I'm on Atkins/Low Carbs diet for 1 month, can I switch to a diet with little carbs & still loose weight?

Answer 1

The short answer:

Yes, you can. Although although a reduced-carb diet can be very helpful in losing weight, adding a some carbs (think fresh vegetables, not cake) is certainly not going to hurt. The reality is, weight loss will comes from reducing calories.

Reducing carbs doesn't cause weight loss in and of itself, except for temporary loss of "water-weight". What it does do is to moderate the production of insulin, a hormone which tells the body to store rather than burn fat.

Keeping your carb consumption low—and more importantly, healthy—will make it easier for calorie reduction to "do its job," so to speak.

Long answer/rant

First—if you are interested in doing Atkins, you might want to pick up a copy of 'Atkins for Life' and give it a good read. There are a lot of misconceptions about Atkins, one of which is that it completely excludes carbohydrates. There are actually four "phases" to the Atkins diet plan, and only the first, "induction," calls for completely excluding carbohydrates as far as possible. The other three phases are focused on finding, and maintaining, the level of carbohydrates in your diet that is will keep you at a healthy weight.

Atkins receives a lot of badmouthing from people who either have no real understanding of what it is or how it works (and have not bothered to do the research to merit having an opinion,) or people who refuse to believe anything that defies conventional wisdom as they were taught.

It is often overlooked that the Atkins diet was actually developed for the purpose of helping people who were struggling with obesity problems to reach a normal weight, NOT as a "fad diet" to help strip off the pounds to fit a body-conscious culture. The focus of the Atkins plan is, in fact, good health.

The reality is that human nutrition is a hugely complex subject, one which modern western science offers very little comprehensive understanding of. This is because the human body is itself amazingly complex. Information in this field is constantly evolving, and quite often the current views directly contradict what was accepted as "fact" only 20 years before. So, anyone who claims that they have "the" answer is pretty much full of it.

Moreover, everybody has their unique metabolism, in some ways more individual than a finger print. No one thing works for everyone. What is great for person A might be horrible for person B. For each person the best diet is what works best for them.

Unfortunately, most Americans have one version or another of the USDA food guide permanently engraved on their brains, than which there can be better example of "one-size-fits-all" thinking. While the government is doing a better job these days, it is still unrealistically simplistic to thing that a variations on a plan can suit everybody.

Atkins might not be right for you. But then again it might be great.

I'd highly recommend checking out two other plans, if you're interested, which emphasize tailoring a diet for one's personal metabolism: Eat Right 4 Your Type and The Metabolic Type Diet. Tons of interesting information can be had in both of them.

Good luck with your diet!

Answer 2

I dont understand the question. What do you mean by "little carbs"? If you are on Atkins/low carbs, you are ALREADY eating little carbs!!
Are you on actual Atkins or just your version of low carb? Did you read the Atkins book? If you did you should know that after Induction, you start adding carbs each week.

And people, Atkins is not a "fad" diet. It is a way of life. How do you think people ate before sugar and processed foods became so readily avail. to everyone???

Oh, and unless you LIKE being on the toilet most of the day, don't do a cleanse!

Answer 3

I found the book to be very informative and easy to read.

I've lost 17 pounds in 12 days, I'm just concerned that I'm losing too much weight, too quickly. I will admit I haven't followed the guide exactly. I'm not sticking perfectly to the listed foods and meal plans (but mostly) and doing very little exercise, but the weight keeps flying off.

It clearly works and if I'd followed it exactly I think it would scare the living daylights out of me because of the amount that I'd lose. So thanks again for the information. I've never purchased anything like this before because they are usually full of trash, but 3WD has been a pleasant surprise.

Get started today!

Answer 4

atkins is little carbs...well low anyway. i love this diet...good food with natural fats..i feel full of energy and much happier. i am now at the weight i want to be...so i low carb in the week...and am a bit naughty at the weekends...this is not the way you are supposed to do it..but it works for me...i can still lose weight..or stay the same by doing this.

maybe once you get to your weight...you could try this. good tip...when i need a bit of chocolate...i use diabetic stuff...that would be allowed.

Answer 5

Yea stay away from the fad diets - they're almost always unhealthy and nearly impossible to sustain in the long term (unless you're morbidly obese and in need of immediate change). They are money making schemes that are quasi-scientific that show some initial results but are ultimately as unhealthy as most all diets.

There's no substitute for a well-balanced diet containing good whole foods and exercise.

Take a look at the article below. It's well written, comprehensive and has good information on Atkins and other types of diets.

Answer 6

I agree with the previous answerer. You need to eat carbs, but not empty ones. Stay away from junk food, but eat whole grains like brown rice and wholegrain bread. Fill yourself up with fresh fruit and veggies, and you'll do your body a huge favour by supplying all the nutrients it needs. You need to concentrate on a healthy lifestyle in the first place, which means you'll also exercise regularly. This won't only make you feel good, but you'll look better, loose weight and stay young.

For inspiration on healthy foods have a look at this:

http://www.whfoods.com/

Answer 7

All those gimmick diets, such as Atkins, are a complete joke. The best diet is that silly little food pyramid you learned about in grade school. Just eat a bit of everything: meat, grain, fruit/vegetable, dairy, etc. Then make sure you are drinking plenty of water, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep. Lastly, avoid food that is blatantly crap: Chips, candy, fast food, etc. Do these things, and you should be fine.

Answer 8

eat breakfast there have been so many studies done that show that people who eat breakfast lose more weight

Answer 9

Record facorite programs on them when you exercide

Answer 10

drink 3 cups of green tea in 24 hours researchers say it can increase energy expenditure by 106 calories