Atkins anyone?

[Dave_NW 92]

Atkins is not anti-carb. See this is the type of thing that just makes me crazy. I'm guessing you haven't even read his book because if you had, you would never have made this statement.

Here's a short version that shows how very similar they are...and their differences.

You're right - I haven't read the book. But I am friends with several people who claimed to be experts on Atkins. They never ate carbs. Nobody I ever talked to on Atkins ate carbs. None of my friends are still on Atkins, and in fact, several of them are dead, from unexpected heart attacks and such at too-young of an age. So I made the leap that Atkins was anti-carb. Pardon the hell out of me for being mistaken.

I was not criticizing you. But I think you'd agree it doesn't much matter what I think. Since you are obviously vehemently defensive of your desire to use Atkins, then go for it. Nobody here will stop you.

I wish you success in your weight loss, and a safe and happy New Year.

Dave

[ElfiePoo 109]

You're right - I haven't read the book. But I am friends with several people who claimed to be experts on Atkins. They never ate carbs. Nobody I ever talked to on Atkins ate carbs. None of my friends are still on Atkins, and in fact, several of them are dead, from unexpected heart attacks and such at too-young of an age. So I made the leap that Atkins was anti-carb. Pardon the hell out of me for being mistaken.

I was not criticizing you. But I think you'd agree it doesn't much matter what I think. Since you are obviously vehemently defensive of your desire to use Atkins, then go for it. Nobody here will stop you.

Dave,

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who go on Atkins without reading the book and fall into the trap of believing this is a 'stuff yourself full of as much high fat food as you like and the weight will just woosh off'...but let's face it, that's hardly the fault of Atkins. I've gone to various medical and nutrition sites around the 'net where they promote a low carb diet, but say 'this is healthier than Atkins because you eat vegetables'. The South Beach Diet, Carbohydrate Addict's Diet and a few others that came along after Atkins made the same claims...they were healthier than Atkins because you could eat carbs. Yes, and you can *and should* eat carbs on Atkins.

All of this is not out of a vehement desire to use Atkins...it is in an effort to promote truthfulness and accuracy. I really don't care whether or not others go on Atkins...but their choice should be made based on fact and not rumor.

I'm sorry your friends/acquaintances died so young of heart attacks, but it obviously was not the fault of the Atkins diet because they weren't on it. They were on some diet of their own making.

Melody

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[Tinagrl 0]

Dave,

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who go on Atkins without reading the book and fall into the trap of believing this is a 'stuff yourself full of as much high fat food as you like and the weight will just woosh off'...but let's face it, that's hardly the fault of Atkins. I've gone to various medical and nutrition sites around the 'net where they promote a low carb diet, but say 'this is healthier than Atkins because you eat vegetables'. The South Beach Diet, Carbohydrate Addict's Diet and a few others that came along after Atkins made the same claims...they were healthier than Atkins because you could eat carbs. Yes, and you can *and should* eat carbs on Atkins.

All of this is not out of a vehement desire to use Atkins...it is in an effort to promote truthfulness and accuracy. I really don't care whether or not others go on Atkins...but their choice should be made based on fact and not rumor.

I'm sorry your friends/acquaintances died so young of heart attacks, but it obviously was not the fault of the Atkins diet because they weren't on it. They were on some diet of their own making.

Melody

.

Melody i agree with you. I am a FIRM believer in the Atkins/low carb eating plans. It is amazing how you can see lab work go back into normal ranges and people coming off insulin all from cutting out the carbs. I plan on eating very low carbs...and sticking to as close to atkins as i can after my surgery. I do know that people dont know that Atkins diet DOES promote that we eat 12-15g of carbs a day in only Vegetables. That is a lot of veggies if you look at the back of veggie packages at the carb content in vegetables. They are generally very low in carbs if they arent a starchy veggie. And you dont have to eat a bunch of fat if you dont want to. I eat Turkey bacon instead of fatty bacon. Change it up a bit, but cutting out the unhealthy carbs...starch, white flour, ect....can never be a bad thing

Happy New Year everyone!!!

Tina

[ElfiePoo 109]

Hi Tina,

What I love are the stories of anti-Atkins doctors being converted to the idea of Atkins as a healthy diet by patients who stick consistently, lose weight *and* get to the point of not having to take any of the meds they've taken for years (cholesterol, diabetes, etc.). It's hard to argue with results.

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[renniemommietoo 1]

I have repeatedly lost a lot of weight following low-carb.The ONLY thing that has ever lost weight for me. I wonder about being able to do it post-band, since meat and veggies seem to get 'stuck'. (I haven't a surgery yet). Don't bother with the whole dang book,it's is a hassle, in fact he had a different version back in the 70's that was based on "the drinking man's diet". Don't eat white fluff and crap! I made a chart of veggies,etc gram counts for 1/2 cups and then wrote everything down. 15 grams is called "induction", where the most loss is and not something i'd recommend long term, all the way up to 60 grams a day, which is good too. 15-60 a day, no fluff and your good.

My trick is staying that way, hence why I'm looking at surgery..

[anewbeckiboo 1]

I'm a firm Atkins believer...it always worked for me until I would fall into my OWN bad habit of "just one cheat day and then I'll get back on track". It's a great plan when followed as written (eating an abundance of vegetables as your carbs instead of Pasta and white bread).

All my labs came within range when I followed it...and the real kicker is that I had a heart condition that was un-diagnosed that caused me to have high blood pressure since I was 10 years old. When I was 24 and did Atkins faithfully, my BP came into the normal range for the first time since I was 10 after only 3 months on program. The heart condition was not discovered for 4 more years. I think that speaks volumes.

Now...when it comes to combining it with lap-band...I think it's practically perfect, with the band adding some bonuses.

One of the KEY reasons people are successful on Atkins is because their appetite is suppressed from eating the Protein and the fat (fat is satiating), so even though you START the program eating as much food as you want, the volume decreases rapidly as your appetite changes so you really do ultimately eat a reduced calorie diet. (For example, I would start the program eating a 4-egg ham and cheese omelet for Breakfast, but within two weeks would be down to only eating 1 egg and MAYBE a piece of bacon if I was really hungry.

Now that we are banded, we get the bonus of having immediate appetite suppression/volume control. One of my favorite foods on Atkins was taco salad...but I know I would easily eat more than I probably should have. The band will control the how much but I still get to enjoy one of my favorite dinners (I hope...I don't have a fill yet and don't know how well lettuce will be tolerated, but I'm holding out hope).

Additionally, because we don't need as much fat to reach that level of "satiation" we achieved pre-band, we can cut back on the fat, thereby limiting our calories even more. Lucky us!

Even though most surgeons post-op diets vary wildly, I think we can all agree that almost all of them say "protein first, then veggies, then carbs"...well...sounds like a perfect fit with Atkins if you ask me.

For me, the final bonus is that IF I indulge in something that is high carb/off plan (cake, Pasta, a cookie, etc.) then the band will hold me back from being TOO destructive and thereby easier to get back on track.

Personally I’m not able to do Atkins at THIS point in the process…but I have a feeling that I will be enjoying my old Atkins style meals on a regular basis.

I also often hear that most surgeons recommend a "South Beach" style diet...which is really a lower fat version of Atkins anyway from what I've read.

Best of luck!

[RandomRan 1]

I have been doing Adkins since April when I found out I was pre-diabetic. I never cheat a single bite because it makes me not crave sugar/carbs at all. One cheat, and it takes time for the cravings to go away again. The old days of excessive hunger and eating in the middle of the night just disappeared about 2 months after giving up carbs. So many people struggle with being starving between surgery day and the first fill or two (or 3 or 4) ... My second fill was 2 days ago and I'm already 19 lbs from my goal weight. 800 calories a day is SOOOO much easier with no carbs.

Lap Band will help you control portions, but it is up to you to control what you put in your mouth. By not eating carbs, I can't blow it on sliders ... no ice cream, no Cookies, etc. As far as health goes, I was pre-diabetic and did not want to go on meds in April '10. Since eating Adkins style, my cholesterol, my blood sugars, EVERYTHING is 100% in the normal range. For the beginning months, I limited my veggies too, but these days, I eat 7 servings of veggies every day. Makes it super easy to stay at 800 calories and not be hungry. The only veggies I avoid are peas, corn, carrots, tomatoes, and I limit onions. Also, I now choose low fat and non fat cheeses and Protein even though they sometimes add a gram or two of carbs.