Hello to all,

I just recently became interested in the concept of the Atkins diet. I have been a yo-yo when it comes to my weight for most of my life. My last high point was about 6 yeras ago when I topped out at 280lbs. I went on a serious crash diet (starved myself) and dropped down to 185lbs in about 3 months.

Since that time I have maintained that weight for the most part, but it has always been by starving myself after a run of heavy eating. I'm tired of the madness!!!!! I love to eat and I have to find a way to be able to do that without balloning.

The concept of the Atkins diet sounds good to me. I know a couple of people who are on the diet and it's working for them. For me it's not really about loosing much weight, but being able to eat to my satisfaction and be healthy at the same time without pouring back on the pounds. Thanks in advance for any advise you can extend to me.

sparky55

Hi Sparky, and welcome to the board!
If you do Atkins well, it WILL work and you won't be hungry. You just have to be prepared because the first week is difficult, for some people more than others, but it will be tough. If you can hang in for the first week, and you do it right, you will succeed.
My first recommendation is that you read the book. If you don't have the time to read the whole book, at least read the chapter on how to do a clean induction (the first two weeks of the program). If you only eat the foods allowed the first two weeks you will loose and your hunger will be gone. Then you can read the rest of the chapters as needed.
Stay away from shakes, bars, and low carb products. There are a lot of good low carb products out there, but they are for later stages of the program.
This board is a great place to come for encouragement and when you feel like you won't be able to make it. There are a lot of wonderful and caring people here that have accomplished so much.
Welcome!

I hear ya, Sparky. I, too, love to eat and low-carb lets me eat without losing control. I truly enjoy the simple, delicious food that is part of this way of eating and I hope that you will, too. I'm not much on the frankenfood -- the real stuff tastes too good too mess with those. Come on in, the water is fine!

Before you decide anything, read up on it Check the side link that says "Which low carb diet is right for me?"

Once you find one that you think may work, go get the book for that diet. If you choose Atkins, Walmart has "Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution" for only about $6. Remember too that looking at this as a way of developing good eating habits for a healthy life which includes a healthy weight will make it much easier then wanting just a diet. You sound like you already have the right mindset to be really successful.

If you are eager to start on Atkins, check out these two pages
Acceptable foods
http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/15-464579.html

Rules of Induciton
http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/15-325810.html

Getting the book, or at least reading through all the articles on the page is still needed. Those will get you started, but there is also what to do after the first two weeks, and also the science and problems that can occure.

Stick to whole foods, not the bars, shakes and other marketing ploys, hang out here with us "losers" and have fun with the plan

Hi to all,

Thanks so much for your responses. It's encouraging to know that there are so many people who care and will take the time to try and help. I've done a little sufing on this website and it is incredible!

One of my biggest fears in starting this adventure is that I will gain weight rapidly as I have in the past. My "fat thermostat" is so messed up from all the years of starving myself that I'm afraid my body will simply convert whatever I eat into stored fat. Any thoughts on this?

I'll be reading the Atkins book right away and be getting started on my "new life" including good food and good health. I'll let you know from time to time how I'm doing. Thanks again and good luck to you all!

Sparky55

It was hard for me to make the switch to eating fats too after being so conditioned to avoiding them like the plague. You will see when you read the book, that it only takes our bodies a few days to switch over to fat burning mode. If there are limited carbs available, your body is FORCED to burn the fat.

Best of luck to you! I look forward to reading your updates!

Whatever you do, don't be afraid of fat! This is NOT a low-fat diet. The theory "less is more" just doesn't apply here. Eat your fat and be happy!

Good luck!

Actually, your body is more likely to retain fat when it's not getting enough! If you keep the fat coming (I lost my weight while averaging 70% fat) the body feels good about letting it go.

...As they say, jump right in!

One thing I noticed very soon after I started --two to three days max-- was that I felt SO MUCH BETTER on this way of eating. Heartburn went WAAAAY down. I didn't feel like an out-of-control eater. I didn't eat a whole meal anymore and think, "I need more." I didn't get so tired at 2 p.m. that I couldn't function. I ate when I felt hungry and stopped when I felt satisfied.

To me, that's well worth giving up bread. I can live without pizza crusts now that I see what they do to me.

One other thing. When I feel myself getting stressed ("oh NOOO! I ate 24 carb grams today!! The sky is about to fall in!") I like reading comments on this board like, "Remember, you have the rest of your life to eat well...if you didn't do as well as you wanted today, you can dust yourself off and there's always tomorrow." This is a big help. You'd think they'd encourage me to cheat, but no. Between the lack of insulin hunger and the knowledge that this is for the long haul, I feel calmer and better about this way of eating than any other way I've tried.

I'm in the fourth week, by the way, and I've lost 8.5 pounds.

Best wishes to you,
Nancy

If your metabolism is damaged through starvation and/or years of yo-yo dieting, yes you might gain a few pounds at first. If that does happen, my advise would be to NOT PANIC and stick with it. It's going to take some time and patience to heal your damaged metabolism, but it is possible.
I would suggest that you read The Schwarzbein Principle and The Schwarzbein Principle II for more information on what years of starvation and yo-yoing does to your metabolism and what best to do about it (hint...continuing to starve yourself and yo-yo isn't the answer!).
I'd also caution you against going into this with the mindset of being able to "pig out" on low carb foods. On low carb we are are to learn to eat until satisfied, but not stuffed and to eat a wide variety of protein, fats and vegetables.
Since you have very little to lose (less than 20 pounds), Dr. Atkins suggested that you skip induction and go right to the ongoing weight loss (OWL) phase at 25-30 grams of carb per day to start with and go from there. You may want to consider other low carb plans than Atkins (see the link already suggested) before you settle on a plan and definitely get the book for whichever plan you choose and read it thoroughly before you begin.
Best of success to you!

Hi Sparky

Welcome to this humble (and huge in numbers) forum.

I love food too and I love to eat. Ya know the BEST part about low carbing?
you can occasionally have an affair with food and almost NEVER gain the weight.
I don't miss carbs, so when I indulge, I have something like heavy cream with a DaVinci's flavored splenda to add interest.

Today I made homemade cream of mushroom soup (well, it ended up with broccoli, celery, chicken and bacon bits in it too). It is the BEST DARNED soup I've ever had and I can't even cook (made it with Hood Carb Countdown milk). Low Carbing is teaching me how to cook!!!!

I no longer count calories or even worry about them!!!!

Hello to all again,

Wow! I'm just blown away by all of you thoughtful folks. Thanks again so much for taking the time to pass on your thoughts, advise and support to me.

I am going to take this new life style slow and do it "by the book". I know that no matter what LC plan you were to use it isn't a license to just eat as much as you want. That would be nice, but it just can't be. Thanks again to you all and I'll do my best to keep you posted on my progress.

Sparky55

Actually, Atkins knows that some may get the urge to pig out, and he suggests when you feel like that to go ahead and splurge on something protein like hard boiled eggs. He says that stuffing yourself with the eggs will naturally be self-limiting because they are so filling. He says that a person could easily sit down and devour an entire bag of cookies, but almost no one could eat dozens of hard boiled eggs! And the impact is minimal compared to devouring a ton of cookies. If you're further in the program, you could eat some extra nuts or fruit, which is still better than pigging out on junk food. And it won't destroy your diet progress. Good luck and enjoy!
Tricia

One thing I've noticed that might help you: it's that food TASTES SO GOOD to me now. I remember being starving, eating a meal, and still being unsatisfied. This is what leads to fantasies of "pigging out."
However, eating Atkins, the food tastes so delicious to me, but after I don't have the urge to eat more.
It's the best of both worlds--great tasting food, and then lasting satisfaction.

Welcome to the board