Atkins Diet - Lets Discuss Pros/Cons/Experiences

[skunkworks]

Thremp, under no circumstances would I ever consider adding a slab of butter to my whey and dextrose shake. There's frou-frou sports nutrition theory that we throw around here, and then there's just plain common sense. Plus, I don't think adding saturated fats to dextrose/malto would produce enough of a difference since they by themselves spike insulin so efficiently.

[Thremp]

skunk,

I wouldn't either, but I was curious how much of a synergy there was or if there becomes a point of diminishing returns... Of the cuff it seems that foods like donuts etc which are high in both don't exhibit a much higher IR than pure dextrose.

[skunkworks]

Thremp,

Definitely not. It's hard to pin down all of this GI/II stuff because the ratings can differ depending on which source is being used, but I can assure you that pure glucose is going to do better at spiking insulin levels than Krispy Kreme. The real surprising stuff about insulin index is yogurt, milk, and baked beans (wtf but they is so good).

While researching for this stupid post of mine, I discovered that donuts don't actually have as much saturated fat as I thought they did. No, they are much more rich in trans fats these days.

[Thremp]

Skunk,

Interesting. Too bad, I was looking forward to donuts and milk instead of sweetarts and choc milk. Too bad.

[skunkworks]

All is not lost -- cookies and milk with Hershey's syrup and some soy protein powder should increase your cup size to at least a C.

[kazana]

Okay, this thread is completely tl;dr, so i skipped most responses and will reply with my own tl;dr. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

As a matter of fact, today, I'm on my last day of my Atkins program, so I'll give you my personal experience. This was the very first diet I've ever gone on, so keep in mind that everything was pretty new to me.
I have been on Atkins for 10 weeks with no work-outs at all, just plain dietary changes.

My personal result is satisfactory. I've lost a tad over 10 kg starting at 90kg (22 lbs, starting at 198 lbs), and I would guess that around 70-80% of those have been fat/water, but I certainly have lost some muscle, too.
During the first week, my weight dropped by a whopping 3 kg, mainly water I assume. After that, the progress was slower, but still noticeable, apart from a timespan of about 2 weeks, about a week after leaving induction, when my weight stalled. I knew that would happen some time, so it didn't bother me. After that period I continued to lose weight at a much more healthy rate of around 1-2 lbs per week.

Many people claimed that they felt their energy level rising as soon as they went on Atkins. This is definitely not true for me. Especially during induction I felt that my energy levels were by far lower than I was used to - I felt sluggish, slow and often pretty tired. I'm pretty sure it wasn't because of the lack of minerals/vitamins/etc, because I took supplements daily to cover the areas in which I'd have deficits.
After getting through induction, I slowly but surely returned to feel almost the same energy levels as before, but in no way better than before. The lack of energy was one of the main reasons I could never get myself to add workouts to the plan.

Getting used to Atkins was tough for the first week, but after that it got gradually easier, and by now feels like second nature. The cravings for anything sweet went away fairly quickly, but every now and again I really felt like having a pizza or just some other stuff like a burger or the like. Basically, anything non-sugar with carbs on it.

From tomorrow onwards, when I'm officially off the plan, I'm going to slowly add more carbs to my diet, all the while monitoring my weight, just to get an idea of how much is too much. I expect to continue to lose weight at a slow rate, at least for another while.
And since I don't have to worry about eating more carbs anymore, I can also start to work out again to burn off some of the added energy. But I'll also look out to cut the amounts of fat I'm eating to prevent my body from storing them right back to where they came off.

I think the most vital part for myeself will be to keep an eye on my weight after the program, just to prevent from picking up the weight I've lost so far. All the while slowly altering my eating habits to a pattern that fit my desires better than the extreme low carb diet that Atkins is.

One of the main things I've taken away from this experience is that by simply replacing sugar sodas with their "Zero" or "Diet" counterparts (or even better: water) already has a major impact on your daily caloric (especially carb) intake. There's no real reason why one should not shy away from those.

Hope this helps. And I wish you the best of luck with the program. Keep in mind to never cheat. You can't afford to kick yourself out of ketosis by cheating. Stick to the plan, and you'll get to your goal eventually.

[jah7_fsu1]

[ QUOTE ]
In summary, it is not necessary to jack blood glucose and insulin levels through the roof in order to replenish glycogen and gain muscle. Skeletal muscle is able to uptake glucose whenever it needs it. In addition, skeletal muscle is primed to uptake glucose after exercise. By maintaining your insulin levels you can gain lean mass while keeping fat gains to a minimum' .

' No matter what your (workout) schedule is I do not recommend consuming dextrose, maltodextrin, or other high glycemic carbs post workout. Skeletal muscle has the ability to uptake glucose post-workout without "spiking" your insulin levels. Weight training increases GLUT-4 translocation in skeletal muscle, allowing the muscle to uptake glucose more efficiently '.

Studies do show that increasing insulin levels post workout does enhance protein synthesis, but I do not feel one needs to jack insulin levels through the roof with dextrose.

[/ QUOTE ]

"Derek "The Beast" Charlebois is an ACE certified personal trainer, competitive bodybuilder, and holds a Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science from The University of Michigan."

I have never been trying to say high GI carbs are bad, mainly trying to spark a discussion on them. I don't feel this is the hit it out of the park idea that some claim it is. The majority of the things attributed to insulin some people now believe are due to other factors.

[surfinillini]

quick update...

over a week now, going strong

have not cheated once...starting to get used to it but not really lol

i'm gonna weigh myself this weekend but i'm continuing to lose weight

[anklebreaker]

How are your energy levels?

Also, track changes in the mirror (body composition), not just on the scale.

[surfinillini]

[ QUOTE ]
How are your energy levels?

Also, track changes in the mirror (body composition), not just on the scale.

[/ QUOTE ]

Energy is much lower...I can barely do cardio after my lifting.

Body is changing and I think I've lost about 7-9 lbs so far but yes energy is much lower and I was very tempted to break the diet today when free pizza and beer was offered to me.