well i am starting my first day on Atkins today [i do not own the book] but i have gone on their website and found loads of info...HOWEVER...i am in the 'Induction Phase' which means for 2 weeks [or more if i so choose] i can only eat 20 carbs a day. Well here is my dilemma...i know there are plenty of high fat foods [beef sticks, cheese, etc] that i am able to eat since they have little to no carbs...so am i allowed to eat ALL i want of these low carb foods at will??? i know i can't go overboard..but i LOVE cheese, i could eat it all day...UGH i just don't KNOW! i almost feel like i am doing this ALL wrong!! PLEASE help someone....thank you!

Basic: IF you eat more calories than you burn you will gain weight no matter what any diet says about the foods. IF you burn more calories than you eat, then you lose weight. IF you starve the body, it will go into famine mode and conserve calories.

Eat wisely. The local library or Goodwill or other charity store might have an Atkins for you. There are a lot of them showing up there these days when I look at the books.

This is the problem with following a fad diet, much less following it w/out actually getting the book and READING it.

There are valid points to the Atkins diet ... IF YOU ARE FOLLOWING THE DIET. If you're just guessing what the diet allows and talks about based on the website, then you're not following the diet and you're not getting the additional nutritional information that's included in the book.

No, if you read the book, you'll find out that you're NOT allowed to gorge on high fat foods just because. You'll find out that you still have to be moderate in your choices.

Aside from that, I don't believe in restrictive diets. I believe in eating healthy, balanced meals made of real food. Cutting out whole food groups is unrealistic and unhealthy, IMO. But if you MUST try the diet, please to it properly, by getting the book and reading EVERYTHING that's in it ... not just guessing about what you should be doing based on partial information from the website.

i have all the info i need [found it through the help of generous people and people actually on the diet or who have success with it], i don't NEED to read the book to follow a diet...it's not that hard to count carbs, come on !

thanks!

It's not that hard to count anything. But the Atkins diet is more than just counting carbs. You obviously don't understand how the diet works since ( a ) you think it's just counting carbs and ( b ) you asked the question you did in your first post.

This half-assed approach to doing something is not going to get you far. You're going to get frustrated when you don't see the results you want and will then claim that you "tried the Atkins diet, but it didn't work for me". I've seen it time and time again.

If you're going to try a "diet" (not that I believe in diets, but they do work for some people) then you owe it to yourself to actually PROPERLY do the diet. Not to half-ass your way around it and then claim it didn't "work" for you.

you obviously have a stick up your ass, since this is a weight loss forum designed to help and encourage people, ALL you are doing is being rude and ignorant...so you are an Atkins 'pro' huh?? well then in your first post, you could have been HELPFUL instead of degrading. And then you say i will 'say it didn't work for me'!? WOW you must be psychic when it comes to my mind right?!?!?! where the hell do you get the idea i am going to say that...Lordy woman, you have major issues!! AND did you NOT read the part where i said i found the information i needed, didn't need to spend 25$ on a book to get it HA! Lastly...if you don't believe in diets, how are you soooo damn familiar with the Atkins diet, since you are telling me that i 'obviously don't know how the diet works'...if that is the case you must have been on it at one point or another...obviously YOU weren't a successful Atkins dieter or did you just read the book for a good time?!?!

Not gonna argue with you sweetie.

Yes, if you read my journal post, or my intro post or, in fact, any of my other posts, you'll see that I did my round of "diets" and realized they don't work. Yes, I've done the Atkins Diet. I've done South Beach. I've done Weight Watchers. I've done the Cabbage Soup diet. I've done crazy fad diets. I've bought into the whole "diet industry". It wasn't until I learned that "diets" don't work that I actually lost weight.

As of today I've lost 80 lbs and kept it off for nearly 2 years.

So yes, you're right, I was one of those unsuccessful Atkins dieters. And I'll be honest that I think the diet as designed is probably one of the more reasonable on the market and if done as written, can work for many people. But it is a very restrictive diet and one that most people can't follow ... and certainly can't follow if they don't know what the diet entails.

Do I have a stick up my ass? No, I don't think so. What I do have is 20 years of fucking up my metabolism by following fad diets, before realizing that diets don't work. The only thing that really works long term is committing to a lifestyle change - to changing the entire way you think about food, exercise, and how your body works.

You can see it as being rude or intolerant or whatever other name you want to call me, if it makes you feel better. But I've been where you are. Many times. And I wish to God that someone had told me this earlier and saved myself a lot of time, effort, and anguish.

(And by the way, you don't have to spend $25 on the book. You could go to the library and check it out for free and actually read the diet so that you know what you're doing with it. Again, if you want to *do* a diet, then you owe it to yourself to actually learn what it is you're doing rather than relying on random information from the web.)

Good God do you ever let up?!?! it's called being helpful which you haven't been at all...this is not an ARGUMENT board, this is a board to help others out with weight loss questions and such...not to start an argument,which you seem not to be able to comprehend~~i am 22 years old, and i am sure you are much older~~so how is it that you are so immature? PEACE!!!!!

she is helping you out. don't do atkins, its garbage. you are just not listening...

Sweetie, I'm not the one picking an argument. You're the one getting all twisted up and bent about this.

You're right ... this is a board to HELP others. I'm trying to help you and offer you advice, but it's not what you want to hear, so you're going to be angry with me. Oh well.

Perhaps you should just put me on ignore. That way you don't have to get so upset.

With all those words I'm pretty sure the basics of the Atkins diet could've been fully described by now . But sometimes people do variations (probably esp the ignoramus types who haven't read the book like me), and may end up doing more a south beach type diet or just a high protein/high fat diet that from what you've said may not have been the Atkins diet lol. I've tried it all on my 2 year plateau and prior to that in my life long struggle to maintain a normal weight range (before I put on 20 lbs I can't get off). All the little faddy diets I did over the years that I would pick up for a few days or a weekend or whatever actually did work to keep my weight range stable. But I would always end up back with eating in moderation and exercising, and not allowing myself to gain more than 10 lbs before making sure to get it off. So for me these diets have had their place over the years, even when not at all strictly followed.

oh SWEETIE, if you look at your previous posts you will see how irritated and unhelpful [this is your idea of advice? 'just READ the book, don't half ass your way around it] YOU CALL THAT helpful?? wow...don't try to be all calm and rational now HAHAHAHA and no, i don't put anyone on ignore, i deal with things~~even when it's a crazy lady over the computer! ANYHOW~i am done with you...but i am sure you will write again...

yup...the Atkins starts with the induction phase which is 2 weeks of eating 20 carbs/day~~no more, no less..with a focus on liberally eating meats, cheese and some veggies...however i find it a little too low, so therefore i am going to go with eating around 30-40 carbs/day to start...i also read that with Atkins you don't HAVE to do the Induction phase, like the book suggests...so no, i guess i won't be following the Atkins diet~more like my OWN idea of the diet! yesterday i bought a whole bunch of greens, LEAN [4% fat] meat, low fat cheeses, etc...i am trying to eat more of a low cal/low carb/low fat/high protein diet...sure beats the way i was currently eating, FRIED, FRIED, HIGH FAT, WAYYY HIGH CALORIES, HIGH CARB lol

Just happened to lurk around in here since I've recently stopped following the Atkins diet.
It can DEFINITELY be a lifestyle, but I would never recommend it. Maybe for diabetes and high cholesterol (but only if followed exactly the way it should be).

I LOVED the progress I made with Atkins. I was losing about 5-7 pounds a week until I lost 30 pounds then I went INSANE! haha I got really irritable/moody/depressed all because I couldn't allow myself to eat anything with "too many" carbs. I was in constant fear of eating a sandwich and gaining 10 pounds over night.

Sooo many people succeed with Atkins. My mom did a fantastic job on it, and now she is heavier than she was before the diet. It's just so hard to do forever. Think about it..forever is a long time.
And carbs aren't our enemy.
As Dr. Atkins says, yeah we shouldn't eat 350 carbs a day, but I don't think we should eliminate food groups either.

I won't be "pushy" or "anti-Atkins" because I did it for a few months and refused to listen to what I was told. Do what feels right and if it works for your lifestyle than that is awesome. If it doesn't, try something different.
That's what I did and now I'm watching calorie intake and being more active.