A bite of an Apple is a SIN...on this diet...

I apologize for the long post - but this topic is something this ex-Atkins dieter is very passionate about....

The reason why Atkins works is because you are also cutting your calories too!  Don't you notice that most of the calories in that sandwich you are about to scarf down is from the bread? Or, that caserole you made...well, it's the rice/noodles that are the most "expensive" in calories!

I am an ex-Atkins dieter and I have FINALLY learned my lesson!  Not, just once, but many many times.  I kept going back to Atkins because I didn't learn the right way of eating is the best way of keeping the pounds off !

I have to admit that when I ate low carb, I lost a lot of weight AT FIRST, but many of you can attest to the fact that once you are off it, the pounds come piling back and MORE!

Some people say that Atkins is a sustainable lifestyle - well, if that is the case, then why do so many people fail at it, and gain double back?

PLUS - why would you want to subject yourself to a diet where a bite of an apple is a SIN :)

And, although you lose very quickly at first, many Atkin-ers can tell you that weightloss is not as fast as you think after a month or two.  Many people plateau because they don't realize that for Atkins to work - it also has to be LOW CALORIE TOO!!  Too much Protein causes WEIGHT GAIN!!

Bacon and cheese may sound like heaven the first week - but it gets boring!  I have been eating the CC way for months now and I still can't bear to even come near meat.  Not because I'm a vegetarian...nuh uh...it's because I am so repulsed by it because of Atkins.  It's all I could eat that kept me full!

If you eat well and excercise, you can lose 1-2 pounds a week.  That's 24-48 pounds in 6 months!!  Although many Atkin-ers lose more than 4-8 pounds the first month (water weight - NOT FAT), ask them how much THE MAJORITY of them lose in 6 months or if they are still on the diet at all!

What I'm trying to say is that eating right (including healthy carbs), is a sustainable lifestyle because you never have to cut out any food groups.  If you cut carbs out - this inevitably sets you up for failure - that's human nature and you already know what happens when we try to go against that.....

When I first read about atkins my reaction was: they're totally nuts. Really. It's pretty obvious that once you guve it up ( and like 99 % of people on atkings do after a while) the weight yo-yos right back up........

I find it ammusing that I noticed your post right as I was eating my delicious apple....

I just wanted to pop in and post about an article on MSNBC.

Atkins Nutritionals files for bankruptcy

My Atkins memory:

Going to a family bar-b-q and seeing my 65 year old, obese step father ask for "two cheeseburgers with no buns." My mom and I just rolled our eyes. I tried rationalizing with him, showing him the facts, showing that he was actually consuming more calories than if he had just had one burger with a bun...but to no avail. He was convinced he had his "get out of jail free" card. He could eat anything he wanted, as long as it didn't have carbs!

Needless to say, the diet didn't last, he didn't lose any weight, and he pissed off his doctor who was the only one to finally convince him to stop Atkins.

Wow, Ditto on the apple.

:) I have about one a day after I work out. Mmmm... I find organic ones taste better. The skin isnt as waxy.

OOps, right, Atkins. I knew some people who were on it and would cheat all the time. The went down like 2lbs in a month and started to praise it all they could.

Its funny how just hearing the name Atkins always makes me hungry for popcorn and toast.

Heh, I think most of us has at least on Atkins phase in our history. Mine was a disaster. I don't eat a lot of meat so I don't know what I was thinking. Apparently you can maintain your weight on just cheese and cucumbers!

I REALLY tried to make Atkins work for me.   My friend was on an Atkins style diet that she was placed on by her doctor.   I told her that I'd give it a shot along with her.  Carbs are such a weakness for me.   I could just imagine the pounds melting off of me once I cut them out.

I lost a little, I suppose.  But I also felt nauseous regularly.   I was always hungry even when I had eaten more than enough calories.   I didn't take me long to realize that the lifestyle wasn't sustainable for me.  I have a significant amount a weight to lose, and there was no way I was reaching my goal eating like that.

I swore off dieting for over a year.   When I came back to it, I threw away all those notions of fad diets and decided that the old fashioned way (hard work and eating right) was the best.  

I never did Atkins or any of the low carb diets. I just couldnt. Pasta and bread are my friends ! But anywho, I couldnt understand how you could not eat all the things that are good for you - fruits, breads, rice etc. And that you could eat things that are not so good for you in excess - eggs, bacon, beef. How can you become healthy from that? And then , if you did succeed with the diet...is this how you eat for the rest of your life?

I used to work with ladies who did Atkins.  One of the problems is that if you cheat, your total calories can go through the roof.  These girls would be all about the daily bacon and eggs, steaks etc - and were always caving into the carb cravings in the worst ways possible - huge muffins, crackers, etc. 

i've done atkins in the past. twice, in fact.  while the last time around i had like 40 pounds to lose and did so and  have managed to keep 20 of it off for a few years now, i have seen the light and am hooked on this smart scientific approach here at cal-count. 

it's funny you posted this because just about an hour ago i was having a conversation with a friend saying, "omg!  i realize that the weight loss in atkins is more about fewer calories than carbs.  lose the bun and it's less calories, skip the sugar and it's less calories, substitute the french fries for broccoli...yep less calories again."

  i do believe i'm a bit sensitive to carbs as is my mom but cutting out healthy whole grains and fruits is not the answer.  i love this site because i can check out the pie chart too and make sure i'm eating a good balance. :)

I'm getting really worried about my sister, she has been doing Atkins for a few months now and has lost quite a bit of weight (about 20-30 pounds) but she looks SICK. Her face is droopy, she looks frail and has no energy at all. I try to convince her that it's not good for her health but since she has seen results she doesn't listen.

uhhh...did you read the whole book?

apples are a low gly food and allowed on atkins.

just not in the early phases which is only suppose to be a couple weeks.

the reason this diet fails is because people fail to read the book and make the adjustments properly.

in the end you eat normally. its about overcoming that resistant body that has a hard time losing wt.

anyone you know doing atkins...ask them what phase they are on if they are sick. if you go over 6 months on the early phases you have to be seen by a doctor.
so says the book.

I've read the book many many times - probably 10 more times than I tried the diet.

Apples are not allowed on induction, and they aren't even allowed in stage 2 and some parts of 3 (depending on how you react to it).

And, many people don't move to stage 2 and 3 for a long time because they have a lot to lose!  That's why many people stay on induction for so long.

No one says that Atkins doesn't work because it really does since you are eating lessss calories - just like the rest of us are here at CC.

"And, many people don't move to stage 2 and 3 for a long time because they have a lot to lose!  That's why many people stay on induction for so long."

those are the people i notice get sick.
i tried it..and i could live with phase 3-4 easily.

just a little diet tip...

if you are stuck i read that its good to start a loss by going low carb for a couple days.

it works because of calories and g.i. index of the foods.

you body burns sugars first before attacking reserves.
so the low amt of sugar in that diet makes for more time spent burning reserves.

so you , knowing the atkins thing, could combine that to a middle ground if you find higher carb things dont work for losing in your body.

you dont need to go as low as 20..but maybe 40 like the zone diet.

there are a lot of people that think its all bacon and eggs too..like 24-7 lol
that would make anyone feel like crap.

I lost somewhere around 30 permanent pounds of weight on South Beach. (An eating plan similar to Atkins-except only lean meat,cheese,dairy&more veggies).  I enjoyed it immensely for arouns 6 months, and then I just had to take a break.  I tried to go back on it, but I couldn't make myself do it.  I lost about 40 pounds on it, and then gained back 10.  I then went low-cal and lost 10 more.  It's been 2 years and 3 months, and I still struggle with the last 10 pounds.  I think low-carb is a good way for really overweight people to lose weight because you aren't hungry all the time.  Then your body will be used to less food, and you can go regular low-cal.  Studies show that people eat the same amount of food from day-to-day. 

I lost somewhere around 30 permanent pounds of weight on South Beach. (An eating plan similar to Atkins-except only lean meat,cheese,dairy&more veggies).  I enjoyed it immensely for arouns 6 months, and then I just had to take a break.  I tried to go back on it, but I couldn't make myself do it.  I lost about 40 pounds on it, and then gained back 10.  I then went low-cal and lost 10 more.  It's been 2 years and 3 months, and I still struggle with the last 10 pounds.  I think low-carb is a good way for really overweight people to lose weight because you aren't hungry all the time.  Then your body will be used to less food, and you can go regular low-cal.  Studies show that people eat the same amount of food from day-to-day.