Glycemic Index is what is important. GI tells how fast a particular carb is turned into sugar by the body. Foods with high GI are to be completely avoided by anyone on a low carb diet (Atkins, South Beach, Sugar Busters, etc.) High GI foods include refined sugar, starchy vegetables like potatoes, and bleached flour. Atkins Diet does not differentiate between high and low GI carbs. South Beach does. Atkins Diet also does not avoid high fat protien. South Beach does. Atkins Diet is a simplier diet to follow. Protien+Fat good. Carbs bad. South Beach Diet is probably a better lifestyle diet (ie maintenance diet).
Why does everybody hate on these diets....people have been trying to find something that works for decades...and guess what....this one actually works! If people go on these diets and loose weight then whats the problem? Its dumb for someone to say that somebody lost the weight wrong and its a bad way to diet. Its shi**y that somebody can set a goal and work hard to achieve it, then have somebody say that they did it wrong.
Easy there, buddy. People say that because losing weight at the sacrifice of good health is a bad idea. Now, if there were no unhealthy repercussions from the Atkins diet, I don't think people would bash it. And for decades, people have known exactly what works: changing your life to include a healthy diet and regular exercise. What people want is a way to cheat that system - to eat what they want and have little or no exercise, yet still have a healthy, good-looking body. Our good friend DaDakota here could lose LOTS of weight very simply by eathing absolutely nothing. That's a surefire way to lose weight. But it's not healthy. I offered the article above because I don't want DD to go through the weight-goes-up-and-down yoyo that so many dieters suffer from.
Just to play devil's advocate, this isn't an argument against losing weight. Most of those who are concerned about Atkins aren't concerned because of the weight loss. Most are concerned because no one knows the long-term effects of this particular diet and all studies have indicated up to this point that a significant increase in protein and fat over time can be unhealthy. What surprises me about diets is that, unless you are severly overweight or have some type of chemical or physiological problem that prevents weight loss, losing weight is really not that difficult. Eat food with less caloric content than you expend in a day, eat healthy foods and exercise. The formula has been the same since the beginning of time. Obviously, nothing wrong with dieting if that is your thing. I just tend to believe that dieting often ignores the fact that we often eat WAY too much, too many of the wrong things and sit around on our asses more than we should.
Were you brought up as a vegetarian or you switched to be one later in adult life? If the answer is the 2nd, was it difficult to do? I have been contemplating it for some time.
Exactly. I lost a ton of weight simply by sacrificing one thing (ok, maybe a little bit more) - changing what I ate for lunch and working out. The workouts weren't anything strenuous and were very very light because I've had back surgery in the past and am too scared to do anything more taxing. For lunch, 5 days of the week I ate a Wendy's fruit bowl and a side salad with low fat honey mustard. It got to the point that the people at the Wendy's I went to would just get my order ready as soon as they saw me coming in. They'd ring it up as I stepped to the counter. At night, I would eat whatever as long as it wasn't loaded with grease. I still ate ground beef, but it was longhorn ground beef. I still ate chicken - I just didn't fry it. I still ate carbs, but maybe not as much thanks to the lunch change. I tried to eat a bag of cheetos the other day for the first time in about 3 or 4 years and nearly hurled after noticing how salty they were. I can't tolerate too much salt or fat now - it actually makes me ill. I kinda like that... lol. In a period of about 3 months I lost about 50 lbs and recently I noticed I've dropped my cholesterol from about 190 (getting to be bad) to 103. I don't know what kind of diet you'd call what I did, but all I did was eat a bit less, eat a bit better, and continue light workouts. Seems to have worked - I don't have the urge to gobble down chicken wings anymore.
Congrats D.o.D ! The key is discipline. For those that wanted to see how Atkins died.... Here is a great article Atkins works, but South Beach is good too....truthfully, I don't follow Atkins to the letter, I learned so much about how my body works the last time I did it that I tailored the plan to fit my lifestyle. I do the low carb thing because it is the QUICKEST and easiest way to lose it.... Once I get down to that desired weight of 175 or so...I will add things back in...but Sodas for me...are a thing of the past. DD - Former soda addict
I alternate between 2 diets. Atkins being the primary one and a proportions/multi-meal diet for when I want to eat the foods I really really want. Great thing about atkins is that it's totally devoid of how many calories you eat. I could eat 3 buffets a day and gorge myself on atkins and I won't gain a pound. In fact I'll end up losing weight instead. That is the one advantage of atkins for me. If you combine atkins with excercise, the results are amazing. Combine atkins, excercise and and proportional meals mult times a day and it's even quicker. I've lost 70lbs on atkins and have been able to keep it off. I'll gain a few pounds here and there but nothing I can't fix. Anyway it's a great diet IF you take the time to learn about the basic foundations of nutrition. Atkins and any other diets primarily focus on trying to get you to learn about the foods you put into your system. If you can't grasp that part of any diet then you will most likely fail. I still eat all the foods I want just not all the time. When I'm not on atkins I eat all foods I want but only in small proportions. Try to start the day with the bigger meals and work your way to a smaller meal for dinner. There are so many things you can do to lose weight but there isn't just one way to do it. You just have to find what works for you. The reason why I alternate diets is so I don't get bored with what I eat.
DaDakota, you said your goal is 175, so how long would it take you to get there? What's your current weight right now? Congrats on dropping the soda addiction. I did that years ago and haven't looked back since. Your thread actually helps me with some people I know who want to get on a good diet plan. Some of them don't listen to the ones I setup for them so maybe yours will help.
Good luck fighting the battle for a healthy life. Stick with it man because trust me you don't want your weight to get out of control. I myself had to have gastric bypass. Atkins really wasn't an option, so if helps you man make it work. Good luck.
I went back on Atkins recently. I can get out of control on fruit very easily, and even with walking about 2.5 hours / day golfing, I can put on the pounds pretty fast. Currently my diet consists of various meats and large salads - peppers, lettuce, jicama, turnip, cabbage, mushrooms, etc. I have one small serving of fruit in the morning and eat some brown rice with my meal sometimes. I am trying to stay away from the Atkins bars and low-carb ice cream this time - I want to get rid of my sweet tooth, not feed it.
I've been able to lose some tough pounds over the past 6 months simply by eating a little smarter and running a couple miles 5 days a week. I tried the Atkins years ago but I just couldn't do it. I've gone from 215 and 36 inch waist, to 192 and a 34 inch waist. I really don't follow a strict diet, just try to eat sensible most of the time but not always. I've recently started adding weight training to my cardio and the weight loss has sped up even more. At this point though I don't want to get much lighter (I'm 6'4), I'm just trying to tone up. I do know some people that have had great results with Atkins, I just don't know anyone that has stuck with it.
I started about 8 years ago and it wasn't that tough for me. I actually dropped about 20 pounds when I quit, but I was overweight at the time. It is SO much easier today to find alternatives than it was back then. I can't imagine how tough it must've been 15, 20, 30 years ago.
I was at 205 when I started, it will take me about 5 to 6 weeks to get there, depending on how strict I am with it. I am going to Napa Valley with my wife next week, and will semi stay on it...but not to the point of missing out on some great food/wines in Napa. The diet is easy....I like Meat and Cheese, and fajitas, and guacamole, and sour creame, and sausage and eggs...and salads.....so it is a breeze.... I went through 2 days of caffiene withdrawls though....I was drinking 6-7 cokes a day. DD
I assume you must have NOT been heavy on meat diet anyway when you switched to a completed vegetarian diet. But I can imagin it would be very tough for me since I have been a big meat eater all my life. The temptation is just too high. Plus I have to cook for my wife, who's probably not willing to be a vegetarian.
Are you kidding? I ate meat pretty much at every meal. I hunted and fished as a kid and had meat and potatoes from the time I was born until I was in my 20's. My family had ENTIRELY your average American meat-centered diet. I ate burgers and fast food all the freakin' time. I still cook for non-vegetarians. I like to do the cooking, just don't really want to partake. I have craved meat on occassion, but there are so many substitutes available, I rarely miss it.
Dak, about to go on phase 1 again myself.. probably haven't put much of the 20 pounds i lost last time, maybe 10 at most which mostly due to injuries and a drop in exercise, will let you know how i go
The old "plantar fascitis" has sidelined me. The worse pain for me is after the "pf" is gone... the other muscles and ligaments in my foot and ankle had been compensating so much that it hurts to stand even after surgery and orthotics. Never again will I doubt an injury report with "pf" on it. It hurts! I lost 43 of the lbs. on Atkins (and exercise) last year... BUt I was up to 336 lbs. (6'2" 293 *ding* FAT!) My waist went from a 56, "down" to a 46... and that's still there... Keeping most of it off... +/- 10 lbs. from just eating right. But I'm working the foot/ankle more and will be up and at 'em soon. My goal is 40 more lbs. gone by next Spring. We shall see.
Losing weight really is easy, IMO, just as Jeff and DoD said. I don't use any weird diets at all, like Atkins. I mean... removing carbs just seems like a bad idea to me, scientifically speaking. No, I utilize this under-used system called common sense. Honestly, I think one of the big problems people have is getting into a routine of eating that's wrong. In America we've got this idea that we should be eating 3 sizable meals a day, and really we just don't need that much. Two good-size meals is more than enough. I myself tend to eat a bowl of cereal in the morning, a good-size meal in the middle of the day, and a small snack (like a yogurt) at night. I also make sure to drink one glass of nonfat milk every day... and usually end up drinking a soda or two, also. But really, my eating varies... I simply eat when I'm hungry. You have no idea how much that helps. If you're stuck in a routine, you might end up eating a lot when you're not hungry/don't need food, and gain weight. Just pay attention to what your own body is telling you. With my diet the way I've described it (even with indulgences like sodas), I lose at least a half pound per day when I'm not running, and a pound or more when I am (and take into consideration that I was never close to being a large guy to begin with, so if you're seriously overweight, you would likely lose pounds faster than I ever did). Seriously guys... common sense + exercise. That's it. You don't need any of this Atkins stuff. Eat what you want.
