Atkins v/s South Beach

mphsmommy · July 6, 2008

Which one is better and which one would you do? My doc suggest Atkins, but isn't South Beach the same thing?

LISAMARIE1158 · July 6, 2008

Atkins is less carbohydrates than the South Beach..l have done Atkins many times and always feel great while on it..its just hard to maintain so few carbohydrates forever...Atkins is high protein....

josephine · July 6, 2008

Kelly,

Atkins is more aggravating to the kidneys than South Beach is. We need complex carbs in our daily intake also. Once you begin to eat carbs on Atkins you begin to gain weight. I lost 55 lbs. on Atkins and then gained 75 lbs. once I stopped eating Atkins. I missed eating carbs and then began my bad habits again. Atkins was my last DIET before I had my band and now I eat normal now and it isn't dieting anymore. Try it on your own. You know the healthy foods to eat and with the band you will be eating less anyway so just try it on your own. You can do it.

Josephine

mphsmommy · July 6, 2008

Thanks, I have looked at the carb count on stuff in my pantry and I was shocked. Even alot of veggies have carbs. I love fruits and veggies, so I think I'll stick to high Proteins, fruits, and veggies. LOL

Desdemona · July 7, 2008

I think it really comes down to personal fit. When people say Atkins it really seems that most people are thinking of his induction phase which limits to 20 carbs a day and is just 2 weeks but many people elect to stick with it. There are in fact 3 more stages with higher carb counts. A compete literature search in Pub Med on low carb studies for the past 4 years pretty much demonstrates both the safety and benefits of all low carb diets and Atkins is the most studied of them. Nevertheless, it is hard for most people to continue at 20 carbs a day for a longtime. It has also been shown that it really isn't necessary to be that low unless you are particularly insulin resistant. In addition, many people, especially people over 50 tend to get very low energy, have brain fog, and irritability on only 20 carbs. That is why I think it's a matter of personal preference. Try to find out where you respond best to low carb eating. Which type of low carb can you stick to? Which one do you feel best on? Which one works best with your lifestyle? That is the one that will work best for you.

Luu2008 · July 7, 2008

I have tried both diet plans. This is all pre-band.

When I stuck with Atkins as it is written in the book I had a lot of success, lost 80 pounds. You should read both books. As mentioned in an excellent post above, there are 3 phases to Atkins. My mom has maintained a significant weight loss for several years following the Atkins plan. She is in the maintenance phase, she eats whole grains (in moderation), fruits and vegetables (to her hearts content.) She steers clear of complex carbs.

I was able to tolerate 30-40 carbs a day and loose up to 2-3 pounds week, that is still very low carb count that doesn't include high carb/starchy vegies or a lot of fruits, I did have berries and nuts. The induction phase is 20 carbs a day for 2 weeks, if you have insulin issues, you will feel amazing (hunger goes away) but it gets REALLY old after awhile. I don't think that induction was ever intended to be long term.

I maintained my Atkins weight loss for 2 years, the longest I was ever able to succeed with an eating plan.

South beach was not as easy for me to stay on because my carbs were too high for me to avoid having cravings. I also felt the initial 2 weeks on South Beach seem a lot like the initial 2 weeks on Atkins. I almost felt it was a copy of Atkins only they switched a few things up.

Hope that helps.