Atkins Diet?

i am turning into a big fat moo cow.  i need to lose weight.

i have been on the Atkin's diet in the past with success, and plan on starting it again, soooon.

i don't want to hear how it's a bad thing, etc...  i have done my own research on the topic, and have already drawn my conclusions about it.

i just wanted to know if anyone else here is on it at the mo', as a little support would really help me right now.  also, maybe we could swap Atkins recipes or whatever...

thx!
Angel

I've been on a very slightly modified Atkins regime since the beginning of April last year and have lost nearly three stone, slowly and safely.

I'm very insulin-resistant and my weight had begun to spiral, with no significant change to my eating habits (other than going back to eating meat about 2 1/2 years ago). Cutting out all but about 30 - 40 grams of carbohydrate a day has been a terrific success. Better to avoid the potato now, than have to inject insulin three times a day in a few years.

I don't go for the recipes (there are loads of low-carb websites with ideas), as many of them have weird substitutions that I don't like the sound of - the mashed 'faux-tato' I tried was repulsive (pureed cauliflower, ugh).

I tend to stick to meat/poultry/fish and green vegetables/salad. The one exception is that I will make beef stew/braised beef or meat sauce with carrots, onions and tomatoes (all sugary) because during the cold months you do sometimes want something with some gravy or sauce. The saving grace is not having it with potatoes or rice.

I also make a breakfast protein shake which is very sustaining and tastes nice, although cleaning out the blender is something of a chore due to the linseeds and protein powder, both of which tend to stick a bit. I'd be very happy to give you the recipe for that.

I saw my GP today (because I have a nasty viral infection at the moment) and we briefly discussed the regime. Her comment? 'Stick to the diet. It's working.' If it's good enough for her, it's good enough for me.

All the very best of luck. I'm sure it will work very well for you.

yeah, thats sort of what i was thinking of doing...  more of a modified version of it, with some, but very little carbs.  i think its more healthy that way.

i did this before my wedding last summer, and it worked for me.  

since the wedding, quitting my job, and the big move, i have put on a few extra pounds, so i thought i'd try it again for a while and see what happens.  

Good luck Angel.  I'm not on the Atkins but am doing something similar.  I've had some success but am taking it slowly.  

I'm on kind of a combo of Weight Watchers with a reduced amount of carbs from Atkins.  So far, I have lost 3.5 stone in a year and have a ways to go still.  I feel great.  I make sure I have a lot of low carb veggies in my diet to help me feel like less of a carnivore.  

Just curious, did anyone see the show they had on the Atkin's diet the other night?  I thought it was fascinating that they found that people were consuming less calories on it than on low fat diets.  Wow, who would have thought that?

: )  Good luck to all of us trying what ever we can to shift those pounds.

yeah, thats sort of what i was thinking of doing...  more of a modified version of it, with some, but very little carbs.  i think its more healthy that way.

Two things, if you haven't read the book, I strongly suggest you do so.  Also, Induction, the strictest level of Atkins, requires 20 carbs a day, coming mainly from vegetables and of course your protein.

Oh, and if you're on livejournal at all, there are a couple of good atkins communities, with loads of encouraging people on them.  

Good luck on the diet.  

wench

I've done low-carb for over 5 years now.
Except now, whilst pregnant.
I went from 180 to 130 and love it love it love it, swear by it, and all that jazz.
It's an easy thing to do un-healthily, but God - what isn't?
I used to struggle to get veggies, but that was just me being lazy and not wanting to cook.
Now I'm a veggie freak.
I followed the Protein Power plan, not Atkins.
They start off differently but work with the same principles.
I found PP easier just because it started off slower, and didn't have the hard-core 2 week induction phase like Atkins does - I always found that too hard.
*note to say I get so annoyed when people assume the first 2 weeks of Atkins is what the whole lifestyle is about. le sigh.*
I also found that while in the US, specialty low-carb products just filled me with weird-assed chemicals and I was MUCh better eating whole & healthy foods.
ANYWAY - I've got loads of cookbooks and stuff, and have been all over the place with it, and would be more than happy to chat about it.
(obviously)


Can't wait to pop the baby out and get back to low-carb. I miss it!

Also - I have 2 KICK BUTT recipes for desserts:

A butter-pecan creme brulee and a coconut mousse. English versions and everything.
Yum Times Twelve.

When I have people over for dinner I always made these desserts and they couldn't believe they were "diet" food.

I'll look for the recipes tonight and post them if anyone wants them.

ALSO:
Good site: www.lowcarbluxury.com

Post those recipes woman!

congrats to all of you that have dieted successfully!  good work!   3 stone fifi?  well done!    3 1/2, Kate?!  wow, awesome!  you should be really proud of yourselves!

i agree that its best to take it slow and let your body adjust.  changing you diet and eating habits is a big thing.  i want to improve my body, but not by "crash dieting" or anything.

thanx, wench, for the ideas, but i'm not sure what live journal is...    is it a website?

my goal is to lose at least a stone 1/2 by the end of March.   i think thats realistic for me.  (are there 12 lbs in a stone?  or is it 13?   i forget.)

i am sort of starting slow...  we bought a bunch of veggies and low-carb foods for the weekly grocery shop, and i have been investigating recipes online for interesting ideas.  by next week, i should be in the swing of things...  

i have a few good lo-carb recipes.  one is a creamy avocado soup (served cold) which was a great summer food.  i ate that a lot the last time around.  i'll see if i can find it, and i'll post it if anyone is interested.  

i am also interested in any recipes that anyone might have that are more "main course" sort of meals...  

A stone is 14 pounds.
Posting some recipes shortly... prob in a new thread...

www.livejournal.com

here is that recipe.  even for those who aren't dieting, its really yummie.    (great summertime food, too.)

Guacamole Soup

1/2 c cilantro leaves
2 green (spring) onions
1 jalepeno (seeded, chopped)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 c tomato juice
1/4 c lemon juice
2 sm. Hass advocados (pitted/coarsely chopped)
Tobasco sauce (optional)
Salt

in a food processor, pulse cilantro, grn. onions and jalepeno until finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

add broth, tomato juice, lemon juice & advocados.

process until smooth.

add Tobasco & salt to taste.

refridgerate 1 hour for flavours to blend.  (can be made up to 8 hrs ahead)

serve chilled.

www.livejournal.com

so, is that a site where u post blogs?  like online journals?

if so, i am not sure that i want to post my personal stuff online.   people would probably fall asleep reading it.  :-/

It's an online community of journals.  Kind of like a cross between a blog an a message board (I think).  You make your own journal (which you don't necessarily have to post in...or even make your posts public), but you can also join communities, like fan communities, diet communities, school etc.

I was just recommending http://www.livejournal.com/community/atkins_diet because I've found them very helpful.  

wench