[Jessiegirl]

It can be soooo frustrating to be stuck! I cannot emphasize this enough.....DO NOT GIVE UP!!! Just keep plugging along and you will start to lose again, I swear!!

[thewomanwithin67]

I love Atkins In my year of "dieting" life change etc I have used the induction plan many many times - of course I don't do it drastic and cut ALL carbs out, I like breads too much :P

Any time I hit a plateau or stop losing, I go back to 20-30 carbs at most daily for a week or so and that makes me start to lose again.

Sometimes our bodies need a change and switching something like carbs, fats, water, exercise from what you are doing to something else helps. Try any of these for a week: if you eat carbs, cut them out, or cut out fats, add more water or less; exercise more or less than what you're doing and see if any of these help.

I've not experienced a weight gain since March 2006 - EXCEPT the weeks I start exercising when I haven't for awhile. I have been told that the muscles hold onto water and I swell and bloat for a week or so then it goes down :eek: (another reason to exercise on a regular basis)

[sweet4jay]

I have heard that Atkins is dangerous as well, but really, there is no medical stats to back this up. It has been proven that ppl's triglycerides & cholesterol will drop DRASTICALLY while on this diet!!!
HOWEVER...I am NOT endorsing, NOR am I discouraging this diet! You DO have to stay on it for life though, or you WILL gain the weight back --- GUARANTEED!
I know TONS of ppl who have given this diet a whirl (myself included!), & it holds true for EVERYONE! They gain the weight back after going off of it!
It's just not worth it to me! I love my sweets too much!

Good luck to any of you who want to try it though!!!

[Jessiegirl]

I seriously did low carb/Atkins for about 2 years. I was never so UNhealthy! My hair was dry and brittle, I always felt bloated and constipated and my breath smelled horrible from the Ketosis!

In the end, after the yo-yo-ing, I ended up at the heaviest I ever was. I would strictly adhere to the plan for weeks at a time and the weight was falling off. The problem was, one or two days of eating "off" the diet and I would gain it back like 5-8 lbs. I did this over and over and over....

I have ruined myself on eggs and cheeses. Those used to be two of my favorite things. Now I can barely eat them. How many friggin omelets can a person eat??

[sara013188]

Ugh, I could never keep up with Atkins...I'm a carb girl...always will be...lol. I do find it unhealthy to eat so much fat all day, but hey millions of people do it all the time, and did it way back when (farmers would get up, have eggs, bacon and sausage go out to work, everyday). I eat eggs and bacon almost everyday for breakfast and find it really helps keep me full longer then cereal.

Changing meals or exercise is a great way to get over plateaus, but just keep working at it. I haven't worked so hard/long to lose weight ever and (as my new photo shows) I am down 30 pounds and am just revving my engine

[susanpesek]

Good Morning! I had no idea Atkin's could be done with lots of vegetables added in, too!
A decade ago I went on Atkins with the knowledge I could eat all I wanted of proteins and fats. A pound of crisp bacon and bags of pork rinds every day=I gained 9 pounds.

[rebeleagle1965]

Atkins CAN be done including a measured amount of veggies-anything green/leafy and non starchy is usually fairly low-carb. But they do have to be counted and measured, and there are very limited choices for dressings, dips, and sauces. The average American eats more than 300 grams of carbs per day. Induction in Atkins allows for less than 20. It's a big change, and difficult to stick with. Not exactly the building blocks of a successful diet plan.
I did Atkins for 3 months and lost 30 pounds. It was miserable and I had alot of stomache trouble and fatigue. I didn't gain the weight back when I stopped, but that was really difficult. Most people do because once you add carbs back into your daily life, some monster cravings will ride in on that blood sugar roller coaster that your body is no longer accustomed to. When you stop Atkins, even if you have the willpower to resist those strong cravings, you can expect to gain back about 5 pounds. Carbs make you retain water, which is why people lose so dramatically in the first two weeks. But it's also going to come back as soon as you bite into that first piece of bread.....
It taught me alot about the body's response to different types of foods, and how we use them for fuel. But it wasn't for me.
I grew up in Louisiana, where grits and cornbread are held in high regard. It was all I could do to ignore what I've consumed my entire life for that 3 months, and definitely not something I could do forever.
Studies have shown that in the first few months of Atkins, health factors such as cholesterol levels and blood pressure will actually improve-despite the high fat content of the diet. It's generally attributed to the fact that HOWEVER we lose weight these things tend to improve. But the long term effects don't have a great track record. The Atkins foundation has been sued many times by longtimers who claimed that the diet caused heart attacks, heart disease, clogged arteries, etc.
I don't recommend it to anyone, because while you probably will lose weight on this diet, statistically you will likely gain that weight back when you stop. Eating this way permanently is not good for your health.
The book is interesting, though, and the science of the idea does make alot of sense. Anyone interested in trying a lowER, not low, carb lifestyle might try something like south beach or the zone-which are based on the same concept of balancing carb levels/types without eliminating them or swapping them for pounds of bacon-and have almost as good a rate of weight loss.
I myself am just lost to the whole idea. I've read every book imaginable, but I'm a hopeless rice & gravy, mashed potatos kinda gal, and I can't bring myself to totally eliminate them....even if it would mean being a size 2.

[sara013188]

rebel-you always have something great to add to our discussions! You must do a lot of research! Thanks for the info