New Atkins 20

[Spiritrain]

I am new to this site and was looking for group to bounce questions off of. I just started the Atkins 20 ( 18-22 carbs a day) does anyone have an opinion on whether 4-5 ounces of cheese during the day would be too much ? It seems to be the quick snack I go to. I have very good cholesterol levels. I just wonder if anyone that has done Atlins might have a thought ..like it seemed to slow them down in weight loss when they did that ???...thank you so much ❤️

[bkloots]

Hi, Spiritrain. Sorry your post has gone unanswered for such a long time. We're usually quick to welcome folks around here.

It appears that you have read the Atkins book. That's your best source for answers right off the bat. When it comes down to details over the longer term, every person has a different experience. So it would be impossible for someone else to tell you how 4-5 oz of cheese would affect YOU.

Just try things out, according to "the letter of the law" in Atkins. You'll soon know what works and what doesn't. You'll be working on a sustainable plan for the rest of your life, tailored just for you.

Best wishes.

[Spiritrain]

Barbara,
Thank you for your sweet response. I appreciate it. I'm just trying to figure out where to find the response to my post. I haven't been on here for a week or so. But I've figured it out. ❤️
I've had a slow start on losing weight. I only list .08 lb the first week. But I'm just coming off of a month of Prednisone so maybe that is a bit if an issue. Is the weight loss usually quicker on Atkins..??or is it just dependent on each person's personal situation. I lost 33 lbs 2 years ago on the Ideal Protein diet. I lost 20 lbs in 13 weeks. It was amazing. But you are eating 3 of their products aday plus meat & salads . But the weight flies off. They are giving you 25-40 carbs a day. Once you go off the diet it's very hard to get back on because it's so restrictive food wise. I need more choices. So I did gain almost all my weight back because I went off the deep end with carbs. Carbs are not my friend. So I'm trying to find a different way that I can sustain in the real world. ....thanks so much for your response. Are you doing Atkiins? How has the weight loss been for you as far as how much you can lose in a weeks time...give or take :)) I do know we're all different but maybe from what you know from others you've talked with you might know some pitfalls. Sorry for such a wordy message❤️

[bkloots]

Hello, spiritrain.

Yes, Prednisone could very much affect weight loss. However, I encourage you to focus more on the quality of your menu than the speed of weight loss. I know that's hard: all of us are tired of the extra weight and want to get rid of it as soon as possible! A more important goal: when my body gets to its own best weight, HOW CAN I STAY THERE? That means discovering a new way to eat that you truly enjoy.

My big weight loss of 50lbs occurred 20 years ago, on a low-cal/low-fat/high exercise regime. In 2003, after it began to creep up again, I changed to low-carb, via the original 1972 Atkins approach. Since then, I've mostly maintained my weight in a reasonable range for my age, etc.

For me, the simplest description is: No sugar. No starch.

I think it's very important for a time--months or years--to keep a food diary. Find out what you are eating, and begin to make choices that work for you. For example, I like heavy cream in my coffee. Both cream and coffee can be problematic for some people. For me, it's part of the sustainability factor. Nobody can live forever on unpleasant sacrifice. But clearly, for those with a tendency to gain, something in the diet has to change to achieve a sustainable healthy weight.

My staples:
--Flaxseed Muffin for breakfast. Look up OMM (one minute muffin) or MIM (muffin in a minute) for many recipes.
--Spinach (my favorite leafy veg for all purposes)
--Meat, chicken, and fish, usually grilled
--Cheese as a salad ingredient or in omelets, etc. Not a lot of cheese.
--Butter, olive oil, salad dressings, mayo
--nuts occasionally

Of course there are thousands of ways to cook, season, and combine these kinds of ingredients. I use Splenda occasionally for recipes that need a little sweet. But I don't include sweet stuff in my everyday consumption. No "diet" sodas!

It takes YEARS to accustom yourself to this way of eating. Being free of cravings, hunger, and complicated decisions about what to eat are LC benefits that help along the way.

Stick around this site, and learn something new every day!
Best wishes.

[MickiSue]

Prednisone will surely slow you down. You are not far from your goal, either. People with five or ten times as much to lose as you have will definitely have the weight fly off in the first months. But they hit the dreaded plateaus, too.

If you listen to what bk told you: think of this as a way to eat healthy for the rest of your life, you will get less frustrated. For me, if the scale stays within 2 lbs of my lowest weight, I know that it will drop again, and I keep going. Now that I'm a little over 18 lbs from goal, it could take 6 months to a year. But I've got the rest of my life, right?

So do you!

[bluesinger]

So far you've gotten great advice from people who know. I looked at your profile and can't tell how old you are. However, age and sex make a huge difference in weight loss. Lots of people don't take that into consideration. Every. Body. Is. Different.

That seems obvious, right? But what works for me may not work at all for you and vice versa.

I'm 70 and have been using Atkins for weight control since 1972. I've been on diets of one kind or another since I was a very young girl. Once a person has been on a diet, that person is stuck in the yo-yo cycle. That means I've been there since I was 9 years old. Frankly, it gets tiring after a while, always worrying about when I have to go back on a diet. Hear that? When you're young, you can always go back on a diet and lose. When you're old, it doesn't work that way.

So when BK tells you that this WOE is a WayOfLife, she is serious. What most of us here are trying to ascertain for ourselves is: How do we manage to lose the weight and keep it off.