Should I stop Atkins??!!!

Even though I havent read the book (I ordered it online, havent received it yet, winging it for now, but im feeling great!!) I feel that Im doing pretty well, especially for my first week. Alot of people are being critical and judging the fact that I have not read the book. Give me a break!!! Im very new to this. Im trying my best to stay as close to eating all the foods that are listed in the Atkins diet and avoiding anything sugary, starchy, and carby. I already feel better about myself because Im eating alot healthier than I EVER have. Truth is, my birthday is 3 weeks away and I want to FEEL fabulous!! So, to the ones that care so much, Im sorry I havent read the book. Im sure I will once I receive it, and Im sure I will learn ALOT more than what I know now. Im doing something Ive never done before and its a struggle but Im very proud of myself. Please dont write any negative feedback on my posts. Positivity is key!!!!

If I feel the need I will just go under "my own diet" and follow Atkins as closely as possible but use my own knowledge as well.. Thoughts???!!!

My thoughts? Be strong and don't let people influence your decisions. When you put it out there, people will comment both positively and negatively. Take what you can, make it constructive, and leave the rest.

I know what you mean about eating healthier while on Atkins...You really get into the habit of eating veggies everyday. I would never eat as many veggies as I do if I wasn't on Atkins!

This is such a huge change so Im a tad sensitive but thank you for the encourgment!!! And @Babsio I love my veggies but Im bothered that I cant eat as many fruits

I think it's a valid concern that you're following a diet you haven't actually read about yet. That's like driving when you haven't had any lessons on how to do it. It could be dangerous or you might get lucky and be actually doing it right. However there are definitely ways to learn how to do it without the book (ie Atkins website, others that have read the book, etc).

I have visited the website many times and read alot about it I just havent actually read the book. So Im not doing it blindly I may just not be following it 100% but Im still meeting my own goals which makes me happy

.....just think how Atkins died!!!!! Isn't that reason enough not to follow it at all????

Lirie~I miss the fruits so much too~~I guess treats of berries periodically help. I really hope to switch to healthy fruit and veggie eating soon so I can enjoy the seasonal produce. And yes, you can learn a ton by visiting the various websites--lo carb friends etc and just googling question you have.

To schmetterlin- you might want to get your facts straight before you try to use them to make a point. Dr. Atkins died from blunt force trauma to his brain when he slipped on the ice while walking to work...not from his own diet

Well said tiegerski. schmetterlin, I suggest you check what happened. Then check again. There was a lot of cruel and unfair speculation and lies going about when he died. It did the man a disservice.

http://www.atkins-diet-advisor.com/dr-atkins-cause-of-death.html

If you aren't interested in his way of eating, -fine, you aren't being forced to follow it. But please let others follow Atkins if that's their choice, because its likely they have read his book, and have a fairer idea of what its all about.

Since I have been on Atkins, my weight has gone down, I feel healthier AND my bad cholesterol has gone down and my good cholesterol has gone up. I think that in the future, more people will realise the wisdom in Atkins Way Of Eating.

I followed Atkins for about 2 and a half months and got great results. But as a way of life for the rest of my life, it just wasnt for me. You just have to go with what works for you. I learnt lots while on Atkins and have taken things forward with me to find something that works for me that isnt a just another diet but a lifestyle change.

If you go to Snopes.com they talk about it. While they list the veracity of the rumor as undetermined, it seems that a lot of it is based on his weight at the time of his death. He was 245 pounds when he died which is considered obese. Critics jumped on that as meaning that the diet caused him to be overweight. However, when he was admitted to the hospital as a result of his fall on the ice, his weight was 195. The added weight was due to fluid retention as a result of organ failure. People who follow the diet correctly usually see their numbers get better rather than worse. I know that my dr is very pleased with my results as my cholesterol, triglycerides, etc are all normal and my blood pressure has come down into normal range since December when I was in hypertension range.

LirieAilu, I like your initial post. It shows you have determination. I would be a person who would say 'get the book', it is SO important, because THEN you will understand more about how your body works and how this WOE works. It is pretty amazing. It gives you the confidence to be able to discuss (should you choose to) the WOE with people who are ant-Atkins, due to ignorance of what it is really all about. I respect you are trying too do it right (by doing research while you wait for the book to arrive), and I hope you really enjoy the book. Too many people think they know what Atkins is, from the rubbish they have been told or read in the media. They say they are on Atkins, but they aren't. They say they are on a No Carb diet, but they dont understand that there are carbs in veggies and fruit, and anyway Atkins isnt a 'No Carb' diet. Then when it goes wrong, they blame Atkins, when there is no connection between what they have been doing and Atkins. I had someone tell me they had tried Atkins and it had made them ill. They then said that 'Anyway, cabbage soup every day for 2 weeks is horrible' when I pointed out that THAT wasn't Atkins, they wouldn't believe me!!! In the media in the UK, I have seen it mentioned that people on Atkins eat huge amounts of fat and meat, no veg, no fruit and don't exercise. What rot! You WOULD become ill if you did that. It is grossly unfair that the media had gotten away with this.

I am glad you will have the book soon, best wishes and I look forward to seeing your progress

Even if (Mr.? Dr.?) Atkins died of a heart attack from horrendously clogged arteries, it still wouldn't matter. You can find people who die of lung cancer and never smoked, and lifelong smokers who die of old age. Anecdote doesn't tell you much.

I have not and probably never will follow a low-carb or ketogenic diet, but the idea that they should be avoided on health grounds is - if not outright false - at the very least missing the forest for the trees. The health risks from a terrible diet and sedentary lifestyle can't be offset by avoiding saturated fats, even if you accept the lipid hypothesis, which you shouldn't.

Saturated fats aren't the enemy. Overeating, unbalanced diets that are deficient in essential nutrients (which doesn't include carbohydrate), and inactivity are the significant risk factors.

EDIT: Getting back to the main point - OP, if what you're doing now is working for you, and you're happy doing it, that suggests it's a) effective and b) sustainable. As long as your diet is sufficient in the essential macro- and micro-nutrients - if it ain't broke, why fix it?

I tried the Atkins diet and it wasn't for me but it was a good learning expierence. Before that I belived that fat was evil and would lead to high cholestrol and heart disease. I found that my cholestrol actually improved after four months on the diet making me wonder what actually raised cholestrol. I wonder if it is a diet loaded with processed foods and man made fats that caused the problem. I am now an equal oppotunitity dieter wtih 1/3 of calories from fat, 1/3 from protien and 1/3 from carbs. This works for me but I also understand that everyone is different and we all have to find our own way. As for Dr Atkins dieing...we will all die of something no matter what diet we follow.

Yes, I might fall and hit my head on a sidewalk during an ice storm if I do Atkins!!! The horror!! LOL

I don't think any diet is going to help prevent a death of that nature.

fatoldlady, you ask about cholesterol. Its an interesting one. If you read Atkins book, New Diet Revolution he tells how carbohydrates cause us to store fat: Carbohydrates turn to blood sugar which causes us to release insulin and insulin causes us to store fat. If we keep our blood sugar steady, we dont store fat, we just use what we need and ditch the rest. AND stress causes us to create cholesterol too. I have probably done a really bad job of explaining that, LOL. Maybe someone can tidy it up a bit

If you'd like another point of view on carb control, check out the Primal Blueprint. Even if you don't go Primal, there is still lots of great info about eating properly, carb control, insulin control and so on.

I tried it for a couple of months but couldn't stick with it. But it helped me to lose my taste for sweets, bread, pasta and other sources of basically empty calories.
Even if you find in the long run that Atkins isn't for you, I doubt there's a better way to wean yourself off of sugar and simple carbs

The biggest mistake that the original Atkins diet didn't touch on (due to lack of research at the time) is the dangers of not only refined flour and sugar but also refined vegetable oils like soybean, corn, safflower, and Canola (although the new Atkins books considers Canola a healthy oil).

Use butter, cream, coconut oil, olive oil, and animal fats to flavor your food.

An easy way to look at is is to simply eat foods that can be made easily in your kitchen. Butter, cream, coconut oil, lard, tallow, etc. all can be easily made using ancient methods.

Butter is awesome. You can never go wrong with butter. Some people say everything in moderation... I say everything in butter!

For the best health promoting butter I suggest paying more and getting grass-fed butter.