Low Carb Diet (atkins)

vik6525

Sazbo wrote: »

Thanks vik, that's very interesting. I guess we get so brainwashed over the years into thinking that diets have to be complicated and/or hard and/or expensive (I guess the diet industry has a vested interest in our thinking that) - when in fact what this proves is that it doesn't have to be any of those things.

It's really inspiring:)

sx

TBH, its the 'expense' thing that was the priority for me... At the point where I realised I needed to loose weight or just 'give up' I researched what diet i thought would be best for me...
I ADORE cheese, meat and veg so I knew that Atkins would be ideal, but I couldnt work out how to do it without needing to cook seperate meals, and 'isolate' myself from family meals (if that makes any sense? A big part of our mealtimes are 'pass the cheese mum' 'pass the pepper' kinda thing!!) plus, when I started it, I was really hard up!
I realised that 'tweaking' the foods we'd eat anyway, although it didnt give me the promised 'loose a stone in a fortnight' type weight loss, was ideal for me, because it meant that I could stay within my food budget, but also enjoy the 'social' aspect of food....




(plus, my son is a HUGE foodie, and I knew that if I started eating steak for dinner every night, the little sod would want the same :rotfl: :rotfl: )

Sazbo

- but that's important isn't it, the social aspect. i think any regime which requires you to make and eat totally separate meals from everyone else - well, i know that wouldn't work for me long term...

jinny

Hi everyone well I hope, been really skint this weekend so had no money to buy low carb food so been living off carbs I had in and a relative emptied their freezer of unwanted food It was kind of them but it was all junk processed food. I have managed to keep off the 4lbs I lost last week, but I feel awful my digestive system feels terrible can't wait for Monday when get some money to buy decent food will drink loadsa water today to flush out the rubbish I have been putting in myself. I was grateful for the kind gesture but I don't know how people eat that crap.

Ted_Hutchinson

DIRECT Study result: Low-carb, Mediterranean diets win weight-loss battle

322 participants followed one of three diets over two year period. Compared head-to-head, the (mean) weight loss in each group was:

• 2.9 kg (6.4 lbs) for the low-fat group
• 4.4 kg (9.7 lbs) for the Mediterranean-diet group
• 4.7 kg (10.3 lbs) for the low-carbohydrate group

It is worth reading all Dr Davis has to say as you really do need to understand all the health benefits the low carbers achieved.

I just don't understand why oh why they reintroduced carbs at 120 mg/day. I certainly have no intention of doing so. What's the point. For over 2 million years humanoids lived without refined carbs. They simply cannot be an essential component of the human diet. There are plenty of non starchy veggies and fruit.

Low-carb diet trumps low-fat diet, yet again

Sazbo

Good morning everyone :hello:

How are we all today? Hope you had good weekends. I spent most of mine runnning around shops begging for cardboard boxes to start packing some stuff away, before the builders return to start the next phase tomorrow. Good exercise i guess:D Was stiff as a board last night, but nothing that a bath in dead sea salts couldn't fix:)

And it's so great to be back at work... yay!.... not:rolleyes: lol
Anyway, the good news is I've lost a total of 8.5 pounds :j and I'm a bit chuffed:D And the sun's shining -ish.

I have some of my homemade coleslaw and some ham salad for lunch.

Have a good day everyone!

Much love,
Sazzy xxxx

HanSpan

Sazbo wrote: »

Thanks vik, that's very interesting. I guess we get so brainwashed over the years into thinking that diets have to be complicated and/or hard and/or expensive (I guess the diet industry has a vested interest in our thinking that) - when in fact what this proves is that it doesn't have to be any of those things.

It's really inspiring:)

sx

I've been reading this thread for a few weeks and this seems an appropriate point to jump in and tell my tale. I did Atkins a few years ago and lost weight (which I never had done on low fat or other diets) and felt much better, but I drifted back to 'normal' eating and put it back on and some. About 18 months ago I went to a homeopath, due mainly to having repetitive bouts of thrush - cleared up with drugs then recurring in a never ending cycle. She tested me for food intollerances (I was extremely sceptical but she really couldn't have faked what she did) and told me never to eat a potato again as well as not to eat bread, flour, pasta, rice and sugar (basically cut out all carbs) also no dried fruit, bananas or apricots and switch to full fat milk in tea. I remembered from my atkins period that lunch at work was the hardest and no bread was a real problem so we compromised on one brown bread sandwich a day as long as it has lots of proteing and veg filling.

So this is definitely less restrictive than any particular plan and has not been at all hard to follow. I rarely eat breakfast (I know very naughty) lunch is a BLT for instance, dinner I do the same as others have mentioned - chilli without the rice, spag without the bol, quite often roast parsnip instead of potato, very often chicken with onions, mushrooms bacon and double cream (yum), frequently fruit with cream for pudding (tinned peaches in juice fills my cupboards). And to deal with the chocoholic in me - I found 99% chocolate (in fact have now found 100% chocolate) which I love but it is an aquired taste. In about 18 months I've lost over 1.5 stone without actually trying to lose weight at all.

I always struggled with the mental argument of sticky cake vs weight gain and the sticky cake frequently won, now the argument is sticky cake+thrush or no sticky cake and its much easier to chose as the negative effect is almost immediate. I do still dream of those sticky cakes though, and wake up feeling guilty at what I ate in my sleep I have a great deal of respect for you all - sticking to low carb to lose weight, which isn't a quick result, and dealing with the constant temptations of most of the food around us as well as the unhelpful friends and colleagues we all have - trying to sabotage or convince us we'll get ill without white flour.

I'm not recommending the less restrictive 'plan' I live on instead of anything you may be having success with but I think if I'd known I could 'slip' to this extent from Atkins, at least for a while, without undoing all the good, I might have stayed with it. Oh and telling people a medical reason for avoiding carbs, particularly a 'girly' one, can do wonders at stopping them trying to tempt you. Its amazing that the people round my work (particularly the blokes) have stopped offering me donuts since I explained!

Sorry for the very long rambling, hope you all don't mind, I'll go back to reading now.

Sazbo

Hi HanSpan - that was great to read - thanks so much for posting it! And as for why the guys in your office no longer offer you doughnuts.... :rotfl:

The plan that I and a few others here are following is a less restrictive version of Atkins. Maybe on the 'proper' Atkins I'd get results faster, but Dr Dahlqvist's plan appeals to me because it is so easy - don't have to count anything - and so I feel it is something I can stick to in the longterm. I'm very happy with how things are going so far. I just don't get anything like as hungry as I used to and I don't crave junk either - and that's a first!

It is definitely challenging at work - there seems to be a birthday or some other occasion to be celebrated every week - and a constant round of cakes, biscuits and chocolates to be avoided. But so far I haven't been in any serious danger of caving in. If I feel temptation getting the better of me, perhaps i'll take your advice and proffer a 'girly medical reason' as to why I can't have them!;) But in seriousness, I do know from my own experience the problems that having too much sugar in the body can cause.

Thanks for posting HanSpan and you are welcome stay:)

Sazzy xxx

gillette147

Hello,
Can I join the gang please?

Someone who shall remain nameless has persuaded me to try this diet.
I have been on my own diet and have lost 16lb YAY. So I really hope this diet doesn't blow my good work.

I want to lose another 7 stones.
I'm male mid 40s and my history is that I can be very strict on a diet and have on two occassions lost 7 stones - only to put it back on. I am hoping Atkins will allow me to eat the same after the weight loss and so not put it back on.

I am a huge meat face by nature.
I am worried that unleashed to eat meat I will go too far and this will be a disaster for me. I really can't believe that I can eat unlimited meat.

I also have mental problems with food. I see it as a reward, comfort and lots of other things so that I will eat beyond what my hunger demands. It's like as long as I possibly can, I will continue to eat meat. I can't believe that I can do this and still lose weight. But I will try not to go mad/binge. I have heard on programmes that poo-poo Atkins that it really works because people get sick of meat after a while and just eat less full stop. Well I won't get sick of it......

I am also worried that the rate of loss will be too slow as when I do "my" diet I tend to lose 3-4lb a week consistently.

BTW
I got to work to be greeted by cake in the office!!! I refused and I had some pate I'd bought in. My boss is already moaning about the smell in the office.

Sazbo

Welcome Gillette to the carb-dodgers thread:) I hope you get on well with the low carb approach. Speaking for myself, it's the only thing that has been sustainable for me and not left me hungry and obsessing with food the whole time. Good luck with it.

Stick around because there are some very knowledgeable and helpful lo-carbers who post here - I've learnt loads from them, and their stories are very inspiring too:)

I reckon your boss is just jealous!:D

Sazzy xxx

gillette147

Sazbo wrote: »

Welcome Gillette to the carb-dodgers thread:) I hope you get on well with the low carb approach. Speaking for myself, it's the only thing that has been sustainable for me and not left me hungry and obsessing with food the whole time. Good luck with it.

Stick around because there are some very knowledgeable and helpful lo-carbers who post here - I've learnt loads from them, and their stories are very inspiring too:)

I reckon your boss is just jealous!:D

Sazzy xxx

I said I was on Atkins and he said....."Yeah. Lost 5 stones and all my friends!!"