The Atkins Theory

[xcape101]

hey, i watched a documentary on atkins on tv a couple of days ago and in its conclusion it seemed to suggest that the main reason atkins works is that by eating proteins you get fuller easier meaning you eat less the people that they carried out studied on that were on atkins seemed to eat about 1400 calories a day, so is it basically all about calories when it comes down to it, ie eat less than you use up to loose weight?

so does that mean no matter if your on atkins or not (ie a regular calorie controlled diet) as long as you watch out for your intake on calories you will loose weight?

the majority of people on here seemed to oppose a regular calorie controlled diet (as oppose to carb controlled) because they feel that with a calorie controlled dieted the feel unsatisfied and feel hungry, where as with atkins they do feel full and not hungry.

so what i really wana know is calories at the end of the day what we should be controlling, coz i really wana move away from atkins and to a calorie based diet as i feel with a calorie one would suit me better in the long term, im not gona turn back to my old eating habits that made me fat in the 1st place but a more balanced diet (such as wholegrains and vegetables and fruits and cut out the processes sugar crap) but im a bit nerveous making this transition in case i put the weight back on i lost with atkins (eveen if ii control my calories) i feel this because ive been with low carb for a couple of years so im a bit paranoid that the introduction of higher carbs (but still low calorie) could mess up my body sytem as it might have gotten used to living low carb.

any helpful suggestion?

[Checkers]

Most recently I stay between 1300 to 1800 naturally eating my fill of meats, fats, veggies, nuts, berries, legumes, and now fruit. My diet is not only more delicious, but way more nutrient dense than anyone I know. So why would I go back to just calorie counting? Because it sucked! I eat LOTS of food which contribute to being full, protein is only one piece of it.

[Elizellen]

Originally Posted by xcape101

, coz i really wana move away from atkins and to a calorie based diet as i feel with a calorie one would suit me better in the long term, im not gona turn back to my old eating habits that made me fat in the 1st place but a more balanced diet (such as wholegrains and vegetables and fruits and cut out the processes sugar crap)

Seems to me that your 'more balanced diet' sounds remarkably like Atkins Maintenance stage :yikes

[not2late]

Originally Posted by Elizellen

Seems to me that your 'more balanced diet' sounds remarkably like Atkins Maintenance stage :yikes

Actually it sounds like the OWL phase. :nod

[Checkers]

This is xcape101's only other post.

"hey, ive been on atkins on/off for about 3 years and has really worked for me but im at a point when im getting sick of it and im thinking of stopping arond october when i start university.
im sick of protein and miss stuff like fruit and im not just talking about the odd berries and nuts you can have on atkins but proper fruit.
the one thing that is kinda worrying me is that a lot of people say as soon as you stop the carb control you start putting weight back on even if you follow a 'calorie controlled' diet, so im getting really paranoid that as soon as i eat a banana or potatoe my body will start to gain weight. anybody know any good ways of making the transitions from a carb to calorie lifestyle? "

I'm really not sure what diet you're doing, but it's sure not Atkins. The "odd berries and nuts" really cracked me up because I have those everyday. You should read DANDR and give Atkins a try. BTW, here's the carb ladder.
1. veggies
2. fresh cheeses
3. seeds and nuts
4. berries
5. wine and spirits
6. legumes
7. fruits
8. starchy vegetables
9. whole grains

See! Atkins includes everything so why not try it!

[Bill]

This WOE is really not about controlling calories. Dr. Atkins recorded many instances where people using his method took in far more calories than a traditional calorie reduction diet yet lost far more weight simply by controlling the carbohydrates. Now sure you can't consume 5000 calories per day and think you're going to sustain weight loss, but for now count the carbs and try to forget about the calories.

[Elizellen]

Originally Posted by not2late

Actually it sounds like the OWL phase. :nod

:yes

[wannabethintoo]

I've done low calorie dieting all my life. It never worked successfully for me because it never took away my cravings and I was always hungry. I'm on my 4th week of Atkins and I've never felt better. Even though I eat a lot I never get the feeling of being really full that I used to get when I was eating a lot of carbs. I can last quite a while between meals without being hungry and I have no cravings for sweets at all. I doubt that I will ever go back to my previous way of eating. This WOL feels way too good.

[msnicole816]

Hello xcape101!

Hey I've been on Atkins a few times reached my goal weight and thought that maybe if I switched over to a low-calorie diet that I could still maintain my weight loss. Well I'm here to tell you that I WAS WRONG! When I switched over to low-calorie I was always hungry! Because high-carb foods (which most low-cal diets require you to eat) simply aren't that filling. At least on Atkins you can eat until your full and not until you've "used up" all of you calories for the day. I've never been hungry on Atkins. My mistake with the Atkins diet in the past was that I didn't go through the stages like I should have so I got bored because I lost most or all of my weight while on induction. But if you go through the stages of the diet like you're supposed to you can gradually re-introduce most of the foods that you miss eating now in the later stages like some of the other members of ADBB have already said. I'm just sharing my dieting experiences of what works and what doesn't work for me. Everyone is different.

[soliwit]

hey xcape!!!
Welcome aboard first of all.
I think most things you need to know have already been said.
Best thing you could do is buy the Atkins book (the 2002 version, that's the one that is used here) and read it, I think you will see that if you do the diet properly it ads exactly those foods that you mentioned missing to eat !!!
Good luck !!! :wave