I don't understand this ?

Hi all, tried to post this q elsewhere ( on the Ketosis thread ) but it wouldn't let me so I hope someone can spot this 4 me.
When I was on the Atkins diet ,you weren't allowed more than 20 g of net carbs a day to get into ketosis on the intro programme ,and even on the moving up to maintenence to stay in Ketosis you weren't advised to have more than 40 g.Yet our sachets have about 12 g in each one,so how are we expected to get or stay in ketosis with such a high carb rating ?I am confused by this !!
thanks for an answer
B.x
 
Hi barrwogirl.

I did Atkins for a long time too. You dont need to go so low to get into ketosis and CD promotes mild ketosis whereas Atkins is more extreme. Im sure I have read somewhere people can have up to 80-100 grams of carbs per day and still be in mild ketosis.

CDC works because it is low ketosis combined with low calorie, wheras Atkins could be very high calorie!!! Im not knocking it because I lost a lot of weight on it, but CD is a different diet completely that only has the ketosis in common with Atkins.

Your CDC should be able to sell you some ketostix so you can test yourself, if you would like to satisfy yourself that you are in ketosis, or you may already know the signs from your time on Atkins.
 
On Atkins the amount of food is far more generous than on any VLCD. Ketosis can be induced by either limiting both calories and carbs, or by limiting carbs alone, or by limiting calories alone.

The 20g Induction levels on Atkins are to rush you into ketosis. But calories are not restricted. Only carbs. And only at 20g for the two weeks of Induction. Thereafter Atkinsers are supposed to move into Ongoing Weight Loss where carbs are very gradually added back into the diet until the person stops losing weight. This is often around the 45g net carbs mark, or more in some lucky individuals.

You can get into ketosis by eating less than 800 calories a day, regardless of carb content. However it is much more beneficial to limit both carbs and calories as they do on Cambridge and other VLCDs. We need a certain amount of carbs for brain and muscle function (in the form of glygogen). To go above the recommended daily level of carbs can mean that hunger and cravings do not ease to the point where we can benefit, as dieters, from both. Ketosis is what helps us survive the very low calorie levels of a VLCD. Without it most dieters feel very hungry indeed.

Atkins and VLCDs operate around different overall principles and do not mix. The carb levels of a VLCD are usually too high for successful Atkins, just as the calorie levels of Atkins are way too high for the average VLCD.

Never the twain shall meet!
 
Thanks for the answers. My hub has just started the atkins while I'm on the c.d.
I envy him all the food he is wolfing down,whilst still losing.I'd go back to the Atkins diet but I've done it a few times and my body must have got used to it as I don't lose on it.Also, I'd prob just continuously eat which is what I am trying to get away from !Also-I do think like you say you do need carbs!!
 
I think there comes a point on Atkins where you know all the tricks - like troughing down Peperamis, eating crustless quiche etc. When you first do Atkins you tend to do quite well cos you eat chicken salads and fried breakfasts and it takes a while to get to know which yummy foods have the least amounts of carb. At least, that's how it was for me. :) I lost a couple of stones and then seemed to stay the same. The bonus was that I didn't gain!

Anyway - good luck with Cambridge!
 
I think Atkins is perfect for maintenance. We are allowed to eat! Yippee! But for some the weight loss part can be slower than they would like, with lots of stalls and plateaus. This is just part of the diet and when you think of how much you can actually EAT it makes up for a lot lol.

After a while many Atkinsers crack and try Cambridge or Weight Watchers or Slimming World... But many come back pretty sharpish because VLCDs are really challenging, WW and SW include rice and potatoes and pasta and bread which many of us cannot eat without feeling hungry afterwards, and also because Atkins allows good tasty food in reasonable portions. I guess we can't have everything!
 
Yep - once my weight is off I am going onto Atkins for maintenance. Got to be worth a shot.I can't live on sachets all my life and at least with atkins you can be social- eat the lamb chops with some veg ,followed by coffee with cream.Currently , if I go out it's a weak cup of tea !
 
Exactly, barr. The difficulty with most of us seems to centre around our impatience. And the early, impressive Atkins losses which are of course mostly glycogen can lull many into a false sense of security regarding the losses yet to come. Patience seems to be challenging for dieters in general! Yet those who just keep going, regardless of the actual 'diet' followed, are the ones who make it to goal and beyond.

I have never been to WW or SW but I am told that losses there can be pretty slow, too - particularly SW losses. Again it seems that fast first-week results ver quickly slow to losses of around 1-2 pounds per month. Both plans allow way too many carbs for my particular body and metabolism.

With Atkins as a pretty much failsafe maintenance plan we can be much more confident of keeping-off those rogue surplus pounds!
 
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