What is a good diet to follow? [atkins diet] [month and a half]
Recently I tried the Atkins diet for about a month and half. I followed strictly and not cheating. I worked out and after that time stiill lost no weight. Everyone in my family has had great success on this diet, but for some reason it did not work for me (they are all extremely overweight). I can not figure out why except that maybe one of these two reasons contributed. 1. I was a strict vegetarian for 6 years and maybe that had something to do or had 2. Im not significantly overweight (57 155 pounds, very muscular). Regardless I would like to lose 15-20 pounds. I work almost daily and I am a student so its not always easy to find healthy things to eat. But I am very good at following diets, I just can not seem to work for one to find me. Who have any suggestions?
Reply:guy,
As the school dietician for a calorie count to the food. He/she may very well have one for all the food they serve.
Calorie counting ignores WHAT you eat and concentrated on HOW MUCH you eat. It is the ONLY way to effective weight control. WHether the quantity is counted in calories, grams or points, the important thing is the QUANTITY is counted.
That's the advantage over all the "low fat," "low carb," "no white food," "no blue food," "only peanut butter." "only steak and grapefruit," "blood type foods," "negative calorie" silly fad diets that flood the bookshelves with nonsensical paperbacks.
Getting fat is a matter of quantity, not quality. And the person who eats 3,000+ calorie diet of ANY form will get fat. Atkins included.
BTW, one of the reasons that I quit the Atkins diet, even worse than the permanent plateau, was the large amount of muscle mass I was losing. That happens because when the brain wants SUGAR (glucose) it takes it from protein if there is no glycogen around. When I saw my thigh muscles shrink I finally realized, very personally, how ruinous the Atkins diet was. And once you've seen your muscular thighs shrink you have lost A LOT of skeletal muscle…and proably cardiac muscle! 
It took me two years of hard work to get the muscle back AND at a lower total bodyweight.
Reply:Hi!
I've been following the body for life for women plan. So far I really like it. I've tried a few diet plans, including Weight Watchers. WW is a good plan it just didn't seem to work for me this time. I've also tried the Zone and liked that, it just wasn't a plan I could live on.
I think what I especially like about the eating for life for women plan is that exercise is an important part of it.
Mona
Reply:Counting calories. Eating what you want. I am going with so many cardos allowed and a low calorie diet. Maybe topping it off at 1300 calories a day. If I want a Milky Way bar I will have it but pay the price. I like this. I have lost 5000 pounds in my life and gained it back. Been on many, many diets. Weight Watchers, expensvie diets where I went every day and everything. For me this is the only thing that works. I understand all are different but this has worked with us. But we all are different. Just my thoughts.
Reply:how long did it take for you to lose 40 pounds?
Reply:I use my own diet. I've lost over 40 pounds and haven't conformed to any of the diets out there. All I've done is eaten less and excersised more. Worked great for me kept my weight off for over a year now
Reply:Isn't weightwatchers expensive though? Don't you have to attend meetings? I go to college in the country so its really likely that that wouldn't be an option for me.
Although it is good to be able to go to meetings, you do not HAVE to go to meetings. You can purchase the WW At Home kit or you can do WW online. It can get expensive-depending on how much you have to lose and how long it takes.
However, you may find another plan that works for you. Just wanted to let you know some of the different WW options
Reply:Well I have followed Atkins for 4 years and in the first two lost 11 stone.
Again you could be gainng muscle mass which is heavier than fat so you could actually be losing weight. People tend to forget that. If you work out you lose weight but gain muscle mass. So it seems like your not losing anything but you are. You do need to be very careful and count carbs carefully. Its easy to exceed without realising it .
I have to say that low carb is pretty much a life sentence. I have not been able to switch from it with out weight gain and after 4 years I am pretty tried of low carb food. I realy only wanted to introduce fruits and some veggies but could not. Now I am struggling with this whole low carb thing but cant find a way out.
I think you need to remember with only 15 to 20 pounds to lose your weight loss is probably going to be very slow anyway. You probably just consdier a healthy eating plan instead of a diet as such. Keep up your excerise and you will see a difference over time. It will be slow but its probably better than more radicla measures that are going to be difficult to maintain.
My health really improved on Atkins , blood pressure came right down , cholesterol raight back to normal and my pre diabetes just disappeared !!
It probably saved my life but after 4 years its getting very tough to maintain.
Best of luck !!!
Katie
Reply:LifesNotchess,
I've also been eating low carb to lose weight. While researching the Atkin's Diet, I came across a newer, modified version of the plan. A woman, Kim, tweaked the Atkin's Diet to work more effectively and faster. (Kim + Atkin's = Kimkin's.) It is a hugely popular diet among people who are having difficulty losing with Atkin's, so I thought of you. Here it is:
KIMKINS DIET:
Up to 20 total carbs (not net)
Up to 3 cups salad type veggies 'or' Up to 2 cups salad veggies and 1/2 'cooked'
70-90 LEAN protein grams
No Low-carb products, treats, junk (pepperoni, pork rinds, protein bars) Bigtime stallers!!
NO alcohol
Just enough fat to make your menu work (don't overdo)
________________________________________ ________________________________________
Kim also has a 3-5 day diet that is very strict, but known to cause quick and substantial weight loss and is a great jumpstart for the Kimkin's Diet/Low-carb diet. Here it is:
KIMMER'S 3-DAY EXPERIMENT:
As much lean protein as you desire-ONLY LEAN MEATS AND EGGS
Length of time is 3-5 days
Purpose is to experience 'real' ketosis (weight loss, no appetite)
Useful as springboard for other Low-carb programs
NO alcohol, No cheese, NO low-carb products, NO LC junk (pepperoni, pork rinds)
Basic condiments and spices OK (watch catsup and A1 sauce)
Very minimal use of fats (butter, oil, mayo) Less fat = faster weight loss
I started the 3-day experiment yesterday because I have 10 pounds to go to get to my goal weight, and the scale hasn't budged in a month (cheese, alcohol, LC bars). I'm planning on staying on Kimmer's for 5 days and then changing to Kimkin's. I've been very happy eating low carb (5 months now) and plan to eat this way indefinitely…nothing else has ever worked for me. When people ask me how I lost the weight I just simply say "I gave up sugar and processed foods" which is the absolute truth and causes less raised eyebrows and criticism.;)
Reply:I think that counting calories may work for me, the problem is that I really CANT count calories when all of my meals are from a cafeteria. They do have a wide selection of pasta, salads, and other various college kid foods (pizza, cheeseburgers, grilled cheese, french fries, etc). All of my food is provided through this so I have no choice but to eat it. I enjoy salad but the dressing is bad for you, I enjoy pasta but there are too many carbs. I really dont even know what is an isnt healthy for you anymore. Unlike alot of kids however I do NOT eat junkfood or drink beer or alcohol of any kind. I eat my standard meals a day and that is it. I just need to eat the right things. I am more than happy to exercise a few times a week but that isnt going to compensate for me eating unhealthy items. I really do not know what to do.
Reply:Isn't weightwatchers expensive though? Don't you have to attend meetings? I go to college in the country so its really likely that that wouldn't be an option for me.
Reply:I'm a firm believer of Weight Watchers. It is a caloric based program that in the process of counting points, teaches you how to eat. I wouldn't call it a "diet", I would call it a life style change. In any event, being a college student, I'm sure you don't have much spare time. WW has an online program – but you have to have the will power to stick with it without anyone else weighing you in. Personally, I think going to a meeting works better. There are people who are in the same boat as you AND someone else is weighing you in. Overall, it's been the best program I've participated in and helped me lose 25 lbs in 3 months – that was without working out.
Good Luck.
Reply:I don't think being a vegetarian would have any impact of losing weight now. Have you tried something like the South Beach diet?
Reply:I never understood the Atkins diet''?
if you can eat all you want or until your full…you could consume over 3000 calories a day eazy , having no carbs or les than 10% carbs I think is bad for you and taking in all that protien with all that fat/trans fat ect,,ect,, just to put your body into ketoisas?,
does the body metabolize all that fat through a chemical process and that fat you take in is not stored? and you urineate it all out?
I'd be affraid it all would not get out and be stored in my arteries.
then?:confused:
well I 'm not sure what all that does but it just seems bad to me later on down the road even if you do lose a lot of weight from this diet, it seems to controversal to me for long time health reasons.
if calories is the main reason we gain weight why on earth would someone eat a jucy rib eye steak of 1500 calories at one meal? not counting your veggies and fruits whole grains ect,,,ect,, looks to me like eating pure protien is bad for you…look at all those calories you be eating!
but I know the ''Atkins'' people will say differently.
Reply:Even on Atkins if you eat too many calories you wont lose any weight. Its not true when they say you can eat all you want….they say that because if you follow the diet correctly you usually will end up eating less calories…but some people dont and they dont lose.
