle juice can help because either one has a lot of salt. When it comes to condiments it doesn't have to be no sugar but choose the lowest one you can find. Like Heinz no sugar added ketchup and hellmans olive oil mayonnaise. Renees dressings are not too bad. You can also use oil and vinegar in most situations. Wellman farms are zero carbs and zero sugar but not everyone likes them. They make ketchup, syrups, jams and a bunch of other things too. I try to stay away from the frankenfoods personally but they help get some people through. Atkins has a message board which is great and I recommend checking it out.

 

[wenrob]

Don't worry about the salt. In fact most people who do Atkins have to add salt to their diets to avoid headaches. You would be surprised how much salt is in processed foods and once you cut out all that stuff you will sometimes have to scramble to get enough sodium. That's why you hear about Atkins flu or ketosis-flu. It sets in about 3-4 days in and you might feel tired and have a headache. Drinking broth or pickle juice can help because either one has a lot of salt. When it comes to condiments it doesn't have to be no sugar but choose the lowest one you can find. Like Heinz no sugar added ketchup and hellmans olive oil mayonnaise. Renees dressings are not too bad. You can also use oil and vinegar in most situations. Wellman farms are zero carbs and zero sugar but not everyone likes them. They make ketchup, syrups, jams and a bunch of other things too. I try to stay away from the frankenfoods personally but they help get some people through. Atkins has a message board which is great and I recommend checking it out.

Did you read the part about her being all puffy and barely able to get her rings on and off?