Any feedback from atkins dieter??

[maddie_tc]

I'm almost at target doing the Cambridge diet (VLCD) and I am planning for maintenance now. I used to do calorie counting but not only is it time consuming but i saw myself over eating carbs and carbs really make me bloat and put on weight!! I have ordered dr Charles Clark's (similar to atkins but higher carb allowance) book and I am really looking forward to starting on my low carb journey.

My question to you is- is it realistic to fallow a low carb diet 40g carbs/day 5-6 days a week and have one "high carb day" a week (if u include 3 days exercise) bare in mind I'm not trying to loose weight but to maintain my weight.

Did post this elsewhere on this forum but no reply any feedback would be appreciated!!

Maddie xx

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[losingit]

Yes, you can go low-carb, or mix low-carb with high carb days, indefinitely to maintain weight, not a problem! Actually, i think going onto a low-carb diet from a VLCD is a good move, since you are already in ketosis most likely from your VLCD, and Atkins will keep you there (or on the verge of ketosis) and therefore you won't get the 'glycogen weight' added back on immediately and feel like crap as a result (when you start eating carbs, your body stores glycogen in your liver, which uses a lot of water, and adds a few pounds to your weight. The reverse happens when you are starting on a keto type diet, which is why those kinds of diets produce fast weightlosses initially). Be prepared to put on a little though just from the fact you will have food in your guts again in larger quantities .

As with anything, just make sure you get as wide and varied range of foods/nutrients as possible and perhaps on your 'carb day', add sensible carbs as much as possible. Or, instead of having one carb day a week consider just increasing your daily carb allowance to a level higher than the weightloss phase of Atkins. Actually, i believe Atkins has a 'maintenance' phase that does exactly this (has slightly higher carb allowance than the main diet), but since i didn't get there myself i don't know it indepth. It would be easier to control doing it this way rather than having one day 'off' a week in my opinion, if you count your carbs it is easy to see where your tipping point is between having too much carbs, or just enough and you can easily adjust carbs up or down on a monthly basis or something according to your weight (if weight goes up a couple of pounds, reduce carbs, if it goes down, add a few in, and so on) and the amount you are allowed should be enough to be satisfied and not produce big cravings like in the early phases. I'm rambling, but, if i ever get to the end of losing weight this is what i'll be doing . Maybe just ignore me and read the book and get the proper advice, lol

 

[maddie_tc]

Thank you sooo much "losingit" for ur in depth description! I'm really looking forward to starting my new low carb lifestyle- how much exercise would u recommend?? Let's see how it goes for me as the day I'm off Cambridge I am actually going Sweden (visit family) and for the first time ever I am going to try not to be obsessed with eating nice foods with family!! Unfortunately the day after coming bk from Sweden I'm going to Paris (just for a weekend) and bread/baguette and cheese is my weakness but being on target I reckon if I am good in Sweden then two "bad" days won't hurt- or am I just dreaming?? Thanks again for ur reply!!

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[Kat1e]

Hi there - low carb should be great for maintenance and hopefully let you enjoy food without gaining. Everyone is different so you will need to find the carb level that suits you to maintain (depends on exercise and pers body etc). One of the things that you might want to watch out for is trigger foods that cause cravings or if you have one high carb day/meal that can set you off too. I recommend that you read up on the atkins phases just so you understand about different food levels (likelihood to cuase problems), how to find your critical carb level to maintain (CCLM) etc. you can google atkins phases and all explained. You dont need to do it all but think it will really help inform you. I've just moved from pre- maintenance to maintenance and aiming for about 30-40g carbs a day. Actually so used to this way of eating that i often only have 20!

Good luck

 

[losingit]

You'll be fine... remember that you can still make good decisions broadly based within the diet and even if you break it badly there is always time to reign yourself in, never too late. For the cheese and bread thing, try having more cheese (OK for low carb, especially hard cheeses) and minimise the bread (but still have some so you get your treat for your special trip, this is about enjoying life but staying a good size, not killing yourself with rules ). Oh, do be careful with wine if you haven't eaten much and been on VLCD for a while, go steady - my tummy didn't appreciate the alcohol when i did that, and i got totally drunk on just half a glass, lol (but that could just be me!)

I need to take some of this advice myself, lol. I went on a week to Spain in January and as soon as i started going off track it spiralled a bit and i ended up losing a whole week to bad eating and putting on a few pounds (good news though is that it was all lost the following week after i got back).

As for exercise, i have really bad knees so my own exercise is limited, mostly to swimming and the occasional slow walk. You can exercise as much or as little as you like, on maintenance you don't need to restrict your activity at all, unless perhaps you plan lifting serious weights like bodybuilding (bodybuilders actually use keto diets to keep lean, but they also need to 'carb load' at strategic times during training too to 'feed' the muscle growth). I'd suggest going for something easily maintained, find an activity you enjoy which is also sociable and fun, if my knee was OK i'd go back to Zumba classes, that was really fun, or play tennis, or long walks in the countryside, definitely try to use the opportunity to inject some fun and positivity in your life rather than making it about doing 'hard labour' at the gym - this is your new lifestyle now, might as well enjoy it .

 

[ditzeeblonde]

I agree with Katie its crucial to find the right carb level for you, I'm one of the lucky ones as mine is 70g per day & sometimes at weekends I can go over this so I reign it in during the week. I will have been maintaining for a year this way next month. Good luck & yr in the best place for fabulous advice.x

 

[maddie_tc]

I agree with Katie its crucial to find the right carb level for you, I'm one of the lucky ones as mine is 70g per day & sometimes at weekends I can go over this so I reign it in during the week. I will have been maintaining for a year this way next month. Good luck & yr in the best place for fabulous advice.x

That sounds fantastic! Might be a silly question but does ur carb level change the more u exercise? Also while being on maintenance do you still consume loads of fat such as butter, heavy cream (instead of milk) etc - not having done low carb before I'm dreading the fat content. Although if the fat we are asked to have is salmon, avocado, full fat yoghurt etc then that sounds very appealing!!

You guys have been soooo helpful!! I cannot wait for my book to arrive!!! Eeekk so excited!!

xx

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[JennCinKy]

It is strange when all your life you have been told to eat low fat, but now you have to reverse your whole way of thinking. Fat is our friend

 

[ditzeeblonde]

That sounds fantastic! Might be a silly question but does ur carb level change the more u exercise? Also while being on maintenance do you still consume loads of fat such as butter, heavy cream (instead of milk) etc - not having done low carb before I'm dreading the fat content. Although if the fat we are asked to have is salmon, avocado, full fat yoghurt etc then that sounds very appealing!!

You guys have been soooo helpful!! I cannot wait for my book to arrive!!! Eeekk so excited!!

xx

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I think where alot of people come a cropper is not having enough fat... I didn't stall once in my weightloss journey & fat really was my friend & not once did I count cals!!!! The only way to win doing this is to not be worried about fat, its what helps you burn fat off!! I do sometimes now but thats only if I have to reign it in after a carby binge but thats not often!

 

[boggins]

I've been adding a few things back in this past month, not with any real discipline like the carb ladder, but it's made me realise what a great idea the carb ladder is. I now know that wheat is a no-no for me in just about any quantity, but berries are fine. Sweet potato makes me ravenous, carrots are a-ok.

I think that's why the carb ladder is so important: you learn what you can and can't handle and in what measure. It might be worth attempting something like it when you come off a very low cal diet- add carbs in one at a time so you can see how they make you feel.

With regard to exercise this is something that concerns me, because I lift heavy on a mostly ketogenic diet. I don't have carb load days. I do vary carb intake between around 20 to 60g a day, and sometimes cheat but not with any regularity (and usually with something unhealthy like chocolate or alcohol). So far I've not had a problem, I have been able to increase the weights I lift quite steadily, and my biceps are quite scary now. I don't expect to get away with this forever, but as an obese woman I think weightlifting on keto is OK. I think!

I also do cardio on this diet, usually 5 or 10 minute bursts of varying intensity, up to 20 minutes if I feel like it. Again I don't carb load either before or after. I did find when I first started that my muscles, particularly my calves, were more prone to injury where before (on a high carb diet) I would have been OK. So it set me back a little, I had to go slow and build up the effort. I'm fine now. I suspect this will depend on how long it takes you to adapt to a ketogenic diet and how "suited" you are to it.

 

[Kat1e]

Hi Boggins, have you had a read through marksdailyapple.com blog. He has done quite a few articles on weight training, carb loading or not etc. might be interesting for you to browse if not
Xx

 

[boggins]

I'll have to go through and look, thanks for the tip. He writes really well, I like that site a lot. I lurk on PaleoHacks as well.