Canadian
Full Member
Hi Ginger, thank you!
I think the diet depends on the individual, the reasons for being overweight and so on. I didn't think I could handle Atkins because the changes I'd have to make to my diet were so significant. Before, I ate low fat versions of everything, a ton of carbs and sometimes a lot of sugar. Atkins is essentially high fat, very low carb and next to no sugar. I was also never a big meat eater, so wasn't sure how that would go.
The first couple of days I had cravings for things that weren't allowed. I was also overwhelmed by the Atkins rules, but they quickly became somewhat intuitive. For me, my biggest problem has always been portion control and overeating. I was just always hungry. The thing I love about Atkins and being in ketosis is that my appetite is, for the most part, under control. I don't have many cravings and I've enjoyed trying induction-friendly recipes for many of my favourite foods. I still find eating at restaurants a bit challenging, but overall I don't feel deprived and am never hungry. I'm naturally eating fewer calories without even trying to.
I've lost about 12lbs on Atkins since I started near the end of April. Some people - especially with as much weight as I have to lose - do a lot better than that. But I do have a bit of a thyroid problem and I haven't been exercising much at all (bad, i know) so those are also considerations. Prior to trying Atkins I'd been doing intermittent fasting, calorie restriction, you name it. In my opinion I was unhealthily obsessed with food and felt out of control more often than not. It wasn't a good situation for me, although others have had great success with JUDDD and similar. So again I think it all comes down to how you're wired and what your preferences and weaknesses are.
When I started Atkins I had a lot of reservations about it because it's quite a controversial diet. I researched it and felt fairly confident it could be a healthy way of eating...but that said I haven't gone for bloodwork or anything yet so can't vouch for it. I did have some problems with heartburn and some scary heart palpitations. I think the heartburn was definitely related to the way I was eating because I'm not used to consuming so much fat and I'd never experienced heartburn before then. I'm not positive about the heart palpitations. One thing I didn't like about Atkins was limiting low carb veggies, so I now eat as many leafy greens as I like and plenty of other veggies too as long as they don't make me go over on my daily carb allotment.
I hope my long rambly answer has been of some use to you! Good luck with whichever diet you choose to do!
I think the diet depends on the individual, the reasons for being overweight and so on. I didn't think I could handle Atkins because the changes I'd have to make to my diet were so significant. Before, I ate low fat versions of everything, a ton of carbs and sometimes a lot of sugar. Atkins is essentially high fat, very low carb and next to no sugar. I was also never a big meat eater, so wasn't sure how that would go.
The first couple of days I had cravings for things that weren't allowed. I was also overwhelmed by the Atkins rules, but they quickly became somewhat intuitive. For me, my biggest problem has always been portion control and overeating. I was just always hungry. The thing I love about Atkins and being in ketosis is that my appetite is, for the most part, under control. I don't have many cravings and I've enjoyed trying induction-friendly recipes for many of my favourite foods. I still find eating at restaurants a bit challenging, but overall I don't feel deprived and am never hungry. I'm naturally eating fewer calories without even trying to.
I've lost about 12lbs on Atkins since I started near the end of April. Some people - especially with as much weight as I have to lose - do a lot better than that. But I do have a bit of a thyroid problem and I haven't been exercising much at all (bad, i know) so those are also considerations. Prior to trying Atkins I'd been doing intermittent fasting, calorie restriction, you name it. In my opinion I was unhealthily obsessed with food and felt out of control more often than not. It wasn't a good situation for me, although others have had great success with JUDDD and similar. So again I think it all comes down to how you're wired and what your preferences and weaknesses are.
When I started Atkins I had a lot of reservations about it because it's quite a controversial diet. I researched it and felt fairly confident it could be a healthy way of eating...but that said I haven't gone for bloodwork or anything yet so can't vouch for it. I did have some problems with heartburn and some scary heart palpitations. I think the heartburn was definitely related to the way I was eating because I'm not used to consuming so much fat and I'd never experienced heartburn before then. I'm not positive about the heart palpitations. One thing I didn't like about Atkins was limiting low carb veggies, so I now eat as many leafy greens as I like and plenty of other veggies too as long as they don't make me go over on my daily carb allotment.
I hope my long rambly answer has been of some use to you! Good luck with whichever diet you choose to do!
