Anyone Here Done The Atkins Diet?

[Black Sheep]

It just seems like it would be a good one for celiacs who need to lose weight. I was wondering if any of you did this diet after going g.f., and if so, how did you do on it? Or even if any of you did it before going g.f., I'd be interested in hearing about it.

Of course, the first 2 "phases" of the diet are pretty much g.f. anyway. I suspect that this may be one reason so many people say they feel so much better within a couple of weeks of starting it, they have so much more energy, etc, etc. One woman I know, told me last week that in addition to feeling so much better (and she has several health issues) and having more energy, her "IBS" has not given her any trouble! I told her it was probably because she wasn't eating gluten.....still waiting for a response on that one!

[conniebky]

I did Atkins about two years ago and lost a ton of weight and felt terrific.

I did Atkins again this year and nothing happened. This was all before I figured out about the gluten. Well, I did lose weight in my legs, butt and breasts (of course ) but my tummy would not go down. No I'm thinking it's the bloating that I didn't know about - but, yes, Atkins, I loved it and I ate A LOT!

[celiac-mommy]

My husband did Atkins-per the book plan, not the public's perception..... Anyway, he lost about 40# and then gained it all back plus about 20 more

[ianm]

Worked great for me and is how I discovered I have celiac.

[Black Sheep]

Thanks for you replies, they're encouraging. Well, except for the one about your hubby, Rachelle! But seriously, I appreciate your honesty. I know that's a really big risk, gaining it all back. It's a bit scary, but.....since I've barely begun (just over 2 weeks), I shouldn't worry about what might happen Lord-only-knows-how-long from now!

How about the rest of you, were you able to keep it off eventually? I was reading this article about a dr. in France, Dr. Dukan, who came up with this "Dukan Diet" diet about 30 years ago, supposedly. It's a lot like Atkins only way stricter during the induction phase (good thing it's only 5 days or so!), and come to think of it, it's way stricter all the way through, as he insists on eating no-fat/low-fat stuff. But the two things I found very interesting were for one, he says that even once all the weight is gone and the person is healthy and feeling wonderful, the body is still in a sort of "I want to store calories and pile on the pounds" mode (o.k. I'm paraphrasing here)for a long time. So if the person goes off the "maintenance" part of the plan, the pounds just pile back on. Plus some. He said that on average, the person has to stick to the maintenance plan for 2 weeks for every pound lost (oh boy am I in trouble then!). Now that's the interesting thing that I don't like, but unfortunately, it does make sense. Now here's the other interesting thing that I love: He claims that if you lose the weight, stay on maintenance as long as you need to, depending on how much you've lost, then you can go back to your old way of eating/drinking. And you will NEVER gain the weight back if you do this one thing: 1 day a week, eat only protein. No carbs whatsoever, just protein--for the rest of your life. That's it. The maintenance thing that seems to stretch out forever seems impossible but if I could ever get to that point, the part about eating only protein for 1 day a week seems really easy!

[Rondar2001]

I followed a plan similar to Atkins (reduced carbs but not as low as Atkins) and lost 60 lbs. I have know kept it off for 2 years.

My biggest strategy for keeping the weight off is to weigh myself daily and never go over a threshold point (rougly 5 pound over my goal weight). If I hit that weight, I go back on Phase 1 for a few days to get back to my goal.

[celiac-mommy]

I lost 100# by calorie counting. I've kept it off for 7 years now. It's calories in, calories out. I do try to eat most of my carbs in the 1st 1/2 of the day and focus on veggies and lean proteins in the 2nd 1/2 of the day.

My hubby did end up losing all of his weight, Atkins did not work for him, but he took a much more drastic approach and went raw for 3 months, and now just balances his calories and eats very healthy. We exercise an hour a day too.

[Black Sheep]

I've tried the calorie-counting, the low-fat, etc. etc. and none of them worked for me. The best that happened was, when my doc put me on a 1300-cal./day diet, at the time I was working out very hard; even so, I barely lost 1 lb./week. And that wasn't even every week. Then it plateau'd, and try as I might, no more came off. All in all, it took 6 months to lose about 14 lbs., and another month spent trying to get off that plateau! Then about that time, I came down with classic MS symptoms, and after overdoing it one day, couldn't walk without help or holding onto furniture. By the end of the week I could walk o.k., but my legs still felt weak and "funny". I've never been able to work out like that again.

Of course now I know the "MS" was gluten-induced, and since I've been off gluten the symptoms are gone. While several health issues are much improved, I've still felt really run-down most of the time, so the most exercise I've been doing lately is an occasional slow walk around the block, or beginning (as in, just starting to learn!) Pilates. And only occasionally. So in terms of calorie-burning, pretty much NO exercise! Yet since I started this thread I've lost 5 lbs., and btw I'm hypothyroid, too---so even though at first I wasn't sure, I know now that low-carb is the way to go, at least for me. But everybody's different.

[chere1020]

I found out I was gluten intolerant a year ago when I started Weight Watchers and on the 5th week switched to the simply filling foods plan which had almost no gluten on it and my "IBS" cleared up and so did my "chronic gastritis", both were diagnosed and were WRONG. For years I had horrible symptoms and I didnt know what I was doing so I would be sick to my stomach and eat just bread or crackers (you can imagine how that looked) I had all the symptoms of celiacs but went to many many drs including a dermatologist for the skin problems and a specialist for my stomach and everyone said something different, usually old age. Now I know it is gluten that is the problem.

At any rate, I have lost 73lbs, I dont eat any of the gluten free products on a regular basis, I eat fresh/frozen/canned fruit and veggies and fresh meat. I eat out very rarely but when I do, try to do chinese buffet so I can choose what I know is gluten free.

Tonight I had a snapple diet metabolism green tea and WOW it tore my stomach up. I cant find anything that says it has gluten in it but it definitely had something that made my stomach angry, it is going to take a couple of days to get it back, grrrrr.

That is my story on weight loss and yes, I did Atkins too, lost 30 lbs and kept 26 off before I started WW this time.

[Black Sheep]

I found out I was gluten intolerant a year ago when I started Weight Watchers and on the 5th week switched to the simply filling foods plan which had almost no gluten on it

I eat out very rarely but when I do, try to do chinese buffet so I can choose what I know is gluten free.

Tonight I had a snapple diet metabolism green tea and WOW it tore my stomach up. I cant find anything that says it has gluten in it but it definitely had something that made my stomach angry, it is going to take a couple of days to get it back, grrrrr.

What is the "Simply Filling" plan on W.W.? It sound interesting--is it more of a low-carb, high protein plan?

Also, the Chinese buffets! That's one thing I have missed soooo much since going g.f.! I've been afraid to go because, other than the obvious food with breading on it, and noodle/wonton stuff, I'm not sure what else to avoid. I don't know what might have soy sauce on it. What do you eat at these that you know to be safe?

As for the green tea, maybe it's the artificial sweetener they use. Maybe your tummy's gotten sensitive to that, or maybe it's just gotten sensitive to other ingredients. That's the weirdest thing that happened to me--suddenly after going g.f., I can no longer eat avocados or strawberries--they just tear my stomach up. I've been eating strawberries all my life and love them, so this is a real bummer. there's probably other food out there that will hurt next time I eat it, but now I'm armed and ready, with these herbs I got from my N.D. that very quickly stop the pain. I'm still trying to come up with the $210 to get tested for food sensitivities and LGS....on the one hand, it's almost like I'm afraid to 'cause I'm afraid it'll come up with a bunch of sensitivities to my favorite foods! But on the other hand, the trial and error sword-through-the-gut feeling isn't a whole lot of fun.

[katyd1d]

First caveat-- I am still waiting to see if I have Celiac (waiting on blood test, started gluten-free after the blood test and too soon to know if it helps). However, I did Atkins for two years, and can comment on that.

I lost a lot of weight, and felt really good. My cholesterol profile improved dramatically, even with all the red meat! Also, as I lost weight, working out was more fun, so I did that more, and am sure it helped.

The downside-- it is hard to eat enough salad and green veggies to get the fiber you need. When I got busy and couldn't keep up, I didn't feel so great. You have got to get the greens.

The bigger downside-- bad breath. I was fine with it for a while, but then after a big breakup and a decision to get out there and date again, I didn't want the nasty breath anymore. I was also stressed and really, really wanted some potatoes.

So, I gained it all back. Which I understand is common with any diet-- you go off, and you go nuts. That was several years ago.

I've lost the weight again since I've been having what I call my "tummy trouble" over the last several months, which may turn out to be celiac disease (really kind of hoping it is, so I know WHAT is giving me problems and how to address it).

So this comment may or may not give you info on a celiac on Atkins, but at least that's my experience with Atkins. I was on it about to years, didn't touch bread or cake for the whole time, and felt pretty good (except for the breath and the constipation when I forgot to eat the salad).

[Skylark]

I don't think any of the unbalanced fad diets are healthy. Atkins induction is particularly troublesome, as it puts your body into an unhealthy state of ketosis.

The way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than you burn. Sticking to healthy foods like fruits, nuts, vegetables, eggs, whole grains like brown rice and millet, fish, and lean meats will make sure you still get good nutrition from fewer calories.