Atkin's Diet

[fly26]

Any other pilots out there had luck with the Atkin's Diet. For me, it's going well, but can be a struggle on the road sometimes. Get tired of hotel "continental" breakfasts too! Where's the eggs?!

Looking for any new ideas on acceptable Atkin's types of foods too.

Thanks.

 

[wil]

Don't know how many crew breakfasts I've left at the hotel counter!! The low carb bars can help in between meals. I commute so it's hard to pack chicken breasts etc. I will go to BK and get the charbroiled chicken and remove the bun. Also, load up on the salad bar but keep veges to the "green" color if possible- no carrots, too high in carbs. I used to get the low suger shakes in the late afternoon and would have to get a coke or orange juice to feel better. Ever since getting off suger and eating low carb I have never felt better!! A little more expensive but during recurrent ground It was funny to watch everybody nodding off in the afternoon (after the typical American carb loaded lunch) and I was wide awake!! All the best, eat and fly safe!! Wil

PS- 6 months and back in my 34 uniform pants!!
also, if you overnight near a Walmart they now have low carb tv dinners. I forget the name but in the diet frozen section and the carbs are labeled on the front average is 10 carbs per dinner!

 

[Av8trxx]

I did an Atkins-like regimin:

Heavy on the protien, low on the carbs BUT I also ate veggies & fruits. Drank lots of water. I also limited the fat! At 9 calories per gram, you can put a dent in that scale much quicker by limiting the fat. I gained 20 pounds and went from a size 4 to a 10 during the six months I was sedentary and at the AE academy (great cafeteria!) Oink!

After I simply started eating sensibly and did a 30 minute jog/walk 3-4 times a week I lost all 20 in about 12 weeks! Getting off your duff is the key. Back to my old size 4 and have some new healthier eating habits.

Basically, even if you don't follow it exactly, you can still lose weight. WATCH THOSE CALORIES and you WILL loose it faster. Figure 13 times your idea body weight if you are moderately active to get your daily calorie allotment.

"The low carb bars can help in between meals"
!Learn to be a label reader! Many of those so-called 'low carb' bars are far from it. Some don't include glyceryn in their calorie count. Total hidden carbs. Go to a health food store and get some of the better quality protien and honest carb counts. A good bar will cost $2-3. Another good snack are those mini pull top Starkist tuna packs. Travels great!

Good luck (and refined carbs are the enemy)!

 

[46Driver]

The Atkins diet is absolutely amazing. If you would have told me I could drop my jeans from a 36 to a 33 in 3 months by eating bacon, cheeseburgers and peanut butter, I would have gotten you a straightjacket and a rubber room. The chicken caesar salad at BK is pretty good, also eat lots of peanut butter and some of the high protein/low carb powder shakes from Gold's gym (probably can get it at GNC). Pretty easy to stay on it but I do misssssss my Krispy Kremes.....

 

[Caveman]

It worked for me. I lost 28 pounds from 15 Jan to 15 Mar. Went from a 36+ to a 33 inch waist. It's been almost 4 months and I'm holding steady at 182 lbs. I take a bunch of the Atkins brand low carb bars with me. They work well as a snack when I can't get something healthy to eat and they also kill the sugar cravings.(Hmmmmm.....donuts). They are a bit pricey though. $2.50 each unless you get them on sale. GNC will sell them to you for $1.99 the first week of every month if you are a member. Still, compared to anything bought at the airport they are a bargain.

I was a little concerned about what effect the Atkins plan would have on cholesterol, blood sugar, etc so I had a bunch of lab work done at the end of 6 months. All the numbers were perfectly normal.

Good luck.

 

[meanstreak]

I lost 26 lbs in 2 months. I feel great and always have energy. I carry beef jerky with me on the road. I also have a low carb Myo-flex drink in the morning. It only has 2 carbs and it tastes pretty good. I like the strawberry cream flavor the best. The only thing I am having trouble is I have been at 170 now for 3 weeks, I've plateaued. Anybody have any ideas on how I can lose my last 10 lbs. I'm still doing the < 20 carbs a day but I'm stuck. I guess I'll just have to run the rest off.

 

[crash-proof]

Wow, never thought we would have so many positive responses. Well, i'll have to put a damper here.

I tried the atkins for 2 weeks.
I took this to the extreme...no carbs at all.

2-egg omellete in the mornin, then a salad or steak in the afternoon. Very long periods between meals.
After a couple days, the lack of variety got me veeeeeeeery fidgety!

Also, my digestive system was not taking well to this overload of eggs, meats, cheeses, and i was feelin like cr@p day by day.
Eventually, i blew the diet away with a full plate of chicken nachos...yummm!!!

Did i lose weight? A little, but it didn't show. Wasn't exercising either. I guess the only good thing was going to a brazilian BBQ, stuffin myself with meat and veggies, and feelin OK afterwards while all my buddies would doze off.

My secret? Eat every 2.5 hours, small portions, excersize, and don't eat too many carbs (but don't cut ALL carbs).
I lost 35lbs this way, in about 8 months.

 

[dispatchguy]

My wife had the same thing - got on atkins, followed it religiously for 2 weeks (the first 2 hell weeks).

She lost 15 lbs I think.

She continued on it religiously, and didnt lose anymore, not a pound. Keep in mind that being active for her is difficult in that she has polio in her left knee (got it from the vaccine when she was a little girl), so exercise like you and I might do are a no-go item for her.

 

[AA717driver]

It's tough to give up beer!

I drink the Mich Ultra, now. I lose a little and fall off the wagon but I feel great.

I agree with 46--I miss the Krispy Kremes!TC

 

[Timebuilder]

First, it takes about two weeks in order to convince your body that there are no more carbs available, and it had better start buring FAT. This is what they call the "induction" phase.

I lost 27 pounds so far. I started right before we went into Iraq.

My weight loss has slowed, and I am ramping up my exercise to stimulate more fat burning. Everyone keeps telling me how much better I look. This morning I was 198, which pushes my loss to 29 pounds.

I buy the Atkins Advantage bars at General Nutrition Center, and buy a bunch more when they are on sale on top of the gold card discount.

 

[flx757]

I recently returned home following coronary artery bypass surgery. Feeling great and healthier than ever. From my perspective, there is only ONE way to eat. Several well-balanced (to include carbs), fat and sodium controlled, low cholesterol meals a day, at regular intervals; combined with regular exercise, will make and KEEP you healthy.

Any other way, and you are only fooling yourself. If anyone doesn't believe, I will be happy to share my angiogram results (and let you see my scars).

 

[FL717]

FLX757:

Welcome back! Glad to see you made it home. If you or your family need anything, or if you need me to pick up any of your stuff in ATL, don't hesitate to call me.

BTW - What was your diet like before the big "H"? What does the doctors have to say about your diet now?

 

[flx757]

FL717,

Thanks buddy!! Got home last night and am feeling GREAT. I'll probably make it into the crew room/office in a few weeks.

To answer your questions, my diet before consisted of (obviously) too much high fat/high cholesterol foods...burgers, bacon, sausage, cheese...LOTS of cheese; and now, having consulted a registered nutritionist/dietician, I eat well-balanced meals, that limit (but not eliminate) fats and dholesterol, watch the soduim, and eat many fruits and veggies. Basically just eating a well-balanced, healthy diet; and eating several meals at regular intervals.

Thanks again for everything, my friend; and I'll be back in no time!!

 

[Ralph]

My doctor has a sign in his office that reads "it is my opinion that the Atkins diet is very dangerous to your health"

If you'd like to loose weight my un-medical opinion is quit eating sugar and crap food. Look at labels and see how much sugar is in everything. Even white bread.

Now for the really crazy idea; exercise for an hour every day. Being fit is not one decision. It is the sum of decisions you make every day. If I exercised 5 days this week and ate fast food French fries on one day then the sum of my decisions is a healthy one. If I exercise twice this week, eat 10 candy bars, drink sodas and have a hamburger every night then the sum of my decisions was an unhealthy one.

Sometimes I think this whole country is made up of over medicated whiny "give me a pill for my lazy fat a$$ and one for my ADD" losers.

And my wife says I'm insensitive!

 

[Kingairrick]

lost 15 lbs on an atkins-like program in the last 2 &1/2 weeks and still going.

 

[Pilotadjuster]

Atkins

Surprised how many of us are on this diet!

Started a month ago, and down 16lbs already. The diet is EASY to stick with (I stay far from the Krispy Kreme store); never thought I would lose weight eating sausage and eggs for breakfast every day!

Reading the books makes a big difference; a lot of the things he says are not so revolutional; staying away from sugar, processed foods, and white flour. I thought there was no way it would work, but after a week, I was another fanatic.

Phase II is much easier to stay on, as the variety in fruits and vegetables is much better, though I go back to the induction diet every couple days when I do not seem to be losing anything.

Having tried NUMEROUS "low fat" diets over the past 10-15 years, losing nary a pound, I believe in this one. Excercised at a heath club for an hour every day for 4 months and didn't lose an ounce. Since a month before starting Atkins, I have walked/run 2-3 miles per day.

 

[skychaser]

I've been on Atkins for 2 months and have lost 15 lbs. All the weight was lost in the first month. Once a month I treat myself
to my favorite pizza. I'd like to hear how others have got past the plateau. I take the Atkin's bars to work with me, decreases the urge to cheat. I know almost 10 others on the diet, all have lost a min. of 15 lbs. Good luck!

 

[ilinipilot]

Hello
Lost about 17 and hopefully still losing some:
the Le Carb ice cream is **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** good
Nuts are good
Pickles are good
A nice Caser Salad with bacon is good
string cheese
cottage cheese
hard boiled eggs
canned meats like tuna and chicken are good

Getting over the plateau, I have no idea try working out hard core for a week and see what happens like from 3-4 times a week t0 5-6
Also try weight training that will move some of the flab to muscle and you will notice the tone better
D

 

[skychaser]

yes, i second the atkins ice cream....just as good as b&j!!! and better for ya!?

 

[surfnole]

I dropped 10 in four weeks only due Atkins M-Th. I put it all back on in the next few months, but I really worked at that by eating like garbage, having a couple of beers and chips before bed. Time to try again.

Walmart has the best prices on the Atkins bars, about 1.70.

The pharmacy also has Ketostrips to tell whether you are in ketosis. You need to pee on them.

The downside to Atkins.

1) It totally saps your energy initially with no/low carbs.
2) I got sick of preparing food and bored with my options.

 

[meanstreak]

Where do you get the low carb ice cream, I would love to have some of that.

 

[Dash8]

know what woudl be good? and convenient to carry?

BACON JERKY!!!!

wonder if anyone makes it...

but yeah where do you get the icecream? where does wallyworld hide all their atkins stuff??

 

[skychaser]

check the atkins website for ice cream locations near you!
www.atkinsdiet.com or www.atkinscenter.com
if you reside in the Northeast, you can get it at Stew Leonards.
Some upscale health food stores carry it too. Maybe Walmart as well.

 

[Ravengirl]

If you live out west, you can get Atkins ice cream (and lots of other low/no-carb foods) at Trader Joe's...there are lots of locations here. In the Midwest and east you can find Trader Joe's but not as easily. Stew Leonard's has Atkins products too, as well as Wegman's, if you're anywhere near western NY/PA.

Stephanie

 

[350DRIVER]

I think the Atkin's diet may work for some with regards to "weight loss" but I just wonder/question what it is doing to your heart and other organs by taking in all the fats/calories that one can while on this diet. It cannot be doing wonders for the body other than loosing weight.

I take meal replacements such as Metrx/Myoplex/etc, and I have been able to obtain pretty good results and I know that I am not hurting my body in the process. GNC has some pretty good (all natural) products that will surely produce desired/wanted results. The packets are easy to mix so they are great to pack away and take on trips.

a good workout routine also does help and you will get more results if you can add even more cardio work into your gym routine.


3 5 0

 

[crxpilot]

Getting past the stalls on Atkins

For those on Atkins who have plateued or stalled.....


http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/21-237659.printable.html


The Fat Fast
Counterintuitive as it may sound, if you can't budge the scale on Induction, a few days on this regimen may well allow you to break through metabolic resistance.

Certain individuals are so metabolically resistant that only more intense dietary restrictions prove successful. Once medications, thyroid problems and candida are brought under control, almost all overweight people who diligently adhere to the Atkins Nutritional Approach™ will lose and keep off weight. But for the small group of people for whom it does not work, more extreme measures are necessary.

To help these metabolically resistant people, Dr. Atkins has modified what he calls "the most effective weight-loss eating pattern ever described." British researchers Alan Kekwick and Gaston Pawan developed it, and Frederick Benoit and his team confirmed its superiority in burning off fat, compared to an absolute total fast. This extreme diet consists of 1,000 calories daily, comprised of 90 percent fat. No other weight-loss regimen has matched its ability to burn off stored fat. Dr. Atkins modified the Kekwick diet to make it as enjoyable as possible and dubbed it the "Fat Fast." He tried it on scores of patients and found it often worked for those who were unable to lose weight in any other safe, drug-free way.

The Kekwick diet forces the body into lipolysis so it burns its stores of fat. Lipolysis cannot take place if there is a significant source of glucose. Since all carbohydrates and some protein convert to energy by way of glucose, eliminating almost everything but fat from the diet forces even the most resistant body into lipolysis. That explains the 90 percent dietary-fat component. Lowering the caloric intake accelerates the need to burn up body fat—thus the 1,000-calorie limit.

The Fat Fast is one controlled carb program where you do have to count calories. You'll eat 1,000 calories a day, with 75 percent to 90 percent comprised of fat. Frequent feedings prevent hunger better than three meals a day, so you consume five feedings, perhaps one every four hours, comprising 200 calories each. Because of the high fat content and frequent feedings, very few people experience much hunger. The stumbling block for some people is the absence of conventional meals. But most are willing to stick with it for a few days, even if the food selections are unfulfilling.

Caution: The Fat Fast is actually dangerous for anyone who is not metabolically resistant. For people who lose weight fairly easily, the rate of weight loss is too rapid to be safe. But it carries very little risk for people who can barely lose on any other regimen.

Step One: Eat Mostly Fat
Begin with five 200-calorie feedings per day and follow for four or five days. Each item equals approximately 200 calories:

one ounce of macadamia nuts or macadamia nut butter
two ounces of cream cheese or Brie
one ounce of tuna or chicken salad with two teaspoons of mayonnaise served in one-quarter of an avocado
two deviled eggs made with two teaspoons of mayonnaise
two ounces of sour cream and two tablespoons black or red caviar
two and a half ounces whipped heavy cream topped with sucralose zero-calorie syrup
two ounces of pâté (check label for fat content)
two egg yolks (hard-boiled) with one tablespoon of mayonnaise

Step Two: Modify the Fat Fast
If increasing the fat-to-carbohydrate ratio and cutting calories work, any dietary change in that direction might get the job done. Next, you can try four meals a day of roughly 300 calories for a total of 1,200 calories. That should work, too, and what it allows is definitely more appealing to the taste buds:

two ounces of beef chuck (do not drain fat) cooked in two tablespoons of olive oil
two scrambled eggs with two strips of nitrate-free bacon
two tablespoons of full-fat sour cream with a tablespoon of sugar-free syrup
one-quarter cup chicken or tuna salad made with two tablespoons of mayonnaise
three ounces of pâté (check label for fat content)
one-and-a-half ounces of macadamia nuts

Step Three: Return to Induction
Try the 1,200-calorie regimen for a week, then go back to Induction. Or simply follow the concept of increasing the ratio of fat to protein. No one should have to feel that losing weight is hopeless. Sometimes the key to achieving your goal weight permanently is quite difficult to adhere to, but rarely is it simply impossible.

The information on this Website is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition.


You can find this article at:
http://www.atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/21-237659.html

 

[crxpilot]

Bacon jerky?

What about the pre-cooked bacon they sell in the stores?

 

[SuperFLUF]

I think the Atkin's diet may work for some with regards to "weight loss" but I just wonder/question what it is doing to your heart and other organs by taking in all the fats/calories that one can while on this diet. It cannot be doing wonders for the body other than loosing weight.

I started Atkins not to lose weight but to eat healthier. If you read the results of the latest long term studies, you'll see that people on a low carb, high protein diet not only lose weight (or maintain a healthy weight) but their cholesterol and triglicerides improve. Dr. Atkins was being vindicated on a regular basis for the last two years of his life. That's one reason the low-carb lifestyle has become more mainstream. I read Men's Health and for years they have blasted the Atkin's diet. Over the past few years they have been publishing stories and study results about how the high carbohydrate lifestyle is harmful to your health. And finally last fall they had a big article on the carbohydrate problem and had to admit they were wrong about Atkin's. That story plus some internet research spurred my switch from a low-fat/high carb diet to the Atkins For Life diet.

It's tough to stay low-carb on the road. Since I've started on the low carb lifestyle I have started to bring a soft cooler along on the trips with snacks to hold me off in between the less available meals. EAS chocolate brownie protein bars are the best tasting low-carb snack bars I have tried. I also bring along hard boiled eggs and some fruits to snack on. Canned Tuna packed in olive oil works well and the Pure Delight low carb chocolate bars are good too. I also bring along Xlitol to sweeten my coffee. Its expensive but it tastes just like sugar without any nasty aftertaste.

I've had good luck with this website for low-carb foods.
http://www.synergydiet.com

 

[flx757]

Once again, what is so hard about eating several, WELL-BALANCED meals at regular intervals? Combine this with regular exercise, and you will get and remain HEALTHY.

Any other way, and you are only fooling yourself. See my first post in this thread for additional information.

The offer to see my scars still stands.

 

[FSIGRAD]

I tried the Atkins diet and had a pretty bad reaction. I'm not really overweight, just wanted to lose about 10 pounds. After about a week my gastro system was completly screwed up, I spent the day puking, my legs were totally cramped and I almost went to the hospital. (I did lose 8lb's that week, but I got so sick I couldn't eat anything, carbs or not!)

This happen to anyone else? I did it pretty hardcore, tried to stay as close to zero carbs as possible.