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  #1   ^
Old Tue, May-30-17, 00:58
Merciless Merciless is offline
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Posts: 14
 
Plan: 15th May 2017
Stats: 270/257/173 Male 5'11
BF:
Progress:
Default Moved to low carb from VLCD

Hi, I started dieting 2 weeks ago on a VLCD shakes diet and soon realised that it was not the diet for me, the only advantage was that it takes the thinking out of the diet, but the days were torture. I have done low carb off and on a few times over the years and am in ketosis at the moment. My question is, if I do Atkins would it still be as important to do phase 1, bearing in mind I have spent the last 2 weeks on shakes which are low car and low calorie.

I appreciate it is probably not an easy question to answer but I thought maybe some people here may have done something similar and have some advice.
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  #2   ^
Old Tue, May-30-17, 04:28
JEY100's Avatar
JEY100 JEY100 is online now
Posts: 13,370
 
Plan: P:E/DDF
Stats: 225/150/169 Female 5' 9"
BF:45%/28%/25%
Progress: 134%
Location: NC
Default

Welcome, Great question. My answer is that it would be very important to do an "induction" phase and for maybe longer than two weeks...until eating LC is NOT "torture". That's learning the allowed food lists, the foods limited in amount, and getting beyond a taste for sweets. Figuring out what is "moderate protein" for you, and able to time meals, no snack all day. The clinic plan I followed had no phases, it was 20g total carbs. The doctor would know you are doing it "right" if you returned in two weeks saying you had lost cravings, were not hungry between meals, and that it was "easy" to follow. Any new LCer needs to get to that point and it doesn't seem that the liquid diet did that, "ketosis" or not. Which is not the same as fat-adapted. http://www.tuitnutrition.com/search...sis+Fat+adapted


If you want to follow Atkins, there is a good list of foods and rules right at the top of that forum. http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=236482 You can dive in right there to start, just eat the real Whole Foods on the list, not add any extras like nuts or bars, until you get that "not torture" feeling This website https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb has good information, recipes, dealing with side effects on a two Week Challenge plan, which again you could stay on for a longer time until eating LC is your lifestyle, not a quick weight loss hack. All the best,
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  #3   ^
Old Tue, May-30-17, 05:20
Merciless Merciless is offline
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Posts: 14
 
Plan: 15th May 2017
Stats: 270/257/173 Male 5'11
BF:
Progress:
Default

Thanks very much for taking the time to give such an in depth reply, I will follow your advice even though I do not consider eating LC to be torture, luckily I have never had a sweet tooth.

I do have the odd craving for carbs still so I guess induction will kill those.

I should have mentioned that I have lost weight on Atkins previously so I kind of have an idea what I am in for.
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  #4   ^
Old Tue, May-30-17, 08:42
barb712's Avatar
barb712 barb712 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,435
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 240/188/185 Female 5'11"
BF:
Progress: 95%
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Welcome, Merciless. I don't want to upset the applecart; Janet gave her usual excellent advice, but:

Very few people, if any, mention it, but you can jump right into Atkins at the later phases and have success. The weight will come off more slowly, but it will come off, as long as you stick to the plan.

I started at Phase 2, 30 net/40-45 total carb grams a day, and have lost 13 pounds in a couple of months. I dabbled in some of the ladder foods and discovered how they affect me. That's what the later phases and levels are good for, but I find that meat (mostly poultry for me), fish, eggs, all my favorite vegetables (there are so many!) raw and cooked, and melons and berries work for me. I hardly ever used to touch diet soda and know it's not great for me but indulge in a glass of it more often now as a treat, and it keeps me out of trouble.

On fat adapted versus in ketosis: Yes, as Janet said, you can be fat adapted and lose weight without being in ketosis. And you can be in ketosis and not lose weight. If you google the subject, there is some interesting info on that. I recommend reading what Mark Sisson has to say about it.

Best of luck to you!

Last edited by barb712 : Tue, May-30-17 at 09:25.
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  #5   ^
Old Wed, May-31-17, 04:55
Merciless Merciless is offline
New Member
Posts: 14
 
Plan: 15th May 2017
Stats: 270/257/173 Male 5'11
BF:
Progress:
Default

Thanks again for this response, I have been reading up myself and it seems that there is a lot of trial and error until you find what works best for you, I have been trying my best to keep to the induction phase 1 as much as possible without making it uncomfortable, but I must say after drinking nothing but shakes for 2 weeks it puts you in a great frame of mind (any food looks like a banquet).

I did however try one of the Atkins bars today, which I know some people frown upon during Induction, but I will keep these to a minimum even though I personally found it to be absolutely lovely.

I will keep going with this trying my best method and see where it takes me and if after a week or so I am in a stall I will go through full induction and see what happens then. I'm not in any massive rush to get to my goal as long as the weight is moving in the right direction I mean to enjoy the journey as much as possible.

It is great to get feedback and have like minded people for support and both of the responses so far have given me excellent additional knowledge.
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  #6   ^
Old Wed, May-31-17, 07:14
barb712's Avatar
barb712 barb712 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,435
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 240/188/185 Female 5'11"
BF:
Progress: 95%
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Trial and error are a big part of it. Sounds like you're off to a good start! Again, best of everything, and glad you found the information helpful.
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  #7   ^
Old Wed, May-31-17, 20:44
YNot YNot is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 48
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 308/285.1/199 Female 66 inches
BF:
Progress: 21%
Location: Central Alberta
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Sounds like you are doing well! Yes, there are lots of tips and tweaks to get going if you aren't, or to get past a stall or plateau, and yes doing if the "purist" way possible is the gold standard, but it's also fine to be willing to lose a little slower if you wish to vary it - some really like an alcoholic beverage now and again, some eat higher carbs or a bit more variety. It is all about finding the balance that lets you lose weight AND feels comfortable and doable. Just as long as you plan it in with intention and don't "cheat". I lost 40 pounds a few years ago while drinking my Starbucks mocha latte every day, but I made sure I wasn't slipping in any other areas!
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  #8   ^
Old Wed, May-31-17, 23:27
Merciless Merciless is offline
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Posts: 14
 
Plan: 15th May 2017
Stats: 270/257/173 Male 5'11
BF:
Progress:
Default

Thanks for that, you pretty much summed up the way I am going forward, I am doing well at keeping to the phase 1 guidelines at the moment and even if I do weaken it is still low carb and healthy that I am looking to. Appreciate you taking the time to give me some input.
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  #9   ^
Old Thu, Jun-01-17, 03:25
JEY100's Avatar
JEY100 JEY100 is online now
Posts: 13,370
 
Plan: P:E/DDF
Stats: 225/150/169 Female 5' 9"
BF:45%/28%/25%
Progress: 134%
Location: NC
Default

There is a lot of great food to eat on induction, but if you find those bars convenient (and they don't stall your weight loss) I was about to suggest an alternate healthier brand, Quest, which is found even in Walmarts now.
However, I looked at the Atkins website and noticed they are FINALLY introducing a "clean bar" ...they are removing all the crappy artificial ingredients, sweeteners, etc. The biggest difference I see between the two now is that Atkins is still a soy based protein bar, while Quest is more whey and milk based...no soy anything used. I don't touch anything with soy for health reasons, and always thought Quest tasted better, but Atkins bars are "less bad" than they have been. Another option, while the bars stall many, the shakes, not so much.
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  #10   ^
Old Fri, Jun-02-17, 07:48
Merciless Merciless is offline
New Member
Posts: 14
 
Plan: 15th May 2017
Stats: 270/257/173 Male 5'11
BF:
Progress:
Default

Ok, that is interesting to know Janet, I will see if they do those in the UK. Might be able to get them on UK Amazon even.
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  #11   ^
Old Sat, Jun-03-17, 02:07
Elizellen's Avatar
Elizellen Elizellen is offline
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Posts: 10,733
 
Plan: Atkins (DANDR)
Stats: 290/141/130 Female 65.5 inches
BF:
Progress: 93%
Location: Bournemouth (UK)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JEY100
However, I looked at the Atkins website and noticed they are FINALLY introducing a "clean bar" ...they are removing all the crappy artificial ingredients, sweeteners, etc. The biggest difference I see between the two now is that Atkins is still a soy based protein bar,

If they are made using soya and you are sticking to induction rules they would not be an induction"legal" option and might IMHO be better left till you are at the Atkins phase that allows for the inclusion of legumes.
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