I have a question I have noticed a few of you out there have modified Atkins listed as the plan you are using (or mabey I am just reading the same persons posts) anyhoo if you are doing modified Atkins how are you doing this?? What is it that you have changed?? I am just curious. I know everyone is different but just wondering??

The only modification I know of that works is to stay on induction for extended period of time, as opposed to progressing on to the other stages.

Generally when I hear people say "I'm doing a modified version of atkins," what they really mean is that they still allow themselves to have "some carbs, and some sugar--but not too much"

Those people never can figure out why atkins won't work for them.

TC

For some that's true. Read a line in another post about the coworker that still has an icecream samwich everyday with her pasta for lunch

In another way though, everyone who is past induction has probably modified things to meet thier needs. I personaly am lactose intolerent, and follow, for the most part, the candidia restricted diet. For people to stay on an eating plan long term it has to do 2 things

1: Work. Not just for weight loss, but to meet your nutricional and health needs. For some this means cutting out certain foods, or adding in more of others.

2: Be workable. This is something that you have to follow for life. The difference being maintananc eis a whole lot less strict then induction. If you can survive induction and move through the stages you can handle maintanance and probably keep the weight off. That is why OWL and premaintanance are so important. It's for each person to learn not only thier carb limits, but what type of carbs they can eat, what kinds of food they can live with on a daily basis, if they have any food intolerences, and so on. While induciton may be similar for almost everyone, I htink those that are on maintanance will have very different eating plans.

Others call it "modified Atkins" because they mistakenly think Atkins == Induction, and they've added back stuff like fruit and whole-grain bread. Really, they're on Atkins OWL, not modified Atkins, but a lot of people seem to have the perception that you should be on Induction until you're almost at your goal weight.

After the end of my two-week induction, I "modified" Atkins by deciding that green veggies had no carbs, and that I could eat as many as I wanted (which is a lot, I love veggies). However, I also limited the other carb-containing foods like cheese, cream, nuts, etc., to 10g/day. Another common modification is eating yogurt. Yogurt isn't really a part of Atkins, because the label carb counts are pretty high -- minimum 12g per cup for plain, unsweetened yogurt, and often higher because of commercial fillers/thickeners. However, you can subtract 8g per cup, because the carbs come from the lactose in the starter milk, and the yogurt bacteria consume most of the lactose and convert it to lactic acid (which is why yogurt is tart).

I drink coffee. IMO that is "modifying" Atkins. I will also have an diet soda now and then.

I also think when people say Modified Atkins they mean Low carb to there own needs and not necessarily Atkins. People associate the name Atkins with low carb (at least I do ). When I first started a year ago I knew what Atkins was but just decided to do my own low carb and lost... but when the loss stopped I got on the Official Atkins diet and lost a lot more.

Hi all--yes, I drink coffee too!!! I love it and--best of all--it keeps me regular so I don't have to take psyllium to move my bowels

I'm also on OWL, but I'm still keeping my total carb counts low, because I don't exercise regularly (waiting for my son to start Middle School to regulate my schedule). I eat between 20-30 a day, but now I include berries and nuts and a whole avocado if I want one (maybe not all on the same day). About 9 days ago I did pure induction again for a few days, because I'd gained weight (related to TOM),and I lost it immediately. I haven't added grains or legumes yet--I'm going to try to start regular exercise before I try those and for me, I may never be able to eat pasta again--even low carb. I take it one day at a time.

Great question to grapple with! Atkins is all about modifications--that is--the change needed to make me healthier every single day of my life!

feeling positive today,
Eri Z

I've called it Modified Atkins since the beginning, because I never gave up booze or coffee on Induction. But I did count those carbs into my 20 carb limit, and I did enter the OWL phase adding 5 carbs/week, which is where I still am. I stopped adding carbs when I hit about 50, because even though I continued to lose and to stay in ketosis, I got carb cravings when I went over 50. Why suffer, I thought.

I also sometimes do a mini-carb load (about 20) in the morning before hitting the gym, which I also consider a modification.

Emily

Last year I did what I called "modified atkins" and had oatmeal 3 times a week because that is all I could eat before class without getting sick. I still lost really fast. Some people have to add in certain things or change things up a bit to suit their special needs. I did everything besides that to the T so I did call still say atkins.

My "modification" is that I don't eat red meat. Also, I'm keeping 20-30g/day while adding nuts and, eventually, berries.

The following statement is both untrue and unfair.:



Everyone's body reacts differently to different foods and calorie combinations. And we each need to make this diet a way of life that can be sustained for life.

My version of "modified" Atkins is that I can only stay on Induction for a few days. Why? Limiting myself to 20 carbs a day makes me dizzy and light-headed. I've come close to fainting, even. As soon as I switch to OWL, I am fine.

Another modification: I allow myself some fruits or vegetables that are not on the official Atkins list. I do this in moderation, and infrequently. And I only select those foods that are low on the glycemic scale.

For me, this "modified Atkins" diet is working great. More than that, I've adapted the original Atkins diet to a way of life that I can live with.

-G.

p.s. I too drink coffee and diet soda. I also have more cheese and nuts than Atkins recommends. I still lose weight.

Well in that case I guess I am modifying Atkins too. I drink coffee and diet pepsi like it's going out of style. This is the only way I cheat though and it hasn't hurt me a darn bit. If it ever does though I'm giving it up.

I just decided I needed a modified plan. I woke up 2 days ago and decided I couldn't stomach another glob of fat. No more heavy cream. sour cream, cream chese, blue cheese dressing, I found just the thought of it nauseating. I wanted my morning coffee back, I wanted more veggies, so today I went to the farmers market and stocked up on fresh veggies, and stopped and bought FAT FREE half & half for my caffinated coffee. I will still stay away from pasta, rice, beans, flour products, and large amounts of fruit, but I've got a long way to go and this has to be livable. And when all is said and done calories do count so I can't imagine that cutting out some of the fat is going to hurt. Hope I'm right.

Thanks for the comment, G. I also thought the comment you quoted was unfair.

I think there are a lot of us on low carb plans (and not just Atkins) who are doing "modified" plans. I agree you really need to be careful the way you modify it but the whole point of low carbing is that it is a way of life and as such should be talored to everyone's needs and not necessarily adhered to by the letter.

I'm starting a modified Atkins tomorrow which means for me that I'm not counting green veggies and other "legal" veggies in my carb count. I am also skipping Induction because I'm just coming off of South Beach Diet where I already went through the "detox" period. But I'm keeping my carbs low for OWL and other than following the carb ladder (I'm adding most of the food listed except for fruit and whole grains which I don't want or miss at all) to my diet. The reason I'm not counting carbs in green veggies is because I've discovered after more than a year and a half of low carbing that I eat more healthy veggies when I dont' have to count them and that helps me lose weight and feel healthy significantly more than counting them in veggies.

Tam

This Message is for Gwyn:
Hi Gwyn (gosh, I hope I spelled your name correctly).

If you are eating enough food but getting dizzy, you may be experiencing too high or too low of blood glucose. If you happen to have access to a blood glucose machine (a friend or relative who monitors their blood frequently) you may want to use a strip and see how you are doing. Your friend/family member can tell you when to do it properly (I think you have to time it between meals).

HTH

Jeannie