Atkins Diet

Future LPN Sheryl · Apr 24, 2001

Oh Boy!!! You'll get a lot of different opinions on the Atkins Diet weather it's safe or not. I believe it is safe, I've been doing low-carb in some form for almost 2 years. I have lost a lot of weight and still have a lot more to lose but I'm about 1/2 way there. The best advice I can give you is to buy the book "Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution" Don't do the diet without the book, REALLY. Cause for 1 you'll hear the "All meat diet" which isn't true. The Atkins Diet IF followed correctly and not the way others "Claim" it to be, is very successful.

2. There is so much more to know than what to eat. Here are a couple of sites that you can get info & support on the diet. Good luck!!

http://www.escribe.com/health/atkins/bb/index.html

http://www.atkinsfriends.com/frames/bb.html

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Sheryl

kewlnurse · Apr 25, 2001

Originally posted by Shunna:
Hey I am in the process of trying to shed a few pounds. Does anyone have the ingredients to this diet? Any help would be greatly appreciated. How about the Mayo Clinic diet too?

I prefer to destroy my liver and kidneys with etoh than a diet that doesn't work, but thats my 2$

TracyRN · Apr 25, 2001

Shunna,

I tried the Atkins diet last fall: bought the book, recipe book... lasted 2 weeks until the holidays hit and then a plate of cookies called my name too loudly for me to resist. The diet was actually recommended to me by my doctor when I asked him for advice. It is true that you aren't hungry but its an expensive and very strict diet that requires alot of willpower for those of us who grab fast meals, like sandwiches, on the run or who have small children who need the carbos in their diet. Nothing like being on the Atkins for a week and eyeing your 2-year-old's plate and thinking that he's too little to stop you from stealing his mac&cheese! If you run a search on the internet you'll find lots of support/recipe sites. Keep in mind, from all I've read at the sites, if you go off the diet, unless you are very controlled, you will probably gain back what you lost. That's why Atkins himself says you have to make it a way of life, not a quickie cure.

I'm trying a slightly different tack. About 10 years ago my brother was a member of Overeaters Anonymous (OA) which (as I understand it, never having been a member) is a 12 step program modeled after AA. Back when he was a member, they were still recommending diets (no longer a practice, I understand) and the following is the diet he used to lose about 100 lbs. over a 1-2 year period and my brother is a confirmed desk jockey who does not exercise beyond walking. He doesn't follow the "strict" diet any longer but still retains healthier eating habits and has maintained a decent, not thin, weight.

Simple rules: no wheat and no processed sugar. Of course, some of my favorite foods are out but the foods that are out are ones that I tend of stuff on. Pasta, bread, desserts... What is allowed? All fruits because only processed sugars are out. I also can eat the "no added sugar" varieties of jellies/jams, Edy's "no added sugar" ice cream, sugar free puddings & jello, all veggies... Popcorn cakes and crisp breads with no wheat are allowed for "sandwiches" and corn bread is okay but watch the mixes for added wheat flour and sugar. Snacks? As long as there is no wheat, anything goes: Fritos, those cheese covered corn puffs that turn your fingers orange... As long as you avoid processed sugars and wheat, you can eat as much/as often as you like.

The pounds don't melt off of you with this diet but the loss is steady over a period of time and, I think, its a more realistic diet that many others I've seen. Just cutting out the processed sugars is a big positive step. Oh, yeah! The reasoning behind cutting the processed sugars and wheat is because they (OA) found that those were the most often abused binge foods. I don't binge eat but I do know that my comfort foods fall into that category!! I'm not anal about cutting out ALL sugar and wheat. I eat spaghetti sauce with a little sugar in it to cut the acidity, over rice, not pasta, though. I like cornbread with a little wheat flour in it. And once a week, I eat out and have one piece of bread and a dessert of my choice... yep, I'm a rebel.

Jeesh! I've written a small novel here! Whatever route you choose to lose weight, good luck.