Atkins diet pwned me..

[zylander]

Im 24, 6'4" and my normal weight is around 180-190lbs. Over the past year I have been slowly gaining weight and am now up to 230lbs and my belly is huge! My diet is not too great either; lots of soda and sweets and a lot of junk food like mac n cheese and fatty breads. A friend of mine started the Atkins diet a few weeks ago and it has been working pretty well for him so I decided to try it out.

I started yesterday morning at breakfast with a few hard boiled eggs and some bacon and then for lunch I have a chicken caesar salad. Everything was going alright during the day, dinner is where things fell apart. I BBQed some baby back ribs and some skirt steak and then took it over to my girl friends aunts house where she had mac n cheese, baked butter honey rolls and a fridge filled with coke and orange juice. I tried to resist all the urges and stuck with eating just the steak but I crumbled within minutes and then grabbed a plate of mac n cheese and rolls and wolfed it down...when it comes to food I am a weak, weak man.

So after my colossal failure I decided to; cut out soda, do smaller healthier breakfasts and lunches and then eat my dinners in moderation and not stuff myself. I already jog 5 miles every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. I figure if I just monitor my intake I should be able to lose weight without having to radically change my diet.

Anyways, thats the story of my pathetic attempt at changing my diet. Anyone here actually try the Atkins diet and actually be successful at it?

 

[Crono]

I wouldn't even attempt. I'm a carb fiend. I can limit my calorie intake no problem, but I eat grains and fruits and vegetables much more than everything else.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: zylander
So after my colossal failure I decided to; cut out soda, do smaller healthier breakfasts and lunches and then eat my dinners in moderation and not stuff myself. I already jog 5 miles every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. I figure if I just monitor my intake I should be able to lose weight without having to radically change my diet.

That's a much better plan in any case. Bread is too awesome to not eat.

 

[ric1287]

the best diet is not eating stupid shit (often) and exercising.

I lost 20 lbs on the Atkins crap a few years ago, got tired of it, gained it all back + more.

 

[MixMasterTang]

You're making too much of a change at once and just setting yourself up for failure. You'll either do like you just did and quite it and go back to your old ways, or eventually lose the weight, go back to your old ways and regain it.

I would suggest starting out slowly, cut out the soda and candy/junk food. After doing that for a few weeks start replacing french fries with a salad, cut back on portion sizes and/or cut out fatty processed foods. Cooking at home can help you cut out a lot of calories too.

 

[soulcougher73]

Im currently doing the Atkins diet and have done it before. The results are really amazing if you can resist the urges. The 1st time i lost 50lb but once i went off it came back shortly. This time ive lost 25lbs so far. Once i get to my desired weight im going to change diets and eating habits. I miss my fruit and breads But Atkins does work that is for sure if you can tough it out.

 

[Hacp]

Originally posted by: zylander
Im 24, 6'4" and my normal weight is around 180-190lbs. Over the past year I have been slowly gaining weight and am now up to 230lbs and my belly is huge! My diet is not too great either; lots of soda and sweets and a lot of junk food like mac n cheese and fatty breads. A friend of mine started the Atkins diet a few weeks ago and it has been working pretty well for him so I decided to try it out.

I started yesterday morning at breakfast with a few hard boiled eggs and some bacon and then for lunch I have a chicken caesar salad. Everything was going alright during the day, dinner is where things fell apart. I BBQed some baby back ribs and some skirt steak and then took it over to my girl friends aunts house where she had mac n cheese, baked butter honey rolls and a fridge filled with coke and orange juice. I tried to resist all the urges and stuck with eating just the steak but I crumbled within minutes and then grabbed a plate of mac n cheese and rolls and wolfed it down...when it comes to food I am a weak, weak man.

So after my colossal failure I decided to; cut out soda, do smaller healthier breakfasts and lunches and then eat my dinners in moderation and not stuff myself. I already jog 5 miles every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. I figure if I just monitor my intake I should be able to lose weight without having to radically change my diet.

Anyways, thats the story of my pathetic attempt at changing my diet. Anyone here actually try the Atkins diet and actually be successful at it?

If you can't cut calories, you'll never lose a significant amount of weight. Jogging 15 miles a week is about 3/4 pound a week. If you just eat normal and healthy, you'll stay at your current weight.

 

[hanoverphist]

Originally posted by: zylander


Anyways, thats the story of my pathetic attempt at changing my diet. Anyone here actually try the Atkins diet and actually be successful at it?

i did it like 4 years ago, lost 95 lbs over about 11 months without adding exercise to my routine. i drank iced tea and diet mt dew instead of regular mt dew, as well as lots of water. wife left me and i kind of went on a pity party with the foods i shouldnt have been eating and gained pretty much all of it back over the next 2 or so years. been working on doing it again, i kind of liked how i felt being 240 instead of 330ish. im 6'3", but am very wide. my shoulders are about 2ft wide alone, when i get under 220 i look like a skeleton man (ribs and hips show badly). you must have a smaller frame to be huge at 230.


edit: when i say im working on it again, im not trying the atkins this time. life without carbs sucked then, im going to try limiting my portions, smaller dinners and adding a good amount of exercise instead.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

It's a shame you haven't visited the AT Health and Fitness forum. Perhaps you would have read the fat loss sticky and learned a few things. The Atkins diet isn't going to work. You get ridiculous urges and it emphasizes a lot of crash-like dieting. If you're serious about wanting to lose weight, read that thread and post any questions you have. Please, quit with the fad crap and start something that will change your life and is actually maintainable.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I don't think diets like the Atkins diet that make you completely change how you eat are very good for keeping off the weight long term anyway. You can't keep eating like the Atkins diet prescribes forever because it's really not that healthy, but what are you going to do when you reach your goal? You're going to resume eating the way you did before since the Atkins diet doesn't really teach you how to eat healthy, filling foods in moderation; it just teaches you how to do the Atkins diet.

My suggestion is to start out eating exactly what you normally eat, but in smaller quantities. If you can stay faithful to that you'll transition to healthier, more filling foods naturally because you can eat more of them and keep from being hungry all the time.

 

[El Guaraguao]

Im 27, 6'2" normal weight is around 230-240lbs. Ever since I got with my girlfriend, Ive been eating nothing but her food. needless to say I was pushing almost 270. I started , what I like to call, powercise. lol. anyways, its a FIERCE total body workout that last 30 min, first thing in the morning. As soon as I wake up, i dont eat. do my powercise, THEN eat a good size breakfast, and through out the day, eat little things here and there to keep my body going into starvation mode. Ive been doing this for a week, a day on and off. days off for rest, believe me when i say rest, you're going to need it. I pretty much still eat what i want, in decent sized portions of coarse. Im losing about 2-3 a week, probably more. I dont have a scale, but already have pairs of pants that i NEED a belt to hold onto my waist. no pills, no diet. just straight up exercise.

 

[Titan]

dude, refined sugar, especially soda, and I'm no fan of HFCS, is very addicting. Some people say if the FDA were to review sugar these days, it would not get approved.

I used to be a soda junkie or worse, I did those 99 cent arizona iced tea cans.

here's how I got off soda (mostly). I first quit all HFCS, that stuff can only be broken down by your liver as opposed to normal cane sugar. I drank hippie sodas sweetened with juice and cane sugar, avoided caffeine. After 2 weeks I felt great and quit soda all together.

You don;t have to lose all carbs, just refined sugars and flours. you might have a gluten sensitivity so you could try avoiding all wheat, barley, and rye for a bit, and stick to brown rice, kidney beans and yogurt for your carbs. Also take some chromium picolinate to regulate your blood sugar levels.

Atkins is not the best diet for you. but I haver been there and getting off sugar is hard, keep at it. Plan it out, and then do it. Failing to plan is planning to fail.

 

[nageov3t]

I did well on atkins for a couple months, but gained it all back pretty quickly after stopping.

best diet I've found has been anorexia

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

I have been working out for about 5-6 years straight. I have so much muscle I almost eat whatever I want and my muscle burns it all up while I surf the web.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

I also eat like a horse so I can't relate. ;-)

 

[senseamp]

Atkins sucks. Tried it, it's just horrible for your digestive tract, plus it's not healthy in general. There are plenty of ways to lose weight in unhealthy ways, doesn't mean it's worth it.
Plus don't need it. Just exercise and eat right. I mean still watch your carbs, make sure they are high quality whole grains, not refined sugary or starchy foods.
Also, exercise, and match your food to the type of exercise you are doing or planning to do. If you are going to run or bike, have carbs before for energy and proteins after for recovery.

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: soulcougher73
Im currently doing the Atkins diet and have done it before. The results are really amazing if you can resist the urges. The 1st time i lost 50lb but once i went off it came back shortly. This time ive lost 25lbs so far. Once i get to my desired weight im going to change diets and eating habits. I miss my fruit and breads But Atkins does work that is for sure if you can tough it out.

Yep. I took on the Atkins diet last year and lost 65lbs in 6 months. I slowly started eating bread and sweet crap (in low quantities) and gained 10lbs in about a year. I'm sure I would've kept it off if I kept exercising like I was doing before. But no biggie, I've already lost 6lbs already and should lose the rest in a couple of months.

 

[IEC]

Remember that you need to maintain your target weight for six months or so or it is VERY easy to regain it. Happened to me junior year thru senior year of college, went from single digit body fat to 14% again

 

[Deeko]

Atkins is awful. Not healthy, and you will gain most of it back if you don't stick to it...ya know, forever.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: zoiks

Originally posted by: soulcougher73
Im currently doing the Atkins diet and have done it before. The results are really amazing if you can resist the urges. The 1st time i lost 50lb but once i went off it came back shortly. This time ive lost 25lbs so far. Once i get to my desired weight im going to change diets and eating habits. I miss my fruit and breads But Atkins does work that is for sure if you can tough it out.

Yep. I took on the Atkins diet last year and lost 65lbs in 6 months. I slowly started eating bread and sweet crap (in low quantities) and gained 10lbs in about a year. I'm sure I would've kept it off if I kept exercising like I was doing before. But no biggie, I've already lost 6lbs already and should lose the rest in a couple of months.

Well, SOME weight gain is going to happen no matter what. When you significantly limit your carb intake, you lose a TON of water. When you start eating them again, you gain that water back. That's fine, it's not unhealthy to have a greater amount of water. Just make sure you don't gain more than 10 pounds back.

 

[lxskllr]

High protein/fat diets are hard on your liver.

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: Deeko
Atkins is awful. Not healthy, and you will gain most of it back if you don't stick to it...ya know, forever.

It's not awful. It depends on what you eat in your diet. I primarily avoided fatty foods and ate chicken (skinless) and fish for protein. I also ate a lot of vegetables especially green leafy vegetables like spinach, chinese broccoli, bok choy etc.

One trick I've learned on controlling hunger is to eat nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios etc). Just a handful of them work wonders for me. Every other evening nowadays after work I eat a handful before I run my 4 miles.

 

[purbeast0]

there is a reason it is called a fad diet.

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: zoiks

Originally posted by: soulcougher73
Im currently doing the Atkins diet and have done it before. The results are really amazing if you can resist the urges. The 1st time i lost 50lb but once i went off it came back shortly. This time ive lost 25lbs so far. Once i get to my desired weight im going to change diets and eating habits. I miss my fruit and breads But Atkins does work that is for sure if you can tough it out.

Yep. I took on the Atkins diet last year and lost 65lbs in 6 months. I slowly started eating bread and sweet crap (in low quantities) and gained 10lbs in about a year. I'm sure I would've kept it off if I kept exercising like I was doing before. But no biggie, I've already lost 6lbs already and should lose the rest in a couple of months.

Well, SOME weight gain is going to happen no matter what. When you significantly limit your carb intake, you lose a TON of water. When you start eating them again, you gain that water back. That's fine, it's not unhealthy to have a greater amount of water. Just make sure you don't gain more than 10 pounds back.

Thanks for that. I noticed that overall my size didn't change much after I gained the 10lbs but the weighing machine indicated otherwise.

 

[mrCide]

I'm doing Weight Watchers. I started at 177 and I'm at 153, about 3-4 months so far? I'm perfectly happy with what and how much I eat. This is without exercising which I'll start at some point.

Eating right and cutting back portions goes a long way. I've done Atkins a couple times, it really is an awful diet, and people really do eat the most unhealthy crap on that diet and ignore it because 'yay its not carbs its safe'. Think again.

Edit: the GF is kind of doing it but did it consistently for a year and lost 70lb or so and is maintaining it with no problem. 200ish->130