The Atkins Diet-Anyone have Experience With It?

Can't remember which, but I recently read an article about a middle of the roader restaurant chain that is adding a number of low carb dishes to their menu. Also, my MDs partner has lost weight on Atkins, and recommends it to his patients. I think that the positive results from the studies that had been published recently changed the perception of Atkins from just another nutty diet, to something worth considering!

If I got constipation, I've found that I can get instant relief by eating something with Maltilol in it - cleans me out good.

Seriously, I take psyllium fiber husks twice a day. About 1 1/2 teaspoons each time, keeps me regular

I don't like the word "diet"
I'd rather think:
eating and behavioral modification
(because in order to be successful long term that is what will be required and needed)

I'd like you to take a peek at what the Mayo people have put together:
Healthy Weight Program

Latest news. Maybe it's old to you all, but it's new to me. Studies show that the atkins diet can cause damage to weak kidneys and leach calcium from the dietrs' bones.
Herald Sun News

darn it. I have been trying Atkins quite long term now (on and off) and it worked beautifully, but the last three weeks i seem stuck. while i can feel my clothes getting looser and bigger, the scale won't budge a goddamn inch! where is it all going then? anyone tried atkins over a longer period of time? aaarrrrgh.

Plateaus be plateaus dag, no matter what diet plan you are on. Best thing, stop weighing yourself for a while, then next time you step on the scale, you may get a pleasant surprise. Worked for me! Killed the psychology of it all when I stopped checking, which was a great thing. 35 lbs. so far....not on Atkins, but just eating smaller portions of healthy food, 5 or 6 times a day. I have a slow metabolism, and this seems to boost it.

i also have sloooooow metabolism and what i do in not atkins per se. lean meat, veggies, some chease, i eat very little. one third of what i ate before. so you think it is playing with me? alright then, rolling the sleaves up, taking the scale to the basement. we shall play then!

dagmar, I have found that even when my weight is not dropping my body is still shifting to the good. It is as if the fat is changing - it still seems to go away. My blood pressure has also been steadily going down - the primary reason I went on Atkins.

I don't consider Atkins to be a diet, rather a life style change. I started in June and have plateaued more than kept up constant lose. Every once in a while I'll get back on the scales and have a 5 pound difference - puts a smile on the face for sure.

I have decided that an May 30th, 2004 assessment is the most important milestone, to me!

The atkins diet is a sham.

It's not good for your heart, or for getting the nutrition you need.

It works in three ways:
1. Protein acts as a mild laxative, and when taken in large amounts the laxitive starts to take effect. You may not get diarreha, but there is less absorption.
2. Red meats and butter are loaded in fat, which makes you feel full longer, eating less.
3. You get sick of all the red meat, butter, and rich food, and eat less because you loose your apetite for it.

Mose people who loose weight with the atkins diet gain it back when they go off of it. I'd bet your physician wouldn't recommend it, my physiology teacher was angered with it's popularity.

The best, healthiest way to loose weight is eating a good, healthy balanced diet and getting exercise. This is a sensible, time tested, well confirmed way to loose weight and live healthier, longer.

That's great Portal Star, except Atkins is not a diet - it is a life style change.

same for me. i lost weight and kept it off, for months now. with atkins. i don't eat much red meat. mostly fish, chicken, and loads of veggies. no bread, pasta and such. i feel much healthier and more energetic. it thus depends on how you approach atkins - sure you can eat loads of fat and meat and eggs and butter, you could even drink oil if you should feel tempted, but you also don't have to. there are plenty of healthy options in atkins.

drinking oil prevents absorbtion, the nutrients and food flow right through you. Think greased tube. I'm glad it has worked for you guys, but this is not a healthy way to go about it.
dagmaraka - veggies, fish, and chicken are very good for you. Sounds like you're on a "modified atkins."
If you look at the physiological reasons for why atkins works, it makes much more sense to just eat healthy and exercise.

It's not bad to cut carbs out of your diet, they're really a societal filler they aren't really supposed to be there anyway except for fiber purposes which you can get elsewhere.
(we wouldn't have eaten them in a hunter-gatherer society, but they keep us full inexpensively without much nutritional benefit)

right. i call it yatkins, it does work and i probably eat way healthier than ever before. and much less.

Couldn't disagree more, my blood pressure is down, my trigylcerides are down, my LDL is down, my HDL is up, my weight is down big time (and staying down), I feel healthier, I do more, I am more balanced. Go figure, it works for me!!!!!

No...you're approach is what makes it either a "diet," or a "lifestyle change." If you're looking for a short term solution, any "diet" isn't going to work. That's why so many Americans are overweight, and spend their money on diets, because they're looking for a short term solution. However, if you're committed to making it work for the long run, good for you. Most people do this diet for a month or two, lose weight, and go back to their normal ways, and end up fatter than ever.

If you're serious about losing weight/being healthy, you have to change your lifestyle for good. I don't know too much about the long term effects of the Atkins diet, so I'm not going to give my non-educated opinion about it. I do know some people who have lost weight from it, so I know it does "work." I don't know how healthy it is for the long term. However, I do think people on the diet who eat alot of bacon, cheese, fried foods and other garbage are taking the wrong approach..let's face it, you're not getting many nutrients in those foods.

I do know, if you consistently work out, eat 5-6 small, balanced meals a day while keeping your calories under your daily "maintainance" level, you'll gradually lose weight and keep it off. And you should so some form of weight training to build muscle, which keeps your metabolism going and KEEPS fat off. Of course, the best way to lose weight is the hard way, which doesn't fit into most lazy American's attitudes, hence all these "magic" diets.

My perspective - have I mentioned it before? Different people need different diets. Everyone has a different genetic make-up and that set of genes dictates what is and isn't good for us. That said, EVERYONE will benefit from beggies and excersize. Actually, there was an article on the subject in a recent Boston Globe......Boston Globe Article

Atkins life style change is my approach.

BillW, the Atkins Diet had the same effect on me. My doctor was skeptical since I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and very little of the 'good' cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.
After losing 30 pounds on Atkins, my blood pressure, and cholesterol had gone way down and she reduced the amount of medication I had been taking.
It is true that this diet can be harmful to kidneys, but if it is followed intelligently by gradually adding other types of food, you come very close to eating a normal diet, but without nearly as much carbohydrates and sweets.
I think moderation is the key in most things, especially dieting.
For me, the Atkins diet is the only method that has worked long-term. As you said, it is a life-style change and it is one that I can live with.
Congratulations on your success!

danka!!! Actually, it goes back to our beginning before there were refined sugars and starches........