Atkins Diet - Lets Discuss Pros/Cons/Experiences

[surfinillini]

I am currently on atkins and have been losing weight pretty quick. I was going to do a low-cal approach but I simply was not getting enough protein into my body and was losing muscle mass and strength at a fast pace so I decided to switch to this diet.

Started this on May 1st and am going to do induction for approximately 4-6 weeks.

I am also doing my regular workouts (mostly core exercises only right now, bench/squat/deadlift/pullups/dips/abs) and some cardio (but I broke my toe playing ball so cardio is somewhat hindered). I also sprained my wrist too which has been a bitch so i was unable to workout for a couple of weeks.

May 1st - 179.6lbs
Today - May 6th - 172.4lbs


Thoughts on atkins diet. (all meat, high fat diet, under 15g of carbs a day right now, close to 0g of sugar...including sugar alcohol).

oh yea...the plan is to do induction for 4-5 weeks until I break the 150s then I will slowly ween some complex carbs back into my diet but I pretty much will say off simple-carbs and sugars until I hit my target goals of under 10% bf and 150-155lbs.

[terrapin314]

The weight from this week is mostly water weight.

My experience with Atkins and this goes back almost ten years is that this is the only diet that I can lose weight on and very successfully. I do hit a wall after a month or so and you may need to watch calories, as well as carbs then. You will have to be careful how many of the low carb processed foods you eat, as I found them to slow my progress. The "net carbs" that they advertise might be low.

However, it is very difficult to stay on long term. The boredom with carb free foods gets painful. You will do well to reintroduce some healthy carbs once you get closer to your goal weight.

[Scary_Tiger]

Not as heart healthy as a normal diet, but whatever, there are worse things to do your body.

(I still don't see a reason to do this though.)

[kerowo]

The biggest problem with Atkins is the same problem with all diets. They end. The best thing you can do is make lifestyle changes that result in your set point being where you want it to be.

[Rootabager]

Yeah all diets fail. In one of my nutrition classes they said like 99.9 percent of diets fail and that you have to make a lifestyle change.

Here is my secret to dieting. I just eat healthy things and not that much of them. On the flipside I dont eat unhealthy things.

[Rootabager]

O and drink lots of fluids

[trapsetter]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah all diets fail. In one of my nutrition classes they said like 99.9 percent of diets fail and that you have to make a lifestyle change.

Here is my secret to dieting. I just eat healthy things and not that much of them. On the flipside I dont eat unhealthy things.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is that really a secret?

Obviously if all you do is eat moderate portions of very healthy food, you're not going to have a weight problem. I thought this was common knowledge.