<Mr Burn's voice> "Excellent!"

LOL Built

Originally posted by Lisa N:



Lisa N i thought ATKINS was about avoding all CARBS and SUGARS, that's why I just kept eating Proteins and fats... i mean, Won't i lose weight faster if i eat more proteins and less fats than if i eat carbs? Something I hear a lot is that i don't eat a lot of healthy fats and that i eat too much protein, isn't it 65% fats and 25% proteins? I just don't get that!! I don't understand what they mean by that and what its meant when they "healthy adequate fats"... can you give me examples? What's your menu like?

Everything you eat can glycolyze, or turn into glucose. Carbs do this quickly, proteins less so, and fats extremely slowly - it takes a LOT of energy for your body to turn dietary fat into glucose. If you eat a lot of protein, but little fat, your body will glycolyze the protein. This will stimulate an insulin response - you will feel hunger, and your body will store the glycolyzed protein as FAT.
Ketosis diets rely on the ability of fat to slow down this process. For most people, about 60-70% of cals must come from fat on a low-carb diet to prevent the body from glycolyzing the protein. By doing this, you force the body into a fat-burning energy system rather than a sugar-burning energy system.

Make better sense now?

Yep! It sure does I gotta ask this, is actually a dumb question but i'll ask anyways: What kinds of foods are good in fats and low in proteins? I'm thinking ...chicken,meat,eggs,hotdogs,fish...but i could be wrong. Don't know Anyone knows?

Eat whatever protein you want - just make sure you fatty it up. Mayonnaise, avocados, olive oil, butter, macadamias, bacon, natural peanut butter (yes it matters), coconut milk (the canned stuff - AWESOME in sauces), heavy whipping cream, full-fat sour cream, chunky blue cheese ranch dressing, brie - these are all great fat choices to help boost your daily fat consumption. ALSO, take supplemental fish oil caps. I take 6 grams a day (6 caps) and you can take more. Omega 3. Helps the body drop fat.

The only fats to avoid are polyunsaturated fats (such as canola) because they can drop thyroid output, and trans-fats (ANYTHING that says "hydrogenated") because this isn't actually food anymore - it's plasticised oil, and was actually developed for SOAP making by Proctor and Gambol.
Read here for more: http://www.westonaprice.org/know_your_fats/oiling.html

Originally posted by Built:



Built i'm having a hard time getting into a fat-burning mode. I have tried eating lots of proteins and fats and it didn't worked!!....It all went into glucose I did ate lots of mayo and mustard but i don't think that was enough. Now i know that I have to add more fat to it, i got to "fatty it up" like you said. Just today i cheated again and had watermelon(i'm still eatin it now ) I can resist candies and other sweets but i just can't resist fruits especially watermelons, its my fav fruit. And especially now that's everywhere cos its their season down here in FL. There's at least one guy selling watermelons almost in every corner, they are huge and sell 2 for $5...cheap too!

Okay, the GI of watermelon is THROUGH THE ROOF, so you probably won't get back into ketosis for several days after binging on it. Some melons aren't too bad, GI wise. Watermelon isn't one of them.

WRT mustard - mustard isn't usually fatty (isn't it just mustard powder and vinegar?). In fact, it actually has carbs in it, although not many in a serving - there's a limit to how much mustard you can eat at once LOL!

If you cannot give up fruit, you probably won't have much success on Atkins. Maybe look for a different plan that suits your tastes and lifestyle.

Originally posted by Built:



Days!? I Can't wait days to go back to KETOSIS mode But wait, i HAVE never BEEN in Ketosis so its OK. But i don't wanna mess up my diet just for giving up to my cravings, I wanna keep my ATKINS, at least for now. I know that mayo is a good source of FAT but mustard? I didn't know that it actually had carbs!! Should have paid more attention reading the labels Built are you on ATKINS? And if so, in what phase?

P.S. What does "GI" and "WRT" stand for?

Wannabthin...you really need to finish reading the book. Atkins isn't about avoiding ALL carbs. Even induction allows 20 grams of carb per day, mostly in the form of veggies, but a few other foods allowed on induction also have small amounts of carbs in them such as eggs, lemon juice, avocados, heavy cream, etc...
Dr. Atkins also said that those with less than 20 pounds to lose don't necessarily have to start with induction levels of carbs, but could go right to the ongoing weight loss phase in the range of 25-30 grams of carbs, again mostly coming from veggies from the allowed list for induction.
This link might help you understand more what you are allowed to eat: http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/15-464579.html
Atkins isn't about eating nothing but fat and protein, even though that's what the media seems to want everyone to believe. Typical induction ratios are 65-70% calories from fat, 25-30% calories from protein and about 5% of calories from carbs. As you progress through the different phases, those ratios will change with the carbs going up and the fat percentages going down. The ongoing weight loss phase (OWL) also allows you to add some lower glycemic fruits such as berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries) and some melons such as canteloupe and honeydew. About a 1/2 cup serving per day.
Also, staying well below 20 grams of carb isn't going to help you lose weight any faster than if you take in the 20 grams of carb per day in most cases. The original Atkins plan limited people to 5-10 grams of carb per day, but Dr. Atkins found over the years that people didn't lose any faster at those levels than they did at 20 grams per day and the added veggies provided a lot of health benefits to boot.
The veggies provide you with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients/antioxidants and fiber for regularity. They also provide you with something that causes many people to fail when it's lacking; variety so don't short yourself thinking that you'll lose faster!
"Healthy" fats are those that are found naturally..butter, olive oil, avocados, coconut oil, fats found in meats, poultry and fish. Avoid hydrogenated/transfats like the plague and be careful with your use of canola or soybean oils.
I also have to ask: how do you know that you weren't getting into ketosis?

Originally posted by Lisa N:



I just assumed it cos i never lost any weight . Still until this day i'm the same weight i started with and i don't think i'm gonna lose them just by doing ATKINS. It used to be just about losing weight but now is more than that. Its about shaping up and toning my body as well. Thanks to great people like Liftnlady and Built i'm convinced that Weight Lifting and Cardio work will take me to where i wanna get I don't think i ever hitted Ketosis in the whole month I was On ATKINS Induction. And yeah, you're right! I gotta skip Induction and go to phase 2, now i just need to get to that chapter in the book and begin lol

Here's a thought for you: maybe you were in ketosis but you weren't losing any weight because a) you were keeping your carbs way too low or b) your body was lacking in protein before and was using the new adequate amounts to rebuild muscle and make repairs or c) your body already thinks it's AT a good weight and doesn't want you to lose any more. It could even be a combination of all 3. I would think it a rare person who could be consuming ultra low amounts of carbs (well below 20 grams per day) and not be in ketosis even if they aren't losing weight.
If the latter is the case, then excercise and toning will get you the results you are looking for; a smaller, leaner body without any further weight loss.
Any way you look at it, it's going to take effort and commitment to get any further results.

Seems like some knowledgeable people are in here, so I have a question. I just bought some Keto Sticks yesterday after working out. I went home and used one and it showed that I was not in ketosis...thinking that this couldnt be right, I used one first thing this morning and it showed i was in heavy ketosis. I guess my question is, why were they inconsistent, and does the fact that throughout the day i drink aroud 500oz of water, and have to use the bathroom often, flush my my system so I turn up low or negative at night, but then have a concentration in the morning?

Apparently, you can actually burn off so many ketones that there's none left to spill over into your urine.

Water can dilute them, and dietary fat will make them more apparent.

Don't worry if you appear to pop in and out of ketosis. You'll get to know when you're in by the way you feel (for me, steady and not hungry) and (I'm sorry to be indelicate) the smell of your pee.

I always notice that immediately after exercise of ANY kind, there's no ketones showing, but about an hour afterward, they show up because (I think) the fat is still being released by my increased metabolism, but I'm not using up the ketones for energy, so they start to spill over into the urine again. I find the most prolonged effect when I do resistance training, followed by cardio. I see ketones in my urine all day when I do this.

Don;t worry about the Ketosis !! I'd say you need more veggies, like brocolli, cauliflower green beans.



The general idea is to read the book right through then prepare yourself to start the plan.

With you weight a 112 now and wanting to go to 97 ??? I'm not sure that you even need to follow the plan as strict as one who needs to lose way more weight. why not just avoid all the white stuff, flour, sugar, rice, pasta, potatoes.

Eat lots of veggies/salads, some fruits and good meats. You should do just fine. You do not need to be on such a restricted plan. I have'nt checked your profile, but you say you are in school, so I'm assuming you are pretty young, you need those good foods to help you be healthy.

Good Luck Kathy