Hello, I am new here and need to loose weight. I think I want to try the Atkins diet. I am single and need to keep things simple.
I never understood calories, cards or how to count them. I just cant get my head wrapped around it.
My question/s are can the Atkins diet be done with the microwave meals, protein drinks and bars from the grocery store?
Also I see on the Atkins website there are weekly meal plan kits available. Do they work and is a complete weekly kit all that is needed? I mean you don't add anything or cook anything else?

Thanks

First things first- read the book. As much info is available online, there really is no comparison for the level of understanding you will gain from reading the book.

I'm sure others here will give you an earful about the crappy ingredients in those bars and frozen meals. They cause most folks to stall, overeat, have GI upset, are overpriced, etc..... Remember that the company exists to create profit, and keeping people addicted to sweet bars is one way to do that. Also, Dr Atkins died in the early 2000s. His wife wants nothing to do the corporation now, as it doesn't match her husband's vision.

Sooooooo, here are some ideas to help you!
1. If you dislike carb counting, some members just stick to the allowed food list which is a sticky at top of this page.
For example- yes you can eat meat, fish, eggs, up to 3oz cheese (to guesstimate an oz is size of pair of dice), 2-3 cups vegetables (see list for specifics), fats like oils and butter........
This might be easier for you.

2. Easy foods for a single person who doesn't like to cook:
Eggs- doesn't get easier or cheaper to scramble eggs, cheese, veggies.
In refrigerated section, they sell Precooked sausages, meatballs, etc.....just heat and eat. You could buy pre cut peppers to toss in with sausages. You can get low sugar tomato sauce for the meatballs.
Rotisserie chicken- or one of the smaller containers they sell- usually it's like 2 meals of turkey at my grocery store. While you heat meat, throw frozen bag veg in microwave. There are so many awesome new ones- I have even seen mashed cauli that tastes like mashed potatoes! Grab a variaty and experiment with different brands to find some favorites.
In freezer section, you can find premade burgers. While burger heats up, throw pre chopped lettuce in a bowl, throw in grape tomatoes (no chopping), and whatever burger toppings you like. Top with ranch for a burger salad. Alternatively, you can just wrap a burger in large lettuce leaves with toppings.

Perdue recipe forums on this site- there is even a special section for super easy meals. Don't worry it doesn't take much time to throw together something simple. There are plenty of short cuts these days!

I like to cook one afternoon a week and make my own "frozen meals." There are wonderful recipes in the recipe section on the board, and a universe of it on the web.

I use to do a big Deep Dish Pizza quiche, Spinach Lasagna without the noodles, or a cauliflower, broccoli, and ham casserole with cheese sauce, and then freeze individual portions.

Much cheaper and tastier than frozen meals, and more variety, too.

If you don't want to track and count, just concentrate on eating the right things, and see how that goes. It is an important first step.

Hi, Brownred. Welcome aboard.

If you're a young guy just wanting to drop 20-30 lbs. so you can go back to what you usually eat, just skip the research on Atkins. Or go with the kits and stuff until you reach the weight you want. Either way, you'll probably do okay on the "diet." Then you can do the "diet" again and again and again until death do you part.

However, if you want to be leaner and healthier for life, you're going to have to make a bigger commitment. That means:

--Read an Atkins book, or see the Foods List on this site
--Eat. Real. Food. No processed foods (even so-called low-carb stuff)

It isn't hard. If you want easy, meat and eggs and some cheese, in any form whatsoever. Throw in a leafy green salad from the salad bar every now and then.
In fact, a grocery store salad bar is a pretty easy stopping place for good choices, if you know what to look for.

Best wishes.

Also, if you want to eat the same thing every day, make it a thing with variety. Like a crockpot with meat and a few vegetables is super-easy and will feed you for days. Or some sausage & egg combo with real butter. It's okay to eat the same thing for a few days; then, eat a new thing for a few days.

We need a variety of nutrients and sources.

Almost every dinner for the last couple of weeks, I've had some sort of microwave soup. I take frozen spinach and broccoli, some sort of meat or cheese cut up, maybe some heavy cream but always some store-bought liquid chicken or beef broth, and microwave it a few minutes at a time, stir and repeat until the meat's cooked, the cheese is melted, etc. Getting all that stuff in the bowl can't take me more than three or four minutes, and the dishes afterwards is a bowl and a spoon. Not that I don't wait until I'm out of good microwave bowls before I do the dishes.

~teaser, thank you for the tip! I would have never thought of a quick soup aka the microwave! Sometimes it's the little things.....

I will say that in a pinch, the Atkins frozen beef with broccoli is pretty tasty. If you have to eat something prepackaged, it is still 100x better than a Lean Cuisine or can of something like that.

But it is a very small portion, beware. And it still isn't nearly as healthy as making basic, simple foods on your own.

I always have sausages and eggs in the fridge. One pan, super easy, lots of things I can throw on the eggs if I want.

Several people chimed in about the follies of using low carb products. I completely agree and wanted to back it up as I have personal experience with some of the products: shakes, sugar free candy and bars. Never again. These are frankenfoods that use sugar alcohols. Talk about tummy trouble with these as well.

Remember Dr. Atkins wasn't pushing all these foods: Atkins bars, shakes, frozen meals, sugar free candy, etc. is just marketing and for sales. It has absolutely nothing to do with clean eating and it makes most people have cravings and, stalls or makes people gain weight. That was my experience because I liked the peanut bars. I stalled for 4 weeks until I realized that was doing it. No more bars and I went back to losing again.

I go by the Atkins New Diet Revolution 2002 edition. He has a couple products there but mostly this about eating clean foods and not packaged low carb products in the middle aisles. A good rule of thumb is sticking to mainly the outer aisles of the supermarket.

I guess it won't let me delete. Gosh this place is antiquated. Sorry for the duplicate

The soup ideas were good, I need to try that. I'm only into this a month and bought 3 frozen meals but haven't tried them. I really enjoy preparing all my meals myself. I've ate out twice and it hasn't been bad, I can always get a salad and grilled fish or a burger patty with lettuce, avocado or bacon.
My go-to snacks; Genoa salami with a little cream cheese inside, deviled eggs, tuna salad with celery, dill relish & mayo, sugar-free Jello, I buy the bananas and cream Premier shakes at Costco. Good luck!