Doctor Atkins

I've done Atkins before - about... um, a year ago to this date and saw rapid consistent weight loss but after about 7 days I had gout and was totally ill. Can't say it was Atkins for sure but let's just say when I went off the 'diet' I got better in under 48 hours. Hmm.

Anyway, so here it is, May 10th and I am well into my Weight Watchers diet (spectacular I may add) and feeling great. Had a physical the day before and all is well. ...
...on weight watchers because, let's face it, we all want to lose weight RAPIDLY! At least I did. I also have the necessary prerequisite to starting any diet - you know, "I have a friend who lost 80 pounds on it, etc". And I do. And she did. But what I've learned is what works for someone may not necessarily work for you.....

So - I concede that the first time around on Atkins I didn't follow it to a tee during the induction ... more

I've done Atkins before - about... um, a year ago to this date and saw rapid consistent weight loss but after about 7 days I had gout and was totally ill. Can't say it was Atkins for sure but let's just say when I went off the 'diet' I got better in under 48 hours. Hmm.

Anyway, so here it is, May 10th and I am well into my Weight Watchers diet (spectacular I may add) and feeling great. Had a physical the day before and all is well. I had been reading about Atkins even while I was on weight watchers because, let's face it, we all want to lose weight RAPIDLY! At least I did. I also have the necessary prerequisite to starting any diet - you know, "I have a friend who lost 80 pounds on it, etc". And I do. And she did. But what I've learned is what works for someone may not necessarily work for you.....

So - I concede that the first time around on Atkins I didn't follow it to a tee during the induction phase. I was often not hungry and would skip meals and skip the salad. Took the supplements but naturally skipping meals and salads would probably cause damage. So this time I read EVERYTHING and followed it EXACTLY. Too scared not to.

So bottom line in terms of results is this:

May 10th I began the INDUCTION PHASE and today, May 25th I've completed the INDUCTION Phase. I am 19 pounds lighter, look and have been told I'm slimmer, down 1 1/2 dress sizes.

Before I explain why this is a 'possibly' dangerous diet I will explain what induction is (for all those who have been sleeping through the low-carb craze that is rampant in America).

INDUCTION is the first stage of the Atkins "3-step approach". During Induction you are ONLY allowed to eat foods that are on the 'Atkins' APPROVED list. Such foods include . . . MEAT. From Fish to Pork. However you like, however much you like. It is strongly recommended you only eat until you are full, NOT STUFFED!!

You can have eggs - cooked however you like. You can have as much thirst quenching water as you like and if your feeling randy you can have club soda. (Club soda - that's just as good as having iron water! - Mmm tasty). But hey, there are always sacrifices on diets right?

For example, during induction you may not have FRUIT! What's that you say? How can fruit be bad on a diet?? Well you silly fool, fruit is riddled with carbs! Why, a banana (depending on size) for example has 24-30 carbs, *shiver* Whew, toss that evil fat maker aside and get with the program jack!

So, no fruit. NO Sugar! No foods with added sugars either! This basically means you will be buying your meat raw and will have to cook it yourself because most meats are cured with sugar or prepared with sugar. (Hint: If it ends in -ose - most likely it is a sucrose derivative - i.e. SUGAR). Also, in your drinks "Aspartame" is a sugar substitute that is a NO-NO. If you positively, absolutely MUST have sugar you can have SPLENDA. But 1 serv (tbsp, packet) is = 1 gram carb. For the record, buying foods fresh is PRICEY. Grocery bill was never under $75.00 so 19 pounds cost me $150.00 give or take a buck or pound.

Also No dairy (I.e. Milk /Ice Cream) except sour cream, cream cheese, any cheeses, and also cream. Remember that cheese has 2 g of carb though so don't go getting ridiculous.

So what about vegetables? Well, since any sane person knows that we do need carbs to fuel our body (lest we become thin reed like Barbie dolls whose necks would be snapped by a passing breeze) Senor Atkins DOES allow 20 grams of carb a day. Now, the reason I won't scoff at this ridiculous notion that a person can be fueled by 20 grams of carbs I will admit that the diet is probably targeted at obese (and possibly LAZY) individuals who aren't losing weight by running triathlons. So maybe Atkins assumes more than 20 grams isn't necessary for it's dieters.

What does 20 grams of net carbs buy you? Well, you don't even have to figure it out; during INDUCTION the good doc TELLS you what it will come from. "Veggies." Low Non-Starchy Veggies. All for the price of 20 grams of carbs you can have:

3 cups of leafy salad (measured raw) or!!!!
2 cups of the leafy greens plus 1 cup of 'other' veggie, such as broccoli, cabbage, tomato, onion, etc! Whoo-hoo!

Under no circumstances is Wheat, Grains, Pasta, or any type of substance that doesn't consist of pure oil, lard, fat, and dead animal allowed to pass your lips during this phase.... with the exception of the 3 cups of salad.
Also, regarding fat, Atkins seriously shakes a no-no finger at hydrogenated products - Trans fats are a big sinister indigestible no-no.

Now, there are two other stages of the diet. For example, today I could continue with INDUCTION if I wanted to melt off more fat rapidly, or I can switch and enter into the "Pre-Maintenance phase". This is where you are going to start to add more carbs to your diet. You slowly introduce 5 more net carbs per week until your weight loss begins to stop. They suggest you add more veggies, then in a week or two add some berries, etc. There are plenty of highly priced Atkins low-carb foods for you to choose from so in a few weeks or so you could be living large. In fact, I think this diet is an awesome idea, however, it doesn't always play out the way it 'should'.

So I've lost nearly 10 pounds a week, what's my problem?

Well...........

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It's this. I already learned that you MUST add exercise to your life or you will not only remained riddled with cellulite but simply not be in good shape health wise. So I've had a steady exercise regime that I've been following faithfully, whereas it's not grueling, it's pretty intense now. When I switched to Atkins, I felt totally deprived the first 2-3 days. After that 'hurdle' I felt great. Free floating.

The pounds were melting away. Took my supplements, ate my salad (sometimes a little more than the 3 cups when I worked out) and like I said, week one I lost 10 pounds. My water intake was nearly 2 liters a day. Seems I ALWAYS felt thirsty. No matter what. Drink 1 liter and still be thirsty. Hmm.

Anyway, by day 8 I was really tired and not at all hungry. But it says you may experience this and to just snack but EAT. So I shoved food into me and felt a little better afterward. I went to work out as usual and just felt lazy and without energy. Only sheer will power got me onto an elliptical trainer and after 35 grueling minutes of telling myself to 'keep going you don't want to lose muscle' my endorphins kicked in and I moved on to my normal routine.

Around day 10 I was 18 pounds lighter and thanks to my mind over body power I was able to stick to my exercise regime so I was kind of toned as well. Really excited and grateful for that. I was feeling really weak though. Not a feeling I enjoy or can just wave aside as a 'sacrifice' for thinness. (A term you CONSTANTLY see in Atkins books). The quest for thinness is everything *chanting* You want to be thin don't you.... don't you!!!???!! Sacrifice, Sacrifice, Sacrifice...

Um, excuse me; my health is not worth being thin. I just told myself to stop right here and not wait for my immune system to crash along with my energy and strength. Also, you will notice severe mood swings during Induction. I'm moody anyway so I was willing to sac rice that, but some things I won't sacrifice.

Sunday (which is day 12 of the 14 day Introductory phase)

I was so weak (and depressed actually) that I couldn't even get a game of pinochle with my family. My dad disapproved to begin with (I was raised vegetarian) and my mom, while excited that it was working - because she herself is doing Weight Watchers and knows the desire to loss fat, was also disapproving because of the Induction phase. She agrees with Atkins that the pre-maintenence and ongoing weight loss sections are okay because eventually your diet will become more balanced, but Induction is completely unbalanced and it's no wonder I was suffering.

The Real danger for me regarding this diet is this, if you were not raised eating hardcore meat, this diet may do serious damage. My days were typically as follows:

Mornings:

2 egg omelets with shredded cheese, green and red peppers, onion, blah, and blah.

Sometimes scrambled, hard-boiled, whatever.

Lunch:

Salad Fried chicken (Remember - nothing breaded)
Salad Fried Fish
Salad Steamed or Fried Shrimp
Salad Steamed Crab with plenty of butter and seasoning

You get the point

Dinner:
Usually Fish, Chicken, or Shrimp. I typically save some of my 'other veggies' for this time because there are a lot of 'Oriental' dishes that you can eat without any carbs that taste yummy. So I can't say I ever felt bored during this phase.

I don't eat red meat so if you do you will have more of a variety of dishes!!!

Desert: Scoff. I wasn't hungry any way, so this didn't really matter after the first 2-3 days.

Why I'm b-tching is this. On the 12th day, that day I could barely hold my head up while playing cards and was so depressed I wanted to die, I broke down and ate a slice of bread. 1 slice. I felt 20% better immediately and the tears subsided to a minimum. I felt weird though. Like my body was being attached by an alien substance.

I just shrugged it aside and went home and went to sleep. (I was still THAT tired). Monday morning - day 13 - my throat was raw and it hurt to swallow. My gums that had been tingling previously while on the diet, felt really awful - like I could pull my teeth out. What the hell? I was congested and could practically FEEL my immune system had tanked and was trying to desperately claw itself back to life.

That morning I felt even more strange and unbalanced and there was a pain in my abdomen where the bread was churning around. Wanted to stay in bed curled in the fetal position but had an 8:30am summer class to attend. I forced myself up and went - grabbing a huge tossed salad on the way. After eating the salad with PLENTY of dressing I felt better. After class I grabbed ANOTHER salad and felt even better. My throat was a little less raw.

I sat around a while contemplating the reasons and didn't think a little slice of bread would be the reason so I just chalked it up to seasonal allergies or a cold or whatever.

I could barely walk I had so little energy so I decided to forget the Atkins plan and bought the closest carb available (on a college campus that is Pizza) and intended to scarf it down. I only got 1/3 of the way done when I couldn't eat anymore. I bought a soda (mu'ah'ah'ah, SUGAR!!) and got 1/2 down. I felt IMMEDIATELY better. Like 75% better and I could lift my arms and make a fist out of my hand!! Oh halleluiah!

I shakily went to get the train home, other piece of pizza tucked under my arm. Came home, throat 50% better, but head clouding over quickly. Dry mouth - despite drinking tons and tons of water. Went immediately to bed.

Woke up around 7 pm went to the market came home and around 8pm, while watched the Swan finale, drank 1 liter of root beer soda, 2 cups of vanilla ice-cream, some noodles I made with some egg roles I made. When I felt I couldn't conceivably get anymore sugar or carbs down my throat I went to sleep.

Today I woke up really congested but my throat is 95% better - just dry mouth really. I still feel weak but my energy levels are spiking with every word I type. I just feel HEALTHIER all together. My mind is clearer, my depression has lifted, body chills nearly gone, etc.

Now I’m not saying the Induction phase and eating nothing but meat (oh, excuse me, and 3 cups of salad!) is what caused my sickness, depressions, etc, but eating nothing but bacterial causing foods (Which let us face it, meat is!) NOT as part of a BALANCED diet is insane. I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, does it take for me to go into a coma to get the point? Maybe it is just my system. As I said, I was not raised to eat meat so maybe my body can't handle being deprived of all foods but ONE. Even for 2 weeks. I mean, if I could have held out until week 4 this would have been awesome because it DOES start to balance itself out. But by the time a person gets to that stage it could be too late.

Muscle loss and energy loss. Mood swings and depression. These things are too high a price. I didn't have constipation; that pleasantly surprised me. I didn't have bad breath though by the 9th day I was beginning to think my body was oozing animal fat. I just felt greasy all the time - but I just showered more. Plus, that stupid picture of people doing aerobics right under where it says, "Phase 1: Induction" is annoying and totally misleading. You will NOT be doing aerobics while doing 2 weeks of Induction. Maybe you can do it the first week and even feel good, but your body will start crashing before you ever get situated into the Pre-Maintenance phase. That is just false advertisement and is probably why it says in small captions, "You'll be surprised that you won't need to exercise as much as you think you should" . . . *snort* yeah, I bet. If they had there way you wouldn't exercise at all. In theory this is good, but in reality our body needs exercise to keep our immune system strong and going. Strange how people forget about the old I.S. until it bails on you!!

Bottom line: DON'T recommend for anyone who works out - EVEN A LITTLE. If you don't do anything but eat, this is the diet for you. Not a put down, I almost with I DIDN'T work out, that way my body probably wouldn't have broken down so quickly and I could have lost more weight. But hey, I'll stay fat if it means being healthy.

UNLESS YOU ARE ABLE TO CONSUME NOTHING BUT MEAT (LET'S FACE IT, THAT SALAD PORTION IS NOTHING TO EVEN MENTION IT) AND STILL REMAIN HEALTHY - DON'T DO THIS DIET. YOUR BODY DOES NEED FRUIT AND SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF VEGGIES.

I agree that cutting carbs will cause weight loss. I consume insane amounts of it, which is how I got fat. I can cut breads and pastas and STILL lose weight reasonably. Let's face it, I wasn't eating but 1200 calories on Atkins anyway so in the end, it's STILL about cutting calories I don't care WHAT he says....

The End.

 

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