Dukan to Atkins

[grchrrsn]

Hi everyone,
I hope you can help me!
I've been following the Dukan diet now for just over a month and the weight loss has been great, I've lost about 14lbs in a month although I have been finding it difficult sometimes..

I have about another stone to lose and I was thinking about making the move from Dukan to Atkins as it would mean reintroducing cheese (which I miss so much!!), more veg and I just feel that it would be easier to sustain..
Has anyone swapped from to Dukan to Atkins and kept losing weight? I just always get the impression from different Dukan websites that unless you follow it rigidly and finish all 4 stages that the weight will just creep back! Is this the case?

Grace xx

 

[Alpaca]

Hello Grace... Well done on the loss! You've done really well... I can't help I'm afraid but there will be others who will come along who will be able to help

 

[Claire41]

Hi Grace,

I too have been on Dukan, just finishing week 3 and have only lost 7lb, I am finding the pp days incredibly difficult.... So I have also been seriously considering swapping over.... I am not sure where to begin, whether to start from phase one or not? So I shall be watching your thread with interest.... Let's hope the Atkins folk can help.

If I do start it will probably be Sunday/Monday if you fancy a buddy?
Claire xx

 

[slimdreamer]

I have been on Dukan for ages and finding it difficult to lose the final bit so I too will be watching this thread with interest!!

 

[grchrrsn]

Hey guys! Yes hopefully someone can help!

What are your reasons for finding Dukan difficult? One of my main reasons is that it feels very constrictive sometimes, if you went to a restaurant on Atkins I imagine there would be a lot more you could eat! Whereas on Dukan you pretty much know you're going to eat something wrong which always makes me feel guilty!
Also I find that I sometimes probably don't eat enough just because I can't handle anymore lean meat or cottage cheese on PP days!

I'm thinking of introducing fats gradually and still maybe doing one PP day a week and then when I reach target weight going onto a Dukan style consolidation, does anyone think that something like that would work??

And yes Claire a buddy would be great! I think even if we do start on phase 1 it'd be a lot easier than Dukan attack!

xx

 

[Kat1e]

Hi folks - i havent done dukan so cant really discuss the transition. But if you want to do something different then why not give atkins a try - it does work.

The only suggestion i have is that you either do one or the other following the standard rules - they both have a lot of experience and experimentation behind them! if you do somethng in the middle then you may be missing out. If after having done both and seeing what works for you, then you come up with your woe - that's perfect

Good luck!

 

[Claire41]

Hi Grace,

I went to the charity bookshop today and picked up a copy of the book for £1.50.... Then I was in sainsburys and I saw Atkins chocolate bars! I decided there and then to switch and I already feel happier, it was the pp days that did it..... I know u have to be inventive, but after cooking for fussy daughter and then fussy husband it becomes a chore to be creative for myself, so my dinners were getting duller and duller and I was waking up on pp days and groaning at the thought of it.

I checked on my sticks and I was in ketosis this afternoon, so I will keep checking at let you know.... My reasoning is that if I stay in ketosis over the weekend then the switch to Atkins has been successful?

I will keep you posted,,, feel great just knowing there is variety waiting in the morning!

Let me know what you decide to do?

Xx Claire xX

 

[slimdreamer]

How is it going?

I have been on Dukan for over six months and have found it quite easy but it has been much slower for me than most.

The only reason I am considering Atkins is because I have 10 pounds or so left and have been stagnating for over a month now. I have tried all the suggestions for stagnation on Dukan and thought perhaps my body needs a shake up.

Having said that, from looking at all the diaries and posts here most people like on Dukan lose very quickly in the beginning on Atkins and then stall. Perhaps that is the way with all low carb diets?!!

Any info to the contrary or suggestions would be most appreciated!!

 

[ajj1965]

This is just my personal opinion and experience but I think that with all plans that advocate changing our way of eating rather than 'dieting' our bodies find a natural comfort place where they are perfectly happy to maintain. Unfortunately that place is often 8-10lbs heavier than we want to be maintaining at. I've found that it's necessary to shock the system with a different eating plan to drop those final pounds and keeping them off always takes that bit of extra effort. In my case I lost 3.5 stones on Atkins 5 years ago but had to go back to induction to get rid of the last 1/2 stone. I find it effortless to keep the 3 stone off but that 7lbs-odd is a constant battle. I've just been on holiday, been as good as is possible to be in the USA (which, admittedly, is not THAT good, LOL) and yes, once again, I am back on Atkins induction getting rid of those 7lbs. Truth is, I think, that my body is happiest just that bit heavier than my mind wants my body to be.

 

[Kat1e]

Interresting discussion - think its worth differentiating between stalls after initial fast loss and stalls when near target

Near target is always going to be slower and may indeed be that the body just doesnt want to go there! Shake up might help but induction usually works if you can stick with it completely.

Stalls when still plenty to lose are caused by different factors - some but prob not all:
Complacency and carb creep - it sneaks up on you!
Body losing inches etc but weight stays the same - they are wierd and wonderful things!
Stallers such as cheese, sugar free goodies etc - if on owl then may have introduced a new one
Cheats - they may be small and "only" once a week or so - but sorry that doesnt help!

For myself if i stick to the rules then i lose - if i enjoy wine (empty calories), eat sf goodies everyday or just overeat legal food - i know what is going to happen!

Good luck all - onwards and downwards!

 

[girlygirl1]

I agree - most stalls on Atkins happen because extra carbs or extra portions have somehow crept in over time. Carb creep is very common. It sneaks up on you almost without you even being aware of it. Sometimes we think oh, it's only a bit more cheese/cream/higher carb veg/Atkins sugar-free treats/nuts/whatever. On one or even two occasions we would probably get away with it, but if we do this too frequently the body registers it as a stall or worse, as slow but steady regain.

The biggest culprit by a mile is the sugar-free treat. Any make or manufacture. Jim calls them 'the devil's delights' - and in many ways, they are! Polyols - sugar alcohols - used to sweeten such goodies are infamous for causing stalls. They don't stall everyone but a large number of Atkinsers do have problems with them. They can also trigger cravings and hunger pangs. When anyone here mentions stalling the longtime Atkinsers always suggest cutting down (or better OUT) the sugar free treats.

The next common culprit is cheese. During Induction up to 4 ounces per day is allowed. UP TO. However many of us cannot eat anywhere near that much without stalling. I am vegetarian and I adore cheese but I have it only two or three times a week at the most and have up to 2 ounces at a time. You may not have a problem; but it is worth cutting down over a week or two and then seeing if the scales are showing a bigger loss.

I have never tried Dukan because, out of curiosity, I bought the book (I like to keep up knowledge of all major diet trends, particularly low carb ones) and discovered that it relies on meat far more than Atkins. I cannot see any way a vegetarian or even partial vegetarian could manage on Dukan. Also it is is punishingly restrictive and many on the Atkins forum who tried it to speed things up very swiftly abandoned it and 'came home'.

Last year a prestigious French nutritionist published a report stating that Dukan was unhealthy and, over time, caused malnutrition and even predisposed the dieter to developing certain cancers. Dukan sued for libel, defamation of character, etc.

Guess what? Dukan LOST the case. The French courts found his diet to be dangerous to health and full of false health benefit claims. Dukan had to pay huge damages to the nutritionist. Make of that, what you will! You can google Dukan court case or Dukan libel case and read all about it.

In the end we all have to find the way of eating that suits us best over long periods. And one we can rely on, all year round, for maintenance.
For me and countless others Atkins is The One.

I hope you enjoy your shot at Atkins, if you do decide to switch. Good luck!

 

[grchrrsn]

Hi all,
Thanks for all the information! It's definitely interesting reading everything and it's made my mind up to make the switch. I've lost just under half the weight I wanted to with Dukan but it's made me feel very unwell recently and I've stopped losing weight!

Claire, did you make the switch? How are you finding it??

Grace
xx

 

[4isnotenough]

Grace you can do it, I love atkins now I have found it. I read Nerris and Indias Idiot proof diet and that inspored me to switch. their inductin is the same as atkins so I figured I would just come here and get my feet under the table. I havent lost all my weight on Atkins btw. recently I stalled so this week I am making a concerted effort to be even better at what I eat. Lots of veg not so much 'diet treats' with zero calories and added sweeteners and I have lost a couple pounds already. I 'think' (this is only my impression I havent read any books) Dukan sounds good if you want to cut out fats, but I am of the understanding that cutting out fat is less of an issue of atkins so long as you dont actually eat those nasty carbs.

Good luck

 

[Alpaca]

Just a quick thought ... Many folk seem to find the last 7lbs or so the hardest to lose... Perhaps we should pay more attention to how we feel and what our bodies are telling us rather than listen to the fashion mags, diet products sellers and generally people who make a profit out of telling folk they are too fat! Perhaps the weight we get stuck at is the right weight for us... I think we need a shift in what influences us!

I remember when Twiggy was all the rage the fashion mags were encouraging us to minimise our busts by wearing special bras or wrap bandages around them to make us look flat!