True, Violet. My problem was I didn’t eat enough vegetables too. And I way overdid the junk food - chips, candy, so on. I am someone who needs a plan, I guess. My impulses are too great, and cravings ruled me. With Atkins, it is structured so a person doesn’t crave the stuff that is bad for them so much.
I get a kick out of these claims (knowing that it is their claim, Cardinal, not yours). I’ve also frequently seen the claim that Atkin’s is bad because it is really just a low-cal diet in disguise - that eating this way tricks you into eating less calories. What’s funny, is that the result is exactly what they suggest is necessary for weight-loss, but seem angry if someone does it by a path other than the one they suggest.
1,000 sounds a little low to me; but then, I’m not counting. In any case, I wasn’t hungry.
I am. Water is my drink of choice (after the morning coffee).
I just got back from paddling 11 miles in the kayak. By “just got back”, I mean that I’m still wearing wet, salt-laden clothes.
I ended up doing dishes instead of eating this morning, so I just grabbed a “low-carb protein bar” on the way to the ocean. Now it’s time for some meat!
Good god! And you sit (or stand) at your computer that way! :eek: A true straight dope addict.
For anyone considering low-carb please please please!! buy the book!! (Whichever book that may be.)
I’ve been lo-carbing for 2 months now and am down 23 lbs. So is my hubby. In fact, we’re about to go shopping for some new pants, since almost nothing fits anymore!
A great low-carb website is www.low-carb-friends.com. They have a good BB there, as well as a recipe room and a Marketplace where you can buy ANTHING low-carb.
I’m a fairly prime example of this: I cut out refined sugar and white flour, as well as white rice and white potatoes (wild or brown rice and sweet potatoes are still fine); I also am careful about sources of concentrated natural sugars (like fruit juice, dried and canned fruit, “naturally sweetened” fruit spreads, honey, etc.). I started this the first of the year and have lost almost 60 pounds. I pay no attention to fat or calories, outside of the rule that I don’t eat unless I’m hungry. Oh, and I do exercise.
Violet: Well I had to let Spiny Norman know (in the other thread) how far we paddled last week! 
I’m showered now, and I’ve eaten a half-pound of hamburger with a forkful of mayo.
I’ve been wondering: what is “refined sugar”? Just the white stuff in your sugar bowl? (I have some, but I never use it.) What about those brown “raw sugar” crystals?
You know what bites? I have about 10 packages of ramen that I can’t eat! And I have some money left on a gift certificate to a Japanese restaurant, which of course serves rice!
I’m still a bit peckish, so I think I’ll make another half-pound of hamburger and cook it with some green beans. But first I have to do the laundry…
Oh, and while I’m here: Can someone explain the “carbs that count”? My boss has some protein bars that have 20-some grams of carbohydrates, but only 2 grams count toward the daily total. How does that work? (I really am going to buy the book – first chance I get.)
10 packages of ramen noodles = $1.00. Throw 'em out!
So, order the sashimi!
FairyChatMom: Hooray for South Beach! I had serious issues with Phase I - even though I’d low-carbed away twenty five pounds before - so I had to stop for awhile. But isn’t the final diet great?
All you low-carbers, I strongly recommend that you consider trying out the South Beach diet. It starts the same way as Atkins but in the end, you’re eating a wider variety of foods, which is good for your palate and for your health!
I started the Atkins diet at the begining of February. I have essentially lost 41 lbs, I was a size 16 and dropped to an 8 in my workpants. I was at a whopping 172lbs the day after christmas, now I am 131. I love the Atkins diet and can’t tell you how much of a lifesaver it has been for me.
We have expanded to eat bread. Atkins bread that is. We find it in the frozen case at Krogers. It is great, but expensive at $5 a loaf but none-the-less AWESOME and well worth it. There are so many things out there that you can eat. So don’t focus on what you can’t have.
Some of the things we get while grocery shopping are:
LeCarb ice cream (lemon is out of this world)
dry roasted peanuts
string cheese
steaks, chicken, pork
bacon
eggs
Low carb tortillas (make great fajitas) found at local health store
Atkins candy bars carmel nut chew, mint wafers etc.
Atkins shakes (carbo lite taste just as great and cheaper too)
Atkins white bread or rye bread (sandwhich melts are great on the rye bread)
strawberries
broccoli
velveeta cheese
sugar-free tang
crystal lite
My major thing that I regret about going on this diet is the fact I didn’t take measurements before starting. I really wish I had done this. I really thought this would just be another one of my diet failures and didn’t expect such great results. I had bloodwork done last week at the docs office. I go into see her Thursday. She hasn’t seen me since February so she will sure be suprised. I am a little nervous because I don’t know if she will be mad at me for doing this diet or not.
But the bloodwork will tell all. Lets hope it comes back good.
Know what I’m craving? Fresh cantaloupe and ultra-crisp red apples. And a Vegemite sandwich.
My boss told me to avoid soft cheese, but I see string cheese (mozerella) and Velveeta. What about brie and bleu cheese?
As for water, I’ve had two 12-oz. glasses of filtered tap water today, and one litre of bottled water, and a litre of Albertson’s flavoured water. (No calories, no caffeine, no carbohydrates.) No doubt I’ll have another litre of water before bedtime.
Today I’ve eaten that “low carb” protein bar, a total of a pound of ground beef ( :eek: That’s a lot!) and about a cup of frozen green beans. For dinner I’ll probably have half a New York steak, maybe with more green beans or spinach. I’ll save the other half for lunch tomorrow (with spinach).
My flight physical was due a month ago. I’ve been too busy to fly, and I’m not current anyway. I think I’ll see how this diet goes before getting it renewed. I hope Dr. C. will be surprised.
For me, a self-diagnosed sugar junkie, it’s all about what will kick in those cravings that make me lose control. Brown sugar would do this just as surely as white, I’m certain. I stick to Splenda!
A question aabout the Atkins diet (perhaps enough of a question for it’s own thread, but I’ll keep it here…):
Is there any managable way to swing Atkins while maintaining a vegetarian lifestyle (no meat, poultry, or fish). Not vegan, just vegetarian.
And, good luck Johnny!
Back in the days when I thought I’d be doing Atkins, not just going sugar-free, I read the book. Atkins himself does not recommend the Atkins plan in conjunction with a vegetarian lifestyle, as it would be much too difficult to get enough protein and fat to sustain good health and satiety, while still getting enough variety to make it a permanent lifestyle change.
Well I went to the doctor Thursday and received the results of my blood work. Everything looked great! January 31st is when I went the first time and the second time July 11th. I have posted some of my results.
Cholesterol: Before-228 Ref Range: 112-200
After-200
Note I am still on the borderline of high, but I have a reduction of 28. Without taking medication.
LDL Cholesterol: Before-160 Ref Range: 0-130
After-132
I am still high, but it has been reduced without medication.
Choesterol/HDL Ratio: Before-5.3 Ref Range: 0.0-5.0
After-3.4
Iron: Before-25 Ref Range: 25-156
After-104
She prescribed iron pills in January and I never went and got them filled. I know shame on me. But you can see the Atkins diet has helped in this area also.
LIBC: Before-360 Ref Range: 170-230
After-242
Don’t know what that is folks, but I am still high. You can see it dropped considerably.
Overall I was very happy with the results. She wants to see me again in 2 months to make sure that I am not dropping too much more weight (she says she’s gonna start bitching if I go to my goal weight of 120). I started out in December packing a 172 lbs and now officially am by their scales 136. I am weighing on my scales at home 131, I like the sound of that better.
My mom lost 51 lbs on Atkins in 6 months. She started “cheating” and put 25 back on. Now she’s back on the wagon and lost another 15. My sister recently lost 15 lbs in a month. My dad has been on Atkins for 4 months. I don’t know numbers but he says he weighs the same as when he was 18 (he’s 52). We’re an Atkins family. Too bad I can’t join in. At 5’1" and 98 lbs, I’d be scared to lose weight. But then I’ve always been the black sheep.
I’m diabetic and I’ve been on Atkins since January with incredible results. Forty eight pounds so far, and my blood sugar leveled off almost immediately. Seven months later, my cholesterol is lower than it was last year.
I’m only slowing down now because I’m pretty much at goal. At first I did eat more fat because it does quell sugar cravings, for me at least. But now I’ve become quite happy with veggies and fish or chicken, with the occasional treat. Last year a treat would have consisted of a tub of frosting with a box of Chips Ahoy. Now I get excited over buttered corn…or my occasional lecarb ice cream.
Of course the first few weeks are due to some fluid loss, but I’ve met few people that gained it back while following plan. Is carrying 15 lbs of water such a good thing in the first place though? lol
More than anything I have learned just how poorly I was eating before. I’d starve myself all day and couldn’t lose much weight at all. Never over ten pounds, and I was miserable the entire time. And because I wasn’t taking control of my diabetes, I walked around in a fog all the time…always tired and cranky.
Maybe the truth was I really was just overeating carbs in the first place…I know this though. I’m taking in more calories than before, without a doubt. And I don’t crave sugar anymore. I joke around about the ice cream, but it’s really the first junk food I’ve had in a long time.
Eh, sorry, I tend to turn into a cheerleader when it comes to this subject.
Good luck to you Johnny!
I’ve been on Atkins since January. You really need to get the book Johnny. You are limited to 4 ozs. of cheese a day, no fat-free products as they usually increase the sugar content because, well sugar doesn’t have fat.
My cholesterol dropped from 160, which wasn’t high to begin with, to 144. My glucose dropped from 11.8 to 7, normal is 5.7 to 6.8 so soon I’ll be off my meds for diabetes.
You do have carbs, the mistake most people assume. His last book is totally dedicated to maintaining the lifestyle so that you don’t put the weight back on. A baked potato a week, instead of every night, a dessert once a week instead of three times a day. It’s not hard once you get in the groove.
You can pick the book up for $4.95. The latest book. Atkins For Life, isn’t out in paperback yet so it’s a little more expensive.
Good luck, you can do it!
I ordered the books last week from Amazon. Unfortunately, the order was combined with The Two Towers Collector’s Edition DVD which won’t be released until November! I cancelled TTT and re-ordered it seperately. After a two days there was no sign of a “your order has been shipped” e-mail, so I checked the order. The other DVD isn’t being released until September. :smack: So I’ve got the order sorted now, and I should receive it early next week.
Wonderful!! The first ten chapters of New Diet Revolution read kinda like the script to an info-mercial, but it’s just to get you pumped about the diet. I will stress to read the whole thing, instead of the bits that you think apply to you. It gave me a much better, broader understanding of why this thing works.