ATKINS IS NOT A BUS .. you do not hop on / ride / and then hop off

[ttdriver]

Okay, this needs to be said and I'm appointing myself to say it!

I see so many posts on this board and others about needing to lose weight "for a special upcoming event" ... asking whether its possible to do, etc.

I also see alot of posts where people admit that they were once following Atkins and had success, but then went back to their old ways and gained it all back and now want to know if its harder the 2nd, 3rd, or 100th time around ...

May I address these issues? Thank you.

Atkins was never intended to be a crash diet. Matter of fact, you do yourself unjust harm by thinking it is. I always get extremely uncomfortable reading posts like "I need to lose 20 pounds by next week..is that possible?" In a word, um, NO. Nor is it in the best interest of your metabolism to try it.

This is not a bus ride to your short-term weight-loss destination. To be truly SUCCESSFUL on Atkins or any other worthy weight loss plan, you simply MUST embrace it for THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. If you are not prepared to do that, then, sadly, I must break it to you that you're not ready for Atkins.

This is a 4 phase LIFETIME plan .. to succeed and take control of your eating permanently, you simply MUST see it as such. There is no shortcut. There is no quick fix. People on this board who have achieved long-term success have done so because they've decided ONCE AND FOR ALL that this is how they will eat for the rest of their lives.

To do Atkins "on a whim" to drop a few pounds (or a few 100) and then go back to eating carbage is nothing short of insane. Sure, you'll have limited success and you'll feel on top of the world WHILE YOU STAY ON THE PLAN. The minute you forsake and abandon this WOE, I hate to inform you, you will gain the weight back with a vengeance, and usually, MORE! Is that what you want?

Dr. Atkins worked very hard to instill in his patients the TRUTH that this plan works. He did not pull punches though .. he said clearly that if you don't make this a lasting change in the way you eat, your failure is assured.

So I ask you .. are you willing to COMMIT? Your future health hangs in the balance.... I hope you realize how high the stakes truly are and that you will opt to make this WOE your permanent solution. Anything less is fooling yourself and doing a huge injustice to the genius behind it.

Betty

[sunflowergrl]

Thank you so much for this post. I feel exactly the same way, but I did not have your courage to write such a post. I was to worried that people would get upset. That seems to be a problem on this board, if you don't tell people what they want to hear, you are being 'mean' to them. Thank God you had the guts to tell it like it is!!! There are some people who want to lose 20 pounds in a week, eat frankenfoods, cheat, then blame Atkins and say it 'doesn't work for me'. You must read the book, and follow it.
I can't express enough how much I agree with your post.

[Diva217.5]

Now those are the words of someone who is fully committed.......here.....here

[sunflowergrl]

Oh, and I think this should be a sticky!

[iyamamaschke]

I completely Agree and I can tell you from Experience EVERY single thing that Betty put in that Post is True. I never made Atkins my life before this time I was fooled into thinking I could do the diet lose weight then go to what I was doing then failing miseably putting on every single Morsil of weight I had worked so hard to lose. I have screwed up my metabolism it's true but, Damn it I don't care if it takes me 5 years to reach my goal. I am gunna do it. I am totally committed to Atkins WOL I am committed to a life change forever and that's why I am here. At this point in my Journey I am losing sooo slow so be it I worked my but, off to get here and this is Forever. I am NEVER looking back, I can't go back cause I know first hand what will happen when I do....I WILL GET FAT AGAIN>>>>It's true to go back is to kiss all my hard work goodbye.

Thnak you Betty for Posting this you are sooo right you are sooo right.

Sarah

[sallyseachange]

Thanks Betty! I totally, 100% agree!
Sal

[jsj0305]

**Ahem**

YOU ARE THE BOMB LADY!!!!!!!

Thank you for addressing this, it needed to be said. IF you start now, change your life and stick with it, you'll never have to worry about losing X amount of pounds a week ever again!!!

I love setting mini goals for myself, but that is not the reason I am doing this at all. It's just fun to have little goals along the way

[staziaw]

We can always trust you, Betty, to put things in brilliant, clear perspective! You are dead-on right.


Brava!

Stacy

[soliwit]

Amen !
Thanks Betty...........you're tha bomb

[killerbombshell]

THANK YOU BETTY! Much needed post, should be a sticky!