Hi , i have been on atkins before , and i lost 30 kilos , at that time i never had the low - carb book or atkins information , i just avoided all carbohydrates...


I was wondering , if i am going to start with Induction , will eating 0-5 grams ,increase my chances of losing weight while on atkins? I am puzzled why they say 20 grams of carbohydrates...?

oh and i will be doing cardiovasular excercise in the gym as well......

if i do not eat carbs at ALL... will it stall my weight loss?

even after induction i dont want to increase my intake of carbs , i want to keep it under 5 grams..

Nitro, the original Atkins, circa 1972, was essentially 0 carb at the beginning, Level 1, and you gradually increased your carbs to 5 per day each week, until you found your Critical Carbohydrate Level, then cut back to just below that, and that was your level where you could continue to lose. When Dr. Atkins wrote the New Diet Revolution, then Induction was the first level, and you began with 20 grams a day to begin, and gradually added your 5 a day per week until you got to that same CCL.

The original diet allowed only certain salad materials, 2 cups per day, on Level 1. It was much stricter.

Low carb is NOT zero carb. Most people cannot live with an eating plan that does not incorporate some carbs. We need vegetables, for the fiber and the vitamins and minerals, and phytonutrients and antioxidants, and anything else that's good that they provide. It makes this way of eating so much easier to follow, we don't get bored, we are satisfied with our food, we don't crave junk.

If you did not have the book, if you did not read it cover to cover, then you were not on the Atkins diet, you were just following your own version. It's so much better to buy a book, whatever plan you wish to follow, whether it is Atkins, South Beach, Zone, etc., and read it cover to cover, to understand the science behind low carb eating. It isn't just about cutting out all carbs, losing some weight, and then going back to your old way of eating. It's about learning how to eat healthy foods, and to eat this way for the rest of your life.

Most people find that when they cut way back on carbs, they lose quickly in the beginning, but if they do not have the additional carbs, they quickly lose interest because there is no variety in eating essentially 0 carbs. Unless you like just meat, fish, eggs, chicken and cheese, and don't care about vegetables, but you really need to have the vegetables, and later on, you might be able to add some fruit or even whole grains to your diet.

The more you have to lose, the stricter you have to be at the beginning especially, but as you get closer to your goal weight, you will be eating more carbs. That's the way this plan works. It's not about fast weight loss, it's about permanent weight loss.

I hope you find this way of eating a satisfying way for you, and that you have success in your journey.

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Nita

I have never had the book , my variant of the diet just made me eat chicken and egg the whole day , sometimes fish , sometimes lamb , and i lost 30 kilos , in a span of 6 months , without doing any excercise .. but some of my meals were cooked with tomato , so im sure they had a few grams of carbs in it..


Do i need carbs to lose weight when being on atkins?

Welcome, Nitro.

I agree with Nita, in answer to your question.

Do you NEED carbs in order to lose weight? No.

However, if you follow the Atkins program of gradually increasing carbs until you find your critical levels, you develop a sustainable way of eating so that you can normalize AND maintain your normalized weight.

Depends on whether you want to keep losing the same 30 kg's over and over, or find a new way of eating that allows you to lose the weight and keep it off.

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Thanks a lot for all the feedback , Maggie and Nita ,
I live in Dubai right now , and i have no Atkins merchandise available here , i can only get my hands on the "book" , the ATKINS food merchandise (atkins bread and cereal bars are not available here) , So i will be going on a Low Carb diet , i will try to keep it to 15 Grams AT the most at all times , but on some days i will have only 5 grams at the most , because Eggs and all meats are easily available here ,
Right now i weigh 90 Kilos , and my height is 5"11 inches , I want to get to 70 Kilos , i have also enrolled my self in the Gym , i will be doing Cardio-vascular excercises , and since i own a nutrition store , i have easy access to all Vitamins , Fibre and Protein Shakes available..

I will need all the help i can get from you guys , since my old diet was just Low - Low - Low carb and not Atkins , if you know what i mean.. I dont get bored by eating Egg whites all day , but i have to lose 20 kilos at the earliest , and i have to keep it that way.

I plan to start Weight training when i reach 70 kg as my weight...


Also , i have no idea how to reach my CCL.. Please.. help.. :(
Im very paranoid when i eat even 1 gram of carbs.

I am 23 years old currently.

Nitro, go to the Atkins website. They have a nice outline of the different levels of this plan. It gives you some ideas of what foods are appropriate for each level. And, you can get the book online. I guess in Dubai you can't just trot to the nearest WalMart or Target!

Don't fret about not having access to Atkins products. You really don't need them. You just need plain, fresh foods. The first time I did Atkins, I ate meat, fish, chicken, eggs, cheese, lots of canned green beans and spinach, and some salad. We were on a limited budget and could not afford much in the way of fresh veggies. But it worked for me. You should be having salad if it's available, and you can have some tomatoes and onions, but don't go overboard, because they have some natural sugar. After you start adding carbs, you should be eating whatever low carb vegetables are available. Cucumbers, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc. What kind of veggies can you get in Dubai? Do they have any local produce that you aren't sure of? Perhaps we can find some carb counts for you.

You'll find that the "low carb" products are not really ideal for you, unless you have the occasional shake for a meal when you have to eat on the run. A lot of us find that the bars stall us, and we can no longer get the Atkins breads. When they went bankrupt, they quit making some of the products that were the most useful, and now all you can get are bars and shakes. Sigh.

Feel free to come back and ask questions. That's how you learn! And if you can access that website, you'll find lots of your questions answered. But get the book if you can find a copy. It will help you understand how this all works, and why you have to eat some carbs.

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Nita

Thanks!! I will start my first day of Atkins tomorrow , but i will just minimize the max carb intake from 20 grams to 10 grams , im sure i wont feel weak , i will be taking the vitamins and fibre necessary , so i wont faint , haha..

Current Weight : 90 Kgs.
Goal Weight : 70 Kgs.

I get all vegetables over here , but i dont know how much carb content they have , cauliflower i know is as high as potato.. it is so tasty though , i can eat a bunch of it.. So i will stick to leafy vegetables..

Oh and last question , I drink Whiskey and Plain Soda every weekends , is that okay for low carb?



Thanks again!

Nitro, cauliflower is a low carb staple. It doesn't have nearly the carbs of potatoes. One cup of raw cauliflower has 5.3 carbs, 2.5 gms fiber, for a net carb of 2.8. One cup of raw potatoes has 13.1 carbs, only 1.7 gms fiber, for a net carb of 11.4. Quite a big difference! Many of us make faux mashed potatoes using cauliflower. You'll find recipes in the Cook section.

Go to the top of this page, you'll see 4 categories, Learn, Share, Cook, and Shop. If you go to the Cook tab, on that page you'll see at the bottom the Nutritional Analysis Tool. This will help you find the carb content of many foods. For Atkins, you deduct the fiber from the total carbs to get net carbs. That's what you count in your 20 gms per day. So you'll find you can usually eat more that what you thought you could, and still stay under 20 net carbs. And you'll find tons of recipes in the Cook section that will help you with your food choices. Just remember that some of the recipes use ingredients that are no longer available, so you'll have to substitute, or find a different recipe.

Whisky is ok, as long as your soda has no carbs. But keep in mind that as long as you have alcohol in your system, your body will burn the alcohol before it burns your fat. It doesn't prevent you losing, just delays the process while you have alcohol in your system. Some people can drink and still lose, some can't. Just see how it affects you. If it's only weekends, it probably won't be a problem. If you find that your weight loss is stalled, it could be the alcohol.

Hope this helps!

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Nita

Nitro, here is a link to the USDA nutrient database
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
you can look up the carb and nutrient information on most foods here.

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Henry

Thanks a lot for the information , i will see the link , and make my meals accordingly! thanks for the tip on cauliflower! And yeah i have whiskey with plain soda , thats just the water with a bit of c02.. i never drink beer , and i always stay away from carbs..

I will keep you posted on my progress, Today is my first day of Low - carbing , so far i havent eaten anything yet , just drank a LOT of water , its 11:22 am now..

Nitro,
What is the hurry to lose so quickly? It took a while for it to go on right?
Just a thought outside the box.

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"Summer of PQ"
19 pounds down....
Atkins

I am just testing if fat loss accelerates without carbs in diet , 5 grams can be acceptable , I have just Eaten 3 Eggs boiled for breakfast, 1 Grilled Chicken for lunch (plain) , and Grilled Fish for Dinner , its 9:37 pm now.


And , time to sleep now , hehe , low carb diets (less than 5 grams a day) does make me little sleepy.. i usually sleep at 12 am , when im on my normal diet..

good night! take Care!

Hopefully, you won't "test" for too long, because that can get boring and you might want to binge....I have been there.
Good luck...

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"Summer of PQ"
19 pounds down....
Atkins

I've been doing atkins for many years , i have been on and off , and i never get bored of eating 1 type of food.. hehe

What about the vegetables?

Are we not supposed to eat those as well?