Ever heard of a vegetarian on Atkins?

[molaurie]

Just curious. I'm not one, but I was wondering if it would be possible to be successful at this and eat vegetarian food?

[losetocruise]

In his book, Atkins says there are people who do Atkins as vegetarians successfully, but that it is difficult and his experience is that for the most part vegetarians won't stay ont he diet because their menu choices are so so limited.

[not2late]

Check the FAQ section because there is an FAQ written by a vegetarian member.

[Lrox4208]

In the newest study on the Atkins, conducted by the New England Journal of Health, the majority of the people on it were vegetarians! The study also said they recommend this diet for weight loss.

[liv]

You are referring to this study?
NEJM -- Weight Loss with a Low-Carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or Low-Fat Diet
It was published in the New England Journal of Health but conducted by researchers in Israel.
And the Atkins participants were not vegetarians. However they were encouraged to choose vegetable based fats. This does not mean that they were vegetarians. It does mean that they kept saturated fats low.

[Lrox4208]

If you read further in the study, which I believe was conducted by the Atkins Foundation, it said a majority of the participants followed a mainly vegetarian diet. Sorry, I misspoke, they weren't vegetarians, just followed a mainly vegetarian diet. It also said they were either all male, or mostly male. Being a woman, it really didn't do much for me, since a: I'm a woman, and b: I am far from a vegetarian

[liv]

It was not vegetarian. The Atkins Company was a sponsor of the research (they did not conduct it) And personally I thought it had a positive message. People on low carb lost the more weight that low-fatters and kept if off. They had a better blood profile at the end (compare to the low fat eaters - even though the low fatter ate less saturated fat than the low carbers). So the diet works and it is healthy. Nothing wrong with that in my mind.

To get back to the topic. Wasn't one of the people in the DANDR book that Atkins used as an illustration a vegetarian. I cannot remember his name but he was in there.

[Lrox4208]

Oh, most definitely! I am not putting down Atkins at all. I've been on for six weeks now and already lost 14 of my 30 lbs. I had no idea how important veggies were and I stalled for about 2 weeks b/c I wasn't eating them. Just in the past couple of days I have included them back into my diet and the stall has already stopped. Congratulations on your weight loss! It looks like you are almost at your goal!

[IrishSarahHB]

Im sure you can, you may not have quite as many food options, but that doesnt mena you CANT do it ... Maybe this link will help ..

How To Use Dr. Atkins' Diet as a Vegetarian or Vegan | eHow.com

[molaurie]

Thanks, IrishSarah - looks like this can be done as a vegetarian! And BTW, I love your Dr. Suess quote!