Atkins Diet

M

Maurice

At the Start
Joined
May 4, 2003
Messages
1,226
To all you who tried the Atkins diet, can I ask if it worked and did the weight stay off?

Was it quick & painless? Any down side?

Tell all...
 
You must do it PROPERLY, Mo! It works fantastically well and you will lose lots of weight, quickly, and not feel hungry, due to the intake of fats, which are hunger-satisfiers. It's a ketogenic diet and the chapter on how and why that works better with insulin, etc., is very interesting. However, to understand all the ins and outs of why it works, and how best to approach it, check out the Atkins website on http://www.atkinscenter.com.

You should really only undertake the more draconian aspect of the diet as it instructs, for two weeks. If you go on not eating a more balanced diet in an effort to lose weight, it isn't the recommended plan by Atkins, so don't do it.

I was on it for a week, started to lose weight and feel fine, then fell off into a comfort-eatingfest which did me absolutely no good at all. I have a friend who regularly 'Atkinses' after coming back from gluttonous holidays, and he can shed several pounds in a week.

It is safe as long as your metabolism tolerates fats (all dairy products and loadsa meat). If you have a dicky gallbladder or any stomach/digestive problems, best to check out via the web on their Q&A service. To read all the details, buy or borrow 'Dr Atkins' New Diet Revolution' in paperback.
 
Notwithstanding Atkins being an M.D. himself! The common concerns are to be found on the site, and anyone with concerns about its' safety should address their worries to it - they won't get back a pat 'go ahead', which is why I mention checking out first if you have digestive disorders. Erm... which I have, and which wasn't at all troubled by the Atkins - it's far more troubled by 'balanced' diets which include pulses and hard-to-digest wheat! :(

The friend who Atkinses often is in his 60s, drinks red wine as if his life depends upon it, and has had to have pills for an arrhythmic heart for years - he has not suffered on his many ventures into Atkins.

It amuses me the way people quite happily adopt the this or that diet, such as eating low fat meals, without concerning at all whether they're the least good for them! There are loads of faddy diets which seriously compromise nutrition, but the Atkins diet includes both weight loss, and maintenance, programmes. On the latter, there are fish dishes, omelettes, vegetables, crispbreads, salads and dressings, onion soup, spuds, fresh fruit galore, and wines. It seems that some thickheads kept on the weight loss regime far, far longer than ever intended, and naturally didn't feel very well. Any more than you would if you ate nothing but MacDonald's for a month... or only at Quatre Saisons... <_<
 
I had a looksee at the sites. A lot of stuff in the diets I wouldn't know if someone slapped me in the face with them.

I once lost and kept off (for about two years) a lot of weight following Rosemary Conley's diets but I find it difficult to find the time to do the shopping for these things.

I also drink wine and German lager a lot more than I used to but my tooth is not as sweet as in those days.

I want to lose a stone and keep it off for a while, and if I manage that, maybe press for another 7lbs long-term, but I don't want to 'notice' I'm dieting, so to speak.

I'm sure Tony Martin could get me down by 21lbs quicker than that.
 
Maurice, the best way to lose weight and keep it off, is to change the way you eat and what you eat - you have to think long term. Like Krizon said, diets like the Atkins will give you a quick boost, but it is very easy to put it back on again. My boyfriend cut out beer and wine for 2 months and went on a "sensible" diet and successfully lost 2 stone. He kick started his diet by doing the Atkins for about 10 days. He has put about 5lbs- 7lbs back on over 18 months but is much more aware of how much damage beer, wine, crisps and ice cream can do to ones waistline. He eats/drinks all of them now.... but all in moderation. He does more exercise now, regularly takes his Wellman vitamins and he looks the picture of health.
 
It's simple - eat less and exercise more.

The problem with the above was higjlighted in Matthew 26:41: 'The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.'
 
There you go, Mo: "The Jesuit Way to Health and Fitness", c/o Fr. Hartigan! You could, of course, resist the call of the Iberian coast, and simply fast for a couple of weeks. I'll tell you what I did for ONE WEEK ONLY at Inglewood Health Hydro in Kintbury, near Hungerford in Berkshire. You need to do it preferably when you're not working, and certainly not with your driving schedule. Every day:

After rising: Glass of hot water with a slice of lemon. Drink when warm.

Elevenses: Glass of fruit juice. I had clear apple juice.

Lunch: Bowl of hot clear soup (such as consomme), or large glass of vegetable juice, such as V-8.

Teatime: Tea. No sugar, milk if desired. You can get away with 2-3 cups or mugs if you're really desperate!

Dinner: Same options as lunch.

Beddy-byes: Warmed water without the lemon. Try to hit the sack around 10pm so as to rest fully.

Throughout the day: plain water, but NOT - surprisingly - mineral water, because of its' generally high sodium content, which helps retain fluid, which you want to keep whooshing through your body, to carry away toxins.

Result: Lost 12lbs, felt exhilarated, went on holiday to Spain, lost loads more because I only wanted to eat 'good' food, and exercise more than before. Went back to work in Saudi, fasted for a month as above, working and exercising. Total loss within 3 months: 40lbs.

This was considered to be a fasting regime, and on the third day I got a banging headache and felt terribly tired. No problem - it's normal. It's an ideal time to spend quietly, not watching tv, perhaps reading, and to take some warm sea-salt baths, to draw out impurities through the skin. If you can prevail on Mrs Mo to give you some relaxing oil massages, all the better. I got massages, a mud bath, and a seaweed wrap at the spa, and felt fantastic - full of energy, when I left.

The 'effects' lasted about five years, when I developed asthma, stopped exercising, and increasingly stuffed myself with junk. Hence the bouncy castle look of today.
 
Krizon, you look lovely. You are tall and certainly don't look overweight - well, you didn't last week anyway!

Always remember Maurice, everything and anything in moderation and if you want chocolate, have some, just cut down the amount you normally have. Try a spirit with a low calorie mixer instead of wine for instance. There are lots of ways to cut down, more fresh veg, diet drinks, lots of water, cut down or totally avoid fried foods, and especially in this weather, lots of lovely salads and easy on the bread and butter. B) Aim to lose about 1-2 lbs a week and you stand a much better chance of it staying off. I lost about 28 lbs about 10 years ago, and luckily, most of it has stayed off. I hope it stays that way, although as you get older, it does seem to become far more difficult to shift. :nerd:
 
Thanks. I managed to keep my discipine for a couple years on the Rosemary Conley diets but I reckon I lost the plot sometime afterwards.
 
I decided that having a shite was more important to me than losing 10LBS so I abandoned Atkins after 2 weeks. I'd say there was some weight loss - but in retrospect it is a seriously unhealthy way to live.

Mrs AC then reaffirmed that I was stll gorgeous in a Farrellesque kind of way, so I havn't thought about it since.
 
Maurice, get a photo of you at your biggest and wobbliest and have it as your screen saver/stick one on the fridge. It helped me. (not having a picture of you, I meant one of me of course!!) :D
 
I tried the Atkins diet, and while it does work, it's just a low calorie diet. You cannot stick to the diet and eat (proper) snacks, and there is only so much meat you can eat.

FFS I ended up having a boiled egg as a late night snack.

You aren't supposed to take alcohol on the diet, but I ignored this bit. Whatever way the diet affects your system, you can end up getting quite drunk after a half bottle of wine.
 
So it's got its benefits too.

Kathy, you had me worried for a moment :D

My biggest and wobbliest was a good dozen years ago and I'm about a stone lighter now than I was then but still over a stone heavier than I was on the RC diet. Eating fairly healthily isn't a problem for me but when I start on a bar or a box of chocolates...

Drinking a lot more than I used to can't help, especially on average half a dozen cans of strongish (4.8 - 5.2) lager at the weekend plus two to three bottles of wine per week, a few G&Ts if I've still got the taste for a drink...

I don't each much at mealtimes - certainly nothing compared to what I used to get through, it's the snacking etc that does me in. But I do eat in the wrong order, which is difficult to help. I usually have a slice of bread & jam for breakfast, a can of (drained) fruit salad for lunch (maybe a Toffee Crisp from the shop at break) and that's it until I get home. Dinner is not usually over-substantial, and usually just the one course, but I'm usually still hungry after that and that's when the snacking starts, especially watching telly. I'm actually better of studying the form - I usually just sip water as when I'm doing that and I don't allow myself snacks in case I get greasy pawprints on the Form book, but it's anti-social where the family is concerned.

I know I don't exercise enough, and I stopped playing football a couple of months ago so I'll probably go back to that, but I need to find a job closer to home (or retire) 'cos I can't face going out again to the gym (anti-social family-wise too) once I've got home and made the dinner, etc.
 
Maurice, you need to have a good look at what you are eating. Try having the toast without the jam, or have a low fat jam and spread with a glass of orange juice. If you are not already, try semi skimmed milk or skimmed, or better still try black tea or coffee for a while and see if you can get used to it. Just try and save calories where you can IF you still want to drink all that alcohol. :) Lunchtime needs to be something a bit more fulfilling, and drop the chocolate bar.... OR have a snack size Mars bar for instance and some low fat crisps or a lovely yoghurt and fresh fruit. Try and NOT go hungry as you will end up bingeing in the evening. Have a large bottle of cold water to sip during the day. For your evening meal, pile on the vegetables, some nice grilled chicken or fish perhaps, or anything that is NOT fried. Try if you can some of the ready meals (some really nice ones available) that are calorie controlled with fresh vegetables.... if you have chips, have oven chips and less of them. Try and go and have a brisk walk as many times during the day you can. If you can go out twice (lovely at this time of the year - take the wife too) for 20mins to 30 mins. It really all does help. Now, the beer. If you really cannot go without, just cut down on the quantities and the days you drink or have a couple of weeks off the booze completely to kick start your diet. It all sounds really basic, but you will be amazed at how much difference it can make.

Sorry for the lecture, BUT having had a boyfriend who was 3 stone overweight I learnt to adapt what he wanted to do (ie drink) with a healthier diet, and it seems to have worked. For now anyway! :D
 
Mo, f*ck it! Just be a fatty. It has it's up side too - I can now pretend that my stomach is a pair of large breasts and amuse myself at my desk without causing irreparable damage to my female colleagues mental health. I can also make it look like a big hairy bottom, which is exceedingly handy.
 
Originally posted by simmo@Jun 20 2005, 01:15 PM
and amuse myself at my desk :o without causing irreparable damage to my female colleagues mental health.
Click to expand...
You are allowed to do that in the office?? :blink: You know you will go blind, even if your colleagues don't!! :P
 
What? By bouncing my belly up and down like it's a pair of wobbly juggling balls? Damn, I knew there was a reason I keep walking into things.
 
With a nice bouncy belly, at least you won't hurt yourself when you walk into the side of the desk or the photocopier. It could be you just need some glasses of course. B)
 
I reckon it's a life-change I need.

I'm on my feet plenty during the day and don't minding bounding upstairs two at a time but I can't take lots of water cos it needs to leave the system and I can't leave my charges alone to do that since they're not allowed to leave the room. There's NO chance of Mrs Mo going out for a walk - she's more likely to ask me for a lift to her car <_<

I just know if I lived somewhere warm and sunny I'd be different.
 
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