I used to read this forum for about a year. I did Atkins on and off for about 2 years (under 20 grams carbs). I say on and off because I could not stand eating fat and protein all the time, I never looked forward to eating, got sick of the same food every day and I could not stick to it. I did however lose 30-40 pounds about 3 times, but every damn day I used to to crave sugar like there was no tomorrow and after a while I would end up binging and getting back to my starting weight

Anyway 6 months I switched to a slightly lower calorie than maintenance bodybuilding diet eating 40% protein, 40% healthy carbs and 20% good fats and I feel great. I have lost 40 pounds and do not do any cardio exept for normal daily activity, but I do 3 weights sessions a week, doing all classic compound exercises with heavy weights (3 sets of 8-12 reps) to give a full body workout in minimum time. I have heaps more muscle and I have lost 6 inches off my waist in the past 4 months. I also eat 6 squares of chocolate every day and consume 2 litres of Coke Zero daily. If you want to read an article on sweetners read this http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=291569

Meanwhile, my mum and dad have both been busting their asses making Atkins meals every day for the last 3 months, and constantly cheating on their diet with wine, bread etc because they too can not stick to this diet. They have not lost any weight except the standard 4-5kg of water in 3 MONTHS! It is simply not something any sane person can do for their whole life. If you can, good on you, but I couldnt becasue I had no energy, I was always constapated and every day I would want to eat sugar, and put simply I wasnt happy.

I worked out that my maintenance calorie intake was about 3000 caloiries per day, so I cut 500 per day to 2500 calories and I have been dropping weight every week. With Atkins I was always a bit tired but now bounce around like I have ADHD , I have heaps of energy and I feel fantastic. I also look better than at the same weight on Atkins as I have more muscle.

One thing I learned on here is people alwasy end up talking about counting calories on Atkins. Low carb diets work because you are eating less calories, they are still a low calorie diet. Whatever people say to you about this diet, remember this:

If you eat less calories than you burn, you will lose weight. If you want to lose weight and maintain muscle at the same time, do weight training 2-3 times a week on non consecutive days. Also if think you can do Atkins and eat 5000 calories a day, you will not lose weight, try it if you want

Even though you are eating fatty foods on atkins, you feel full quicker but still eat less calories. I know how Ketosis works, I studied nutrition at university, I was a real beleiver in low carbing for a long time, but at the end of the day, you can eat anything you want, just eat less of it, eat less than you burn and you will lose wieght. SIMPLE

Dont deny yourself, eat sensibly, eat healthy.

If you don't believe me, I don't care, do what you want. Good luck whatever you decide PEACE

Well good for you.....whats most important is that you are doing what works for you. Congratulations on your loss and Good Luck to you!

I'm glad you found something that worked for you. It had failed for me many times.

Everyone is different, especially when it comes to tolerance. I can not tolerate being hungry all of the time on a diet such as you suggest. I will gain weight because I will binge. LC works for me because I am not hungry all of the time, eat a vast array of delicious food and have all of the energy in the world. BUT, that's just me. You've found what works for you; that's what all of us have to work out for ourselves.

I do also realise that as cavemen (Sorry Christians), before we were even able to harvest grain crops, we ate an eqivilant diet to Atkins.... but we don't actually know what long term effects that diet had on our bodys as the life expectancey would have been around 20 back then.

Also you may be interested in looking up the diet of the Hunza people from the Himalayas. They are considered to be the healthiest people in the world with some people reaching ages of 120 up to 140 years of age (apparently) and having near zero intance of cancer. Their diet consists of around 40% calories from whole grains, 30% calories from vegeables, 15% from fruits, 10% beans, 4% nuts/seeds and only 1% from animal products

Aha. I just knew this was coming when I started reading the thread.

http://www.biblelife.org/hunza.htm

"As someone who has lived and worked in the Hunza and Baltistan region of northern Pakistan for a decade, it is important to first debunk the myth that the Burushushki, Wakhi and Shina people of the Hunza region are blessed with the lives of Methusula. This was actually a myth which gained momentum when it was written up by Dr. Alexander Leaf, in the January 1973 issue of National Geographic magazine. There is absolutely no scientific validity to his claim. People of the Hunza suffer from malnutrition and nutrition deficiencies just as much as any other remote mountain region in SE Asia. Although the predominantly Ismaeli faith (branch of Shi-ite muslims) are progressive and relatively better off than most of their neighbours in nearby regions, they will all tell any visitor, that their life expectancy is around 50 - 60 years, just like any other region of northern Pakistan."

Good luck on a plan that never worked for me.

Bo

It's great that you're feeling better, but from what I've read the Hunzas, their diet & their life expectancy are myths :/

Sally Fallon says the following about the Hunza:

"The long-lived people of Hunza consume animal protein in the form of high-fat goat milk products." Later there's another quote from a journal: "These mountain dwellers eat little meat but large amounts of whole goat milk products."

Their water is high in minerals and they eat lots of apricots are some other pieces of info I found. Plus, these apricots are actually used for oil, which is "a major source of fat in their diet."

But perhaps - for the Vitamin D fans - the nutritionists have all missed another important factor relating to their longevity: living high up in the Himalayas, they will have presumably received massive exposure to strong sunlight, giving them huge doses of Vitamin D on a daily basis.

Maybe their high levels of natural Vitamin D is the real reason they all live to be 154.

Hand out the Cod Liver Oil, somebody!

amanda

Sorry Alastair, but not one bit of this is true.
The longevity (and diet) of the Hunzakut (the proper name of the people
of The Hunza River Valley) is one of the more pervasive myths and has
been held up time and again by epidemiologists as how NOT to make
valid epidemiological observations. They live no longer than anyone else
in Pakistan and certainly do eat their fair share of meat and fat.

The only authoritative book on the people of The Hunza River Valley is:
Hunza - Lost Kingdom of the Himalayas, by John Clark
He's the only westerner to have spent any serious time there. (He lived amongst
the Hunzakut for around 2 years). The rest were there, only during the summer
months.

More info here:
http://thegreathunzo.blogspot.com/2...evity-myth.html
cheers,
BeefWalker
The only valid opinion is an informed opinion.

It has been my finding that I still need to watch my calories as well as carbs on Atkins. If I eat alot of meat with 0 carbs I will not lose and even gain

Archeological finds indicate that the brains of the meat eaters (skulls) grew larger, while the brains of the vegetarians (skulls) never developed and those people died off. The same (brain development) is true of most animal life.

"cavemen (sorry Christians)"?????

I'm glad you found something that works for you Alastair!

I personally find that when I add in too many carbs, I end up craving more carbs and more calories- high carb, low fat simply does NOT work for me.

Not to be a nitpicker here Alastair, but I'm curious what kinds of foods you were eating when you were doing Atkins. I'm not suggesting you change your eating plan, I'm more "musing about what could have been done differently and if others could learn from your experiences."

Were you eating a lot of sugar alcohols or synthetic sweeteners when you were on Atkins?

the author's statement explained:
literal interpretation Christians believe the world is only a few thousand years old, while prehistoric man has been dated to be much older.

Alastair, I am glad you found a plan that works for you. I did what you are doing for about 6 months, lost about 25 pounds, and was continually hungry. However, I know lots of other people who weren't hungry and are quite happy eating that way.

But in all honesty, you should have never expected Atkins to work for you. According to your profile you never read an Atkins book, just cookbooks. Your old posts seem to indicate you didn't really understand Atkins at all. You were eating bars and drinking shakes. You apparently are not really fond of meat. Each of those is an indicator of potential failure on Atkins. I am honestly puzzled why anyone who looks for sauces to hide the taste of meat would choose to try to follow Atkins when some other low carb plans are more easily followed when eating less meat and more of other foods. You knew this was not a plan you would follow for life.

I'm glad you came back and posted, because you are confirming everything we tell people. You must read the book and understand the plan. You should avoid artificial foods like Atkins shakes and bars. And if this is not a plan you can follow for life then you should pick another plan rather than wasting your effort.

Again, I wish you the best on your new eating plan. Success comes to different people in different ways, and you have found success.