Carbs vs. no carbs--holy moly!

M

Maximus

Cathlete
For the last two weeks I've pretty much bailed on Atkins & have gained about 10 lbs. Not a big deal, went from 108 to 117 so I'm not really sweating it since it's so easy to drop.

But the amazing thing has been my weight training workouts. I can't believe how strong I feel! Workouts that I usually struggle through are now almost too easy, & I've found myself finally breaking through my plateau of the last few years. I kept glancing down at my wrists looking for my gold bracelets.

Anyway, I'm going back on Atkins this week, but this was the first time I went off it in more than two years & I've had a lot of fun pumping iron. So I say w/a tear in my eye & a hankie in my hand: goodbye Wonder Woman! ;(
 
Hey Wonder Woman! That's funny, maybe there are some redeeming qualities to carbs after all! What type of carbs were you eating? Maybe you could try just eating carbs in the morning (and going low carb for the rest of the day). Or would you not be able to drop the lbs. if you did that?
 
First things first.How do you stay on atkins for 2 years? I couldn't make it through one day on the South Beach Diet.My DH loves meat and alot of the time he will leave his potatoe and eat all of his steak and he is very slim.I wish I could be more like that.Instead I will reach for the extra breadstick.Are you a carb lover or meat lover? Did you have alot of weight to lose in the beginning?Anyway...hats off to you, you have more will power then me!;(
Its nice lifting heavy,isn't it? I have been matching Cathe pretty much with this new series, so I am assuming that she can probably lift heavier then she does her own workouts.I can't do the chest flyes with 20 lbs dumbbells though.I guess you have more energy when you are eating carbs but I would have thought you would have been stronger b/c of all the protein....
Anyway,atleast you know you can if you want.
Lori:)
 
Maximus,

I am experiencing something similar. I did not do Atkins but for almost a year I ate the South Beach way. I was noticing my workout performance was slipping and I was feeling tired and not to excited about my workouts. I just figured it was cause I was getting older and it was to be expected.;(

Well, about a month ago I started adding fruit back in my diet and low and behold, there is a new me in regards to my energy level (or the old me is back ;-) ). My cardio level has pumped up significantly and I have been able to increase the level of weights I have used for upper and lower body.

I'm keeping the fruit in :+
 
Maximus,

Why not consider keeping some of the "good carbs" in your diet and continuing the "Wonder Woman" trend?

Christine
 
Ah I don't know--to me being slender is more important than being strong. I'm already pretty muscular & am not really trying to build more, but ever since I turned 30 I've been struggling w/my weight & don't expect that to get any easier.

I really do love the Atkins diet--I know it's not for everyone but I've found it pretty easy for my own tastes. I miss desserts & pizza but the general meat, veggies & salads diet really works for me, so I'm sticking with it.
 
This happened to my son, too. He was on Atkins pretty strictly and was feeling so weak, he was ready to quit football. The child is 6'4" and weighs about 280, so this was a disaster for the team, and he was just heartbroken, but he said it was just too hard. We added more carbs to his diet, and POOF!, he was back full force and then some. I had no idea low-carb was so strength draining.

Shari
 
I guess every "diet" has it's pros and cons...just gotta pick what works best for you...:)

Like I said, for me, not eating carbs is impossible. They are what keep me going...they are what fill me up at meal time...I went on a low fat, high carb diet and along with exercise I lost 15 pounds that way. That is how I got down to my pre-pregancy weight! For some people that just would not work....

These days I am just trying to find a good healthy balance in my diet...not too much and not too little of anything!:9

Have a great work out!

~Wendy~

I smoked my last cigarette on March 17, 2004 at 10:00 pm!

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?WENDYMIN

http://lilypie.com/days/050519/1/0/1/-5/.png[/img][/url]
 
Well you're not going completely no carb are you??
You are supposed so have good carbs...whole wheat tortillas(low carb) Lots of veggies, Oatmeal, etc. I feel more energetic on low carb than i do on high carb..I get super tired on high or reg. carb. x(
 
i was just reading this thread and had to chime in! what about eating healthfully? a healhty diet INCLUDES vegetables, whole grains and fruit. these foods contain the highest number of nutrients per unit of calorie and will help you not only maintain a healthy weight but ward off cancers and various other diseases including autoimmune disorders. A lot of literature has been published on the negative effects of a diet high in animal products. People gain weight when they eat the WRONG carbs, not just carbs in general. Even when most people think they are eating "good carbs" they are eating processed and not whole nutritious grains. I have read a lot about the atkins diet and that atkins dieters usually lose weight to a large extent, via caloric restriction. When you remove an entire type of food from your diet you will undoubtably eat fewer calories. I understand the need and compulsion to want to look good and to be slim and everything, but i think it is smarter and more do-able longterm, to eat for health and for life. The weight WILL come off by eating healthfully. Just my 0.02$.
 
You can do Atkins in a healthy way. I take a variety of vitamins to replace what I loss in fruits. I generally stick w/chicken or pork but do eat red meat on occasion (there are many vitamins & minerals vegetarians miss out on too you know!). I eat a TON of salads, that's pretty much my diet staple.

Atkins dieters lose weight b/c of carbohydrate restriction, not caloric restriction. Calories are not a factor w/Atkins. Have you read Atkins for Life? It does a very good job of explaining why the diet works & how it can be done in a healthy way.

My weight did not come off from just eating healthy. I stuck w/low fat for most of my life, but after I hit 30 it just stopped working. Different things work for different people, & every diet has its drawbacks. It's a matter of finding the right balance. Today my scale is tipping the wrong way LOL. x(
 
the only thing i've heard from a couple of my health professors is that the big downfalls of atkins can be kidney problems in the long run (long loooooong run, has to do with not getting the stuff you need from carbs and processing too much other stuff i think) and that people who do well on atkins and then go off of atkins will regain their weight twice as fast as a person on a less severe diet.
 
Hi Maximus!

I am also an Atkins follower. I wonder if you might want to try out adding healthy carb according to progression as listed in the books. Fruits can be re-incorporated into the diet, as well as many other beneficial carbs. As another poster mentioned, you might want to try eating more carbs earlier in the day. I have also heard that you should have some carbs after working out to resupply the glycogen stores in the muscles.

The Atkins For Life also shows different eating plans for different total carb levels. Perhaps you just need to add a few more carbs with things like berries or melons. I am still working out the process myself, although I am not at my goal weight yet. Hope this helps!

Linda
 
Well said, chiro ange. I agree completely. (and my 2 cents added to yours makes 4!).

There's no reason to choose between "slim" and "strong."
 
I am glad that you have found a system that works for you and I totally understand your “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” method!

I did South Beach Diet last year for about a month and after the initial phase of craving, light-headedness, etc. I felt GREAT on the plan. The first few days were rough but after that, I felt really good :) It was really making me shrink too! I have to say though…I did go back b/c I simply love sugar (both the good and bad kinds). I try to eat it in small spurts and I know that I felt good without it, but I felt way too restricted and on a “diet” when I had to cut out a lot of things that I love.

What works for one, doesn't work for all, that is for sure ;)

Christine
 
In Maximus' defense, different ways of eating works for different people. Also, eating this way comes easy for her, as she says, so this is a long term change versus a short term drastic measure to drop weight fast. Obviously, anybody who changes their way of eating and loses weight will only gain the weight back if they go back to the way they were eating before! It doesn't matter if you're going low carb, low fat, etc. Hey, isn't the point to be able to stick with the new way of eating?
 
I agree I don't like Atkins at all. Coming from a medical background a diet lacking in whole grains, high fat, high protein in the long run will do harm. What has happened to healthly eating which includes a variety?
 
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