Jaydef03

so... its been about 5 or 6 weeks.

i went from 220 to 204 (this morning). and still truckin.
i go to the gym 3 times a week. as far as cardio goes, i use the eliptical for a mile and a half, and the bike for 3 miles. i also do a bunch of diff ab exercises on top of lifting.

questions? suggestions?

personally, i think i need to run more, but im a smoker, so its a bitch

ccannizz11

Congrats!

You're on the right track... stay consistent and motivated, gradually up the intensity or length of your exercise.

Jaydef03

thanks. i think alot of the weight lost was just bc i dont eat too much during the day. its hard to go out to lunch and find something thats fitting. i basically drink ice coffee all day long. have a small lunch. then a huge dinner.

the thing is, this diet seems to work so well for me bc ive cut out all the beer and dominos that the avg college student consumes.

mfkitson

quit smoking, PLEASE!

Sarlacc

My good friend had great success following his wife doing weight watchers....just point counting not the meetings and crap.

In jan he weighed almost 250....by the time of his wedding (april 8) he was down to 215. he is 6'5" btw.

Personally, I just up the cardio and watch what I eat...well most of the time i watch what i eat. I'd do a lot better if I put myself on a meal schedule...too much effort.

Doc.Booty

Yumcha

Somehow, the Atkins Diet scares me...Sure, it works, but I honestly cannot see any long-term benefits of it to a person's health. The diet plan just raises too many questions for me...

But, I'm glad you are happy with your progress Jaydef...

ccannizz11

any "diet" that has a book on the best sellers list, isn't going to work long term

Yumcha

Well, to be fair, the South Beach Diet seems to be the one that makes the most sense to me...But, I would never go on the Atkins.

Jaydef03

im going to make the transition to south beach this summer. my dads on south beach too, so hes gonna give me some pointers on good meals.

when i do get off this diet, im going to still stay away from junk food and desserts so i dont gain a lot of the weight back. i heard that's common with atkins, that once u get off it, you tend to gain some back. is this true?

Jaydef03

im going to quit smoking when i graduate. its a major goal i have set for myself. im going to florence for next semester (senior yr), so theres no point in quitting right now. its impossible not to smoke when living in italy.

Jaydef03

btw, most ppl on atkins tend to go on to south beath later on. south beach is pretty much step 2 of atkins

Yumcha

Yes. I've also heard the same thing about the weight gaining...

My biggest concern is the stories I hear about people getting hypoglycemic after going on the diet. But, you seem to be going strong so far, Jaydef...

ccannizz11

I don't know as much about the particulars of the south beach diet as I do about the atkins diet. But from what I've heard, it's easier for people to make their own adaptations to the SB diet to fit their lifestyle a little better than the atkins diet.

If it works for you, do it!

Sarlacc

My folks have been on the South Beach diet. Prior to having been on atkins. all under the recommendation of physicians.

They were telling me all about the ideaology of SB and it really does make much more sense.

gdubb

Congrats man!

whats the diff between S.B & Atkins...

ferizzo

Honestly, read the book. Atkins preaches the same thing every "diet" does...everything in moderation. All people focus on is the first phase, which is only a two week time period. What everyone that doesn't read the book focuses on is the no/low carb aspect of the diet (again phase one). After that first phase you are supposed to reintroduce carbs back into your "diet" or as he calls it "lifestyle". He essentially recommends that people intake a healthy dose of carbs, fats, and proteins...same as every other nutritionist.

The main principles are (my interpretation):

1) calories are important in weight loss/maintenance
2) must exercise
3) drink plenty of water
4) reduce intake of processed (can't remember if this is the right term or not) carbs
5) eat a balanced diet

I did Atkins and lost some 60lbs (and have kept it off for two years now). I admit that I don't necessarily follow the diet the way I should but it has worked for me and my health is better than when I was a fat fuck (some might still consider me one but I not as bad as I once was). I was as high as 270 (low point for me) and got down to about 205-210. I am at about 210-215 right now and could lose another 20lbs, but am in no rush.

South Beach, and coincidentally many other diets, are simply a modified version of the Atkins that might be easier to abide by as stated by other members here and their experiences.

Jaydef, congrats and keep at it. do it at your pace and just keep hitting the gym (I haven't been as good so I've gained a couple of lbs lately).

ferizzo

Well if you go back to eating the junk food, sugars, etc. then yes, you will gain the weight back. This is no different than any other diet however. This is why Atkin's emphasized that this was a "lifestyle" change, not a diet.

per my above post, I've been able to keep the weight off but specifically because I don't eat sweets anymore (on occasion I might) and have lost all desire for non-diet drinks. I used to love coke, iced tea, and other sweetened drinks but now enjoy the crystal light, diet coke, and water. That alone has made a huge difference.

tmk70

...and just look at you now!

nokio

you need 55% carbs for your daily intake...the atkins diet is juststarving yourself

you figured out the key tho, watching what you eat and exercise as long as you keep that up you can keep the weight off with ease

Yumcha

I wish I was a MD...I'd focus my revolutionary diet "discovery" on just watching what you eat and doing exercise daily too...Except, I'd also tell the readers to eat at least 5 grains of rice a day. Just to spice it up.

Call it the Yumchah Diet...

Damn, I'd be so rich by now...

nokio

wouldnt we all people think that some crazy diet is the only way...just eat healthily and exercise and youll be in shape...no need to restrict anything specific, just eat without glutton

my dumbass friend eats a large sized combo at carls jr, then gets a 99cent chicken sandwich on top of it with soda and takes those stupid xenadrine things and wonders why he doesnt lose weight

Doc.Booty

55% isn't a universal truth, it varies for everyone depending on their body chemistry, activity level, etc.

Atkins isn't technically starving yourself, it's depriving your body of its primary energy source so that it has to go elsewhere. That first phase of 0 carbs does some really interesting stuff to your body chemistry.

This has the "side" effect of making you eat healthier. One of the big reasons people are fat is because of all the shitty refined carbs they take in - white breads, candy, pop, donuts, french fries, chips, etc. The vast majority of the bad foods people eat fall into the refined carbohydrates catagory. They do some funky things to your body chemistry that cause you to put on more fat than normal, make losing fat harder, etc. On Atkins you can't have this junk.

I know a couple people who were overweight and decided to stop drinking pop. They lost about 5-10 pounds in a few weeks with no other changes to their lifestyle.

gocubsgo55

Atkins took me from 231 Lbs to 165. After gaining 15 back, I pushed for another 10. I'm currently at 172.

Vector02

No coma yet hu?? :wink: Congrats bro

Adam_Schwartz

Good work on your fat loss (or weight loss, not sure if it's all fat)

You need to maintain a lifestyle change if you expect the lbs to stay off, so keep that in mind.