I Caved to the Trend

[sadic1]

Yup. High protein, low carbs. I been eating meat and veggies like a pig and lost 3 pounds in the last week and a half. I miss pizza and Krispy Kreme, but I feel better in general. Based on my family history, I was destined for adult onset diabetes. As if prostate cancer, Hodgekin's disease, and mental illness wasn't enough. A little working out, and I'll be in my "studly little guinea" summer condition before March. It was sort of weird going to Phil's today and ordering an omelet, though.

[mathmajors]

I'll reply to this with a little more quality after I go get me some ice cream. brb

[SilverSurfer]

I just drank a bunch of beer and ate some steak and potatoes. :)

[mathmajors]

Damn. Had to settle for Honey Nut Chex Mix.

[LarryD]

i was on the fence, but i'll join you, sadic.

i've got to break out of my depression, so i'll fake it until i make it.

i'm going to miss pasta and breads the most, i think.

[magnus]

yeah, those are the worst to give up. Even more than potatoes.

[lj4three]

fuck that non-carb shit.

here's some good advice (i've maintained the same weight for 4 years):

eat 3 meals a day (no more, no less).

drink 10-12 glasses of water a day.

no sodas (only diet).

get a workout 4-5 times a week. (lift and run preferrably)

thats what i do, and i'm btw 155-160 at all times.

[sadic1]

How old are you, Lj? I thought you were a young guy. If so, your metabolism starts slowing down hard in the mid 20's, and some of the old rules don't apply anymore.
I like this style of eating so far (I'm not actually doing the Atkins diet specifically. I have more energy in general so far. I really miss pasta, pizza, and all kinds of shit, but I'm eating plenty of enjoyable foods and am not gonna be a diet Nazi or anything. I'm just going to choose that stuff on average when possible and consider the carbs a once in a while treat. I think it's even more important to drink a lot of water with the high protien thing, though, which is the hardest part for me. I piss all day as it is.

[LarryD]

water is a big key -- i was drinking at least a gallon a day at one point.

[slydevl]

Just to let everyone know my progress:

I have now lost 60lbs total. 306 when I started now 245. I did strict Atkins for about 2.5 months and lost 35-40 lbs. The rest I have lost in the last 2.5 months through portion control and exercise. Atkins was the catalyst. It gave me the energy to get up and exercise and the fast results that firmed my resolve. It also instilled healthy eating habits like not snacking etc that allow me to continue losing weight. If i lose another 20lbs which is my goal, I will be the weight i was as a senior in college 10 years ago. Currently i am the weight i was when my wife and I started dating and 40 lbs lighter than when we got married.

[LarryD]

good stories like this are what will keep me going.

[Honeygirl]

Just for giggles - and a bit of inspiration - go to this site - www.mvm.com and create what you look like now, and what you will look like after you've lost weight. It's wicked fun - I've done mine before I lost weight - (:worried: ) and what I look like now - plus, what I should look like if I keep walking and eating like a bird :rolleyes: It actually helps to keep you on track. Good luck chaps - not that I think any of you need to lose weight - but if that's what you're after - then go hard! :xyzthumbs

[slydevl]

If you are serious about exercising while doing Atkins, i recommend the following supplements (if you are not going to exercise they really won't be that beneficial):

Congugated Linoic Acid (CLA for short): keeps the body from using protein for energy. Promotes the use of fat for energy thus reducing muscle atrophy.

L-Carnitine: Speeds the delivery of fat to the muscles for use as energy

One a Day Active: larger doses of Calcium and Potassium than regular vitamin supplements. Muscle cramping can be a side effect of Atkins. Those extra electolyte minerals can help prevent that.

[Honeygirl]

I've just gotta say Sly - well done on such a huge weight loss - it's wicked! I wish Atkins worked for me, but alas, long term it didn't. I worked on the low fat, high exercise regime and although it was bloody slow - it's working! I miss KFC something terrible though! :(

[LarryD]

you get that stuff at gnc?

i may just do like you and use atkins as a way to fake it until i make it.

[slydevl]

You can probably get all of it at GNC. You can get the carnitine and One a Day active at any Eckerds for cheaper than GNC probably. I ordered my CLA of the internet. Just do a google search on CLA and look at the ads on the right.

[Stargazer]

Originally posted by slydevl
Just to let everyone know my progress:

I have now lost 60lbs total. 306 when I started now 245. I did strict Atkins for about 2.5 months and lost 35-40 lbs. The rest I have lost in the last 2.5 months through portion control and exercise. Atkins was the catalyst. It gave me the energy to get up and exercise and the fast results that firmed my resolve. It also instilled healthy eating habits like not snacking etc that allow me to continue losing weight. If i lose another 20lbs which is my goal, I will be the weight i was as a senior in college 10 years ago. Currently i am the weight i was when my wife and I started dating and 40 lbs lighter than when we got married.

:applause: :applause: That's great!! I'm trying to lose and it isn't easy. Kudos to you.

[builder]

Originally posted by LarryD
good stories like this are what will keep me going.

Larry....you don't need to go all out on the Atkins diet to lose weight. You do need to watch that most of your food isn't carb based. I really didn't change too much except that I stopped drinking "sweet" tea and knocked out all my sodas. I occassionally drank a beer or 2 or ten when I wanted to. And I ate fast food whenever I felt like it. Lowering your processed sugar and white flour intake will take you pretty far without starving yourself to death. Natural whole grains and naturally sweet foods (fruits & vegetables) will not pack on the pounds like strawberries in heavy syrup. It's all about watching how much you eat of certain foods and allowing yourself what you want of the healthier foods. It takes more time and effort to prepare meals because you eat less processed food, but it's worth it.

Since Thanksgiving 2001, I've lost almost 60 pounds. I'm down to 200# now from about 255-260. I've dropped from a 40-42" waist to a 34-36". And I never felt hungry. It's taken over a year, but I figure if I keep going on this, I won't have to worry about putting the weight back on. Now, if I could just cut these damn sodas out of my life again....

[sadic1]

I agree, builder. I'm not really doing this to lose a lot of weight. I've got the same 5 extra pounds on we that I get every winter and take off in the summer, which I'll probably lose sooner now, but my wife's been eating this way for a few years and is always talking about how good she feels from it, so I'm going for a general eating/lifestyle change and preparing to attempt to build more muscle mass. As much as I lvoe ice cream and stuff like that, I've always felt crappy after eating heavy carb and sugar foods, and I don't miss that at all. Snacking is definitely more of a challenge when you're trying to avoid processed sugar, though. Supplements and strict adherence to a diet just don't seem right or necessary to me, but I'm no doctor and for someone like slydevl who wanted to lose a great deal of weight, maybe it's the way to go.

[vpkozel]

I started this diet when I was younger and I am pretty much the same weight that I was 10-12 years ago. Eat whatever I want, drink whatever I want. It's tough, but I have been able to stick withit through sheer determination and iron will.

[SandMan]

Originally posted by slydevl
You can probably get all of it at GNC. You can get the carnitine and One a Day active at any Eckerds for cheaper than GNC

Unless you are in a town that only has Albertsons or in BFE.. If you can find any medicine, vits, etc at Harris Teeter, Food Lion etc.. it will be a lot cheaper than Eckerd, CVS, etc. Drug Stores are high as shit on over the conter stuff...

[kshead]

Originally posted by lj4three
fuck that non-carb shit.

here's some good advice (i've maintained the same weight for 4 years):

eat 3 meals a day (no more, no less).

drink 10-12 glasses of water a day.

no sodas (only diet).

get a workout 4-5 times a week. (lift and run preferrably)

thats what i do, and i'm btw 155-160 at all times.

I've waited years to do this since I used to say the same things and weighed what you did when I was 20-21.....

Wait until you hit your late 20's. Doesn't matter what you eat. You will gain weight. Get a desk job, find a nice lady who can cook and you will blow up like a balloon (maybe that's just me though)

Next up, telling kids they never had it so good. :D

P.S. Congrats on your weight loss Sly, Builder.

[Boo]

Originally posted by slydevl
If you are serious about exercising while doing Atkins, i recommend the following supplements (if you are not going to exercise they really won't be that beneficial):

Congugated Linoic Acid (CLA for short): keeps the body from using protein for energy. Promotes the use of fat for energy thus reducing muscle atrophy.

Another thing you can do to prevent this is drink some protein (whey is the best because is gets digested the fastest) right before you work out....only need 20 or so grams....and then take another protein drink right afterwards.

L-Carnitine: Speeds the delivery of fat to the muscles for use as energy

another thing that works is taking caffeine (half gram per pound of body weight) about a half hour before you workout. It increases lung capacity and it encourages your body to use stored fat for energy....by doing that the byproduct is not lactic acid (which makes your muscles tire) so you can workout longer and more intensely.


One a Day Active: larger doses of Calcium and Potassium than regular vitamin supplements. Muscle cramping can be a side effect of Atkins. Those extra electolyte minerals can help prevent that.

[LarryD]

so, boo, is that why the ephedra-type pills tell you to take them in the morning and right before working out?

i'd still like to try some of that ephedra stuff to see if it helps speed things up. i need a kick in the pants on my energy.

what are some protein drinks?

[PaulPanther]

30 lbs lost here on Atkins. Stopped around Thanksgiving and coasted through the holidays eating carefully. Still at the weight I was at when I stopped. Water is key. I am going back on it in a month when my schedule goes in to overdrive. Easier for me to be strict with diet when I work 72 hours/week. Pork Skins and Tabasco snacks salads for lunch and a steak or hambrger or some chicken. 25 more lbs until I get back to high school graduating weight. Granted that was a hard 195 lbs