I started the Atkins Diet today

[andrew1229649]

Day 103: 231.2
Change : -66.2

For anyone still paying attention.

 

[Bruno]

Day 103: 231.2
Change : -66.2

For anyone still paying attention.

Still paying attention and way to go! You have to feel great to have that weight off! Hope you are adding muscle, too, and overall feel like you've made a lifestyle change so you don't slide back into old habits (and jeans!)

 

[andrew1229649]

Yes, yes, yes, and yes lol Looking to lose about 30 more though...don't mind if it's a slower process, prob healthier that way.

 

[dannno]

So I've been mostly primal for the last two months and energy wise I feel like I'm maybe 1 or 2 points higher out of a hundred. I could go back to being veggie and I'd be ok, but for now I'm sticking with primal.

I lost some weight right off the bat and pretty much got down to bare-bones as skinny as I get and have been struggling to stay active and gain muscle (work full time, have a high maintenance gf and just got back form a big road trip).

One thing I've noticed is that I can easily add on the carbs and gain weight and then within a couple days or so lose all the weight immediately. I feel like I have more control over my weight, like I'm driving a manual transmission whereas before I was driving an automatic.

My gf tried to stick with it for a few weeks but she is just way too addicted to carbs, or anything that tastes like carbs and would constantly be trying to cheat with fake carbs (splenda) or would load up her morning coffee with 5 tablespoons of sugar and total throw everything off. Then to top it off something very unfortunate happened. I've been trying to get her to go to the doctor to get some tests done on her thyroid, blood sugar as well as a gamut of nutrient tests to look for deficiencies. Well, she brought in the list of tests I wanted and of course they would only do about half of them so I still have no idea what is actually going on for certain. What I do know is that her fasting blood sugar came in at 99mg or whatever it is measured in, which is ONE POINT below THEIR threshold for pre-diabetes. Of course the doctors said NOTHING and did NO further testing. Her TC came in very high, but that was because her LDL came in at 89, that is the "good" cholesterol and they say optimal range is 40-60.. so she blew that test out of the water, thanks to all the fish oil, fish, grass-fed meats, etc.. But the god damn stupid fucking piece of shit doctor told her she needs to cut her intake of..... ANIMAL PRODUCTS..... because her total cholesterol is too high. Fucking retards.

I. Hate. Doctors. So. Much.

So she quit primal and was originally gonna try the chicken and vegetable diet (which is technically primal in a sense, but she would have been eating grain fed chicken mostly cuz the pasture fed is way too expensive to live off, though I do buy it and prepare it at least once a week).. So she has been calorie counting. It has been working sorta, but not really cause she's always bouncing up and down so we'll see how long it lasts.

 

[KerriAnn]

I tried the Atkins diet a few years ago with my husband. We both started at the same time, and because he is much bigger than me and had more weight to lose, he shed extra pounds off like crazy.
My weight loss was much slower, but I didn't have a lot to lose (I wasn't overweight technically, just in the higher end of my BMI range).

One really great thing I noticed was the way my face cleared up. I get breakouts on my face, not super bad, but annoying for sure, and after being on the Atkins diet for a couple weeks my complexion was perfect.

I've never heard of this paleo diet, but how does it differ from the Atkins diet?

 

[dannno]

I've never heard of this paleo diet, but how does it differ from the Atkins diet?

Paleo is caveman diet, so no grains, no legumes, no dairy. Just meat, veggies, some fruit and nuts. However another huge aspect of paleo is that the diet discourages eating grain fed animals in favor of wild fish, grass/pasture fed animals. This is because they've found that inflammatory conditions like heart disease are actually caused by high intake of omega 6 fatty acids. So you want high omega 3 fatty acids, which you can get from wild/pasture meat sources, fish oil or coconut oil supplements, but you also want to work on LOWERING the amount of omega 6 fatty acids that you take in.

Primal (Blueprint) diet is based on the paleo diet and is promoted by a guy named Mark Scisson. One big difference is that they say if your system is good with dairy, then it might be ok to incorporate raw milk, yogurt and cheese, preferably pasture fed milk into your diet. Mark does a lot of scientific analysis on different types of foods and such and rates them so people can make better choices if they need or want to step out of the paleo 'box' for a special occasion or something. For example, white rice once in a while is ok, especially if it's alongside some raw fish, but it's not something you'd want to eat every day, optimally.

 

[farreri]

I've been trying the 80-10-10 diet (high carb/low protein/low fat) the last couple of weeks and been losing a lot of body fat without losing muscle mass! I'm feeling stronger and notice a lot more energy, especially when exercising.

Eating closer to Macrobiotic/McDougall than mostly fruit/leafy greens as a lot of raw foodist 80-10-10's do. Not overdoing it on the grains though. Eating more potatoes instead. Eating tons of vegetables and greens. Stopped using olive oil and nut butters. Only oil I'm using is my leftover coconut oil, but just a small spoonful a day. A little soy sauce is about the most processed I'm occasionally using. Fish a couple times a week is only meat I've been eating. Also eating at least half my food raw.

I'm rethinking my entire philosophy on diet.

Anybody needing to lose some weight, would be interesting to for you to experiment with this diet for a month or so to hear your thoughts on how it works for you. Only one way to find out!

 

[BamaAla]

I've been trying the 80-10-10 diet (high carb/low protein/low fat) the last couple of weeks and been losing a lot of body fat without losing muscle mass! I'm feeling stronger and notice a lot more energy, especially when exercising.

Eating closer to Macrobiotic/McDougall than mostly fruit/leafy greens as a lot of raw foodist 80-10-10's do. Not overdoing it on the grains though. Eating more potatoes instead. Eating tons of vegetables and greens. Stopped using olive oil and nut butters. Only oil I'm using is my leftover coconut oil, but just a small spoonful a day. A little soy sauce is about the most processed I'm occasionally using. Fish a couple times a week is only meat I've been eating. Also eating at least half my food raw.

I'm rethinking my entire philosophy on diet.

Anybody needing to lose some weight, would be interesting to for you to experiment with this diet for a month or so to hear your thoughts on how it works for you. Only one way to find out!

What method are you using to track your body composition? How much resistance training are you doing?

 

[andrew1229649]

Day 199: 218
Change: - 79.4


Less than 30 lbs to go!

 

[farreri]

Good job, Andrew!

Interestingly I've lost 30 pounds doing that McDougall low fat high carbs diet. I've lost all the weight I can lose really and I'm eating more fruit than I ever have!

Makes me wonder if it's the combination of high carbs and high fats that is why people gain weight?

 

[andrew1229649]

Thanks Farreri. Congratulations to you for losing 30 lbs as well. I think it is a combination of things. High fructose corn syrup is probably the number one culprit. The way most Americans consume a pile of HFCS is through sodas. Consuming lots of fiber is a really big help in losing weight. I supplement with powdered Psyllium Husk. Getting adequate exercise tends to help those lbs melt off a bit quicker, but it seems that you have to exercise more and more for it to remain effective.

Losing weight and keeping it off has become very simple for me now. I don't know why it has. It's like a switch was flipped one day. I just have to have a working pair of scales and be aware of what I am eating. It has become a bit expensive, buying new cloths every month isn't cheap

 

[brandon]

Nice work Andrew! I just recently got back in the weight room and am hoping to drop 30 lbs by spring. My diet is high protein (150g/day) low calories (about 800 under maintenance) and I eat whatever the hell I want under those constraints. Any tips to stay motivated? Got any new progress pics?

 

[jj-]

Nice work Andrew! I just recently got back in the weight room and am hoping to drop 30 lbs by spring. My diet is high protein (150g/day) low calories (about 800 under maintenance) and I eat whatever the hell I want under those constraints. Any tips to stay motivated? Got any new progress pics?

Hey, everyone is an expert on nutrition, but I still have some advice in case you would consider it: add another constraint: minimization as much as possible of polyunsaturated fats, because they slow down metabolism. The effects however can be seen in months, not days. To achieve this, consume fats that are saturated instead. If you use vegetable oils, use coconut oil instead (refined to cook in high temperatures). If you eat margarine, eat butter instead. If you eat meat, eat preferably beef. For more information, check out my signature or google Ray Peat.

 

[andrew1229649]

Thank you. Motivation comes from within. I look at some of my before pics and think to myself that I will never return to those days. Keeping a pair of scales helps me see what things are and are not working. I get on the scales everyday at the same time now. Watching the numbers encourages me to stick to the plan.

I will most some new progression pics tomorrow.

 

[heavenlyboy34]

Good job, Andrew!

Interestingly I've lost 30 pounds doing that McDougall low fat high carbs diet. I've lost all the weight I can lose really and I'm eating more fruit than I ever have!

Makes me wonder if it's the combination of high carbs and high fats that is why people gain weight?

It depends on the kind of carbs. Fruits and veggies have carbs, but the carbs are offest by fiber and other nutrients (plus the fact that they aren't simple carbs, except for most fruits). Also depends on your activity level. If you're active enough, you can take in more sugar than a normal person because your body will still be burning fat for fuel. I'm a hard-gainer myself, but I'm very active (kung fu and weight lifting especially). I eat dessert every night (usually something simple, though) too, and my problem is still GAINING weight. This is why pro athletes can drink those sugary sports drinks and not get fat.

 

[heavenlyboy34]

btw, congrats on the weight loss, andrew! ~applauds~

 

[farreri]

I eat dessert every night (usually something simple, though) too, and my problem is still GAINING weight.

Look closely at the fat content. You'll be surprised how many desserts have a high amount of calories from fat.

It really looks to me you either have to be high carb/low fat, or low carb/high fat to not get obese.

 

[trey4sports]

I recommend kettle bell workouts. It might not isolate certain muscles like traditional lifting does, but the strength you gain is much more impressive. Wrestlers and MMA fights use kettle bells for that reason. That and you can do them at home instead of spending $ monthly at the gym. I personally haven't done this yet because of my constant moving around, but when i do i will buy them and start. This site has great deals and they sponsor Joe Rogan Podcast (A big Paul supporter) http://www.onnit.com/kettlebells/

Steve Maxwell is great with Kettle Bell workouts

hell, that's all joe rogan uses these days.

 

[Seraphim]

Fruit carbs are the exact type of carbs you REQUIRE. Simple, natural, easy to utilize sugars. They are NOT the same as HFCS or complex grain carbs. Carbs are not created equal. Not even close.

If you have a carb craving, EAT FRUIT. And eat as much of it as your body requires.

Your body is designed to consume fruits, vegetables, nuts, meats and legumes. If you are hungry eat these type of foods. Our ancestors ate fruit carbs ALL DAY LONG. They were LEAN and (when they could get enough food) high energy specimen.

You can, but the carbs add up pretty fast.

 

[Seraphim]

Furthermore, when cooking/preparing food - if something sweet is desired (or recipe requires) use high quality honey and natural sugar cane. These sugars are HEALTHY for you. Obviously if you guzzle honey you will add weight (calorie surplus) but you should not shy away from HEALTHY carbs.

I'm also 24 years old (soon 25) and the opposite of you (or your thread starting point).

I'm 5'9 or 5'10, weight 185 pounds with a muscular/athelic build and a 6 pack (under 10% body fat). I've been like that my whole life.

Despite my solid genes - this is primarily ENVIRONMENTALLY DRIVEN. I eat astoundingly well. I have since I was a little boy (my mother was a nutritionist and a damn good one at that).

If you eat right, you will have boundless energy and will find that as the months go by your body and mind FIND ways to utilize this energy. Your BF will go down, muscle composition up, testostone WAY up, sex drive up, erectile capability up (har har har pun intended).

Exercise and active lifestyles come first from being CAPABLE of doing so - finding healthy and TASTY meals that you can eat every day of your life will change your ENTIRE life.

I hope your venture is going well and I hope you acheive what you want.

Fruit carbs are the exact type of carbs you REQUIRE. Simple, natural, easy to utilize sugars. They are NOT the same as HFCS or complex grain carbs. Carbs are not created equal. Not even close.

If you have a carb craving, EAT FRUIT. And eat as much of it as your body requires.

Your body is designed to consume fruits, vegetables, nuts, meats and legumes. If you are hungry eat these type of foods. Our ancestors ate fruit carbs ALL DAY LONG. They were LEAN and (when they could get enough food) high energy specimen.