I have been on Atkins for a while now and I am considering switching to the Schwarzbein principle.

My questions: what are the differences between those 2 plans? For those who have experienced Atkins before... do we lose as much... what are the pros of Schwarzbein plan according to your experience VS Atkins?

Thanks!

To the right of the page is a link called Which low-carb plan is right for me? that has a synopsis of SP along with many other plans.

Someone will be along to answer your question, but this forum is not the most active one.

Karen

Musika,

Atkins allowed you to eat almost anything as long as the carb-count was low. Pork skins, processed foods like sugar-free jello, shakes & bars, artificial sweeteners are all ok with Atkins.

Schwarzbein is very much of a purist - she recommends all natural & unprocessed foods. The carb allowance is higher as well, at least 15g carbs per meal. She also feels like ketosis (which Atkins recommends) is unhealthy.

As far as weight loss, some people do lots better on SP than Atkins, and some lose more slowly. I suppose it depends a bit on the reasons you are dissatisfied with Atkins. Atkins suggests raising your carb levels gradually after induction, and there would be no conflict in adding Schwarzbein principles a little at a time.

HTH

Lila

I am a latecomer to this forum, but have done both atkins and schwarzbein, so I speak with some experience. In my heart of hearts, I know that the SP is probably the best way for anyone to eat on a lifelong basis. How can you argue with her committment to all natural, unprocessed foods? Plus the fact that it is more balanced in its allowable carbs, to me makes it the healthiest diet one could possibly follow. BUT.... right now I am on atkins and have been doing it on and off for a few months. I find it easier to follow and stick to, plus I was really having trouble losing weight on SP. My wierd concept at this point is to try and lose weight on Atkins and slowly ease into SP for a lifelong maintenance, (but still with some cheating) I wish I could lose on SP but my carbs need to be lower and I do enjoy wine and the occasional cocktail. I will always be Diana Schwarzbeins best cheerleader but I lack the personal restraint to stick to it religiously.

Hi Musika,
My sister PoofieD does both a bit of Atkins, and SP. She sees the benefit of both, so you might do well to check out her journal. I see no qualms in eating the best you can, I think that is the great thing with SP, I don't think fast weight loss is the answer but that is what most people look for, it is the slow and steady that stays off, and when you focus on health it can only improve.
Tanya

Hi! I haven't been here in a while, but I'll jump in!

I found that I was able to stick with Atkins Induction better than anything else, but once I started adding carbs, the diet was history! I felt much better with the carbs---in fact, Atkins made me have hot flashes that were miserable. And although I'm 38, I don't think I'm pre-menopausal yet! Dh and I use Natural Family Planning and the hot flashes were wreaking havoc with my basal body temp. You could really tell the days I woke up with one! LOL!

Anyway, all that went away with SP. I'm one of her biggest cheerleaders too, but I find it hard to follow. I basically don't have a problem eating just protein and veggies, but if I'm going to add a carb, I use her guidelines on type and amounts.

Good luck!

It may help you to look thru her new improved web site

http://www.drhormone.com/new/index.html

I would suggest buying or checking out from the library her books if really interested. It is a good guide to balanced nutrition. Her first book covers the basics and the 2nd goes into trying to figure out where one's metabolism may be currently (not a fast read but may be what some need.

Personally, I think this bd. is less active because the eating plan is easier in some ways because it is so balanced and one does not need recipes and menus that differ from what you would feed other people within the boundaries of whole, healthy, nutrition. Also if looking for quick weight loss (as opposed to healing one's metabolism to get to the point where one eats normal portions of balanced healthy food) probably some give up and go for the 'quicker plans' such as Atkins induction level and others. This may be what some need to get started --- to see some fast loss!

Economically speaking with TSP I find it easier to follow also.

I know I have been there and done that --Atkins induction level *for me* never proved worthwhile-- I would lose 5-10 lbs. then gain it back + when adding carbs back. Of course Dr. Atkins has many more plans than induction, and I read in one of his online chats once that not all need to start on induction level. In a chat with Larry King he said he thought Suzanne Somer' s plan was a good maintainence program. I think his new book is supposed to deal with 'controlled carbs'. Of course Suzanne Somer's plan has level1 That is how I lost the first 1/2 of my weight and can be a good way to launch a weight loss and still include healthful carbs(with food combining). In fact she recommends in her books to read Dr. Schwarzbein.

As can be told by my profile info to the left I say my plan is 'whatever works' and I think after getting off to a good start with one of the low/ controlled carb plans that one has to customize to a certain extent. For me maintaining is very easy with mainly TSP. I , like some others have commented , do not follow it perfectly, (I use sweetener other than Stevia sometimes, cannot eat veggies with every breakfast, & have chocolate sometimes) . If you look at her web site though perfection is not the point, IMO, but striving for good health and a metabolism that will take one thru life without starving or eating from only a few healthy food groups. As far as my last 10 lbs. I am considering dynamite-- Just kidding

I started Atkins last Sunday and followed it religiously until today. Let me tell you why I quit: my mouth tasted just like gasoline, my stomach hurt and all the fat (which I am not used to) gave me heartburn and I just didn't ever feel "right." I tried all the tricks like brushing my teeth, using those flash strips to freshen my breath, but the taste in my mouth was so horrible I even got nauseated. And this morning I was extremely constipated. Gee, that's not the way I want to live.

OK, so I learned my lesson and I want to lose weight but I'll do a more modified low carb plan than trying to kill myself on Atkins.

Just my opinion.... if I sound a little harsh it's because I still feel awful!

Back to Schwartzbein for me!



Bye all!

ok. I'm clearly not alone. It's very helpful to read other people's stories. I've been on Somercizing for three weeks (switched from TSP because I was stuck at the same weight for 3 months!) and for the first two weeks it was fine and I was just taking off my 3 pounds from the holidays, then Wham! Depression hit me like a ton of bricks these last several days. I had been keeping my carbs pretty darned low. Yesterday I had a TSP day and wouldn't you know, I started feeling better. I've never felt more balanced and in control of my mood than the four months I did TSP. But I gotta lose too! I like what Rosaruga says, whatever works! I can tell that I have to tweak and I'm going to try and figure out something in between TSP and Suzanne. Rosaruga, what are your tweaks?

I also agree with Rosaruga that the reason the TSP section doesn't have a lot of activity is because not that much support is required when you're eating her way. Someone once said she felt like she was on a happy drug on TSP, and I knew exactly what she meant.

But it doesn't seem like very many of us have been able to lose much weight on TSP, is that true? I lost 9 pounds, all in the first month. Has anyone lost more than 15? Getting the weight off is important for health too, and at what point does "slow" become "never"?

I started tsp last year and lost 20 lbs in about 6 6 1/2 months. I then went back to eating some junk food and gained 5 of those lbs back. My mood swings also came back and pms. Blech! So I'm back on tsp and will do it for life. I feel so much better and it is really easy to follow. I don't tend to count my carbs too much. Ieat lots of vegetables and try to stay away from white foods. So it is possible to lose weight it just takes time. I also started doing pilates last year and took that up again too. So far two inches off my waist and 1/2 off my hips. Keep up the good work. It will happan.
Gin

bonappetit, my 'tweaks' are mainly what I mentioned, -- I cannot always consume a vegetable with breakfast, I sometimes use fructose, or splenda , I like semi-sweet chocolate for a treat, at some meals I just count low glycemic veggies as the carb,and I just do not like to bother with small meals with 2 snacks(although on a more leisurely day I may work 1 balanced snack into the day.)

I have found things that work well for me lately, (this from Oprah's web site and also a bk by Denise Austin) to try to stop any major food intake after a certain hour in the evening and ignore the little bit of hunger that may seem to be there. It just means I will have a good appetite for breakfast the next morning. It works well for me because my evenings are just watching t.v. or reading -- it may not work for a person more active in the evenings.

I like Karen's sign off -- I cannot quote it exactly -- ( it doesn't show on the reply pg.) but concerning perfection etc. I think we have to have those attitudes for the long term .

I have lot a total of about 27 lbs doing TSP. I had lost some before that doing my own thing, working out and getting on some meds I needed for PCOS. I started TSP Last July. It is possible to lose and lose well you just have to be patient, really read the book and understand this program is not just about weight but about health, and you will not loose weight when the body is trying to heal. That is important to remember and remind yourself constantly particularily when you see others complain that they are only loosing "2" pounds in a week, or something along that line.
I also believe you must be working out, and not just aerobics, you must be doing resistance training of some sort. Aerobics alone you loose valuable muscle that feuls the metabolism, resistance training helps you keep it, and the more you build the better your body will function. I do The Firm tapes, and walking with Leslie mostly. It has taken me not quite two years to loose 50 lbs, but I'm willing to take that pace if that is what it means to get healthy. Work on your muscle base, without it, I don't think any program will work as well as it is intended.
Tanya

Amen Tanya! I've been really asorbing the second book. It is finally putting me in th mindset that I need to heal my body before any weight loss will be permaent. And that is a miracle!! I have lived with the quick fix diet mentality all my life and it's never gotten me anywhere but a wrecked metabolism! I have about 25 pounds to lose and I bought some cloths that fit and I feel good in and don't care how long it takes. This time I'm doing it right!
Jean

Impressive, Tiger Sue! But how do you actually know if you are "healing" -- do you just start to "feel" better? I have been doing this for a couple of weeks now (although not as faithfully as I should) -- I've given up aspartame altogether and working on giving up caffiene, too. I've started looking at labels much closer now and I've started only buying meat from the butcher around the corner (it's so refreshing!) I've also started doing the BFL workout routine 3x/week and yoga a couple of times a week -- it just doesn't feel like enough though.

I've read both books.
They are similar in that you can eat meats and fats, but limit carbs and sugars. But, with Atkins, he advocates using artificial sweetners, protein bars and lots of "fake" foods and mixes. The thing I like about Schwarzbein is that she talks about the toxins in foods as well. That means not using artificial sweeters, caffeine, hydrogenated fats, etc. Also, she recommends eating real, whole-foods, not bars and shakes.
I also think her approach is more natural and comprehensive. She talks a lot about exercise and lifestyle changes, not just diet.
Carole