OK another issue here.. We are having a weight loss contest in my office and everyone is doing their own thing,, I have done weight watchers in the past and have been semi-successful but thought Atkins would be a quicker option... My question is... how many lbs can a person lose each week on Atkins? My friend on weight watchers is doing great and losing 2 lbs a week... I dont think I can compete with this and I am not trying to.. But what is the difference between her diet and mine.. Is one better than the other in getting ride of the fat? I get so confused and wonder if I should just do weight watchers... I want to lose weight and I have heard alot of gals say they only lose .5 lbs and then others say the lose 2 lbs a week on atkins.. I have to get this 67 lbs off and just dont know if I am doing the right thing.

From what i've been reading....10% the first week and 5% each week after. So probably 6-7 pounds the first week and 3-4 each week after that. BUT, everyone is completely different because there are so many factors involved. I lost 6 lbs the first week and see some people here only list 1-2 lbs. I think it depends on your metabolism, how much total weight you want to lose, if you work out, how many carbs a day are you eating, do you "cheat", etc. etc.

Jackal,

Thanks, I am totally committed to following this to a T and do.. Execise I have been working out cardio w/machines three times a week.. but this week sick so... probably won't see to much of a decrease... I just see that some of these people have only lost 30 lbs and it took them one year... I don't want it to take that long.

In 52 days, I've lost 26lbs following the Atkin's plan. I don't know what the average loss per week is for either plan, but either way you lose more in the beginning & people with more to lose tend to start off faster than those with 5-10lbs to loose. Each person is different and so are their dieting needs. If you haven't read any books on the subject, I'd start with The New Diet Revolution by Dr. Atkin's. It will help you understand the benefits of a low-carb plan (like Atkins) versus a low-fat plan (like WW). Good luck with whatever decision is right for you.
God bless,
Amy-Lynne

Liz...I hear ya girl! I'd love for all my extra weight to just drop right off, but I think we all know that it's better to lose it slowly. I have lost 26 lbs. since November 18th and can't remember feeling this good in a long, long time. I'm eating much better than ever including more veggies. I know longer crave all the carb goodies that I used to love so much, and my energy level has skyrocketed! The other huge plus that I find with low carbing (I do Atkins) is that I really don't feel like I'm restricted which is how I feel on most diets. There are so many good things to eat and I rarely feel hungry. Sometimes I actually have to remind myself to go for lunch. So, let your co-workers do their thing, you do yours, and a year from now I bet you'll be glad you changed to this WOE.

Keep it up (or should I say off!).

Suzan

Did you know when WW first started it was a fairly low-carb plan?

You have to pick a plan that you can live with for the rest of your life. Low-carbing works on insulin control. WW works by calorie control. If you're a carb junkie, you'll never be happy with WW because the carbs you eat on it will always make you crave more. With low-carbing, you break the cycle. It's not easy but you come out the other side a new person. Low-carbing also reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

You say you have been semi successful with WW in the past. Have you ever examined why you were not completely successful?



It's actually 5% per month, not per week. Wouldn't that be a miracle if it were?

Karen

I started Atkins on Nov. 15, 2003 and I have lost 45lbs..

I have not cheated once, take supplements, drink lots of water, and have done 30-60 minutes of cardio 5-6 days a week for the last 6 weeks. Nothing worth having is going to be easy. To me it's not been about a diet.... it's been about me changing the way I live.

I am going to have to agree with Jackal everybody is different. So if I were you I would stop looking at the quickest way to lose the weight and beat your friends, and start looking at what plan you can follow religiously to have the life you want.

Good luck

I received good feedback. I was just looking for some advice. I know the weight is going to come off slowly and I don't want it to come off too fast for health reasons.. I think I asked my question incorrectly as I have been doing atkins and I am sticking to it because I do have a problem with carbs. I do find I have more energy on atkins and know that I am eating healthy by not eating all the processed foods that ww allows.. I am eating foods in their pure form and in the long run is the best way to go. I do look forward to when I can eat more veggies.. Again, thanks and I love this site.

Well, I'll give you my experience between the 2, and you decide if it helps you at all. BTW, we have similar stats (check out my profile) when it comes to start and goal weight, age, height.

I did WW 3 yrs ago and lost 23 lbs in 4-5 months (gained 20 back since). I was STARVING most of the time.

So far, on Atkins, I've lost 12 lbs in 18 DAYS (and at least 8 inches). I'm rarely hungry and don't feel very deprived. Sure, I miss sugar/carbs but that's because I was an addict, not because the Atkins WOL isn't satisfying.

I drink nothing but water (all day long ), have no caffeine or artificial sweeteners and take supplements every day. I feel 10000 % better than before LCing, and I feel 10000% better than I did on WW.

HTH,
N.

My experience with Weight Watchers has not been fantastic. I have been on it at least 15 times, the first time in high school. I have never lost much more than 20 lbs on it, I lost very, very slowly and I was always hungry. I've been on Atkins since 7/8/02. In the first six months, I lost 61 pounds and I feel FANTASTIC! I always thought of WW as a DIET...something I would eventually go off. I do not think of Atkins as a diet. It is just the way I eat, and the way I hope to eat for the rest of my life. Atkins has made a HUGE difference in my health and in the way I feel: normal cholesterol and blood pressure, no more hives and flaky skin, no more knee pain. I never felt this good on WW.
Not to knock WW...I've known people who love it and have done very well. Everyone reacts differently to different diets. But for me, Atkins is definitely the way to go. Atkins and I are a good fit. Try it and see if it works for you. Give it a month. If it doesn't work for you, you could always try WW's.

I did well on WW in 1979 when I was younger. When I rejoined a year ago, guess what? There were a lot of the same people there, as had been in 79-80, fat again because IMO they never broke their habits. Last year I lost 25 lbs. in WW but it took me 8 months. In three I gained 18 of it back because I quit doing the program. I am a carb addict. Even on WW I chose all the points in carbs....no wonder I starved and felt bad!

Oops! Sorry about that! Was a typo. Meant to type month not week! Will be more careful next time.

Liza,
I started back on the Atkins WOE last May and have lost only 15 lbs. I get discouraged, but at least the weight is coming off. If I wasn't following this WOE, I'd probably have gained 30 MORE lbs. by now! I do cheat occasionally, and I know that's why it's coming off slowly and I'm ok with that. My dr. is very happy. She's got me coming in every 3 mos. to monitor my weight loss and blood pressure. Last visit my blood pressure was normal and I had lost 9 lbs. since my visit before. She told me as long as I'm losing, she doesn't care how fast or slow. She was ready to put me on blood pressure medication but I begged her to give me a chance to lower it on my own.
I figure as long as I'm losing weight, I'm going in the right direction. How fast you lose depends on how much yo-yo dieting you've done in the past, also. I'm the Queen of that!!!
Good luck and keep up the good work.

I've been an on-and-off WW dieter for a long time too. And Karen's question hits home: why not completely successful? And the answer for me is that a low calorie, "balanced" plan was not addressing the REASON I got fat in the first place.

Giving me a tiny portion of a chocolate eclair was not stopping my addiction for a huge eclair...and most times I'd wind up eating 2 tiny ones since they were "WW" approved... I was ALWAYS hungry, weighing and measuring every little spec of food...felt like I was branded on my forehead: DIETER, CAN ONLY EAT CERTAIN THINGS!!

I lost a 1/4 of a pound one week (yippee!) and went up 1/2 the next, etc. while I was paying out my ears for all the dues and misc. items I just had to have. Nonsense.

Most people who consume an overload of carbs and fuel their bodies with sugary crap need to break the cycle, replace it with a more efficient type of energy and learn to ENJOY their control over food, NOT feel restricted for life. LC'ing does that where other plans do not. Once that cycle is broken, there is a freedom and a control over food that is so GOOD!! There are health benefits, energy and fun with eating again.

This WOE suits that for me...and I didn't mean to bash WW in particular, but the whole diet industry is in the same boat really... they're selling a single product to a very diverse population. How can that work for everyone?

Hi Liza,

In the past, I made several attempts at WW, but was always hungry and had no points left! I used up my points everyday and was always hungry, scrounging for something to eat. Ate low-point value, high glycemic index carbs galore (popcorn, carrots, potatoes, WW frozen entrees, and WW desserts, etc.).

Eating all that WW "carbage" just made me crave more of it. And it was very frustrating to attend a meeting, shell out $$, get on the scale and find it hadn't moved, or moved up! I never had that steady, downward trend I was pursuing.

- At least I haven't been hungry on this LC WOL!

- I have lost more weight than during any similar period of time on WW.

- There's always something "legal" to eat (at least when I have planned and shopped).

- And I never run out of points!!!!!

For me, LCing will be the way I eat for the rest of my life, not just until I get to my goal weight!

HTH,

Pokey One