Atkins works, I am proof

For those who have doubts or think they know better, here are the results

Me in May 2011

Me at the Challenge 2011, 272 lbs

Me a month ago down 60 odd lbs

I am today 204.4 lbs, feeling great, watching the reaction people who know me at the Mitty was priceless.

Great job!

Awesome man! I wish I could have made it to the Mitty!

Awesome! Keep up the good work!

It was a blast Jason, was hoping to see you.

The transformation was even more evident in person, man!!! I couldn't get over it! You looked like Steve's younger, skinnier brother!

congrats aussie

... that's like carrying around a bag of Sakrete on you all the time n everywhere

I was half wondering if it you were you when I saw you but I figured there couldn't be many Aussies with a big silver bus.

lookin good man... keep up the good work.. weight is the one place where it is good to lose

Good job man! No method of weight loss is easy. Most of the methods work if the subject has the will power and very few do. Especially when it comes to more than 10-15lbs. Nice work. (It's probably the Hyundai that helped you do it. )

Kick ass!

MrJoshua wrote: Good job man! No method of weight loss is easy. Most of the methods work if the subject has the will power and very few do. Especially when it comes to more than 10-15lbs. Nice work. (It's probably the Hyundai that helped you do it. )

It was, I almost blocked the poor car out of that pic.

Adding lightness makes sense and its cheaper to eat less crap than buy carbon fiber

Wow excellent job! You look like you would fit in my REPU a lot more comfortably now. How do I go about doing the same thing? I could stand to lose 60+. I suppose you don't eat any of that fancy seafood you had when you visited me?

Congrats on the weight loss.

This title really makes me uneasy. The whole Atkins diet really makes me uneasy. It really is not healthy, especially long term.

Mazdax605 wrote: Wow excellent job! You look like you would fit in my REPU a lot more comfortably now. How do I go about doing the same thing? I could stand to lose 60+. I suppose you don't eat any of that fancy seafood you had when you visited me?

I read the New Diet Revolution by Dr Atkins and followed the steps as instructed. It takes discipline but quickly your body adjusts and you are not hungry unlike low calory diets.

I have not been hungry at all.

mtn wrote: Congrats on the weight loss. This title really makes me uneasy. The whole Atkins diet really makes me uneasy. It really is not healthy, especially long term.

Why?

mtn wrote: Congrats on the weight loss. This title really makes me uneasy. The whole Atkins diet really makes me uneasy. It really is not healthy, especially long term.

That is a complete misconception.

Supper tonight was a piece of steak, snow peas, zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus and green peppers.

I snacked on nuts and blackberries over the weekend. I even enjoyed a few scotches in the GRM tent, yet lost weight.

I eat a lot of vegies at all stages of the diet, and yes I accept I will stay on the low carb deal for life but will add carbs until i level off when I hit my goal.

BTW 190 lb is my target, which is not even light for 5'11".

http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heightweightchart.htm

Surely this is healthier than being 80 lbs bigger at almost 50

MrJoshua wrote: Good job man! No method of weight loss is easy. Most of the methods work if the subject has the will power and very few do. Especially when it comes to more than 10-15lbs. Nice work. (It's probably the Hyundai that helped you do it. )

i once stumbled across a pretty easy way to lose weight- i lost almost 30 pounds in a little over a month by simply getting a job that required me to bust my ass for 12 hours at a time and eating less food. i went from just under 255 to just over 225. i gained almost 20 pounds of that back almost immediately after quitting that job 6 months after starting it.. i should have stayed- maybe i would have made it back down to where my body really wants to be at around 200 pounds..

Note: Everything I know about the Atkins diet comes from my Aunt--a Registered Dietitian for over 30 years--and my girlfriend, a Dietetic intern about six months away from being an RD. I can't get into the technical explanations because I don't understand them myself. In any case, the general consensus is that bits and pieces of it are sound, but depraving

MrJoshua wrote: Why?

In short, because your body is in Ketosis all the time--that is what the diet is specifically aiming for, and it is unhealthy to be in it at all times (just for clarity's sake, that is supposed to read: It is unhealthy to be in ketosis all the time; not that it is always unhealthy to be in ketosis).

Does it still say you can have an unlimited amount of meat, eggs, butter, and animal products in general? (I know that it originally did, but it could have changed).

Something my girlfriend had downloaded on the Atkins diet on my computer about a week ago:

People with professional degrees in medicine and dietetics said:

The All-New Atkins Advantage BOOK REVIEW The All-New Atkins Advantage By Stuart L. Trager, MD, with Colette Heimowitz, MSc St. Martin's Press (2007) Reviewed by Joan Salge Blake, MS, RD, LDN

Claims:
The All-New Atkins Advantage contains a 12-week, low-carbohydrate program to lose weight, achieve peak fitness and health and maximize willpower to reach your life goals.

Synopsis of the Diet Plan:
It features the Atkins weight-loss diet with a 12-week, step-by-step plan for incorporating exercise into a reader's life. The book also provides guidance to help the individual stick with the diet and exercise program. Each week builds on the one before it.

For the most part, this is the classic Atkins low-carbohydrate diet augmented with exercise guidance and some motivational tips. The book includes 12 weeks of meal plans designed to provide 20 to 80 grams of "net" carbs. (Net carbs are defined as the total grams of carbohydrates in a food minus the grams of carbohydrates from fiber.) It focuses on counting carbohydrates and touts protein as being "the mainstay of the Atkins Nutrition Approach." A multivitamin supplement is recommended and a multimineral supplement is recommended if symptoms such as leg cramps, weakness when climbing stairs, dizziness or fatigue occur during the initial phase.

Nutritional Pros and Cons:
Like the previous Atkins Diet, the first phase of the diet recommends severely limiting carbohydrates. Only 20 grams of net carbohydrates daily are allowed during this phase and it is recommended to "eat at least six ounces of protein at every meal." Acceptable foods include all cuts of meat, foul, fish, eggs, butter and three to four ounces of full-fat cheese daily. This phase can last up to six months for some people. The subsequent phases gradually add small amounts of carbohydrates to the diet. Thus, throughout the initial phase -- and potentially the entire diet -- an individual could consume less than 130 grams of carbohydrates, which is the minimum amount of carbohydrates needed daily to provide glucose for the proper brain function.
The claim that "natural fats, including saturated fats, are vital to good health" is very misleading. In essence, the amount of essential fatty acids needed by an individual is synthesized by the body, so there is no Daily Recommended Intake for saturated fat. Readers could easily interpret that as a green light for consuming saturated fats in excess amounts in the diet. This is erroneous. In fact, research supports that a diet rich in saturated fat increases the risk of coronary heart disease.

The high protein content of the plan means eating less whole grains, fruits and vegetables, which reduces the amount of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber consumed. Additionally, the high proportion of dietary protein means eating more unhealthy saturated fat and cholesterol. The authors recommend taking 500 to 1,000 milligrams of L-glutamine before dinner to control cravings. However, they state: "Although not much research has yet focused on L-glutamine's role in this regard, a wealth of anecdotal evidence indicates it may help stop a binge before it happens." The key word here is "anecdotal." The public shouldn't be a scientific guinea pig.

Bottom Line: I would not recommend a low-carbohydrate diet for weight loss. Americans should be following a well-balanced, plant-based diet, rich in whole grains, fruit and vegetables and low in unhealthy lipids (saturated, trans fats and cholesterol). Such a diet, if calorie controlled, can be both waist- and health-friendly and has been shown to also reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

Also, interested in hearing Dr. Hess's opinion on this.

mtn, you meed to read the book and not the review, it is wrong, I have always enjoyed fruit and vegies and now eat more than ever, just selecting which ones according to carb counting.

Atkins is not and never has been a 12 weeks program, the first stage of the diet lasted me 5 weeks.

I have not taken any L-glutamine as I have not read any such requirement in the book or on the very active forum.

Oh and my bad cholesterol level has dropped significantly.

aussiesmg wrote: mtn, you meed to read the book and not the review, it is wrong, I have always enjoyed fruit and vegies and now eat more than ever, just selecting which ones according to carb counting. Atkins is not and never has been a 12 weeks program, the first stage of the diet lasted me 5 weeks. I have not taken any L-glutamine as I have not read any such requirement in the book or on the very active forum. Oh and my bad cholesterol level has dropped significantly.

mtn- I did the same thing has aussie, and with virtually the same results. I went from 230 to 190, and all of my blood chemistry got better- ALL of it. My results and others results really bring into question the information that people who should know tell us. For the most part, kids eat what 'pros' decide what is ok with them. But for some reason, childhood obesity and diabetes has risen faster the more diets are looked at than not. So forgive me for questioning the convention wisdom.

Again, it's about reading the entire book, and knowing the final intention. There may be arguments over the long term harm of Ketosis, but at the end, when you are at your target weight, the goal is to gently add natural carbs to slowly bring ketosis to a halt.

If one was going to lose weight, comparing ketosis to basially starvation, or other chemical means to lose weight, anything is risky. But my personal research came to the conclusion that this was both the most effective, and safest way to do it.

After starting running, I'm down to the mid 170's, and do eat reasonable amounts of sugars and starches. And I'm darned stable because of it- weight, chemisty, etc.

Well done, aussie!!

Way to go.

I'm one of those people who looks at the Atkin's Diet a bit dubiously. But if it works for someone to get the weight off and keep it off, I have trouble imagining that the negative aspects of the Atkin's Diet are anywhere near as bad as the multitude of health problems caused by carrying around a bunch of extra weight. If he's planning to work back in some good carbs as he gets closer to his target weight, awesome.

That said, you can't drink beer. That is just... wrong.

Congrats man! I did a similar low carb plan (medifast) a couple of years ago and lost ~60 lbs from 225 to 165. I've gained some back since and need to crack down again to drop about 15-20 but my wife and I both did it and saw similar positive results in blood pressure, cholesterol changes, etc.