Atkins Diet: No Cheating Plain & Strict

[spider63]

I do Atkins for one month every once in a while, and in January I did it and lost 22 lbs. I am doing it again this month. After 4-5 weeks, I find that the craving for carbs is unbearable. However, my question is whether I can stay on strict and plain (initial phase) Atkins for 90 days without any cheats? I would think that you do not need cheat days with Atkins? I am posting this as a new thread because I checked the keto thread and Atkins is only mentioned one time. I would like to discuss Atkins only, not any of the modified versions of Atkins. I am talking strictly eggs, meats, and green vegetables!! Thanks for your help!! :hugme:

[GENESIS]

i dont find a big difference between keto and atkins. the doc just tried to claim it as his own lol. there is something essential about the cheat, it can help sustain fat loss if weight is stagnant. its basically like hitting the restart switch to the thyroid. if you dont want to cheat, by all means dont, but remeber what i said. also emphasize healthy fats throughout the diet. fish oil, flax, CLA, amd EPO should all be utilized.

[spider63]

How much do you have to cheat in order to boost fat loss? My main problem with Atkins is that it is the most effective diet that I have ever done, but I honestly love carbs so Atkins is very hard for me to stay on. Either I do it 100% and lose 20 lbs a month or else I will fail.

When I try to cheat, it ends up being more like a carb binge and that sets me back several days or even weeks. I am just wondering if the cheats make any difference if you are only doing Atkins for 4-6 weeks and then stop? You have to be very disciplined in order to do strict cheating!!

By the way, I am not sure what the history of low-carb dieting is, but I thought Atkins was the originator back in the 1970s, and the South Beach Diet and others came later.

[GENESIS]

yes he was the first to commercialize the diet, but the concept is a ketogenic diet. basically eliminating the usual fuel source to force your body to use blood fats (ketones). if you cant cheat in appropriate amounts, DONT! why would you only do the diet for a month though? just to see the usual results you get?

[Frosty]

Sounds like some food/behavioral issues to me. I kinda know the feeling and I have to say one bad thing the Palumbo Diet got me into was JUNK FOOD. Before that I didn't touch it, but because you COULD on the diet I started to like it! I'm trying to destroy that habit and have been using "healthy" carb food for my cheat. So far I don't crave it as bad or think about it like I used to. Now it's just fuel that is easier to control, easier not to stuff my face with, and I don't get in as many calories because it's just harder to eat as many calories with potatoes than say chocolate.

[DAVIDHARDY]

Sounds like some food/behavioral issues to me. I kinda know the feeling and I have to say one bad thing the Palumbo Diet got me into was JUNK FOOD. Before that I didn't touch it, but because you COULD on the diet I started to like it! I'm trying to destroy that habit and have been using "healthy" carb food for my cheat. So far I don't crave it as bad or think about it like I used to. Now it's just fuel that is easier to control, easier not to stuff my face with, and I don't get in as many calories because it's just harder to eat as many calories with potatoes than say chocolate.


That's just not as fun...lol. I have to start cleaning up my cheats too, but I don't know if I can or not; I mean, it's my only meal of the week that I can eat whatever the hell that I want to.

[Frosty]

That's just not as fun...lol. I have to start cleaning up my cheats too, but I don't know if I can or not; I mean, it's my only meal of the week that I can eat whatever the hell that I want to.

I said the same thing but it got me into some bad habits craving junk food.

[DAVIDHARDY]

I said the same thing but it got me into some bad habits craving junk food.

Yeah I noticed that the closer that I get to the cheat, I'm actually craving some ice cream sandwiches or cookies or brownies and when I 1st started that never happened. Oh well, I'll have to start bearing down on it and restricting myself to cleaner foods to remedy it. It won't be fun for the first week or so, but after the contest I'll be back to shitty cheats again lol.

[spider63]

That is the same problem that I have with cheat days. Then I go all out on the ice cream and things like that and it kills the whole diet. The only reason I only do Atkins for 4-6 weeks at a time is that I keep hearing it is very bad for health. I lose 20+ pounds on Atkins in a month, and that is usually all I need to get me back in the right range or to kickstart me in the right direction.

In January, I was at 301. I did Atkins and lost 22 lbs. Then on my own, I lost another 35 and was down to 245. I have lost 178 lbs thanks to exercise and diet. This is my blog (http://fitness63.blogspot.com) and then in the past three months I gained back 20 lbs mostly thanks to ice cream and similar treats.

Once you start cheating and treating, it creates a lot of craving, at least for me. I see myself as a food addict, so I am always dieting one way or the other. Thanks for your help!!

[spider63]

Anyone ever try making the Bacon, pork, and beef meat-loaf??

[Godzilla]

Like you, I like my carbs and could not stay on Atkins indefinitely. I have tried many variations of "keto" and always got sick of them.

I now count calories and eat a balanced diet to lose weight. No food is off limits as long as I stay under my daily allowance. If I ever get to a point that I need to get ripped and my body will not budge. Then and only then will I even consider doing a "keto" type diet again.

Later........

[spider63]

Like you, I like my carbs and could not stay on Atkins indefinitely. I have tried many variations of "keto" and always got sick of them. I now count calories and eat a balanced diet to lose weight. No food is off limits as long as I stay under my daily allowance. If I ever get to a point that I need to get ripped and my body will not budge. Then and only then will I even consider doing a "keto" type diet again.

That is the great thing about keto. You can do it for 4-6 weeks and lose 20+ and push through a plateau. It is the best way to knock down weight-loss walls, IMHO. It is also easy, since you just have to stick to meat, fish, eggs, and green veggies. Nothing much to memorize or weigh on scales. Just eat the right keto foods and you lose weight!!!:)