So Has Anyone Had Any Luck With Atkins

South Beach is the way to go. 18 lbs as of yesterday and I started 2/2/04.

D

Why yes, it's my 7th wedding anniversary!

I've followed Bill Philips' "Body for Life" program...but the workout schedule can be a bit taxing. Short workouts (less than an hour - free weights and cardio on alternate days) but six days a week.

Gawd! I love that seventh day!

I swear by Weight Watchers. It's very sensible - portion control, working out, more fruits & veggies, drink lots of water.

Of course, you COULD try getting addicted to heroin or visit a third world contry and drink the tap water. Internal parasites and tapeworms should waste you away in a twinkling!

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Atkins is VERY effective as long as you don't cheat. I lost 5 pounds in two days...perhaps a bit too much. I quit because it is so restrictive as to what you can eat and I felt like I was dying from lack of sugar. :) But if you need to lose weight fast, that's definately a good option.

I have to eat my own words, posted at this very site. I had denounced Atkins last fall. Then, after Christmas and a face-stuffing January, I needed radical means to a smaller end. I picked over all the low carbs, Zone, South Beach, Atkins, and came up with what worked for me. In six weeks, I've lost 9 pounds. I think anyone trying to lose over 10 pounds (14 is my number) wants to see progress quickly. Particularly if you're over 40 and issues like blood pressure are involved. So these low carb plans deliver. You just have to keep some high-fiber carbs in your daly diet, to help your digestion. And it's pretty silly to cut out all carbs and eat all the fat you can stuff in. The day will come when you'll want carbs again, and you will have developed an even BIGGER taste for fat. I try to be sensible, and use Egg Beaters or egg whites, and not over stuff certain foods, like cheese. I love fish, so I haven't had to go crazy.

I just this week tried one of Atkins tricks -- whipped up cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes. You know, it's damned good. Virtually no carbs.

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What worked for me is simply eliminating the 'white' food. Refined sugar, white flour, white rice, white pasta, white bread, and white potatoes.

I lost about 25 lbs. and no longer crave the sweets. I used to compulsively eat cookies, cake and candy all day and I'm cured!

I did see a nutritionist for 6 months to learn a new way of eating. I still have to have my sweets, but I make them myself using healthy ingredients.

Lots of luck in whatever you choose!

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YES! If you look at the pre-prepared sushi you can buy in almost every deli, they often have the ones with brown rice as well as the white (I only eat brown rice). In restaurants, I'm sure you can order it with brown rice also!

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I've had success with Atkins twice in my life. Many years ago, when I was a (not very) wee bairn fresh out of high school, I managed to lose about 60 pounds on the plan (living on cigarettes and beer as I did at the time didn't hurt, either, I might add). Then a year and a half ago, I felt I could use some streamlining again, went back on a modified Atkins diet (however, no beers or cigarettes this time), and have lost about 25 pounds to date. I don't need to but I wouldn't mind losing another 10 or so.
What can I say? Atkins works for me.

I don't know about sushi. I wouldn't touch anything with fish in it (and RAW????) with a ten foot pole!

As far as craving the carbs, I do "cheat". In other words, I allow myself one day of the week where anything goes carb wise and I've STILL lost the weight. I had KFC last Saturday. Not sure how I'm going to spend my "free" night this week. Maybe a nice bag of popcorn. YUM!

D

I do the same thing, jrb. I also use the low carb Slim Fast bars. Some taste like saw dust but I'm getting used to them.

Now that I'm in Phase 2, I also have some dark chocolate--the Dove squares. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't pig out on them but every once in awhile I let myself have 2. Remember what the book said--the darker the chocolate, the better.

Last night I picked a roasted chicken up from the local Winn Dixie (that's a grocery store) deli. I only eat the breast with the skin removed so I had half a breast, a handful of smal grape tomatos and 3 tablespoons of cole slaw. For my free night, I had 3 tablespoons of rice pudding which was REALLY good. Think I did bad? I just weighed myself this morning and lost ANOTHER 2 pounds!

Now I want to say something else. To those who were PMing me as weight loss buddies and said you quit. That's ok. Maybe your not ready to lose the weight. Lord knows I started diet after diet only to stop after one or two days. Mostly because I was sooo hungry or I told myself, "I'm really not THAT much overweight. It's not hurting me."

That day in the doctors office when my BP was 180/110 and the doctor thought I was going to stroke out right there was a wake up call. That is what started me on this diet, that is what will KEEP me on this diet.

I'm very pleased to say that even with my current weight loss (not quite halfway to my goal), my BP is so far down the doctor has taken me OFF the BP meds as well as the cholesterol.

Besides the health benefits, that's 60 dollors a month I'm going be saving on the meds alone.


D

I don't really care for both diets, but I think that South Beach is better for you in the long run.

Atkins can either work for you or have disastrous results. I've heard of a more successful percentage of people using SB diet. (plus, Atkins can be very bad in the long run with all the fat and protein, etc. etc., but that's for dancers. I don't think that it would do too well for the normal people's health in the long run anyway)

ON EDIT: The first pounds you lose in 'just two/three days' etc. is JUST water weight. And even in the first couple of weeks, it still can be just water weight. The second you go off the diet, they're gonna come back. So if you want a diet for a night, and don't mind going for all the weight after- go for it.

Updated On: 3/14/04 at 12:46 PM