Atkins Induction

[ark_ader]

I lost 50 lbs on Atkins Induction in only 3 weeks.

Has anyone else have a success story with regard to a Atkins diet?

[Malenko]

I'm 6'1" 192lbs, with a solid core and low body fat %
Wii Fit said Im borer line Obese

[Ed_McCarron]

Isn't Atkins the one that destroys your kidneys and fills your blood with ketones?

But hey, if you're deadset on losing weight, I hear bulimia is all the rage.

[AtomSmasher]

I lost 50 lbs on Atkins Induction in only 3 weeks.

Has anyone else have a success story with regard to a Atkins diet?

I have to say I find that very hard to believe.  25-30lbs in 3 weeks maybe, but 50lbs is just too much for that short of time.  Maybe you meant 3 months?  50lbs in 3 months is still a very impressive rate of weight loss.  If you somehow did lose 50lbs in 3 weeks then you definately need to slow down because keeping that rate of weight loss is extremely dangerous.

[Kangum]

im 5' 9" and weigh 220 lbs.  maybe im crazy but i dont feel that fat. i dont know what atkins induction is but no way id put my body through anything that could cause such a massive loss in such short period of time.

[saint]

50 pounds in 3 weeks == go see your doctor and make sure you don't have a problem. That's insane.

[FrizzleFried]

I low carbed it 4 years ago.  It took me 3 months to lose 50 lbs.  It took me 3 years 8 months to put it back on.  I am going back on the low carb diet next week (after a birthday party on Sunday).  If I can suffer for 3 more months to lose 50 lbs again,  only to take over 3 and half years to gain it back....worth it IMHO.

When I first low carbed it,  I lost 20 lbs in 2 weeks...then it slowed down....

[patrickl]

It depends on the weight you started with. An elephant could lose 50lbs by taking a dump.

[Xiaou2]

 I would think that if all you ate was meat... your body wouldnt have enough
vitamins.   It wouldnt need a lot of the meat - as it would look for vitamins... and
thus most of the meat would simply be put out as waste... while the body tried to
feed off the fat and itself - to gather enough vitamins to keep going on as normal.
(basically, the body would be starving, and degrading)

 Lower carbs and lower fat intake + Exercise = much better for you... Imop.

[ChadTower]

I trained for and ran a triathlon... lost 10lb and actually ate a whole lot more than I usually do.   

[AtomSmasher]

 I would think that if all you ate was meat... your body wouldnt have enough
vitamins. 

Then I guess it's a good thing the Atkins diet doesn't consist of only eating meat.   Vegetables are strongly encouraged in all stages of the diet and you only go ultra low carb for 2 weeks, after that you start raising the number of carbs you eat each week.  Even during the ultra low carb section, they still want you to eat 12-15 net carbs in vegetables every day, which can add up to a lot of vegetables (for instance, 1 cup of broccoli is only 2 carbs).

[shmokes]

The OP is a gross exaggeration. 

Also, the Atkins diet will give you intolerable breath.  I'm talking about toxic, disgusting breath that smells strong from ten feet away.  It's like something inside you went rotten.  You won't know it.  You don't smell your own bad breath.  It's absolutely the most horrible, revolting breath I have ever smelled.

[ark_ader]

I lost 50 lbs on Atkins Induction in only 3 weeks.

Has anyone else have a success story with regard to a Atkins diet?

I have to say I find that very hard to believe.  25-30lbs in 3 weeks maybe, but 50lbs is just too much for that short of time.  Maybe you meant 3 months?  50lbs in 3 months is still a very impressive rate of weight loss.  If you somehow did lose 50lbs in 3 weeks then you definately need to slow down because keeping that rate of weight loss is extremely dangerous.

Well I tried Atkins before and I could not shift the weight.  Everything I did was wrong, and I did not stick to the diet as I should have done.  The regimen is very hard: Bacon & Eggs with Mushrooms for Breakfast, Small Salad and tuna for lunch, and Chicken (no steak) and Cauliflower and Cabbage for dinner. 

No bread, sugar, fruit, (except 3 strawberries) cake, only Diet Caffeine free Coke (1 glass a day) no Atkins Shakes or breakfast bars, no tea (but I have Starbucks black and cold for Breakfast). I can have Cheese in moderation, no crackers or rye bread.  8 pints of water a day (hardest part is when its raining outside) minimum.

Well that's it.  Also I walk 6 miles a day, which is a breeze as I used to hike 12 miles of Red Rock in 101F in Vegas every other morning, so the UK weather helps a lot.  I weighed just over 22 stone which equals to 308 and when I weighed myself two days ago I was just under 18 and a half stone which is 259 lbs.  Which is over 50 pounds in three weeks.  This week is my fourth and I have 3 days to go until my next weigh in.   

The results were dramatic to say the least. I could not see my shoes looking down and now I can.  My weight was due to Taco Bell, Mac Donalds, my sister-in-law's Lasagne, M&Ms, cakes you name it. And the Red Rock hikes I guess stopped me from gaining more as I could have ballooned even higher.

I could show pictures but they are too upsetting and I could not afford your therapy costs.   

There are some drawbacks.  Like Shmokes said your breath is horrific.  I chew 1 stick of sugar free gum (a freebie) all day (it lasts) to keep people from running away.  Digestion is a problem sometimes, and well you need your vitamins and Fibergel to keep your clock ticking.

You HAVE to want to to lose weight, and stick to the same foods without changing.  Yes there is a list I can draw from, but I don't.  I eat when I'm not hungry bang on time, and a breast of chicken to snack on.  I can jump off Induction and go on OWL = Ongoing Weight Loss which lets me add more carbs to my 20g maximum a day diet. But I think I will keep on it for another 6 months or so, to see if I can get to my dream weight of 175 lbs.  I'm 6 foot in height and with Body Mass Index should be in the pocket for a "Body For Life".  As Bill Phillips would say.

It's very expensive to buy all the good quality foods here.  UK prices are double the US standard and luckily are without added sugars.  I know the farm where the meat comes from locally with no hidden additives or preservatives.  So the cost is...well... cheaper if you think the cost of candy and chips are not included. 

Oh..NO ALCOHOL either.  No Guinness. 

I cannot wait for the next month to be at my target weight of 200 lbs.  I can fit into size 40 pants where my previous ones were 44.  I can celebrate with a new wardrobe.   

I do get the trembles and shakes in the morning.  My attitude has improved with more patience (Saint take note) as my general well being has improved.  Its dire I know, but I relate it to when I quit smoking.  Just stop.  Bang boom no cigarettes.  I think that is the hardest part of the diet to do.  The mental part. 

I'll find some of my Red Rock Hiking Pictures of me Last June and me now so you can see that I'm not BSing.


After you got your mindset it is easy as cake.


Did someone mention cake?   


Edit: Checked Googlemaps and edited distance.

[Ed_McCarron]

Did someone mention cake?   

The cake is a lie.

[Malenko]

Dont take this the wrong way, but like I said Im 6'1" and about 190lbs; Im not fat at all, Im not ripped but I am solid. My "ideal weight" according to doctors charts is 180lbs which I think is too light, the only way I can lose 10 lbs is if I shave all my body hair, donate a kidney, have my spleen and tonsils removed, and amputate an arm. 6' and 175 is unhealthy on the other side of things and losing weight too fast IS NOT healthy for you in any way.

No diet can compensate for lack of exercise , I eat what I want and dont count calories. I dont have time to walk 12 miles a day, so I hit the treadmill when I can, isometrics all the time, and strength training on random days of the week (worst thing to do is get in a routine your body gets used to

I hope youre able to get to a healthy weight and maintain it without any adverse repercussions on your health.

[AtomSmasher]

I really hope your seeing a doctor regularly during this extreme weight loss because like everyones been saying, 50lbs in three weeks is not healthy.  If you plan on keeping it up, then at the very least check in with a doctor and make sure your body can handle it.  I'm betting you'd rather be fat and alive then skinny and dead.

[HaRuMaN]

Isn't Atkins the one that destroys your kidneys and fills your blood with ketones?

Not to mention your gallbladder.  I had a friend on Atkins and her gallbladder literally exploded.

[HaRuMaN]

I've lost 37 pounds since Jan 1st of this year.  How?  A few ways:

1) Just eat less.  Smaller portion sizes.  Also, eat slower, give your brain a chance to catch up to your stomach.
2) Stay away from the junk food, especially fast food.  No more sodas.  No more mayo on my sandwich, etc.
3) Skim milk, low-fat cheese and lunchmeats, low calorie bread (45 kCal a slice)
4) Get off the couch!

[ChadTower]

I've lost ~52lbs and I've gone down 8 pant sizes, not 2.  (sounds more like he lost 20 to me, which is typical)

Yeah, I lost 10-12lb and went down two sizes.

[whammoed]

I started eating a little better and working out on a more regular basis 8 months ago.  I have gained 7-10 pounds.   
I assume it's muscle because my body fat is obviously lower and my belt doesn't feel tight anymore on the same notch.

I would think if you did lose 50 lbs that quick and plan on losing another 50 in a similar time frame that you will be looking for a plastic surgeon to remove that exra skin hanging off of you.  I know nothing about losing that kind of weight personally, but it doesn't sound right.   

[shardian]

I need to lose weight badly too, but Atkins and other fad diets are not the answer. Frequent dieting is never the answer - the rapid swings in metabolism and dietary changes screw with your body very, very badly.

We have a family friend who used to gain weight in the winter and then hardcore diet in the spring/summer to take it off. She now is in her late 40's and is now having major health issues. The gall bladder thing happened to her, as well as diabetes, and several other health issues.

Fad dieting also trains your body to hoard fats and calories. When you come off the diet, your metabolism will plummet, because your body will literally 'freak out' and prepare for another possible stretch of no food.

Slow and steady life changes is the only way to lose weight and be more healthy overall.

[FrizzleFried]

There is so much BS in this thread about low carb diets.  Diabetic?  Hahaha.  I'm not diabetic and I low carbed it.  Hell,  my doctors were ENCOURAGING me to stick with my diet as it was working.  As for vitamins and minerals,  ever heard of supplements?  And no,  you don't eat JUST meat.

Those who have ZERO CLUE about what a low carb diet is all about...your ignorance is apparent...

[ChadTower]

It really doesn't matter in the end.  People who go on short term diets will end up struggling long term to keep the weight off.  Shardian was right - the old wisdom is the right wisdom.  Want to be lower bodyfat?  Clean food and lots of exercise as life habits.  Best way is to pick up a sport or hobby that makes the exercise something you actually want to do.  We're not gerbils - a treadmill is not satisfying.

[shardian]

Being skinny is not equal to healthy living.

I'm sure you've read about Michael Phelps eating habits, right? Have you also read about Mark Spitz later life health problems? The dude's cholesterol is thru the roof.

Those fad diets catch up with you later in life. They confuse your body, and lead to mid-life health problems. Fluctuating your weight by considerable amounts is worse than just being overweight.

[ChadTower]

People keep talking about Phelps' "eating habits" based on one story.  Those aren't his eating habits.  That is what he eats in the middle of the Olympics.

[HaRuMaN]

And his training leading up to the Olympics...

[ChadTower]

And his training leading up to the Olympics...

Probably not nearly as much - lots more than even most pro athletes for sure but still not as much as you'd need when competing in all of those events in a short span.

[shardian]

And his training leading up to the Olympics...

Probably not nearly as much - lots more than even most pro athletes for sure but still not as much as you'd need when competing in all of those events in a short span.

He also does  the U.S. trials, the World Championships, and various other meets all year round. He is currently taking off a month or two, then it is back to the same training/eating regimen he always uses to train.

[ark_ader]

If you weren't a diabetic when you started Atkin's, you will be afterwards.

My plan essentially works out to low unrefined carbs, low fat, and lots of fruits and vegetables.  There's a wide list of food you can eat and you just stock your kitchen with foods from the list. 

That way, when you get hungry, you can just eat whatever you lay your hands on.

I don't think 50lbs in 3 weeks is possible unless a tumor was removed.  Besides, going from a 44 to squeezing into a 40?  No.  I've lost ~52lbs and I've gone down 8 pant sizes, not 2.  (sounds more like he lost 20 to me, which is typical)

Well the scales do not lie.  I would be happy with 20 pounds but it is indeed 50.  My pant sizes are not enough to justify the loss, as I did not plan ahead with documentation.  Last time I took a picture of my big gut and the newspaper of the day to show the date.  I enrolled in the Body For Life program until I found out how much the shakes cost...

I was thinking about what to do with my flap.  Yes the skin is drooping (and the stretch marks look yuck), giving me a false impression that I am not losing more.  The  thing is,  I cannot go by is the reaction of my friends.  They just don't see it.  I left for the US in December with the same weight as I am now.  I came back in July looking like I was 9 months pregnant.  When I walked I had a shadow.  It was embarrassing.  My immediate family are impressed but that is as far as it goes.  I lost 20 lbs on the first week, which I figured as water.  Heck you drink a lot of soda in 115F heat. My waist was 44-45 when I started Atkins.

I was curious and weighed in today at 18 stone 10 pounds.  I didn't trust my scales at home so I went to the Pharmacy (Chemist) and got on there height weight mass scale at 50p a pop.  You obviously cannot strip in public so I took my shoes off and figured the weight of my clothes and it was sure near as damn is to swear.

I still have a way to go, and I keep up the exercise.  it might sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet here, but with the myth that Atkins is a joke and doesn't work, is BS.  It does work, you just have to be honest with yourself and stick to the menu.  I originally posted this to encourage those out there who are clinically obese, to get back to their original shape. 

I wish I had the remote control like on the movie CLICK.  But I still have to be kind and rewind a few more weeks.  While I'm on the topic:  Stomach Crunches.  Is it worth it, how many and will I put my back out?   

[HaRuMaN]

it might sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet here, but with the myth that Atkins is a joke and doesn't work, is BS.  It does work, you just have to be honest with yourself and stick to the menu.

Sure it works...  it just kills you in the process...

[patrickl]

The thing with diets is, they ALL work. That's why there are so many of them. Just paying attention to what you eat and banning a portion of your regular diet is enough. Some are more damaging to your body/social life than others.

The trouble is that diets don't work on the longer term.

[patrickl]

The trouble is that diets don't work on the longer term.

It may be different in the third world, but in America we've become so 'health conscious' that you can eat virtually anywhere and stay healthy.  I think it's simply a matter of being informed over what you're doing to yourself and making decisions and choices accordingly. 

Of course I forgot, in the US no one is overweight 

My point was that people lose weight in a hurry and they gain the weight at the same pace. Indeed you should just stay conscious of what you eat at all times. I don;t think it really matters what you eat. There were doctors who went on a meat only diet for half a year, also on a veggie only diet. The body just seems to cope with whatever you feed it.

So indeed you can stay fine wherever you eat. A Dutch reporter did the Super Size Me thing. He ate only at McDonalds for a month. He stuck to a normal caloric intake (instead of consuming 5000 kcal a day like the American reporter). His health actually improved.

[Jdurg]

It's all about portion control.  As I've gotten older, my metabolism has slowed down considerably as one would expect.  I've found that I've had to cut back largely on the portions I eat in order to stop weight gain.  Instead of eating four pieces of pizza, I eat two.  I don't snack anymore, and by cutting back on the amount of food I eat my food lasts longer and I don't put on weight as much.  Where before buying a pizza meant maybe one meal and a snack, now a pizza will last me three or more meals so I get more food for my money in a sense.

[ChadTower]

It may be different in the third world, but in America we've become so 'health conscious' that you can eat virtually anywhere and stay healthy.  I think it's simply a matter of being informed over what you're doing to yourself and making decisions and choices accordingly. 

The problem most people run into with that, or maybe I should say biggest excuse, is that it's cheaper to eat crap than it is to eat healthy.  There are a whole lot of people who give up fast on dietary changes because they'd rather pay $6 for an extra value meal than $7.50 for a Boston Market meal.

[Ummon]

It may be different in the third world, but in America we've become so 'health conscious' that you can eat virtually anywhere and stay healthy.  I think it's simply a matter of being informed over what you're doing to yourself and making decisions and choices accordingly. 

The problem most people run into with that, or maybe I should say biggest excuse, is that it's cheaper to eat crap than it is to eat healthy.  There are a whole lot of people who give up fast on dietary changes because they'd rather pay $6 for an extra value meal than $7.50 for a Boston Market meal.

Which isn't necessarily that much better. And what's 'healthy'? It's actually really easy - BUT for most it isn't because of the complicatedness of their lives and American culture. What to do?

[Samstag]

It may be different in the third world, but in America we've become so 'health conscious' that you can eat virtually anywhere and stay healthy.  I think it's simply a matter of being informed over what you're doing to yourself and making decisions and choices accordingly. 

I've been to a lot of different countries (none of them third world) and I'd say the "healthy" menu stuff in any American restaurant is less healthy than any random offering elsewhere.

Except Bavaria.  Those guys can make twinkies look like a healthy alternative.

[ChadTower]

For the last 1000 years grandmas have been saying that if you get off your butt your butt will get off you.  Why is it any different now?

[Jdurg]

It may be different in the third world, but in America we've become so 'health conscious' that you can eat virtually anywhere and stay healthy.  I think it's simply a matter of being informed over what you're doing to yourself and making decisions and choices accordingly. 

I've been to a lot of different countries (none of them third world) and I'd say the "healthy" menu stuff in any American restaurant is less healthy than any random offering elsewhere.

Except Bavaria.  Those guys can make twinkies look like a healthy alternative.

I've been to Brussels in Belgium, and I can't really say that they have "healthy" food there.  They have DAMN GOOD food there, but I wouldn't call it healthy.  The thing is, I didn't see one single fat person in the entire week I was there.  The Belgian Waffles were to kill for, the french influence in food was insane, and the amount of chocolate and beer floating around was incredible.  The thing is, the service was slow so that you had to sit and slowly eat your food and in the end, the portion sizes are about half of what we have here in the USA.  So by cutting back on the amount of food you eat, you can still eat somewhat unhealthy food and enjoy it.  I LOVED Brussels and desperately want to go back.

[patrickl]

The difference is probably in portion size. You can eat unhealthy crap, but if you don't eat too much of it you still won't gain weight.

I've eaten in restaurants all over the US and portions tend to be twice the size of the portions served in European restaurants. If you finish your plate in the US you will gain a lot of weight pretty fast. I guess the doggy bag is a good alternative, but if the plate is filled with too much food then people tend to eat too much.

The weirdest thing I got was a free refil cup at some burger place off a highway. It was a 1 liter cardboard bucket that I could refil as often as I wanted. I can't imagine drinking more than a liter of soda in one go. There were families there that did refil their buckets though.

[ark_ader]

Last time I went on a "Diet" was Bill Phillip's Body for Life.  I followed his guide and I did lose weight but over a much longer period.  I went to the gym 5 times a day with cardio and swimming with weight training every other day.  I had good muscle tone and a reduced urge to snack.  This was nothing like Atkins.

Meal portion was rice and peas and chicken 3 times a day every 4 hours with a Breakfast shake and a sensible evening meal.  The portion was fist sized, and I could snack on celery or cheese strings.  I got myself down from 300 lbs to 248 lbs in 7 months. 

But with Atkins I cut to the chase and did it in 3 weeks.  BTW I just checked and I'm 17 st. 6 lbs after 4 weeks that is 13.5 pounds a week.    I can fit into my old suit!

I'll stay on this puppy for another 4 weeks to see if I can keep it up.  No real side effects, except bad breath, and the odd fainting episode because I did not eat lunch on time yesterday - oops.    

I tried some of the crunches and from what I read it should help burn some more fat.  25 to start, with 50 my goal.

I do want to hear of your success stories, so get dieting and posting - you can do it!. 

But see your doctor first.  I didn't but that is not good advice, just don't let the doc talk you out of it though