Ok, so I'm officially starting the Atkins diet. And I've spent like $100 dollars on low-carb food/meat in the past week. This diet has already made me lose mucho mucho money, hopefully it will make me lose mucho mucho weight!!

My mom and aunt tried the Mayo Clinic diet, which is even more stringent than the Atkins. It did work but there's no way I could ever have done it. Bacon and eggs every morning for breakfast (gag), any sort of meat you want, limited fruits, certain veggies are off limits, no sugar, no caffeine. No potatoes? No pasta? Hell no! It's the diet that they put people on who desperately need heart surgery but are too fat to go thru with it. I just think a little moderation in everything is all it takes. Maybe not for some people. "There are no bad foods, just bad quantities."

My girlfriend went on the Atkins. Dropped several inches. If you're planning on doing it, I'd recommend reading a lot beforehand. It's more complicated than you'd think.

Last summer I dropped 30 pounds just by eating healthy and excercise (which I've continued). Either way works.

I know!! I just got home and read up on it, and it turns out half of the low carb food I bought I can't have for two weeks! ARGH!!! Now I have to go spend more money on eggs, cheese, and stuff

AND I just found out I can't have gum!!! (I go through a 15 piece pack a day right now) AND ALCOHOL!!! AHHHHH What am I going to do!!!! THIS REALLY SUCKS!!! Bye bye plans for getting drunk this weekend....

I haven't had alcohol for months, and I can't say that I miss it.

...wait a minute Rachel, aren't you under 21? No alcohol for you either way!

The Atkins diet may be helping you lose weight but any diet can be dangerous...and the atkins is particulalry notable in a biochemical sense.

From my biochemistry text book:

"This so called diet appears to work at first because a low-carb diet results in an initial water loss. This occurs because glycogen reserves are depleted by the diet and because about 3 grams of water of hydration are lost for every gram of glycogen. However, the long term results are usually dissappointing for several reasons. First, ketone body excretion by the human body usually does not exceed 20 grams per day (this is the scientific premise of the atkins diet: dietary fat goes through the Krebs cycle and are converted to ketone bodies). Second amino acids can replace carbohydrates in supplying the neccessary Kreb's Cycle intermediates, making the lack of carbs irrelevant. Finally a high fat diet is a high risk factor for artherosclerosis and coronoary artery disease.

There are also a lot of issues in getting the correct vitamins through the atkin's diet. A multivitamin certainly is necessary to go along with the diet.

Also the book points out that the diet gets old quickly and is thus another reason why it's hard to maintain.

Yeah whatever happened to just moving your azz and not noshing like a pig?

what is really annoying is making drinks at starbucks for customers who are on the atkins diet. so detailed:mad:

Rachel, good luck with Atkins. :) Stay clear of the low-carb treats during induction, and you'll be fine. There is sugar-free gum out there (I'm not a gum chewer, so I can't tell you where - I know, I'm so helpful ;) )

You can have alcohol on Atkins, as long as you watch what you drink. Hard liquor (gin, vodka, whiskey, etc) is zero carbs; dry wine is 2-3 carbs per glass. Beer is right out. Your body will burn alcohol first though, even before carbs, so proceed with caution, and no booze during induction.

"Moving your azz and not noshing like a pig" is a good thing for everyone, and if you only have 5-10 lbs to lose, I'd start with that and see where it takes you. If you have more than that to lose, you have to decide for yourself what to do - whether it's low-carb, low-fat, low-calorie, whatever.

I've lost 25 pounds, 31 to go!

T.G.I. Friday's
 

They are advertising an Atkins approved menu:
http://www.fridays.com/menu/healthymenu.htm

Re: T.G.I. Friday's
 

Thanks for posting that! I am not an Atkins eater, but I still try to avoid simple carbs. That menu looks amaaaaazing.

It's 9:30 am, but I am so ready for a steak, lol.

Will you marry me? I have been preaching this for 2 years now...

this has always worked me..

moderation.. exercise.. no soft drinks except everyonce in a while i treat myself..

i just dont see how any diet that says that you cant have veggies and fruits can be good for you.. i mean i dont know tons about this but i have a few friends who are on this.. seeing what they eat everyday just doesnt make sense..

i eat foods i like, but i just watch how much i eat when i do.. plus i try to eat lots of smaller meals throughout the day.. not just three big ones.. plus i try not to eat too late.. but if i do.. i eat an apple or something along those lines..

speaking from experience.. my mom tried all these fad diets but not until she was cutting out all junk, drinking large amounts of water, exercising everyday, watching what she ate.. did somethign stick.. she lost over 100 pounds and has kept it off.. plus she is very healthy now..

Okay, I could marry you as well.

I think it is really dependant on how you live day to day. If you sit around like a lazy piece of garbage, you will get fat. If you get a proper amount of exercise, you will stay fit. You need to focus on the activity level, not the eating aspect.

Also, look at this from an american perspective, we are the only culture that has the privilege to worry about this type of thing. That should tell you that our portions are out of control. Eat what you want, as long as it is in moderation. A piece of bread will not make you fat. Sitting on your lazy butt will make you fat. Those that cannot exercise should do what they can to reduce caloric intake, but fad diets will screw you up in the long run. Yo Yo's always end up fat....

Soft drinks are okay from time to time, or enjoy diet drinks, instead of full calorie. common sense.