Atkins diet

Has anyone followed the Atkins diet and if you have what do you think of it?  Or what do you think of it even if you haven't followed it!

I, too, am interested in the Adkins diet as to how healthy it is for us.  I am getting lots of protein and getting very little carbs.  i think this is really what Adkins is all about.  My weight is down a little.  Patricia RNY 3/2005 262/132

I do not follow Atkins, but am familiar with the program.  In my opinion, Atkins is too narrow and allows the use of too many higher fat proteins, which is not good from a total nutrition perspective.   I think South Beach is a somewhat better option, as it includes healthy carbs but suggests avoiding processed or highly refined carbs, and it encourages the use of leaner proteins.  My food plan now tracks pretty closely to the South Beach plan and it works well for me.  I'm 27 months post-op and still losing 3-5 pounds per month.  (I started at 396 pounds, am now at 188 pounds, eat ~ 2000-2200 calories per day, and workout 6-8 times per week doing strength training and cardio).   Good luck finding a plan that works for you! Kellie

I lost about 50 pounds twice pre WLS on the Atkins plan.  Unfortunately I never could keep them off.  It's hard to eat meat and salads forever.  The constipation is a killer. I just bought the South Beach diet book and am going to give it a good try.  I've gained 15 pounds this winter and am having a terrible time finding motivation to stop eating crap.

I am currently following a modified version of the Atkins. I have lost 32.5 of regain in 9 weeks.  It truly does work!  The modifications are that I do eat protein bars and some carbs, though I still try to keep it at a minimum!

I have followed the Atkins diet prior to surgery, but agree with several of the posts that it focuses too much on just proteins and leaves out fruits and vegetables which have low glycemic loads.  I now follow an eating program that is somewhere between Atkins and South Beach.  I don't eat many grains or starcy carbs because they make me hungry and cause me to get hypoglycemic.  I use them more as a condiment.  I eat lots of lean protein, vegetables, nonfat dairy, nuts, and fruit.  I also enjoy beans in moderation.  This allows me a lot more choice than Atkins, which got really old after a short time for me.  I stay away from high fat proteins since lots of saturated fat is not good for you, and I rarely eat fried food, since those aren't healthy either.  Other than that I don't worry about fats.  The fats I eat are healthy ones like olive oil.  I'm three years out, and have recently lost 6 pounds after getting back to this type of eating and exercise.  I feel much better and less hungry as long as I eat this way.  I also don't get tired of it because there is so much more I can eat than on Atkins. 

 I suggest you buy a book on Glycemic Index and Glycemic Loads of different foods and use that to choose foods that don't raise your blood sugar.  That has helped me a great deal.

 

Can those who use a modified version between Atkins and SouthBeach give a little more information on how you modified them? Are there specific books that you would recommend to keep track of low glycemic foods?? I haven't been able to find a "happy balance" and am open to trying something else - getting other input would be wonderful - thanks so much :)

Take a look at the following books.  They will explain about Glycemic Loads.  This is the basis of the Southbeach diet and other low carb diets.  You want to manage not just your calories but your blood sugar because if you can keep you blood sugar relatively level, you will be less hungry and it will make it easier to manage your caloric intake!

 

The Glycemic Load Diet by Robert Thompson, MD

The Easy GL Diet Handbook by Dr. Fedon Alexander Lindberg 

Thank you for the book information.

I recommend to everyone trying to lose weight, WLS or non-op, the South Beach Diet.  I wish I had tried it before surgery.  I am sure I would still have needed surgery, but I feel it truly is the most healthy way to eat for life.  Stressing lean proteins, and a wide variety of non-starchy vegetables and fruits, along with whole grains, is a doable way to live as a graduate or in maintainance.  When I need to lose a few pounds, like right now, I restrict the carbs and grains.  I promote never eating anything white, i.e. potatoes, white flour, white rice, white pasta.  Saying this, I'm not perfect, and slip up.  So then, it's back to basics. Debra M.