I Don't Know Anybody Who Kept Their "Atkins" Weight off.

[K8-EEE]

Today for about the third time in a month I ran into people who lost lots of weight last year on Atkins and look to me like they've gained it back (one of them, for SURE gained it back with about 15 or 20 more pounds I would estimate!)

I know people act like they got religion when then go on that thing but if my aquaintances and friends are any indication there's a definite blowback warning that should be on that diet!

My tax guy who I see only in Feb -- last year amazed me with how much thinner he was but this year he's way fatter than when he started it.

[vpigrad]

1. I don't remember the exact #'s, but...

for every gram of carbohydrates your body stores, you store about 4 grams of water. Of course you gain weight back when your body increases its stores of carbohydrates. That doesn't mean the diet doesn't work, because it works very well.

Also, don't judge the diet by the idiots who do it half-way. If you're eating more than 30g of carbohydrates a day, you're not doing it right. As an example, I lost 35 pounds in four months after cutting my carbs down to 25g or less per day. I immediately gained 7 back when I started eating carbohydrates again, but I've kept the other 22 pounds off for about three years.

[iamjoy]

It's Too Restrictive

Who wants to live on salad, meat and cheese only?
So, I think a lot of people don't stick with it and that's why they gain their weight back.

[K8-EEE]

6. Yeah But It's Kind Of Like, Too Hard For A Lot Of People.

My mom and her friend both lost about 30 pounds on Weight Watchers and kept it off although they ate small amounts of pasta, bread etc. the whole time...she got used to eating everything in much smaller portions which IMO is the key to the whole thing. I know that when I lived in Spain I was in the best shape because I had to walk so much and climb so many stairs, and they serve smaller portions there. My friend and I split a whole baguette every morning at the bakery and I never gained any weight.

[ScreamingMeemie]

28. My mother in law kept it of while also suffering a massive heart attack

Simply not the way to go. I don't care what the addicted say. :hi:

[Left Is Write]

34. I could not perform the exercise I do on 30g of carbohydrate a day.

I do the roughly 60/20/20 split - 60% of my calories from carbohydrate, 20% from protein and 20% from fat. I eat moderate portions and exercise 6 or 7 days a week.

[Pithlet]

2. I think that diet fad has crested.

I don't seem to hear so much about it, or advertisements like "New! Low Carb Potatoes!" as much. This may still be a flameworhty topic, however, so I'll take my popcorn with butter and salt, please :)

[LoZoccolo]

3. Same here. I know this guy...

...who was doing pretty well on it; now he's so fat it's unbelievable. I've never seen him this fat before. I mean he is grossly more fat than I ever remember him being, probably by at least fifty pounds if not a hundred.

I used to think this guy was a pimp (I mean figuratively); now I'm like...why can't this guy get himself together?

It gives you bad breath when you're on it anyways.

[K8-EEE]

8. The Story Usually Goes...

They act like they got Jesus after a couple of weeks of quick weight loss and bore every non-dieter with what has carbs and what doesn't etc...and order all this weird stuff (bacon-wrapped meat and stuff) and then they kind of quit talking about it and gradually gain it back, until you swear they were fatter than when they started. That's been about 100%, of my aquaintences.

I DO know people that are successful Zone dieters but most of them weren't that overweight to begin with -- more like, they want to be 10 lbs under their normal weight (actress wanna be's etc!) But it seems to work and they eat more normal food --brown rice and all that.

[blondeatlast]

15. Try getting involved with one if you're insulin dependent diabetic.

I can't bear to post on what was once my favorite diabetes board anymore. God could give them an express ticket to heaven and they'd still put Atkins before Him.

[K8-EEE]

29. My Dad Controls His Diabetes With A Vegan Diet

He used to be a real steak and martini man -- but now he's strictly vegan and no alcohol, was able to get off the meds. His was type 2 diabetes and he wasn't taking insulin though.

[jonnyblitz]

4. well you have to REMAIN on it.

that is the key to the whole thing. :shrug:

[Pithlet]

5. That's why almost all diets fail.

Most are effective to a certain degree. But, they don't work because they're very dificult to maintain long term. Lifestyle change is much more effective for long term success.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

11. And amen to you, and your very smart statement!

ABSOLUTELY! If you want to lose weight and keep it off, it's very simple! Mind you, I said simple, NOT easy...All you have to do is EAT LESS AND EXERCISE MORE! Watch your calories too. That's IT! I go to the gym, try not to overindulge the sweets, and normally the weight comes off...It does take a long time, if you do it right. After all, that's how it went on. I'm doing what I can live with. Lifestyle change is where it's at (to be ungrammatical)!

:hi:

[K8-EEE]

13. What Works For Me: Small, Simple Dinners During The Week

I usually have something like lentil soup and oranges for dinner. I just don't see the need for feasting all the time, every day, although I do go out to lunch a couple of times a week.

When people eat at those chain restaurants they get used to huge side portions all the time. My one friend who is on and off all the diets -- when she's not "on" it she's at Chili's and those places. I'm convinced those places make you fat, that and the TV. I never let my kids eat by the TV, I think that's a recipe for anti-fitness!

[Left Is Write]

19. My kids see me exercise every day.

Often, they like to join in. I hope I'm sending them a good message.

They don't get white bread very often either - only on those occasions when I make white bread as a treat. I never buy white bread, only real whole grain bread (and I have to read labels to make sure it doesn't have HFCS in it). We also eat lots of fresh produce.

Of course, my kids get treats (as do I - everything in moderation), but we make lots of healthy food choices every day, so I'm hoping they'll learn to eat a balanced diet and that they will see exercise as just a regular part of life.

I also don't force them to eat if they aren't hungry or refuse them food when they ARE hungry. I'd like them to listen to their bodies' natural cues.

[fluffernutter]

25. great post. you are smart.

sounds like you are doing everything right to me! :thumbsup:

[Pithlet]

17. Exercise is important

for anyone who can do it. I think diets overall lead to a very negative way of looking at food. I found what worked for me wasn't "Food Choice A bad, Food Choice B good." I think that leads to deprivation and guilt. I think the guilt I had over the things I ate made it worse. I found that reducing portion sizes to a reasonable size combined with finding out what my triggers to overeating were what worked for me. Training myself to eat when I was truly hungry, rather than relying on social cues; that sort of thing.

[Skittles]

23. I do the same thing, Peggy

I don't restrict food groups but because I have a tendency to overeat I exercise most days of the week, for an hour. It's the way to do it. And I NEVER keep chips, cookies, candy, ice cream in my apartment - NEVER.

[K8-EEE]

30. One Of My Kids Friends -- Her Mom Went On Atkins And...

both her kids turned into binge eaters within a year. They come over my house and raid the bread drawer etc. This is new behavior for them -- I don't know if it's Atkins per se or just being told so many foods are "bad," being 15 & 17 maybe that just makes them want to rebel psychologically?

[jonnyblitz]

18. I agree.

the diets are a quick temporary fix basically.

[enigmatic]

31. I did

27 pounds off for 18 months; it changed my life for the better..

[jpgray]

7. Yeah, I heard Ann Ecdotal got fat as shit on it

Seriously, I think Atkins is not the healthiest way to lose weight, but if you follow it properly you can probably lose some pounds.

[BeatleBoot]

9. What's Up With The Bad Breath on That Diet...

Your body gets rid of ketones either through your kidneys or your lungs....

Tough on your kidneys and everyone you speak to.

Its the worst breath ever.

Try not eating alot and being active. I hear it works.

[khashka]

10. There is only one way to lose weight and keep it off

It does not require depriving yourself of anything.

Have reasonable moderate meals and exercisize. That's it. End of story.

I'm really PO'd at the Atkin's diet. Everyone I know who tries it loses weight and then gains more back. Now that's healthy!

I don't think counting calories is necessary, but for some people it helps them to make appropriate eating decisions.

So if you wanna lose weight - just watch how much you eat, exercize regularly and don't deprive yourself of anything.

I weigh 155. I got up to 240 and lost the weight by just eating what I wanted in MODERATION. I ate everything I wanted, I just didn't eat all of it.

It was very easy for me and I know it won't be that easy for other people. But it is the only thing that will take the weight off and keep it off

Khash.

[ladeuxiemevoiture]

12. I found that Atkins taught me how to lose weight easily

The problem was that - at one point - I was TOO thin, like really underweight. I've introduced carbs back into my diet, but now - unlike before - I understand why I gain, and it's easier for me to gain and lose depending upon the season and my health and how I want to look.

[HeyManThatsCool]

14. a friend of mine lost 90 pounds

and then gained 115 when she stopped

[Left Is Write]

16. My mother-in-law did - HOWEVER, after three years on an Atkins plan, she

switched to a reduced calorie, reduced fat diet instead, and she feels better. She still doesn't eat refined carbohydrates, opting instead for lots of vegetables, whole grains, and fruits (she eats fruit more freely than she did on Atkins). She uses vegetable/soy protein breakfast sausage instead of real sausage or bacon. She uses Egg Beaters instead of eggs for omelets and scrambled eggs. Same sorts of things I eat.

[Skittles]

20. I have a question about the Atkins diet

I constantly hear there are "no long-term studies about the long term effects of the Atkins diet". Well, why not? This particular diet has been around since 1972 and variations of it have been around since 1900. WHY have they supposedly never done a long-term study on low carbohydrate diets?

I work 12 hour shifts at night and I've noticed the people on Atkins are always falling asleep late into the shift. I'm wondering if it's from sheer lack of energy.

[libnnc]

24. you have to refuel...

Atkins people HAVE to eat every 2-3 hours. I feel horrible if I don't eat something (handfull of nuts, slim-jim, cheese...). That's what's so tricky about Atkins

[Skittles]

26. but they ARE always eating

jerky, bags of almonds. They just cannot stay awake and boy do they have bad breath.

[tjdee]

21. If bread is so bad, why is it the staff of life?

Lewis Black had a great line about this, something about it's too bad all those people in the past didn't realize bread was trying to kill them....

I'm highly, highly suspicious of a diet that says you have to slash so deeply your intake of any food group.

Especially if the food group is chocolate and cake.
MMM.

[Skittles]

27. stay away from anything that labels GOOD and BAD food

it's HOW MUCH food you eat that counts

[Ellen Forradalom]

35. Lewis Black said

"It turns out we've been eating the wrong thing since the dawn of civilization!"

I was ROTFLMAO.

[libnnc]

22. I've kept mine off after almost three years

but I do fall prey to cheating...boy do I pay for it! I feel crappy after I eat pasta or sugar. I lost 40 pounds.

[Lex]

32. Something like 90% of ALL people on ANY diet gain it back.

I don't think it just Atkins--dieting is generally not effective alone.

[borlis]

33. I know a few people who kept it off.

Most noticeably, my friend's husband lost about 40 pounds and has kept it off for almost 2 years. He is extremely thin now. Like so thin that I kind of think he should put on about 10 pounds. He wasn't all that overweight to begin with.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

36. I'm no longer on Atkins, but

I've learned that I can't eat much white flour or sugar without

1) gaining weight

2) getting painful joints