I am wondering if any of you on the Atkins diet are having headaches . I have been on it for 5 days, and for the last 3 days, I have been waking up with a severe headache. Does this sound familiar to any of you? I need to know what to do about it, if anything. Other than that, I have been doing beautifully on this diet. Best I ever tried! Thanks, Gail

This is common for low carb diets. It's possible they're related to caffeiene withdrawal. What changes have you made in your caffeine intake? You may also need more water. As you add more carbs, that will also help.

The headaches usually go away after a week or so.

hello, my name is gail also and i am on the atkins diet for the most part. i cheat a little on the weekends but anyway i have had a headache for a week now. i am also trying to quit taking xanax a little at a time so i was trying to figure out which one gave me the headache. maybe both. thanks for letting me know someone else is having this problem. gail

This is just my second day on the diet and I also have been having horrible headaches.

It's possible that either (or both or something else) could be the culprit. Headaches from Xanax withdrawal are very common, and any drug withdrawal can get pretty serious, so this might not be the best time for a restrictive diet.

Atkins headaches are very common for the first 2, even 3 weeks. It's unrelated to caffeine since lots of people keep drinking coffee during INDUCTION and STILL get the headaches.
I found that 1000 mg acetamenophen (Tylenol) does the trick in 45 minutes....til the next day.

Soon they are no more!

Thank heavens-I'm having the same headache problem, (I've always been prone to them anyway). I'm on Atkins now 10 days & I've been getting headaches-not horrible, but annoying, (like this morning). I'm doing Atkins to feel better, not worse! The feedback here has been very helpful, especially knowing it can take 2-3 weeks for them to completely disappear.

Another question-I've worked out for years and am in pretty good shape, but am doing Atkins to lose the last of the baby weight, along with being tired of minor weight fluctuations, (fat days, thin days, I've had enough). However, I get on the eliptical machine in the morning & my legs feel like jelly-like I won't be able to make it through my work out. I have a heart rate monitor & I used to need to get up to Level 7 to hit the high end, now I only need to go to Level 3. My heart rate is still fine & comes down quickly when I'm done, but has anyone else experienced this? And is it just do to Induction?

I have been on atkins for over 3 months and I've lost about 33Lbs .... so remember that If ya'll start thinkin about quiting and yes I had headaches it's all about the withdraw's b/c your body is doing a complete 180 and changing most of your eating habbits the headaches and hunger pains do go away though trust me! Good luck to all!

Headaches are COMMON for ANY diet. Any time you change your eating habits your body needs to adapt. In the meantime you get the headaches. Also, lack of hydration causes headaches. So dont compound your problems by not drinking ALOT of water while youre shocking your system into a new lifestyle.

Headaches are COMMON for ANY diet. Any time you change your eating habits your body needs to adapt. In the meantime you get the headaches. Also, lack of hydration causes headaches. So dont compound your problems by not drinking ALOT of water while youre shocking your system into a new lifestyle.

The headaches are typically from carb withdrawal and the fact that your body is converting to "Fat Metabolism" from carb metabolism.

You can get Urinary Ketone test strips which change from pink to purple to indicate how far into fat metabolism you are.

Rich

If you all are eliminating caffeine in any form (coffee, colas, tea) then that would probably be the reason for the headaches. You may want to wean yourself slowly, half decaf half caf until you get yourself off (or take Excedrin - it has caffeine in it). If it's not caffeine related, it could be the toxins clearing out of your body from other food addictions you are removing yourself from. Or it could be your choice of carbs (wheat flour is not good for some people).
This is just my second day on the diet and I also have been having horrible headaches.

I hope you all who are on this diet are prepared to be on this diet the rest of your life. If you get off of it, you will gain the weight back. The healthiest diet is full of fruits and veggies, lean meat and whole wheat. The only fuel your brain runs on is carbs. ONLY. You probably have noticed that it is harder for you to concentrate than before.

I hope you all who are on this diet are prepared to be on this diet the rest of your life. If you get off of it, you will gain the weight back. The healthiest diet is full of fruits and veggies, lean meat and whole wheat. The only fuel your brain runs on is carbs. ONLY. You probably have noticed that it is harder for you to concentrate than before.

Looks like you just listed what is on Atkins maintenance.

Fat (the good fats which are encouraged on low carb) is necessary for brain function. Funny how my brain is much clearer on a low carb plan. If I stray, I feel as if I am in a fog.

As far as staying on it for life, of course! That is how it is meant to work. Same goes for my friend who has lost 60 lbs on Weight Watchers. She is hungry in the night from staying within her point range. Poor thing, she could easily maintain her weight on a low carb plan and NOT be hungry. Will she be able to keep it off if she doesn't continue on her plan? No way. I don't know of any diet that can be done to lose the weight then maintain by going back to the former eating habits.

The reason you are getting headaches is because your body needs carbs.This is what your brain and nervous system runs on.Your brain needs carbs and it needs alot more than the atkins diet allows you to consume.When there is a lack of carbs in the body the brain needs to figure out a plan to get energy otherwise it will shut down and then your brain dead.So when you start consuming all that protein(which kills your kidneys by the way) and not carbs it needs to take fat and start converting into something called ketones and uses this as energy and is excreted through the urine.This may sound ideal the fact that your brain is burning fat for you but ketosis is not meant to be a lifestyle its meant for extreme situations like starvation but along with that fat it will eventually burn muscle and leech calcium making bones brittle not to mention the high cholesterol and other health related problems with atkins.I would reccomend you go off this diet right away for your own well being.If you need advice ask.I lost 45lbs on a high carb diet.

The reason you are getting headaches is because your body needs carbs.This is what your brain and nervous system runs on.Your brain needs carbs and it needs alot more than the atkins diet allows you to consume.When there is a lack of carbs in the body the brain needs to figure out a plan to get energy otherwise it will shut down and then your brain dead.So when you start consuming all that protein(which kills your kidneys by the way) and not carbs it needs to take fat and start converting into something called ketones and uses this as energy and is excreted through the urine.This may sound ideal the fact that your brain is burning fat for you but ketosis is not meant to be a lifestyle its meant for extreme situations like starvation but along with that fat it will eventually burn muscle and leech calcium making bones brittle not to mention the high cholesterol and other health related problems with atkins.I would reccomend you go off this diet right away for your own well being.If you need advice ask.I lost 45lbs on a high carb diet.

Actually a LC diet lowers triglycerides and cholesterol in most people. When on Atkins or Protein Power, you limit the carbs to 20-30 per day the first 2 weeks. After that carbs are added back in until you reach a gaining point. That is how you know your limit to acheive the weight loss. It is really helpful to read one of the books so that you understand how this way of eating actually works.

Protein builds muscle. And the brain needs good fats and oils. When on a LC diet, we don't eat just protein. However, I do believe that some people do it wrong, which is where the bad hype comes in.

After 5 years of low carbing, my brain and muscles are just fine, thankyouverymuch.

It always amazes me how people love to give their "opinions :rolleyes: ". Obvioulsy you have not read the Atkins book, and know nothing about the fact that this is a "lifestyle change" and not a diet. We eat enough good carbs, and still lose weight. The maintenance phase allows for even more good carbs. It is a much healthier way of eating than the high carb diets. You don't get the blood sugar spikes, hunger pangs, and cravings because you keep your blood sugar consistent. It works better in the long run for me and many others.

Please learn more about what you are saying. You are trying to discourage people from eating healthy and making a lifestyle change for the better. People need to do what's right for them, and Atkins is right for alot of people.

:wave:

magicmom- i'm not trying to be an antagonist here, but i'd like to say that i'm taking a nutrition class this semester from a registered dietician and nutritionist with 25 years experience and her own private practice, and our last lecture was entirely on carbohydrates. she basically said almost exactly word for word what nsa18 posted here, and explained why the production of ketone bodies (i.e. ketosis) in the absence of sufficient carbs for brain and nervous function (as in the case of the atkins diet) is dangerous. she's certainly been familiar with the atkins plan for a long long time, and keeps current, and basically said that yes, you will lose weight, but if you stick with this diet you'll wreck your body and eventually quite probably end up being one of the majority of americans who die of heart disease.
that's not to say a high carbohydrate diet is a great idea, but just that you really do need a moderate amount of carbohydrates to nourish yourself (esp. your brain) properly- it's the only real source of energy for the brain.
so before you knock his post as an "opinion" and get all snide, maybe you should consider that someone (lots of someones, in fact) other than dr. atkins might know what they're talking about.

Amen. Well said, junkbondtrader.

Atkins dieters do eat a moderate amount of carbs daily. There have been many studies done on Atkins. There is no scientific proof of any of the things you say Atkins does. You misunderstand the diet. There are plenty of good carbs, fruits and vegetables in the eating plan. You really should read the book before making judgements on something you don't know much about.

Thanks junkbondtrader for sticking up for me and the right diet. Yes i am aware that atkins lets you eat fruit but only certain ones like berries. Is there anyone so ignorant out there that they think other fruit is bad for you?? I am also aware that atkins allows carbs but this amount is not nearly enough for what your body needs. Just the fact that as soon as people start the atkins diet they get constipated should tell you that its not a healthy diet. As long as the bowels dont move with ease your not healthy and you cant convince me otherwise. I use to be 185 lbs and i am 5'7". I cut out all animal products and i lost close to 50lbs. Atkins dieters have been brainwashed. I am not saying that all carbs are good.Certainly no one should sit down with a bag of sugar and start eating it by the spoonful. Heres is what my diet consists of
Breakfast

1 Banana
4 slices of whole wheat bread (Just whole wheat flour and water)
3 servings of shredded wheat cereal dipped in honey with pure maple syrup(not the kind with stuff added)
1 bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon added and untoasted wheat germ added and mollasses added.

Lunch
Fruits

Snacking
Raisins
sunflower seeds
oranges
Chestnuts,other nuts
Pineapple

Dinner

Vegetables, carrots, peas, corn, kale
tahini
Beans, lentils etc..

On this kind of diet i have lost my excess weight and have been mantaining it for a few years now.Anyone have a problem with this diet?I get all my vitamins in this diet.

If it works for you nsa, that's great. I don't see that anyone is having any kind of problem with the diet that works for you. Why are you having such a problem with what other people find works for them?

I used to following a high carb, quasi vegetarian plan . . . with the underlying philosophy of peace on earth, love your fellow creatures, blah, blah, blah. What I have found really fascinating since increasing protein (from animal sources primarily) is that I feel better about myself and as a result feel much more benevolent and tolerant of others. I celebrate others finding the correct path for them, even if it does not reflect exactly what I do.

I was on the South Beach Diet and during the entire first week I woke up and went to bed with headaches. So I know how you feel. Once I started eating carbs again and just eating healthier, instead of dieting, my headaches disappeared.

Thanks junkbondtrader for sticking up for me and the right diet. Yes i am aware that atkins lets you eat fruit but only certain ones like berries. Is there anyone so ignorant out there that they think other fruit is bad for you?? I am also aware that atkins allows carbs but this amount is not nearly enough for what your body needs. Just the fact that as soon as people start the atkins diet they get constipated should tell you that its not a healthy diet. As long as the bowels dont move with ease your not healthy and you cant convince me otherwise. I use to be 185 lbs and i am 5'7". I cut out all animal products and i lost close to 50lbs. Atkins dieters have been brainwashed. I am not saying that all carbs are good.Certainly no one should sit down with a bag of sugar and start eating it by the spoonful. Heres is what my diet consists of
Breakfast

1 Banana
4 slices of whole wheat bread (Just whole wheat flour and water)
3 servings of shredded wheat cereal dipped in honey with pure maple syrup(not the kind with stuff added)
1 bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon added and untoasted wheat germ added and mollasses added.

Lunch
Fruits

Snacking
Raisins
sunflower seeds
oranges
Chestnuts,other nuts
Pineapple

Dinner

Vegetables, carrots, peas, corn, kale
tahini
Beans, lentils etc..

On this kind of diet i have lost my excess weight and have been mantaining it for a few years now.Anyone have a problem with this diet?I get all my vitamins in this diet.


I see no meats on this plan so I will assume you are a vegan.

What is your blood glucose level...say an hour after a meal?
Have you ever had blood lipid profile done?
If so, what is your triglyceride level?
Total cholesterol is not a good indicator of overall susceptability to heart disease, so what is your cholesterol ratio?
Do you supplement to acquire B12?

[QUOTE=nsa18]Thanks junkbondtrader for sticking up for me and the right diet. Yes i am aware that atkins lets you eat fruit but only certain ones like berries. Is there anyone so ignorant out there that they think other fruit is bad for you?? I am also aware that atkins allows carbs but this amount is not nearly enough for what your body needs. Just the fact that as soon as people start the atkins diet they get constipated should tell you that its not a healthy diet. As long as the bowels dont move with ease your not healthy and you cant convince me otherwise. QUOTE]

As long as there is adequate water intake, plenty of veggies, flax cereal and maybe a little fruit daily, there should not be a constipation problem. I find my problem to be the opposite, if I eat breads and the like. In fact, I was bound up for days after Thanksgiving because I ate "normal" for that one day. Not worth it to me.

BTW, I do agree with you that frequent bowel movements ae essential for good health.

I pretty much only eat fruits, veggies, whole-grains and meat occasionally and I couldn't be more regular. Fiber is your friend, and I'm sure most people on atkins do not get enough of it. I had horrible headeaches when I was on atkins a couple years ago and I was constipated, I felt dizzy, I couldnt concentrate and I had no energy whatsoever. That is no way to live! Now, I am always full of energy, I like to exercise and I stay the same weight (I even lost a few pounds) without even trying.

I pretty much only eat fruits, veggies, whole-grains and meat occasionally and I couldn't be more regular. Fiber is your friend, and I'm sure most people on atkins do not get enough of it. I had horrible headeaches when I was on atkins a couple years ago and I was constipated, I felt dizzy, I couldnt concentrate and I had no energy whatsoever. That is no way to live! Now, I am always full of energy, I like to exercise and I stay the same weight (I even lost a few pounds) without even trying.

What you eat, though, is very similar to a low carb maintenance plan. You need to realize that some people cannot handle a ton of carbs. Hypoglycemics and diabetics do much better on a low carb diet. I do not get the spikes and crashes on a low carb plan like I do otherwise. What you eat seems to work great for you, but you can't knock what works for someone else. Just as you didn't like what you felt on the Atkins plan, I do not like the dizziness and nausea I get from eating all those carbs. I still eat adequate amounts of protein, some fruits, lots of salad and spinach and other veggies, nuts,flax meal,dairy, sometimes some brown rice or homemade whole wheat bread. I drink 100 oz of water a day, whereas before I low carbed, I rarely drank water. I do not feel my diet is lacking. In fact, I eat more veggies and whole foods than I ever did before low carbing.

If someone is checking for ketone bodies in their urine as a sign of progress on a low carb diet, that means they are striving for ketosis, which by definition means consumption of insufficient carbohydrates for the brain and nervous system.


Atkins dieters do eat a moderate amount of carbs daily. There have been many studies done on Atkins. There is no scientific proof of any of the things you say Atkins does. You misunderstand the diet. There are plenty of good carbs, fruits and vegetables in the eating plan. You really should read the book before making judgements on something you don't know much about.

If someone is checking for ketone bodies in their urine as a sign of progress on a low carb diet, that means they are striving for ketosis, which by definition means consumption of insufficient carbohydrates for the brain and nervous system.

I do not personally check my urine for ketones. Ketone strips are unreliable and there other ways to tell if you are going into ketosis. I can tell by nausea.

You CAN lose weight without being in ketosis. Many people do, including myself.

Thank you for that post. Everyone seems to get their panties in a wad over ketosis. Since the dawn of time people have existed on berries, nuts, meats and plants. Obviously it worked, as we are all here.

Doesn't anyone realize that the USDA food pyramid was developed and promoted by......those who have a vested interest in agriculture? Big money is involved and the masses are being fed information that promotes agriculture. Look at the statistics for diabetes, heart disease, etc, as you stated compared to what most people eat and it has to be obvious. Low fat diets are as dangerous as eating McD's every day.The body needs good fats for the immune system, brain function, etc. Sugar feeds cancer, and *I* believe that low carb can help prevent the growth of cancer cells. It helps prevent and control diabetes. It lowers the bad cholesterol levels. Fat does not cause heart disease, the continuous spikes and drops in glucose levels do.

There is a reason that our society is bogged down by obesity and dieases. Considering low carb hasn't been popular in the last 50 years, I do not believe that this way of eating is as detrimental as most of the medical establishment would have us believe.

i have never seen a study showing "clear toxicity of soy" or even close, and have seen many many things to make me believe it is beneficial in many ways. but we've been through this before so it's up to anyone who cares to do their own research, i don't have time to rehash the whole thing.

some further information on ketosis:

Unlike most cells, the brain and nerve cells can't use fatty acids for fuel, and they need glucose (from carbodohydrates). Liver and muscle cells must also break down to some extent, because some of their amino acids suffer. This is a big waste of your body protein. The accelerated breakdown of protein increases the amount of nitrogen that gets excreted, and in order to dilute that nitrogen to levels the kidneys can handle, water is drawn from the rest of the body.
Protein breakdown can cause cellular potassium to be excreted in the urine, which can in turn cause dizziness, fatigue and, if severe enough, heart arrhythmia.

Only about 5 percent by weight of a fat molecule can be converted into glucose, and using fat to make glucose overloads the body with free fatty acids (the 95 percent that can't be used). After several days your body shifts to a state of ketosis, during which it converts accumulated fatty-acid and some amino-acid fragments into ketone bodies, a fuel alternative to glucose. Ketone bodies (toxins)- are strong organic acids and can lead to acidosis (high levels of blood acidity), which can disturb many functions.

Mild ketosis may not be acutely dangerous, but that doesn't mean that it's healthy to release toxins into your bloodstream. Also, other lean muscle tissues and even organ tissue can be broken down, too, not just fat. Does that seem unsafe to anyone else?

Not only is ketosis NOT dangerous for us, there is considerable evidence that it is the type of energy metabilism we were evolved to live by. High carbohydrate diets, in fact a consistent intake of any large amount of carbohydrates throughout the year (outside of a narrow peak growing season), did not occur until after the introduction of agriculture, and even more, until after food preservation methods became common. Just the last few centuries in many parts of the world, in other words.

There are still many cultures in the world--for example, many seaside peoples who live outside temperate zones--whose diets are such that they spend much of the year living on very protein heavy diets and thriving in almost permanent ketosis. Their brains do not fall out.

Pregnant women are in ketosis for most of that 40 weeks.

There are many situations, in other words, in which the body expects to cope by burning ketone bodies and does so, and thrives. Each of us owes our healthy birth to this process.

Ketosis is simply NOT ketoacidosis, despite the common tendency to confuse the two. No more than having some blood sugar at all is the same as having diabetes, a potentially fatal disease characterized by very high levels of glucose in the blood.

Hamer's and nsa's and junkbondtrader's postions are what were the common hypotheses before research actually began to be done on these points in the last several years. These were the ideas everyone repeated and expected, but no one had tested. Some seemed perfectly obvious--eat fats and your arteries will clog, as one example. Over the last decade or so, as researchers have tested more of these conceptions, they have proved to be misconceptions, or the medical/nutritional equivalent of urban myths.

The most surprising of these is that the arteries will not lay down fatty plaque on a low carbohydrate diet. Insulin is needed, and without carbs, no insulin. This was a terrific surprise to the early researchers--low carb, high-meat, cheese and egg diets actually lowered cholesterol and cardiac risk. But the results have come up in every study done so far.

The brain does very well without carbs (I have been following a low-carb diet for many years now, and my IQ just tested this weekend as high as in high school--which was a very respectable score, by the way). My total cholesterol is low (140), and hdl is high. I don't get headaches any more than everyone else--rarely. I don't suffer from weakness--have been increasing the intensity of my exercise program these last couple of years greatly in fact--and have added resistance training lately to very gratifying effect. And so on, and so on. If it was just me, it wouldn't mean much, but the research says this is typical.

The "expected" or predicted disasters simply do not show up in the research. Generally, the health results of low-carbing are measurably salutary.

And yes, going off the regimen will mean gaining the weight back This is true of ALL weight control regimens. You don't have to keep to a weight LOSS scenario for life, but yes, if you are of the metabolic or behavioral type to gain weight when not watching carefully, then of course going off a disciplined regimen (low carb or other) will be greeted by regaining the weight. That's how we got overweight to begin with.

A life-long change is needed. Atkins provides a phased way of getting to that life-long lifestyle change. There are other ways to do it, but this has worked for me and for many thousands of others. And, by and large, we are healthier for it.

You should follow whatever dietary program works for you, but leave us alone, would you, about Atkins? It is a great way to eat but if you are not following it, then it's no skin off your teeth, is it?

Best to you.


sean

I will only add a few points to Sean's post.

The concept of low fat high carb diets was built on a flawed study back in the fifties.
First a little background.
Just prior to WWll, the government was looking for a compact meal that could be carried in the field by the troops. They contacted a Univ. of Minnesota Nutritionist professor named Ansel Keyes to design such a meal.
Keys was the pre-eminent nutritionist of his time and took up the challenge and came up with the infamous "K Rations". The K stood for Keyes.
Aside from the nearly indigestible foodstuffs in his concoction, he included cigarettes, which he apparently thought were fine.

Keyes was also a big promoter of the health benefits of margarine over butter.
After the war, Keyes, with his new found reputation decided to do a study on what should be the ideal nutrition for Americans.
He put together a team and managed what was called the "Seven Countries Study" . His purpose was to find the definitive link to heart disease.
His conclusions, however were faulty, as later research would prove.
He determined that "low fat" and "lowering cholesterol" were the basis for good health. One of his major detractors was Eisenhower's personal physician who harshly criticized Keyes data linking low fat to health.
However, the agriculture industry embraced him and lobbied on his behalf.

Even when the government itself determined that some of Keyes initial findings were wrong, they did not change their position that fat is bad.

I can cite the relevant studies if need be, but I think everyone gets the gist of it.

The article cited by JunkbondTrader is misleading.
What actually occurs is that the body breaks down fats and essentially turns them into glucose for assimilation. The fat has more than double the energy value of carbohydrates. Essential Fatty Acids are needed for absorpttion of vitamins, cellular repair, and the formation of cholesterol. What is not used by the body beyond that is eliminated through excretion.

If anyone cares to research this further here are some things to look up.

Pyruvic Acid
ATP
Krebs Cycle (citric acid cycle)
Glycolysis


It is a fascinating study no matter what your views, but seperating fact from fiction will keep you healthier.

its not worth arguing, to each his/her own. i still think the atkins diet is insane, you still probably think my diet is insane. but if we both feel healthy, and plan to stick with it anyway, arguing is pointless. hopefully before making any major dietary changes people will do their own research & talk to their doctors anyway and find something they feel comfortable with. peace.

its not worth arguing, to each his/her own. i still think the atkins diet is insane, you still probably think my diet is insane. but if we both feel healthy, and plan to stick with it anyway, arguing is pointless. hopefully before making any major dietary changes people will do their own research & talk to their doctors anyway and find something they feel comfortable with. peace.

JBT..
We are not arguing, just sharing differing opinions.
The whole objective is to achieve nutrition while stabilizing blood sugar levels, regardless of your diet.
Over time, glucose and insulin swings lead to diabetes, heart disease, and early aging.

A high carb diet is more inclined to bring about the above mentioned swings, but you can't feel them. The only thing you may feel is an energy boost followed by fatigue.

I would encourage everyone to get a glucose monitor and check their sugar levels regularly. They only cost about $15.

Far cheaper than a doctor's visit.

Do you drink a lot of caffeiene? If you did and now don't, I would bet it is the caffine. I went throught the same thing...caffeiene withdrawal. I went back to drinking caffine to avoid the headaches. Too painful.

Everybody disagreeing with the Atkins way of life is confusing the entire diet with the first 2 week "induction" period. Yes, you might get headaches and weak from sugar withdrawal and yeast die-off. Then your body adjusts after the de-tox. The two week induction is to break the sugar habit and start the body burning fat rather than carbohydrates. Vegetables on induction are a must!
After the two week induction, more vegetables are added, then fruit and whole grains. When one is close to goal weight, most foods can be added back into the diet with the exception of sugar and white flour products. I say "most foods" because some of us learn of food allergies along the way and learn to avoid those foods. Lean meats instead of fatty meats are also recommended as one reaches goal.
As for the comment that Atkins diets gain their weight back after "going off the diet", name one diet where you don't gain back weight after going back to eating garbage! Atkins is a lifestyle change.
So what is so unhealthy about giving up sugar and white flour? THAT is Atkins!

Oh, and fruit is loaded with fructose, which converts to glucose (sugar!!) in the body. That is why fruit intake is restricted during the first few weeks.

Even if fruit is loaded with "sugar".Do you actually think fruits are bad for you?? No one i know has ever had weight problems because of fruit. The problem with atkins is that they treat white sugar the same as sugar in fruits. Thats not correct. Sure the body converts both to glucose but white sugar is bad and fruits are not.

Even if fruit is loaded with "sugar".Do you actually think fruits are bad for you?? No one i know has ever had weight problems because of fruit. The problem with atkins is that they treat white sugar the same as sugar in fruits. Thats not correct. Sure the body converts both to glucose but white sugar is bad and fruits are not.

I think you are misunderstanding the concept.
When people do Atkins, the induction phase is designed to accomplish two things.
Stabilize the blood sugar
Promote the burning of stored fat.

Carbs inhibit the burning of fat due to the insulin produced.
Insulin actually blocks the burning of fat stores as a protective mechanism to prevent fat from competing with glucose for fuel.
That is why a low fat/high carb diet inhibits weight loss.
Most weight loss is lean muscle mass rather than fat.

With Atkins induction you use fat for fuel (the fat actually converts to glucose) and the blood sugar stays in check.
Fruit sugars are a little different than white sugar in that there are other components in fruit that slow down its effect on your glucose levels.

However, fruit sugar will also inhibit fat burning so that is why they are off limits during the induction phase. Once you are near your goal weight, fruits are reintroduced back into the diet.

Even if fruit is loaded with "sugar".Do you actually think fruits are bad for you?? No one i know has ever had weight problems because of fruit. The problem with atkins is that they treat white sugar the same as sugar in fruits. Thats not correct. Sure the body converts both to glucose but white sugar is bad and fruits are not.

Yes, as a person suffering from systematic candida, fruits are bad for me. Most people can handle them, as they can handle candy bars, food coloring, white bread, etc. with no problems. These foods, including fruit, will literally make me sick.
As my health improves, I hope to be able to add fruit back to my diet in small amounts, no more than one piece of fruit a day.

I am also on this diet........I have not had my head hurt. I have been going to certain web sites that allow me to plan my meals in advance and it shows me my carb count and also a list of whats in the food i pick out. I love to play with it! ha ha
and believe it or not I EAT ALOT under 20 carbs! ha ha are you eating right? enough?
then again i sort of cut down on my coffee, what i did was mix my coffee 1/2 caffene and 1/2 not in each pot i make. so i lowered my caffene but not gave it up all the way........My goal is to get off it in time but i knew I could not go cold turkey. try this if your used to caffene....I still lost 4 pounds last week and did this.

muslimlady

I am also on this diet........I have not had my head hurt. I have been going to certain web sites that allow me to plan my meals in advance and it shows me my carb count and also a list of whats in the food i pick out. I love to play with it! ha ha
and believe it or not I EAT ALOT under 20 carbs! ha ha are you eating right? enough?
then again i sort of cut down on my coffee, what i did was mix my coffee 1/2 caffene and 1/2 not in each pot i make. so i lowered my caffene but not gave it up all the way........My goal is to get off it in time but i knew I could not go cold turkey. try this if your used to caffene....I still lost 4 pounds last week and did this.

muslimlady

You should never go under 20 carbs a day. You cannot get enough veggies on that amount. Stay in the 20-30 range.

so is atkins worth buying?

this is seriously confusing...I want to lose the weight but I'm affraid of getting stupid.
is this all PETA, environmentalist propaganda?

Is your brain really going to shrivle up and die (I'm in college and I have to friggin learn, do you seriously get confused and stupid) are my intestines going to explode because I'm a meat eater?....I love meat and would love to eat a lot of it but I don't want to hurt my brain, wtf? Does the Atkins thing really mess up your brain? I could care less about being constipated...I'll just chug some peptobismol.
does it permanently damage you? I just want to do it until I'm skinny then I want to really bulk up the muscles...or can I start that right now while I'm "losing" weight.

have there been any cases of people "kicking the bucket" on atkins? Has anyone become insane?


If I do decide to go on atkins, what will exactly should I buy? (people who have done this)

so is atkins worth buying? . . .

If I do decide to go on atkins, what will exactly should I buy? (people who have done this)

The book is quite widely available in libraries and used book stores, but even the paperback is not terribly expensive, if money is tight (which it is for most students).

At this point in time there really are not many definitive answers about nutrition, and if it ever is sorted out my prediction is that they will find that no one plan is best for everyone. So we are left to read a variety of opinions and see what makes sense to us individually.

There is an awful lot of faulty information circulating about Atkins. There is one particular group of doctor who seem to be making a career of attacking Atkins. But, there have been no reported cases of anyone's brain shrivelling up (many report clearer thinking after cutting out carbohydrates [particularly refined ones]); and no one's colon has exploded (but please don't guzzle pepto - take a fiber supplement, if necessary); nor have they gone insane (though I think some have come close by being confronted over and over again by the same untrue criticisms of Atkins); nor kicked the bucket.

But planning on going on Atkins only until you lose the weight is not the best approach. Cutting carbs is a long term venture. With Atkins one starts by severely limiting carbohydrates and then adding them back gradually. Long term, I think most people still maintain a relatively low level of carbs - and the recommendation is to stay away from refined carbs as much as possible (which just about everyone recommends). If you don't have much weight to lose, it would be that cutting out refined and simple carbs could do the trick for you.

Really, you do not need to buy anything except whatever food you eat and supplements (recommendations are made in the book). There are lots of Atkins and low-carb products out there, but Atkins' recommendation is to eat real food and make every carb count by using them to eat nutrient dense foods.

Good luck!

I'm 5'5"-5'6" 170lbs, about as weak (muscle wise) as a 7 year old girl...*not to offend any 7 year old girls here?* :D . So I have a pretty good sized beer belly.

I'm hoping to lose a great deal of that weight by the summer. Is that possible with Atkins and about an hour of the air strider (its one of those walking gliding machines that...I think there's a popular one called the gazelle? I know nothing about exercise so I hoped that helped) are those cardio?
and about 45 min of "weight training" (I don't know about that either...I have a really ooooold barbell from my dad when he himself was a teen, but its very heavy and has tons of those plates that you put on them)...I would assume that curling it toward yourself standing, pulling it up, and laying on your back pushing up will work? because I'd really like to get some good muscle definition going on eventually.
I do plan on staying on Atkins after I lose all the weight too




btw- how long would I be able to stay on the induction being as I've got the huge gut?
oh, and do I really need to go see a doctor first about potential kidney problems? I've never had anything wrong with that...other than the gut and the no muscles I think everything else is fine.

If you are concerned, go see a dr first.Personally, I did not before I started as I had no health problems. You do induction for 2 weeks at NO LESS than 20 carbs a day. After the 2 weeks, you start adding in 5 carbs per week. As long as you are losing, you can keep adding each week. Do not stay on induction past the 2 week point. This is important. You can do 20-30 carbs a day and be ok. If you are excercising, you will need to up your carbs a little. Also, do not start excercising during induction.

Weights are good and the machine is cardio, yes.

don't exercise during induction? what happens if I do?
I can handle being a little sore and tired

I'm starting Adkins today - I have the book and a carb counter. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread - it was a most interesting and educating debate.

Be well!

I've lost 5lbs, its been 4 days...and I feel better than ever. I'm taking fiber pills, my intestines are fine...I'm thinking clearer...and no headaches

I've lost 5lbs, its been 4 days...and I feel better than ever. I'm taking fiber pills, my intestines are fine...I'm thinking clearer...and no headaches

I'm taking the psyllum capsules b4 meals - and I've been here 2.5 days now and no headaches. I am drinking loads of water and herbal teas.

I wasn't a big caffeine user anyway - maybe the headaches are to do with giving up caffeine - and possible allergens/toxins from corn/wheat etc.

Oh - and 4lbs has come off in 2 days on 1,800 calories a day. :-)