What is/was your personal experience while following the Atkins diet?

Question

I've been "dieting" for 22 days now. I'm not on any program, I've just cut out sodas and drink tons of water, eat salads for lunch, and about half of what I used to eat for dinner. I'm reading Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution and believe I will commit to it when I have finished the book, but would like to know any problems that you had while on it. Did it work well for you? Is it a waste of your time? What are potential pitfalls I should look out for? Thank you!

Answer 1

I've done very well on it, lost 35 lbs so far. I've also found that most of my aches and pains have gone away, but they come back if I start back on high-carbs.

Drawbacks: First of all, not everyone will lose weight as fast as he indicates. It's common for people to stall on the 3rd or 4th week. If you have a lot of weight to lose, you will probably find it goes in fits and starts. I personally tend to lose a bunch, then stay at the same weight for a long time, then lose a bunch more. However, I feel that this is my body adapting to it's new composition and shape. Give it time and stick to the plan, the weight will eventually come off.

The first week you will probably go through "induction flu" which is withdrawal from sugar. I was exhausted and my arm and legs felt like they weighed a ton. Once I got past that I was fine. Others experience actual flu-like symptoms.

The general consensus is to stick to real foods and avoid low-carb "products" as much as possible. Atkins is about learning a healthy new lifestyle, not substituting one kind of crap for another. Most of your carbs should be coming from veggies.

When you are in ketosis, you may have a funny taste/odor on your breath and odor in your urine from the ketones. You get used to it, many people suck on sugar free mints or chew sugarless gum to offset it. Personally, when I get that funny taste I'm happy because I know I'm burning fat.

The main thing is to make it a lifestyle. If you think of it as a "diet" that you're going to end, it becomes tedious - especially during those times when you are not losing. I now concentrate on eating in a healthy fashion and doing my exercise, I feel that in the long run my body will eventually settle at a weight that it is best for it.

I'm a member of a low-carb forum which I've found very helpful. The people there are really supportive, and it's motivating for me to go there regularly. There's lots of recipes too. They have a section devoted strictly to Atkins.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/

Good luck on your weight-loss/health journey!

Answer 2

It worked well. I lost 25 lbs, My husband close to 50 lbs. Our cholesterol count went way up though.

It is hard to commit to a lifetime of this lifestyle. Vacationing and dining out were big challenges at times.

We are off of Atkins now. Trying to still stay away from bread and sweets. We have not been exercising as much as we should, so we have gained some weight back. Exercise is the key!

Answer 3

Diets don't work since 99% gain weight back. Also this explains that Atkins not as safe as The Zone. Dr Atkins had high blood pressure and had heart attack. May he rest in peace.

Good carbs like celery and carrots will never make you fat. Bad carbs like cake will, but you don't need to know the whole science of glycemic index and load. It is mostly NOT your fault, if you need to lose weight. The way we have been taught to eat is responsible for making obesity the number one health problem in the world (according to Atlantic Monthly magazine) replacing hunger and infectious disease. You need to re-learn how to eat so you can become thin. Not a diet, but diet lifestyle.

Find out about fastest way to lose weight, gradual ways to lose weight, most effective exercise, good and bad carbs and anti-water. Lose bodyfat and retained water which also makes you a lot fatter (bloated). Most important-- make sure to read the last "fat loss tip", first before anything else, to see the number one food that causes Americans to be fat.

http://phifoundation.org

Answer 4

I loved it. It did wonders for me. I lost so much weight (stones) and got really fit and healthy by adding exercise. I think it was because I was not taking in sugar that made it work. It took me some time (over a week) to start feeling better as when you start it you can feel yucky. I stayed on the induction for a couple of months and it changed my outlook- I didn't have my usual moodswings, I didn't have a need for sugar. I felt great and had never felt as good as when I did Atkins. It may not be for everyone, but it was the best for me.

Answer 5

I have been told by nutritionist that the Atkins diet will only give you results for about 6 weeks. And the majority of people who have lost weight on the diet will gain it all back within 6 months. I did the diet for 5 weeks. It was brutal. I was very fatigued, cranky, and it makes you have BO and bad breath. But I segued it into a healthy diet and excersize plan after the 5 weeks so that I could continue to lose weight. It was good to help me control my urge for sugary sweets.

Answer 6

My mother did Atkins and lost a mass amount of weight. The only downfall is it turns into more of a permanent lifestyle. Once you introduce carbs back into your diet you gain some of the weight back. You pretty much train yourself to avoid carbs for the rest of your life. It becomes harder for the body to digest carbs once you start eating them again.

Answer 7

I am able to commune with some people and some animals that are in the spirit world. Mostly, I do it through what is called automatic writing. Although I was able to have a telepathic conversation with my Dad when he passed on his way out...and felt him with me. I live in a city far away. I knew when he passed and stopped everything I was doing. Later, after we had our great conversation and he left I got a call from my sister telling me he passed. I said I know and told her what time it was when he passed, my husband is witness to this. Everyone in my family wanted to know our conversation so I wrote it down for them. (I left out the part of how he really saw our situation and that he would soften my mom's heart to help us financially more). It is true that since that time my mom is always like are you all right, do you need anything?! He wanted me to go outside and told me to look up at the sky. He told me to spend more time outdoors. He said anytime I wanted to connect with him to just look at the sky. I said but Dad, if I was on the other side of the world I would be looking in a completely different direction. He said you don't understand it doesn't matter! That was quite humorous. I also got a letter through automatic writing from my sister in law that had passed for my brother. I know she moved heaven and earth to find a way to contact him. Once she found out I was an open channel, she would not leave me alone. It was like she was riding my shoulder and I kept telling her don't put me in the middle of this. She would not give up and I finally took the letter. Then I called my older brother who called my younger brother to ask him if he wanted the letter. He said to send it. When I visited his house a few years ago I can tell you exactly where he keeps the letter and that he read it every night. We have never spoken about it though. He was so upset about her sudden death she was the love of his life since he was in grade school. After he got the letter his grief lifted. I am not like John Edwards, touring the country and famous and all that. It is kind of like being a middleman, a mailman so to speak. It is not something that interests me enough to do it for a living. I don't need to prove anything to anyone. I don't mind helping out sometimes. I also was consoling a boy whose dog died in YA and got a message from the dog. I was able to tell him what his dog's favorite toy was. It was a rubber yellow chewed up ball. He said that many dogs have that favorite toy. So I asked a question what is your dog's favorite toy. Some of the answers were a yellow tennis ball but no one's dog had a yellow chewed up rubber ball. A while back our house was hit by lighting and we were having trouble collecting from the insurance company.

Answer 8

I broke out, felt sick, gained 10 lbs, and just felt generally terrible. I called my doctor and she asked me if I was breaking out and I said yes-she said get off of it immediately and I did and lost 7 lbs in 2 days eating normally again. So it cost me gaining 3 lbs and about a month and a half to get my face back to normal.

Answer 9

Be careful with this one. It does work, but remember, the brain uses carbs as its primary energy source. So while you will lose weight, you are starving your brain as well. So theorize that Atkins fell and hit his head because his brain was starved (not sure i believe it) I have found that many people lose weight quickly but gain it back. I recommend simply counting calories. Weight gain is caused simply by taking in more calories than you spend. Everyone is different but cut your calories and do a little more exercise and you will lose weight.

Answer 10

Sleep in a cold room Sleeping in a cold room is a best way to force your body to heat itself up for hours