Atkins Diet

[CarrieW]

I have been on the Atkins (or my own version of it at least!) since Christmas when I was diagnosed with PCOS and was told by my doc to shift some lard.

I didn't do the first part of the diet (I did it before and found it didn't agree with my system) so skipped straight on to stage 2.

On an average day I have some grilled bacon and tomatoes, or a frittata, or Greek yogurt with blueberries and some chopped up nuts.

Lunch is usually a salad with tuna, chicken, salmon, eggs, ham, cheese...(with dressing of course!!), or home made soup.

Dinner is different every night, from roast chicken with celeriac mash to chilli con carne with sour cream and guacamole, curry bulked up with lots of veggies, home made stews or soups, steak with onion rings & mushrooms...

Snacks are usually berries & nuts, although I find I don't snack anywhere as near as I used to.

I also (occasionally!) make a carb free cheesecake or some ice cream - and the low carb choccy bars are handy for emergencies (although they do slow your weight loss down a bit if you have too many of them).
I had all of Christmas off the diet, and have had at last count 6 weekends off (most recently a very long and piggy weekend in Italy!!) and I have managed to lose 25lbs. Its not for everyone, but I do believe carb control is the way to go - eat plenty of veggies and complex carbs (brown rice, all bran, etc) and avoid simple carbs (like flour, pasta, white sugar, rice).

 

[Newgirl]

Sounds gorgeous I'm starvin now .


I've just come back from slimming world its working slowly but at least it is working LOL

I have been on the Atkins (or my own version of it at least!) since Christmas when I was diagnosed with PCOS and was told by my doc to shift some lard.

I didn't do the first part of the diet (I did it before and found it didn't agree with my system) so skipped straight on to stage 2.

On an average day I have some grilled bacon and tomatoes, or a frittata, or Greek yogurt with blueberries and some chopped up nuts.

Lunch is usually a salad with tuna, chicken, salmon, eggs, ham, cheese...(with dressing of course!!), or home made soup.

Dinner is different every night, from roast chicken with celeriac mash to chilli con carne with sour cream and guacamole, curry bulked up with lots of veggies, home made stews or soups, steak with onion rings & mushrooms...

Snacks are usually berries & nuts, although I find I don't snack anywhere as near as I used to.

I also (occasionally!) make a carb free cheesecake or some ice cream - and the low carb choccy bars are handy for emergencies (although they do slow your weight loss down a bit if you have too many of them).
I had all of Christmas off the diet, and have had at last count 6 weekends off (most recently a very long and piggy weekend in Italy!!) and I have managed to lose 25lbs. Its not for everyone, but I do believe carb control is the way to go - eat plenty of veggies and complex carbs (brown rice, all bran, etc) and avoid simple carbs (like flour, pasta, white sugar, rice).

 

[nik]

has anyone tried the paul mckenna 'i can make you thin' book and cd?

 

[CarrieW]

I find Paul McKenna really creepy...don't know what it is about him, he just makes me really uncomfortable.

I'm sure hypnosis could work though, its all about your way of thinking and your relationship with food.

Would be interesting to see if anybody has had success with hypnosis - I'm thinking of trying it for smoking.

 

[MINKUS]

Been on it....lost 2 1/2 stone....need desperately to get my fat ass back on it!!!!!!!

Heaviest i have ever ever ever been and so uncomfortable.

SO thanks Glynis - i am going to drink as much wine as i possibly can over the weekend and start it on monday.

Ambxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[Do-it-all Deb]

I too am a fan of the South Beach Diet. I first came across it a couple of years ago, when it was published in the Daily Mail. I then bought the book, which gives you more detail and this Christmas I was given the SBD cookbook which is just fab. I originally lost over a stone, in a matter of weeks, just prior to my wedding. Of course the fab food on my honeymoon soon popped the pounds back on, but that was to be expected!

I never had a weight problem until mid life hit and the old metabolism started slowing down. Previously I could eat whatever I liked and my weight would only vary a few pounds one way or another.............how I wish I could go back to those days! Anyway what I really like about SBD is that it was devised by a heart doctor and the scientific reasoning behind it is spot on. You only eat good fats, good carbs etc but if you fall of the wagon so to speak, then you can quickly revert to a stricter phase of the diet to lose any excess you may have gained.

Anyway, good luck to everyone out there trying to lose those pounds, however you end up doing it!

 

[RedAdmiral]

I've also done the atkins diet and it was great for my PCOS tho' I didnt know I had it at the time I doubt I could do it again as I suffer from dizzy spells with the PCOS and dont want to go into ketosis.
I was recently in Poland where they eat a huge breakie. For me a protein breakfast is the best way to start the day. I eat so much at night but find if I eat a big breakie in the morning I can burn it off during the day, if I eat at night I'm only getting comfy for bed then sleeping with part digested food in my big belly!
Whilst in Poland I only had 2 big meals in the evening cos I was brought out, I wasnt hungary and soup was really all I had. I have salmon for breakfast or eggs. I feel great and its great for the PCOS

I'm not saying this works for everyone but it does for me, Good luck with the weight loss hopefully I'll shift some too!

 

[talontastic]

what are everyones thoughts on this diet? ive been on it now for 2 1/2 weeks and have lost 11 lbs. i havent suffered any side affects at all, and feel great. i go on to maintenance next week and am allowed to add 5 net carbs a day (this equates to 1/2 cup of strawberries, i cant wait hahaha. has anyone else been on this and how much did they lose

Hi

My husband started the Atkins diet 2 years ago. He has lost nearly 7 stone to date. :biggrin: Most weight loss was in the first 6 months! He has changed his eating habits and now exercises regularly too! He knows that eating any form of sugars affects his weight, so he steers clear of high carb things like potatoes. He also takes the supplements that are recommended when you are on the atkins diet. He is still on the diet and careful not to eat the wrong things. I am so proud of his achievement.

So many people are 'anti Atkins', but it does not suit everyone. The story that Dr Atkins died through doing atkins is not true.

The best part about Atkins is that the hunger pangs dont happen, you just dont feel hungry like on most diets! Good luck, let us know how much your losing.

Julie

 

[liza smith]

i lost a stone in 6 weeks last year through doing a slightly subtle version of the atkins diet.
i don't eat meat, just fish, & i don't like fried food, so most people would think that i couldn't do atkins.
i bought into the "low-fat lie" for 5 years at least b4 then.
by that i mean, i used to buy & eat anything & everything that said it was low fat.
in general when manufacturers take out fat from food they put sugar in it.
so, even thou u r reducing your fat intake, u r whacking up your sugar content. this has a really bad effect on your blood sugar levels.
i was constantly hungry.
i have tried the south beach diet & you r what u eat, & even thou the fundamentals are superb, i still have hunger pangs.
throughout jan & feb, i travelled extensively & was eating on the run, loads of bad carbs & generally too much food. this resulted in me gaining 10 ilbs (eekk).
i'm now on day 3 of cutting out all sugars, & already the hunger pangs are stopping. i will continue on until my weight reduces again, then i will adapt more healthy carbs into my diet.
most of us rely too heavily on processed food because of our crazy lives.
the recent food colouring scare just goes even further to convince me that u can do a lot worse that eating totally fresh protein, fresh salad & veg, nuts ets.
that is the concept behind atkins, not fried eggs & bacon 3 times a day, with a steak thrown in for good measures!
happy dieting!
liza x

 

[ValencianNails]

the recent food colouring scare just goes even further to convince me that u can do a lot worse that eating totally fresh protein, fresh salad & veg, nuts ets.
that is the concept behind atkins, not fried eggs & bacon 3 times a day, with a steak thrown in for good measures!

that's exactly it Liza... so many people believe it's fat, fat, fat all the way.

I suppose Atkins could be similar to Nail tech'ing in a way in that people need educating. my GP wouldn't have said I could go on the diet if it was so bad (and a damn good gp too!).

going back to Dr Gillian McKeith... would I be right in thinking that she was the one who was spoken about on gmtv recently as a fake??? apparently she uses the name Doctor but has no formal qualification... like I said, I might have it wrong (it has been known once or twice before, pmsl) but her name stuck in my head.

xx

 

[PLAOH]

that's exactly it Liza... so many people believe it's fat, fat, fat all the way.

I suppose Atkins could be similar to Nail tech'ing in a way in that people need educating. my GP wouldn't have said I could go on the diet if it was so bad (and a damn good gp too!).

going back to Dr Gillian McKeith... would I be right in thinking that she was the one who was spoken about on gmtv recently as a fake??? apparently she uses the name Doctor but has no formal qualification... like I said, I might have it wrong (it has been known once or twice before, pmsl) but her name stuck in my head.

xx

Hi Sandi,

Are you still on the diet? Having read this thread I have cut out all the bad carbs. First day was yesterday, so will keep you posted.

My mother keeps going on about D Gillian's book!!!! The only problem is I would need a second mortgage to buy all those different foods :o

 

[ValencianNails]

Hi Lou
Good Luck with your withdrawals mate, it's hard for the first few of days as your body rids itself of the addictive stuff... sugars, caffeine and general crap stuff, after you've done that you will feel fabbio.
I'm not on a diet at the moment but I do tend to go carb-free as they affect me and make me bloated, pasta, rice, bread, potatoes etc, so I suppose I'm half-atkins and half not lol.
do keep us updated on how you're getting on.
xxx

 

[Peter Pan]

well its 3 weeks tomorrow now that ive been on atkins and have lost a grand total of 1 stone, im over the moon. and can even fit into a size 12. i want to lose just a few more pounds then ill be exstatic. i went out last night (first time in ages) and the compliments i got about the weight loss were none stop (and to think when i looked in the mirror i couldnt see the weight loss but my clothes told me)

good luck to all the others that are shedding pounds too.

 

[ValencianNails]

That is excellent news Glynis, congratulations.
Your weight loss will slow down soon and you'll find your ideal amount of carbs for maintenance.
xxx

 

[ValencianNails]

oooh... forgot to mention http://www.atkins.com I used their website a lot when I was on atkins, there is an excellent message forum too where you can get added inspiration, I'll see if I can find the addy for it.
x

found it ... http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/index.php hope it helps
x

 

[foxxyzinha]

Hi all!

I've been reading this thread with interest.
I started the atkins diet about 2 years ago. I weighed 11s 1lb and i am only 5' 3" tall and have very small bones so i looked huge. I tried the atkins diet as i found out it is good for people with polycystic ovaries. After the 1st fortnight i had lost approx 10lb (it was 4.5kg) and i was over the moon. I then continued to lose weight until i was 56kg (about 8st 11lb) and a size 8-10. Fantastic.........for about a week.
I then got taken to faro hospital by ambulance with a rash all over my body and feeling completely weak. They took blood tests and my platelets were very low and also my red blood cells. I was there for hours as they kept redoing the test to see if there was any change. Eventually they put it down to the diet and i had to come off of it straight away. That was in june 2003 and i have not been on it since. It was really scary. I believe the actress Claire Sweeney who was in brookside also had a similar reaction to this, i think i read it in a magazine.
Saying that, I know it works well for some people so all i can advise really is to be careful and don't go over the top like i probably did. It's a very addictive diet and as some of you have said you see the results really quickly but you must know when to stop. Set a goal and stick to it.

Hope this helps.

Anna xx

 

[lulu8749]

what are everyones thoughts on this diet? ive been on it now for 2 1/2 weeks and have lost 11 lbs. i havent suffered any side affects at all, and feel great. i go on to maintenance next week and am allowed to add 5 net carbs a day (this equates to 1/2 cup of strawberries, i cant wait hahaha. has anyone else been on this and how much did they lose

I have been doing the diet for over year, intially to loose some weight but as a side effect to this I have also lost my irratable bowel syndrome in the process! By cutting out carbs i actually discovered that it is bread that makes me so ill. When i don't eat it I am fine, I can have carbs in veg and fruit fine but I am totally intolerant to bread. I no longer am in agony with pain and bloating.

The first couple of weeks are hard to do and a big adjustment but once you start maintenane and you can introduce carbs you will find it a breeze. I don't even consider myself on a diet anymore and I have never put the weight i lost back on. I don't crave chocolate anymore and have a really heathly diet.

 

[RAQUEL]

well done glynis on your weight loss- next time i see you you will have disapeared! has anyone tried the NEW weight watchers diet... its fab... lost 15 and a half pounds in 4 weeks and its the best and easiest diet ever... 3 meals day and eat as much as you want.. inc potatoes rice and pasta etc... only thing you cant have is bread.... worth looking into... I feel fab!!!!

 

[Peter Pan]

well done glynis on your weight loss- next time i see you you will have disapeared! has anyone tried the NEW weight watchers diet... its fab... lost 15 and a half pounds in 4 weeks and its the best and easiest diet ever... 3 meals day and eat as much as you want.. inc potatoes rice and pasta etc... only thing you cant have is bread.... worth looking into... I feel fab!!!!

hi raquel - well done you too, youll have to scan the diet and put it in the gallery for all of us that wanna try it - i will for one.