The Great Atkins Experiment
Written: Aug 18 '00 (Updated Aug 18 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: theoretically should work, approved by our family doctor
Cons: very hard to stick to, boring, higher grocery bills
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| amykhar's Full Review: Atkins Diet |
My husband and I are fundamentally different in many ways. I like things like losing weight to be hard and involve a bit of suffering, he likes things to be easy and painless. Consequently, when we set out to lose weight, our methods were quite different. I went the Weight Watchers route, and tried to encourage him to join me. He did, but when he only lost ¾ of a pound the first week, he didn't last with the plan for long. I was more successful, but with 4 kids and a job, didn't want to spend my spare time at a Weight Watchers meeting each week.
My husband decided to try the Atkins plan. I resisted with all my might. In my mind, he was looking for the easy way out. The concept of eating large quantities of fattening food sounded like gluttony and sloth to me. I was (and am) of the mindset that weight loss should be a lifestyle change that you commit to forever. My husband wanted things quick and easy.
Therefore, I fought him all the way. I whined about the grocery bill being higher. I complained about having to cook the same old boring junk day in and day out. Not surprisingly, he soon quit. However, my husband got sick and went to the doctor. Our family doctor attributed some of my husband's problems with his weight. So, my husband asked about Atkins, and to my shock was given the green light. I nearly fell off my chair when told that our doctor had approved this nonsense.
As a sign of support, I decided to get Dr. Atkins book and go right to the source for the skinny on how to follow the plan. In addition, I committed myself to try the diet myself. The way I saw it, we could support each other.
The Atkins Diet
A rather simplistic overview of the Atkins plan is that the dieter consumes little or no carbohydrates and all the proteins and fats that his heart desires. However, there is more to it than that. There are four discrete phases to the Atkins diet. First is a two week induction diet. Next, comes Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL). Finally there are the Pre-Maintenance and Maintenance phases.
The Atkins theory relies on the fact that the human body needs glucose for energy. If the body fails to take in glucose during the day, it will break up its own fat stores in order to get the energy it needs. The logical conclusion would be that fasting would cause a person to break up their own fat, and thus lose weight. However, a fasting person will lose weight in the form of muscle as well. Atkins believes that the solution is to eat a diet rich in proteins and fats and little or no carbohydrates. He maintains that such a diet will induce a person to lose fat and not muscle. In addition, such a diet has the added benefit of suppressing appetite, making dieting easier.
The Induction Diet is a two week period that is designed to introduce the dieter to a lifestyle of eating less carbs and more protein. During this phase, one is limited to less than 20 grams of carbohydrates a day. (The recommended amount by the American Heart Association is 55 to 60 percent of the daily calories should be from carbohydrates.) Atkins touts the two-week period as an over correction for past bad eating habits. This induction phase is designed to get the body to the point where it is burning fat for energy, and get the dieter to the point where the appetite suppression phase kicks in.
After the two-week Induction phase, the dieter moves to OWL. During this phase, carbohydrates are gradually added back to the diet until it is determined the highest amount of carbs the individual can eat and still lose weight. Once this critical carbohydrate level is reached, OWL is continued until the dieter is near their goal weight.
As the goal weight approaches, the dieter moves to Pre-Maintenance. In this phase, the dieter adds more carbs to the diet until the amount if found that if exceeded will cause the dieter to start gaining weight again. Once this number is determined, the dieter backs off and consumes slightly less.
Once the goal weight has been met, the dieter enters Maintenance. In Atkins plan, this phase should last for a lifetime. His book gives examples of happy people who are currently in maintenance. He gushes about the fact that these lucky people can now have a potato or two a week .
My Experience with Atkins
I just completed the two week induction phase, and am not sure where I am going from here. I do know that I will not be sticking with the Atkins plan. The cravings for real food are starting to get the best of me. I believe that I could fight the cravings if I had seen a significant loss of weight. However, in two weeks, I have only lost four pounds. I do not have much incentive to continue.
There was a good point about following the Atkins plan. He is correct that his diet does suppress the appetite. I am not sure if it is because I am so bored with the food, or if it truly is a biological response.
The cons far outweighed the pros of this diet. First of all, our grocery bill went way up. Typically, I am able to stretch our food dollar by serving rice and pasta. With those items no longer an option, I found I was buying more meats, eggs, and cheeses. My other primary complaint was that my body yearned for favorite foods. Knowing that Atkins fully expected me to give up pizza for life didn't help. Finally, although I did learn a few creative new recipies, I found the Atkins plan to be a bore and more work besides. Cooking our meals took more time and effort, and I missed being able to just go out for Chinese food or order a pizza when I was too tired from work to cook.
My other complaint with the Atkins plan stems from Atkins himself. In my view, he comes across like a snake oil salesman. In addition to marketing the books, he sells supplements and foods designed for his plan. I guess I believe that a doctor should be writing his research up to help humanity - not to sell vitamins by mail.
Resources on the Atkins Plan
I found Atkins book to be a bit confusing in places ( Eventually, I will review the book for Epinions.) Therefore, I went to the web for more information. One very good site has tips, information, recipes, and message boards. If you haven't purchased the Atkins book yet, you might want to skip it, and just check out this site:
http://www7.addr.com/~atkinsdi/
Dr. Atkins also has his own web page. However, because he is trying to sell his book and products, it is not a very good source of information for the typical dieter.
http://www.atkinscenter.com/
Finally, I found the following article rather interesting. It explains that most dieters do not follow the Atkins plan correctly, and consequently she recommends other options.
http://mosaics.epinions.com/fddk-review-7D63-896D681-399C3D1F-prod6
Conclusions
On paper, the Atkins plan seems to make sense. If followed correctly, I am sure that it would work. However, I have found that it is not an easy plan to stick with. It was an interesting two-week experiment. However, I am glad that it is over.
Recommended:
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amykhar
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Member: Amy
Location: USA
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