Atkins = don't think i can do this much longer

[Citrus81]

I have been doing atkins induction for just over a week and have lost 9lbs. I know 99% of that will be water.

I am sick of eating the same stuff every day and I just don't think I can stick to it any longer. Eggs, bacon, cheese, chicken, salad - every day - every bloody day. I swear to god if I eat one more egg I will be sick.

So I want to carry on eating a low carb diet but not as ridiculous as this.

So say I introduce a bowl of cereal for my breakfast instead of egg and bacon, will I pile on the pounds?

Has anyone just lost weight by eating small portions of "a bit of everything"??

If you are doing atkins and introduce carb then it won't work. You won't trigger ketosis and the whole thing won't work. Actually it will be worse because you will be adding carb on top of a ( what sounds like a ) very high fat diet.
I did Atkins and I couldn't have eaten what you describe.

If you can't do atkins then do something else.

I am doing low carb with balanced fat and protein, and working out three timesd a week and have lost 1-2 lbs a week for the last 6 weeks. It ain't quick but it is very healthy and I can do it for months without feeling bored or deprived

What pag said ^

I do bowl of weetabix/skimmed milk in the morning, which is my carb fix, then low-carb AND low-fat stuff for the rest of the day, and fruit if I want it. Slow, but you'll get there eventually

As you are finding, Atkins always back-lashed for me - I got sick of the relentless, greasy 'savoury' of it all.

You need to work at Atkins so that you can stick to it. But it is hard and it is possible to eat more healthily and still lose. I am doing a low carb plan. I call it the "No shit carbs" plan! Nothing made with wheat or sugar is main rule.

Breakfast can be porridge or a Low Carb Granola that I found (Sainsburys stock it) with fruit. Or a slice of rye bread with peanut butter and a banana.

Lunch is usually soup or protein and salad.

Snacks are oatcakes with low fat Philadelphia (nice with a strawberry slice on) or hummus. Another snack is an Activia natural yoghurt and a kiwifruit. I have a banana every second day as they are high in sugar. Berries are lower in sugar and therefore carbs than other fruit.

Lots of water and green tea.

Dinner is protein of some sort with salad or roast veg.

I did Atkins for 2 weeks and it just made me feel sick and constipated.

Why not switch to a low carb diet, so mainly non-carb, but not in a fatty way (so no cheese, sausages, bacon etc), just fish/chicken and salad veg, but maybe add a very small portion of brown rice or pasta? Or a handful of nuts? Maybe cereal or ryvita for breakfast?

Or just get food poisoning and you might lose 4lbs overnight like I did .

Citrus like others have said carbs will loose the ketosis which is why the weight shifts so fast on Atkins.

Boots stock Atkins bars, shakes and cereals if you really want to continue with low carb - if you have one of these for one meal a day you can still stay in ketosis,but I agree it is hard work.

Maybe IPD may suit you better?

I'm doing Atkins and only a week in but not feeling sick of it at all, on the contrary love being able to eat cream, butter, 'choc pudding', cheese, what kind of diet is that?!

I do miss my milk and fruit, but eventually it'll be allowed back in and for the moment, really relishing the weight coming off, it never has done before so there must be something to this ketosis thing.

atkins and ketosis (which is starvation) will only make you thinner for the short term, as soon as you start eating normal (carbs) again the weight (plus some) comes back.

Also, Ketosis (Atkins, no carbing etc.) is very unhealthy and bad for your kidneys, your heart (all that cholesterol).

I know most people love it though, as it`s a quick fix.

Doing something more sensible like normally, but more healthily and smaller portions, is the best way IMHO. Something like the GI diet (where you cut out suger and refined starch, but eat wholewheat stuff, porridge, and other whole grains, low fat fish, meat dairy and fruit and veg)

I think all diets are a con. Apart from the GI one as that just teaches you about more sensible eating without the dreaded ketosis.

Personally, I need carbs for my brain and body to function properly.

So start the day with porridge (skim milk), wholewheat toast or similar. Maybe a poached egg too! Soup and brown bread fo lunch, and nice fish and rice and salad for tea.

And cut out any soda`s, cakes etc.

I think you should eat carbs, just not too much of the bad ones (like sugar).

I lost 2 stone like this after pregnancy, but it took a year. it stayed off though.

I hate seeing people tout ketosis (starvation through no carbs) as a good thing. It messes up your metabolism, and you`ll most likely end up a yoyo dieter...

Thanks for your concern but I'm gonna stick with it. Citrus, do whatever yout hink is best for you and your body, same for everyone else on the thread. Most of us were just sharing our experiences before you got preachy Chandon.

Agree totally with Starberries...Atkins is NOT starvation. How can eating a whole roast chichen with shin be starvation?
You only have to look at the diet of a caveman...meat, meat and more meat, to realise it's healthy.
As for being bad for your body, that's crap. A few tears ago, the BBC ran a programame with people following different diets. Atkins, which they thought would be the worst, came out top. The people following this diet, lost weight the fastest, and their BMI, blood pressure levels, etc came lowest.
Also, you do not regain the weight when you introduce carbs. I first did this diet10 years ago. Since then I have had 3 kids, and hardly put any weight on at all.
It's only since hitting the menopause that my body shape has changed, and that has nothing to do with the diet...which actually speeds up metabolism.

if you talk about ketosis, you talk about starvation.

Totally untrue. Ketosis is not starvation, it's a sign your body is using fat and fatty acids as fuel in the absence of glycogen in the body.

Chandon that is not true. I low-carbed fully for 2 weeks, was in ketosis and lost 9lbs. Then I have switched to calorie counting, still keeping carbs low in the evening but I am having toast for breakfast, bread or potato sometimes at lunch, fruit, milk etc. I have lost another 4lbs, not put any back on.

You are scaremongering a bit here, and also wrong.

OP if you stick with it but add flavour to your food with rich creamy sauces and spices, you might not get so bored. I love Atkins and agree with the positive comments above, ie the caveman diet, and that it's amazing being able to eat as much rich yummy food as you like. I have been doing it for 2 months and have lost nearly a whole stone! Wish I'd discovered it before my wedding... it's the only way of losing weight for me as I hate being hungry, and I never feel hungry on Atkins. I have even had Dominos twice and fish and chips once - yes you have to avoid regularly carbing it up, but I've found that a once weekly blowout in the evening makes me feel like I'm having a treat, and it hasn't stopped me losing weight. Although I likely would have lost lots more if I hadn't, obv. Any physical probs are usually solved by drinking huge amounts of water and sometimes soluble fibre to, er keep things moving. It's only bad for you if you let yourself get clogged up, or use it as an excuse to eat high fat stuff all the time. Having said that, I have been snacking on cheese which isn't great!! Fish is good too and feels healthy, mmm there's a lovely recipe for salmon with a crust made of macadamia nuts, garlic and basil.

OP - stay with it for the rest of induction or you'll undo everything you've done so far. There are lots of recipe ideas out there for Atkins or low-carb alternatives: I second the Idiot-Proof Diet suggestion above, which has a good supportive forum.

Chandon - calling ketosis starvation is just wrong. Rainbowdropping is correct about glycogen, but even without getting technical about it, a typical low-carb menu might look a bit like eggs or protein shake for breakfast; antipasti for lunch; steak, guacamole and broccoli for supper, with cheese, nuts and olives for snacks. How can that be starvation? (Actually, starvation could much more accurately be applied to low-calorie, portion-controlled diets as they encourage the metabolism to slow down and hang on to stores of body fat, which is the opposite of what you want if you are trying to lose weight.) Also, low-carb diets have amazingly positive effects on cholesterol levels, and of course blood sugar levels for anyone who is worried about diabetes. I am glad you've found a method of losing weight that works for you but please don't spread such uninformed opinions around about others.

Also, missjellycat is right about eating fish. We had salmon marinated then poached in coconut milk, lime juice and coriander last night, with steamed broccoli. DH was still drooling about it this morning.

thereistheball - was going to add to this, but you've said everything I was going to

Chandon, you are incorrect.