# Anyone else on Atkins?



## charisma (Nov 13, 2007)

Just curious to see if anyone else here is doing Atkins?  Maybe we can swap recipes and serve as a cheering section?? Lol.

In any case-- I started Atkins induction for the first time last August. My weight then was an embarassing 230lbs & size 20 (I'm only 5ft 3in, I was unbelievably heavy). I lost down to 200lbs. by December, but then got derailed by the holidays and life events.

I restarted again in March, at 199lbs. This week, I'm weighing 163lbs and fitting (finally) into size 10 jeans again, after 5 years of being seriously plus sized.

I LOVE Atkins, and the truth is, as a carb & sugar addict, low carb is the ONLY thing I have found that works for me. So many people I've met have such horrible misconceptions about Atkins, and I think it keeps alot of people from trying it. Since going back on Atkins (with my Dr.'s blessing-- she's awesome), my cholesterol has dropped dramatically, my triglycerides even more so, and my fasting insulin is finally normal. 

I still have another 43lbs. that I would like to loose, but I'm happy to take it one step at a time. I've started seriously experiementing with recipes because I realize now, this is the way that I want to eating for the rest of my life. Its amazing and so much easier than I ever thought possible.

So........ there's my terribly long intro.  Anyone else? (South Beach, Protein Power or other similar low-carb dieters, please feel free to chime in with recipes too!!


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Atkins here too. 

I've read entirely too much to believe that excessive carbs aren't the root of all health evils in the modern world. 

However, knowing and _doing_ are two different things. lol I've only been strong at it again since about Feb. I have a much less impressive 12 pounds to report.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I did atkins about 12yrs ago. Loved it! I weighed 274 when I started and 129 when I stopped about 10-12mo later. My husband was way over 400lbs and dropped to 300. 

I love atkins. I did a lot of the "fat fast" but never actually kept the calories below 1000. They say not to do that, but I did. I ate cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, cheese, black olives, macademia nuts, a few meats, and eggs by the dozen. My favorite was boiled eggs slathered in butter and heavy whipping cream in any form. I use to whip it, add splenda and a touch of cocoa or vanilla, then eat it. And I loved to just smear cream cheese on a lettuce leaf or a celery stalk and eat it. My total cholesterol dropped to less than 150, so I did learn that fats are not bad for you. LOL. Before we did atkins, I had out of control DM with blood sugars regularly in the 300-400 range. I did it for just a few months, and the doctor actually called me in to see why my blood sugars were so low (with no medications at all). That's when we learned that fats do not raise blood sugar. I do have to admit that I ate bacon once in a while, but it's really not healthy due to the nitrites. I also like smoked salmon, but it also has nitrites.

Did I mention that I love atkins? You can eat as much as you want as long as you eat things that do not raise blood sugars. It's so easy to stay a healthy weight, keep blood sugar and cholesterol low, and still eat without thinking about calories. Honestly, I probably consumed 3qt of heavy whipping cream a weak in one form or another and at least 2blocks of cream cheese and 2dozen eggs just by myself. That's not counting all the avocados, cheese, and cans of black olives. Calories are just not a consideration if you are eating fat because it doesn't convert to blood sugar, and therefore doesn't cause weight gain. It's harder now to keep weight in check and blood sugar low because I am eating fruits and grains. I really need to go back to the fat fasting on a daily basis.

As far as recipes, I ate simple things like I already mentioned. One great thing is bacon wrapped around a water chestnut then baked in the oven like little Hors d'oeuvres. They are really good for a treat. You can also wrap bacon around a walnut. Crustless cheese cake made with splenda and heavy whipping cream is good too. Eggs and avocados are your best friends too. I love an avocado drizzled with olive oil, kosher salt and lots of pepper. And macademia nuts! They are so very good when you grind them into nut butter. I smeared the nut butter on celery. Sometimes I just ate them by the handfuls too. I did buy the atkins low carb bread, and allowed myself 2 slices a week. That was good with nut butter too.

Here is the link to what I did. But, as I said you really aren't supposed to do it long term. I would fat fast about 5days a week then eat more protein and veggies a couple of days. I never counted calories, and ate well over the 1000limt everyday.
http://www.low-carb.com/atarfatfa.html

Just to reiterate--- I love atkins. That man gave me a great gift-- the knowledge to understand how my body digests food and what really makes people gain weight. It is all about blood sugar. And fat doesn't raise blood sugar. I just can't say enough good things about the eating plan.


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## charisma (Nov 13, 2007)

Mekasmom--- thanks for the link! Great backup plateau buster... haven't hit one yet BUT thats invaluable knowledge to have!! I haven't added nuts back into my diet yet (I've noticed that they DO make me stall for some reason.. I didnt try macadamias though so maybe that will be different?) but I totally hear you about whipped cream... and cream cheese... and boiled eggs  Lol. Those are my primary ways for getting extra fat into my diet! Yum!

ErinP-- I completely agree with you about carbs! And 12 pounds is 12 pounds... not shabby at all!  I've learned to be thrilled about every single pound, and especially, to measure inches, because that's where I get the biggest boost in seeing just how much this is working.

I just finished a book called "Living the Low Carb Life"-- excellent for anyone who wants to understand more about why carbs (and the resulting insulin/blood sugar issues) are such a huge stumbling block to weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight. It's given me so much ammo to use with those who question the safety of what I'm doing.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

I recently listened to Gary Taubes' Why We Get Fat on my iPod. Prior to that, I read his more in-depth Good Calories, Bad Calories. 

You wanna overload your skeptics with the science, those are both _excellent_ resources.  (Though WWGF is the easier, layman's read)
He has REAMS of current research in the footnotes of both books.


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## Sarah J (Jun 28, 2003)

I had 3 kids and still hadn't lost the baby weight after 19 years. Got tired of it. I was eating mostly what I wanted and never gained anything beyond the pound or two fluxuation every month from hormones. I did the Atkins for several months last year and dropped the 20 pounds I was looking for, pretty quickly. I had some troubles at first and included walking on the treadmill for 45 minutes three times a week, too. THAT helped. I'm a carbohydrate junkie. I initially lost 25 pounds, then decided to slowly introduce carbs back into my life in a reasonable fashion when I went 5lbs. below my goal weight of 115lb (also 5'3 1/2" and SMALL boned - what my Doctor calls petite-everything). 

I went on vacation to an all-inclusive resort and my mantra was "I'm ON VACATION!" so ate what I wanted when I wanted. Gained the 5 pounds back that week! LOL
What *I* discovered is that I no longer gain weight...I'm at 115 and I fluxuate a pound each month, up and down, but hover in that range, no matter what I eat. I think the difference is that I never really had troubles MAINTAINING my weight, just getting it off to begin with. *shrug* That's my experience. YMMV


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## Elffriend (Mar 2, 2003)

Check out the low carb Reuben Casserole recipe I posted in the recipes sticky at the top of this board. It would be great if other low carbers could post some of their favorite recipes.

I ate many more carbs last week (it was Passover) than I usually do and that was reflected in my blood sugar numbers. Now that the holiday is over, I'm right back to eating low carb.


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## copperhead46 (Jan 25, 2008)

I want to do the Atkins but I don't really know what I can eat. Can I have fruit on this diet? I know Atkins is the only one I have a chance of staying on long enough to lose. I only want to get rid of 10 lbs, but I'm just not getting it done. I hate to give up all my good whole grains, but I tried the "Carb Lovers diet" and it works because you are on 1200 calories a day, heck, I could lose weight eating anything with no more calories than that. I'm going to check in here and stay on course, maybe it'll be eaiser if I have to report to someone 
P.J.


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## Elffriend (Mar 2, 2003)

Copperhead,

See if you can get a copy of the book from the library. You can't/shouldn't have fruit in the first couple of weeks, but after some time eating this way you can begin to add back in small amounts, starting with berries.

This should help you with what to eat:
http://www.atkins.com/Program/Phase1/WhatYouCanEatinthisPhase.aspx


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Elffriend---
I followed your link to see those lists. When did they change the plan? Does it even work now? Back when I did atkins, fruits were a big no-no except avocados and only 1c of some types of veggies a day during induction. They have just trashed the whole system since Dr. Atkins died, haven't they.? All they want to do now is sell their products. That is so sad. I had no idea they changed so much. I LOVED atkins back then. It changed our lives. 
Now it kind of looks like a soft version the the south beach thing.


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## Elffriend (Mar 2, 2003)

The induction list is still pretty much the same, no fruit, but more veggie choices. I didn't even look at the other lists. They did change the program a bit. I don't know if the newer method works because I don't follow it. I started off doing the early 90s version, before they added "rungs" and it was much simpler and worked great.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Yes "modern Atkins" works. 

And this: _good whole grains_ is an oxy-moron.  Then again, I've been reading the Paleo Solution, so I'm getting a bit zealous about this stuff. lol


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

double post


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## copperhead46 (Jan 25, 2008)

Thanks, Elfriend, thats a good start for ideas of what I can eat. I too did Atkins way back when, like the 70's and it has changed a lot. It seems like it may be a little healthier now.
P.J.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Grab the latest Atkins book (which, since Dr. A is dead, is not actually written by Atkins). Your library probably has it, otherwise your local bookstore will... 
It'll have the "modern" diet, as well as extensive research backing the rationale.

Really the diet hasn't changed that much. More veggies are in the "free" category, and the way of calculating carbs has changed a bit to exclude non-digestible fiber. 
But beyond that, it's pretty much still just Atkins. :shrug:



PS: I'm now down 22.


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## copperhead46 (Jan 25, 2008)

WOW, 22 lbs, thats great!! Stay with it and give me hope.......


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## charisma (Nov 13, 2007)

GO Erin! Lol! Love to hear about someone else doing it!

FWIW, I'm doing Atkins old-school... the book written by Dr. A in 2001 (New Diet Revolution). I honestly don't care for the modern Atkins but.... I'm kind of a whatever works for you gal. I tried South Beach prior to this and found that it was still too many carbs to work me into ketosis & get my metabolism going... so I picked up New Diet Revolution and have followed it strictly. 

I'm down to 155... total loss of 44lbs thus far. I'm running in my first 5K this weekend and I am so stoked! Its funny... I've only lost around 8 lbs since late April BUT I'm now starting to fit into some size 8s *did I really just type that? shocker!* People who know me but haven't seen me in the last 3-4 months have been stunned... some didn't even recognize me when they first saw me! I'm building muscle I know, through my running and strength training exercises, so I'm not expecting to see huge poundage continue to drop off so fast... what I'm really excited about is that I keep measuring and the inches are coming off... for me, thats the proof I need that I am eating the way that my body needs to in order to get back to a healthy weight.

For anyone interested in a TON (and literally, I mean a ton!) of low-carb and induction friendly recipes see the following links:

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/

and

http://blog.yourlighterside.com/p/eats-recipes.html (has an awesome low-carb french toast clone recipe made with "oopsies rolls" THEY ARE AMAZING! Lol. I have one just about every morning with some Walden Farms sugar-free, carb-free pancake syrup... so good, even better than the real thing in my opinion! and it has protein because its essentially just eggs.... sweet!)

GL to anyone starting out. This is the very best decision I've ever made for myself and my health!


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## yailukmuu (Mar 24, 2011)

The power of Atkins!

I actually started at 204lbs about 26 days ago, here are the results:

Lost 3.77lbs per week, for a total of 14lbs in 26 days. I'm trying to keep the loss now to only two pounds per week--it's funny but I'm having trouble eating enough to do that.

Atkins is not for everyone. Here is a test. There are 20 people invited to a dinner party, you are one of them. The host is a wonderful, amazing cook, but creates these absolutely horrid desserts that nobody ever eats.

You are served and the food is truly delightful. To your surprise the host announces that his cousin, a pasty and dessert chef has made the desserts. The guy wheels in a cart with the most wonderful array of desserts that you have ever seen. One by one you are allowed to take as much or as many as you like.

Put yourself into one of three groups:

Group 1: People who say: Hmmm...I'm so full, maybe I'll have a bite in a few hours thanks.

Group 2: People who take a bit of this and that, eating more than they should considering how much they already ate.

Group 3: People who take a bit of this, a bit of that, and then go back for seconds.

Group 1: Do Weight Watchers--you'll lose faster.

Group 2: Atkins or Weight Watchers will work for you.

Group 3: Atkins is made for you! Why? You eat, and the more carbs you eat the more you crave carbs and then you eat more. Probably your pancreas overshoots insulin production, and even when you should be sated, you are hungry. Atkins usually totally squelches CRAVINGS for these people. I am one.

Tricks to Atkins: Go to fitday.com and preferably buy their program, it's maybe $24 and one of the best programs I have ever seen. Note: You can do a watered down one for free.

Then be meticulous. Every single grain (5 grains to a gram) so everything that you eat goes on your food log. This way you will not fool yourself.

Atkins is a go-no go diet, cheat and you only don't lose, you'll gain! It never ceases to amaze me how people cheat (including in the past me) and never know it.

Here's some of my past cheats: 

Flour for thickening: "only a Tablespoon" = 24 grams net carb! (For the first few weeks 20 is the max)

Garlic: Oh, six cloves will be good for shrimp scampi: Oops....6 net carb grams

Carrots: Everyone knows carrots are diet food, I'll chomp on a few after all they are baby carrots--they must be so full of fiber that there are no carbs: Oops, 8 baby carrots = 4 net grams.

Bread crumbs: Once I fried some chicken and thought, nah, there must not be that many carbs--some yes but many...no, 1/3 cup must be maybe 6 or so... Nope--try 23 net grams, which means that one or two of these cheats combined and you will gain weight that day. Remember that on this diet, you eat lots of fat. 

Hold it exactly to the line, eat right, use fitday to watch your nutrients (you will be amazed how you need to supplement) and Atkins is just amazing. Weigh your foods with a gram scale, be very real, and lose, lose, lose...


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## yailukmuu (Mar 24, 2011)

My favorite recipe for induction (20 net grams max) is to take half a cup of pecans and using a spice grinder turn them into what looks like bread crumbs.

You use short bursts, if you to it too much, it turns to pecan butter. You want it lite and fluffy. I like chicken tenders; remove the thin outside tissue like taking off a silk stocking--then pull the tendon out by grasping it with fingers or a pair of pliers and sliding a knife along one side then the other till it comes free. Boneless breast also works, I cut it into scallops about 1/2 thick.

Oil a pan. Dip the bottoms only of the pieces of chicken and then dip that into the pecan crumbs, use just a minimal coating. Place them side by side in the pan. Then add 4 Tbs of mustard--I prefer a course ground mustard. Just spread it on evenly. It may seem like a lot, but it isn't. Then carefully sift the rest of the pecan meal over the mustard. Bake at 375 till done (about 20-24 minutes). Carefully remove so as not to loose the bottom crust.

Two servings of about 7 ounces each, or one huge man-sized serving.

12 ounces chicken, 1/2 cup pecan halves; 4 tablespoons of mustard and about 1/2 egg, beaten to coat the bottoms.

Each 7 ounce serving (half of the recipe) has 500 calories, half from protein, half from fat.
5.5 grams carb - 3.5 grams fiber (that's why I use pecans!) = 2 net grams!
57 grams of protein

Try it, and if you want to skimp on the mustard, try a few with a lot of mustard--you'll be surprised.

Two measly net grams! Yum. Or (four for the whole thing.)

I usually have it with half a bag of spinach and half a cup (cooked brocolli).


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## HOTW (Jul 3, 2007)

I came here to look for Atkins dieters and boy am I glad to see such great results! I have started today and I hope I can do it. I went to the store for a bathing suit and boy nothing shocks you more than that! So I weighed myself (236) and went straight to eggs this am! My weakness is tea I don't know how I will survive without sweet in it.

But great thing is I have not felt hungry all day and I have semi tried Atkins before but my worst enemy sleeps with me!! He will bring in foods that he knows I love but I am not going nto fall from grace this time I am tired of being tired and overweight. I am setting a goal of a size 14 right now! I could use lots of support and I will give plenty!!


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## Justin Thyme (Jun 3, 2011)

I actually did the Atkins hi-protein, low carb diet many years ago and loved it, especially seeing how I love protein generally. It worked for me at the time although with the codicil that I have never had a real weight problem.


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## VICKI1 (Jul 23, 2004)

I have read about the Atkins Diet but never tried it but I think its time. HOTW how are you doing with Atkins? There is some good info here so I'll keep watch here to see how you all are doing and I hope I'll have some positive input also. Vicki1


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