Hi ,
I'm writting a paper on the the Atkins Diet. I'm looking for a couple of people who are on the diet to interview. Can I talk any of you into that?
These are some of the questions I have:
Have you tried other diets? Were they successful?
How long have you been doing Atkins? Have you lost weight?
How did you decide on this diet? Did a health professional recommend it?
What do you like about Atkins? Compared to other diets?
What do you miss or crave the most?
Have you relapsed at all?
Dr Atkins says you can meet the RDA for calcium on his diet by eating the kale, broccoli and cheese allowed on the plan. Do you eat these foods? Do you take supplements?
Do you think you are getting enough fruits, vegies & fiber?
What about the study that found that after 1 year the amount of weight lost on a LCD and a conventional diet were about the same?
What about the claims that Atkins may be bad for your health (ie. kidney damage, cancer, heart disease)?
How do you use this diet? Do you cycle through repeatedly?
Could you stay on this eating plan for the rest of your life?
Do you have any existing medical problems?
What side effects have you had?

I would really appreciate someone taking the time to answer these questions. If not, do you have any other sugestions as to who I might interview?
Thanks for your time!

You are welcome to check out my journal. I can't quite see recreating it to answer all your questions!

But briefly, I've been doing this for over a year. I love it, though my weight loss has been slow. It seems very much like something I can stay on indefinitely, unlike low fat diets I have tried before. Yes, I lost weight on them, but no way could I do it for the long term.

What I miss most is Hardees fried chicken.

Kay

Tarheel - what a nice person you are - I've noticed that other times, just thought I would take this chance to tell you.

On the article - you really haven't provided some key information that will keep MOST people from responding such as - who are you writing the paper for - what will be done with it (e.g. published, turned in for grade, what?) Why do you want to write this article? Will you need to use people's names and statistics in the article? Do you want new people, people who have been on it for awhile, people who've reached goal. ok, you get my drift.

Once you share that then you might have a better chance of having more people volunteer.

PecanPie

I don't mind answering questions although I tend to not be the typical atkins dieter.

No I have never tried another diet in an attempt to lower my weight although I have lowered fats at times, cut out dairy other times but nothing was following a plan of any sort.

I have done Atkins since August 1, 2003. I lost 40 lbs between august and january. In early january I hit 123 lbs but a couple days later learned I was pregnant so I switched to the maint. phase of the diet in hopes of gaining a healthy amount of weight for the pregnancy while I stay on Atkins.

I decided to do this diet because both of my inlaws had lost weight doing Atkins and highly recommended it. Now that I am pregnant and have discussed my diet with my nurse midwife, she is extremely supportive in me keeping to the Atkins plan. I took in two weeks of menus to show her exactly what I eat and she was quite pleased.

I like that Atkins recommends a whole foods approach. I think our society is so heavily dependant on pre-packaged, ready to go, fast fix food that we have sacrificed our health for convenience. I like that Atkins doesn't require any prepackaged shakes, bars, or foods that show up on my doorstep daily in order to make the plan work. Simple foods in their pure form do the job.

What I miss and crave the most is biscuits and gravy and key lime pie. Other than that I can't say that I miss much at all.

I wouldnt' call it a relapse but every now and then I DO allow myself to have small portions special foods every once and a while.

You can look at my fitday if you like to look at the report ( I am not sure if that is open to public access) I do meet most of the rda recommended amounts every day without a vitamin but I do take a multi vitamin usually although now I am on a prenatal vitamin.

I think I am getting plenty of veggies, fruits and fiber. I typically get in around 30 grams of fiber a day via my food. I didnt however feel I got enough during the beginning phase of atkins.

I really don't care about how low fat or other diets compair. I know that Atkins worked for me. That makes me happy.

I don't really worry about the effects of atkins on my liver, or cancer and if I didn't have a genetic predisposition for heart problems than I wouldn't really be conserned at all about that either I don't think.

I have used the diet as a way to permenantly change my eating habits.

I would love to say I could stay on atkins for life but I have a fear of all the long term effects of the high fat intake. All four of my grandparents died from either strokes or heart attacks. They had hardening of the arteries, heart disease, high blood pressure etc. My father is 50 years old. His father died in his fifties, his brother just died in his fifties and no medicine that they put my dad on lowers his blood pressure for more than a couple months. He works out almost every day, is not over weight and eats what is considered healthy. I have 2 younger brothers in their 20s, they both have high blood pressure. THey have worked out every day, are super thin and eat well. Having said that, I don't want to take a chance with the fats. If my family history was that of normal healthy people yes, I could stay on this diet for life though.

I have had no medical problems or side effects.

Good luck with your report!
Jenn

<EDIT> I wanted to add that I will remain semi low carb for life it will probably just be with a plan like South beach diet because of the fat intake issue. I have no plans of eating sugar, refined pastas and white flours like I used to.

I would be more than happy to have you interview me. I could easily comment on all the topics you mentioned.

CPJ -

I've tried low fat diets - off and on my entire life. I would lose weight but gain it back quickly because I would be so hungry. On low fat diets I would have to stay uinder 1000 calories a day to lose weight. I've been doing Atkins since Early in 2002 and I was very successfully maintaining my weight loss (I lost almost 40 lbs) until I had gall bladder surgery last September. I went off Atkins while recuperating and stayed off for almost two months, gaining back about 20 lbs. Now I'm back on it for good. I started Atkins because one of my friends was successful on it. I love it because I don't have to starve myself. I eat until I'm full. What I miss the most is pasta and potatoes, sweets were never my thing. I eat a LOT of cheese so I get a lot of calcium, but I take a calcium magnesium supplement anyway as well as a multivitamin and other minerals. I eat a LOT more vegetables now than I did before I started Atkins so I guess I don't worry about fiber very much. At least three cups a day of something nutritious like spinach brocholi, cauliflower - I eat plenty of avacados etc. I have high blood pressure which has come down a little since starting Atkins but I still have to take medications. I'm not worried about long term health effects since in essence I eat so much healthier now. No refined sugars, just plenty of chicken, fish, fresh vegetables, meat and cheese. Also, since I began Atkins in 2002 my cholestorol has been lower, and my good cholestorol higher than when I started Atkins. Studies may show that people can lose just as much on other diets, but for me, this is an easier lifestyle choice in terms of eating, something I can live with doing for the rest of my life. I love being able to eat rich satisfying foods.

Oh yeah, I was also going to say, if you check out the main low carb forum, you may notice that a lot of people on this site low carb but they use different plans - other than Atkins. You might also want to talk to them to see why they chose what they did.

As for the veggies, before Atkins I would maybe eat corn, broccoli and occasional cauliflower. Now I have veggies for all three meals a day, plus sometimes for snacks. I also eat little red meat (mostly because of the high cost). When ever I hear someone talking about how unhealthy Atkins is and all we eat is bacon and steak I have to wonder where they get thier facts.

While on maintanance level carbs (40 at the time) and using fitday I also found that I was getting 100% of all my RDA from foods, except my iron which is a little low.

Have you tried other diets? - Yes, including the infamous binge/starve cycle. Also ate low fat & exercised for ten years.

Were they successful? - Only thing that worked long term was low fat & exercise, & we're talking 1 1/2 hours a DAY. When I no longer had the money/time/space to do that, I gained 40 pounds.

How long have you been doing Atkins? - 9 months. Have you lost weight? 40 pounds! And I'm a size smaller than I used to be at this weight! (Yee haw!)

How did you decide on this diet? - My mom did it when her low fat & exercise (600 cals a day & 9 miles a day) no longer worked for her. She lost 60 pounds and 67 points off her cholesterol.

Did a health professional recommend it? - My doctor said he'd been getting good blood numbers from his nurses. They were all on it, and all lost weight.

What do you like about Atkins? - I eat such fantastic food! Shrimp and steak and bacon, broccoli and zucchini and spinach, real salad dressing. And no fake food! I shop the outer perimeter of the grocery store, and my cupboard is almost empty.

Compared to other diets? - I eat such fantastic food! And I have no problem keeping on eating this way. No counting, no portion control (now that I'm maintaining.)

What do you miss or crave the most? - Ice cream, but they have low carb ice cream. Wraps, but they have low carb wraps. So I'd have to say, "Nothing!" especially since eating this way has changed my taste buds. Bread and pasta do NOT appeal to me at all.

Have you relapsed at all? - Nope! I have the occasional high carb thing, now that I'm maintaining, but I usually don't even finish it. As a former sugar NUT, I'm amazed that sweet things are now too sweet for my palate.

Dr Atkins says you can meet the RDA for calcium on his diet by eating the kale, broccoli and cheese allowed on the plan. Do you eat these foods? - I don't eat kale, but do have lots of leafy greens, broccoli, and cheese. I'm at 100% of all nutrients except D. This includes calcium, and this was when I was losing weight and was a little stricter. Now I even get my D from yogurt.

Do you take supplements? - CLA

Do you think you are getting enough fruits, vegies & fiber? - Are you kidding? I eat more of that now than ever!

What about the study that found that after 1 year the amount of weight lost on a LCD and a conventional diet were about the same? - Dunno. Personally, I never lost so much, so quickly, and got down to this size, even with my previous regimen. I was a size 12 doing everything the way conventional weight loss plans tell you to do, and I was happy. Now, without much exercise and eating an average of 128 grams of fat a day, I'm a SIZE 10 and the pants are baggy. And I'm ecstatic!
Either I'm a mutant, or the accepted wisdom is wrong.

What about the claims that Atkins may be bad for your health (ie. kidney damage, cancer, heart disease)? - Don't believe it. A) All of us used to eat this way in hunter/gatherer times. B) My blood pressure, my mom's cholesterol, and my diabetic dad's blood sugar numbers have ALL improved. C) None of the claims of health problems are founded in good science or good studies. They are MAYBE and POSSIBLY and full of stretched logic which contradicts my own personal experience.

How do you use this diet? It's my eating plan for life.

Do you cycle through repeatedly? - Wouldn 't dream of it!

Could you stay on this eating plan for the rest of your life? - You bet your sweet patootie!

Do you have any existing medical problems? - Not any more! Blood pressure was a little high sometimes, now OPTIMUM. Diabetes on both sides of the family, but I don't worry about that anymore. And oh yeah...I WAS 40 pounds overweight!

What side effects have you had? - Let me see...increased energy, better sleep, no more mid afternoon slump, skin is clearer, hair grows faster, good muscle definition, and had to get a new wardrobe.
But these are all side effects I can live with!

If you would like to interview me further, just PM me.

Hi cjp,

What is your paper for? Class? Magazine? Book? Can you share your paper with us here when it's done? I'm sure someone who is a member would be willing to post it (you're limited on characters unless you're a member). I'd like to answer all your questions because I think this WOE/WOL is great.

btw..a lot of people are going to want to know more specifics of what you're going to do with the information before answering. (look..8 replies and 138 views...if you said more you'd probably have about a third of the views replying).

Anyway...look forward to hearing from you.
ps...tried to PM you, but you're not accepting PM's

I'm interested.....you can pm me.

Thanks so much for all your input. You have been really helpful and I appreciate it. The paper is only a lowly college paper...and yes, I'd be happy to send it on when I'm done. I must say, the stories I've heard so far are pretty impressive. The assignment for this paper is to look at two sides of a current health issue. I've been fascinated with the popularity of the Atkins diet, but also had serious concerns regarding asociated health issues. The research has been very eye-opening. I have to say that I still don't feel it is the healthiest way to eat, but I also see that it is not black and white. There are definitely good things about the diet. I'm impressed that many of you say you are eating better now than ever before.
This whole forum stuff is completely new to me--I'm basically pretty computer illiterate--it took me forever to figure out how to post something here... Anyway, now I see the PM thingy (I don't know how to make mine work?) and I would love to get some additional information sometime this week. Please, if you think of something you can add, I would appreciate it!

Have you tried other diets? Were they successful? Just low fat, or trying not to eat fattening foods. Lost about 10 lbs in a month and gained it all back in about a week. Thought I was going to starve to death in the meantime.

How long have you been doing Atkins? Have you lost weight? 9 weeks. 21 lbs.

How did you decide on this diet? Did a health professional recommend it? Just heard about it on the news, etc.

What do you like about Atkins? Compared to other diets? I decided to give it a try because I could eat a lot of the foods I LIKE--meat, salad, etc. Also helpful to me was the fact that the book laid down strict guidelines as to what I could eat. And, I could have unlimited amounts of meat, eggs, etc. so I figured I wouldn't be hungry all the time.

What do you miss or crave the most? Ice cream and chocolate. And potatoes--I live in the heart of potato country and really miss them.

Have you relapsed at all? No--I've been very strict with myself.

Dr Atkins says you can meet the RDA for calcium on his diet by eating the kale, broccoli and cheese allowed on the plan. Do you eat these foods? Do you take supplements? Yes, I eat a lot of those foods (not the kale--don't even know what that is,) but I also take a vitamin with a calcium supplement.

Do you think you are getting enough fruits, vegies & fiber? I am getting more vegetables than I used to. However, I stil kind of wonder about the fruit thing.

What about the study that found that after 1 year the amount of weight lost on a LCD and a conventional diet were about the same? Whatever--that's fine with me. I know I am losing better than I did on a conventional diet.

What about the claims that Atkins may be bad for your health (ie. kidney damage, cancer, heart disease)? I do wonder about it during induction, when the diet is its strictest. However, I hope that once I get to the maintence level I can include some other foods for a better well-rounded diet.

How do you use this diet? Do you cycle through repeatedly? First time for me.

Could you stay on this eating plan for the rest of your life? I have stayed at the induction level for the entire 9 weeks and once I get to my goal I am looking forward to getting back to "real life" where I plan to have regular food in moderation, while still staying as low-carb as possible. However, I also plan to continue weighing in weekly, and the second my weight is up more than 5 lbs or so, I'm back to strictly watching my carbs again.

Do you have any existing medical problems? No

What side effects have you had? None--I feel just the same except I weigh less and can move around easier.

Have you tried other diets? Were they successful? I did low fat/calorie a few years ago using e-diets online. Starved, ate, gained.

How long have you been doing Atkins? Have you lost weight? Started induction in May, shifted rapidly through OWL and into maintenance after losing about 10 lbs. I've been on maintenance since fall.

How did you decide on this diet? Did a health professional recommend it? From my mom....in 1972, when I briefly joined her in dieting. I wasn't overweight then, didn't gain weight until the 1980's.

What do you like about Atkins? Compared to other diets? I like the fact that I can eat good, healthy foods without starving myself. Also, eating out in restaurants is much easier and more flavorful. I have also found that I can control my binge eating disorder (like bulemia without the purging) when I stay away from triggering carbs.

What do you miss or crave the most? I thought I would miss pasta and bread the most (I'm Italian), but have found that I don't miss them. I've lost the desire for lots of foods I used to crave all the time - sweets, starches, etc.

Have you relapsed at all? I lost 17 lbs the summer before last, then in the middle of the school year (I'm a teacher), after I'd lost the weight, I foolishly thought that I could go back to eating the junk that I ate before. Whoops. Wrong move. I gained it all back by the end of the school year (therefore, the induction in May I mentioned above). I now realize that this is a healthy way of eating (WOE), not a "diet" that you go on to lose weight. I have developed new eating habits, more like what I'm genetically geared to eat. I have put "candy, ice cream, etc." back into their "special occasion treat" category instead of into the "every day consumption" category.

Dr Atkins says you can meet the RDA for calcium on his diet by eating the kale, broccoli and cheese allowed on the plan. Do you eat these foods? Do you take supplements? I eat 3-4 oz of cheese a day, and broccoli at least once a week. I do take Ca supplements in addition - I'm menopausal (not taking replacement hormones) and my doc said to take 1800 mg a day in addition to what I eat.

Do you think you are getting enough fruits, vegies & fiber? Hah. I ate fresh asparagus for breakfast today, 3 cups salad for lunch, and green beans for dinner. I've been eating a small apple every day lately. Berries and melon about once every two weeks (bum them off my partner, I'm too cheap to buy them myself until they're in season). Before this WOE I would maybe eat some corn or green beans once or twice a week, and fill up on bread, pasta, and rice. Another good thing about eating this way .... caution, this might gross you out.... NO FARTING! Processed grains used to give me hellacious cases of gas, but the whole foods I eat don't do that.

What about the study that found that after 1 year the amount of weight lost on a LCD and a conventional diet were about the same? OK, so I have two choices to lose the same amount of weight -- on one I starve myself and am miserable (I used to try and convince myself that a growling stomach was good) and on the other I am never hungry and eat well. Hmm....

What about the claims that Atkins may be bad for your health (ie. kidney damage, cancer, heart disease)? The two physicals I've had while on this WOE have been better than the ones before. My HDL has gone up, my triglycerides down, cardiac risk ratio very low, blood sugar and blood pressure fantastic, thyroid profile normal, etc. After all, humans evolved eating this way. If it were bad, natural selection would have kicked in and we wouldn't be here.

How do you use this diet? Do you cycle through repeatedly? It's not a diet. It's the way I eat.

Could you stay on this eating plan for the rest of your life? I developed poor eating habits, due to the industrial world (easy and cheap to process grains and sugars) and as a result gained weight. I have succeeded in breaking those poor habits and returned to the healthy eating my species required. I plan on keeping the good habits around.

Do you have any existing medical problems? Other than I'm a klutz prone to falling off stages and bikes (my orthopedic doc loves me), I'm healthy as a horse.

What side effects have you had? Health, energy, great self esteem and lots of positive comments from my partner and others.

Unfortunately you've not had any responses from people with diabetes, because that is where the positive aspects of the low carb way of eating show even greater positive results. As a type 2 diabetic, I have been eating low carb for nearly two years, and my blood sugars for that period have been perfectly normal - not the "good for a diabetic" standard that the medical establishment advocates, but as normal as any non-diabetic. I would not be suitable as a candidate for your paper because I don't follow the Atkins diet (I follow Dr. Richard K. Bernstein's plan as outlined in his book, "Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution - A Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars"). Dr. Bernstein also advocates a low carb diet, but it differs in some ways from Atkins because it is intended specifically for diabetics. I know that many diabetics do follow the Atkins plan with great success, and I would suggest that you include some of their experiences in your paper.

Karen D.