Hi, newbie question here

[FatTony1981]

Hi guys and girls

Cracking site here, Nice to see everyone helping each other.

Got a quesiton, What I would like to do is do the induction phase for maybe 3-4 weeks for the initial weight loss then quit atkins and go on a low fat diet, Is that a really bad idea? How would my body react?

Thanks in advance

[SueSue1212]

Ummm, I think you would gain every bit of weight you lost back in a mili second. I went off for 2 days and gained 6 lbs. once. Plus, I personally think switching may really confuse your body. Ask your Dr. but I personally would not do it.

[carbless_in_seattle]

Well...

This is how the atkins diet works:

Your bodys number one source for fuel is carbohydrates. When your body has adequate carbs to do all the activities you are including in your daily life, any excess of carbs, along with fat, get stored as fat. When you reduce your carbs, to a less-than-adequate amount (less than 20g) to do your daily activities, your body looks for alternate sources of fuel. If you are also starving yourself of fat, your body is going to hold on to any fat that you have and turn to protein (muscle). The atkins diet works, because it lowers carb intake, forcing your body to turn to other sources of fuel, because the induction menu is 65% fat, your body says to itself "we don't have enough carbs to go up this flight of stairs! but look at all this fat we've been getting in...lets use this for fuel". So the body starts burning fat for fuel. You might think..."well..what happens to the extra fat if i don't burn it all"

Now because the Atkins diet has restrictions, ie: you're limiting yourself to 20g (of specific) carbs per day, and carbs can only be 5% of your diet in induction, this in-turn controls the amount of fat you eat. So naturally, based on the amount of carbs you are allotted, atkins has a side-effect of being a low-calorie diet which keeps your fat in check also.

If you switch to low-fat. Your body is going to say "holy cow! we're all out of fat, stop using this for fuel and store it!" And so you will gain any weight you lost back. Then your body will switch back to carbs for fuel, and if you're doing a low-carb version of low-fat as well, it will switch to protein (muscle).

anyway, hope any of this info helps. It's kind of a Cliff's note version of what's going on, if you want more info you should check out some articles online.

[Elsie150]

carbless has it right. You might want to check out our before and after pictures. Read the book and climb the rungs rather than switching to low fat.

Did you know that one of the side benefits of eating this way is a natural suppression of appetite.
Of course....if you would rather be hungry and dissatisfied with your low fat food go ahead. Me??...I'll take my hellman's mayo, meats, cheeses, veggies and heavy creams and stay right here.

Why...if you believe in Atkins enough to start with it would you not want to follow it through? Seriously...buy the 2002 version and read it...you will be enlightened.

Good luck whatever you do. I do ask one favor of you...if you stick to your original plan...don't say that the Atkins diet doesn't work. Atkins wouldn't have failed you...you would have failed Atkins by not following the plan and climbing the rungs. again...all the best.

[FatTony1981]

Thanks for the response guys. Very hepefull

One of the main reasons I dont want to stay on the atkins is because I have a very very active social life, meaning... I drink alot of beer and spirits. Thats all my friends do unfortunatly.

Im just gonna have to think about it. Thanks again guys

[carbless_in_seattle]

I drink a lot of beer/spirits too. What I do is pick 1 weekend day to drink, sometimes it ends up being two, but I try not to. I will drink maybe 1-4 miller lites (3.2g carbs/each), and then the rest 0 carb mixed drinks.

If I do it both weekend days It'll make me stall, If I do it just one day, I'll still lose, but just not as much.

I've just told myself that for the summer, where drinking in the sun is a huge part of my social life, that I'm going to have to deal with the fact that I wont lose very much. I found that going without heavy drinking was way easier for me in the fall/spring, and that's when my weight loss increases.

good luck to you

[DesertRain]

Like Carbless said about the beers and 0 carb drinks (Bacardi and Diet) and your body will burn the alcohol instead of fat until it's gone and then go back to burning fat. There is a rung (level) of Atkins for Alcohol. At a house party grab your drink and chomp on some pork rinds instead of chips. At the bar have some chicken wings. I think social events are way harder on a low fat diet. Whenever I did low fat, I never enjoyed myself with my friends, going out or whatever.
Trust us, read the book and you will see that this can fit into your social lifestyle...
besides wouldn't looking and feeling better make that lifestyle just so much better?

[carbless_in_seattle]

also, how are you gonna drink freely on a low cal diet? It's a no-no there too