Hi, I have been doing some research through the internet on Atkins and South Beach - I have a lot a weight I would like to lose 100lbs at least. I want to buy one of these books but I am not sure what is the best to lose that much weight. I joined a gym which I feel great every time I go and I have been lowering my carb intake - cut out potatoes, rice, bread sugar etc. Can anyone help me in deciding which is the best book? I am committed to following either plan. Of course I would like to lose as fast as possible and I wonder if the South beach provides that when it allows more carbs then Atkins.

It's my personal preference that the South Beach will be easier for me to stick to in the long run. This web site has a lot of Atkins users though. I think you've made a great start by cutting out the bad carbs from you diet. That's really going to help you with whichever diet you choose to follow. The important thing is to pick one and STICK WITH IT. Don't try to do a modified version of it. Treat the book like your bible with what you can have and what you can't have. Both diets advocate whole foods. Especially in Induction (Atkins) or Phase I (SB). You'll find yourself able to eat more saturated fats on Atkins and a few tablespoons of whole cream (not milk) as well as limited amounts of cheeses and a cup of salad and a cup of another type of veggie (only from the Induction list though). Where as SB is more low fat. Note that is not FAT FREE. Fats are a good and necessary part of any diet. SB likes the mono-unsaturated ones like Olive Oil, Canola etc as well as limited quantities of nuts like Almonds, Cashews and Pistachios (as well as others). The most important thing is truly to read whatever book you choose from cover to cover and understand that the foods are listed there for a reason. Also another deciding factor for me is you have to limit your carbs on Atkins to 20g or less for the first 14 days. With South Beach you don't have to count anything. You just have to listen to your body and not try to stuff yourself. It's important to take smaller portions and give your body time to feel full (20-30 mins) before taking seconds etc. You'll be surprised at while you don't feel stuffed, within 20 mins you feel satisfied and not needing to eat more. At least I have finally gotten to that point!

Whichever plan you decide...just be faithful to it. The first two weeks of any of these diets are going to be tough to be honest. They are very strict the first two weeks...and even after those first two weeks, you really have to pay attention to how much of a certain food even fruits or whole grains you have. I think too many times people get through those first two weeks then go overboard on "low carb snacks" or taking in too much of even good stuff like whole grains or wheat pasta or fruit. You just have to take it slow and learn your body and how it reacts.

I've been doing South Beach for 3 weeks total now and I've lost 7 pounds. It definately feels like something I can continue doing for the rest of my life. Slow and Steady wins the race!!

Sorry I wrote a book here!

Thanks Gidjee, I appreciate it - my concern is the high fat content in Atkins - I hear that lots of people lose weight fast but being as overweight as I am the high fat content can be dangerous. I think a low carb low fat is best so my body will turn to my stored fat for fuel is my goal without putting increasing blood fat which can cause heart failure. Then the south beach where you can eat more carbs but carbs are the main source for fuel and again I want my body to turn to the stored fat. I would like to buy the book today but still a little confused. South beach seems less risk - if I modify it by lowering carbs will that reach my goal? Any suggestions?

No one can tell you that one is better for you than the other. I'm currently on Atkins, but I'm strongly considering switching to SB (I miss my vegetables alot). The first few days of Atkins (for me at least) were miserable. And I gave up on it, and then when I came back, the first few days were miserable again. (Though today is only day 3, I've noticed that it seems less miserable at least, but when I gave up I didn't go hog wild or anything, I still ate pretty well) From what I've read, honestly, South Beach seems easier to follow. And since it's not a ketogenic diet, it seems like it would be a bit more friendly to slip-ups, whereas Atkins, if you slip up or go off plan, it's another two or three days before you hit ketosis again. In the long run, I'm not sure I can really say "I will never have _________" again, just because well, I like those things that are bad for me. I can't really imagine that one slip up every once in awhile is really going to kill me, and SB seems to handle that a bit better than Atkins.

The advantage to Atkins however, is that there are those ketosis strips. You can *see* that you're doing it right. (Of course, they don't seem to work for everyone) But there's always a bit of comfort for me, especially on days where for one reason or another I was fricking starving and ate a ton, to be able to use a strip and see that I haven't screwed up my plan, I'm still burning my body fat.

My current plan is to try Atkins for about a month. If I don't start feeling better, I'll know this WOE isn't for me, and I'll give SB a spin. And if that doesn't work, well, I guess I'll take it from there.

Hi Happy

I understand your confusion and can tell how anxious you are to choose a plan and do it properly.

I really can't comment on whether the fat in Atkins would be good or bad for you, or what plan you would lose more quickly on. What I do think though is that since you do have a quite a bit to lose that as long as you stick to either of them you will lose well - even at the higher carb level of South Beach. The best choice for you personally would depend on several things - which plan do you think you could live with more comfortably, and do you need to do an strict Atkins like induction to help curb any carb cravings or addictions that you have. If the fat is really a concern to you, a lot of people do a general LC that just really lowers their carbs without depending on the high fat content of Atkins - it's not exactly a low fat plan, just not a HIGH fat plan like atkins is.

Would it be possible for you to get whichever book you DON'T buy from the library? That way you could better compare both plans . I think the first 2 weeks of SB is VERY similar to Atkins so you could pretty well start either one and not be too far wrong. In the meantime good luck on whichever plan you decide to start with.

Thanks KoKo and Reina - I appreciate the input. I don't why it's such a hard decision for me. I hear great success on both sides of the coin. I am thinking South Beach is the way to go. I like my veggies and some fruits. I am a very picky eater but I have found some great recipes on line. As far as cravings go I really don't get them much and I find when I do I can find a low carb low fat alternative. Thanks again for your help.

personally, i think if i had a lot to lose i would go with atkins to begin. i think it is more of a carb detox than SB. i would probably switch to SB after the first 60-70% of my weight was lost. Just my opinion. i wish you the best!

I started with Atkins but after two weeks found I couldnt stick with it. It was way too much meat and fat for my tastes. It worked well but I found I felt ill at the thought of my next meal!

SDB is far more to my tastes, low fat and good carbs.. I can have my yoghurt, some wholegrains and fruit and veggies.. I know this is a plan I can LIVE with and thats the real deal here, you must choose a lifetime plan, one you can live with day in day out, not just to lose your excess weight.

So think carefully about the foods you really love and go with that diet.

I have found that I dont miss potatoes anymore, I can have brown or wild rice and now I love wholegrain pasta, it has so much more texture and flavour than plain. (never tried it before sbd)

Good luck with your plan !

Thank Just a girl and Sandy 24. After some thought and lots of consideration I bout the Atkins book - but the wrong one apparently. I got Atkins for Life which your supposed to get after the four phases. Silly me! I thought it may go through the phases anyway and it doesn't it only briefly describes what they are. Although I did buy a great Atkins recipe book for all phases and it seems to be something I can live with. As much as I like fruits and veggies I like meat more and perhaps I will be sick of meat after this but I think I will give it shot. Thanks for all your input. I want this excess weight gone.

Atkins for life and SB maintenance is nearly the same, but put that away for a while. It is useful to read both books, the SBD and the new Atkins book (DANDR). I like the physiology that Agatson explains really well. If you just want to know what you can eat, http://www.mizfrogspad.com/south_beach_diet.htm explains it all quite well - no need to buy the book for that. But you have a journey ahead, and understanding what your body is doing and why it is reacting in certain ways when you don't eat, when you skip breakfast, when you cheat, will help you be succesfull on the long run.

You will loose weight on either diet, it isn't that SBD is less strict - it is only less strict on carbs and more strict on fat. It isn't true that you necessarily will loose faster with Atkins. And in the end it is more important how well you can keep it than how fast you loose. Here is my 5 ct what you should consider:

If you are on a tight budget, Atkins may be easier - lean meat and seafood is expensive. SBD is an expensive diet.

If you have problems with cholesterol, and other blood fat values, SBD may be better. While some studies show that in contrast to every traditional prediction, many blood values improve also on Atkins in spite of the high fat, several people on SBD in this forum had trichycerides/cholesterol sky-rocket on Atkins and were told to go off that diet by their Doc.

How easy will it be to count carbs? I hated the idea of keeping track of anything, fat, calories or carbs, and liked the idea of not counting - just eating as much as I want of allowed food.

Atkiners often tell that they need the fat to feel full enough. Do you like that idea? Did you have troubles overeating before because you never felt full? It seems the high fat in Atkins makes that less of an issue. Also Ketosis is a very good appetite suppressant for many people, it seems some Atkiners have to force themselves to eat enough because they aren't hungry.

If these main points aren't an issue, I would go by taste.
I personally never liked large amounts of meat, especially not fat meat, and consider a meal without veggies incomplete, but a meal without meat fine. There is a German dark whole grain bread I like, so the idea of eating bread after the first 2 weeks was appealing, as was fruit. I could not stand the idea of an apple being bad as a snack - it is so easy to take along, and much more appealing to me than beef jerky or porc rinds.

Good luck whatever you choose! But last not least: Stick to one or the other. After a few successful month you can experiment with combinations but you need to stick to the letter of one diet in the beginning, that is very important!

Thanks Monika, I went and purchased the correct Atkins book and got to the first induction phase of reading. I realize the first two weeks or longer (should I choose) is restricted but I find the recipes in the Atkins cookbook not bad at all. I like salad so that fits for me. I try to eat my fruits and veggies but quite frankly they end up in the garbage most times. I started to prepare meals ahead of time before I start. I always seem to be on the run and thought this would make my life easier. I hope I made the right choice. Time will tell. Thanks for the info.

Hey happy

I lost my weight on Atkins, but I wonder if I should read the SBD for more of a life-long WOE. I was totally happy with eating meat and fat, i had been denying myself for twenty years!!!! I lost 33 lbs, and I incorporate carbs when I want (ate sushi two days ago, and ate some ice cream as a treat today). I think both are great plans, but I think Atkins worked better for me because I ate what ever I wanted (within guidelines!!), and even overate but lost weight!! That includes sharing a 4.4lb roast with one other person (she was schwartzbein-ing) and being stuffed!
My cholesterol is lower by 3 pts Canadian (7.1 to 4.59, so a 33% reduction -- BTW, 6.1 I think is the high end for healthy CDN cholesterol!) If SBD is written by a doc, believe it! Sometimes they are actually right!!!!

Good luck!
M

Good Luck Happy!! keep us posted on your progress; i bet you're going to do great!!

I have tried Atkins four (yes 4) times--each without success. I did lose 10 lbs. in 2 weeks on one of my attempts at doing Atkins, but the minute I ate more carbs, I gained it all back, so I think it was nothing but water weight.

I am not neccessarily blaming Atkins, but the first 2 weeks were just too strict for me. I hated pork rinds, I hated the high fat. I had never eaten much sour cream or cream cheese and had NEVER used cream before. Just eating that stuff made me feel fatter. But mainly I hated not being able to have juice. I tried the Atkins and the Crystal Lite orange drink (yuck!). But on SB I can have tomato and V-8 juice everyday and I love them. I also like nuts. Another thing I missed on Atkns was beans which you can have during Phase I of SB. I love hummus made from garbonzo beans. I got constipated every time I went on Atkins to the point of bloating and getting headaches. I think SB is more realistic. If I lose weight more slowly, then so be it, but at least I won't feel like I am killing myself.

Hamptons is basically the lower saturated fat verison of Atkins with a emphasis staying away from processed foods. It also allows a little bit of fruit - which I love. The Hamptons seemed to make the most sense to me and be the most natural - he talks a lot about eating organic foods He really focuses on keeping your fat ratios in check.

Katie