People (I guess those that dont know Atkins) go around saying-"you can eat as much as you want as long as theres no carbs". "You can eat a pound of bacon if you want" "you dont need to count calories anymore!" Well, Im learing that all this really isnt true. We DO need to monitor VERY CLOSELY the foods we eat. I think coming to this is whats been my down fall. Its trickier than I thought. L

Yes you have to monitor fat, carbs and calories. As with any diet. The trick here is to find out what works for you. The old rules still apply---if you put too much in and don't burn it off it will not work.
The good thing about this diet is when eating the right amounts, you don't go hungry. The homework here is to find the right amounts.
angie

I had a lady say to me that you could eat 5000 calories a day as long as it wasn't carbs and still lose weight! I was like....uh...have you read the book? While you don't have to count calories as you do with other diets, you still don't have a license to eat a truck load of food at one sitting. Isn't it amazing the amount of misinformation that is out there? And these people are the ones that spout off like experts! Grrrrrr.

It all boils down to the goesintos must be lower the goesoutofs. No matter how you slice it...if you are putting in more calories than you are burning up then you will gain weight. The tricky part is figuring out what you are burning up everyday and that is something that is totally different for each individual.

If a person is burning 6000 calories a day through BMR and activities then 5000 calories is not bad. You do have to be smart about spreading those calories out across multiple meals throughout the day. Sitting down to a 3000 calorie meal will just not work.

This is as basic as it gets but you should be able to see the point.

Cody

I love the folks who are sure that Atkins means that you are eating sticks of butter and 22 oz. porterhouse steaks all the time! They are so convinced that we are eating so much meat and NO veggies, and that portion control is out the window! I have the same response - *smack them upside the head* READ THE BOOK!

I'm eating more veggies than I ever did. I'm eating them more consistently and with almost every meal. And no, not eating bread, pasta, potatoes and rice is not going to kill me. Eating reasonable amounts of meat isn't going to make my bad stats go up.

And for goodness sake, before telling me how bad my "diet" is - you know, the one where I've lost over 40 pounds and feel great - READ THE BOOK!

*Maggie now gets off her soapbox*

Weight Loss [on Atkins] depends on a number of things: Net Carbs, Glycemic Load, True Calories, Protein, etc...If you take in too many Net Carbs, you won't lose weight. If the Glycemic Load of your foods is too high, you probably won't lose weight. Taking in too little Protein can lead to muscle loss rather than fat loss. If you take in more True Calories than you put out, you will not lose weight...Although, if there is no insulin rush, you also won't gain.

Some folks could lose at 5,000 Calories/day [assuming 65% Fat, <20g CHO, that is 3,500 True Calories*.] Of course, most of us couldn't lose at that level. Make it 3,000 Calories/day [same assumptions] and you've only taken in 2,100 True Calories*. At 2,000 Calories/day [same assumptions,] you've taken in 1,400 True Calories*. Those last two are low enough for most men to lose at. Some women may have to stay at the lower intake to lose.

*True Calories -- It is a myth that Fat contributes a disproportionate number of Calories (9 Kcal/g vs 4 kcal/g). When your body breaks fat down into Ketones, it expends 4 kcal/g. That means, after subtracting the amount of energy needed to get Calories from the Fat, you arrive at a Net figure of 5 Kcal/g...much closer to the 4 Kcal/g for Carbs and Protein. In fact, Protein's True Calories may also be lower as it not only takes energy to use, but a substantial amount is used by the body for functions other than energy. But, since I can't say how much is actually not used for energy, I have to assume all is capable of being used for energy. True Calories reflects 5 Kcal for every gram of Fat, rather than the 9 Kcal per gram the FDA has mandated Food Makers use.

you mean we CAN'T eat a lb of bacon??? uh oh...

haha, joking. seriously, i'm paying MUCH more attention to what i put in my body than i ever did before!

I constantly deal with Atkin's Urban Legends from people that think they are informed. My stepmother kept going on about being in ketoacidosis, and since she is a "health care professional" my attempts to correct her were met with contempt. Same thing with the "Don't you just eat steak and bacon with Butter" etc etc.

The truth for me is that I have never consistantly eaten the amount of salad and vegetables that I eat now. I have always been a big meat eater, so the Atkins WOE really has not been a hardship to me.

I do wonder if the fear of fat, in most people's minds, is that it is very easy to equate fat on our bodies with fat in our meals. To the uniformed, that makes sense, since it is a (simplistic) logical connection.

You can eat MANY more calories than a traditional low fat diet and still lose much more, but I don't think anyone should consume 3,000 + calories. The metabolic advantage does help though!

I LOVE that I had a fabulous lunch today...freshly made Caesar salad and 3 chicken wings. It was delicious! My ds ate a slice of pizza and my dh had pasta...and I didn't covet their meals for a minute! Mine was delicious!

Elle

Okey....true calories.....now I'm really confused ....I've had a lot of trouble with understanding FitDay.....carbs, fiber and net carbs. Finally found out I have not been eating enough carbs OR calories. I struggle to keep it over 1500 calories, (I have been recommended between 1500-1800 cals) and reading your posting, I have to struggle even more, because the calories are not all true calories !
Please tell me it's not supposed to be this difficult !!!!

Maybe I'm stupid not understanding this, - it is a bit late in the evening, - am I really doing it all wrong ?
PS. Love your town ! Spent a few days last summer in Pensacola and Pensacola Beach/Santa Rosa Island. WE didn't book in advance and ended up at FiveFlags. Would have stayed longer, but didn't like the thunderstorm on our 4th day/night ! We Norwegians are not used that kind of weather, cold we know, thunder like that we don't like ! But we will be back !

Too many uninformed people believe Atkins followers just eat eggs, meat, and cheese. Therefore, when I am first asked about what I am doing to lose weight, I say that I now eat more vegetables than I ever did before. The looks of amazement are priceless. "You CAN eat vegetables???"

This is what Dr. Atkins refers to as the metabolic advantage. Just know that your body is burning more calories than someone doing a low fat diet. I think you should just count calories the way you have been and not worry about the exact numbers. It takes the stress out of it. The most important thing is to eat until you are satisfied and then stop. You'll probably end up having what you need in calories by the end of the day.

Hi Nille--

Look at the weight you've lost...obviously, you're not "doing it all wrong."

My advice is that most of the tools on fitday.com are really useful when you find yourself "stuck" for several weeks without any loss and without a clue as to what is wrong. In the meantime, if you limit your carb intake to an appropriate level and don't do anything thoroughly "silly" (like gobbling down sticks of butter), the rest of the stuff will take care of itself. If you find that your weight-loss has slowed, then it can be useful to dig further into the data and find out where the problem might lie.

This sure makes life simpler for me....

Also, 2000 calories of fat and protein are much more FILLING than 2000 calories of low fat/high carb

I was so hungry at the beginning of this woe, but my appetite went down, I am sure yours will too.