when i reach my goal weight...

[vitaminc]

will i be able to eat the foods the fries and hamburgers i love? is there a slow transistion phase that id have to go through?

[OzLover]

Have you read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution ( 2002 version)? Dr. A talks about the differnet stages of this way of life...Induction, OWL, pre-maintenance & maintenance. You can eat hamburgers now without the bun of course. Maybe you will eventually be able to eat potato. You need to follow Dr. A's plan in order to find out!!

[clogger]

Hi vitaminc, I agree with OzLover - you should definitely read DANDR 2002. Dr. Atkins gives an example of someone who eats a potato twice a week (she's on maintenance). You may be able to have a hamburger with low-carb bread occassionaly. A lot of what you can have once you reach maintenance is dependent on how often you exercise and what your critical carbohydrate level for maintaining (CCLM) is. This plan is a way of life (WOL) and Dr. Atkins' often said we can never go back to our old way of eating. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of yo-yo dieting. This WOL is awesome and I plan to continue following it once I reach my goal weight because if I don't then I will just turn around and gain all the weight back. Why would I do that to myself? After all the hard work I have (and will continue) to put in I don't want to throw it all away over the junk I used to eat before. Also, I don't want to go back to how I ultimately felt after I ate all kinds of junk - like crap.

There are so many yummy low-carb recipes on the Internet. One site a lot of us go to is Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes. The great "legal" food you get to eat is only limited by your imagination and the time you put into finding enjoyable low-carb meals.

Good luck on your journey...

[IrishMom82]

Once you read the book you're not going to want to eat the way you used to. It goes through all the medical and scientfic explanations as to why you gained weight in the first place! Dr. A says throughout his book that you cannot go back to the way you used to eat unless you want to gain that weight back and then some. This is a way of life not a diet. I hope you read the book because it will answer all your questions.

[SunnySmile501]

If you go back to the way you were eating when you gained weight--after ANY diet-you will gain the weight back. If you could 'fix' yourself by going on a diet to lose the weight and then go right back to eating the way that made you fat without gaining, we would all do it and be a nation of thin people.

The whole Atkins way of living is a slow transition to healthy eating and exercise. There are several phases which you have to follow to keep the weight off and break bad eating habits. You must read the book and understand it to make this a pleasant way of life that you never want to turn your back on. :reading:

Sunny!

[dnncbrn]

Hi there vitaminc.....what you are speaking of smacks of locarb as being a diet. Locarb is a way of eating and a way of life. If, as all who have answered have said, you go through the stages, then and only then will you know what you can do and what you can't do and still maintain your weight loss. You can eat hamburgers now, there's a post somewhere about oopsie rolls. I haven't tried them but they are induction friendly and can be a bun for your hamburger. As for the fries, I'm not sure at this point what would make a good substitute. I've bought porkrinds and have them with my lunch, and could easily have them with a burger and a dill pickle and feel very satisfied. I even found some salt and vinegar pork rinds that were yummy. Good luch sweetie, your efforts will be rewarded.

[TheDogAteMyName]

There is something I tell myself...

"Do you really want the foods that got you here in the first place?!?!?"

Realigns my thoughts every time

[chinadoll]

I sympathize. At 16 the thought of giving up burgers and fries or pizza is unthinkable. I have an 18 yr old who is doing this WOE and he is also asking when he can have some of his favorites back. I told him the best he can hope for is a planned cheat where he has these things on very rare occasions and then goes back to induction the next day to clean out his system. As a teen the thought of NEVER having these things again really stinks, I know. But as a regular part of his eating--probably never again. Some people have successfully switched to weightwatchers for maintenance after atkins, but I know for myself, that would not work for my body. If I want to maintain my loss I will have to recognize that I will always be a low carber.

[TWS]

<snip>

Originally Posted by IrishMom82

It goes through all the medical and scientfic explanations as to why you gained weight in the first place.

The key is to educate yourself, and then others, as to how our current food supply is keeping us in ill-health. As other posters have said, once you know what our food is doing to us, you'll see eating in a whole new light.

TWS

[mistydawn73]

Don't do it! You have worked so hard to get to where you are now, and still achieving. Remember, Atkins is not a diet, it's a way of a new lifestyle that you decided to do for a reason. I know it's hard to take just that one bite, but trust me, that one bite will lead to another and another and another. Hang in there! Don't give up!