Former Atkins dieters, please chime in!

[LilacBruze]

This is my second time doing Atkins and I am on week 7 of induction (approved by my doctor). I actually posted for the first time last week in the Atkins forum because I was stalling big time. My stall led me to researching the protocol, ordering some drops, and deciding to try a round of HCG dieting.

4 weeks into Induction, I had only lost 9 lbs. There was no cheating mind you, just my darn diabetes and being insulin resistant on top of it. Weeks 5-6 something finally gave, because now on day 44 I have lost almost 30 lbs. I am waiting until TOM passes until beginning the protocol, but with this time on my hands (about 2 weeks), I am wondering - should I stay on Induction or should I try the protocol since I'm out 60 bucks for the drops anyway?

Rhetorical question. Of course I am going to do the protocol. I *did* buy the drops, lol.

But I guess I would really appreciate some feedback from people who have done both, their experiences, frustrations, accomplishments, health issues they may have overcome, etc. I'm going into this with a totally open mind! I've been fat for almost 20 years and have FINALLY decided that I'm done with being fat!

[shelbyla]

Hi Lilac.

I think you are going to get a LOT of responses to this but I'll tell you my experience. I'm not sure how often you've "done" Atkins or if this was your first time. When I first stared Atkins (2004), I lost a lot of weight pretty quickly. I went from a high (then) of 180 to 145. I found Atkins relatively easy but after I reached my goal, went off-plan (meaning ate sugars and starches) a little at a time until I was basically back to my old (bad) ways of eating. I figured if I could take the weight off that easily, I could just do it again, right? WRONG.

Each subsequent time I started Atkins (and believe me I tried every year, at least once a year), it worked less well. Generally, I would start 10 pounds higher and get stuck ten pounds up from a previous low. The last time I did this, in 2009, I started at 195 but couldn't get past 170'ish. I tried EVERYTHING. Stall-busters, high-protein, low-protein, high-fat, low-fat, low calorie, until I had gotten to the end of my rope. The final straw was when I realized that I had eaten only meat and eggs for 10 WEEKS to break into the 160's. When I added veggies back in (veggies, mind you, NOT fruit) and I gained 5 pounds from eating BROCCOLI, I said to myself "Something is just WRONG with you girl!"

At that point I started investigating thyroid and other hormones and realized that I had all sorts of problems that needed sorting out. After a year of working on those, I was feeling a lot better, but I was told over and over that the weight would come off when my meds were optimized and it just wasn't happening. At that point I had ballooned up to 210 pounds, an all-time high for me, and was desperate for anything that would help and ready to try hcg.

I researched and luckily found this forum and all the great people on it, started my first round January 3rd at 210 pounds, and as of this morning am sitting at a comfortable 166. In case you're counting, that's 44 pounds in 6 weeks of active "dieting". I'd love to see the 140's as a goal weight but am thrilled with what I've accomplished so far. HCG has also helped me lose weight in problem areas (my arms, legs and back) and differently in that cellulite is disappearing and I don't have saggy skin--in fact it's tighter than it was before! It's also allowed me go go beyond my previous setpoint into VT for the first time since starting Atkins in 2004. Most importantly, HCG has reset my metabolism so that a high calorie level and even reasonable levels of carbs are tolerated by my body without huge gains. This has been invaluable because I don't want to eat meat and eggs for the rest of my life! It has also tamed any cravings that lingered doing Atkins and completely squashed the urge to "cheat" on protocol. I honestly think that there is something about it that changes your tastes, other than what low-carb in general can do. I'll probably always be somewhat of a low-carb girl but I am SOOOOO glad that I can eat fruit and beans and the occasional treat without going off into bingeland. It's also taught me to stay on top of my weight--don't let it EVER go outside of a certain window and if it does, FIX IT! Doing Atkins, I weighed once a week, if that, and after HCG, I will probably be a daily weigher for the rest of my life.

I honestly wish I had tried this sooner. My advice is twofold: HCG is incredible for weight loss but the other benefits are as important, if not moreso; AND if you are in your first "round" of Atkins, don't assume that if it works now, it will work in the future.

Wow, that's a book! Hopefully some of it's helpful! And WELCOME!

[LilacBruze]

Thanks so much, Shelbyla.

The problem with pretty much any weight loss diet plan is, unless you change the eating habits that got you to be overweight in the first place, the diet is only a temporary fix and you will re-gain all the weight you lost while dieting. Now, the HCG diet states that if followed properly, your metabolism is re-set, so that is excluded.

I am not just on a diet to lose weight, I am permanently changing my way of eating. I have to! I am diabetic and have MS and quite honestly, just because simple carbs don't taste like Drano doesn't mean they're not having the same effect on my body as Drano would... slowly poisoning me that is. <-- my doc told me to think about that when tempted to eat junk food, lol...

So... my long term goal is to eat healthy, get healthy, and stay healthy. So far, so good. But my short-term goal is to lose some of this (okay, a lot of this) blubber because it will keep me motivated with the long term goal. And that is where the dieting comes in.

It's my 2nd time doing Atkins, and aside from that infuriating super stall in the first 4 weeks, eating low-carb has really not been a big issue for me, and in my 7th week I am almost at 30 lbs lost. I don't like eggs and bacon but I eat a lot of veggies and lean protein and have discovered the joys of cauliflower rice, cauliflower mock mashed potatoes, and cauliflower pizza crust. We go through 8-10 bags of frozen cauliflower a week now, lol.

I am glad to hear that saggy skin is not an issue on HCG, that is a concern for me so thanks for mentioning that!

I am wondering how the HCG diet compares to Atkins in reducing blood sugar. Mine is slowly going down but considering I have been on 20 net carbs a day for 44 days, it sure is taking its sweet time!

[CherylB]

Well said, Shelby! Can't add much more to that, but I'll try.

I'm not diabetic so I can't speak to what it does to a person's blood sugar. Interestingly though, I have not had one single episode (come to think of it) where I felt like my sugar was crashing. I've had an ongoing problem with visual disturbances (swimmy peripheral vision) when I have gone too many hours without eating something substantial. That has not happened one time on hhcg, and I am eating way fewer calories now than I usually did on Atkins. (I bought a blood glucose monitor to check the level when I was feeling those symptoms and my glucose was always fine.)

I've done Atkins a few times, and I can surely attest to the fact that it works best the first time. The second time goes well, but if you tend to go off and on with it, you will really mess up your progress and how your body ultimately will let go of the fat on LC.

I too was going to make it a lifestyle change, and said it wasn't a diet. But it's difficult to live on such a rigid plan without "cheating" sometimes. When I went off plan on Atkins, I'd be messed up for a week solid. But on hhcg, I can take a few days off plan and be right back to where I was 3 days later (or so.) No, that's not what you're supposed to do while on hhcg, but I have done it a few times and lived to tell about it.

When you go off plan on hhcg and gain, it's all water. But somehow when you regain on Atkins, it takes ages to come back off. Don't understand that at all. But, that's what I've found personally.

I say this: If Atkins is working well for you right now and things are moving along as you hoped, then put those drops in the refrigerator and wait until you are feeling stuck again. Then come out, guns blazing.

Hhcg is not easy. The first day or so you really feel sorry for yourself. When you weigh 100 grams of low fat meat on the scale, you are very unimpressed. I have only eaten fish one time because eating it low fat was so nasty. I like plenty of butter and lemon and garlic on mine, thank you very much.

One thing that's cool about hhcg (if you do it "rogue") you can follow other plans or make it fit you a bit better. You don't have to follow Dr Simeon's plan to get results.

Good luck to you, whatever which way you decide to go! Both plans are great in their own way. But with hhcg, you will be back to Atkins eating in P3, so the strict phase only lasts a month or so, depending upon you.

[LilacBruze]

Thanks, Cheryl.

Someone once told me that quitting smoking is one of the most difficult things one might ever try to do, and to try and do so for all the wrong reasons will always result in failure. I am trying to apply that philosophy to my situation. Yes, I've done diets before, sure. But I can say that I have always done them for all the wrong reasons (just like the things I've chosen to eat throughout the years). I've had a lifetime of junk food. I have serious health issues that are more important to me than eating that junk food. And if eliminating that junk food will result in my health issues improving, that is all the motivation that I need. It's why I haven't cheated, it's why I don't have too many cravings, and it's also why I actually enjoy this lifestyle of eating and cooking and honestly, there are not too many things I miss that I've eliminated from my diet. I don't find it rigid at all. I am eating way more healthy foods now than I have ever eaten before, and actually enjoying them. And in the almost 7 full weeks that I've been on Induction, I feel great. I really, truly feel great. And believe me... that motivates me like you wouldn't believe!

Of course, time will tell, lol. But I will say that to further emphasize that I am really serious about my getting healthy and losing weight, today I went through my clothes and donated 8 bags worth to Goodwill. These bags comprised 4 sizes of clothing that I have been hanging on to through the years as my weight fluctuated up and down. I kept them as a buffer "just in case", but I don't want that buffer any more. Hubby was dumbfounded.

I think you're right about putting the drops in the fridge and keep on doing what I am doing for now since despite some stalls it IS working. Although I am really curious to know what HCG can for to my blood sugar, which is high (fasting now is around 165, down from 200 8 weeks ago). I understand that crashing can happen on HCG. But THAT I would need to see to believe in my case, since my blood sugar never goes below 120 even on the best of days.

Thank you so much for your insight.

[CherylB]

I suggest that you start another thread, that addresses blood sugar control on Atkins vs HCG and see if you get more responses to that specific issue.

Best of luck to you! WTG on ditching the old fat clothes. That's a very positive step. Keep up that motivation and no matter what method you decide to live by, you will reach your goals and live a healthy, happy life.

[Zbunny]

Originally Posted by shelbyla

Hi Lilac.

I think you are going to get a LOT of responses to this but I'll tell you my experience. I'm not sure how often you've "done" Atkins or if this was your first time. When I first stared Atkins (2004), I lost a lot of weight pretty quickly. I went from a high (then) of 180 to 145. I found Atkins relatively easy but after I reached my goal, went off-plan (meaning ate sugars and starches) a little at a time until I was basically back to my old (bad) ways of eating. I figured if I could take the weight off that easily, I could just do it again, right? WRONG.

Each subsequent time I started Atkins (and believe me I tried every year, at least once a year), it worked less well. Generally, I would start 10 pounds higher and get stuck ten pounds up from a previous low. The last time I did this, in 2009, I started at 195 but couldn't get past 170'ish. I tried EVERYTHING. Stall-busters, high-protein, low-protein, high-fat, low-fat, low calorie, until I had gotten to the end of my rope. The final straw was when I realized that I had eaten only meat and eggs for 10 WEEKS to break into the 160's. When I added veggies back in (veggies, mind you, NOT fruit) and I gained 5 pounds from eating BROCCOLI, I said to myself "Something is just WRONG with you girl!"

At that point I started investigating thyroid and other hormones and realized that I had all sorts of problems that needed sorting out. After a year of working on those, I was feeling a lot better, but I was told over and over that the weight would come off when my meds were optimized and it just wasn't happening. At that point I had ballooned up to 210 pounds, an all-time high for me, and was desperate for anything that would help and ready to try hcg.

I researched and luckily found this forum and all the great people on it, started my first round January 3rd at 210 pounds, and as of this morning am sitting at a comfortable 166. In case you're counting, that's 44 pounds in 6 weeks of active "dieting". I'd love to see the 140's as a goal weight but am thrilled with what I've accomplished so far. HCG has also helped me lose weight in problem areas (my arms, legs and back) and differently in that cellulite is disappearing and I don't have saggy skin--in fact it's tighter than it was before! It's also allowed me go go beyond my previous setpoint into VT for the first time since starting Atkins in 2004. Most importantly, HCG has reset my metabolism so that a high calorie level and even reasonable levels of carbs are tolerated by my body without huge gains. This has been invaluable because I don't want to eat meat and eggs for the rest of my life! It has also tamed any cravings that lingered doing Atkins and completely squashed the urge to "cheat" on protocol. I honestly think that there is something about it that changes your tastes, other than what low-carb in general can do. I'll probably always be somewhat of a low-carb girl but I am SOOOOO glad that I can eat fruit and beans and the occasional treat without going off into bingeland. It's also taught me to stay on top of my weight--don't let it EVER go outside of a certain window and if it does, FIX IT! Doing Atkins, I weighed once a week, if that, and after HCG, I will probably be a daily weigher for the rest of my life.

I honestly wish I had tried this sooner. My advice is twofold: HCG is incredible for weight loss but the other benefits are as important, if not moreso; AND if you are in your first "round" of Atkins, don't assume that if it works now, it will work in the future.

Wow, that's a book! Hopefully some of it's helpful! And WELCOME!

Well, it may be a book, but it's a GOOD book! Wow! Thank you so much for sharing that. I'm about to embark on my own hcg journey and I am so inspired right now. And I'm so happy for you!

[averyjenn]

My experience is JUST like Shelby's. I started LC at my all-time high 248 and lost down to 225. I stayed there for a year or two and then started to REALLY lose weight. I went down to 160 and dipped to 158-159 for like an HOUR and then stayed in the 160s for a year. Then it started creeping up on me and next thing I knew, I was in the 170s-180. I let it get back up to 185 at a high and could get to 170 but no lower no matter what I did. I even went on thyroid medication and it finally started creeping back to the 160s but it was SO difficult to maintain and bam back up to the 170s I hit at Christmas. I started hcg in January and gained up to 180 loading.

Here I sit after two rounds, comfortably in the low 150s. I dropped 2 sizes from a 12 to an 8 and even a 6 in skirts. I don't think it "fixed" my metabolism per se. I'm in P4 now and really must stay close to LC which is fine by me. I've been eating this way for 6+ years so I love eating LC. I found that a treat meal maybe won't be a problem. I'll be up a bit the next day but I can lose it quickly now. It's eating out - even LC that affects me. I know what goes in my own food. At a restaurant, you just don't know. I'm more conscious than ever about what I'm eating and I weigh myself daily and take care of any issue if I go over my window.

I'm extremely grateful for hcg!

[LilacBruze]

Averyjenn... you look GREAT! Kudos to you! I wonder about the whole "resets your metabolism" thing as it sounds too good to be true after such a long (20+ years) battle with my weight. But I am staying positive! Thanks for your input!

[Kateenie]

Are you doing homeopathic drops? If so, do NOT put them in the fridge! It is not necessary to keep them there and any exposure to electronics can ruin them (ask me how I know LOL). They have a very long shelf life, kept in a dark place.

[LilacBruze]

ANY exposure? I have them sitting about a foot away from my computer monitor! Eek! You're scaring me!

[Kateenie]

Some people don't believe it, but homeopathics are pretty fragile.

I sat mine right beside computer and it killed them. All my hunger came back and the scale stopped. I opened a new bottle (after reading about the electronic exposure) and immediately got back to normal. Now I keep them in my linen closet - I couldn't find anywhere else where there wasn't SOMETHING electronic.

[LilacBruze]

I am at work right now so I will move them when I get home, but in the meantime, please tell me that three days next to the monitor still in their boxes won't kill them! I just spent 60 bucks on them!

[Kateenie]

Originally Posted by LilacBruze

I am at work right now so I will move them when I get home, but in the meantime, please tell me that three days next to the monitor still in their boxes won't kill them! I just spent 60 bucks on them!

I don't know how long it takes, but there is also a way to "reactivate" them - some sort of sussing with vodka or something. Hopefully someone else can chime in.

They are probably fine

[LilacBruze]

Ha! My grandmother always said everything is made better with vodka, guess she was right!

[CherylB]

Jenn, I just wanted to say how absolutely stunning you look and congratulate you on being such a success! I love your dress!

[averyjenn]

Thanks girl!

[nurseypoo5]

wow SHELBY!! I'm just like you and obviously many others. I lost 100lbs in 2000 on atkins, in 6 months...gained half back, lost it relativly easy 40lbs in 6 months....once i lost 45lbs in 3 months doing meat fast. BUT...now it doesnt work for caca for me anymore. I had no idea it was going to be like this. I sorta misused atkins in that i "knew" i could just diet 3 months a year and stay relatively happy with my wieght, and while that worked for 3-4 yrs , it no longer works, so im up to 225lbs..up from my low of 165. SUCKS TO BE ME.

So hcg here i come. NOW.....after looking at this diet...its low carb in every sense of the word. One apple and two melba toast arent going to keep you out of ketosis...2 melba toast and berries instead of apples/oranges, you betcha your doing major low carb WITH hcg... I should lose wieght its a low carb, low calorie, low fat diet...anyone can lose wieght eating <500 calories per day, HOWEVER its all about the resetting your metabolism that im interested in!

[SheeShee]

I actually joined this website a few years ago while on Atkins. I can tell you that I've been successful on EVERY diet I've ever gone on! From my research, hcg appears to be different because it not only reshapes your body by removing the "bad" fat but Dr. S's protocol detoxes you from the bad chemicals and the different phases teach you about what your individual food tolerances are and what works best for you individually. I can see this teaching me things about my food that I can use for a lifetime.

I have hope again for a future where I'm not the fat girl!

[torister]

Originally Posted by SheeShee

I actually joined this website a few years ago while on Atkins. I can tell you that I've been successful on EVERY diet I've ever gone on! From my research, hcg appears to be different because it not only reshapes your body by removing the "bad" fat but Dr. S's protocol detoxes you from the bad chemicals and the different phases teach you about what your individual food tolerances are and what works best for you individually. I can see this teaching me things about my food that I can use for a lifetime.

I have hope again for a future where I'm not the fat girl!

This works...it really does!! I have been finding out foods that I am sensitive to and realizing that they do indeed cause me to gain overnight. I do follow the protocol and I do HCG in short P2 rounds and complete P3 and P4s.

[mousie tartufo]

Chalk me up as another for whom Atkins eventually ceased working well. I'd managed to get down to a low of 167 (from at least 235 - I don't actually know how heavy I was because I stopped weighing myself at that point), but I got there only by going almost NO carb, and by exercising my arse off. It had gotten to the point where trying to maintain that "low" weight was too much work, too much effort, too much deprivation. I wound up just giving up, really. I almost immediately shot back up to the high 180s where I stayed for a few years, then I got really really lazy and fell into the carb ditch

So, here I am on hhcg. I'm just now back below that setpoint in the 180s, and the metabolism reset seems to be working - I can eat a "normal" low carb meal when not in P2 and not gain, and I can even occasionally have a carby treat. I'm going to need to do probably 4 more rounds after this, but that's okay - this is actually working past the point that Atkins did, with none of the heartache or exhausting effort of how Atkins was for me at the end. I'm sticking it through.


And Torister - lookit you absolutely ROCKING this protocol - 25 pounds in 14 days? AMAZING And you look FANTASTIC!!!

[SassieladyAZ]

After posting this afternoon about my current atkins dilema, I searched the site for others insimilar predicaments. So, having coming across this post, I am totally interested in HCG. But, I want to get the "Lowdown" so to speak. How do you not just die of hunger???

[CherylB]

Originally Posted by SassieladyAZ

After posting this afternoon about my current atkins dilema, I searched the site for others insimilar predicaments. So, having coming across this post, I am totally interested in HCG. But, I want to get the "Lowdown" so to speak. How do you not just die of hunger???

It's the hcg! I never would have believed it and I am 100% onboard now. I'm going all the way with my little pellets! Just you watch me!

[LilacBruze]

Originally Posted by CherylB

It's the hcg! I never would have believed it and I am 100% onboard now. I'm going all the way with my little pellets! Just you watch me!

You go, Cheryl! I'm right behind ya!

But it's true. After the first few days, you really are not hungry. Your body is feeding off its abnormal fat reserves. It's funny to see this OP of mine, what a difference 4 weeks makes!

[CherylB]

Originally Posted by LilacBruze

You go, Cheryl! I'm right behind ya!

But it's true. After the first few days, you really are not hungry. Your body is feeding off its abnormal fat reserves. It's funny to see this OP of mine, what a difference 4 weeks makes!

Holy Moly! Time flies when you're losing weight! I didn't realize how much time had passed. WTG! You having a good time with it so far? Would you like to answer your own question, now that you have some experience?

[Zbunny]

Originally Posted by CherylB

Holy Moly! Time flies when you're losing weight! I didn't realize how much time had passed. WTG! You having a good time with it so far? Would you like to answer your own question, now that you have some experience?

Great idea!

I'm an Atkins girl too, but I was mostly just maintaining unless I got super low carb/very strict -- that's the only way I could usually lose anything. I mean reallllly strict. I lost well, did OWL, thought I was doing well, and then went off the deep end in OWL and had to start all over. Lost again/wash/rinse/repeat. I now know how to maintain, but the losses slowed down to almost nothing (except, oddly, in the 3 or so weeks leading up to starting hcg, when suddenly I dropped 10 lbs. really easily and I wasn't being all that strict).

Hcg has been a journey for me, and I'm only on VLCD13 right now. Learning and losing (not consistently -- but definitely losing noticeably) and I'm "sold" that this is a great way to not only lose weight, but to reshape your body and to learn how to eat properly to maintain it. Loving this journey, bumps and all!

[LilacBruze]

Originally Posted by CherylB

Holy Moly! Time flies when you're losing weight! I didn't realize how much time had passed. WTG! You having a good time with it so far? Would you like to answer your own question, now that you have some experience?

Well, it's been more like 3 1/2 weeks but close enough! And I am loving it! Yes to answer my question... I am SOOOOO glad I didn't stay on Induction and chose hcg instead!

[SassieladyAZ]

Ok, so may I ask some questions? How much is too much to pay for the HCG and which form is better to use? Do I go to a Dr. or order it on my own? How do I begin? Can I tweak my calories? I only have really 10 lbs to lose and maybe 15 if I want to push it....

[CherylB]

I take the homeopathic pellets. Someone suggested them to me and I'm sooo glad they did! I never have problems with hunger and the pellets are very convenient. As far as cost, just do a google search and shop around for the best deals. I hear there are only two companies who make them (brown bottle or blue bottle.) Various places put their own labels on them (again; this is what I've heard.)

No Rx needed. But do please read Pounds and Inches before you start. You have to really read-up on this before you begin. There's a lot to it, but as you get going, you'll see it's not nearly as complicated as it sounds.

With so little to lose, you could probably get to goal in one round of 23 days! (Pounds and Inches is a free pdf of Dr Simeon's book. Free to download! I also suggest checking out the OWL hcg plan. Google, google, google!

You asked about calorie tweaking. There are threads that us "roguers" can be found on. If you want to see how the plan can be done with a little leeway, let me know.

[SassieladyAZ]

This all sounds really cool. I, for some strange reason, like the idea of the injections. Call me crazy! For some reason I have more faith in that method. Again, coming from a medical background that may be why. I'm really in the information gathering stage. So far I feel that this may be a go for me. I will give it a couple of weeks however. Affordability wise...thanks so much to all of you that responded! I really appreciate it!