[Closed] What do we think of the Atkins Diet ?

slimjim78

I don't mind digression, but I draw the line at UFC.

KFC, maybe.

Back in your box fattie 🙂 . Once you release a thread into the wild it's no longer yours.

-6lb for the week.
Recurring headaches have eased, a good long dog walk across the Downs yesterday fuelled by nothing but water - no dizziness, no blood sugar crash, no appauling fatigue after.

Am craving sweet things in the sense that if I were allowed, I would eat my fill - but the lack of general hunger means i'm already having to remind myself to eat regularly.

Ketostix confirmed I am pissing out 99% pure nail varnish.

Weirdly, am feeling a bit more spring in my step - slightly fewer aches and pains in the morning. Certainly wasnt banking on that so soon.

Shall report back when I hit my first real target... (in 60 lbs time)
Wish me luck.

-6lb for the week.
Recurring headaches have eased, a good long dog walk across the Downs yesterday fuelled by nothing but water - no dizziness, no blood sugar crash, no appauling fatigue.

Would still say the same can be achieved by a good balanced calorie controlled diet with a sensible amount of carbs.....

Would still say the same can be achieved by a good balanced calorie controlled diet with a sensible amount of carbs

Thanks. I think you're right. I'm just really keen to acheive the best results in the short/mid term before I switch out to a more palatable sustained balanced diet.
In the past I acheived a 5 stone weight loss over 18months with a calorie controlled diet - I created a big daily spreadsheet that kept me determined not to lapse. Trouble is, i've tried the same method again a couple of times over the last couple years and only managed a month or so before caving.

In my current state i've been strguggling to summon up any stamina to ride my bike at all - especially in the evenings. I also got to the point where my current wearable wardrobe consists of about 6 items..

Work trousers already feel a little less restrictive.

Rib-eye steak with lashings of butter, salt & pepper does not feel like a hardship.

Excellent work . I've now been sugar,dairy,wheat and fruit free for 3 weeks. Cravings have gone and feeling a bit better (but feel it's a long road ahead because of my post viral fatigue)

I've lost 4kg and I've got the flattest stomach i've ever had

Rib-eye steak with lashings of butter, salt & pepper does not feel like a hardship.

Welcome to Moderation my friend, if it was easy everyone would manage it.

it's easier to manage on a LCHF diet. Carbs make you want to eat more carbs. Eating higher fat content blunts hunger and makes you feel fuller.

(in my experience of course)

I would counter that my diet is now extremely moderate..

I actually dreamt about forgetting I was on Atkins and eating a handful of sweets. Man they tasted Soooo good.

Picking up fresh loaves of bread to merely sniff them, eyeballing each and every food label for carb content, hankering after the sweet taste of a measly carrot, and preparing the next chicken salad.
This is my life now.

The stuff I've read (and is what comes up with a simple search) shows if anything a decline in performance for highly trained athletes by following a keto diet.

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Seems its great for endurance runners and fat oxidization can occur up to 90%

http://bjjcaveman.com/2015/12/07/dr-voleks-latest-research-paper-metabolic-characteristics-keto-adapted-ultra-endurance-runners/

so following my Monday morning weigh in at the health center, thats now -11lb for the first 2 weeks.

Cripes!

Although we booked tickets for a gig in Amsterdam this April and the only thing initially holding us back is the thought of no pancakes, no FEBO croquettes, no Shwarma's, no hot chocolate with my biffa. In fact, it'll probably be tricky to find a good balance in any of the local eateries.
It's going to be torture isn't it.

No, just take the weekend off, try to limit the damage, and start again on the Monday.

Sorry to dredge this thread up, but if one were experimenting with a few weeks of low carb high fat diet... what the hell do you eat on really long rides to stay fuelled?

TBH I'm thinking of stopping at a pub for a burger and leaving the bun on the side. Searching for useful recipes for the LCHF equivalent of Torq bars is pretty fruitless (ha!). But then perhaps the point is that I won't really need refuelling as much because I have plenty of fat reserves...

what the hell do you eat on really long rides to stay fuelled?

Baked eggs, frittatas, sweetcorn and feta fritters, granola, nuts, peanut butter wraps etc.

Try and get a copy of feedzone portables - there's loads of reduced carb snack ideas in there (and plenty of high carb ones too).

I make some low carb flapjacks, bound with coconut oil rather than fat. If you've been ultra low-carb for a while, you'll also find you are accessing body fat as fuel, so a long steady ride will be fine. I've done 100km with no food, whilst on my 800 Kcal no carb 8 week diet.

If you want something for your back pocket as emergency, also try Grenade Carb Killer bars.

As long as you are eating your 5 (or 10) a day then thats what matters
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/health-news-latest-food-advice-fruit-vegetables-five-a-day-10-portions-a7594631.html

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/316055.php

For anyone contemplating Atkins/HFLC - I am now convinced on its virtues - my energy levels are up, morning aches and pains significantly reduced and even my 4 year bout of fingertip eczema (yes, fingertip) has virtually disappeared in the 2 and a bit weeks I've been on the plan.
I can only put this down to the 'inflammatory reduction' that I've read elsewhere is related to sugars and grains.

Sustaining higher intensity exercise is certainly a challenge, however. But the way the weight is dropping of me I should be able to counter that negative aspect within a few weeks/months.

Ah science in full flow 😉

4 week weigh in this morning.

-7.5kg / 16.6lb lost so far.

Happy with that.

Eating less and losing weight?

Science in action.

In contrast I lost 3kg in a week by eating a bit less, laying off the midweek beers and riding more.
I'm glad your losing weight but you either need to stick with something that may not be healthy or sustainable long term or find a balance that is.

Eating less and losing weight?

Who said anything about less? You shouldve seen the size of the rib-eye I demoolished last night, along with lashings of cheesy broccoli.

(to be fair, appetite is surpressed to the point where you do tend to eat less than normal - it's just not so much of a struggle)

In contrast I lost 3kg in a week by eating a bit less, laying off the midweek beers and riding more.

First week results? Water loss, exercise and less food in your gut would've made up most of that weight loss. Would you have lost 3kg week on week?

you either need to stick with something that may not be healthy or sustainable long term or find a balance that is.

My body couldnt be telling me any clearer, no blood sugar crashes, no crippling cravings, far reduced aches and pains, clearer skin, less tiredness and more energy.
Which part of the balance have I got wrong?

Despite the common (mostly mis-)placed concerns over Atkins - My health is undoubtedly in a better place than it was just a month ago.

The long term plan is to move off stage 1 Atkins when i've lost a total of 5 stone and introduce small amount of root veg and possibly dairy a la stage 2.
I'll certainly be following a keto-diet in the long term.

Which part of the balance have I got wrong?

Why do people think low/zero carb is unsustainable?

by eating less, smarter and matching intake to exercise

Thats pretty much what I am doing. But theoretically, my metabolism could take me to Timbuktoo and back fuelled on my fat reserves - not on carbs.
What's not to love about that?

Why do people think low/zero carb is unsustainable?

Exhibit A:

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Ha!
A fine counter.
Granted, every friday/sat night I do crave a real ale and a Wispa.

Hand on heart - I won't touch the delicious stuff until im at goal weight (or the significance of an occasion dictates that it would be incredibly rude not to) - but, in the future I will be looking into suplementing longer exercise sessions with carbs and hopefully learning the fine art of balancing intake v exertion. At least, better than i've practiced it in the past.

Who said anything about less? You shouldve seen the size of the rib-eye I demoolished last night, along with lashings of cheesy broccoli.

Trust me. You are eating less.

(c'mon...10 pages...we can do it!)

Exhibit B

[img] [/img]

Just to help you out James.

Week 12, -36lb

All ~Atkins does is reduce the total calories you eat and give you an extremely unhealthy diet

I think most diets essentially do the first bit, less calories, it's often pretty much that simple for many as we're aware.

All ~Atkins does is reduce the total calories you eat and give you an extremely unhealthy diet

All ~Atkins does is reduce the total calories you eat and give you an extremely unhealthy diet

What is healthy about starchy carbohydrate?

Well done Slimjim!! I've been in the maintenance phase over 2 months now. What I really don't eat are cakes, biscuits and crisps. I have a couple of beers after riding on a Tuesday, but I still have most of my meals without rice pasta and potatoes.

I'm regularly riding 100k+ without carbs, some with big mountains too.

The rest of my life will be low carb (not no-carb!) with my main focus on cutting out the processed crap!

I think I need to jump aboard the Atkins diet train as Im the heaviest Ive ever been at 118kgs, feel like crap, always tired and not got a lot of energy.

I never crash now or bonk when riding and my fluid consumption on a ride has dropped dramatically not quite sure why maybe because I'm not processing carbs for fuel or maybe converting fat to energy releases water? Don't know!

Ive noticed that when Im exercising i drink loads of water, 3 litres to do Swinley the other weekend...... is that normal??

Slimjim have you got any recipe ideas that you wouldn't mind posting up??

Surely zero carb is impossible?

I suspect I'm not the first to say that but I struggle with long sentences

Renton - I couldnt recommend dropping the carbs more highly. Stick with the plan and after 3 or 4 days you'll find you are no longer craving carbs like a junky on cold turkey. The craving probably never completely goes away due to habitual behaviour being broken, but your sensation of 'im starving give me carbs now!' does disappear.

Within a week or two I found I was being rewarded with higher energy levels and significantly reduced general aches an pains that i'd previously put down to onset of age!

Your water consumption does seem fairly high, and coupled with your fatigue I would as a minimum recommend dropping carbs pronto - of course, it would do you well to visit your GP and perhaps ask for blood tests.

I had convinced myself that I was experiencing pre-diabetes warning signs (crippling fatigue/massive crashes where I would feel feint until i ate something carb filled or sugary / cold sweats) - but these symptoms literally vanished within the first week of Keto eating.

Study 'keto-diet' for recipe ideas - MrsSlim does most of the research here and we've had various wonders such as carb free pizza and cheese crisps, but the key is to stick to the staples:

Green veg (as much as you can stand) - no peas
Cauliflower
Fresh meat (bacon/steak/chicken/fish)
salami's
cream
butter
eggs
cheez

Small amounts of tomato
small amount of certain nuts

With the above you can usually come up with a meat and 2 veg based diet, chicken wrapped in bacon/stuffed with cheese, steak and broccoli, scrambled eggs or omlettes with ham/salami

eliminate any form of flour/starch/wheat/bread/pasta/sugar/milk and religiously check bottled/canned/packet items such as tomatoes for carb content - some are much lower than others.
The guildines are to stick to around 30grams of net carbs a day, which can be calculated without too much trouble but I frankly cannot be arsed, so I just stick mainly to staple foods and if I dabble with perhaps a few peanuts or maybe a couple of sausages I just check to see how my weekly weigh in went and if not at least -2lbs, i cut back on those 'riskier' foods again.

DO NOT be disheartened if you have a slow week or two, it always balances out. For example, the only 'treats' we've had in the last 3 months was a weekend in Amsterdam where we had pancakes/chips/hot chocolate for a couple of days (not bingeworthy amounts like before, as our appetites are generally much suppressed now) - At my following weigh in I was around 1lb heavier for the week, the next week I lost that single pound, and the weigh in after that was -5lbs..

Best tip, learn to embrace the cauliflower - turning it into 'cauli rice' with the aid of a blender is a god send, and helps bulk out meals like chilli con carne.
Courgette spaghetti goes quite well also, im not a fan of the vegetable but it turns out that when its shredded and covered in cheesy/meaty sauces that its pretty good 🙂

Most days i simply dont eat breakfast now (not hungry enough), weekends id possibly have scrambled eggs and bacon. Every weekday I have a tuna or meat salad for lunch, evenings are either one of the above or a chicken shish kebab (throw the pitta bread away!) - or maybe something from the tandoori oven at the curry house (careful on yoghurt content).
Snacks, sugar free jelly, a handful of nuts, pork scratchings (guilt free!), biltong, boiled eggs.
Trust me, you won't feel hungry enough to want to snack often.

If I ever feel like I need a cheeky sweet hit of something, squirty can cream is your friend. approx 1g of carbs per gaping mouthful..

But seriously, stick to the basics food types for at least a couple of weeks until you have a handle on the plan - then start gradually introducing the 'phase 2' stuff.

Also, purchasing a bunch of 'ketosticks' to test the ketone level in your piss is a really great way of checking your metabolism state at an instant. Its comforting to know when you're in full blown 'ketosis' and are effectively burning fat as fuel.

I had a similar experience as slimjim.

The most notable changes were sleeping better, snoring stopped, old injuries stopped aching and loads of energy.

i'd forgotten that one gobuchul, my sleeping has improved too - and this weird little 'snort' I had started to inadvertently make when getting in/out of my car also vanished.
Weird but true.

Renton - I lost 36lbs in 2 months after xmas this year. I followed the Blood Sugar Diet. 800 Kcal/day for 8 weeks. Minimal carbs- lots of tasty recipes - chicken curries, chilli, veg lasagna. It is designed to reverse type2 diabetes. The science behind it is interesting too.

Cheers Mr tsw. I will have a look at that one too.

How is everybody getting on then ?

-5lb for week on Monday weigh in. Now at -46lb total since feb.

-4" off waist measurement already (measured by trouser size), but geting close to -6". No longer require services of Jacamo.

Rode on sunday and for first time in about 2 years I felt able to power up a couple of hills with fresh legs.

How about you?

-4" off waist measurement already (measured by trouser size), but geting close to -6". No longer require services of Jacamo.

I bet you're chuffed to bits, aintcha? I know I would be.

Apart from not being able to pose for the imaginary camera whilst wearing a tent, obviously...

Still feels early days, but yes, to be on the right path feels very good.
Almost feels too easy on this method, I think appetite control that high fat/low carb offers is the key for me.

Great work slimJim!! Even though I was still pretty strong on a bike as a big lad, I feel like I actually look like a cyclist when I don lycra these days!

Just for info I'm finding maintenance remarkably easy. I'm staying off the biscuits/cakes/crisps, but not counting any calories at all, just trying to avoid processed crap!!

And as many have said, I view this as a lifestyle change, not a diet. I want to be thinner & healthy long term more than I want a biscuit.

Well I started a slightly amended version yesterday.

Ive started by cutting out all biscuits,bread,rice and potatoes etc.

Breakfast was porridge and semi skimmed milk.

Snack was an Atkins choc bar

Lunch was a tuna salad with a low carb drizzle.

Tea was baked cod and roasted veg.

I also had an Atkins shake after the gym at around 19:00 last night.

Im feeling quite irritable at the moment and drinking loads of water to try and feel full.

Hard work last night to not tuck into the biscuits etc.

What do you think of my meals ? any good ?

Meals look good, asides from the porridge obvs - although I can completely understand a reluctance to give up traditional breakfast foods, especially when as delicious as porridge.
If you stick to porridge, my advice is to go full fat on the milk (or use water).
The dietary fats in milk are the best (only) good thing about them - fat is not your enemy - carbs + sugar are. No sugar = no blood sugar spikes = controlled appetite and weight loss.
Remember, milk is lactose, any kind of 'ose' is pretty much synthesised as a sugar by your body (glucose/fructose/lactose).

Chunks of cheese and salami make good snacks.
The more fat in your diet the less hungry you will feel, guaranteed.

Good work on starting the ball rolling. By cutting out the bread/rice/pasta you are already winning. You'll be staggered by the weight loss if you go full blown keto though..

Stick with it! Looking forward to hearing your experiences after 2-3 weeks

I sort of feel as though Im trying to do too much too soon IYSWIM.

Overnight Ive just stopped all crap like biscuits, choccy bars, fizzy drinks etc etc.

Also cut out sugar in my tea/coffee

My body doesnt know what is going on lol

Chunks of cheese and salami make good snacks.

Absolutely, full fat cheese, fill your boots.

I totally know what you mean, and I'm certain you'll lose a lot of weight by doing what you are doing .

Im just promoting the virtues of Keto/Atkins phase 1 as it's a sure fire way to:

Virtually eliminate insulin response to eating
(Therefore)
Control appetite completely
Turn your metabolism into one that literally burns your fat for fuel.

Whenever you eat carb type foods (including fruit juices/milk) your pancreas has an insulin response - which in turn stores whatever you've eaten as fat - and knocks you out of ketosis.
Hence why Atkins nuts will throw a wobbly if there's one too many tomatoes in their salad.. it's all about staying in ketosis.

But, as above, you will get really good results if you stick to your current plan - you may find it harder to suppress appetite/cravings though.

Well worth picking up some ketostix, you should find ketones in your urine after only 2 or 3 days.
Good luck!

First week done.

Low carb diet and managed to lose 3.8kgs.

Not sure how much is water loss etc etc but used the same scales as before and at the same time of day.

As the week has progressed I've started to feel a bit cranky and irritated. Also had a proper shit ride around Swinley on Friday where I had no energy.

All this sounds lovely except for one thing. Green veg! Loath the bloody stuff with the exception of peas.
Not over keen on most fruit really. Cherries and strawberries are nice but that's about it. The two banana and an apple I eat a day are awful.

First week done.

Low carb diet and managed to lose 3.8kgs

Pondo - post Xmas I lost 5kg in a week eating low carb. 35lbs in 2 months.

I wasn't on pure Atkins, and I was eating berries, green veg & oats.

Dantsw... If I keep on doing what I'm doing can I expect the same next week or will the weight loss eventually taper off.

It's hard with out biscuits..... I LOVE BISCUITS !!

It will taper a bit, but Low Carb is fast!! I was dropping nearly a lb a day for 6 weeks!!

Biscuits. Yep, used to eat whole packets. I've made the decision I want to be skinny more than I want biscuits & cake.

Now I'm stable (actually still dropping very slowly!) I have a Nakd bar most days as a snack, I just avoid processed carbs.

The thing about going low carb is your hunger cravings are diminished. The more carbs and sugar you eat the more you crave. I have never felt hungry once since going low carb. Make sure you eat plenty fibre and protein. Protein will fill you up.

Renton your body and metabolism will adapt and you will plateau. The trick is to keep exercising at a steady rate where your fat reserves can fuel you. The more weight you lose the easier it is for your metabolism to fuel you from fat. I always feel a little ropey when I start riding with mates who tear off at the start of a ride who are fuelled by carbs. After 2-3 miles I settle down and I have never bonked yet to the point where they really struggle when the carbs run out. That's when you get payback for your struggle at the start. The fitter you get the less you feel it at the start. You will reach a point when you will reach a comfortable weight. That's when it gets tricky to maintain the weight you are happy at. I went from 20+ stone to below 15. 6ft 4" so I hid the weight well. I'm now 15-7lb and happy at that. I've increased my muscle mass a bit. I put weight back on but my clothes got slacker. My weight loss was over 6 months. People thought I was ill! Meat and veg and dairy no sugar. We survived for thousands of years with no wheat or sugar. No reason to start eating that crap now.

Inbred456 - Member

Renton your body and metabolism will adapt and you will plateau.

This gets bandied about a lot but google "metabolism plateau myth" or some similar combination. It appears that it's based on studies conducted on people who were actually taken to the brink of actual starvation. It also gets mixed up with "starvation mode".

For normal calorie restricted diets the drop in metabolism is tiny, and it takes years for your metabolism to adapt to your lighter weight. Apparently. Or so I've read online.

But I would agree with everything else you've said about going low carb. OP you might want to try fasting for a day just to reset your brain's perception of hunger and tame your cravings a bit.

This isn't strictly a calorie restricted diet is it, it's more a carb restricted diet. I eat more dairy and eggs. I am trying to fuel myself with fat rather than carbohydrates. I plateaued for a short while then started to lose weight again. It may have been an increase in exercise that kicked started it again I don't know. The hardest bit has been not eating after teatime till breakfast. Takes some will power that does. Not hunger just boredom.

-50 lb as of this mornings weigh-in.

How are you getting on Renton?

So, hows you guys getting on?

I've kind of naturally evolved from Atkins Phase 1 to a Phase2/3/Low carb high fat diet.

My exercise performance is beginning to get back to where I was a few years ago and as of this week I've pushed through a recent plateau and and currently running at -68lbs since commencing in Feb.

Feeling much better health wise, beginning to enjoy running again and have progressed from 5-10 mile rides back up to 20-40 milers.
2018 is going to be a great year for me, all thanks to binning carbs!

Well done Jim, you must have a fair amount of will power to keep off carbs I know I couldn't.

Thanks daviek.

I am certainly motivated not to fail - the big 40 is coming up next year and I want to be in good shape from then onwards.
But in all honesty, once you've gotten over the initial cravings - having stable blood sugar levels pretty much eliminates hunger cravings - so it begins to feel like cheating!

Also, had a piece of birthday cake last month - literally couldn't finish it, the body seems to reject sugar when it's no longer used to it.