Question:
Has anyone ate less than 20 carbs a day on Atkins?

I'm on Atkins right now, and I have my second consult coming up in 2 weeks. I have to have lost 20 lbs by then. Has anyone ever eaten less than the 20-30 carbs a day?.. If so has it accelerated your weight loss? and how much weight have you lost in 2 weeks? Any help would be appreciated.    — Laydie K. (posted on February 24, 2003)

February 23, 2003
Hi. I went on the Atkins diet once and lost about 25 lbs in a month, but as soon as I went off - I gained the wt back very rapidly.
   — kandi S.

February 23, 2003
If your diabetic see your PCP if your doing atkins, espically ultra low carb. It can mess up your kidneys.
   — bob-haller

February 23, 2003
As a previous poster said, if you have a medical condition you should check with your doctor first. I've done Atkins many many times over the years. My first run at Atkins was in the '70s. Of course there were no bars or shakes and all the real food you could have the first few weeks had virtually 0 carbs in it. I still have the original book and I thnk he modified it over the years. Way back then he stressed zero carbs for the first 2 weeks. I remember I lost weight rapidly but like others put it back on as soon as I went off. Over the years I built up a tolerance to lowcarb diets and the last time I did Atkins I did a zero carb for a few weeks and only lost six pounds. The first time I lost six pounds in a matter of days and five pounds a week for the first month. However, if you've never been on low carb or you still can "crash diet", you might lose a lot. Over the years, thanks to yo yo diets, I can no longer crash diet, even with surgery I'm a slow loser, but your mileage may vary. If you just eat meat, fish, cheese & eggs (and use heavy cream for coffee or tea) you can lose weight rapidly if this is to lose weight for surgery. When I did Atkins the first time I lived on omelets (just eggs and cheese - no veggies), shrimp, steak, cheeseburgers (with no bun) and lost a lot of weight quickly.
   — susanje

February 23, 2003
I love the Atkin's diet and still use it if I have some weight gain to get back on track. I kept my carbs at 15, but saw a post it is 20. I lost 1 pound a day and couldn't believe it! I typically didn't do it for more than 2 wks (can't stay on ANY diet long-hense the reason for wls)Susan below, sums it up nicely. Best of Luck!
   — ZZ S.

February 23, 2003
Yes, you can keep your carbs below 20 on Atkins, in fact that is recommended for the first two weeks. It's called the "induction" period. Be careful of the bars and shakes, even though they might say 2.5 carbs on the package there are 'hidden' carbs. To difficult for me to explain because I don't really understand it myself. But, I did do Atkins for a year and was on a low carb board and did learn alot. Stick to the natural 0-carbs stuff. Meat, chicken, eggs, fish and cheese. Best of luck!
   — Stacy L.

February 23, 2003
HI I HAVE ALSO BEEN ON THE ATKINS DIET FIRST 2 WEEKS YOU CAN DO NO CARBS. HE ALSO HAS A REAL EXTREME DIET IN THE NEWER BOOK FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE RESISTANT TO WEIGHT LOSS. IT IS NO CARBS. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR LOSS
   — carla S.

February 28, 2003
I did Atkins two times in the last two years. The first time, I got up to 40 grams of carbs/day. I lost a total of 15lbs. in 6 weeks. I was VERY disappointed with that amount, so I quit it. I went on it again a few months ago and stayed below 15 grm a day for two weeks and lost nothing! So, you guessed it, I quit. Maybe I wasn't dedicated enough to do it long term. But, I felt miserable on it. Very cranky (my poor kids:( and husband).
   — Suzy R.