Did the Atkin's diet mess you up to?

About a year ago I did the Atkin's diet. WOO smart me... or not so smart. I ended up at 140 lbs at the end of it, and I was very proud of myself, until I wound up short on glucose. I went to see the doctor and he explained to me how bad it really is and  the problems that you can run into due to lack of glucose and carbohydrates. Now  I am eating normally again and I have been since I saw the doctor, and unfortunateley, I have put on almost 100 lbs. Blood test after blood test and doctor visits on and on... there is nothing wrong. I am eating healthy and excercising and it just wont go! I have tried so many different diets and excercise routines... now I am just hoping that someone out there might be experiencing the same sort of thing. I want to lose these extra 100.... It's like carrying around a 12 year old in a snuggly! Too hard on the back and the body in general. I am worried for my health, as heart problems run in my family, and I am trying to do everything that I can to get back down to a normal weight. Everyone is looking out for me, but still they are pushing me and asking when I am going to do something about it. All I can think of to do now is not eat at all... and I am not ready to take it to that extent!! So if anyone out there has a suggestion for me, I would greatly appreciate it!

Am I having these problems now because of the Atkin's diet, or is it something else???

how's your portion control? you could eat a very healthy diet and still eat too much healthy foods.

Well, I know I am not eating too much, because I am hungry all the time!!! I mean for instance, at breakfast today I had cereal and fruit... 1 cup of cereal, 1 cup of 1% milk and some strawberries. I really dont get this!!!!!

Sounds like your poor body has been through quite a lot! Perhaps it needs time to adjust to your newer diet ? Do keep with what you are doing though, the exercise is so important. Just keep plugging away and watching what you eat...I am sure the weight will start to come off.

try using the tools here to get a better idea of how much you eat throughout the day. give it a little while. your body just might need some time to adjust to a new lifestyle. check out the calorie-count.com diet thread on here. it's a good read.

also, i suggest reading the south beach diet book. it talks about how to control insulin levels by eating low glycemic index foods. and while you might follow it (i try to stick to phase II with potatos and occasional treats), count calories too, becuase calories count.

i did atkins, i lost 25 lbs., and gained it back, but I didnt gain 100 lbs.)

if you want to lose....start the following

  portion control

  walking 30 min. a day, find the time

  counting calories

  use this link to figure out your personal calorie allowance for each day.

http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/post/page /11/12230.html

grr! this just gets so frustrating. It's been just over a year since I was 140, and I have been watching it the whole time... and the pounds just keep piling on! I realize now that means I have put on almost 10 lbs a month... oh no........ How does this happen!!?!?!?!? Are some people just meant to be like this? I am 5'3.... 20 years young... and what the heck is this?? 238?? NOOOOOOOOOOO

So 30 minutes of walking a day should do it ? along with portion control of course :)   I will try it... only a little faster walking maybe... GAH!! 

My mom tried it and ended up gaining about 10 pounds.

Anyway, maybe try Yoga to decrease any stress and Tai Chi to give you a good exercise.

Stress is a big one that causes weight.

Never stop eating though, eat your need,  if you eat too little your stomach will shrink and you'll gain more. You really only need to decrease your calorie need by 12% but do a good bit of exercise daily, or if you're too tired that day decrease by 25%.

But even if you don't lose the weight, though it should, it'll help your heart alot in the end by doing such exercises and continuing to eat healthy.

You lowered your metabolism signifigantly! Step up your exercise and eat every 3-4 hours (small meals) to reboot your system. When you eat, always eat a protien or fat and a healthy carb. IE: breakfast 1 cup high fiber (4 gr or more) and 12 natural almonds, or 1 cup nonfat milk, snack: Apple, string cheese, Lunch: Lean cuisine spa cuisine or healthy choice soup and 1 svg of whole wheat crackers, snack: smart pop 100 cal bag of popcorn, 12 natural almonds Dinner: 4 oz chicken, sweet potato, vegies, or even 2 slices of frosen pizza on whole wheat crust with chicken and vegies on top, you can even add your own to it.

I learned all of this from my nutritionist after screwing up my body the same way. I didn't lose weight for 6 months working with her dillengently! It will take time, don't give up, give your body time to heal

The longest time I was on the Atkins diet was 2 weeks (I tried the diet twice).

I guess I was lucky that I couldn't stick to it or else I would be having a similar experience. I'm sorry to hear what happened to you.

Personally, I did a diet/exercise diet...I lost about 55lbs and then I started "binging" I guess you would call it. I shot back up 30lbs because of that! I'm now back to my eating healthy and doing exercise routine. And it's working.

I had a hard time losing weight in the beginning. Turns out I wasn't eating enough for my body at the weight it was! Have you been counting your calories to see how much you've actually been eating? Maybe you're not getting enough, and your body is just hoarding everything thinking its starving...

To give you an idea about myself, I'm currently 195.8lbs, 5'8", my daily calorie goal is 1800, and I exercise 30 mins on the elliptical almost every day. About a week ago, I was having a really hard time with my weight not coming off. (always fluctuating between 200 and 198). I was eating at the time about 1400-1500 calories, with the 30 mins of exercise. I added the 300 calories, and I started dropping the weight. I went from 200lbs (it was an "up" day) to where I am now. Some of it was probably water, but the scale did start going down.

Sorry for the long post, but there is hope :) Just have to find your body's groove, and you will lose the weight. You CAN do it.

You said you know you weren't eating much because you're still hungry all the time.. don't mistake hunger as needing more calories.  I could eat a bunch of high calorie foods like potato chips, and still be hungry.

Use the tools on this site, and make sure you log everything that enters your mouth!  It will really give you a strong grasp on where the trouble lies.  Work on getting a nice 500 calorie deficit each day, keep your fat/protein/carb ratio in check (most people like to stay around 25/25/50%), drink LOTS of water, exercise, and the weight WILL come off!

Just remember, whatever changes you make must be permanent lifestyle changes.. so do it slowly, or this might happen again.  It happened to me (not with atkins, but starving myself) and I wish I had this site back then to teach me the right way to do this.

in addition to a doctor--have you tried seeing a nutritionist or dietician? they might be able to help you work out a good eating plan that will give you a good balance of foods.  it's good that you are trying and are working to lose that extra weight, so it would probably be worth investing in meeting with a professional.

Well, Thanks everyone so far. I have a better idea of what I might be doing wrong. It sounds like I need to eat more of the right stuff and less of the wrong stuff. Just looking back on the past week or so I see that alot of the calories that I have been eating are kind of bad ones... like pizza... and cheese.....

hi

i did atkins last year and lost 45 pounds on it. I didnt gain it all back only about 10 pounds and mainly thats because I was pregnant. I did not do this on my own it was my dr advising me to do so, due to my cholesterol being so high. now I only did it for 4 months because of the long term effects.. can I ask how long were you on it? My dr stated if you do it for a short period of time and then portion control and watch your calories you shouldnt gain a lot back. I have started to watch my carbs but not to the extreme of doing the 20 grams i have been trying to get close to 50 for now to help get over this plateau i hit. I also have kindof used a little  bit of south beach with the whole good carbs bad carbs thing.. that might help as well.

I had a friend that tried atkins and I warned him that once he put carbs back in his system he would gain all of his weight back plus more.  He didn't listen and what I told him came true.  You have to eat carbs, never leave anything out of your diet.  Exercise is really not important, it burns some calories but not enough to make drastic difference.  Exercise is good for general health and maintenance once you get to your desired target weight. The only way to lose weight is to eat less calories!!! 

MXC, I have to disagree with your statement that exercise is not important.  Most of us want to lose weight either for health or looks, and usually both - exercise is important for both.  It revs up your metabolism, and improved muscle tone will make even a small weight loss look dramatically more effective - I've only lost 7 lbs, but I see a huge difference in the mirror, because exercise is already dramatically toning & tightening my previously totally out of shape body.  Also, for anyone with more than 10lbs. to lose, exercise is important for dealing with the "loose skin" problem.

Have you had your doctor check  you for Cushings Syndrome. I read an article about a women who couldn't loose weight no matter what she did and finally she got a doctor to listen. http://www.healthline.com/adamcontent/cushing s-syndrome

I used Atkins to kick start my low calorie diet, may seem counter productive, but the weight loss from atkins mentally prepared me to show me i can lose weight...  i like this diet much better...

MXC has a valid point I think.  I have done well without exercise, and will do better with exercise.  Exercise should play a part in your overall healthy lifestyle, but losing weight and exercise CAN BE independant animals.

Bottom line- if your losing weight, and disciplined on a diet plan. GOOD FOR YOU.  It will pay off.

I did Atkins and lost 15 then gained 38.  Now I'm trying to eat a little bit of calories and exercise.