Atkins/Paleo/low carb - did it work for you?

[Anonymous]

I have been struggling for a year (!) to lose baby weight. I still have twenty pounds to go and progress has been very slow - I've lost ten pounds since January, and average 1200-1300 calories a day. Am currently reading an Atkins book, and am thinking of trying it. Has Atkins or any similar low-carb diet worked for you? Would love to hear other's experiences. TIA!

[Anonymous]

Losing weight on Atkins is pretty easy; tough to transition off though.

[Anonymous]

I lost about 30. Gained back about 50.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lost about 30. Gained back about 50.

Yikes.

[Anonymous]

Up day down day has worked for me to lose those last couple pounds. Although we're all different, Atkins tends to work better for men than women.

[Anonymous]

South Beach worked wonders for my husband and I (he dropped 30 lbs, I dropped 20). We found the "phase 3", which is what you transition to once you hit the weight you want to be at, easy to stick with and we were good about sticking with it (mostly) for several years until the kids came. Then all hell broke loose. I have about 8-10 lbs left from my twin pregnancy and we're considering going back on it in the New Year.

The modification that we make is we don't use any of that sugar-substitute stuff (I just don't trust Splenda, et. al.) and I don't give up fruit (but moderation in the beginning).

[Anonymous]

Paleo-ish (I say -ish because I let myself have half and half in my coffee, soy sauce, and a few other things like that) was a miracle for me. I have PCOS and this is the only diet that I actually lost weight with and could sustain.

I basically thought of every meal as consisting of a protein and a vegetable (and "a vegetable" was usually 2-3 servings). Fruit was a snack or a dessert. I allowed myself a pretty high amount of fat -- like roasting my veggies in olive oil and not staying away from beef, for example. This let me eat tasty food, not bland "diet" food.

I lost 45 pounds (in conjunction with exercise) two years ago. I did gain back 10 in the last year, but I blame quitting the gym for that.

When I stick mostly to this plan (100% compliance not required for me), I feel amazing. Tons of energy, great mood, good sleep.

But I firmly believe nutrition is highly individual (even though we are all the same species!) and what works for one person may not work for someone else. This worked really well for me, and I failed at lots of other diets (Weight Watchers, Atkins, low fat).

[Anonymous]

Check out my niece-in-law's blog about trying out Paleo: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjUv_zJ8tvJAhUBPiYKHVNnCbMQFggiMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freckleditalian.com%2Fblog%2F2012%2F01%2Fon-going-paleo-thirty-days-later.html&usg=AFQjCNGLmrlwIBuD8s_R2jD5ypY88IrQOg

I also saw a movie called "Fat, Sick and Almost Dead" which convinced me of the value of a temporary juice diet as a way to start a new and better way of eating.

[Anonymous]

I eat an atkins style diet. For me, being in ketosis is great. The transition into it can make me feel yucky, but its just for a day or 2. Then I'm eating less food effortlessly and not feeling hungry. High fat foods are so satiating and delicious. And once in ketosis, I have no (or very few) sweet cravings.

I have lost some weight (but I was not really overweight before) and also find improvements in my moods and I have less joint stiffness. I was seeing a chiropractor since I couldn't turn my head very far - but now my mobility is back, no chiro needed. Maybe some type of carb foods I was eating were causing an inflammatory response in my joints? Grains perhaps? Just speculation.

If I was starting over, I might go with a more paleo/primal approach of cutting out grains and legumes, but keeping some starchy foods, like sweet potatoes, in my diet. Just to experiment with that as a first step.

[Anonymous]

i'm also down to my last 10 lbs (8 to be exact) but i feel my low carb diet (<50g) has done all it could as the weight loss has stalled. no suggestions but interested in this topic too.

[Anonymous]

I know how to lose 5lbs fast: stop drinking alcohol.
I drink 1-2 glasses of wine or a bottle of beer 3-5 evenings per week and the last time I really wanted to lose some weight, I cut that out and dropped 5 lbs stat. But it was no fun.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, it works. I hate it though. I start feeling really bad after a while.

I don't think I'll bother again. I'd rather do what I can with portion control than trying to drastically cut down on anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know how to lose 5lbs fast: stop drinking alcohol.
I drink 1-2 glasses of wine or a bottle of beer 3-5 evenings per week and the last time I really wanted to lose some weight, I cut that out and dropped 5 lbs stat. But it was no fun.

I appreciate this (OP here) but I didn't drink from late August through mid-November - didn't lose any weight, and I was a pretty big drinker.

[Anonymous]

It works temporarily, but it's very difficult to return to normal eating without gaining it back. This happens over and over to many of my friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It works temporarily, but it's very difficult to return to normal eating without gaining it back. This happens over and over to many of my friends.

but that's not the problem of the low carb etc diet, rather the "normal eating" diet? it's like saying running 3 miles a day worked but gained it all back when return to "normal exercise level" which is obviously not enough?