Well its official. I think I'm going to the other side to see if the grass is really greener.

For the last 4 months I've been on the Bernstein plan. I know it's not well respected on this site but I started the B plan before finding this forum.

Now I believe that I have made the wrong decision. Not to mention paid a hell of a lot of money.

I'm willing to buy the Atkins book and follow it to a T...but my question is will I gain some weight by switching plans? Has anyone had this happen by switching plans?

There is a great deal of support out here, so I know someone will have an answer.

Thanks in advance

Paula

I don't know too much about the B plan. You'll be glad of the switch, Atkins, in my estimation is the best, you're never hungry and the food is great, so that being said, I can't see you gaining any weight back because the first thing you're going to do is begin the "Induction Phase" which drops weight quite rapidly due to detoxing and water retention. Be sure to read the book. Be prepared to feel "yucky" for the first few days, don't dispair, it will pass and you'll be on your way. Good luck. You're right, there is an abundance of support and help on this forum, without it, I wouldn't be doing nearly as well as I have been.

Vikki

Well, congratulations Paula!

One of the wonderful things about low carbing is getting and earning to use a set of tools that will serve you for the rest of your life.

The major beef I have with the Doctor B. Clinic is that you are paying for something you could do yourself. And because of the way the program is set up, it's geared to quick weight loss, rather than letting you and your body figure out what's best for it. You will have lost fat but learned nothing about how to take care of yourself.

If there is any gain, I wouldn't give it a second thought. Your body will have to balance itself out after its low-cal, low fat, low carb experience.

Karen

I'm not familiar with the B plan, sorry. But I feel that if you do gain some weight initially, you will lose in the long run. Atkins sets this WOE as a WOL and the losses happen over time.

-Cait

My girlfriend is on that plan (and she swears Atkins is the freeway to bad health). She spends a lot of $$, and falls off the wagon so often she's rarely on it. At this point in time, she's rapidly gaining and I can't get her to switch because of two reasons... the $$ she's already invested and the proven results she had years ago (when she first tried it).

Just out of curiousity...what IS the Dr. B plan??
I saw that you said it was costly...do you have to buy their meals or something?

I wouldn't give up this WOE for NOTHING!

Thanks for your input and encouragement.

I knew I'd get fast accurate responses. I'm still in the research stage but the majority can't be wrong. I'm actually going to get the Doctor Atkins Revolution book and start reading it from cover to cover.

Unfortunately I’m still paid up till April, but I've already decided in my mind that Atkins is the way to go. I guess for the next month I'll read every post and thread and familiarize myself with the plan so that I'll be ready to go full steam ahead in April.

Luckily I'm already in the right mind set and have been on a low carb plan for months. I think the switch over will be easy.

And I'm looking forward to these "crispy cheese crackers”

Low carb all the way

Paula

I'm not familiar with the B Plan either. But I do know that I have been on lots of "diets" and the Atkins Way of Eating ROCKS!!

Tell me, on the B Plan can you have eggs and bacon for breakfast, shrimp cocktail and grilled chicken casserole for lunch, and steak and veggies for dinner? Just wondering.

You won't be sorry you switched.

Good news, I never felt crappy when I started induction, so you might not either.

If you have been on a diet plan for a few months, you should have been eating less food than before you started the plan. Just continue eating moderate amounts of food when you start Atkins. That should help prevent any weight gain. I think you will find that you will experience some water loss and then quickly start burning fat. So don't worry about gaining. You will find the Atkins diet plan quite satisfying, and you should not experience the cravings and ravenous hunger that is such a temptation in other plans. My appetite so quickly diminished that I found myself pushing my plate away before I finished it; and subsequently servings smaller and smaller portions each week.

Good Luck!

Rose, I had to chuckle about your friend. That's like saying she's not going to get rid of a car that doesn't run anymore because 1) she spent alot of money trying to repair it, and 2) it used to run before! LOL That's funny

Laughed my butt off at the car problem...some people think that is logical to them...so many people live in denial..and can't see the light!

If you're switching from a low calorie, low fat plan (like the Bernstein clinic plan), you may gain a few pounds at first. Your body is going to grab whatever it's been missing for a while until it stabilizes again.
Stick it out and let your body adjust to the plan (this could take several weeks) and you will certainly be rewarded.
Eat an adequate amount of calories (when you've already been eating very little, less is not better!) and at least take a good multivitamin every day. You may even want to eat 4 or 5 smaller meals throughout the day instead of 3 large ones; this will help you keep your calories up without making you feel like you're stuffing yourself.
Hope the switch goes smoothly!

Thanks again for your interest.

I do expect to gain a few pounds (under five perferably) with this transition. My body is use to eating low carb with minimum calories ( approximately 800). I expect my body will have a little celebration thinking that I'm going back to my old eating habits. But after a few weeks it will realize that I'm still in control. Hehehe

Luckily I have experience with ketosis, so I might not come out of it fully. Dr. B’s plan is based on staying in ketosis to loose fat. I was allowed most food on this plan egg whites, three Melba toast, chicken, shrimp, turkey, beef, some vegetables, some fruit etc. But not the obvious ones potatoes, rice, pasta, bread etc. I’m looking forward to eating Cheese (not low fat) and Bacon

I have plenty of multivitamins and potassium around .

I'll take your advice Lisa and eat smaller meals 4-5 in the beginning. This weekend I’ll pick up the Atkins book and start reading about his concept and induction

One thing for sure is that it will be a big break on my wallet ($400.00 monthly for services, plus grocery food bill) and a big break on my stomach (vitamins injections).

Anyways that’s in the past, I have to look forward to the future.

Thanks again

I just read about Dr. B's plan in the "Plan Comparison forum".
IMHO...Dr. Atkins plan is a lot healthier, and a lot easier to follow...regardless of the expense.
We have all shelled out hundreds & thousands of dollars on dieting...I know I have.
After reading Dr. B's plan I know that I would never be able to stick with it..in fact have rarely ever stuck to a plan until now!!!
I LOVE this WOE!!!

You are definitely starting on the right foot! Take some time, read the book, understand the methodology, ask lots of questions and get some ideas for foods you will be able to eat, espeicially some low-carb snacks for the first few days when you might have some cravings. I used celery with cream cheese, and if I had a "sweet" craving I drank some Diet Rite soda when I had my snack.

One thing I also did was I bought a low-carb cookbook and read a bunch of the recipies. This really helped to convince me that I could enjoy eating on this diet and stick with it.

If you are already in ketosis and just switch over to Atkins, without getting out of ketosis, then I would think that any weight gain would be minimal, and depending on how much protein you are eating, you might even gain a bit of muscle mass as your body rebuilds and adjusts itself.