Who has done Atkins?
 

Have any of you ever done the Atkins thing? I bought and read the book recently (I'm getting married on Valentine's Day and want to lose a few lbs) and just started the induction phase and I know Dr. Atkins said we're addicted to carbs, but I'm actually going through withdrawal symptoms. I'm so jittery my hands are actually shaking and it's only been one day. And it's not because I'm hungry. I had Prime Rib.

I've been a bit concerned about my blood sugar lately anyway. I've had 2 low blood sugar attacks. My family on both sides has diabetes including both grandmothers (one died of it), and both of my parents. I'm 34 and overweight, and think the subject of my bloodsugar has been avoided too long.

I need to find someone with Atkins experience to help me make it through induction. It's kicking my ass, but according to the book I should feel much better in a few days.

I haven't done the Atkins (I try to eat high-calorie foods that are otherwise healthful; because I burn through a lot of calories).

So that we (I) know that you know what you're doing: why and how does the Atkins diet work?

I read the book. I know how and why Atkins works. I even know why I'm so jittery now on my second day of induction. But even knowing it doesn't make that jittery feeling go away. I'm confident it will go away once I switch over to lyposis, but I had no idea the extent to which I was addicted to carbs.

According to the book this will also stabelize my blood sugars and prevent diabetes/hypoglycemia.


oops...sorry I just re-read your post.

Here's the how and why Atkins works...

People have two parallel power systems. Normally we survive on sugars in our blood as fuel. The primary source of these sugars is carbohydrates which are quickly changed into sugar in our bodies. When we have too many of these carbs (sugars) our bodies store the excess energy as fat.

Our backup power system is the stored fat. When you eat high protein/fat without carbs (meat, cheese, butter, etc), for a few days, your body switches to the backup power system and starts burning fat as the primary fuel source. Even processing the protein you're eating requires fuel.

This process is called lyposis and later results in ketosis. Ketosis is when your body starts burning your stored energy (fat).

In otherwords, you can eat more calories of satisfying foods like pork, beef, chicken, lobster, clams, etc. with butter, mayo, etc. and lose far more fat than someone on a low fat high carb diet who counts every calorie. Supposedly it also balances your bloodsugar and controls your appetite too.

I'm told after I make through the induction phase (the most strict part to get your body to make the switch to burning fat), I'll have more energy, and the fat will just drop off.

My friend did it and dropped 80 lbs of fat in about a year. He actually weighs less than me now.

Don't people with Diabetes have high blood sugar?

Diabetes and Hypoglycemia are closely related. They both are a result of your body not being able to maintain normal bloodsugar levels. One is too high blood sugar and one is too low.

Most obese people produce an excess amount of insulin (usually as a result of eating too much sugar) so they eat more starches/sugars to make up for it and the body makes more insulin to compensate and it's a vicious cycle.

According to the book, when you get on a low carb diet, your insulin levels return to normal and your blood sugar becomes stable.

My apologies. I thought you were implying that your low blood sugar might be a result of Diabetes.

I just started Atkins for New Years :D

It is much needed as my goal is to lose 60+ pounds.

I don't have the book because I gave my copy away years ago. I do however remember the rules. And really the one thing I disagree with Atkins on is the caffinee restriction, so I ignore it.


These days, it's much easier to do Atkins because there are so many low carb versions of stuff. - low carb 'milk', spaghetti, bread, even chocolate bars! The one problem with this stuff is it is EXPENSIVE! But if it keeps me sane, then I'm all for it.


Good luck Radar, you've picked a diet that definitely works if you just stick to it!

Radar, about those first day jitters.

I have to say I know a few people that have been through Atkins and I have never heard of something like that. I would say if you begin to feel faint or bad in any way, you should consider laying off the diet until you talk to a doctor. Better safe than sorry.

And I've learned that the induction part of the diet can be trimmed down to as little as three days as opposed to two weeks, if you are confident that you are in ketosis. Since this is the first time you are trying Atkins, I would recommend buying Ketosticks at your pharmacy so you can see what your metabolism is up to. The book describes how they work.

Good idea, I'll pick up ketosticks (assuming they know what I'm talking about at Sav-On) after the first week or so.

The book said some people get a bit jittery so I'm not going to be too worried about it. I'm just going to try to put up the good fight.

Last night I had prime rib with a cajun butter sauce (I checked to make sure it was butter and not margerine), creamed spinich, and a green salad with oil and vinegar with iced-tea with lemon.

The no caffine part is supposed to be a guideline anyway. They said caffine sometimes gives people cravings for sugars and this is why they suggest we avoid them. Also they think if they can get people to stop being addicted to caffine and carbs, it will help with other addictions people may have like cigs.

Atkins actually has their own line of low carb snacks, bars, etc.

I bought some, but I'm not sure if they are acceptable during the induction phase.

Watch out for some of those high protein bars. Most of them taste like crap. Before you order online a case of them, make sure you try one first.

I tried one yesterday and it didn't suck. But then today I started wondering if it was cool during the induction phase. They are Atkins bars, but that just means low carbs. That doesn't necessarily mean they're acceptable during the induction phase.

It should be easy to tell if you can have them or not. Your goal in induction is to restrict your carbs to less than about 20. Just look at the nutrition chart on the food.

Oh, you also have to subtract any carbs from fiber and such, but most nutrition charts will have a footnote explaining that.

I did the Atkins Diet and it worked well. Make sure you consume more fiber, even at the cost of a few grams of carbs. Avoid the protien bars; they taste like shit and will stop you up faster than a wheel of stinky cheeze.

Atkins was the second fastest way to lose weight for me.

The fastest I've ever lost weight was after taking neupougen (a painfully injected drug - doctor prescribed) so I could build up stem-cells and lymphocytes (and marrow) for donation to my sister. After the donation, I dropped from 190 to 170 over the span of 6 weeks. The donation bought my sister 3 more years before she passed away this last September.


My weight slowly got back up to 190 over the past 6 months, but It is mainly due to my new muscles... I spend 2 to 3 mornings at the gym. I still run 10-15 miles a week.
The new weight is a good thing as it looks a hell of a lot better than the old weight.

I feel like I don't get the full feeling without carbs. I'm afraid I'm eating too much. At least I'm feeling better and I've lost the jittery feeling.

That might have something to do with the supplements I've been taking also.

Even without going officially Atkins its probably a good idea to get off the carb-go-round. Since I figured out my problem with wheat I've had much better control of my weight and haven't gotten those urges to binge. I still eat some cabs in corn tortillas and such but the volume is way down. My buddy Claytoris dropped about thirty on Atkins you could pm him to get specifics. I'd be careful about the volume of meat though. Good luck and best wishes for the wedding. g

Relax, you could eat a cow and still lose weight! Just count carbs, not calories.


You might have to experiment with what you are eating until you find something that makes you feel full. But give it some time.

Could the jitters have been caffeen withdrawl?

I'll try to mix it up a bit. Poultry, Fish, Pork, Beef, etc. At my gym they were trying to convince me Atkins was unhealthy because it includes eating fat. I told them that's not much of an issue when you're body is burning fat.

Not sure, but that reminds me, I need a triple espresso immediately.

Back in August I dropped sugar and limited my carb intake...sort of like what Atkins says to do, but I didn't read the book. I have a really tough time with my blood sugar, also. I have been going this way since then and have managed to lose about 35 lbs with a few lapses here and there. I still want to lose another 12 or so.

Last Friday, I had my lunch and decided to treat myself to a rice crispy treat for a change. Since I don't eat sugar like that anymore, about 3 or 4 hours later I started losing my vision around the edges of my eyes and felt like I was quite close to losing consciousness. I had to eat a few pieces of candy to get back to "normal." Now I remember why I decided not to eat sugary foods anymore.

I eat a lot of peanut butter sandwiches with whole wheat bread. And I highly recommend the Zone bars. I eat about 1 or 2 a day, because I actually like some of them. They have a few carbs, but a decent amount of protein.

I may be speaking from ignorance here, but doesn't that sound like Diabetes? I mean, I never lost my vision because of eating anything.

I have a simple diet plan:

* Eat a little of just about everything. Variety is good.

* Try not to focus too much on one food or class of foods at the expense of everything else. If you're eating tons of Food X because someone found something wrong with eating Food Y, give it a decade or so and a different set of studies will find that Food X is just as screwed up, Food Y isn't as bad as people thought, and Food Z is what you should've been eating all along. Lather rinse repeat.

* Try to stay away from "empty-calorie" foods that are way high in fat, sodium, sugar, cholesterol, etc. if there are lower-octane alternatives available that also taste good. A little now and then is fine, but don't go overboard.

* In general, when it comes to healthiness, homemade >> store-bought pre-prepared >> restaurant fare. The more control you have over exactly what goes into what you eat and how it's prepared, the better.

* As a general rule, eat less and exercise more.

The last rule is the one that thwarts most people, myself included.

I don't know, actually. That had never happened to me before. I use to just get really shakey and weak if my blood sugar dropped. But Friday was much worse. I wouldn't be surprised.

That's something you should look into -- blindness and loss of consiousness are not cool.

I personally have Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), but I've never had the vision side-effect. Adding baked potatos to my regular diet has put the problems fairly well in check, thankfully. It's a good thing I don't need Atkins, because I think I'd die if I couldn't have complex carbohydrates.

My grandmother went blind from diabetes shortly before it killed her. You need to drop whatever the hell else you're doing and get to a doctor immediately.

This morning's news brings us a Harvard long-term study of 125,000 people which showed that drinking 6 cups of coffee a day lowers men's chance of diabetes by 50%, women by 30%.

Drink up

Mmmmmm Coffee....

Man I'm doing great on this Atkins thing. I am on day 4 and I feel fine. I picked up some keto sticks (they are urine strips that allow you to test for ketones which are evidence that your body is burning fat instead of carbs/sugar)

I was very happy to find that my body had stopped burning sugar all together and was using my own body fat as an alternative fuel source. Now I'll throw a little exercise into the mix and I bet the weight will just fall off and my blood sugar has probably already become more stable.

The only side effect I've noticed thus far is instead of gradually becoming hungry as before, I suddenly become voraciously hungry without warning when it's time to eat. Perhaps this will subside.

Or perhaps you'll be at a shopping mall when the cravings strike. Meat. Must have meat. Wild... raging... cravings for MEAT. HUNGER! MEAT! MEEEEEEEEEAT! The cravings will overwhelm your rational mind. Hey, there's a nun doing some after-Christmas shopping -- SHE'S MADE OF MEAT! RAAAAAAAAAGH! Swiftly, you pounce, teeth bared and fingers ready to rend her unsuspecting flesh...

...then you stop, realizing that you yourself are also made of meat!!

Suddenly the dark secret of Atkins becomes clear: how they could absolutely guarantee weight loss. "A new, smaller you," they offered. The horror. The horror.

I've heard Drano is a very filling substitute for meat. If the craving ever really hits you hard :D

This being on the Internet, I really should add a disclaimer.


*Warning*

Drano is not to be taken internally. Don't be an ass and believe what you read on some website.

vsp and Undertoad should write Stephen King books....only with their own names. ;)

What's scary is that I wrote about nun-munching AND I'M THE SETUP GUY.

Those old zombie movies make sense now.

When some people die and are exposed to a weird chemical, it induces a state of modified atkins dieting only satisfied by...


BRRRRAAAIINNNSSSSS!!!!!

I thought about making a prank call to the Atkins center and asking if there a lot of carbs in boogers.

My husband is a Type I Diabetic, diagnosed a few years ago.

Type I Diabetes means the body no longer produces insulin, hence injections are needed to enable the body to metabolize blood glucose. Type Is who are at their proper weight levels can pretty much eat what they want, as long as they adjust their insulin.

Type II Diabetics still produce insulin, but their bodies have trouble using it properly. These are the folks who really need to watch their carbs.

There is a well-founded theory that Type II Diabetes is caused by too much carbs in the diet. Atkins might be overkill, an alternative is the Zone Diet.

i've been o nthe atkins diet since a week befor halloween, and it friggin works, radar.

i didn't weigh myself when i started, but iv'e tightened my belt 2 notches,( i THINK i've lost about 40lbs) and jinx says my circumference is noticably less when she hugs me. feels good, and it's really easy. I had not noticed the sudden voracity until you mentioned it, but now that you do...you're right. as i think about it, tho, it usually passes within 15 minutes if i'm too busy to eat. atkins reccomends that you not go more than 6 waking hrs before eating something. i carry those atkins bars in my brief case for these times, and usually eat one for breakfast in the car on the way to work......i stopped the caffeine too. that was a little tough, but worth it. caffeine fucks with your thyroid gland, i'm told, and when i quit caffeine, i got a sore throat for about 2 wks, but i'm all better now.

Kick ass. I'm on day number 6 of induction right now. I got those ketosticks from the pharmacy and I'm absolutely burning fat and no sugars. This is really good news. Atkins suggest you only weigh yourself once per week so I'm waiting until Saturday to see how much I've lost in a week. I wouldn't be surprised if I lost a pound a day.

Atkins seems like it will be very easy for me to stick with. I'm going to extend my induction all the way until my wedding day. It's going to be very difficult to not cheat on the diet while in Vietnam. Those guys can't just drink, they must drink excessively and peer pressure you to do it too. And it doesn't take much to pressure an Irishman like myself.

They've got great food, really cheap, and everyone will want to drink with me because I'll be the man of the hour.

I'm considering telling them if I drink I could die because I've got a serious diabetic condition. Heck, my wife and I will have to eat wedding cake!!! And while I'm concerned about the carbs, I'm even more concerned because wedding cake has been known to decrease sex drive in women. ;)

RUM = 0 CARBS
VODKA = 0 CARBS
TEQUILLA = 0 CARBS

MICHELOB ULTRA = 2.6 CARBS PER BOTTLE ( TASTES GOOD TOO)

DRINK UP!

Let us know if ba-moui-ba tastes as horrible as I've been told ... (I've seen cases discarded in the trash at my apt. complex, so it must be available for sale somewhere in the area, so I might find out myself).

~pictures wolf perusing the dumpster~

Do you scope out what the people in front of you at the grocery store are buying too?

If you say you don't, you're lying. :)

Everyone does that.

When I was an immature highschooler, me and a couple of friends would go to the store several times around Halloween, buying apples and razor blades, just to see peoples reaction to it.

Hey now ...

It's a large, open dumpster. I don't move anything to get a better look into it, but when stuff is on the top ... also some items are more unusual than others.

Most of the time it's just big green plastic trashbags, but you never know when you're going to see an ankle poking out of one of those things ...

I do pay attention to what the person in front of me has at the supermarket. Sometimes the speculations as to the combos do get a little weird.

Shopping in the middle of the night at the all night grocery does cut down on this, by the way ... typically there isn't anybody in line ahead of you.

I've been reading Fat Land and have been amazed at what has changed in the past three decades concerning the food we eat, what is in it, and the politics involved. The book touches Adkins and quickly reviews the past four or five versions of it that seem to come and go every 15 years or so. It's certainly a good read.

on alcohol and atkins
 

the following is from Low Carb Diet Tips and Basics , a really cool web site



Will drinking alcohol affect ketosis?

No and yes. The liver can make ketones out of alcohol, so technically, when you drink you'll continue to produce ketones and so will remain in ketosis. The problem is ... alcohol converts more easily to ketones than fatty acids, so your liver will use the alchol first, in preference to fat. Thus, when you drink, basically your FAT burning is put on hold until all the alcohol is out of your system.

This rapid breakdown of alcohol into ketones and acetaldehyde (the intoxicating by-product) ... tends to put low carbers at risk for quicker intoxication ... especially if no other food is consumed to slow absorption.

Re: on alcohol and atkins
 

BETTER YET!

Well Said. Alcohol interrupts ketosis and alcohols other than clear ones are usually high in sugar content, especially if you are drinking something with fruit juice like a Screwdriver, Bloody Mary, Cape Cod, Fuzzy Naval, Melon Balls, Sex on the Beach.... What were we talking about again? j/k

Wolf, I've already had 333 beer and I assure you, it tastes worse than piss. I had it on the flight into Vietnam from Japan last time. It took all my will power not to spit it out on the stewardess.

When I'm in Vietnam I normally drink Tiger Beer (From Singapore) or San Miguel (From the Philippines)

American beer is very expensive over there (imports), and local drinks can strip the paint off your car. I had a Vietnamese rice Vodka the last time I was there and it was a serious creeper. Tastes sweet and goes down smooth than the hammer hits you right in the skull.

The only time I've been too squeamish to try a new food was the snake blood (they've got an alcoholic drink made with snake blood and actual snakes in the container they pour it from) which is supposed to put lead in your pencil (could come in handy on the honeymoon) but this time I'm going to drink it just to say I didn't wuss out.

It's strange. Everything in Vietnam that is hand made by really good craftsman is super cheap, but machine made things are very expensive. It's the opposite of America. I get hand carved wooden (or metal) statues, backpacks, hammocks, etc. all for about 1/100th the cost in America. I wish I had enough money to get involved in import/export. I know a lot of people who could make it very profitable.

Curious: can anyone on Atkins post their cholesterol levels, too? I've heard from everyone that Atkins keeps it down, but I've heard no one with any test results to show that it helped them or kept it at normal levels.

I will keep you posted. Although I have a feeling I'll cheat while in Vietnam. I may need to start over in March. I have to eat wedding cake, etc.

You can find hundreds of people posting their before and after Atkins cholesterol numbers on the buletin board at...

http://www.low-carb-friends.com

YEAH....it's the caffeine.....hang in there it stops in 3-4 days......you might get a sore throat too. tough it out, it gets a lot easier.....

Yea, what he said. You'll feel crappy and weak for a few days and then you'll spring back and have tons of energy. You may have trouble having the "full" feeling when you eat. But it returns in about the same amount of time.

Two Week Progress Report

After 2 weeks I've lost 10 lbs and I'm going to extend my induction so hopefully I'll keep up the 5 lb/week pace. :)

Apparently, folks on Atkins should watch their fat intake.

Actually the article is false. Here's a letter I just got from Atkins.

Here's the text from the link at the Atkins website...


Atkins Has Not Changed

"Make That Steak a Bit Smaller, Atkins Advises Today's Dieters," published in the January 18th edition of The New York Times--and the subsequent publicity--is yet another dramatically inappropriate example of the media reporting on the media and perpetuating a false report on Atkins. This is a great disservice to the millions upon millions of Atkins followers who have been benefiting from this nutritional approach for more than 30 years. The accusation in the media, which claims that Atkins is retreating from its long-held position on the consumption of fat is simply wrong. It is a false premise created by members of the media themselves, based on input from "experts" who apparently have neither read any of Dr. Atkins' books, nor even casually browsed this Web site.

Atkins has not changed. The basic tenets of the Atkins Nutritional Approach™ (ANA), consistent since 1972, are to control the intake of carbohydrates, avoid refined carbs (like sugar and white flour), eat a balance of fats (including saturated fat but not trans fats) and consume a variety of protein sources, such as red meat, fish, poultry and tofu. Saturated fat remains a valuable part of the ANA. There is absolutely no scientific research to support any claims that eating red meat and saturated fat as part of your Atkins program is anything other then beneficial. These protocols have been consistently reinforced as safe, effective and beneficial and have been further supported by 17 studies released over the last three years.

Equally as important, and terribly troubling to all of us at Atkins, is the attempt once again by critics of Atkins to ignore fact, science and the clear messages stated in Dr. Atkins' own words over the past 32 years, in order to sensationalize the ANA as the "all-the-steak-you-can-eat" approach to weight loss and good health. This has never been true and the millions of individuals doing Atkins, along with the health care professionals who have read Dr. Atkins' books, clearly understand this. We would urge anyone who is confused, including the media to simply read Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, Atkins For Life or The Atkins Essentials, or review this site, rather than interpret Atkins on the basis of sensational reports manufactured on hearsay and mischaracterization.

Even in the original 1972 edition of Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution, Dr. Atkins explained, "fat allows for enormous variety in your diet; that vital and best of all, it keeps you from feeling deprived. Of course, you aren't confined to steak, you can have almost any kind of meat, fish or fowl." He continued, "One of the biggest reasons this diet works so successfully is because you eat protein and fat…."

Dr. Atkins made no secret of the fact that his methodology evolved over time as scientific discoveries added new and useful information. He rewrote his original 1972 book three times, exactly because he felt it was his responsibility to keep people up to date when it came to the most recent and relevant information on controlled carbohydrate nutrition and health. In the 2002 edition of Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, he wrote, "Eat either three regular-size meals a day or four to five smaller meals. Eat liberally of combinations of fat and protein in the form of poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs and red meat, as well as of pure, natural fat in the form of butter, mayonnaise, olive oil, safflower, sunflower and other vegetable oils. Adjust the quantity you eat to suit your appetite, especially as it decreases. When hungry, eat the amount that makes your feel satisfied but not stuffed…."

By providing individuals doing Atkins with a life-long strategy, including exercise and meal plans (at various carb thresholds) incorporating a wide range of foods, as explained in Atkins for Life, Dr. Atkins believed he would finally put to rest the misconception that his approach was based on eating only red meat. His simple goal was that people would come to understand how to incorporate his controlled carbohydrate nutritional approach as the first step in gaining control of their nutritionally out-of-control lives.

Millions of individuals who benefit from doing Atkins understand that the ANA is a very effective four-phase approach to healthy eating. The ANA focuses on moving people away from diets loaded with refined carbohydrates like sugar and white flour to a lifestyle centered around eating whole foods and nutrient-dense carbohydrates like leafy greens, and finding a balance in the consumption of proteins and fat.

I'm back in Atkins. This time I bought the book and going to follow it more closely. Also I'm trying to get some exercise.

I'm going to take a lot of heat for this, but dammit, I have to rant. Its been a bad day already and The American Dream that sits across from me has been going on all day about the miracles of Atkins, but can't understand why his cardiologist visits are up due to chest pains.

I've reached my tolerance level -- Atkins is no longer a diet, its a freakin' cult. Every restaurant, even the fast foodieries, now has an Atkins menu. This form of diet comes and goes about every 15 years and the current revision isn't even what Atkins himself designed. And while the man himself died from a knock to the head, he was not just fat, but obese. But his heart problems were caused by a virus -- it had nothing to do with all the fat. Yeah.

How about this diet: stop eating so much and get some exercise. Why do so few people not consider that they should be eating portions equivalent to their activity levels? Sit at the office all day? Try not eating full portions. Everywhere you go, the poritions have increased in size and the activity level of the population has dropped. Remember the "complete breakfast" that was drilled into you as a kid that consisted a bowl of cereal, three pieces of toast, a glass of juice, and a glass of milk? That works only if you actually plan to do some physical activity during your day.

In the next year the billboards at McDonald's and Bennigan's will change their lettering, anyways, to read "South Beach Menu Here!" Atkins is a fad goes insane -- people now treat it as a permission to consume as much meat and chese and fat as they want.

I've been planning a thread about the Atkins bandwagon for a while...just haven't gotten to it yet. Based on what I've seen and read:

--There are real scientific short-term studies that show Atkins to be beneficial, when calories are limited to 1600-2000 a day.
--There are no long-term studies that show the effects of Atkins.
--When this was mentioned to Atkins, he said the government should pay for one.
--This diet has been around for 30 years...why is everyone trying to get in on it now?
--The issues surrounding Dr. Atkins's health before his death should most certainly be reviewed further.
--This is a fad that will eventually pass...b/c in the end, people love their carbs too much.

Why, in your opinion, is Atkins any more of a cult than the "lite" "low-Cal" diet it replaced? Why the hostility? Who gives a shit?

People who are looking to lose weight and wonder if this diet is truly legitimate or not.