Dr atkins? what do you think for losing weight? - Obesity Message Board

aggiefan · 01-19-2003, 10:00 PM

Hi im 34 years old and I am trying to lose weight, im not your average lady I have 2 eight inch metals rods in my back from a car accident, i can do light excersize. but cant do alot for my disabaling injury/ i am restreained from alot of the noraml activity. I am very interested in dr atkins diet can anyone leaveme any feedback of the pros and cons?
thank you and god bless

auntjudyg · 01-20-2003, 08:10 AM

If you go through past message on the weight loss board you will find lots of arguing back and forth about the Atkins plan.

When setting out to lose weight, it is not a matter of going on a plan for a while but changing ones eating habits permanently. So, what do you think are the major factors contributing to your weight gain? Is the problem carbohydrates? Then the Atkins plan might help (though there are a number of low-carb plans that are not as restrictive as Atkins). If the problem is just excess portions, then just cutting back might be the answer.

Check into different plans (many have websites) and see what makes sense to you and, more importantly, what you can live with for sustained periods.

Best wishes.

fat be gone · 01-20-2003, 09:07 PM

hi i just wanted to say good luck first of all.i have tryed the atkins plan and it worked so well for me i lost inches and weight went from a size 18-20 to a 14 in about 2and a half months but then i binged my father passed away and i didnt really care about myself or my health so i quit doing it. i am trying to get started again i am such a junkfood junkie.but i know if i can get past the first week ill be set. i had more energy i wasnt tired all the time and i was losing weight and feeling good about myself.so if you decide to do this maybe we can do it together with support and checking on one another i believe we can do it. so just let me know. oh ya by the way my blood pressure went down when i was on it.

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BigTex · 01-26-2003, 08:00 AM

The Atkins diet works great if you follow the book properly. Most people do a variation of the Atkins Diet and they fail to lose weight or they regain it plus more.

The Atkins diet is restrictive the first two weeks on the diet(the induction phase). After that you can gradually increase you carb intake up to the point where you are still losing weight.

One major gripe that many people have with the Atkins diet or any low carb diet is that once you go off the diet you very rapidly regain all the weight plus more. As Dr. Atkins points out in his book that you must consider his diet as a way of life not just a temporary "diet". You must decide that you are going to eat this way for the rest of your life.

Another complaint of many Atkiners' (I just made that term up) is that it becomes boring after a while. Hence it is very important to be creative in your cooking. There are many low carb cookbooks and websites with recipes to keep it interesting. BigTex

kvanrijn · 01-26-2003, 08:37 AM

Hi aggiefan

I personally haven't tried the Atkin's diet. Most people that I have heard talk about it did lose weight (and fast!) but also tended to gain the weight back.

I have two suggestions. One: you might want to consider water aerobics for exercise (if you aren't already) given your back situation. It's very low impact, maybe no impact if done in deep water. Two: there is a book I found to be very helpful. It's not exactly a "diet" book. It's a guide to weight loss that looks at the underlying reasons people are overweight and makes suggestions for losing weight based on that. For example, you might be overweight because of a sluggish thyroid, a toxic colon, food allergies, enzyme deficiencies, etc, etc. The underlying cause of the weight gain must be addressed in order for the diet to succeed long term. Anyway, the book is very good; it's published by Burton Goldberg and the editors of Alternative Medicine and the title is "Weight Loss An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide." I really highly recommend it and the water aerobics!

Good luck and God Bless

kvanrijn